The Hindu Business Line : They hire, but not for profit

Bangalore April 21 It began as a trend a decade ago, but is turning into serious business now. With high-calibre talent crossing over into the third sector, recruitment firms are increasingly getting involved in hiring of top talent for CSR (corporate social responsibility) work.

Hunt Partners, a global executive and board search firm, has wrapped up 40 top mandates for firms such as Richard Gere Foundation, Greenpeace, McKinsey, ICICI, UN Millennium Development Goals, Monitor Group and CARE in the last one year since they set up Third Sector Partners, the CSR arm of Hunt Partners.

Says Ms Pari Jhaveri, Executive Director, Third Sector Partners (TSP): "Apart from NGOs, corporates too have moved from cheque book philanthropy to active community engagement and thus feel the need to hire top corporate social responsibility talent."

TSP, she says, is committed to enhancing leadership potential in the socio-developmental sector and the firm's earnings are reinvested in building capacities for creating a firm foundation of leadership talent. Though not significantly high, this year's campus placements at IIMs too saw a rise in the number of students opting for voluntary work.

Mr K. Sudarshan, Managing Partner, EMA Partners International, a global search firm, however, feels this is just the trickle and the flow is yet to happen in India. Globally, EMA has a large practice group for recruitment for community hospitals, city councils, not-for-profit organisations and even the church. "In India, the market it yet to deepen. "But what is interesting is that it's not just retired executives who are opting for this kind of work, but good executives who want to get out of the rat race, and the compensation is improving too."

In emerging economies such as India, there is a huge pool of communities at the bottom of the pyramid, for whom quality of life solutions is a tremendous task, says Ms Jhaveri. "Corporate managers have understood the dynamism of the sector and are keen to accept the challenge. With the socialisation of business and diffusion of boundaries, markets, more businesses are seeking to market to the bottom of the pyramid. Top leaders come in handy in such situations since they easily straddle the corporate social divide and deliver efficient outcomes," she explains.

More Stories on : Society & Development | Human Resources

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