Rosemary Viswanath
Rosemary Viswanath B.Sc. (Hons) Mathematics (St Stephens College Delhi University), P.G.D.M. (Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru 1982-84).
Rosemary (called Rose, by most colleagues and friends) began her career in the software industry in the Human Resources function working with CMC Limited and then Sonata Software. She also was actively involved with the Indian Society for Applied Behavioural Science (ISABS) and was a Professional Member of the Society.
A strong pull towards working on larger scale societal process and on issues of social justice and discrimination led her to move out of a full time corporate role in the late 80’s and from then on work largely with the development (non-profit) sector in India and internationally. She has been engaged in consulting with large networks, movements and federations and both big and small organisations that work on social justice, human rights, environmental sustainability, and accountable governance. Her consulting work has also involved government departments, aid agencies and corporate organisations where the focus has been on leadership development and strategic approaches.
From 2005-2012 she was the full-time director of a research and advocacy organisation EQUATIONS that addressed the question of “Who really benefits from Tourism’.
She is in strategic advisory bodies and on Boards of several non- profit organisations.
The focus on groups, particularly unconscious dynamics of groups and systems and its links to how leadership is exercised in systems, has been an area of enduring interest and passion. Rose’s engagement in group relations has been from the late 80’s and it is the group relations framework that has most informed the roles she has taken up and her approach to work. She has been involved as staff and Director of Group Relations Conferences for several decades in India and in the UK, France, The Netherlands, Australia, Israel and the USA.
In order to ensure a home for Group Relations in India, she set up Group Relations India in 2013. As the Managing Trustee and as one of the members of its programmes committee she actively shapes GRI’s development.
Her commitment to the study of Buddhist philosophy and practise, influences her approaches to transforming one’s mind towards more compassionate and ethical ways of living which are in tune with how things exist. Another area of passion is caring for street animals – and in particular her large family of rescued dogs and cats. Her immediate human family in Bangalore– husband Vish, daughter Tanuja, son-in-law PG, has expanded with their 10 month old grandson Rumi !