Sathya Bala is a force for change. As the CEO and founder of True Change, a business dedicated to using data and storytelling to drive inclusive culture transformation, and My Skin, My Story, a global community for women of colour, she has dedicated her career to making workplaces more equitable. Before starting these businesses, she worked across tech roles at Deloitte, Chanel, HSBC, Sainsbury’s and more.

In this latest instalment of our Leading the Way series, Sathya shares her journey, insights on gender equity in tech, and why inclusion must be intersectional.

Overcoming Barriers and Paying It Forward

Having worked in the tech industry in both Sydney and the UK, Sathya experienced firsthand the biases and barriers that women of colour face. But alongside these challenges, she also had cheerleaders; mentors who saw her potential and helped her navigate the system.

“I had a lot of great people who counteracted those barriers, opened up opportunities for me, and invested in my development,” she recalls. “By the time I was progressing through my career, I wanted to do that for others.”

Sathya realised she could influence change on a larger scale, not just within her company, but across industries. She combined her professional expertise in data-driven change with her passion for storytelling, creating True Change to help organisations make inclusion a reality, not just an aspiration.

Are We Investing in All Women in Tech?

Sathya is clear: gender equity efforts must consider intersectionality.

“Intersectionality describes how multiple layers of diversity and discrimination—sexism, racism, classism, homophobia—accumulate and create a multiplier effect,” she explains. “If we’re talking about women in tech, are we considering their experiences through the lens of race, nationality, disability, neurodivergence, and more?”

She emphasises the importance of looking beyond broad diversity metrics and digging into data that truly reflects all women’s experiences in tech.

“We need to ask: Who are we celebrating? Who are we leaving out? And are we actually making progress for all women?”

Defining Success and Working Backwards

Sathya advocates for a strategic approach to inclusion, drawing from Stephen Covey’s principle: Begin with the end in mind.

“What is our definition of success?” she asks. “If we want a workforce that reflects the world we serve, then we need to analyse our demographics. If we want to foster inclusion, we need qualitative data, i.e. do men and women feel equally valued? And if we’re tracking career progression, we need lifecycle data: are women being hired, promoted, and retained at the same rates as men?”

Progress, she notes, is not linear. The COVID-19 pandemic reversed gender equity gains worldwide, meaning organisations must now work even harder to bridge the gap.

“We need to ask women what they need now and co-design solutions with them. It’s not radical. It’s common sense.”

The Role of Men and the Power of Allyship

Sathya envisions a future where gender equity isn’t just a ‘women’s issue’ but as a collective responsibility.

“How do we engage a strong army of male allies?” she asks. “Women shouldn’t have to shoulder the burden of driving change alone. Men should actively support and participate in initiatives like International Women’s Day.”

She stresses that gender equity benefits everyone.

“When women succeed, teams perform better. There’s commercial value in diversity, and workplaces become more innovative and engaging for everyone.”

Her call to action? Simple yet powerful: “Let’s bring everyone to the table. Let’s ensure International Women’s Day sparks real action; one, two, or three meaningful steps that carry forward into the rest of the year.”

AI, Data, and the Urgency of Inclusive Design

With a background in data, Sathya is particularly passionate about AI’s role in shaping the future and its potential pitfalls.

“You can’t talk about AI without talking about data,” she asserts. “AI influences everything from mortgage approvals to visa decisions. If the data behind AI is biased, then the outcomes will be, too.”

She points out that much of the data feeding AI models is incomplete or skewed.

“For example, many datasets default to male populations. If diverse groups aren’t involved in designing AI, the resulting innovations won’t work for everyone and that’s dangerous.”

Sathya sees AI as an opportunity rather than a threat.

“This is a growing field where we can hire and train diverse talent. But we have to be intentional about inclusion; ensuring AI is ethical, fair, and beneficial for all.”

Final Thoughts: Making Inclusion a Reality

For Sathya, inclusion isn’t just a buzzword, it’s the key to thriving workplaces and stronger societies.

“We spend 80% of our lives at work,” she reminds us. “Why wouldn’t we want to create environments where people feel safe, valued, and engaged?”

Her message is clear:

“Progress starts with listening, using data wisely, and taking intentional action. Inclusion benefits everyone, so let’s stop talking about it and start making it happen.”

