Organizational Development and DEI Manager Alexandre Kiyohara on using data to drive inclusion, opening doors for others, and why his ultimate goal is to make his own job obsolete.
At 29 years old, Alexandre Kiyohara is doing work that didn’t exist when he was 20. As Wellhub’s Organizational Development and DEI Manager, he’s leading global diversity and inclusion initiatives at a company whose mission—to make every company a wellness company—creates the perfect backdrop for his own mission: ensuring everyone belongs.
“I always say my dream is that my work someday doesn’t exist anymore,” Kiyohara explains. “Because at some point, we’ll be so good at diversity that we won’t need it, you know?” It’s an ambitious goal, but then again, everything about Kiyohara’s journey has been ambitious.
A Personal Journey Becomes Professional Purpose
Kiyohara’s path to DEI leadership began in marketing, working with big brands and developing what he calls a “strategic mindset” around how communication shapes culture and behavior. But 2019 changed everything—it was the year of two major transitions: his gender transition as a transgender man and his career transition into diversity work.
“I’m the only person that I know here in Brazil that is in a leadership position as a transgender person,” he shares. “This is a big challenge for me. It’s not about proving that I am capable of it; it was about realizing that companies have huge opportunities to grow when it comes to diversity.”
That realization, combined with his love for using data to drive change, led him to focus his career on helping organizations make diversity part of their business strategy, not just a social commitment. When he joined Wellhub, everything clicked.
“Our purpose as a company and our values—meaningful collaboration, relentless learning, and passion for impact—are all deeply connected to diversity for me,” he explains. “Here, I felt that belonging is not a separate initiative. It is part of how we work, how we learn, how we grow together.”
Data as the Foundation of Change
Before joining Wellhub, Kiyohara worked at Brazil’s stock exchange, where data played a central role in everything from tracking performance to guiding strategic decisions. That experience shaped his approach to DEI work in a fundamental way.
“For me, data is not just about numbers. It is about responsibility, clarity, and growth,” he says. “Data helps us move from intention to measurable impact.”
At Wellhub, this means using both quantitative and qualitative data to guide diversity strategy. Quantitative data helps understand representation and progress, while qualitative data—gathered through listening sessions, feedback, and lived experiences—provides the crucial context behind those numbers.
“Data keeps us grounded,” Kiyohara explains. “It shows us where we are, where we can grow, and reminds us that belonging is not just a feeling. It is something that we build, improve, and measure every single day.”
Making Belonging Real, Not Rhetorical
At Wellhub, belonging isn’t something announced—it’s something lived daily through real experiences. The company’s affinity groups serve as both safe spaces for sharing experiences and proactive voices that help shape culture, bringing ideas, feedback, and policy suggestions.
Kiyohara runs educational programs across the company, from inclusive leadership training to unconscious bias workshops. But he’s learned that the most valuable insights come from feedback about what needs improvement, not just what’s working well.
“We run our unconscious bias training every year, but feedback is the most important thing,” he says. “So we can improve our training each time. Just recently, I heard ‘this is the best learning session we’ve had in years’ because we used feedback from last year to improve this one.”
His approach to unconscious bias training itself demonstrates innovative thinking. After receiving feedback that previous sessions created issues around religion, he found a different way to illustrate the concept.
“I decided to use history,” he explains. “Let’s go back to Rome when we had ‘barbarians’—they didn’t fit in some places. It’s totally insane, but sometimes with diversity, we need to go back to history to understand that we’ve always had unconscious bias in our society. It’s not about religion or different countries—we’ve always had these biases from the beginning.”
Global Strategy, Local Reality
Managing diversity across Wellhub’s international footprint—spanning the US, Latin America, and Europe—requires balancing consistency with flexibility. The company’s global belonging strategy maintains consistent purpose while allowing flexible practice.
“We are guided by the same core values, but we also recognize that inclusion looks different in every region,” Kiyohara notes. Each region has its own affinity groups, cultural celebrations, and diversity initiatives that reflect their specific context.
