Meenakshi Krishnan

MA, MBA, PhD

Principal Research Fellow

Meenakshi.Krishnan@employment-studies.co.uk

01273 763511

Meenakshi is a Principal Research Fellow at IES and heads Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) research and consulting projects. Her projects span issues of tackling workplace inequalities in the Health and Adult Social Care sector; evaluating the age-friendly employer pledge; identifying what entails effective evaluations of DEI interventions, policies, and programmes; capability development for line managers and senior leadership teams in building inclusive organisations and evidence reviews on what works to promote employer behaviour change in relation to DEI.

Meenakshi brings over 22 years of experience working across equalities issues, strategic HR, organisation and leadership development. She has consulted for employer top teams in private, government, and not-for-profit organisations to deliver impactful leadership interventions, high potential talent assessments, organisational vision and culture building programs, personal transformation, and inclusion workshops. She is a seasoned facilitator, certified executive coach, and conversant in the use of psychometric instruments. 

Her research expertise lies at the intersections of gender equality and labour market policy, with a focus on women’s unpaid care work, parental leave, and childcare policy. She is experienced in qualitative research methods like archival research, focus groups and interviews and survey analysis. Prior to joining IES, she worked with banking and financial services, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods and United Nations agencies with geographical focus on countries of Asia and the Pacific. She is a founding member of the Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusive Leadership at the Xavier Labour Relations Institute in India.

Education

2024	PhD in Development Studies (Gender and Development)	Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK
2017	MA Women’s and Gender Studies	Indira Gandhi National Open University, India
2002	MBA Personnel Management and Industrial Relations	Xavier Labour Relations Institute, India
2000	BA Psychology	Delhi University, India

Career

2020 – 2023	Research Officer, Gender and Governance cluster	Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, UK
2015 – 2018	Principal Consultant, Leadership Development	OD Alternatives, Mumbai, India
2013 – 2015	Strategic Advisor, HR	Wealth Advisors (India) Pvt. Ltd., Chennai, India
2007 – 2013	Independent Consultant	Self-employed
2002 – 2007	Chief Manager, HR	ICICI Bank Ltd., Mumbai, India

Research publications prior to joining IES

Journal Article

Chopra, D., & Krishnan, M. (2022). ‘Care is not a burden’: A 7-4-7 framework of action for operationalising the Triple R. Gender & Development, 30(1–2), 35–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2022.2066265

Book Chapter

Vishnu, V., & Krishnan, M. (forthcoming). Leading from Within: How women’s “Inner Conversations” shape their outer realities. In Srivastava, N. & Dahl, S. (Eds) Contours of Feminist Praxis and Practice. Routledge. New Delhi.

Research Report

ESCAP. (forthcoming). Model Framework for Action on the Care Economy in Asia and the Pacific. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Bangkok, Thailand.

ESCAP. (2022). Valuing and Investing in Unpaid Care and Domestic Work. Country case study - Cambodia (No. ST/ESCAP/3027). United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Bangkok, Thailand.

ESCAP. (2022). Valuing and Investing in Unpaid Care and Domestic Work. Country case study - Philippines (No. ST/ESCAP/3026). United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Bangkok, Thailand.

ESCAP. (2021). Addressing Unpaid Care Work in ASEAN (ST/ESCAP/2968). United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Jakarta, Indonesia.

ESCAP. (2021). COVID-19 and the Unpaid Care Economy in Asia and the Pacific (ST/ESCAP/2967). United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Bangkok, Thailand.

Policy Brief

Chopra, D., Nazneen, S., & Krishnan, M. (2019). Women’s Economic Engagement and Childcare: Moving from Survival to a ‘Triple Boon’ [Policy Brief]. Institute of Development Studies.

Chopra, D., & M. Krishnan. (2019) Linking Family-Friendly Policies to Women’s Economic Empowerment [Evidence Brief]. UNICEF. New York.

Working Paper

Chopra, D., Saha, A., Nazneen, S., & Krishnan, M. (2020). Are Women Not ‘Working’? Interactions between Childcare and Women’s Economic Engagement (IDS Working Paper No. 533). Institute of Development Studies. Brighton.

Technical Handbook

ESCAP. (2022). How to invest in the care economy: A primer. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Bangkok, Thailand.

Chopra, D., Sempere, K., & Krishnan, M. (2021). Assessing Unpaid Care Work: A Participatory Toolkit. Institute of Development Studies. https://doi.org/10.19088/IDS.2021.016