New Joiner Spotlight- Nandini Sukhija

1. Hi Nandini, welcome to LGBT Great! Please tell us a little bit about yourself and what brings you to us.

I’m thrilled to be joining the team as a Workplaces, Research and Data Assistant! My educational background lies in social and cultural psychology, which enabled me to build skills in quantitative and qualitative social research. I enjoy learning about social structures, identities and hierarchies—so I am always up for a philosophical chat about how to make the world a better place! For my master’s dissertation, I worked with non-binary people to understand their experiences of navigating their gender identity through different languages. This research helped me understand perspectives on what inclusive language looks like for different people and their diverse experiences with labels. Essentially, what brings me to LGBT Great is the same love for learning and passion to translate knowledge into action. Working here, I hope to contribute towards making workplaces safer for minorities. I am excited to create a positive tangible impact on inclusion and representation of diverse communities.

2. Speaking of inclusion and representation, why do you think LGBTQ+ DE&I is important for financial services?

Identities are inseparable parts of individuals, which we bring to work as well, and financial services are no exception. Gender and sexuality minorities have historically been excluded from mainstream narratives. LGBTQ+ DE&I is a major step towards dismantling these structures, ensuring that people do not have to be invisible to feel safe. Recognising and celebrating people’s uniqueness is the first step in making the workplace more inclusive. For financial services, I find it particularly important because diverse perspectives inform better decisions, drive innovation, and help us scale new heights. By investing in equality and inclusion frameworks, organisations can better cater to their employees and clients, which is great for business as well. Ultimately, the goal is to make space for everyone, because all voices matter.
 

3. Absolutely! How do you think intersectionality plays a role in making space for everyone?

That’s a great question! As a strong advocate of intersectional approaches, I believe that we all inhabit multiple identities which come to the fore in different spaces. Marginalisation is such a complex experience—no two people are affected by discrimination in the exact same way. So, intersectionality goes hand-in-hand with diversity; it allows us to be respectful of and receptive to a range of lived experiences that may be very different from ours. During my dissertation, I experienced this for myself. I worked with participants who spoke of multiple marginalised identities, often sitting at the intersection of gender, sexuality, ethnicity and neurodiversity, all of which interact with each other dynamically. Building off my background in cultural psychology, I consider it important to attune our understanding of progress to people’s ways of living since equality too, takes many forms. In DE&I, intersectionality becomes even more necessary as we work with people from starkly different backgrounds while striving to make everyone feel seen. Practising intersectionality helps us navigate the multifaceted nature of our social world.
 

4. That sounds great. So, what are you hoping to achieve from your new role?

Having worked in research spaces, I am amazed by the potential of knowledge to promote change. At the same time, I think research cannot solve problems on its own. I have always wanted to contribute to initiatives that bridge the gap between research and impact, and my role at LGBT Great provides the ideal opportunity for this. I will also be able to sharpen my mixed-method research skills in applied contexts by working on the iiBT and other customer-facing projects. I hope to expand my repertoire and work more effectively towards actionable outcomes that improve people’s lived realities in workplaces. I look forward to learning about the DE&I sector in depth and starting my journey in creating impact for causes I am passionate for.