At ZS, we prioritize creating a culture where every ZSer feels heard, respected and empowered to thrive. Our employee-led inclusion and belonging (I&B) groups provide safe spaces for ZSers to connect, share experiences and advance our mission of I&B. But I&B work doesn’t happen in isolation. Allyship is essential to building a culture of belonging and shared accountability—and allies like Ali Khan play a pivotal role in sustaining that environment.

Where passion changes lives

Ali Khan, manager of IT governance risk and compliance

Ali joined ZS in 2019 as a manager of IT governance, risk and compliance in India. With prior experience supporting firmwide I&B initiatives, he was a natural fit to serve as a core member of ZS’s allyship program.

Launched in partnership with the Forté Foundation, Empowering Allies and Champions (EACH) is a multiweek initiative designed to explore diversity in the workplace through education, dialogue and personal reflection. The program equips ZSers with tools, frameworks and peer support to drive change within their teams and across the firm.

As part of EACH, Ali authored an internal white paper on allyship at ZS, emphasizing the importance of collaboration with I&B groups and the need for active listening. “It’s got to be a two-way street,” he says. “Allies have to be open to learning, listening and participating.”

To share program outcomes more broadly, EACH core members were paired with I&B groups across ZS. Ali partnered with Pride@ZS, ZS’s LGBTQIA+ community, and quickly became a trusted advocate and event organizer in India.

One of his first initiatives was coordinating a session with a gender expression advocate, who shared their experience as a gender-fluid professional in the corporate world. “This was new for ZS,” Ali says. “It was the first time someone from outside the firm came in to speak about gender identity—and I was honored to moderate the discussion.”

Through both virtual and in-person awareness-building workshops and community events, Ali helped expand Pride@ZS participation in India by more than 20% over three years.

Beyond programming, Ali uses his risk and compliance expertise to advance inclusive policies. “I collaborate with HR and Legal to ensure our policies are more gender neutral,” he explains. “For example, in India, insurance coverage now includes infertility treatments and has been extended to cover gender reassignment surgeries, as well as pre- and postoperative care—up to the full sum insured.”

Alongside Associate Principal Rishu Batra, HR Director Harsha Peter and the Pride@ZS team, Ali has helped formalize a self-disclosure process for ZSers who change their name or gender. Thanks in part to these efforts, ZS became the first company in India to achieve ISO 45003 certification from BSI, recognizing organizations that protect their employees’ physical and psychosocial well-being.

To Ali, pride is about honoring every voice that went unheard and every story once considered taboo. “It’s about the sanctity of human life,” he says. “Let’s stand together and challenge the biases that exist in society—and ensure that ZS remains a place where we do not entertain them.”

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