Stories to tell: Gaganpreet Kohli
The theme of 2023's South Asian Heritage Month is ‘Stories to Tell’ so we’re celebrating by sharing the experiences and reflections of some of our fantastic graduates from our Ethnic Future Leaders (EFL) Programme who identify as coming from South Asian backgrounds. Our graduates shared with us the impact of the stories they heard on the EFL programme from their peers on the cohort and also from the inspirational role model conversations and how it has encouraged them to continue to tell their own stories. Gaganpreet Kohli is a Front Office Manager at IHG Hotels & Resorts and took part in the third cohort of the EFL programme, which was sponsored by her organisation.
‘’I have learned how I’m not alone in this journey and how people like me go through similar emotions. Coming from an ethnic background, I had faced certain challenges in my career which, after being on the course, I realised that it wasn’t just me but many other people as well. The best part was to learn how to overcome these challenges. I loved listening to the lived experiences of some of the leaders in the industry. The conversations with my Reverse Mentee also helped me develop the confidence to help bring a change to the society by sharing my lived experiences.
It was fantastic to see how the senior leaders in the industry are keen to know more about diversity and working towards making their work environment even more inclusive.
I look forward to supporting my Line Manager and Senior Executives in the hotel with more discussions about DE&I within our workplace, but also being a part of a wider community and keeping learning best practices and bringing them to life in my workplace.’’