As part of its presence at SXSW Sydney in 2024, The Growth Distillery hosted a series of 10 vodcasts hosted by Dan Krigstein and branded Rules Don’t Apply.
In this eighth episode, Krigstein introduced his guest Reg Raghavan, CEO of CulturalPulse, who is pioneering the future of multicultural engagement in Australia.
As the nation becomes increasingly diverse, Reg’s work is helping brands and organisations connect authentically with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, unlocking the power of cultural intelligence for social and economic impact.
From developing culturally sensitive tech solutions to creating inclusive narratives, Reg reveals how to bridge cultural divides through storytelling, AI-driven solutions, and strategic partnerships. He discusses the transformative role of cultural intelligence, offering insights on how organisations can thrive by embracing and empowering Australia’s diverse populations.
Dan Krigstein
With a global perspective and deep commitment to community, Reg shares his own journey – from second-generation Australian to Silicon Valley innovator – and the invaluable lessons he’s learned about identity, inclusion, and challenging traditional Western mindsets. His approach to authenticity and empathy provides a fresh perspective on leadership, marketing, and meaningful engagement.
This episode with Reg Raghavan is essential viewing for anyone looking to drive real, lasting impact in a multicultural world.
Krigstein: You’ve got a really interesting story. I’d love for you to share.
Raghavan: I’m a Western Sydney boy. Born at Nepean Hospital. My parents came after the White Australia policy when the immigration floodgates opened a little bit for Asian communities. They left South India in 1973. I was born here, went through school, pretty normal schooling experience out in Western Sydney.
I went through university and studied and I got very curious about volunteering.
I managed to get to Silicon Valley, rode the dotcom wave and lived there for about a year.
When I returned I had the opportunity to visit the Pintupi community who live about 500k west of Alice Springs. It involved shooting a video for a not-for-profit project around kidney disease.
Krigstein: That led to Culture Pulse. Give us a bio on what that is.
Raghavan: Our vision is to activate. Making sure multicultural achievement is our strength as a country. Making sure everyone has access to services, there’s value for money in taxpayer dollars. It’s about an integrated Australia.
Reg Raghavan
Krigstein: What resources do business leaders and brand practitioners have on hand to be able to help navigate what is an increasingly diverse Australia?
Raghavan: There’s a lot out there. We’ve got accredited translators for language.
There are champions in each business. There are cultural competence diversity trainers for example. The thing that’s missing is the kind of underpinning context and strategy about how you might go about that.
People might say I’ve got to reach 300 communities. It’s too much, [it might go into] the too-hard basket. Organisations have an inherent cultural competence. They’re already doing stuff at the moment. If you take a bank now, they’re already doing stuff. They’ve got a migrant banking strategy so it’s not that they’re starting from scratch. But what strategic context are they operating in and how are they plugging that together?
Krigstein: How do you see technology accelerating our ability to empower all Australians over the coming five to 10 years?
Raghavan: The tech part of our business has been focused on codifying culture. I was studying anthropology and I was reading one of the papers and there was a guy who wrote one of the papers that everything in the world is qualitative, but it’s quantitative if you’re good enough. And culture is one of those areas, because it can play out in many different ways. But if you can get it at the right level of abstraction, then you’re able to codify it. Technology can help with that. This is where it’s a fantastic use case for AI.
See also:
• Layne Beachley first guest on Rules Don’t Apply vodcast series from The Growth Distillery
• Rules Don’t Apply: The Battle for Creativity: AI vs. Humanity with Futurist Brian David Johnson
• Rules Don’t Apply: Unmasking Reality – Navigating Truth in the Age of AI with Noelle Russell
• Rules Don’t Apply: From airwaves to algorithms – Adam Spencer’s take on creativity and AI
• Rules Don’t Apply: Breaking barriers – Poppy Reid’s path from intern to editor-in-chief
• Rules Don’t Apply: The Future of Work – 3 Rules Being Rewritten with Ryan Patel
• Rules Don’t Apply: From World Cup glory to cultural impact – Kim Anderson’s leadership secrets