About Us
The Keshav Suri Foundation was launched on 13th October 2018 by Dr. Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson & Managing Director, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, in the presence of thought leaders from various fields, at the First National Dialogue, Queering the Pitch – Agents of Change.
After the prodigious success of #PureLove Campaign, hotelier Keshav Suri, introduced the Keshav Suri Foundation to highlight the issues faced by the deeply marginalised LGBTQIA+ community. The Foundation ties up with It gets Better Project – a global platform to uplift, empower, and connect the LGBTQIA+ community. The objective of the foundation is to bring forth the unheard voices of people from the community to the fore. These are voices that have been shut and ignored, but need to be heard. Their stories and struggles are real and heart wrenching. The foundation aims to create a platform that will enable people from the community to share their stories with pride, sans judgement. This will, in turn, create awareness about the issues faced by them. With a feeling of acceptance and belonging, the foundation aims to skill people from the community and help them live a life of dignity.
Our Mission :
To embrace, empower and mainstream the LGBTQIA+ Community.
Our Objectives :
1. Provide employable skills opportunities to the LGBTQIA community.
2. To sensitize workspaces to accept diversity as a way of life.
3. To work towards gender neutral policies & benefits.
About Mr. Keshav Suri:
Keshav Suri is the Executive Director at The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group. His leadership has seen the group champion causes such as supporting acid attack warriors, employing India’s sole differently-abled DJ, and providing skill & employable opportunities to over 2000 individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community. The LaLiT group, under his guidance, is recognised as one of the safest & most inclusive spaces in India.
In addition to his role at The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, Keshav Suri is the founder of the Keshav Suri Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to embrace, empower, and mainstream the LGBTQIA+ community. It is the official affiliate for the It Gets Better Project in India and also collaborates with Stonewall UK and Pride Circle to bring India’s first Workplace Equality Index (IWEI) for corporations to measure their Diversity and Inclusion (D & I) metrics. Through his foundation, he has introduced scholarships in the hospitality school and is providing free mental health support to the LGBTQIA+ community. Among the various initiatives spearheaded by Keshav Suri Foundation, notable projects include “Project Apna Heera” to support neurodivergent individuals and “Project Prahari” to aid acid attack warriors. These projects focus on skill development, employment opportunities, creating safe spaces, and raising awareness across different levels and industries.
As the Chair of the FICCI Task Force on D & I, Keshav Suri actively engages in discussions with policymakers and key stakeholders on issues related to jobs, healthcare, and security for the LGBTQIA+ community. The group, under his leadership, contributes valuable insights to white papers addressing D & I concerns.
Keshav Suri has garnered various national & international recognition with awards and honors, including being named a Top 100 LGBT+ Executive for three consecutive times by Yahoo Finance & Outstanding List. As a dynamic speaker, he utilizes his influence to advocate for safe workplaces that embrace, empower, and mainstream the LGBTQIA+ community in India.
MR. KESHAV SURI
Founder – Keshav Suri Foundation
Executive Director – The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group
Co- Chair – FICCI Task Force on D&I
Honorary Chair – IGLTA Foundation India Initiative