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Dharshni Padayachee

  • Head, Diversity, Equity Inclusion & Wellbeing, Rand Merchant Bank
  • South Africa

Dharshni Padayachee is the Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity Lead at Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) in South Africa. A qualified Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)), she transitioned from finance to focus on people development and equality.

She spearheads RMB’s gender equality initiatives and has led groundbreaking diversity programs, including launching the bank’s first LGBTQI+ affinity group. She also oversees RMB’s corporate social investment (CSI) volunteer initiative.

Beyond her role at RMB, Dharshni serves as a Board Member of Play Africa, a pioneering children’s museum in South Africa. She is an executive coach, currently pursuing an MPhil in Leadership Coaching, and has completed the INSEAD Gender Equality Program and the Fundamentals in Neuroscience (cum laude) through the NeuroLeadership Institute.

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