Parmesh Shahani

Parmesh Shahani heads the Godrej DEI Lab, focused on building inclusive ecosystems within and beyond the Godrej Industries Group companies (https://www.godrejdeilab.com). In this role, he drives the Group’s diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda, shaping strategy, fostering partnerships, and advancing new approaches to inclusion and culture through data, policy, research, media and outreach. Some of the Lab’s breakthrough projects include the Pride Fund, the Godrej Queer India Fellowship, the publishing imprint Queer Directions, the India Included case study challenge on college campuses and the Godrej DEI Directory, to list just a few.  

With a diverse, interdisciplinary career spanning academia, media, and the corporate world, Parmesh has worked at the intersection of culture, business, and innovation. He previously founded and led the Godrej India Culture Lab, an award-winning ideas space that brought together voices from academia, business, and the creative industries to explore the changing face of contemporary India. He has also contributed to initiatives across human capital, leadership development, and innovation within the Group.

Parmesh is the author of two books –  Gay Bombay and the award-winning Queeristan: LGBTQ Inclusion in the Indian Workplace. He serves on the boards of Khoj International Artists’ Association and Breakthrough Trust. He holds a Master of Science in Comparative Media Studies from MIT, and has been recognised as a TED Senior Fellow, Aspen Fellow, Yale World Fellow, and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.