Houston Business Journal Honors IACCGH Executive Director Jagdip Ahluwalia
Jagdip Ahluwalia Founding Secretary of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston was one of three Indo-Americans honored by the Houston Business Journal at their Annual Diversity Awards at the Marriott Marque in Houston on June 23, 2022. Jagdip currently serves as Executive Director of IACCGH which he helped co found in 1999. The other honorees included Girija Patel, founder, GBP Law and Shefali Kapoor Patel, founder and CEO, Vijay Computer Academy, Laura Murillo, CEO, Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Tammi Wallace, co-founder, president and CEO, Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce.The Houston Business Journal selected Rice University’s seventh president Dr David Leebron as its 2022 Diversity in Business Awards Lifetime Achievement
Responding to questions posed by the Journal Jagdip’s responses were as under
Why is diversity important and how does it impact your clients or business?
Diversity is not just important but must be prioritized as it brings innovation to a business or organization. Additionally, the strength of the community depends on everyone having a seat and a voice at the table and no sector can be ignored as we are only as strong as our weakest link.
It also builds the morale of an organization which impacts recruiting and retaining talent.
What advice would you give to boost and sustain diversity in your organization?
Be vigilant and proactive in encouraging and sustaining diversity and most importantly lead by example.
What are the most rewarding and challenging aspects of including diversity in your business?
The most rewarding aspect of including diversity in our organization is the fact that IACCGH is today one of the most active chambers of commerce in Houston with members of all communities.
The challenge, during the early years, was to convince other communities that we are not an Indian centric organization but are inclusive and open to all who believe in our mission of promoting Houston’s economy. We have overcome this challenge and the proof of this is in our diverse membership.
What accomplishments in the field of diversity and inclusion are you most proud of?
We are proud to have a diverse board which has women, an African American, a Latina and a Caucasian with Indian American board members. We are also proud of the fact that we have provided business resources not just to the Indian American community but everyone irrespective of their ethnicity. The same holds true when we helped businesses get back on their feet during Hurricane Harvey and COVID-19.
What kind of world do you hope future generations will see when they grow up?
A world where race, gender or religion does not define who you are and where everyone has access to equal opportunities.