Rohini Anand PhD

📊 McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2025 report shines a spotlight on where progress is slowing — and where intentional support matters most: sponsorship, advocacy, and visible career pathways. Read the full report here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/g-wqTMhP Some big takeaways: • For the first time in the study’s history, women are reporting lower ambition to advance than men — largely because they receive less sponsorship and fewer stretch opportunities, not because they lack drive. • Women remain underrepresented at every leadership level — even as some top-performing companies continue to make gains. • Senior women leaders are reporting higher levels of burnout, especially when support isn’t equitable. ⸻ As a former CEO in the beauty industry and now President of @CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women), I know firsthand that momentum doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because someone actively believes in you, advocates for you, and opens the door. For me, that kind of sponsorship made all the difference: ✨ Rich Gersten — formerly a Partner at Tengram Capital Partners and now Co-Founder of @True Beauty Ventures — believed in me enough to hire me twice to scale and sell companies, trusting me with real responsibility and real outcomes. ✨ My father, who in the 70s and 80s told me every day that if I worked hard, I could be whatever I wanted to be — a belief that became the foundation of my confidence. ✨ Alain Concher, my boss in the early ’90s at L'Oréal , who saw a spark in me at 24, promised me a promotion — and then made good on that promise. ✨ And to my husband of nearly 32 years, Claude Szyfer , who exemplifies what real partnership looks like — shared parenting, shared earning, and unwavering support. Equality at work is deeply connected to equity at home. These champions didn’t just support me — they invested in me. And the McKinsey data confirms what many of us know from experience: Talent isn’t the issue. Support is. Sponsorship is. Belief is. 📌 That’s why CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) exists. We are a career development and support network — providing access, community, sponsorship, and knowledge so women can turn potential into leadership. Progress doesn’t stall because women stop caring. It stalls when systems — and people — stop investing. Let’s recommit to doing the work that actually moves the needle. #WomenInLeadership #CEW McKinsey & Company CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) Claude Szyfer Rich Gersten True Beauty Ventures L'Oréal

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Culture shapes behavior more than policies ever can. But what happens when culture enables misconduct instead of integrity? On September 23, 2025, The AACI will release Part 2 of our series: Organizational Culture as a Breeding Ground for Corruption. 📖 Published at Power & Accountability: https://lnkd.in/djtxqUg6 👉 What cultural signals do you believe are most critical in preventing corruption? #AntiCorruption #CorporateGovernance #EthicalLeadership #RiskManagement #OrganizationalCulture 🔎 Shared for educational purposes only. Presumption of innocence applies.

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I am grateful to have been asked to contribute to this important discussion, and thank you to Katica Roy and MSNBC for highlighting the impact job losses have on Black women. When Black women are excluded from the workplace, decision-making tables lose insight, innovation, and resilience. That’s not just our loss, it’s everyone’s 🤷🏾‍♀️ Over 300,000 Black women have lost their jobs in the US since Trump’s return. Heartbreaking but not shocking. History shows us in both the US and the UK: when the economy dips, Black women are the first to feel it and the last to recover. Let’s be clear, this is not about capability, talent, or ambition. Black women bring immense value, perspective, and leadership to the workplace. These losses are about systems and biases that continue to push us out. The real tragedy is that when Black women are excluded, organisations and economies miss out on the very leadership and innovation needed to thrive in uncertain times. To all the Black women impacted in the US and here in the UK — your value is not diminished by this moment 👸🏾👸🏾 To leaders — protect your pipelines, invest in sponsorship, and recognise that the cost of losing Black women is far greater than any single job cut 💪🏾🙌🏾 Representation isn’t symbolic. It’s the difference between organisations that stagnate and those that thrive. POCIT 68/90

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Delighted to share PEI’s newest In Practice publication, which explores how economic inclusion programs can meaningfully and intentionally advance women’s economic empowerment. The paper brings together global evidence and real operational experience to present a clear framework for addressing the barriers women face—whether related to agency, access to resources, or social norms. For organizations and practitioners seeking to integrate a gender approach, this note offers a simple yet robust framework for adopting gender-responsive strategies and enhancing impact. Gender is not only a matter of equity and justice—it is also about achieving higher impact. Gender-intentional initiatives are estimated to be up to 20% more effective, demonstrating the value of designing programs that truly work for women. Developed by Partnership for Economic Inclusion with contributions from the Gates Foundation, BRAC International, and Fundación Capital, the publication provides actionable guidance to help embed women’s empowerment more systematically in economic inclusion efforts. I had the privilege of serving as a peer reviewer, and it’s inspiring to see these insights now available to governments and practitioners around the world. Congratulations to the authors — Nazia Moqueet, Meghana Kaladi, and Puja Dutta — for advancing advancing gender equality through this research. 👉 Full report: https://lnkd.in/eiFPVDde 👉 Brief: https://lnkd.in/e3qKndjs

