Meet Daalia Refaat!
Daalia is a leader of our Equity, Inclusion, & Diversity Team at Deckers Brands.
How do you empower others around you?
By challenging them to take risks and to be bold without letting self-doubt hold them back.
What changes in the industry excite you most (I.e. diversity, equity, & inclusion, sustainability, etc.)?
Diversity, equity & inclusion and the emphasis companies are starting to place on the importance of these principles in the workplace. It’s a sea change from when I first started practicing as a lawyer and was often one of the only women in the room. Organizations are starting to realize that focusing on DE&I is not only the right thing to do, but something their customers are demanding.
How do you challenge stereotypes and misconceptions?
I grew up in a city where my background was different from most everyone else I knew, so I was always having to explain why my family did things “differently” than most. By observing how my dad navigated these situations, I learned to meet people where they are without being offended or getting defensive. Every conversation was a chance to change someone’s perception of what it meant to be Arab and to have been raised Muslim and in turn, challenge those individuals to see the world through a different lens. Never doubt the impact one individual can have in changing how someone else sees a whole group of people.
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