The environment is suffering as are the people. In light of this, sustainability has become a major concern for businesses. This is where we come in.
Be a global leader, in thought and action, to drive transformation, towards sustainable development.
To catalyse innovative ideas and solutions, in India, and globally, to enable business, and its stakeholders, in sustainable value creation.
CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development is a not-for-profit, industry- led institution that helps business become sustainable organizations. It is on a mission to propagate innovative ideas and solutions in India and globally, to enable business, and its stakeholders in sustainable value creation. CESD has leveraged its role of all- inclusive ecosystem player, partnering industry, government, and civil society. It has been a pioneer of environment management systems, biodiversity mapping, sustainability reporting, integrated reporting, and social & natural capital valuation in India, thus upgrading business in India to sustainable competitiveness.
Since its inception in the year 2006, CII-ITC CESD has evolved with a tremendous trajectory, starting off with the incubation phase of introducing business services, right through augmenting manpower capacity in other cities since 2013, eventually scaling up to the highest rung of strengthening work on macro-economic issues with both domestic and global policy interventions.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) works to create and sustain an environment conducive to
the development of India, partnering Industry, Government and civil society, through advisory and
consultative processes.
CII is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization, with around
9000 members from the private as well as public sectors, including SMEs and MNCs, and an indirect
membership of over 300,000 enterprises from 286 national and regional sectoral industry bodies.
For more than 125 years, CII has been engaged in shaping India’s development journey and works
proactively on transforming Indian Industry’s engagement in national development. CII charts change
by working closely with Government on policy issues, interfacing with thought leaders, and enhancing
efficiency, competitiveness and business opportunities for industry through a range of specialized
services and strategic global linkages. It also provides a platform for consensus-building and
networking on key issues.
Extending its agenda beyond business, CII assists industry to identify and execute corporate citizenship
programmes. Partnerships with civil society organizations carry forward corporate initiatives for
integrated and inclusive development across diverse domains including affirmative action, livelihoods,
diversity management, skill development, empowerment of women, and sustainable development, to
name a few.
As India completes 75 years of Independence in 2022, it must position itself for global leadership with a
long-term vision for India@100 in 2047. The role played by Indian industry will be central to the
country’s progress and success as a nation. CII, with the Theme for 2022-23 as Beyond India@75:
Competitiveness, Growth, Sustainability, Internationalisation has prioritized 7 action points under these
4 sub-themes that will catalyze the journey of the country towards the vision of India@100.
With 62 offices, including 10 Centres of Excellence, in India, and 8 overseas offices in Australia, Egypt,
Germany, Indonesia, Singapore, UAE, UK, and USA, as well as institutional partnerships with 350
counterpart organizations in 133 countries, CII serves as a reference point for Indian industry and the
international business community.
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Reach us via our Membership Helpline Number: 00-91-99104 46244 CII Helpline Toll Free Number: 1800-103-1244
On the eve of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) [also known as the Earth Summit or Rio Summit] in June 1992, a new global organization - Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD) - was founded to involve business in sustainable development issues. A similar and parallel movement emerged in India at the very same time as the BCSD. In 1991, Ratan Tata of the Tata Group of Companies, a leading corporate conglomerate in India, was selected to represent India, China, and Southeast Asia in the BCSD. Being a past president of the leading industry association, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), known as the Confederation of Engineering Industry (CEI) at that time, Ratan Tata urged the industry association to organize a regional conference “Changing Course towards Sustainable Development”. Recognizing the importance of this emerging discipline, the then Director-General, Tarun Das, willingly accepted this responsibility. The regional initiative was lead by Avininder Singh, Chairman, CII National Environment Committee. Eminent global, regional, and national personalities participated in this milestone conference. This included Maurice Strong, Chairman of the Earth Summit, Stephan Schmidheiny, Founder of the BCSD and author of Changing Course, Hugh Faulkner, a former Canadian politician, industrialist & co-founder of BCSD, and Ratan Tata. Through this conference, Indian industry leaders made a strong commitment and a solid intellectual foundation was laid to what is today the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CII-ITC CESD).