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📖 New Peer-Reviewed Publication ✨ I’m pleased to share my latest peer-reviewed article, “Cultivating Liberatory Leadership: A Black Feminist Model for Mentorship in Schools,” published in The Chronicle of Mentoring & Coaching (Vol. 9, No. 3), a publication of The Mentoring Institute at The University of New Mexico. Drawing on three years of mixed-methods data from the #AIELOC Aspiring Leaders of Color Mentorship Program, the study demonstrates that liberatory, identity-affirming mentorship, grounded in the Black Feminist Leadership Model™ (BFLM™), strengthens leadership confidence, career clarity, and a sense of belonging among educators of color. A key implication for K–12 and international school systems: mentorship is most effective when paired with intentional sponsorship to support equitable and sustainable leadership pipelines. 🔗 Read the full open-access article: https://lnkd.in/e6bXYSi6 #PeerReviewed #EducationalLeadership #Mentorship #Sponsorship #BlackFeministLeadership #K12Leadership #NadineInspires

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How can Design thinking help environmental NGOs? It provides a human-centered, collaborative and iterative framework for develop creative, practical and emotional acceptable solutions to complex environmental challenges. It enables to shift the focus from top-down mandates to a community-driven approach that addresses root causes and inspires lasting behavioral change. Thank you Fadly Bakhtiar and Nurul Nabila Shohimi for inviting me last week to EcoKnights and deliver a workshop to discover Design Thinking. With 9.11 (out of 10) Favorable Opinion, participants really appreciated the importance of empathy and prototyping.

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Question for all my supplier diversity & Indigenous Procurement friends near and far.. Q. Have you seen the latest from NMSDC - reframing Supplier Diversity to Impact Sourcing? From Ying McGuire NMSDC President: Impact sourcing isn’t charity—it’s smart, strategic business that transforms supply chains from transactional to transformational by channeling spend into businesses rooted in community—driving innovation, resilience, and best value for corporations while creating broader economic impact.   I think Impact Sourcing may be the next evolution—not to erase supplier diversity, but to reframe it in language that opens doors, not shuts them. Impact sourcing is more than tracking spending; it’s about measuring true economic value—job creation, community revitalization, and opportunity generation in places we often overlook, yet where their future customers and markets are growing. It’s a shift from transactional metrics to transformational outcomes—a win-win for business and society.  Thoughts? I think honestly - same thing, just new name. And if that sits more comfortably and creates a space where Corporates and buying orgs will continue to do business, then so be it. Will it change anything in Australia? I don't think so. #supplierdiversity #indigenousprocurement  

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Leadership development shapes the future. It goes beyond guiding people toward a goal—it’s rooted in trust, adaptability, and inclusion. As I shared in this article, inclusive leadership is a competitive advantage in today’s market—especially when considering how we approach development programs in a rapidly changing world. It should also be a shared organizational practice, woven into daily operations, decision-making, and team dynamics at every level. A human-centered approach means applying these practices to see employees not just as contributors, but as people—each with unique experiences, needs, and perspectives. In an environment shaped by constant change and external pressures, equipping individuals with the tools to adopt an inclusive leadership style is essential for organizations navigating today’s complexity. It’s how we future-proof our organizations. #inclusiveleadership #futureofwork #peoplefirst https://lnkd.in/eMCZjK6Y

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Last year, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reminded employers that workplace harassment extends beyond just sexual harassment. Harassment based on sex, race, religion and other factors would also qualify, but it isn’t always so clear-cut what kinds of comments and actions are deemed inappropriate, especially to employees. So, it’s important to ensure your firm’s harassment training is applicable to employees of every generation. Thanks to Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) for featuring me, and our latest research in this latest article on “Addressing Generational Differences on Harassment in the Workplace” #AntiHarassment #Culture #Ethics #Compliance #HumanResources https://lnkd.in/e6NDY8uw

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On the next episode of Land and Lead, I speak with Rima Alameddine, Worldwide President of Peripheral Intervention at BD on putting priorities into perspective. Rima shares her career journey, emphasizing the importance of clarity, listening, and prioritization in leadership. She discusses the dynamics of organizational change, the differences between newcomers and incumbents, and the significance of trust and values in effective leadership. Rima also reflects on her experiences with wins and setbacks, offering insights into navigating high-stakes roles and fostering a culture of innovation and growth. Thanks so much, Rima for joining the show and sharing your wisdom! Full conversation out on 10/21/2025 - subscribe through comments.

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