Dr. Jayanti Ravi, IAS, Principle Secretary, Public Health, Govt. Of Gujrat (India),
Ms. Deepa Prahalad Abhyankar, Author, Speaker, and Innovation Consultant,
AND
Dr. Kavita Kapur, President, and Co-Founder at India-Latin America Associates
Mr. Arun Jain, Founder, Mission Samriddhi
Ambassador Pradeep Kapur, Executive Director, Smart Village
Development Initiative, WHEELS
Edward Deming, the renowned Statistician, famously said, “In God we trust. All others must bring data.”
There is also an edict in Quality, that this Quality Guru used to say: “You cannot manage if you cannot measure”. Such principles of managing for-profit business also apply to managing non-profit enterprises, especially in current philanthropy where it is viewed as investments to create social impacts.
And, so it is for all those involved in Social Impact projects! Whether we are Givers, Takers, Doers, or Enablers – measurement and collecting relevant data is imperative for accountability to the beneficiaries as core to their mission, performance, and operations. Funders/donors are led by understanding the ‘impact’ of their social investment. Regulators are guided by best practices that are aligned with national priorities and can be achieved with maximum benefits at least risk and cost.
But, everyone in social enterprises is grappling with qualitative vs quantitative, financial vs non-financial, and historical vs forecast measures. What vectors are important – individual, social, regional, national, or economic? Over what period of time is the measurement relevant: immediate, present, or future? Also, the measurement cannot be just an academic or technical exercise unless it is also usable for planning and reporting purposes. It must be specific for the intervention and useful to regulators and policymakers for governance. Is there a common methodology or best practice that serves any type of intervention? Often, donors make decisions to pay based on measurable outcomes but risk all those ‘unmeasurable’ outcomes with obvious social importance!
Our final webinar for 2020 brings five thought leaders to discuss:
Please join us on Friday, November 13th, 2020, from 09 AM to 11:30 AM (US EST), and 07:30 PM to 9 PM (IST) to participate in a lively discussion.
Upon registration, you may send your questions in advance to info@wheelsglobal.org. Attendees will also be able to post their questions during the webinar. You can join the webinar 15 min early (i.e. 08:45 AM ET OR 07:15 PM IST) to watch the slide show on WGF activities and related project videos. Past webinars have stressed the importance of collaboration among NGOs to scale operations and increase the impact. For more information visit: www.wheelsglobal.org
WHEELS Global Foundation(WGF), “An Initiative of IIT Alumni, USA” with the mission of Technology Enabled Philanthropy.
WHEELS has also been selected by NITI Aayog, Govt. of India as a member of the committee for Innovation and Technology Transfer.
Dr. Jayanti Ravi is a scientist, civil servant, writer, speaker, educator, performing vocalist, and thinker. With a master’s degree in nuclear physics from the University of Madras, an MPA from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in e-governance, she has authored books, published in international journals, guided doctoral students, and also been a visiting faculty at Harvard University. Her professional experience includes serving as DDO in Sabarkantha, as a collector in Panchmahals, and as director of the National Advisory Council with the Prime Minister’s Office.
As principal secretary and commissioner, rural development, Gujarat, she has championed the Swachh Bharat Mission for rural sanitation in the state. Her innovative and creative multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving has led to major transformational outcomes across various sectors. Presently, she serves in Gujarat as the principal secretary and commissioner, of health and family welfare.
Ms. Deepa Prahalad Abhyankar is an author, speaker, and innovation/design strategy consultant with an emphasis on emerging markets and social innovation. She has worked with start-ups and large multinationals, and researched and co-authored the book, Predictable Magic: Unleash The Power of Design Strategy To Transform Your Business, which was selected by Fast Company as one of the “Best Design Books of the Year”. She is also a frequent blogger on the Huffington Post, Harvard Business Review, and other publications.
Deepa holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. She is an elected member of the International Academy of Management and was ranked #34 on the inaugural Thinkers 50 India list. She is a member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches program, selected from among 16,000 applicants worldwide.
Deepa is also active on non-profit boards. She serves on the Advisory Boards of the Global Peter Drucker Forum, Arogya World, and is a patron of the Indiaspora Forum. Deepa is an Advisor/ Investor for materials, an innovative and transformational roofing company in India. An art enthusiast, she is on the Board of the Committee for Arts of the Indian Subcontinent (CAIS) at the San Diego Museum of Art.