Talent has been awarded the 2025 certification by Great Place To Work. Talent was recognised by Great Place To Work for prioritising an exceptional employee experience and creating a workplace culture to match.

Talent’s Great Place To Work employee engagement rate is 94% which is considered world-class. This is in comparison to 56% of employees at a typical company in Australia.

Talent’s continued pursuit to create a world leading culture saw increased engagement, improved wellbeing, and a drive for diversity and inclusion. This resulted in a better experience for contractors, candidates, and customers. As an award winner, Talent ranks among the most elite organisations around the globe.

Talent Global CEO, Mark Nielsen, commented on what this certification means to the company. “Receiving this recognition is an incredibly proud moment for the business. Seeing Talent’s name next to other inspiring companies is very humbling. Culture is not just a word that is thrown around at Talent, we walk the talk and always continue to strive for better. This certification is recognition that we excelled at this. Great Place to Work’s purpose is to prioritise exceptional employee experience which aligns to Talent’s vision, mission and values.”

Jenny Le, Head of People & Culture, Talent, is passionate about the sensational work culture that Talent have fostered. “We are incredibly proud to be certified as a Great Place to Work. This is a huge testament to every single person at Talent who contributes to making it a place where our people feel heard, valued and respected to bring their whole selves to work. Our culture and the exceptional people we have in this company truly make up Talent’s DNA, which is the foundation of any great business. Our culture is built for our people, by our people – and that’s what allows us to embody our #OneTeam ethos every day. While our results are great, our commitment is even greater to ensure that we continue to listen to our people and strive for better in everything that we do.”

Great Place To Work Certification recognises employers who create an outstanding employee experience. It involves a two-step process that consists of surveying your employees and completing a short questionnaire about your workplace. The scores are determined based on the feedback received from employees and independent analysis. This certification helps job seekers identify companies that genuinely offer a great company culture. It also gives employers a recruiting advantage by providing a globally recognized and research-backed verification of their commitment towards providing a great employee experience.

Building a diverse workforce isn’t about ticking boxes or hitting targets—it’s about bringing together the best mix of people to make your business stronger, smarter, and more successful. Here are six top tips to help you create a hiring strategy that’s diverse, inclusive and, ultimately, effective.

1. Consider ditching the degree: Open up your entry points

Rigid entry requirements can be a diversity killer. Companies are waking up to the idea that you shouldn’t be so picky about where people have studied. But can you take this further and open your organisation to some incredible talent you would’ve otherwise missed? As one example, consider rethinking your grad program(s) and instead explore bringing on apprentices, trainees, and interns. You don’t have to reinvent the whole scheme from scratch, but consider opening up new avenues through which high potential young people with skills and enthusiasm can join.

2. Design work to fit a diverse workforce

Creating a more diverse workforce starts with how you design jobs. We’ve seen examples where a traditional demanding and multi-faceted role was split into two distinct ones, so that people with different needs, wants, and circumstances—like caregivers—had more chance of finding a job they’d love within the company.

Take a look at your job descriptions and the way you currently dictate how work gets done. Are you rigid or adaptable? And why is it that way? Offering part-time roles, condensed hours, job shares, or different shift patterns could help you attract talent that might have otherwise not even bothered applying.

3. Kick out the bias in your hiring process

We get it. This is easier said than done, but there’s a great return on investment. If the challenge of removing bias seems daunting, start by breaking it down into two categories: the things talent acquisition can control, and the things that are reliant on the rest of the business.

Talent acquisition is in control of removing jargon or gendered language from job ads and job descriptions. Look at the questions you’re asking and methods you’re using to screen, interview and assess candidates—are you assessing them fairly?

Then, of course, the biggest decision-maker in the hiring process is the hiring manager. They are the critical fork in the road on the diverse hiring journey. So, make sure they’re well-trained (and continually coached!) to spot and stop any sneaky biases—conscious or unconscious—from creeping in.

4. Tie DEI efforts to business goals

Diversity initiatives that are seen as “nice-to-haves” never get far. The best DEI efforts solve a business problem. If you don’t know the problem you’re ultimately trying to solve, go back and find out. And, no, “not enough female technology professionals” likely isn’t the problem. But, “we’re losing market share because a lack of intellectual diversity in our teams is holding back our ability to solve critical customer problems” might just be.