In Brazil, for example, the company can leverage affirmative action programs supported by local legislation, while in Europe and the US, they focus more on cultural awareness and wellbeing through events and learning sessions.
Data plays a crucial role in staying locally relevant. Through their partnership with Diversio, they run a global census that provides detailed, tailored insights by region, helping them understand where they’re strong, where they need improvement, and how engagement looks different across markets.
“Regional perspectives truly matter; for example, a problem that arises in Brazil may not be relevant in the US.”Kiyohara explains. “But we need to have a global strategy. So we need to understand where we’re going and which new paths we need to take.”
Small Moments, Big Impact
One story particularly exemplifies Wellhub’s belonging strategy in action. An affinity group leader in Brazil approached Kiyohara before a meeting with US colleagues, explaining that while she could understand English, she didn’t feel confident speaking during the call.
The context matters: in Brazil, English can be a significant barrier, especially when discussing race and access—only about 3% of Brazilians speak English fluently, and that number is even lower among Black professionals.
After that first meeting where Kiyohara provided translation support, he suggested the Brazilian leader start a mentorship with one of the US leaders to develop confidence, expand vocabulary, and build global connections.
“Two months later, she was opening one of our global presentations in English,” Kiyohara recalls. “She did an amazing job. For me, that’s what belonging is about—when we see someone right in front of us, recognize the potential, and help remove the barriers in their way. It’s not just about programs and metrics. It is about everyday moments of care, trust, and collaboration.”
Community Impact Beyond the Workplace
Wellhub’s approach to inclusion extends beyond the office through volunteer initiatives and social impact projects. Every year, they organize global and local volunteering days where employees from different regions come together to give back to their communities.
“Inclusion doesn’t stop at the workplace,” Kiyohara says. “It is something that we take into the communities.” What makes these initiatives special is that they’re employee-driven and co-created, not top-down decisions.
The volunteering culture connects with their business focus on wellness, education, and inclusion, often partnering with local organizations that share their purpose. “When we volunteer together, we build empathy, strengthen relationships, and deepen our sense of belonging because we do this both inside and outside the company.”
The Future of Belonging
What excites Kiyohara most about the future is Wellhub’s evolution from building standalone programs to embedding belonging into everything they do—business operations, culture, and everyday interactions.
“We already have a strong foundation with global initiatives, data-driven strategies, and amazing affinity groups,” he explains. “But the next step is about deepening this work across all levels. We want to make sure that belonging is not something led by one team—it’s owned by everyone.”
For Kiyohara, the future lies in connecting data with empathy, local voices with global strategy, and business goals with human experiences. “This only happens when every Wellhubber feels part of the journey.”
His message to future employees is clear: “Bring your curiosity, your authenticity, and your voice. We really want you to speak up, challenge us, and help us define what belonging means to Wellhub.”
Opening Doors for Others
Beyond the strategies and metrics, Kiyohara’s work is deeply personal. As he puts it: “I could be the one, but I don’t want to be the last one. My job is to open doors for everyone.”
This philosophy drives his daily work—engaging with affinity group leaders, ensuring people feel safe to discuss topics like hiring people with disabilities, and leveraging Wellhub’s remote-first culture to create more inclusive opportunities.
“When I was 20, this work didn’t exist,” he reflects. “For me, it’s insane to be here speaking in English because I was in the same place as that Brazilian leader I mentioned at some point in my life. Now I’m the head of diversity and inclusion globally. We are now in a moment where diversity really matters—for me, for you, and for the entire world.”
Kiyohara’s story embodies Wellhub’s core values—from empowered mindset and meaningful collaboration to passion for impact and relentless learning. His approach demonstrates that the most effective DEI work happens when personal authenticity meets strategic thinking, when data drives decisions, and when everyone feels ownership over creating belonging.
At a company whose mission is making every company a wellness company, Kiyohara is proving that true wellness includes everyone feeling they belong.
Ready to join a team where diversity drives business success and personal authenticity is celebrated? Learn more about opportunities at Wellhub.
