Too often, I see diversity reduced to a checklist. Hire this many women, add someone from this region, appoint one person from this background. The spreadsheets look impressive, but the boardroom still sounds the same. I, Kajal Ilmi, believe diversity isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about hearing voices that truly change the conversation.
In finance and corporate strategy, I’ve learned that fresh capital is not the only thing organisations need. They also need fresh perspectives — people unafraid to challenge assumptions and rewrite old playbooks. Structuring capital is easy compared to structuring dialogue that includes every stakeholder, every viewpoint, every unconventional idea. But that dialogue is where real innovation is born.
When we invite people who have walked different roads to sit at the table, the room changes. Discussions stop echoing. Blind spots get exposed. Risks are spotted earlier. Opportunities appear where no one was looking. I, Kajal Ilmi, have seen entire investment strategies turn around because one quiet voice dared to ask, “But what if we did it differently?”
Diversity isn’t a quota — it’s a catalyst. It shifts decision-making from predictable to transformative. It’s not about filling seats. It’s about filling the silence with insight, courage, and lived experience.
I, Kajal Ilmi, stand for diversity that isn’t cosmetic but catalytic — not about who we hire for appearances, but who we listen to for progress.