Protium, Pan India Lending Major, Paves The Roadmap For LGBTQIA+ Inclusivity

Pan-India lending major, Protium has emerged as a trailblazer in driving inclusivity through its groundbreaking #ProtiumCelebratesPride campaign. The company has successfully set a trend for two consecutive years, establishing a safe and conducive workplace for allregardless of their gender or orientation, and is poised to takeit to new heights.

Creating a holistic workplace that values diversity and fosters inclusivity has been a paramount goal for employers. In India, there has been a significant shift in breaking downdiscriminatory attitudes towards the Queer community. This transformation is not only evident in social spheres but also within industries, as companies actively embrace inclusivity and recognize the immense talent within the LGBTQIA++ community. As per a survey by Indeed, 77% of Indian employers believe that Diversity, Inclusion and Belongingare crucial for organizational performance.

Protium stands at the forefront of this paradigm shift,spearheading change and becoming a role model fororganizations across the finance industry through its#ProtiumCelebratesPride campaign.

Last year’s campaign revolved around raising awareness and extending solidarity to the community. It began with a symbolic logo change, followed by informative mailers aboutthe basics of the LGBTQIA+ community, along with a series of three guest speaker sessions at Protium’s Bangalore corporate office. These sessions featured individuals from thecommunity sharing their personal experiences and knowledge on topics such as "Queer 101 with June," "Experiences of Marginalized Queer Communities with Prashant," and "How to be an Ally with Jiiva Anirudh." Protium also revised its Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) policy, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all employees, regardless of their gender or orientation.

The profound impact of this campaign was evident through genuine curiosity and increased awareness, with newprospective hires applauding the organization for itspioneering

initiatives. The campaign went on to garner nationwiderecognition, winning the "Best Social

Good Campaign” awards at the prestigious IDEA award byEntrepreneur India.

Building on last year’s resounding success, Protium launched yet another month-long #ProtiumCelebratesPride campaign this year on June 1st, starting off by the adoption of a rainbow-themed logo. The campaign featured six extraordinary stories of resilience and excellence from the members of the LGBTQIA++ community. Additionally, an informative series titled "Let's Talk Pride" was circulated throughout the month, debunking myths and sharing interesting facts about the community. The campaignconcluded with a panel

discussion on “How can corporate workplaces be more inclusive for the LGBTQIA++ community”. It featured three distinguished panelists - Nishtha Sabharwal (She/Her) - QueerAffirmative Counsellor, Yogesh S (They/Them) - Social Anthropologist, and Rakshitha Sen (She/Her) - Social Activist and Transgender and previous year’s guest, June (She/her) -Queerfeminist Consultant, as the moderator. This thought-provoking discussion delved into the major challenges andstrategies