Tasneem Chopra OAM

Cross Cu|

Helping business, not-for-profit and government become culturally competent, diverse and inclusive.

A multicultural and diverse workforce financially outperforms non-diverse teams

Is your organisation lagging behind when it comes to cross cultural competencies, gender equity, diversity and inclusion?

Need engagement audits and strategies to help you communicate better with diverse communities?

OR you recognise that having a diverse workforce is important, are already making small improvements and want to keep the conversation going?

McKinsey research shows companies with diverse teams, especially at executive level, deliver higher profitability (35%), helps improve a brand’s reputation (58%) and increases creativity and problem solving (59%).

In a world that’s grappling with unexpected challenges, a diverse and inclusive workforce can be the difference between your organisation’s success and failure.

Are you ready to develop a more diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation?

Let’s get started.

Creating a more inclusive Australia – Tasneem’s story

Services

Cross Cultural Competency training

Help your workforce understand cultural norms, communicate and interact with people from different cultures.

Diversity Equity & Inclusion trainer

Transform your recruitment and employee management practices to be more inclusive and diverse.

Use engagement audits to assess how effective your communications and strategies are.

Keynote Speaker

Riveting keynote speeches on diversity, identity and belonging, multiculturalism, inclusivity, gender equity and social justice issues.

Public Speaking with Impact & Media Skills workshop

Learn how to capture your audience’s attention and hold it until the end. Handle the media spotlight confidently.

Panel Moderator & MC

Expert panel moderator and charismatic MC to elevate your next discussion or event (online and in person)

Media Presenter

Media expert on culture, gender, identity, gender based violence, women of colour representation, social justice issues, diversity and multiculturalism.

Ambassador & Board Director

Promoting and creating pathways and frameworks dedicated to diversity, inclusion and multiculturalism.

Author & Writer

Contributor to journals and anthologies. Quoted and published in SBS Voices, The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald and The Washington Post among others.

About Tasneem Chopra OAM

As a Cross Cultural Consultant, Diversity Equity & Inclusion trainer, Tasneem Chopra OAM helps your organisation approach diversity, equity and inclusion for long term success.

She works with business, governments, not-for-profits, educators and private clients to deliver online and in-person training.

Tasneem also serves as Ambassador and Board Director for a number of organisations, hosts the Strengths Untold Podcast, writes articles and opinion pieces for newspapers and other outlets, and contributes to various journals and anthologies.

She often appears on TV, podcasts and radio to share her expertise.

Her ultimate goal is to help ensure that diversity and inclusivity become an integral part of how an organisation does business (Business As Usual BAU).

She has developed diversity, equity and inclusive (DE&I) policies, managed projects such as curating exhibitions, running youth leadership programs, and executing strategies on behalf of government and business clients.

Featured in

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Client appreciation

We really enjoyed your keynote speech on inclusive leadership, particularly around disrupting systems of privilege, making the most of multicultural talent and moving from tolerance to understanding. Thank you for also sharing your personal experiences.

And thank you for being part of the panel. We have heard glowing feedback about this discussion, and there was a genuine sense of engagement from the audience. Your advice and insights made for an extremely valuable discussion.

From myself and the team here at MAQ, thank you for making the second Speaker Series forum another successful event.

Multicultural Affairs Queensland & Engagement

Tasneem has a fresh approach to delivering diversity and inclusivity training which we can hopefully build on in future.

Well-spoken and passionate about the areas she consults on, she has a lot of experience and delivered some nuggets of wisdom we need to embed into our thinking, e.g. “If we’re not consciously inclusive then we’re deliberately exclusive”.

We do need to ensure that the decision-makers are representative of the people they make decisions for, for example higher level management and working groups need to include, or be informed by, those who will be users of that service or affected by that project.

It also made me think about how we’re communicating, and how we make the opportunity to contribute accessible not only to people who speak various languages in different proficiencies, but to those who have different levels of ability and disability, varying access to technology or who are disengaged with the council.