Flexing your commercial muscle might be new to some People and Talent leaders or it might seem unnecessary in the face of such a strong moral and ethical argument. But especially when economic times are tough or uncertain, doing the “right” thing, might start to mean different things to different people. You need to demonstrate that the “right”—as in, the fair, equitable, inclusive, and morally sound thing—is also the right thing in a financial sense.

If you want your DEI work to stick, make sure it’s solving a real business challenge. When it’s tied to the bottom line, it’s much more likely to get the backing it needs.

5. Get personal with your hiring campaigns

Trying to attract a diverse talent pool with generic ads? Unlikely. But you can crack the code by spotlighting a few of your employees in recruitment campaigns—the ones who represent the audience you’re aiming to connect with. Invest in tailoring the language and visuals used and places you advertise to ensure you’re being seen and heard by specific communities of candidates.

The key to a persona-based recruitment marketing approach is to use authentic, relatable stories that make people feel like they can belong in your team.

6. When it comes to benefits, one size doesn’t fit all

Perks and benefits should be as diverse as your candidate pool. To start with, if you’re not offering flexibility in how, when, or where work gets done, you’re probably shutting out some great candidates. Look at your benefits package, too—does it appeal to different family setups, cultures, or lifestyles?

Flexible work, different leave types for caregivers, or culturally inclusive holidays are initiatives used to good effect. If diverse candidates keep dropping out of the process, it might be time to tweak what you’re offering.

Conclusion

We could’ve called this article “6 top tips to be a better business”. Because, arguably, that’s what this is about. Diverse hiring isn’t about keeping HR happy—it’s about building a better, more competitive company. If you want to attract the best and brightest, you’ve got to rethink the way you hire. Be open, be flexible, cut the fuss, and make sure you’re solving real business problems.

If you’d like more information on how to design and implement practical diverse hiring strategies in your company, please get in touch with our team at Solve or click here for more information about the ways in which Solve can guide you and your teams toward a world-class TA function.

Talent’s Global CEO, Mark Nielsen, was invited to speak at the 2024 LGBTIQ+ Leadership Summit in Sydney on September 19^th. Hosted by The Leadership Institute, the two-day event aimed to foster leadership that embraces authenticity, inclusivity, and resilience.

A proud LGBTIQ+ leader himself, Nielsen’s keynote discussed how addressing the unpleasant truths about privilege drives personal and organisational growth.

A snippet from the event included:

“Our community (and allies), experience a world where privilege and systemic bias still shape our opportunities. The silver lining is we have the lived learnings and understandings to address these privileges in our organisations and shape a better world of work for all. Allowing people to bring their whole selves to work creates confidence and diverse perspectives that will ensure better decision making.” – Mark Nielsen, Global CEO, Talent

Throughout the event, attendees had access to thought leaders, advocates, and trailblazers sharing their experiences and strategies for creating inclusive and equitable workplaces. Notable speakers included 5x Olympic Gold medalist and world record holder, Ian Thorpe; musician and performer, Hugh Sheridan; and Whadjuk Noongar Australian journalist, newsreader, Narelda Jacobs OAM.

Connect with Mark Nielsen on LinkedIn here.

Empowering Excellence: Celebrating Black Female Leadership in a Male-Dominated Industry

In this installment of our Leading the Way series, we speak to Talent’s own Finance Manager, Nadia Clarke. Nadia is an experienced financial executive with a remarkable ability to navigate and lead organizations through diverse projects while establishing robust infrastructure within the business.

Throughout her career, Nadia has been a key supporter of high-growth start-ups and has actively contributed to strategic initiatives that have had a significant impact across various business functions. From implementing cost control measures to drive revenue growth to positively influencing business performance, Nadia has played a pivotal leadership role in numerous organizational transactions.

Read on and discover how Nadia has built her career as a specialist in niche FinTech hiring and, as we recognize Juneteenth, how there’s still progress to be made for the inclusion of and opportunities given to the Black community in these industries.

Tell us a bit about how you started your career and the journey that led you to your current role as Talent’s Finance Manager.

I started my career in the accounting department of a distribution company, where I gained valuable experience in financial management. After a couple of years, I then transitioned into the tech industry, working with a Danish start-up company which provided me exposure of international markets. I was able to operate in these global markets, and adhere to international accounting regulations, while learning to scale and grow their business.

