Roopa Badrinath, ex-Wunderman Thompson, launches Turmeric Consulting

With a vision of helping organisations create diverse and equitable spaces for people to thrive for who they are, Roopa Badrinath, HR veteran and ex-Chief Talent Officer of Wunderman Thompson South Asia has officially launched Diversity, Equity Inclusion (DEI) Consultancy - Turmeric Consulting.  The Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous (VUCA) world that we live in demands resilience and sustainable operating models from organisations.  Diversity of thought emanating from a diverse workforce with different lived experiences is the need of the hour.  Turmeric Consulting is a response to the times, offering a holistic and intersectional approach to its services and specialised offerings.  This helps organisations embrace differences, create inclusive work cultures, enable them to conduct their business with purpose and engage more meaningfully with all their stakeholders.

An award-winning professional with over 25 years of experience in the realm of DEI, HR, Training & Development, Roopa is a DEI Practitioner and Certified Diversity Auditor (ISO 30415:2021).  She is also a Google-certified #IamRemarkable Gold Tier facilitator having trained more than 350 women worldwide in self-advocacy skills. A ‘talent enabler’, Roopa is passionate about leveraging her vast experience in people strategy and employee experience to enable behaviour and mindset shifts through systemic interventions.  Prior to launching Turmeric Consulting, Roopa served as the Chief Talent Officer at Wunderman Thompson South Asia.

The world has been inflamed by exclusionary practices based on gender, sexual orientation, caste, abilities, social status, and age, to name a few. Turmeric Consulting truly believes that workplaces can be catalysts for social change. It aspires to enable organisations to create a culture of belonging where all people feel included and welcomed irrespective of their identities.

Deriving its name from Turmeric, known for its healing properties, to its carefully curated brand identity where each letter supports and ‘enables’ the other, the consultancy intends to partner with organisations in their DEI journey by offering end-to-end consulting, assessments, audits, and customised training programs for better business outcomes and social impact.

Commenting on the launch of her new venture, Roopa Badrinath, Founder of Turmeric Consulting, said, “DEI is about being intentional and intersectional. It is about deliberately providing opportunities for all, creating level playing fields and ensuring that all voices are heard, so that people can realise their full potential by knowing that they matter, and their opinions and perspectives make a difference.

Every employee wants to be valued and treated with respect and have an opportunity to succeed. They want to belong, feel supported and be able to advance. Today, Gen Z and millennials who make up much of the workforce, are extremely purpose-driven and want to see companies not only champion social causes, but also walk the talk. With organisations being held accountable for inclusive and equitable practices by multiple stakeholders, the need for DEI interventions have never been greater. Organisations are on the lookout for a partner who can conceptualise and contextualise scalable DEI strategies, curated to match their requirements. With Turmeric Consulting, my goal is to partner with organisations in their DEI journey, to help change mindsets and attitudes, so eventually an equitable future gains momentum.”

“DEI is not just about compliance.  It has a business, talent, and social justice case.  A diverse workforce with diversity in thinking leads to better ideas, creative problem-solving, collaboration, and innovative products and services. Employees are emotionally and intellectually connected to the organisation, leading to a reduction in attrition.  All of this has a direct positive impact on the top line, margins, and profits of the organisations.  You can only get there when the status quo is challenged, and all the systems and processes are looked at from a DEI lens. I chose to launch Turmeric Consulting in the Independence Day month as freedom for me is embracing diversity and differences and fostering change to free us from the shackles of prejudice, biases, and judgment. While it requires consistent effort and commitment, I deeply believe in the intentionality of organisations to spark meaningful change and be a force for good. I see Turmeric Consulting as an enabler to help organisations translate their intent into action.” added Badrinath.