Consultant
Consultant
Aarti has completed her Bachelor of Commerce and Education from Delhi University. She has over 6 years of work experience in Organizing events, meetings, seminars, inward and outward delegations with member companies, partners, and Embassies. She was associated with CII with the International Department. At CESD, Aarti works for Centralised Marketing Team (CMT) which promotes training and helping in Sustainability Awards.
Associate Counsellor
Associate Counsellor
Abhishek has a background in municipal solid waste management and has worked towards awareness creation, policy inputs and capacity building to improve plastics recycling for a circular economy. He holds a Master’s Degree in Environment Studies and Resource Management from TERI School of Advanced Studies. He has previously worked with organizations like Centre for Environment Education, and ReSustainability Ltd. with a focus on extended producer responsibility, municipal solid waste and collection infrastructure. He currently works the circular economy and resource efficiency team at CESD.
Counsellor
Counsellor
Aditya Raghwa has 11 years of experience in the sustainable development sector and has worked in varied areas such as Technology Transfer, Climate/Environment Policy, and Corporate Sustainability. His expertise lies in facilitating stakeholder interactions that address technological, policy-based, financial, and other issues in sustainable development. He has strong experience in working with Indian industries ranging from large Indian corporates and MNC’s to MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises).
Aditya completed his Master’s in biotechnology from San Jose State University where he was also a project manager for the university’s MBT academic program. He also has experience in in social media/outreach on sustainability and has curated sustainability newsletters and content (including videos) targeted towards driving sustainability for businesses. Additionally, he has a strong interest in physics, football and how online communities are evolving in today’s world.
Associate Counsellor
Associate Counsellor
Anjali has completed her Master of Technology from National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli with a concentration in Environmental Engineering and a Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology from Amity University, Noida. Prior to CESD, she has joined us from Central Pollution Control Board with an experience in enforcement of industrial pollution norms, categorization of industrial sectors into different category of industries, IRCA Certified Lead Auditor for Environmental Management Systems. She is a trailblazer in handling NGT court cases, policy making, environmental statistics and implementation of industrial measures in NCR-Delhi for improvement of air quality. At CESD, with an insatiable desire to learn new, she works on policy and advocacy.
Associate Counsellor
Associate Counsellor
Aparna has completed her Master’s in Water Science and Governance from TERI University and has done her bachelor’s in Botany from Delhi University. She has five years of work experience with her expertise lying in business development, coordinating for beneficiary trainings and workshops and event management. Her interest areas are waste management specifically Solid waste and E-waste management.
She has worked with organizations like Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, National Institute of Urban Affairs, Saahas NGO and Internet and Mobile Association of India before joining CII-CESD team under Climate Action Program
Project Associate
Project Associate
Ardra has completed PG Diploma in International Development from Centennial College, Canada, Masters in Environmental Studies and Resource Management (MSc. ESRM) from teri SAS, Delhi, and a Bachelors’ in Physics, Chemistry, and Math (BSc. PCM triple honours) from Christ (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru. She has previously worked with several entities including the UNFCCC in Bonn, Germany, the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada, and SOS Children’s Villages International, Canada and Guatemala, and ATREE-CERC, Kerala, in varying capacities in projects regarding indigenous communities, climate action and ambition, stakeholder engagement, equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Consultant
Consultant
A marketing professional with almost 23 years of experience, Asha leads the Central Marketing Team for the Executive Education programmes for capacity building at CESD and is also a part of CII-ITC Sustainability Awards, which is a part of CESD’s continued effort to create awareness on sustainability practices and to create capabilities in business, where her responsibilities include promoting Sustainability Awards and Assessor Training, analysis of the applications, and preparation of feedback reports, support at the Awards Ceremony etc. Prior to joining CESD, she worked with Oxford University Press for 19 years where she was responsible for Event Management, Media Relations, Stakeholder Engagement, among others. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Relations from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, New Delhi.
