S4E165: Who Decides Who Leads? Pankaj Raj on Boardroom Bias, Gender Pay Gaps and What Real Allyship Looks Like | The AboutHer Show with Dr Sangeeta Relan
Who decides who leads?
On The AboutHer Show, Dr. Sangeeta Relan speaks with Pankaj Raj, Co-founder & Director of Search Value, about leadership, power, accountability, and allyship.
They discuss barriers women face in leadership, boardroom allyship, and Pankaj’s journey in executive search.
Plus, The Reveal, where the little things tell us more.
🎙️ The AboutHer Show is a Feedspot Top 10 Women’s Podcast, where women are centred and men show up as allies.
For more detailed insights, read the full article on our website: https://aboutherbysangeeta.com/pankaj-raj/
Chapters
🎬 (0:00) Welcome to the Room
Sangeeta sets the stage and introduces a guest who has spent 16 years deciding who leads.
🏗️ (2:21) Built on Trust
How Search Value grew from a single referral to a pan-India firm, & why that matters.
🪑 (4:21) At the Table
What it really looks like when someone decides who gets the corner office & who doesn't.
🏆 (9:32) The Governance Award
The Board Stewardship Hall of Fame recognition, & what corporate governance actually demands of human capital.
🔍 (17:30) The Business of Finding Leaders
Inside the world of executive search, the craft, the complexity, & the quiet power it holds.
💰 (20:23) When She's the Strongest Candidate
The uncomfortable truth about how compensation changes when the best person for the job is a woman.
🌏 (23:28) Borders, Boardrooms and Bias
Placing leaders across four continents, & which markets surprised him the most about who they'd accept.
🤫 (27:52) The Quiet Growth Story
16 years of no marketing, no PR, just reputation, & what that silence reveals about visibility.
🏢 (30:02) Before Search Value
HUL, MetLife, Aviva, the corporate chapters that built the man behind the firm.
🧬 (35:55) Human Capital, Human Beings
Why a 'clean' CV is a myth, & what non-linear journeys actually signal about a candidate's strength.
📊 (38:22) The 40% Question
If a CEO demanded gender parity on the board tomorrow, what would an honest answer really sound like?
🔥 (40:54) The Mandate He Almost Lost
The most uncomfortable conversation he's had with a client about bias, & what happened next.
🤝 (42:41) What Allies Actually Do
Not performative support; real, structural allyship, & what Pankaj asks men in power to stop doing.
✨ (46:35) The Reveal
5 fun questions.
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