American Chamber of Commerce in India
Apex Chamber of US Industry in India

CSR in India: Working Toward Fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals in India – Moving the Agenda from the Global to National and Local Level – 29th September 2016

AmCham, in partnership with the Consulate General of the United States, Mumbai, organized ‘CSR in India: Working Toward Fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals in India – Moving the Agenda from the Global to National and Local Level’ in Mumbai on Thursday, 29th September 2016. The event was sponsored by Bank of America and Johnson and Johnson Medical India. The convergence of key stakeholders in the CSR domain -corporates, NGOs and the government, culminated in a deeper understanding of significant perspectives to the subject.

The event began with opening remarks by Ms. Surabhi Wahal, Regional Director – Western Region, AmCham, followed by a welcome address by Mr. Mahesh Krishnamurti, Co-Chair AmCham Western Region Committee and Managing Director, Resources Global Professionals (I) Pvt. Ltd. and Mr. Kavish Arora, India Head – Corporate Banking & Financial Institutions, Bank of America. The keynote speaker at the event, Mr. Praveen Pardeshi, Principal Secretary to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra, shared insights into the priorities and projects of the Government of Maharashtra through his presentation on village social transformation mission-empowering rural Maharashtra. Consul General Thomas Vajda followed suit with an address to all present. Mr. Harish Krishnan, Chairman, AmCham CSR Committee and Executive Director, Public Affairs & Strategic Engagement, India & SAARC Cisco Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd., shared a vote of thanks concluding the plenary session.

The first industry panel included Mr. Amit Raheja, Director – Johnsons & Johnson Diabetes Care Companies, Johnson & Johnson Medical India; Mr. Ashutosh Singh, Vice President Public Affairs, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd; Mr. Vikas Shah, Chief Operating Officer, WaterHealth India and Ms. Yoylnd Lobo, Director – Government Relations, Honeywell India. The speakers shared the CSR initiatives, priority areas and best practices followed by their organizations. The session was moderated by Mr. Kavish Arora.

An esteemed panel of leaders who have been engaged in path breaking work for our society represented the NGO panel. It comprised Dr. Anand Bang, Health Advisor, Tata Trust; Ms. Safeena Hussain, Founder & Executive Director, Educate Girls; Ms. Shubha Srinivasan, Director – Social Impact, Deloitte; Ms. Harpreet Bagga, Manager – Capacity Building, Dasra; Mr. Nehal Sanghavi, Sr. Advisor for Innovation and Partnership, USAID and Ms. Zarina Screwvala, Founder & Managing Trustee, Swades Foundation. The session was moderated by Mr. Amit Raheja (Johnson & Johnson).

The Q&A session brought out interesting insights and experiences of CSR best practices and sustainable development by both industry and NGO representatives. The event concluded with a vote of thanks followed by lunch.

Membership

By joining AMCHAM India, you become part of an active and dynamic Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India with a membership base of more than 400 American companies in India. AMCHAM is an important voice for policy advocacy, a critical source for business intelligence, a vibrant platform for networking and expanding your business.