Empowering Business Transformation: A Conversation with Nirmala Menon, CEO of Interweave Consulting

An interview with Nirmala Menon, Founder & CEO of Interweave Consulting, a professional diversity consulting organization

In this insightful interview, Nirmala Menon, Founder & CEO of Interweave Consulting, shares her journey of leading a pioneering professional diversity consulting organization.

With a passion for fostering inclusive work environments, Nirmala discusses the challenges and opportunities in driving diversity initiatives across various sectors, and the transformative impact of inclusive leadership on organizational success.

Nirmala, what inspired you to start Interweave Consulting, and what were the initial challenges you faced in bringing the concept of diversity and inclusion (D&I) to corporate India?

Nirmala Menon: I was one of the women who left the workforce in the mid-1990s to care for my daughter, and when I was ready to return a few years later, no company was willing to hire me.

During this period, I learned that IBM was open to considering women returning after a career break, so I applied for a position. They offered me a role in what was then referred to as their Global Diversity & Multicultural team.

This role introduced me to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) space. My responsibilities involved raising awareness among IBM employees across subsidiaries about the significance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

This position provided me with the opportunity to engage with teams across IBM offices worldwide, offering valuable insights into how the field of DEI would evolve over time. So, when I quit IBM in the mid-2000, it was an easy choice to make.

Interweave has been at the forefront of advocating for D&I in India’s corporate sector. How has your vision for D&I evolved since you started, and what impact do you hope to make in the long term?

Nirmala Menon: Yes, that is true. We were arguably the first consulting company to start this important work in India. At the time, the few initiatives related to the subject primarily focused on supporting women at work.

They were often event-based, such as celebrating Women’s Day or hosting “Bring Your Kids to Work” events. While these were excellent social events to generate interest, they barely addressed the real issues surrounding inclusion and were frequently labeled as “women’s events.”

In fact, many organizations were merely replicating initiatives from their headquarters.

Among the various issues being addressed in the West—such as race, ethnicity, and gender—the one that resonated most in India was gender.

While diversity encompasses much more than women, early corporate efforts were primarily directed toward the recruitment, retention, and growth of women in the workplace.

Interweave’s role was to help organizations understand that while women form a significant and integral part of the conversation, diversity refers to empowering the entire talent pool.

Conversations that initially focused on enabling women gradually expanded over time to include other dimensions such as age, abilities, gender identity, sexual orientation, and neurodiversity.

As an organization, we have evolved alongside the growing needs of our clients, who have come to realize the long journey required to achieve true inclusion.

Over the years, we have partnered with over 400 marquee organizations across industries to harness the value of diversity and inclusion.

Our work ranges from auditing organizations and their policies for inclusion, ensuring safe and respectful workplaces, and addressing the unique challenges of diverse talent groups to enable them to thrive. We have been at the forefront of inclusion work in India.

Our latest offering focuses on the neurodiversity space, a new and evolving area that is particularly relevant for organizations in today’s ecosystem.

With disruptive and innovative thinking becoming essential for organizational survival, addressing neurodiversity has gained significant importance.

Our work, therefore, has profound personal, organizational, and social impacts. Reflecting on how far we have come as an industry in the past 15 years is a testament to the fact that the work we do is essential and needed by the world.

What were the key barriers to implementing diversity and inclusion in Indian corporations when you first began? Have you seen a shift in mindset over the years?

Nirmala Menon: The lack of awareness about the value of diversity and inclusion was the biggest barrier. There was significant pushback when we began discussing the subject with organizations.

Some of the initial responses in 2007 included the argument that India, as a country, did not require work in this area because diversity was already an integral part of our identity. “Isn’t Unity in Diversity our national tagline?” they questioned.

Many well-meaning friends and colleagues even encouraged me to offer services in more generic areas such as team building and communication, as the business case for these topics was more established and the market seemed easier to explore.

As a result, building awareness and acceptance of diversity and inclusion was a slow process. It took almost 8 to 9 years for the subject to gain traction in India. Even then, the focus largely remained on gender.

It is only in the last five years or so that we have started to see progress in addressing other dimensions of diversity.

Has there been a difference? Has there been progress? The needle has certainly moved. While it may not be consistent across the board, more organizations are increasingly driven by various factors to acknowledge the importance of inclusion.

Conversations that were once frustrating—such as “Why do we need this now?”, “We’ve done well without it in the past,” and “Why must we invest in this when we’re already leaders in the industry?”—were critical to building conviction.

Additionally, legal guidelines and compliance requirements across the globe compelled organizations to incorporate inclusion into their business decisions.

Today, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) goals are part of the objectives set for the C-suite. The growing number of service providers in this space further highlights how DEIB has gained significant importance in recent years.

For companies that are just beginning their D&I journey, what advice would you give to help them overcome the initial hurdles and create a more inclusive workplace?

Nirmala Menon: Building awareness of the value and necessity of diversity is the first and most crucial step. This phase is often the hardest and longest part of the journey, as it requires a shift in mindsets.

It is ideal to begin with an organizational audit to identify specific inclusion challenges faced by diverse groups of employees. This serves as a foundation for designing targeted interventions and measuring progress.

Developing a customized roadmap for the inclusion journey is the most effective way to move forward.

Such a roadmap incorporates all necessary interventions, including awareness-building initiatives, policy development, compliance requirements, and enabling programs such as employee resource groups (ERGs) and other developmental initiatives.  

What’s next for Interweave Consulting? Are there any exciting projects or initiatives in the pipeline that you’re particularly passionate about?

Nirmala Menon: There is much for us to be excited about. We have consistently been at the forefront of this subject, particularly in the Indian marketplace.

With products and services spanning multiple areas, we continue to develop new offerings as the marketplace evolves.

Our offerings include awareness and sensitization workshops, along with toolkits to help organizations stay on course in building and implementing their inclusion plans over time.

Building and sustaining inclusion is a long-term journey that requires consistent effort to become institutionalized, and we are prepared to walk this path alongside our clients.

This year, our newest offering at Interweave focuses on appreciating and leveraging the neurodiversity present within organizations.

Additionally, we will use our extensive experience to launch certification courses on DEIB, PoSH, and neurodiversity.

Nirmala Menon’s vision and leadership at Interweave Consulting continue to shape the future of diversity and inclusion in the corporate world.

Her dedication to creating equitable workplaces offers invaluable insights for businesses striving to embrace diversity as a core value.

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