{"id":77301,"date":"2024-05-09T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=77301"},"modified":"2024-05-09T10:07:48","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T17:07:48","slug":"southasiapacforce-equality-group-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/southasiapacforce-equality-group-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Salesforce Equality Group Leader: ‘Our Strengths Lie in Our Rich Cultural Tapestry’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s note: This story is part of an ongoing series to spotlight our Equality Groups<\/a> and how they serve Salesforce employees globally. In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month, we are spotlighting Asiapacforce<\/a> and Southasiaforce, two communities that support Asian employees globally. Check out additional interviews with the leaders of Earthforce<\/a>, Salesforce Women\u2019s Network<\/a>, and BOLDforce<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Southasiaforce is an Equality Group with over 7,000 members that celebrates Salesforce\u2019s growing global South Asian population. The group provides a supportive, diverse community for Salesforce employees and allies to connect through their cultures and find professional development opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We spoke with Nikolai Chowdhury<\/a>, Regional Vice President, Customer Success Management for Salesforce and Global President of Southasiaforce to learn more about his passion for creating a sense of belonging, the importance of diverse teams, and the power of visibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q. What drew you to the Southasiaforce leadership role?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I was born and raised in the vibrant settings of New York City and New Jersey. My father is from India, raised in Bombay with family from West Bengal, and my mother is Russian-American. Growing up, I experienced many different cultures, backgrounds, food, and traditions. I\u2019ve always gravitated toward diversity and inclusion and celebrating our many differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In this role, I get to bring my passion to work every day to help foster an atmosphere of belonging.<\/p>\nNikolai Chowdhury, Regional Vice President, Customer Success Management for Salesforce and Global President of Southasiaforce<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Q. What are you focused on as Global President of Southasiaforce?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We have three main priorities this year. First, we want to enhance the visibility of South Asians in leadership. We\u2019ll do this by bringing together Salesforce leaders, customers, and partners through various events throughout the year, including our first annual Asian Leadership Summit that we\u2019ll host alongside Asiapacforce<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, we\u2019re focused on having impactful conversations that expand cultural competency across the business. We\u2019re partnering with the Offic<\/a>e of Equality<\/a> to roll out a new program that connects employees in our India hub with employees located in other offices. Through this program, we\u2019ll share insights like how to work with teammates in different regions and cultivate allies across the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, we\u2019re focused on intersectionality. My goal is to partner with every one of Salesforce\u2019s Equality Groups this year. These connections are critical to our business, especially as we grow and evolve as a company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n