Accenture's culture of inclusion and diversity is central to the way we do business and is anchored by strong leadership sponsorship and organizational commitment. The policies, programs, processes and practices are aligned to the inclusion and diversity strategy, and we measure the success of our initiatives and constantly collect target population feedback through surveys and discussions. "Vaahini" was launched as an employee resource group within Accenture in 2005 and extended as a virtual community (www.accenture.com/vaahini) opened to women externally in 2010. It aims to bring women together so they can benefit from perspectives from each other and take direct accountability for the gender inclusion agenda to impact their career experience.

The "Women Leadership Development Program" enables women managers to develop professional skills, strengthen networks and explore what it takes to excel as a leader at Accenture. The "Women's Mentoring Programs" pairs women executives with senior executive mentors, who provide networking lessons for advancement of women at Accenture. Virtual learning provides online courses such as "The Secrets of Women Leaders" to guide and counsel women on how to become high performers in the business world. The "New Parents Program" helps ease the transition for new parents back into the workforce by providing career guidance and support for finding ideal re-entry roles. To support those who have responsibilities of taking care of children there are best-in-class child care centers.

Prithvi Shergill is India Human Resources Lead & Inclusion and Diversity Sponsor, Accenture