Southern Grampians Shire Council

On behalf of the students and staff of Minaret College, I wish to thank you for visiting to our college and sharing your personal and professional stories.

Students were left with an understanding of how moments from their lives and simple observations can lead to a wonderful story. Thank you so much for your excellent presentation.

Your ability to work with a large group of students was very impressive and allowed a fun experience for the children to fully participate in sharing your ideas. I have received a lot of positive feedback from the students and teachers on your ability to reach out and capture such a diverse audience.

I have never seen our students so excited and so highly engaged during your speech and video you shared with us. Your words of wisdom were very powerful and profound. They gave us many opportunities to think and self reflect.

Minaret College

Thanks for organising the speaker series in conjunction with BCG. They were great…Tasneem Chopra was easily the most impressive speaker of the entire series!

We are extremely grateful to you for having brought the diversity lens to the forefront of the discussion and I think everyone is in heated agreement that diversity on boards leads to better decision making and there is certainly an appetite for change.

You generously shared many thought provoking insights, ideas and leadership experience with our attendees of NFP Directors, CEOs, Observers & alumni.

Boston Consulting Group

Tasneem’s feed

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May 29 at 1:31am
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See how we glow!😎

“I met with my team today and they continue to rave about your engagement.

So too, did our Exec team about the wonderful way you were able to help inspire,...
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See how we glow!😎

“I met with my team today and they continue to rave about your engagement.

So too, did our Exec team about the wonderful way you were able to help inspire, connect and create respect in the room.

Especially for a topic which is and remains an important part of the work we all are doing with Court.

We are very grateful for your time, Tasneem”

Australian Public Sector Client

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This recent testimonial affirms the gratitude I have for work intersectional inclusion.

Assisting teams embrace new mindsets that foster a greater sense of belonging and client engagement, through:

Rethinking approaches to cultural diversity;

Raising sensitive issues with care and experience;

Curating solutions to workforce optimisation that centre lived experience of diverse teams;

Rethinking old ways of addressing new challenges.

Even after 25 years in these cross-cultural spaces, I never tire of seeing the impact of sessions that ignite a spark.

Fundamentally, people appreciate the value of diversity when they can recognise its integral role in workplace culture, and of cultural diversity in particular, this mindset shift is imperative.

These opportunities are a personal and professional calling I rise to everytime.

And bonus points for a client pic that inadvertently resembles an 80’s LP cover😋

DM for keynote & workshop enquiries (or photo opps!)

#culturaldiversity #intersectionality #diversityinleadership #culturalinclusion #antiracsim
May 26 at 11:48pm
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“It convinces us to censor ourselves, to obey in advance, to down the Kool-Aid before it’s been offered. I’m still afraid. But I’ve just accepted a prize that is not about... See more
“It convinces us to censor ourselves, to obey in advance, to down the Kool-Aid before it’s been offered. I’m still afraid. But I’ve just accepted a prize that is not about obedience. It’s not about feel-good narratives, it’s not about marketing, it’s not even about creativity – Stella is about changing the world”.

It’s been less than a week since writer, Michelle de Kretser, in accepting the Stella Prize, gave a speech that has gone viral.

In a prolific climate of punishment and censorship of creatives & writers, de Krester’s words represent a brave positioning within a sector that has turned predatorial:

“We have two weapons that the powerful dread: words and the truth. That’s why truthful speech is being closed down, and why it’s essential to resist silence.”

In this episode of Colour Outside the Lines, Leah Vandenberg and Tasneem Chopra examine the role of creatives and artists, broadly, who have used their platform to promote social justice causes aligned to their beliefs.

A comparison is drawn between artists and activism in the past - of those lauded for their bravery, compared to a recent backlash & cancelling of many today who have dared to do the same.

What is it that compels creative to risk their craft for the greater good?

How has this bravery impacted the current arts landscape in Australia and overseas?