As I moved on to work with more start-ups, I focused on providing structure to help them scale effectively. My career journey eventually led me to Talent, where I now serve as the Finance Manager. At Talent, my role involves working closely with the business to manage growth and expectations. Here, the focus is on long-term profitability and managing growth, as opposed to answering investors. It’s an exciting and challenging role that allows me to apply my expertise in finance to drive the company’s success.

Building a career in finance, within an industry that’s lacking racial diversity and is heavily male dominated, what are some of the challenges you’ve overcome and how have you learned to overcome these obstacles?

In my experience, some challenges I have faced are being treated as if I am not enough and ignored. Another challenge is finding mentors in the finance community. I don’t find many men willing to mentor women, and the small number of female leaders who have made it don’t seem to want to share their knowledge. While those experiences have been unfortunate, I’ve learned not to take them personally. It mainly shows the individual’s insecurities and does not reflect me.

What does Juneteenth mean to you and what are some ways that you’ll be celebrating?

Juneteenth is symbolic to how my ancestors struggled to have fundamental rights and freedoms, which many people take for granted today. I use that time to reflect on past traumas, uplifting our innovators, and celebrating how beautiful and diverse our culture is. I like to celebrate by attending cultural events around the city, visiting museums or shows, and finding art highlighting Black culture.

What are some ways that organizations can amplify and encourage Black leadership in the workplace?

Creating racial equity by embracing diversity and inclusion is a start—not just having a policy but also taking action. Showcasing diversity at the top of an organization makes a strong statement and shows true commitment. Organizations need to reevaluate their recruiting strategies and focus on training those employees to get there. Creating safe spaces is critical. Whether that’s through inclusive policies, open communication, or promoting representation, those can help address the challenges in the workplace. ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) help bridge the gap between underrepresented employees and the organization.

What’s a piece of advice you’d like to pass on to other Black female leaders, managers, or aspiring young professionals?

Networking is key! Always strive to grow your personal and professional network. I find that in this day and age, many people play it safe. Maybe out of fear of failing or rejection, but as the saying goes, “closed mouths don’t get fed.” Take control of your destiny and invite people to virtual or in-person coffee. I also like to volunteer, where I meet great professionals willing to give back and mentor. One thing I practice is never to stop being a student. Whether it’s through podcasts, books, videos, or conferences, make sure your mindset is constantly evolving.

Lastly, what are some actionable ways we can all practice non-prejudiced recruitment strategies?

We can start by addressing the unconscious bias in the hiring process. The first actionable step is to expand recruiting efforts that tap into new talent pools such as city colleges in underserved areas. These colleges or communities could have incredibly gifted professionals who don’t have the resources for broader exposure.

It is also important to address unconscious bias among hiring managers. By raising awareness of bias and encouraging them to think outside the box when considering candidates, we can open the door to individuals from different industries that possess transferrable skills which can be invaluable in other roles.

Additionally, we can incentivize the referral process to encourage more diverse candidates into the mix. There should be a greater incentive for referring candidates from underrepresented backgrounds, including women, people of color, and non-US citizens, to further help diversify our talent pool.

Most importantly, there must be support for professionals in underrepresented groups such as mentorship programs and access to company-sponsored education. This support can help ensure that everyone has equal opportunities for growth and development. This is something Talent already provides through the “Learn Anytime” benefit, which gives every employee access to study leave and where agreed upon with their manager, financial support from the company to undertake their study course, which ensures employees have the tools and support we need to succeed.

By implementing these actions, we can practice more inclusive recruitment processes and create a better world of work for all.

In many workplaces, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) are often just treated as buzzwords. But we think it’s time for a little less conversation and a little more action. Here at Talent, our values guide everything we do including ensuring that we are walking the talk when it comes to diversity. We have a responsibility to educate our clients on best practices when it comes to hiring, because let’s face it, diversity and inclusion must begin at the hiring stage. We’ve even created a DEI Hiring Toolkit to help hiring managers in this process.

DEI can’t just be words on a poster, and we know we need to walk the talk. Here at Talent New Zealand 20% of our Talent New Zealand staff whakapapa Māori and to the Iwi’s of Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Porou.  Our Country Manager, Kara Smith and Managing Director of our consultancy arm, Avec, Sam Collins whakapapa Māori, actively champion conversations and strategies about increasing Māori representation with clients across both the recruitment and technology industries. There’s no denying, representation ensures a safe and welcoming environment for Māori and Pasifika candidates here in Aotearoa.

