Dentsu names APAC chief equity officer

Dentsu International appointed Rashmi Vikram, formerly group diversity and inclusivity practice lead at Microsoft, as chief equity officer in APAC.

At Microsoft, she was responsible for "making inclusion a habit", with the aim of creating inclusive products and services for Microsoft’s customers. 

Vikram will report to Ashish Bhasin, CEO of Dentsu International Asia Pacific, and Kinch Ong, regional human resource director for Asia Pacific. The appointment is effective immediately.

With Vikram's hire, Dentsu has now appointed chief equity officers in each of its three regions; her counterparts are Christina Pyle in the Americas and Pauline Miller in EMEA. 

“Dentsu’s strength lies in making a difference," Bhasin said in a release. "To do that, we seek out diverse perspectives, celebrate difference and empower everyone to bring their most authentic self to work." 

Ong said Vikram has a solid track-record in the DEI space and will ensure that DEI is woven into the fabric of the organisation.

“I am passionate about the work I do and am excited to be working with the global, regional and country teams at dentsu to champion, reinforce and build an inclusive culture,” Vikram said.

Prior to Microsoft, Vikram was country head for India at Community Business, an NGO that champions inclusive business practices. Her other roles have included diversity and inclusion specialist at Thomson Reuters.