Andisheh Ebrahimnejad
Consultant & Trainer for Diversity People & Culture.
» What Shaped Your Early Life?
Born in Iran, I was nine years old when my parents decided to leave everything behind to move to Germany. For a brighter future—that was their hope and dream. I will never forget the last weeks in my hometown, saying goodbye to everyone, not knowing when we will see eachother again. Knowing that I would not be taught in my mother tongue again. Arriving in Germany, although everything was new and exciting, life was lonely. No more full houses at Grandma’s on the weekends. No more running in the garden and secretly picking fruit from the persimmon tree. Childhood was no longer about playing and laughing; it was all about surviving.
» How did your career start?
After my bachelor’s, I started working in startups and helped them implement modern HR processes and grow with highly functional and diverse teams. Starting my career in a startup helped me a lot to shape my personality. I learned about my strengths and how to stand up for myself. I founded DASTAN Consulting, an inclusive consultancy, to enable and train companies to create a modern and inclusive work environment, mainly because that’s something that was always missing. I always felt like a minority in my workspace.
» Why DASTAN Consulting?
I combine my personal experiences as a Woman of Colour and my professional expertise as a Business Trainer and Consultant to enable companies to understand diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as crucial parts of their success story. My goal is to create more visibility against racism and discrimination. Growing up as a muslim woman of colour I learned very early that racism would be a part of my life. Especially during my studies and first internships, I experienced a lot of racism. Colleagues made fun of my name, didn’t want to pronounce it correctly, and called me something else.
» How did you come to do this work?
I had to justify my origins as an Iranian and hide my religion because I couldn’t handle more discussions about Islam. At some point, I realized that I needed to do my part so no migrant would have to go through this. I co-founded the initiative Love HR, Hate Racism to make companies aware of their non-inclusive structures and to empower them to stand up for a more diverse community and detect racism and discrimination in their company.
» What is your vision?
I truly hope that with my work I can not only enable companies to create an inclusive work environment but also to empower PoC’s, especially young women, to believe in themselves and speak up for their rights. As the civil rights activist Angela Y. Davis says, „In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.“
Do you want to know more about Andisheh’s work?
Go check out their socials:
Andisheh’s Instagram
DASTAN Consulting Website