“Talent is unique in that we are a local Aotearoa business made up with a diverse team on the ground in Auckland and Wellington, but with the resources and network of a strong global-market leader. We believe that this combination allows us to provide our clients and candidates with the best of both worlds – a deep understanding of the local talent market coupled with the reach and expertise of an international company. Our values come to life through our commitment to young rangatahi, supporting aspiring female leaders, fostering a diverse team and encouraging Māori and Pasifika talent in both the recruitment and technology industries.” Kara Smith, Country Manager, Talent New Zealand.

Diversity with Māori and Pasifika

Experience is everything and we are proud to work closely with different organisations across New Zealand to support them in their commitment to Te Tiriti to achieve better recruitment outcomes for Māori and Pasifika. We tailor end-to-end recruitment processes to ensure cultural considerations. All of these we know will ensure better overall outcomes in achieving diverse hiring.

Our Senior Recruiters / Account Directors all have/continue to upskill to ensure DEI practices are maintained. This training includes:

• Inclusive job advertising ensuring job ads are tailored to attract more Māori and Pasifika applications.
• Defining more inclusive interview processes ensuring a commitment to Te Tiriti
• Educating and challenging Hiring Managers on their own recruitment practices to drive change.

Looking to one of our consultants as an example, Adeline Le Bris, Account Director, Talent Wellington, is committed to drive change to make a tangible difference to better outcomes for all Māori and Pasifika. Some of the courses she has taken part in include:

• Unconscious Bias and mitigation
• Understanding Te Tiriti O Waitangi (Groundwork)
• Rainbow community Training
• Neurodivergence workshops
• Te Reo Course – Level 2

“We understand the importance of improving diversity outcomes especially in a New Zealand context to honor Te Tiriti O Waitangi. We are working closely with many organisations facing diversity and inclusion challenges and advise and provide tangible solutions to change the status quo. Mitigating unconscious bias is something that all of us here at Talent are trained on. We also know the importance of building trust and tailor our communication when we engage with Māori and Pasifika Candidates.” Adeline Le Bris said.

Providing pathways for rangatahi

In 2018, we launched our charitable foundation, Talent RISE in Aotearoa. RISE focuses on decreasing youth unemployment in the community, in particular Māori and Pasifika young people.  We also educate our clients on the importance of hiring young people into roles with regular insights, reports and in our regular catch ups with them. In the past six years we have assisted 105 rangatahi/ young people into meaningful employment. Our kaupapa (purpose) is empowering rangatahi and one way we achieve this, is by delivering our employability skills strength-based readiness to work program – Rangatahi Mahere Whakapakari Mahi utilising Te Kotahitanga (Effective Teaching Profile). We create opportunities for our rangatahi to actively participate and engage in their learning to encourage positive youth development outcomes.

Anthony Logologo, a rangatahi that Talent RISE placed at NZ Post said, “I was really proud, I still am, of how I have gone through this journey and set myself to achieve more in my future. I got so much support from the first day, even before the course started. The trainers and other classmates supported me and gave me confidence to join the workforce, improved my people skills and helped me to apply those skills to get into the workforce.”

Supporting the neurodiverse community

Diversity isn’t just ethnicity. When it comes to working with neurodiverse candidates, Georgia Hynes, Senior Recruitment Consultant, Talent Wellington, operates from her own experience. “I’ve changed my LinkedIn title to highlight that I’m neurodiverse myself which caused an influx of candidates reaching out to share their experiences.”

Georgia shares that education and awareness is the best way to get an understanding of how to be inclusive. “A lot of people are aware of our rainbow communities and using the right pronouns etc., but not many people understand the needs of people with ADHD or autism for example. If I know someone is neurodiverse, I’ll educate my client on using clear and concise language in JD’s or adverts.  Having flexible interview formats.  Maybe making it video based instead of face to face.  Sending the candidate the interview structure up front can also help.”

Final thoughts

We understand that the DEI landscape is constantly evolving, and we’re passionate about improving our own policies and development here at Talent. DEI is a journey we’re all on together, and we pledge to continue evolving our development within this space – and deliver utmost support to our teams. You can find out more about our team at Talent here.