The Modern People Leader: Forward-Thinking HR 255 - DEI’s New Reality: Yemi Akisanya (Head of Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, Axon)
Yemi Akisanya, Head of JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) at Axon, joined us on The Modern People Leader.
We talked about how the DEI conversation is evolving post-2020, why quotas are being replaced with performance-aligned strategies, and how Axon is making inclusion measurable and mission-critical.
----
Sponsor Links:
MPL Links:
----
(06:24) Yemi’s Life & Career Update: From Groupon to Axon
(08:51) What is Axon? Tech That Protects Life (Explained Simply)
(11:46) The Current State of DEI: Legal Risks, Compliance, and Backlash
(13:04) How 2020 Changed the DEI Landscape—And Where It Went Off Track
(15:28) The Rise and Fall of Quota-Based DEI and Legal Pushback
(17:53) The New DEI Mandate: Must Be Performance-Driven and Legally Sound
(19:30) Title VII and the Legal Boundaries of Hiring Decisions
(22:49) Axon’s Hiring Funnel Strategy: Focus on Top-of-Funnel Diversity
(24:17) Why Diverse Input Without Inclusion Breeds Tokenism
(26:48) Stephen’s Experience as a Diversity Officer (2009–2011)
(29:39) The Unintended Consequences of Quota-Driven Metrics
(32:26) What’s Changed? Not the Law, but the Enforcement & Tone
(34:06) Clarifying What Legal vs. Illegal DEI Looks Like Today
(38:29) Expanding the Talent Funnel: Tactics Axon Uses to Diversify Without Quotas
(41:44) Events, Job Boards, and Global Outreach to Source Talent
(42:59) Applying a Funnel Mindset: DEI as Performance Marketing
(45:10) Did DEI Practitioners Go Too Far? Owning the Missteps
(48:03) Why Bias Isn’t Bad—But It Must Be Checked and Understood
(50:30) Inclusion Surveys as Strategic Input: Measuring What Holds People Back
(51:15) Daniel’s 2020 ERG Experience: Culture Celebration vs. Business Impact
(53:43) Evolving ERGs into Performance Assets (Not Just Event Groups)
(56:47) Performance-Driven DEI: Monitoring Ratings, Promotions, Engagement
(58:47) Training for All, Cultural Context, and Blending Communities
(01:01:13) Localizing DEI Efforts Globally: Lessons from Groupon
(01:03:32) Axon’s Inclusion Programs, Pay Equity Audits, and Cross-Cultural Equity
(01:08:20) Who Should We Have Next? Shoutout to Elizabeth Hart at Axon
----
📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps
💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn
😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn
😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn
----
Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.