Dr. Kavita Kapur has more than 20 years of work experience, as a consultant, executive coach, trainer, and faculty in Management and Organizational Behaviour. Her consultancy work has been primarily in the area of Management of Change, Organizational Development, Leadership, Cultural Sensitivity, Diversity, and Inclusion. She has a wide range of practical experience and managerial consultancy skills with a global perspective having worked in India, Nepal, Cambodia, and Chile. Research in deep-level diversity and personal experience of living in different countries have further honed her skills in facilitating the development of multicultural bonds and leveraging diversity through building cultural competence, using processes of appreciative inquiry, networking, and enhancing cultural sensitivity.
Kavita is a Ph.D. in Organizational Behaviour from Management Development Institute (MDI), India. and has been teaching management courses at the Adolfo Ibanez School of Management, Chile; Pannashastra University, Cambodia; and Kathmandu University, Nepal. Kavita has worked as an HR Manager in multi-national corporations and as a Management Trainer and Change Management Consultant in HR, Organizational Development, Total Quality Management, Leadership, Cultural Sensitivity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Her varied experience of being a practitioner, consultant, trainer, and researcher has given her a unique blend of skills and competencies as a management professional. Her current research interests are in the area of geographically dispersed multicultural teams, team diversity, cross-cultural management, and expatriate adjustment. She was the founder and Patron of the Indian Social Network, an association of Indian ex-pats in Chile, and was the President of the Diplomatic Spouses Association in Chile, organizing various fundraising and social welfare events and activities. She was awarded for “Empowerment of Women, 2013” for her social and professional work in Chile by Mujer Opina, an NGO.
Ambassador Pradeep Kapur had a distinguished career working closely with leaders and policymakers in different continents of the world: Asia – South Asia and South East Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, and South America. He brings with him years of on-the-ground experience in countries as diverse as Tanzania, Nepal, Cambodia, France, Spain, UK, the USA, and Chile, besides rising to the level of Secretary at the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India. He is currently working as International Strategic Economic Adviser to Intellect Design Arena Inc.; Executive Director of “Smart Village Development Fund”; Director, Ambassador’s Circle, American Hindu Coalition; and Chairman, Advisory Council, DiplomacyIndia.com. He has also made significant contributions as an academic. He was Visiting Clinical Professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, Visiting Scholar at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, and a Diplomatic Associate at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
Mr. Arun Jain is the Founder of Polaris Group and Chairman & Managing Director of Intellect Design Arena Limited, the world’s first full spectrum Banking and Insurance Technology Products Company. Intellect powers over 240 leading Global Banks and Financial Institutions, with a revenue of INR 1351 Crores (USD 191 Mn) and an employee base of over 4500. Arun commenced his entrepreneurial journey by setting up Nucleus Software Workshop in 1986, Polaris Software in 1993, and Intellect in 2011.
As an evangelist of Design Thinking, his brainchild – FinTech 8012, the World’s First Design Center at Chennai dedicated to Financial Technology came into being. With the constant drive to better the community around him, he instituted Mission Samriddhi – a social impact enterprise dedicated to holistic human development in India, Ullas Trust – a social impact organization working towards igniting less privileged young minds into realizing their true potential, and START-UP Nukkad – a unique initiative for budding Entrepreneurs to understand their purpose and nurture and mentor their innovative thinking using 10X model.
Arun has been nominated as the Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Information Technology Ranchi, Jharkhand, India recently by the Hon’ble President of India. He is entrusted with the responsibility of the Chief Mentor of the FinTech Centre of Excellence at STPI, Chennai set up by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Govt. of India in association with the ELCOT, Govt. of Tamil Nadu. He holds/ has held prestigious positions in various other forums like the National Software Product Mission (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology), National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Madras Management Association (MMA), and the Indo American Chamber of Commerce (IACC).
Arun has been bestowed with numerous accolades including the Dronacharya Award 2019 by TiECON Chennai, ‘CII Lifetime Achievement Award’, ‘Lifetime Achievement Award at the Design Thinking Conclave & Awards 2018’, ‘Indo‐ASEAN Business Initiative Award’, Rotary Club’s ‘For The Sake of Honour Award’, Lions Clubs International award for “Youth Empowerment” ‘Pathfinders – Award for Excellence in IT & ITES recognized by Times Group’, ‘ICICI Venture – CII Connect Entrepreneur Award’, ‘Lions Clubs International award for Youth Empowerment and Business Mentor Award by Vikatan Group, one of South India’s leading media powerhouses. With a legacy of 93 years, Vikatan Group has been a pioneer in the media space in South India. Arun holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Delhi College of Engineering.
