Akanksha Sharma
| Akanksha Sharma | |
|---|---|
| Born | Akanksha Sharma Jaipur, Rajasthan, India |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Twitter= | |
Akanksha Sharma is a CSR & Sustainability leader and Corporate Diplomat. She is a voice in the Indian social development space and is an advocate of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), sustainability, public policy, socio-economic climate and environmental welfare and development and peace advocacy.
Currently, Akanksha heads CSR and Sustainability for Sterlite Technologies Ltd., a Fortune India 500 Digital Technology Multinational Company.
Early life and education[edit]
Akanksha was born and brought up in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Her parents are lawyers in Rajasthan and she is the eldest of two sisters. After completing her Master’s in Business Administration, Akanksha did her specialization in Social and Environmental Business Management from the World Bank Institute, an course in Social Investment from UK Social Investment Forum, as well as an Executive Education of Shared Value Program from Harvard Business School[1]. Akanksha is an avid traveler and promotes zero-waste travel. Being spiritually inclined, she regularly practices Vipassana and shares an interest in exploring Sufism.
Career[edit]
While growing up, Akanksha worked with various NGOs and community development organizations. In 2004, she started working as a Community Development Worker for grassroot organizations and local community groups, where she worked on the development of commercial sex workers, transgenders, displaced communities, poverty alleviation, lack of access to education, healthcare, poor water and sanitation, addiction, gender issues and others. In 2010, Akanksha joined United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for its Raising Clean Hands programme as a project consultant for the Global WASH Program for its implementation in her home state of Rajasthan, where she oversaw partnerships with the State and District Government, NGOs and local community to achieve the program objectives.
Akanksha then went on to join the corporate domain, leading positions in CSR & Sustainability for various Multinational Corporations (MNCs), such as Vedanta Resources Plc., Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd. etc. Her role with the corporates is to lead Responsible Business Practice and advise Boards on Responsible Business, Sustainability & CSR along with developing organizational capabilities and engagements for growth. She has successfully led CSR & Sustainability initiatives on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in various geographies of Asia, such as India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, with a large fund base.
She has also worked extensively on Public Policy and Sustainable Development with Government and Corporates, where her efforts have been concentrated on developing a bridge between the two. She has mentored youth organizations including MASH Project on developing Stakeholder Manifesto for identifying and bridging the Policy gaps through meaningful recommendations. Akanksha regularly delivered lectures and talks on CSR, Sustainability and Public Policy at distinguished policy forums and universities, such as United Nations Global Compact Network India, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, ISB IMpact Forum, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), TEDx, etc.
Recently, under Akanksha’s leadership for CSR & Sustainability at Sterlite Technologies Ltd., the company received Intertek's Zero Waste to Landfill certification, making its Silvassa manufacturing plant India's 1st Zero Waste to Landfill Optical Fibre Cable Plant.
Advocacy[edit]
Akanksha speaks on various social development issues and promotes ‘Zero-waste living’. She has been advocating fervently towards integrating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the United Nations and the Indian Government. Akanksha is also Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum. She was a 2017 ClimateForce Global Ambassador, for which she was one of the 2 delegates from India to represent her country at the International Antarctic Expedition on Climate Change along with 80 other individuals from 32 countries[2]. Blending her love for fashion with her passion for sustainability, Akanksha promotes ‘Sustainable Fashion’ with a vision to bridge the gap between mainstream fashion, artisans and consumers, as well as promote ideas and principles of sustainability as a core business agenda.
Awards and recognitions[edit]
| Year | Award or honour | Honouring body |
|---|---|---|
| 100 most Impactful CSR Leaders Globally | World CSR Congress | |
| 2016 | Young CSR Leader | India CSR |
| Sustainability Leadership Award | World Sustainability Forum | |
| 2017 | Indian Representative at ‘ClimateForce International Antarctic Expedition’ | |
| National Social Expert | Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Corporate Affairs |
Publications[edit]
Akanksha regularly writes for leading National and International publications such as Forbes, Times of India, Economic Times, Huffington Post and DailyO (India Today) amongst others, on topics like Development, Peace, Responsible business, corporate social responsibility (CSR), Sustainable fashion and other current affairs or relevant National and International socio-cultural issues. In the role of a Peace Ambassador, she also writes a Peace Series for Dawn, a leading Pakistani newspaper, on India-Pakistan relations.
Akanksha is a member and contributor to the following notable CSR/ Sustainability Policy Making Forums:
- National CSR Expert with the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India
- Member of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) CSR Forum
- Core Committee Member UN Business for India Forum
- Policy Making Committee Member for United Nations Global Compact CSR and SDGs Linkage Forum
She has written for various leading newspapers on policy and development issues. She has also co-authored a book ‘Twenty shades of Love[3]’ which is available at Amazon. Akanksha is currently authoring a book on CSR and International Development which shall be released soon.
| Date | Publications | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Postcards for Peace | Akanksha Sharma profiling (About ambassadors)[4] | |
| February 15, 2018 | HerSaga | A Changemaker For A Better World – The Inspiring Story Of Akanksha Sharma[5] |
| November 1, 2018 | Forbes | Unlocking CSR funds for impact investment ecosystem[6] |
| March 14, 2018 | Forbes | CSR: The unseen bridge between business and diplomacy[7] |
| November 23, 2017 | Forbes | Financing Sustainable Development Goals: How should India look at private investments for development?[8] |
| November 9, 2017 | Forbes | Does India Inc really care about CSR?[9] |
References[edit]
- ↑ "Leveraging Business for Global Development - Executive Education - Harvard Business School". HBS Executive Education. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
- ↑ "Antarctic Expedition on Climate Change". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Garg, Anurag. Twenty Shades of Love. Search this book on
- ↑ "Akanksha Sharma". Postcards for Peace. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
- ↑ Hersaga (2018-02-15). "A Changemaker For A Better World - The Inspiring Story Of Akanksha Sharma". HerSaga. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
- ↑ "Unlocking CSR Funds For Impact Investment Ecosystem | Forbes India Blog". Forbes India. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
- ↑ "CSR: The Unseen Bridge Between Business And Diplomacy | Forbes India Blog". Forbes India. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
- ↑ "Financing Sustainable Development Goals: How Should India Look At Private Investments For Development? | Forbes India Blog". Forbes India. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
- ↑ "Does India Inc Really Care About CSR? | Forbes India Blog". Forbes India. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
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