These days, important discussions about identity, representation, and social justice are shaped by LGBTQ+ leaders. Through interesting material covering fashion, beauty, travel, and activism, they dispel misconceptions, educate the public, and motivate others. Keeping up with these inspirational people beyond Pride Month broadens your perspective on the LGBTQ+ community and gives voice to voices that matter.
Julien Brain, Director of Global AWS Programs at Wipro, leads the Global LGBTQ+ Charter and champions diversity, equity, and inclusion within the company. With nearly a decade at Wipro, he has implemented initiatives like a calendar with year-round events, pronouns features in key systems globally, and an e-learning module to drive LGBTQ+ awareness.
Julien’s dedication to furthering inclusive work environments encourages creativity and teamwork while empowering people to accept their identities. Given the considerable impact and purchasing power of the LGBTQ+ community, companies need to act as allies and champion LGBTQ+ inclusion, to remain relevant and reflect the evolution of society.
Below are the interview highlights:
Can you please introduce yourself and your motivation to embark on this sector?
Hello! I’m Julien Brain. I grew up in France, worked in Silicon Valley, and moved to the UK in 2019. As a global director at Wipro, I manage AWS Partner Funding programs and other strategic initiatives to support our AWS cloud partnership.
My interest in how technology transforms daily life drives me in this role. I also serve as the Global LGBTQ+ Charter Lead, promoting respect and visibility within the company.
Could you please give a brief introduction to your company and its inception story?
Wipro, headquartered in India, is a global systems integrator offering IT, consulting, and business process services in over 60 countries with over 230,000 employees. Celebrating 75 years in 2020, Wipro has evolved from a family-run vegetable oil manufacturer to a leading tech consultancy.
Uniquely, 66% of Wipro is owned by the Azim Premji Foundation, which supports various social impact initiatives.
Can you tell me more about your 15+ years of IT industry experience and how that has shaped your career path?
Great question! I began my career in translation and localization at Magellan in France, where I handled UI and documentation for European languages. After earning a master’s in Translation and Localization, I moved to California to work at e2f, a translation start-up.
I started as a translator and progressed to project and production management as the company expanded globally, including offices in Mauritius, France, and Madagascar, plus a partnership in Vietnam.
I also stayed current with translation technology and machine translation advances. I completed an MBA at UC Berkeley while working full-time (by then I had become the COO at e2f.) I joined Wipro as part of the Global 100 leadership program. At Wipro, I initially worked in consulting on projects in various industries before joining the AWS Partnership team.
What are some of the key responsibilities and focus areas in your role as a global director at Wipro leading AWS Partner Programs?
In my role, I look after a portfolio of strategic initiatives, including AWS Partner Funding and other cloud migration programs globally, acting as a nexus between our technical delivery, sales, and client account teams and partnership development.
This includes both onboarding new programs and making certain ongoing portfolio management decisions. In a nutshell, my job is a mix of strategy and deep operational expertise, where I get to interact with colleagues from many functions around the world.
As a passionate advocate for creating an inclusive and diverse workplace, what are some of the key initiatives you have led through the LGBTQ+ Charter at Wipro?
LGBTQ+ inclusion at Wipro goes beyond Pride month. I’ve worked on our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy by developing a global LGBTQ+ calendar with key dates like International Non-Binary People’s Day and Transgender Awareness Week. This calendar supports year-round discussions through ERG meetings, blog posts, and webinars.
We also launched an e-learning module, “Championing LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Workplace,” and have featured LGBTQ+ experiences on our intranet and Wipro’s DEI webpage. Pronoun usage has been integrated into our intranet, our email signatures (publicly available on the Wipro Brand Toolkit webpage), and Microsoft 365 tools, with significant progress made in awareness and adoption.
In the UK, we partnered with the Gaydio Academy and the Prince’s Trust for a podcasting course for youths, and we celebrate our community globally through social media (#PrideAtWipro on LinkedIn).
Collaboration with allies has been key to creating a supportive environment and achieving new milestones.
How has receiving the Best LGBTQ+ ERG Leader award from Avtar Group impacted your work and commitment to fostering a culture of respect and belonging?
It’s a great honor to be recognized, much like being featured in this article. Awards publicly validate our impact and affirm our path in LGBTQ+ inclusion. This recognition from Avtar Group reinforces that we’re on track and motivates us to continue.
