Amplifying Employee Voices and AANHPI Heritage
with our AMPLIFY Employee Resource Group
This year’s AANHPI Heritage Month theme is “Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration,” and leaders of Pan-Asian descent offered thoughts on how their cultures and heritage inform how they think of collaboration and leadership.
“To build collaborative and supportive relationships with colleagues, it is important to seek first to listen, understand, and then be understood,” said Raju Sankuratri, Chief Information Officer, Aramark Global Supply Chain and GPOs, who grew up in India. “We must be inclusive in diversity of thought, in addition to diversity in culture and background, as we build and engage teams.”
Linh Hoang, Regional Vice President, Lifeworks, immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam at a young age. She wanted to fit in but learned as she matured the value of diversity and to appreciate cultural differences. Hoang said that making team members feel valued and supported required access and connection. “On my team,” she said, “we are here for one another and are always willing to lend a hand when needed. We do our best to celebrate, recognize, and show appreciation.”
Asked what he takes from his Indian origins and cultural background, Allan Fernandes, Vice President, Aramark Global Safety and Risk Solutions (S&RS), talked about putting others first and leading with a service mindset. “The key to building collaborative and supportive relationships is to be culturally aware of how people think, behave, and process information,” said Fernandes. “Every team member, regardless of experience and tenure on the team, is encouraged to speak up, voice concerns, and share their thoughts and ideas for continuous improvement.”