The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC&I) hosted the first edition of the Social Leadership Awards and Corporate Governance Recognition on November 26 to acknowledge the developmental initiatives taken by corporates and NGOs in West Bengal. My Kolkata was the digital media partner for the event.
Social Leadership Awards
The Social Leadership Awards acknowledged outstanding initiatives that brought about transformative changes in society through innovation and excellence. There were 54 applicants in this category.
Representatives of Ambuja Cement receiving the award for Social Leadership Award (corporate)
In his opening speech, Subir Chakraborty, president of BCC&I and managing director and CEO of Exide Industries Limited, explained the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). “Earlier, we talked about taking things from the environment but never talked about giving back. After years, we have come to realise that if you don’t give back, the entire system will collapse. That is why CSR is important.”
The chief guest for the Social Leadership Awards was Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, former Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force, and former chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, honorary member and Ambassadeur Extraordinaire of BCC&I.
Jitendra Kumar, chairperson, Corporate Governance and CSR Committee, BCC&I, and president (legal and corporate affairs), Exide Industries Limited, was the force behind the debut award.
The jury included Bhaskar Chatterjee, former director general & CEO, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs; Kunal Basu, professor, Saïd Business School and Research Fellow, Templeton College, Oxford University, UK; Amitabh Shah, founder and chief inspiration officer, YUVA UNSTOPPABLE; Sanjay Prasad, executive director, Mission of Mercy Hospital and Research Centre and Sumit Dasgupta, founder and director, Allcap Communications Pvt Ltd.
Anahat For Change Foundation received a Special Mention award, while Parivaar Education Society, Youth4Jobs Foundation and Anudip Foundation were the winners at the Social Leadership Awards under the NGO category.
CESC Ltd received a Special Mention award while Ambuja Cement emerged as the winner in the corporate category.
Winners of the Corporate Governance Recognition with the dignitaries
Corporate Governance Recognition
The Corporate Governance Recognitions were given to organisations that closely adhered to the standards of corporate governance to foster a culture of good corporate citizenship. There were 19 applicants in this category.
“Over the years, we have realised that it is imperative to have good governance in the corporate sector. It is like running an extended family,” said Jitendra Kumar.
On the jury for the Corporate Governance Recognition were Devendra Deshpande and Vijay Jhalani along with Ram Bandopadhyay, former secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and Asish K Bhattacharyya, founder, Nonlinear Insights (OPC) Private Limited and professor, Shiv Nadar University.
The special guest for the award ceremony was D. Bandopadhyay, regional director, eastern region, Ministry of Corporate Affairs. “Corporate governance is a subject close to the heart of every regulator. It is a system that encompasses various principles and procedures for effective control of the company,” he said.
The Corporate Governance Recognition under the unlisted large, and small categories were given to Tata Steel Downstream Products, and Eduplex Solutions Ltd as Winners while Vikram Solar Limited received Special Jury Award under Unlisted Medium Category. Under the Listed Medium and Large categories, Tata Metaliks Ltd and ITC Ltd received the awards as Winners while Hindcon Chemicals Ltd, received the Special Jury Award under Listed Small Category.
Panelists for ‘Evolving Landscape of CSR in India’ (L-R) Amitabh Shah, Sumit Das Gupta, Bhaskar Chatterjee and Syentika Dey
Panel discussions
Two panel discussions moderated by Amitabh Shah, founder & chief Inspiration officer, Yuva Unstoppable, were held during the Social Leadership Awards.
The topic for the first panel discussion was ‘Evolving Landscape of CSR in India’. The panelists were Bhaskar Chatterjee, former director general & CEO, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs; Sumit Dasgupta, founder and director, Allcap Communications; and Syentika Dey, youth representative from Shri Shikshayatan School.
Panel discussion on ‘Role of NGOs in Equitable and Sustainable Development’ (L-R) Amitabh Shah, Sujata Sen, Abhishek Jain, Joydev Mazumdar and Suhani Sugla
‘Role of NGOs in Equitable and Sustainable Development’ was the topic for the second panel discussion. The panelists were Sujata Sen, CEO, Future Hope India; Joydev Mazumdar, executive director, Vidyasagar School of Social Work (Vidyasagar University); Abhishek Jain, associate principal, corporate advisory, Sattva Consulting; and Suhani Sugla, youth representative from La Martiniere for Girls School.
Panelists for ‘Revisiting Business and Corporate Governance’ (L-R) C.S. Devendra V Deshpande, Sachin Goyal, Harish Agarwal, Bhaskar Chatterjee, Vijay Jhalani and Arnab Basu
A panel discussion on ‘Revisiting Business and Corporate Governance’, during the Corporate Governance Recognition Awards, was moderated by Harish Agarwal, managing partner, Ernst and Young. The panelists were Bhaskar Chatterjee, Arnab Basu, advisory leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt Ltd and senior vice-president, The Bengal Chamber; C.S. Devendra V Deshpande, president, the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI); advocate Vijay Jhalani, government nominee, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, and former government nominee, Institute of Company Secretaries of India and Institute of Cost Accountants of India; and Sachin Goyal, joint director (financial analysis), Competition Commission of India.