The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) in collaboration with PwC India, has announced the establishment of the ‘PwC ESG Research and Innovation Forum’. This ESG Forum has been set up for an initial period of five years, facilitated by the efforts of IIMA Endowment Fund (IIMAEF).
PwC ESG Forum at IIMA is envisaged to be an avenue for knowledge sharing and exchange among the ESG stakeholders; driven by a marquee event or series of events that the Forum will host at IIMA. This initiative comes as a step towards contributing to India’s commitment to the net zero agenda and upcoming BRSR regulations by widening and deepening the sustainability impact in the Indian industry.
Emphasizing the need for more ESG focused collaborations and conversations, Professor Errol D’Souza, Director, IIMA said, “ESG has become a mainstay in every boardroom discussion and is being looked at as a quality standard that determines capital allocation, investor valuation, capacity building and the overall sustainability quotient of the company. Although ESG incorporation in India is in a nascent stage, the room for growth is tremendous. This scenario makes the need for a forum – a common platform for stakeholders across the spectrum – compelling. We are happy to partner with PwC to launch this Forum and are confident that it will provide the much-needed action space for academia, industry, think tanks and policymakers to come together, deliberate on best practices, and devise a roadmap that is aligned with ESG goals, globally.”
Sanjeev Krishan, Chairperson, PwC in India said, “ESG is gaining prominence in terms of the Government’s agenda be it achieving the Net Zero target by 2070, the NDC commitments for 2030, the extended product responsibility regulations and SEBI’s BRSR regulations around reporting and disclosures. Achieving this requires a platform approach which brings together relevant stakeholders to ideate, align initiatives and develop roadmaps for achieving interlinked goals. Moving beyond strategy and expediting actions will be key to making an impact.
We are proud to join hands with IIM-A to provide a forum to foster meaningful conversations, empower stakeholders with adequate research, enable thought leadership to build alliance ecosystems and raise resources to plan and execute ESG-led transformation. We believe partnerships of this nature will play a significant role in bolstering the nation’s ESG agenda and help in meeting the climate goals.”
This collaboration between the Institute and PwC has been facilitated by the IIMA Endowment Fund (IIMA EF) – the Institute’s unified fundraising and philanthropic arm that facilitates all donations given to IIMA. The IIMA EF is the first of its kind at any B School in the country. It has been instituted to provide funding support for IIMA’s initiatives in strategically building thought leadership, research and academic excellence, globally.
