The workplace should be a microcosm of the society: Head HR, Titan
Priya Mathilakath is the Head HR (Retail and Corporate) at Titan, among India’s leading premium lifestyle brands.
Priya brings a diverse experience spanning over two decades with many global brands in the likes of Titan, Unilever and Mahindra Retail. Priya has played many roles on the corporate stage, from scaling FMCG businesses to creating brands to now crafting human capital strategy. She has spent a large part of her career in retail and service industry, managing varied portfolios from sales, operations, human capital to heading the Ecommerce business. In her current role, she heads HR for Titan's Retail and Corporate functions.
Recently, Priya was conferred the “Leading Woman in Retail” by an International Women Leadership Forum.
In an exclusive podcast with People Matters about the global leadership pulse on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Priya said, "According to recent studies, 96% of CEOs and leaders have stated that DEI is one of their top priorities."
Speaking of Titan’s DEI priorities, Priya noted that 2022 is all about having a robust program in place to make sure the foundation for diversity, which is inclusion, is set right across all the segments - retail, manufacturing, corporate.
"As our marketplaces and consumers change, we need to keep relooking at our frame of reference, values, and thinking. To remain relevant and sustain in the market, it is extremely important for your workforce to also represent what your marketplace or who your customer is. If you don't, you will lose out," she added.
Priya strongly believes that beyond attracting women in the workforce, organisations must work towards engaging, developing and building women to effectively take on larger roles. She further emphasised the gender-agnostic role of allies in making the working ecosystem one that enables both inclusion and growth.
"It is not the responsibility of only women leaders to encourage women to join the workforce and grow. Neither is it the agenda for male leaders to bring in more women. Allyship is gender-agnostic. If you are a leader, you have to role model inclusion and play the critical role of building an environment where you are building a support system for talent, irrespective of your gender."
Listen to this exclusive podcast and hear Priya’s speak about sustainable and scalable gender-neutral best practices, the role of men in enabling and accelerating gender equity and her advise for leaders on how to steer clear of tokenism in their hiring and cultural transformation efforts.