Asad Haider, Founder and Partner in August Leadership
I founded a leadership advisory firm in 2001 (later named August Leadership in 2020), with a key purpose of helping clients solve their critical business problems through talent. One of our differentiators was that we supported ‘all’ parity, with gender parity being a critical focus. At that time, parity at leadership levels was not a stated goal of global corporations. It was uncommon to see female candidates as part of the C-Suite final shortlists, as this wasn’t a requirement. Even the vocabulary of DEI as we know it today was not well-defined. Over the next 24 years, my team and I have consistently and intentionally prioritized encouraging and supporting our clients to recruit women in top leadership roles by presenting diverse slates of candidates for every single mandate.
Regardless of the progress achieved, we still often hear: “It would be nice to consider a female candidate, but we should not delay the recruiting process to identify one.” Reflecting on this reaction from some clients, I feel that they are missing an opportunity to hire from an amazing talent pool of female leaders. Our advisory service identifies and presents high-caliber female talent as part of a diverse slate and offers additional mentorship during the recruiting process to enable female candidates to perform their best against male candidates for the role.
What has been the best piece of advice you’ve received from a mentor?
What impact has sponsorship had on your career?
In 1998, while at Procter and Gamble (P&G), I was offered a regional expat role in another company in the Middle East with significantly higher compensation. Frank Hofs, who had recently become my line manager, guided me on how to choose between leaving or staying. He pledged to offer his knowledge and mentorship to advance my career at P&G.
In those next two years, until Frank left P&G, his guidance and personal commitment made the most meaningful impact on my growth, commercial perspective, communication, and leadership style. Ultimately, the gravitas and executive presence that I developed helped me launch a consulting business and consequently make a global impact. The benefits of this experience were profound, as I passed on the valuable skills I gained from Frank to my mentees in subsequent chapters of my career.
How do you define parity?
The first 10 years of my career were at two iconic American companies, P&G followed by PepsiCo, where I observed that some leaders proactively practiced fairness and parity, while others were less intentional. Consequently, I understood that the need for parity comes from a necessity to support the career aspirations of ALL.
What do you think are two of the biggest challenges today to achieve parity?
PAY PARITY: Reflecting on my 25 years of experience recruiting leaders across the globe, I have observed that there is disparity in pay grades based on gender within my candidate pool, whereby my female candidates had typically been paid less than their male counterparts. This observation is also supported by research from Pew Research Center, which has concluded that women are paid 82 cents for every dollar a man makes.
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS: While well-intentioned, these programs are not developed outside of their gendered context, and thus often replicate and exasperate the very structural inequities they aim to combat. For reference, please refer to the work of Dr. Ingeborg Kroese.
What are three words you try to live by and why?
“The Human Way”
It’s not only me but also the entire August Leadership team that lives by this motto. It’s about caring.
What do you wish people understood about DEI or gender parity efforts?
Everyone needs to play a role. Building an equitable workplace isn’t just HR’s responsibility or something for underrepresented groups to champion. It requires proactive commitment from all employees, especially those in positions of privilege and power.
In my opinion, the CEO is THE Chief Diversity Officer!