What have Leah and Tasneem’s experiences been?

Join COTL for a timely conversation on the cost of free speech.

https://lnkd.in/gXNtKswN

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/colour-outside-the-lines/id1796566744

Producer:
Shan Jayaweera

The Stella Prize
May 26 at 12:10pm
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On this day in 1988, the ‘Bringing Them Home’ report was launched - acknowledging the horror of mistreatment & forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children... See more
On this day in 1988, the ‘Bringing Them Home’ report was launched - acknowledging the horror of mistreatment & forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families; the Stolen Generation.

And yet..28 years later, we learn only 5 out of 54 of the reports recommendations have been implemented, underscoring persistent challenges in addressing the historical injustices faced by First Nations People.

Sorry is an understatement.
May 21 at 10:36am
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The UN estimates within the next 33hrs approximately 15,000 children will die of hunger unless aid is allowed to enter.

For context, according to Dept of Education data, there...
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The UN estimates within the next 33hrs approximately 15,000 children will die of hunger unless aid is allowed to enter.

For context, according to Dept of Education data, there are approximately 15,934 registered children in Prep classes in Catholic schools across our state.

Imagine every Prep child on the brink of death.

I know a few kids in Prep. I’m sure you may too.

What if it were them?

Imagine their little bodies gaunt, shrunk - with hollowed eyes.

Too depleted to cry. Talk. Move.

Kids.

This is what we’re dealing with.
May 19 at 2:20am
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The math is simple.

And yet complicating the sums has made the solution needlessly difficult.

Victoria- indeed, Australia - is experiencing an acute workforce shortage in...
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The math is simple.

And yet complicating the sums has made the solution needlessly difficult.

Victoria- indeed, Australia - is experiencing an acute workforce shortage in numerous skills specific areas.

Inversely, overseas students who have graduated here possess the skills, aptitude and desire to fill these roles but are too often overlooked. Prospective employers wrongly believe their ‘visa’ category will prohibit them from substantive work.

Such a misconception is costing money and creating missed opportunities. Most students face no barriers to gainful employment for 1 to 4 years or more, and bring loyalty, dedication and excellence to their roles.

I facilitated Study Melbourne’s recent networking event,
“Optimising Your Workforce with Highly Skilled Global Talent’- a fabulous response to this hype-induced problem.

It was attended by Victorian Employers - Senior HR, recruitment, DEI leaders, and executives from a range of industries — including professional services, technology, engineering, hospitality, and education.

Conversations debunked misconceptions and provided practical measures to facilitate a solution to a workforce deficit that benefits them and future employees.

Guests heard from Dept of Home Affairs about student and
graduate visa work rights. And a panel of industry specialists discussed how hiring international students and graduates enhances organisations with a globally oriented and culturally diverse workforce. This is more important than ever in an increasingly globalised community that should be reflected in workplaces that serve us.

Panelists included:
Caroline Hartnett ,Study Melbourne
Shra Shekhar, Hays Recruitment, &
Hari Viswanathan ,Woolworths Group

This networking session reiterated that our international student community are more than numbers and tick boxes.

They are individuals with aspirations, families, livelihoods and enormous talent, lacking neither the ambition nor dedication to thrive, merely the opportunity.

Hiring with diverse intent from a merit rich cohort makes perfect ethical & business sense.

Kudos to #TranNguyen, Ellen Coppock , Clare Harper & team for a brilliant event!

Study Melbourne

#representationmatters #diversityinleadership #diversityinrecruitment #culturallydiverseworkforces #intersectionality #inclusionatwork #graduateinclusion

DM FOR ENQUIRIES
May 14 at 12:04am
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Stunning captures from Tim Gimbert Images, framing the ecstatic vibes of Farhan Shah & Sufi Oz at the Outback Sufi Conference, Concert
May 7 at 1:51am
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HEY, PEOPLE- I MADE THE PLAY SCHOOL CUT!!

