ICES2025: How NGOs and Corporates Can Achieve Transformational Impact

From Compliance to Purpose: Tracing the Evolution of CSR in India Over the years, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India has seen a gradual shift—from being primarily compliance-driven to becoming more strategic and purpose-oriented in many organizations. In my professional journey, I’ve had the opportunity to work across diverse CSR portfolios and observe how companies are increasingly exploring ways to align their social initiatives with broader business goals and stakeholder expectations. While regulatory compliance remains a key foundation, there is growing interest in designing programs that deliver measurable impact and foster long-term community engagement. This evolution is not uniform across sectors or organizations. Some continue to focus on traditional philanthropic models, while others are experimenting with innovative partnerships, data-informed decision-making, and integration with sustainability strategies. As someone who’s worked across diverse CSR portfolios, I’ve seen firsthand how strategic CSR can unlock innovation, empower entrepreneurship, and even influence policy. The most impactful programs I’ve been part of weren’t the biggest—they were the ones that listened deeply, co-created solutions, and stayed committed for the long haul. With ESG frameworks gaining prominence and sustainability becoming central to corporate strategy, CSR is being reimagined as a bridge between business responsibility and societal resilience. I’d be keen to hear from fellow professionals: 1. How has your organization’s CSR approach evolved? 2. What practices have helped balance compliance with strategic impact? 3. Are there any models or frameworks you’ve found particularly effective? Let’s exchange ideas and learn from each other’s experiences. #CSRIndia #SustainabilityLeadership #CorporateResponsibility #ESG #SocialImpact #PurposeDrivenBusiness #LinkedInCommunity

#ICES2025 #InSession Session 27 | Beyond Grants: Mobilizing Market-Based Capital for Social Good At the 12th India CSR & ESG Summit 2025, experts explored how CSR can act as catalytic capital to unlock innovative, market-based solutions for social impact. Moderator: Ms. Neha Agarwal set the stage with models like Outcome-Based Financing, Returnable Grants, and Blended Finance, urging collaboration and NGO capacity building. Key Highlights: Ashwini Saxena: CSR must shift from “giving” to “enabling,” focusing on systemic change through long-term goals. Shilpa M.: Tech-enabled crowdfunding and transparent dashboards drive sustained giving and accountability. Shruti Goyal called for sandboxes, shared outcomes frameworks, and capacity building to mainstream innovative finance. Anushree Parekh: Shared lessons from impact bonds, urging 10–15% donor budgets toward outcome-based funding. Lavanya Jayaram: Encouraged simplified models and leveraging existing CSR portfolios for greater impact. Together, these conversations marked a shift from traditional giving to transformative investing, where CSR becomes a catalyst for scalable, measurable, and market-driven social change. #ICES2025 #IndiaCSRandESGSummit2025 #InnovativeFinance #PurposefulCapital #BlendedFinance #OutcomeBasedFunding #CSRforImpact #SocialInnovation #ImpactLeadership Bhomik Shah | Shilpi Jain | Lakshana Asthana | Manasi Diwan | Adarsh T. | Rajvi Parmar | Adesh Sah | Jyoti P | Aniket More | Gunjan Khandelwal | Kanika Ghildiyal | Nimit Chotaliya | Shivika K. | Amrisha Singh | Garima Nema | Seema Jangid | Akriti Mishra | Dr Smita Kamat Ghosh

Beyond Grants: Mobilizing Market-Based Capital for Social Good is the next frontier for #CSR & #Philanthropy. Neha Agarwal, Founder & CEO of Lightroad, moderated this vital conversation at the India CSR & ESG Summit 2025. #CSR #Sustainability #SocialImpact #ImpactFinance #ICES2025 #BlendedFinance #InnovativeFinance #OutcomeBasedFunding

#ENRich2025 | Across industries, GCCs have steadily progressed from operational support units to high-impact enablers of enterprise transformation. However, 𝗚𝗖𝗖 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗲𝗱. Narrow perspectives result in misalignment with broader enterprise objectives, constraining their ability to foster agility, digital advancement and meaningful innovation. 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗖𝗖𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗯𝘂𝘆-𝗶𝗻. Explore in-depth insights in KPMG India's latest publication 'From cost centre to nerve centre of the Energy enterprise' https://social.kpmg/1sjejr #KPMGENRich #GCCs #energytransition

CSR in India is evolving, from funders to co-creators. But are we taking enough risks together? At the recent India CSR & ESG Summit by CSRBOX, one message was clear: Corporate Social Responsibility must move beyond cheque-writing to shared courage. Today’s CSR leaders are no longer just sponsors, they’re partners in problem-solving, embracing new financing models, data-led transparency, and cross-sector collaboration. But is this all the bravery needed? Yet, as we heard across sessions, the next leap will require empathy + risk appetite, being willing to finance innovation, also capacity building not just outcomes; to stand with NGOs through experimentation, not just evaluation. At Ketto Foundation, we’ve seen that when corporations co-own both the risk and the reward of impact, something powerful happens, trust deepens, systems strengthen, and solutions scale. Let’s make this a shared conversation, because real impact demands partnership, empathy, and courage. Ashwini Saxena | Shruti Goyal | Anushree Parekh | Lavanya Jayaram | Shilpa M. | Varun Sheth | Shriram K | Sudarshan S | Siddhartha Iyer | Samuel Ebenezer David | Samir Sharma | Poonam Sharma | Monika Walia | Manoj Balachandran | Kishore Kumar Thangavelu | Janet Joseph | Gunjan Patel | Gambhir Agrawal | Dhavan Nagar | Deepak Prabhu Matti (he/him) | Connie Silveira #ketto #kettofoundation #CSR #nonprofit #NGO #collaboration #risktaking #empatheticpartnership

