Apurva Bhide
I graduated from Pune University, where I earned my Bachelor’s in Engineering degree, specializing in Information Technology. My professional journey began at Red Hat as a Technical Writer intern, and today, I proudly work as a Senior Technical Writer, leading the documentation efforts for my team. I am a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) with 7 years of experience in the technical writing field.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege to present at numerous events, including Red Hat’s QEcamp in Bangalore and virtually across Red Hat, the Summit at Sites APAC level, and various “Lunch and Learn” sessions. Outside of Red Hat, I was honored to speak in the TWT conference and a lightning talk at the WTD Australia conference. When I’m not working, you’ll find me capturing moments with my camera, exploring new cuisine, or enjoying hockey matches while remembering my days as a hockey player.
Session
Diversity fosters innovation, adaptability, and emphasizes the importance of inclusive leadership and equitable participation. Integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into business strategies not only aligns with ethical principles, but also drives financial success by unlocking the full potential of employees, attracting diverse talent & customers, and fostering innovation and market expansion.
Aligning DEI helps companies also understand their (diverse) markets, appeals to a broader customer base, and in some jurisdictions is increasingly becoming a legal imperative – all of these factors lead to increased sales and revenue and better decision making. Diversity also mirrors how software is built in the open source software community.
This presentation covers how DEI positively impacts organizational performance, customer satisfaction, and long-term success and competitiveness in a rapidly evolving global landscape. It also focuses on how to prevent tokenism, how not to consider these points only for optics but recognize individual capabilities, and address unconscious gender bias (benevolent sexism).
A standout example of community empowerment is seen in initiatives such as Red Hat’s Women’s Leadership Community (WLC), especially in WLC-India, where male members actively support the committee’s mission as vice chair and core members.