Senior manager
Senior manager
Banajyotsna has done her post-graduation in Environmental Science from Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education & Research and graduation in Microbiology from Pune University. She previously worked with Hazards Centre and has 7 years of work experience in research and analysis
Associate Counsellor
Associate Counsellor
Diksha Gairola has worked in the fields of corporate sustainability, energy efficiency and climate change for over 5 years. She holds a Masters in Environment Science and bachelor’s in biotechnology from IIS University, Jaipur. Prior to working at the centre, she has worked at The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) and JM EnviroNet Pvt Ltd in various roles and capacities. She has experience in field work pan India with stakeholder interactions and has also worked on GRI and BRSR reports. She loves travelling and is an avid food lover who enjoys practicing yoga in her free time and has observed 100+ species of birds.
Executive
Executive
Eti holds a master’s degree in Environmental Studies and Resource Management from TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi, and a bachelor’s degree in Botany from Hindu College, Delhi University. At CESD, she is a part of the team that works on clean air and sustainable transportation. Prior to joining CESD, she worked at Azyro Infratech in the area of ESG. An animal lover, Eti is also an avid traveller and believes in sustainability and minimalization.
Counsellor
Counsellor
Jasleen Bhatti has 10 years of experience in the areas of energy, climate change, and sustainability. She obtained her doctorate in Energy from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Prior to joining CII, she has worked in multiple diverse roles in Ernst & Young, Centre for Science and Environment, Integrated Research & Action for Development and IP University. Jasleen is proficient in analysing & reporting RE trends, regulations & policies, and opportunities to reduce emissions with a focus on climate change & sustainability. She has expertise in building strategic alliances & working with collaborative teams. She has been actively involved in sectoral state level low carbon pathways to aid in achieving India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). In addition, she has worked and collaborated with Government, public and private entities as well as interdisciplinary, multicultural global teams. She has been exposed to diverse areas, that has provided her extensive experience in a variety of domains.
Senior Counsellor
Senior Counsellor
Jayashree has been working in the development sector for the past 12 years. She has handled various sustainable projects in different parts of the country in health and education. She also has a wide experience working with international organizations.
Associate Counsellor
Associate Counsellor
Kashish holds a Masters in Biodiversity & Conservation from GGSIPU, New Delhi and a Bachelors in Zoology (H) from University of Delhi. He has 5 years of research and work experience in the field of Ecology, Wildlife Conservation and Conservation Management.
Counsellor
Counsellor
Kavita is a development sector professional with working experience at CAPART (MoRD)
Project Associate
Project Associate
Khyati holds a master’s degree in environmental studies and Resource Management from TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi, and a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer. At CESD, she is a part of the team that works on circular economy and resource efficiency. Prior to joining CESD, she worked at SG Analytics in the ESG domain.
Senior Consultant
Senior Consultant
Lakshmi has completed her B.Com(Hons) from Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University. Has also taken some courses in computer programming at NIIT. Joined CII, Central office and worked there, for a little under 5 years Was a part of the Michael Porter Project which entailed assessing the competitiveness of Indian Industry in particular industry sectors. Also was actively involved with all the major events – trade fairs, conferences, WEF, auto expo etc. Was given independent charge of the in-house magazine, Grapevine. She worked in the Development Sector, at the NGO, Sanjivini Society for Mental Health, as a trained counsellor for ten years. The work there entailed counselling clients with a multitude of emotional problems, conducting community outreach programs for schools and corporates as well as in house workshops. Organising panel discussions/fundraisers and working on their publication and website was a part of her job profile. Lakshmi works in the Communications team and has been with CESD for over four years.
Associate Counsellor
Associate Counsellor
Mayank holds a Master's degree in Infrastructure (Centre for Transportation Systems - CTRANS) from IIT Roorkee and Urban Planning from Amity University, and has over three years of experience in Transport and Urban Planning.. His prior experience includes working on projects with organisations such as Indian Railways, NIC (National Informatics Centre), SUDA (State Urban Development Authority, UP), and MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai).
