FRIDAY, 6.00 PM - 7.30 PM | MMA MANAGEMENT CENTER
RAJEEV
ANJU
A thought-provoking session to re-think leadership and corporate governance in the 21st century.
The cry for a more inclusive form of capitalism is growing. But the irony is we are using the same tools that caused the excesses of shareholder capitalism to drive responsible behaviour: incentives and regulations.
18th-century economist Adam Smith propagated profit maximization as the incentive for businesses to create goods and services that society needs. Free-market competition would ensure consumers get the best quality product at the cheapest price, he argued.
200 years later, Milton Friedman agreed in his seminal 1970 New York Times op-ed that the sole responsibility of business is to maximise profits “ so long as it stays within the rules of the game. ” Incentives coupled with some regulations were to henceforth safeguard societal interests.
Instead, incentives created bad behaviour, and regulations were routinely bypassed with intelligent loopholes. Despite this track record, to encourage sustainability today, we are again using only incentives and regulation. That’s predominantly what the ESG framework focuses on. And what do we see? Rampant greenwashing and box-ticking.
To address today’s existential challenges, we need innovation of the highest order. Innovation can neither be legislated nor driven by extrinsic incentives alone. We need the ability to create a win-win-win future for stakeholders, society, and the environment.
According to the World Economic Forum, climate change alone presents $10.1 trillion in new business opportunities a year for the next thirty years. Businesses must seek profitability and growth by addressing the very challenges that threaten us today. Based on our extensive global research, this can only be achieved by replacing outdated leadership and governance models with Steward Leadership. ESG must therefore upgrade itself to ESL, where the L stands for Steward Leadership. In ESL, G is a subset of L.
05.15 PM Registration & High Tea
06.00 PM Welcome Address
A Presentation by the author
Special Invitees in conversation with the Author
Gp Capt R Vijayakumar (Retd), VSM
Executive Director, Madras Management Association
Mr Rajeev Peshawaria
Author & CEO, Stewardship Asia Centre
Mr Hans Raj Verma, IAS
Additional Chief Secretary and Chairman & Managing Director
The Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment Corporation (TIIC)
Mr C Siva Kumar
Director, Roots Industries India Ltd
Ms Anju Mary K
Director – Industry Affairs, Corporate Communications & Sustainability, Danfoss India Region
Mr Balachandar Gangadharan
Deputy Editor, The Hindu BusinessLine
Q & A Session
07:25 PM Vote of Thanks
Rejecting platitudes and theoretical models, Rajeev combines 22 years of global Fortune 100 experience with researchbased insights to provide unique and practical approaches to personal leadership, ethics, governance, sustainable business growth, and stewardship. A sought-after speaker and consultant, he is the CEO of Stewardship Asia Centre, Singapore, and President of Leadership Energy Consulting, Seattle, WA, USA.
Author of the Wall Street Journal and Amazon bestseller Open Source Leadership (McGraw Hill), Too Many Bosses, Too Few Leaders (Simon & Schuster), Sustainable Sustainability (Penguin Random House), co-author of Be the Change (McGraw Hill) and a regular contributor for Forbes, he constantly challenges conventional wisdom on leadership, management, stewardship, sustainability, and corporate governance. He has pioneered unique practical concepts such as Leadership Energy and Emotional Integrity for personal growth, the Brains-Bones-Nerves model for enterprise leadership, and the Steward Leadership model for driving sustainable business growth in the 21st century.
Rajeev is a high-energy, inspirational speaker who provides coaching, consulting and advisory services to corporate and public sector clients globally. He also serves as guest faculty at leading US, Europe and Asia business schools. He has been
widely featured in international media such as CNN, Bloomberg TV & Radio, National Public Radio, Harvard Business Review, CNBC, Fast Company, Leader to Leader, American Management Association magazine, Leadership Excellence magazine, The Times of India, The Straits Times, Business Times, and many more.
Before joining SAC and starting LEC, he was the CEO of the Iclif Leadership & Governance Centre. He was formerly the Chief Learning Officer of Coca-Cola and Morgan Stanley and has also held senior positions at American Express, HSBC, and Goldman Sachs. At Goldman, Rajeev helped found Pine Street the firm’s acclaimed leadership academy and headed Pine Street for Europe and Asia. In his early career, he was a banker and currency trader.
In 2014 and 2017, he was named one of the Top 100 Global Thought Leaders for Trustworthy Business by ‘Trust Across America.’
HansRajVerma,IAS
Sri Hans Raj Verma, IAS, currently the Additional Chief Secretary /Chairman and Managing Director of Tamilnadu Industrial Investment Corporation (TIIC), is nominated by TIIC on the Board of the Company.
