GCCs Recalibrate CSR for Global ESG Alignment at SoulAce Summit
SoulAce recently convened the GCC CSR & Volunteering Summit in Bengaluru, bringing together GCC leaders to explore the changing role of CSR, sustainability, and employee volunteering.
The summit convened CSR, HR and ESG leaders to examine how GCCs can align India’s statutory CSR mandate with global sustainability priorities without compromising regulatory compliance or measurable community outcomes.
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The first session, “Employee Volunteering in GCCs — From Participation Metrics to Meaningful Outcomes,” was moderated by Mr. Anirudhya Gupta, Vice-President, SoulAce.The panel featured Ms. Anju Bhadoria, Country Director – HR, Marelli; Mr. Gurumurthy Viswanathan, Vice President & Head – CSR and Corporate Citizenship, Société Générale; Mr. Harshith Muppiri, Impact Programs Lead, Atlassian; Mr. Mohit Juneja, HR Leader – Global Engineering Centre & Organisation Development – EMEIA, Ingersoll Rand; and Ms. Ribu Mattom, Director – Brand, Communications & CSR, Amadeus Labs India.
The discussion reflected a clear and measurable evolution in how Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are approaching employee volunteering. Panelists emphasised that organisations are integrating employee volunteering directly into flagship CSR initiatives. This alignment ensures continuity with nonprofit partners and deeper engagement with beneficiary communities.
Traditional indicators such as participation rates and volunteer hours are no longer considered sufficient. This shift mirrors rising expectations for governance transparency and board-level accountability in ESG-aligned organisations.
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Skill-based volunteering emerged as a defining trend. GCCs are increasingly leveraging employee expertise in technology, finance, analytics, human resources and operations to address systemic challenges faced by nonprofit organisations.
The session concluded with a consensus that employee volunteering, when strategically aligned, outcome-focused and expertise-driven, becomes more than an engagement tool.
The second session- “Aligning Local CSR with Global ESG Priorities in GCCs” was moderated by Adarsh Kataruka, Managing Director, SoulAce.The panel brought together distinguished leaders including Janet Joseph, CSR Lead, Mercedes-Benz Research & Development India; Kusum Makhija, Senior Vice President & Head – Branding, Communications and CSR, DBS Tech India; Dr. Meenu Bhambhani, Vice President & Senior Grants Manager – APAC, State Street Foundation; Dr. Meghana Shashidhar, CSR Manager – Compliance & Corporate Citizenship, Daimler Truck Innovation Center; and Rahul Dahiya, General Manager & Head of CSR Initiatives, Rio Tinto India.
The discussion highlighted how GCCs are designing programmes that respond to India’s development priorities spanning gender equity, employability, education, water conservation, mobility, healthcare and inclusion—while remaining anchored in global climate, DEI and sustainability frameworks.
“GCCs today operate at the intersection of local compliance and global ESG accountability,” says Kataruka. “The opportunity lies in embedding governance, data and measurable outcomes into CSR strategy.”
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Panelists emphasised the growing importance of board-level visibility, structured reporting dashboards and outcome-driven evaluation frameworks that align with enterprise-wide ESG commitments.
The summit featured an industry overview on emerging trends in GCC CSR and concluded with a hands-on volunteering initiative supporting visually impaired children—underscoring the importance of translating dialogue into action.
Participation included representatives from leading multinational organisations such as Mercedes-Benz, Dell International Services India Pvt Ltd, Salesforce, State Street, Northern Trust Corporation, Wells Fargo, Swiss Re Foundation and several others.
As GCCs strengthen their role in global enterprise ecosystems, the summit reinforced a clear message, aligning India’s CSR mandate with global ESG frameworks is not merely a compliance requirement—it is a leadership imperative that defines long-term organisational credibility and value creation.