We’ve recently appointed an ERG lead for India, where Wipro is headquartered, to advance our local efforts. Our goal now is to deepen collaboration with allies and amplify our impact.
Can you tell me more about your experience and learnings from being part of the Stonewall LGBTQ+ Leadership Program?
Stonewall is a UK-based charity advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. Their six-month LGBTQ+ Leadership Program brought together 40 LGBTQ+ leaders from various sectors to promote inclusive workplaces. Being selected was transformational, allowing me to join a vibrant, queer group for peer learning and leadership development.
Along with workshops and discussions, we stay connected through a discussion group, sharing experiences and driving inclusion forward. This network’s energy empowers us to transform our workplaces and inspire others to act, both within and beyond the community.
As a Berkeley-Haas MBA graduate, how have your interests and expertise in operations management, conversational AI, and service innovation influenced your work and approach to problem-solving?
Earning an MBA challenges you to think differently and make better decisions by exposing you to diverse perspectives and collaborative innovation. The program’s impact is evident in my daily professional life, helping me integrate new technologies and problem-solving approaches.
Nearly a decade later, defining leadership principles from Berkeley-Haas such as Question the Status Quo; Confidence Without Attitude; Students Always; and Beyond Yourself, continue to guide me. My conversational AI experience also reconnects with my early career in linguistics and content management.
I use Kanban-based portfolio management for its visual updates and data-driven financial reporting, which magnify program oversight and impresses colleagues with detailed insights.
What motivated your decision to pursue the AWS accreditations and certifications, and how do you see it benefiting your current role and future career aspirations?
Lifelong learning has become an integral part of every professional’s arsenal. Keeping up with ever-accelerating technology, cloud, (generative) AI, and commercial models helps make sure you can identify opportunities and innovate AWS and other hyperscaler clouds have a great selection of technology and business training, warranting you can keep challenging yourself and learning. The ability to learn and relearn quickly are key skills to stay relevant in the workplace. There’s so much available at our fingertips!
Can you share more about your involvement with EFBA as a treasurer and board member, and how that aligns with your passion for giving back to the community?
I’ve been a volunteer with EFBA (Education Française Bay Area) for over a decade, working closely with the executive director. EFBA operates in the San Francisco Bay Area.
There is something special about contributing to an educational nonprofit organization offering a more affordable option helping young people learn French in after-school and summer camp programs.
Reflecting on my previous answer where I mentioned the importance of education and of being a lifelong learner, I could not be happier to dedicate some of my time to an organization promoting education. Education is key to building better and more civilized communities and societies.
In your role as the president of the Berkeley-Haas alumni group in the UK, what are some of the key initiatives you are focused on, and how do you see this position contributing to your overall professional development?
American universities, including the University of California (UC), value strong alumni networks. Recently, UC alumni events included sessions with visiting professors and welcome events for Global Management Program exchange students in London.
In my role, I’ve helped connect with leaders from all 10 UC campuses to organize and promote events, such as a yearly alumni gala supporting UC students studying abroad, running club activities, and speaker panels.
We also engaged alumni in the London Pride parade and are excited for even larger events next year.
As the co-lead of the UC Pride UK affinity group, what are your goals and plans for supporting the LGBTQ+ community among University of California alumni in the UK?
UC Pride UK is the most recent committee, created just a few months ago. We wanted to bring together alumni identifying as LGBTQ+ and allies. Our main event to date has been Pride in London: we took part in the parade as a group gathering UC alumni and friends.
Our plan for the coming months may include a visit to Queer Britain, the UK’s first museum of queer culture, and a collaboration with the UC running club for the annual World AIDS Day RED RUN. We may investigate partnering with other queer alumni groups.
How do you balance your professional responsibilities and community involvement, and what strategies do you employ to maintain a healthy work-life integration?
Planning and prioritizing play a huge part in balancing the various facets of my life. So does exercising, especially during the bright summer months. Being involved in various initiatives and communities feels rewarding and helps me stay motivated and fulfilled.
I also do my best to enjoy the London summer and go for a run two or three times a week, along the canal and the river Thames. I also enjoy exploring the city by bicycle. Last, but not least, finding balance means spending as much time as possible with my boyfriend and our dog.