Senior Counsellor
Senior Counsellor
Mohit is a multidisciplinary professional who has worked extensively on energy and climate-related issues with the goal of balancing economic growth with rising environmental concerns. Mohit received his masters from National Sustainable Energy Laboratory at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in 2011. Before joining CESD, Mohit worked with Council on Energy Environment and Water (CEEW) and Technical University of Denmark (DTU) including brief stints at The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) and Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). At CEEW, Mohit used global economic and climate models to determine India’s greenhouse gas trajectories in domestic, transportation and industrial sectors and develop abatement curves to inform decision-makers at the Montreal Protocol in the run-up to successful amendment for phasedown of HFCs. Additionally, Mohit has worked in the allied areas of energy efficiency, national energy systems optimisation and waste/resource management. Mohit has published research with international journals including Climate policy and Climatic Change. Mohit worked briefly as a project manager in the manufacturing sector after having a degree in Chemical Engineer from National Institute of Technology in 2006. Mohit's current focus at CESD is clean air and more specifically, development of an integrated airshed management approach and clean industry charter. Most recently, he assisted four task forces under CII-NITI Aayog initiative to prepare four source-specific action plans based on the latest scientific evidence and multi-stakeholder consultations involving the Government, civil society and industry.
Consultant
Consultant
Nandini has a doctorate in atmospheric chemistry and a master's degree in environmental chemistry. She has taught several subjects related to environmental science and sustainability/global change in an interdisciplinary context at the Master's level at TERI University
Senior Manager
Senior Manager
Neeraj is a Finance professional, with more than 15 years of experience. He is a learned professional with expertise in Operations, Cost Management, financial Management, Tax Management, Audit, MIS, Event Management, Staff Management, Travel management, Facility Management Compliances, Procurement & Maintenance.
He is Conversant with concept and methodologies of ERP Software ACCPAC, Tally (latest Version), ERP GITL and MS office 2010.
At present, he is leading the finance department of CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development.
Associate Counsellor
Associate Counsellor
Neha is graduated from Delhi University in Botany and post graduated in Environment Management from GGSIPU. A QEHS Consultant, CQI & IRCA Certified Lead Auditor for EMS & certified on GRI Standards for Sustainability Reporting. She brings approx. 7 yrs of work experience in EIA, Carbon Footprinting & EHS (ISO 14001, ISO 18001, ISO 45001 & ISO 9001) PAN India in various sectors and top MNCs. She has been trainer for Management System Standards and assisted organizations to deploy, improve & audit their management systems. Neha earlier worked at Agile Group as Consultant & Sustainability Lead. She has also worked with other esteemed organizations like ENVIRTA Sustainable Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation & WWF.
Executive
Executive
Neha holds a Master's degree in Environment Management from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi and a Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences from Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi. Prior to joining CII, she has interned with National Mission for Clean Ganga, Ministry of Jal Shakti and CII-CESD. Currently she is supporting Environment Policy Advocacy, projects related to Climate Change, Zero Waste to Landfill and EHS Compliance.
Administration
Administration
Pawan is working with CESD Since last five years in Administration, looking after all office administration activities and supporting Events Organizing Team of CESD. He is having 8+ years of work experience in the same field. Pawan has completed his Bachelor of Arts from Himachal Pradesh University. He prefers to play Cricket and Badminton in his leisure time.
Senior Counsellor
Senior Counsellor
Pravir has a master degree in Botany and pursuing Ph. D. degree from Amravati University.
Associate Counsellor
Associate Counsellor
Priyanka is an environment and sustainability professional who has worked for sustainable supply chains FSC and PEFC as an auditor and program coordinator. She has organized and conducted webinars in this area and was also involved in quality assurance in her previous role. She is trained in basic LCA and EIA. Priyanka has completed her bachelor’s in Chemistry Honors from Gargi college, Delhi University and her Master’s in Environmental Sciences from Amity University. She was a gold medalist in Environmental Sciences. At CII, Priyanka works as an Associate Counsellor for Sustainability Awards.
