The much awaited and prestigious CSR Excellence Conclave and Awards 2017, the most inclusive and diverse awards of its kind, was held in New Delhi on May 11, 2017. The event provided a common platform to CSR professionals for exchange of ideas about strengthening CSR ecosystem in India for sustainable impact. It celebrated business excellence and innovation in Corporate Social Responsibility across abroad range of disciplines, making it the only one of its kind in India.
At the inaugural session, the Chief Guest, Krishna Raj, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Government of India, said, “Women Empowerment in CSR aims to enable women with skills and providing them with livelihood for a secure future. Today, women are making their presence felt in every field. It is important to recognise their role in the progress and development of society.”
Speakers at the event included MDs, CEOs, CMOs, CSR Heads, CSR Managers, Strategy Heads, Health, Safety and Environment Managers, Public Relations and Communication Managers. The event showcased world class presentations and interactive sessions from leading practitioners on how organisations use CSR to integrate economic, environmental and social objectives with their operations and growth. Expert speakers provide din-depth analysis of contemporary CSR issues, trends, challenges, standards and strategies.
Speaking on the occasion, Sarvesh Kumar Tiwari, Founder and Managing Director, PR Professionals said, “The prime objective of business has been to make profits by exploiting natural and human resources. Such practices have caused crisis that we are currently facing while also endangering our future generations. CSR is an important function for businesses to establish themselves as well-wishers in the social development as well as preventing natural and environmental crisis. Every individual should be accountable in fulfilling their responsibility towards the society, environment and planet.”
The mega event also hosted a panel discussion moderated by Ritu Jhingon, Head, Project Nandghar, Vedanta Limited, Charudutt Panigrahi, Founder and Mentor, FIDR and Abhishek Ranjan, Global Head– Sustainability and CSR, Brillio Technologies. Members in the discussion were Dr. S. Sundar Manoharan, Vice Chancellor, Karunya University, Vijay Chadda, CEO, Bharti Foundation, etc.
The discussion centered on The Ethical and Economic Aspects of CSR, CSR Approach in a Developing Country and Developing Sustainable and Responsible Business through CSR.
Some of the key panelists were Dr. Manoharan, Vice Chancellor, Karunya University, Mohini Daljeet Singh, CEO, Max India Foundation, and Shrikant Sinha CEO, NASSCOM Foundation. Each session witnessed keen interest and eagerness from the audience which interacted with the panelists to discuss opportunities of arriving at sustainable and replicable solutions.
For the awards ceremony, over 200 delegates, both local and international, were present, including some of the region’s most established organisations. Winners from different categories who were awarded for excellence in their respective fields included, among others, Tech Mahindra Foundation- CSR Company of the Year, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Limited- CSR Practice of the Year and Mohini Daljeet Singh, CEO, Max India Foundation- CSR Leader of the Year.