#ENRich2025 | Across industries, GCCs have steadily progressed from operational support units to high-impact enablers of enterprise transformation. However, 𝗚𝗖𝗖 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗲𝗱. Narrow perspectives result in misalignment with broader enterprise objectives, constraining their ability to foster agility, digital advancement and meaningful innovation. 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗖𝗖𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗯𝘂𝘆-𝗶𝗻. Explore in-depth insights in KPMG India's publication 'From cost centre to nerve centre of the Energy enterprise' https://social.kpmg/1sjejr #KPMGENRich #GCCs #energytransition

Tech Readiness 101 - Demystifying Digital Technology for NGOs at the 12th India CSR & ESG Summit 2025. We began our morning with a power-packed session designed especially for non-profit professionals - Tech Readiness 101: Demystifying Digital Technology for NGOs - led by Ms. Erica Arya, Country Head, Project Tech4Dev. The session decoded how technology can be a powerful enabler for operational efficiency, transparency, and impact measurement within the development sector. Ms. Arya shed light on how nonprofits can leverage digital tools not just for scale, but for smarter, data-driven decision-making. Participants explored how NGOs can shift their mindset to view technology as an investment rather than an overhead cost. The discussion highlighted key challenges such as limited technical capacity, overwhelming tech choices, and resistance to change - while showcasing how organisations like Mukkamaar overcame these barriers by integrating a WhatsApp-based chatbot into their gender-based violence programme, enhancing scalability and engagement. Ms. Arya also shared valuable insights on evaluating software solutions, emphasising the importance of: Assessing the maturity and compatibility of tech platforms Ensuring alignment with government systems for long-term sustainability Viewing tech adoption as a structured project involving time, capacity building, and training #IndiaCSRESGSummit #CSRBOX #SkillingIndia #FutureOfWork #EducationToEmployment #CollaborationForImpact #Sustainability #CSRLeadership #ESGIndia

Why ESG Scores Matter Before Investing? These days, profitability by itself is not the sole parameter investors are interested in. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance has now become an essential measure of long-term value, strength, and integrity. Prior to investment, measuring a company's ESG score enables the identification of unknown risks and durable growth possibilities — ranging from climate footprint and supply chain ethics to corporate governance and transparency. Those companies that emphasize ESG are likely to deliver superior longer-term performance, lower volatility, and stronger brand reputation. They are well-positioned to adapt to shifting regulations, maintain top talent, and maintain investor trust. Among the top international companies that always remained high based on ESG are: - ASML Holdings N.V. – Global leader in ranking by ESG Book for excellence in sustainability. - Hermès International – Merging craftsmanship with climate protection and responsible sourcing. - Lenovo Group – Maintaining the prestigious AAA rating of MSCI ESG Ratings. - Infosys – Leading India's corporate sector in transparency and sustainable innovation. These companies are showing that good business is smart business. As investors and future leaders, and being open to ESG principles isn't just about doing good — it's about investing in resilience, innovation, and a sustainable future!! #ESG #Sustainability #Investing #Finance #ResponsibleInvestment #NEOMA #Hermes #ASML #Lenovo #Infosys #SustainableFinance

#ENRich2025 | 𝗚𝗖𝗖𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 with access to 👨💻👩💻 specialised talent,  🖊️ enabling faster decision-making,  💡 fostering innovation and  🏢 enhancing responsiveness to evolving business needs. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲, 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. For more insights, read KPMG India's report 'From cost centre to nerve centre of the Energy enterprise' https://social.kpmg/1sjejr #GCCs #KPMGENRich #energytransition

The Social Pillar of ESG: Building People-First Businesses The social pillar of #ESG focuses on how companies engage with #employees, #communities, and #consumers, covering areas such as #labourrights, #diversityandinclusion, #employeewellbeing, and #communitydevelopment. Leading Indian companies like #Infosys and #Vedanta demonstrate that embedding #socialresponsibility into core strategies delivers measurable impact, from empowering #womenprofessionals to improving #ruraleducation and #healthcare. Moving beyond symbolic commitments, organisations that prioritise #inclusivepractices and #communityengagement build #trust, #resilience, and long-term #competitiveness. #Socialsustainability is no longer optional, it is a key driver of enduring #businesssuccess. In this article, Ms. Apalka Bareja, Senior Associate, Ms. Aishwarya Rajput, Associate and Mr. Ritvik Kashyap, Associate at S.S. Rana & Co. discuss how #Indian corporates are evolving their approach to the ‘#Social’ in ESG, highlighting both #regulatoryexpectations and ground-level initiatives. They explore emerging #trends, #challenges, and #bestpractices, while offering insights into how businesses can align #socialimpact with strategic #growth. Click here to read the article: https://lnkd.in/gT5VWeaR #SSRana #ESG #SocialSustainability #CorporateSocialResponsibility #DiversityAndInclusion #EmployeeWellbeing #CommunityDevelopment #SustainableBusiness #BusinessEthics #SocialImpact #InclusiveGrowth #CSRIndia #SustainabilityLeadership #ResponsibleBusiness #WomenEmpowerment #RuralDevelopment #IndianCompanies #ESGIndia #SustainabilityMatters #LongTermGrowth #CorporateGovernance