ITC, TCS, Tata Global Beverages, Berger Paints, Eveready, Exide, TIL and Titagarh Wagons were the recipients of the first L. N. Birla Memorial Awards for corporate excellence in eight categories.

The awards, instituted by the Calcutta Business School, were conferred to the companies at a function here on Sunday. Kurush Grant, Executive Director of ITC, who received the award for exemplary leadership in global corporate sustainability, said his company worked on a model for economic growth, inclusiveness and sustainability.

Ajoyendra Mukherjee, Executive Vice-President and Global Head of Human Resources at TCS, said that as part of its social responsibility, the company has created a software for farmers, which is now being used in Maharashtra. TCS got the award for innovations in managing change in technologies.

Tata Global Beverages won the award in the global product innovations category; Berger for customer orientation and innovation; Eveready for innovations in product creation process; Exide for TQM; TIL for technology absorption, adoption and innovation; and Titagarh Wagons for technology consolidation and diversifation.

Goutam Sengupta, Director of Calcutta Business School, said the award has primarily been a CBS student-driven exercise. “Students, as part of their curriculum requirements, researched more than 100 companies to shortlist 25 on a value creation for people, planet and shareholder as well as sustainability scale.

A team of jury made the final selection of winners in different categories. The award function was the inaugural event of a three-day programmeorganised by CBS.

S. K. Birla, Chairman of CBS governing council, said the changing world needs different business managers.

“The road of business and industry in this changing environment is an important aspect which needs to be studied in greater depth, along with development in various other sectors and this is where we come in. This end requires managers possessing different skills with innovative and different mindsets to align their operations to a sustainable future. Our business school feels it is essential for the education process itself to address these emerging needs and train the new generation managers on these aspects. Virtually this brings us to crossroads in the educational field — the traditional and the new,” he said.

>jayanta.mallick@thehindu.co.in

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