Associate Counsellor
Associate Counsellor
Priyanka is a gold medalist in M.Sc. Natural Resource Management (NRM). She did her post-graduation in NRM from University School of Environment Management, GGSIPU, New Delhi. Prior to joining CII, she interned with WWF-India and CII, while pursuing her academics. At CESD, she works on environment policy and advocacy, with an objective to imbibe the concept of sustainability into mainstream business planning. Her key responsibilities include providing support in specialized projects like GHG inventorization of entire IPPU sector for the purpose of preparation of BUR-2, CII-NITI Aayog: Cleaner Air Better Life Project. She also manages CII-EnCASe: Environmental Compliance & Advisory Services. She also engages with the members of CII-National Committee on Environment (NCE), for seeking their inputs on various environmental issues to further undertake policy dialogue with all concerned stakeholders.
Executive
Executive
Samuel Augustin has a Bachelor’s in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, and a Master’s in Economics from Ambedkar University, Delhi. After completing his Master’s, Samuel joined GIZ as an Intern and then later joined Chintan as a Project Coordinator where he worked on projects related to plastic waste management and circular economy. He further went on to pursue the role of a researcher at ICRIER before joining CESD. At CESD, Samuel is a part of the Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency team. He is a passionate gardener and sports enthusiast who strongly believes in minimalism at its core.
Counsellor
Counsellor
Santosh has a doctorate from the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur; a Post Doctorate from the prestigious Eyes High Postdoctoral Scholar of the University of Calgary, Canada. At the Centre, he is coordinating the environmental policy advocacy program and associated with sustainable waste management and environmental auditing services. Prior to joining the CII, Santosh had research and industrial experience of more than 16 years across the areas of environmental safeguard policies, environmental impact assessment and management plan, phytoremediation technology, reclamation of wasteland and mine spoil dump sites, solid waste management, landfill bioreactor technology, sustainable utilization/treatment of wastewater, etc. He enjoys nature walk and bird watching whenever time permits.
Associate Counsellor
Associate Counsellor
Saurabh holds a Ph.D. (Forest Ecology and Environment) and Master's (Environment Management) from Forest Research Institute, Dehradun. He has 8 years of research and work experience in wetland ecology, biodiversity, RS & GIS, EIA, plant carbon sequestration and wastewater. He has 11 published research articles in peer reviewed journals, one book and two book chapters (as co-author
Deputy Director General, CII
Deputy Director General, CII
Seema Arora pioneered the creation of services on Environment and Sustainable Development within CII. Her journey with CII began with engaging Indian Industry towards the run up to the Earth Summit in 1992. Seema Arora works on designing innovative products and frameworks to build the business case for industry to invest in sustainability. She has created several initiatives including the world’s first Corporate Sustainability Label from CESD. As the head of CESD she networks with industry, government and community-based organisations to develop policy instruments and innovative voluntary approaches to sustainable development. She is also providing inputs to defining sustainable development action plans for state governments. Ms Arora provides training and counseling to industry for evolving a sustainability vision and a portfolio of sustainability strategies. Her main areas of interest include environmental policy, management systems, corporate sustainability, institutional strengthening and capacity building. Seema Arora is a member of the Stakeholder Council of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Governance for Sustainability, external review panel for Sustainability Reporting for several global companies, and Polaris Committee of FBN (Family Business Network) International. She is a Bachelor’s in Engineering from Delhi University.
Executive
Executive
Sherry holds a Master’s degree in Climate Science and Policy from TERI School of Advanced Studies, and a Bachelors’ degree in Zoology from Carmel College for Women, Goa. She previously worked with Toxics Link before joining CESD. At CESD she is involved in Environment Policy and Advocacy.
