BUSINESS RESPONSIBILITY SUMMIT

7th Business Responsibility Summit 2015: “Leveraging Business Responsibility – Towards a Sustainable Nation” was organized by All India Management Association (AIMA) on 23rd June’2015 at Hotel Le Meridian, New Delhi. Dr. Sahab Singh, Associate Professor, Department of Management Studies, Dronacharya Group of Institutions, Greater Noida attended it as a delegate.

The objective of the summit was to discuss the best practices and case studies on commitment towards responsible business and to share the intellectual insights on specific aspects of business action towards a sustainable future by bringing pioneers and corporate business leaders, policy makers, decision-makers, renowned management practitioners, thinkers, academicians and corporate responsibility and sustainability professionals on a most inspiring platform.

Inaugural Speak:

Mrs. Rekha Sethi, Director General, AIMA and a Member of Indo-Netherland Joint Working Group on Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility set up by Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, requested Chief Guest Mr. Rajeev Bhadauria, Guest of Honour Mr. Vineet Nayar and all respective dignitaries to share their deeper knowledge related to business responsibility and sustainability in her welcome address.

Mr. Rajeev Bhadauria, Director Group HR of Jindal Steel & Power Ltd., expressed his sincere thanks to AIMA and Ernst & Young for their joint efforts to organize the event and greeted audience for sparing valued time to discuss about sustainability in India, in his keynote address.

Mr. Sudipta Das, National Leader and Partner-Climate Change & Sustainability Services, Ernst & Young LLP-Kolkata, presented theme on “Leveraging Business Responsibility-Towards a Sustainable Nation” and assured audience that unless we do any business responsibly, it will not become sustainable.

Mr. Vineet Nayar, Founder, Sampark Foundation & Former CEO HCL Technologies, enunciated about transforming the lives of children, youth and adults through large scale program in education, social entrepreneurship, livelihood and climate in a planned manner. If business leaders can take care of plant, planet and people as accountability in spite of responsibility than sustainability will be there in tomorrow, said Mr. Nayar.

Session 1: Financial Empowerment (Inclusion)

Mr. Yogesh Kochhar, Independent Consultant and Former Director-Strategic Engagement, Microsoft Corporation India, stressed upon creating awareness in communities that how the financial institutions can help a person in a better manner. He provoked audience by saying that financial inclusion without marketing inclusion is a mere hand without a glove and suggested to think out of box and act like Columbus to create good market for using financial services to make every business sustainable across India, in his motivational speech.

Mrs. Swati S M, Executive Director- Bharatiya Mahila Bank, made this session much attention grabbing by saying that it is necessary to spread financial literacy and create involvement of every individual in financial inclusion. Further she added financial institutions will not be geared up in India if the mind set of people is not aligned with corporate social responsibility.

Mr. Santosh Shidhaye, Senior Vice President, Corporate Sustainability Cell-IL & FS Ltd., pointed out that financial inclusion is a subset of social inclusion and a healthy engagement of government with business and community can lead a nation towards sustainability.

Session 2: Rethinking Resource Management - Air, Water & Waste

Mr. Vikas Shah, Chief Operation Officer, Wealth Health International, presented that how the unlimited human wants are satisfied with limited natural resources using examples of Singapore and Israel briefly, while the three sides of India are surrounded by affluent sea water but still we are crying for it.

Mr. Jaideep Gokhale, Director Marketing Communication, South Asia, East Asia & Oceania, Tetra Pak India Pvt. Ltd., suggested to applying segregation, recycling, power generation and land filling with waste and garbage in order to keep India pollution free and sustainable in his talk.

Session 3: Supply Chain Sustainability

Mr. Indra Guha, Director, Climate Change & Sustainability Services, Ernst & Young, moderated session enthusiastically and recommended existing corporates to focus on quality services and imbibe sustainable practices and social responsibility across their supply chain for making nation sustainable in the challenged global market.

Mr. Ranjeeb Sharma, Head-Social Compliance, Marks & Spencer India, stated that management of environment, social and economic impact throughout lifestyle of goods and services may be a true Supply Chain Sustainability.

Mrs. Sumna Sarkar, Head-Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility, Ericsson India Pvt. Ltd., called this summit an opportunity for CSR practitioners to gain a perfect return by contributing reciprocally in the society.

Session 4: Role of foundations in Driving CSR in India-A panel discussion

A panel discussion on “Role of foundations in Driving CSR in India” commenced under the moderation of Mr. Rajeev Bhadauria in which Mr. A B Chakraborty, Chief Sustainability Officer, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (Ministry Corporate Affairs), Mrs. UVL Ananda, Head-Governmental & Stakeholders Affairs-Sustainability Business Development, Bayer Group and Dr. Munish Chander, Head-TCI Foundation & General Manager of Transport Corporation India Ltd. participated and planned strategically to take action in this direction.

The summit came to an end with closing remarks of Ms. Miniya Chatterji, Chief Sustainability Officer, Jindal Steel & Power Group of Companies followed by award ceremony which witnessed over 200 national and international speakers, business leaders and best CSR practitioners.