Address by Mr. Satish Pradhan – CEO Conclave

Mr. Satish Pradhan, Chief, Group HR, Tata Sons, was the first speaker of the CEO Conclave. He spoke on 3BL – People, Planet, Profit, the theme of L’Attitude 13 05, 2011.

Highlights of his address (not verbatim) –

3BL as imperatives

People, planet and profit are not options but imperatives of enterprises. This might be sounding overzealous to some and an understatement to others but nevertheless, it is a fundamental reality. The bottom line in 3BL has an accounting and Wall Street connotation; it is not a measure of inclusiveness because everything cannot be reduced to top line and bottom line.

Questions to ponder

What is the difference between wanting to look good and looking good? We should introspect on the difference. Are we diminishers or multipliers of inclusiveness? Are we diminishers or multipliers of environment? Are we diminishers or multipliers of profitability? These three are not options or tradeoffs. It is simply not about economic development at the cost of the environment anymore. We need leadership that can think beyond the ‘tomorrow’ and the ‘day after’.

Integration with a firm’s strategy

Jamsetji Tata, founder of the Tata group of companies, way back in the 1860s believed that “The community is not merely one of the stakeholders. It is the very purpose of our existence”.

While everyone can’t run a charitable institution dedicated to the cause of philanthropy, very few firms factor in considerations about people and planet when devising their strategy. The Tata group has developed a ‘human development index’ that measures the impact of a firm on human development in the environment. This will determine the degree to which intent is getting converted to impact.

The frameworks that CK Prahalad has offered us can be used for good 3BL practices. Examples of Tata group's products and services in this aspect abound – a one lakh car, an affordable water purifier and hotel infrastructure…

Mr. Pradhan thus left the audience with the thought that all the three imperatives can be achieved successfully and without conflict if 3BL is built into a firm’s strategy.

L'Attitude 13 05 - Guest of Honor and CEO Conclave

This year, L'Attitude 13 05, is all set to dazzle the audiences with an eclectic array of guests, CEOs and speakers - those who have taken the less beaten path, those who have made it big in the industry and as the crowning glory, a former president of India. 

Chief Guest 

The guest of honour is none other than Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam. The former president hardly needs any introduction. Dr. Kalam is one of the most distinguished scientists of India with a unique honour of receiving honorary doctorates from 30 universities and institutions. He has been awarded coveted civilian awards - Padma Bhushan (1981) and Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (1997). He is also a recipient of several other awards and Fellow of many professional institutions. People loved and respected Dr APJ Abdul Kalam so much during his tenure as the President that he was popularly called the People's President. Before his term as India's president, he worked as an aeronautical engineer with DRDO and ISRO. He is popularly known as the Missile Man of India for his work on development of ballistic missile and space rocket technology.

CEO Conclave 

As part of the CEO conclave, we have Sampath Ramesh, Satish Pradhan and K Raghavendra Rao. 

Mr. Satish Pradhan, Chief, Group HR, Tata Sons heads the Tata Group HR function. During the last 30 years he has worked with Steel Authority of India, CMC, ICI India, Brooke Bond Lipton India Ltd (now Unilever India), ICI Plc in various capacities in the HR area. He is on the boards of various Tata group companies, professional bodies, NGOs and is a Chartered Fellow of CIPD.

Mr. K Raghavendra Rao, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd has transformed Orchid from a single-product company to a multi-product operation with end-to-end connectivity from discovery to delivery. He has previously worked with Ashok Leyland, the SOL group and the Al Buraimi Group based in the Sultanate of Oman. 

Mr. Sampath Ramesh (Sam) is the President and Co- founder of Meso America Inc, USA a leading Manufacturer and Distributor of products to the Food Service Industry. In addition, Sam is also the President of Showatech Inc, USA, a subsidiary of Brakes India (A TVS Company) and looks after the distribution of Brake parts and components to major OEMs and Tier 1 companies in North America. He trains CEOs and Senior Managers of Leading Companies on the cultural aspects of doing business with India.