Deputy Head, CESD
Deputy Head, CESD
Shikhar Jain has over 20 years of experience working with variety of industries, where he has designed, implemented and integrated Quality, Environmental, Health & Safety and Social programs/management systems in over 100 individual facilities and for corporate-wide operations. Shikhar has developed and implemented best practices for several top Indian firms, including in areas of improved operational efficiency, good EHS practices and enhanced compliance management.
Consultant
Consultant
Shourjomay holds a Master's degree in Environmental Studies and Resource Management from the TERI University and a Bachelor's degree in Physics (Honors) from the University of Delhi. Prior to joining CESD, he worked on multiple projects utilizing and developing his skills on various aspects of climate change, agriculture and water. He was part of the team that developed India's first bottom-up HFC emissions model. He also worked on the development of a GHG inventory and Climate MRV system for the state of Sikkim and drafting of the Mizoram State Water Policy. At CESD, he is involved in issues related to a circular economy and resource efficiency. He is working on the development of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) models to identify the scope of circularity within value chains at an economy, sector and entity level.
Associate Counsellor
Associate Counsellor
Shourya has done his MBA in Business Sustainability from The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI School of Advanced Studies) and his Bachelors in Geography (Hons.) from University of Delhi with special emphasis on climate change. Prior to joining CII, He has worked in multiple diverse roles in KPMG, Ashoka University and Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. Shourya has gained valuable and multifaceted experience by being exposed to different sectors. He is an experienced professional in the field of global sustainability framework. His work in the field of Sustainability Reporting, ESG, BRSR, Climate Change and Health & Safety has largely benefitted many organizations. Within CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, some of his responsibilities includes assignments related to Global Reporting Initiative, Environmental Social Governance, Business Responsibility Sustainability Reporting, Climate Change, GHG Protocol – Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, Carbon foot printing and Health & Safety Standards.
Associate Counsellor
Associate Counsellor
Shubham completed his master’s in environmental sciences from Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University), Lucknow in 2018. He has extensive research and work experience in the field of Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Biodiversity conservation. Before joining CESD he served as a research fellow at Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) Headquarters, Lucknow. At UPPCB he contributed to the mainstream research and policymaking, both qualitative and quantitative, in the air pollution domain. He played an active role in the development of City level clean air action plans, State action plan for clean air, Airshed Management Plan, Emission Inventories, Source apportionment studies, Pollution control, and management strategies/tools, etc., under NCAP and other programs by various agencies like GIZ, TERI, IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Delhi, A-PAG, DoEF& CC-GoUP, DoUD-GoUP at different levels. He represented UPPCB over the technical front for ‘Air Quality Management Technical Assistance program’ with World Bank.
Consultant
Consultant
Working with a PR Firm, Sonia Dhamija has an experience of more than 3 years of managing events, workshops, training, liaison with resource persons, media, network partners. She completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Public Relations from YMCA. In CII she has joined us as a part of the Events team.
Senior Counsellor
Senior Counsellor
Swati is facilitating companies in India to integrate sustainability into their business functioning. At CESD she is managing and continuously developing recognition product
Associate Counsellor
Associate Counsellor
Vandana Pal has a Master’s degree in Renewable Energy Engineering and Management from TERI University, New Delhi. As a sustainability professional with a diverse knowledge base in climate change and sustainable development policies and practices, she has experience with: project development for climate change adaptation and mitigation, climate finance such as NAFCC & GCF, climate policies, particularly with NAPCC, SAPCC and SDGs. In addition, she has worked and collaborated with Government, public and private entities as well as interdisciplinary, multicultural global teams. Before joining the CESD, Vandana worked as Prospecting and Implementation Manager with South Pole, and as a Programme Officer at the Climate Change Department of the State Government of Gujarat.
CESD is a place where people build careers in conceptualising and delivering a sustainable future for the planet. We create a place for people to develop and grow themselves as professionals with a drive to make a difference in the society. Our work calls for people with strong values and a tendency to work independently within structures of the organisation. There is space for thinkers and doers who want to be challenged and open to change.