Verma is an alumunus of BITS Pilani. He has over 35 years of experience in the Civil Service. He has given a strategic vision for TIIC which is India's 2nd oldest DFI, which was established in 1949. This vision of TIIC 2.0 will encompass the emerging tech platforms and pro-active engagement with all the stakeholders. He is positioning TIIC as a growth catalyst which will be a key driver in realizing the Honorable CM of Tamilnadu's Vision of making Tamilnadu a 1 trillion USD economy by 2030. He has wide exposure in various organisations in the industrial and IT sectors. Some of posts he has held are:
Chairman - TITAN, TNEB, TIDCO, TANSIDCO, TNPCB, ELCOT, TNEGA, TANFINET, TNCDW and TASMAC. He has also served on the Boards / Governing Councils of NABARD, IIITDM , IIT(M) Research Park and SETS. He has been the Adjudication Authority under the IT act 2000. He has also served on the Boards of the JV’s of GoTN - L&T shipyard, IOC – TIDCO, JV for LNG, TNEB - NTPC, TNEB – NLC. He has a deep connect with the MSMEs of Tamilnadu and their trade associations. His areas of interest are Industry 4.0, Cyber Security, ESG, and Military History/Strategy.
At present he is on the Boards of SPB, Chettinadu Cements, ITCOT as its chairman, President of COSIDICI and CMD of TEDA.
CSivaKumar
A Strategic thought leader, Quality Driven, Passionate serial entrepreneur, he has nearly redefined the perception of the Small and Medium Industry in the Manufacturing space, especially around Asset Light Manufacturing, apart from guiding his Retail organizations towards an innovative and customer centric excellence model.
A Strategic thinker, he believes in creating and sharing wealth, which he has demonstrated across the group, a mid-tier conglomerate, straddling the domains of Asset Light Manufacturing, Consultancy and Retail.
His trend setting HR initiatives has been featured regularly in most leading business journals like The Business Line, Economic Times, Auto Monitor, The Business Standard, The Financial Express to name a few.
He is currently the Director – Roots Industries India Limited, Skillveri Training Solutions Pvt Ltd, Planys Technologies, Managing Partner – R.V. Industries, Prabha Associates, Partner - Timelinks and Partner & Promoter – Punniamoorthi Pillai Departmental Stores.
He is winner of various national and state awards which includes the “Inc India Award” for the top 100 people to be watched out for the “Excellence in HR Practices”.
AnjuMaryK
In her current capacity, she functions as an advisory to the company ’ s top management and drives the Industry & Public Affairs, Communications, Branding, D&I, Human Rights, CSR & Sustainability related initiatives in the region. She works closely with industry bodies, central & state governments, academic institutions, media, and other stakeholders on several development projects. She also contributes to the local community supporting deserving causes in the areas of Sustainability, Education, Skill Development, Climate & Energy, Health, Gender & ESG.
With Commerce, Communication & Management studies from Madras University, IIM Lucknow & SHRM in her background,
Anju has rich experience working with various organisations in India & abroad over the course of her 20+ years career till date. Standard Chartered, Star Group, Royal Bank of Scotland, UNHCR, Manipal Group, etc. were some of her previous employers, prior to joining Danfoss in 2012.
She has been instrumental in shaping Danfoss’ brand identify in India and supporting the company ’ s ambitious business & people growth journey in the region over the last decade plus by successfully handling several leadership hats. Her contributions are reflected in Danfoss India being recognised as The Economic Times Most Sustainable Organizatiions in India 2023 and winning Most Preferred Workplace in India Award for two consecutive years. She has been awarded the prestigious Golden Peacock Award by IOD, CSR Abroad Award by the Telangana and select industry bodies for her SR & Skill Development initiatives. Anju is also a public speaker, published author and a lyrics, who has shared her views on several Green Transition themes at multiple G20 B20 forums this year.
A member of CII National Councils for Climate Change, food & Agri-Logistics and water, CII SR Sustainability & Climate Action Panel, CII TN Energy Efficiency Taskforce, CII Chennai Zone Core Committee, MMA Managing Committee, RAMA Skill Development Taskforce and multiple Working Groups of AEEE, ISHRAE, IDBA, etc., Anju she wishes to engineer a safe, empowered & sustainable tomorrow for future generations.
Gangadharan
Mr Balachandar is the Deputy Editor of The Hindu BusinessLine.
With over two decades of experience in financial media, encompassing roles in esteemed publications such as business magazines, news agencies, and financial dailies, this seasoned business journalist brings a wealth of expertise to the table. Their strengths lie in content creation and ethical journalism practices, honed over the years. Armed with an extensive knowledge base spanning various industries and key players, particularly within Chennai's old economy groups, they excel in research and conducting insightful interviews. Proficient in leveraging data to craft compelling narratives, they are adept in digital journalism and possess strong computer skills. Currently specializing in a diverse array of sectors including automobiles, energy, banking, and IT among others, they demonstrate a keen understanding of market dynamics and emerging trends. Furthermore, their additional strengths in external communications, social media management, and market research further solidify their standing as a versatile and valuable professional in the realm of business journalism.
