PwC Hindu Network hosted their 16th Diwali celebration at the Embankment office on Tuesday 30th October. The event was attended by more than 250 people, representing more than 100 organisations from across the city, such as UBS, EY, KPMG, Deloitte, BBC, RBS, HMRC and others.
The celebrations focussed on topics such as the personal significance of festivals and the interaction of culture and readiness for technological change. The speakers included Jon Andrews - Partner - UK Executive Board, Head of Technology & Investments, Chitra Stern – Entrepreneur. Sunil Patel - Partner - COO Technology & Capabilities, Sarah Churchman OBE - HC Director - Chief Inclusion, Wellbeing & Mental Health Officer, Lisa Dhanani - Director Consulting and Nilesh Solanki - PwC Hindu Network – Founder/Leader.
Hosted by Isha Gupta and Prashil Shah, the evening was intermingled with inspiring talks, a variety of live fusion entertainment such as Indian flute led musical performances, singing and dancing as well as some magic tricks. It concluded with an Indian buffet dinner and the opportunity to learn about Hinduism through an exhibition.
Spaking about the event, Sunil Patel said, "PwC's annual Diwali celebrations hosted by the Hindu Network demonstrated diversity in action by shining a spotlight on our respective values, culture and personal stories.”
Jon Andrews said, “It was incredibly colourful, entertaining and moving in equal measure. I also feel richer from the learning I got. Above all for me it was exactly the sort of event that makes me so proud to work with the people that make PwC so special.”
The evening was summed up by Nilesh Solanki. He said, “PwC has enabled me to embraced my identity and cultural values at work. We can truly see diversity in this room tonight, together with our individual values and our cultural values, we can as a collective make a difference to the people around us, society and the world.”