Well, kind of.

My name did- and I’M OWNING IT!

A ‘bush dweller’, TASNEEM WATTLE - along with buddies Jamal Banksia, Jasjit...
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HEY, PEOPLE- I MADE THE PLAY SCHOOL CUT!!

Well, kind of.

My name did- and I’M OWNING IT!

A ‘bush dweller’, TASNEEM WATTLE - along with buddies Jamal Banksia, Jasjit Bottlebrush and Ruby Myrtle - are just a few of the characters included in an ABC Play School special episode All Together, written by the brilliant, Leah Vandenberg.

Centred around a “Fun Friendship Party” with beloved characters Miah, Zindzi, Michelle, Teo, and Alex, the episode promotes inclusion, kindness, and cooperation for children.

The banter, songs and messaging of ‘All Together’, imbue notions of kindness beyond familiar circles, fostering a broader sense of responsibility and community.

(I dare say, many an insular thinking grown-up may benefit from a compulsory viewing, too😏!)

All this to say- seeing a, Tasneem, Jamal and Jasjit appear as purposeful characters on a prime time educational program - was such a moment.

Never felt so seen - after decades of watching children’s television on our national broadcaster.

Also, how fine is my wattle collar?!

Watching Play School: All Together in iview https://lnkd.in/g5zHBvDk

#diversityinmedia #representationmatters #culturaldiversity #inclusiononscreen #codesign
May 6 at 1:05am
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THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES

Over 100 days in office - and the world gets this:

From the official White House account.

How can the image of a world leader donning Papal cosplay...
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THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES

Over 100 days in office - and the world gets this:

From the official White House account.

How can the image of a world leader donning Papal cosplay be considered appropriate? Ever?

In a single move, his Office has paraded everything antithetical to the past Pope;

Crass
Unhinged
Disrespectful
Sacrilegious
Entitled

How does this act reflect measured, considered leadership?

As a Muslim I find this deeply offensive.

I cannot imagine the offence to my Christian & catholic friends.

The delusional lengths of a narcissist remind us all of the irony at play here; the Emperor has no clothes.

But who’s gonna tell him?
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She’s a straight talker
A feminist
An Indigenous Australian icon
A fearless WOC executive
One of only two exec WOC the AFL’s 150 year history

(A one-time wannabe make...
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She’s a straight talker
A feminist
An Indigenous Australian icon
A fearless WOC executive
One of only two exec WOC the AFL’s 150 year history

(A one-time wannabe make artist)
… and former South Australian of the Year

Tanya Hosch is a composite of many marvels- the foremost being her authenticity and integrity.

I was stoked to be in conversation with her at the Salaam Institute event in Adelaide on the issue of representation for Indigenous and Muslim Australians in leadership roles.

Few women readily share of their struggles as a minority, commenting on how our leadership spaces can do better.

She spoke to the inextricably linked personal & professional, in a climate that still punches down against WOC who take up space.

Tanya is a woman I have long admired- and witnessing the incredible respect she commanded from a room brimming with Adelaidians (yes, that’s a word!) was heart warming.

Thank you Salaam Institute -and sponsors, Rehman Sheriff Group, Tender Loving Care and Western Sydney University and hosts, KPMGAdelaide.

A stellar evening with a phenomenal leader- and awesome locals.

Adelaide’s alright ..
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The wholesomeness of a client thank you that just goes beyond - this is why I love what I do..

“The feedback from our participants has been overwhelmingly positive, and many have...
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The wholesomeness of a client thank you that just goes beyond - this is why I love what I do..

“The feedback from our participants has been overwhelmingly positive, and many have expressed how profoundly moved they were by your words.

Your ability to connect with the audience and convey such important messages with authenticity and passion is truly remarkable.”

For enquiries- please DM

#intersectionality #inclusionatwork #diversitymatters
#equity #belonging #culturalsafety
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