Corporates play a key role in the envisioning and spearheading of programs targeted towards the upliftment of society.

Greeshma Biswal, our next pathbreaker, CSR Manager at Bajaj Auto Ltd., monitors and evaluates programmes as per CSR policies while addressing the organization’s social responsibility objectives and goals.

Greeshma talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about how business focus on sustainability, education and skill development are bringing about tremendous opportunities in the CSR field.

For students, this is a golden opportunity for you. Use all the resources available to you, connect with people, build your network, do a thorough research on your interests and skills required, and always aspire to be the best version of yourself.

Greeshma, Your background?

I am Greeshma Biswal. I am a Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Professional. My dream profession when I was a child was to become a doctor. My father is an Ex Central Govt Officer & Mother is a Homemaker.

What did you do for graduation/post-graduation?

I have done two postgraduate degrees which are:

  • MSc. in Botany (with specialization in Biochemistry)
  • MBA in Sustainability Management (with specialization in Marketing) from XIM

What were some of the key influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional, and unique career in CSR?

I am influenced by the great works and contributions of M.S Swaminathan (Father of green revolution in India), Sunita Narain, Wangari Maathai, Vandana Shiva, Kailash Satyarthi towards the society and nature.

My Parents, Professors at my MBA college, seniors from my MBA degree, my first manager and Sudha Murthy also played a key role in my career.

I was always interested in environmental science and hence did my graduation and post-graduation in Botany. After my post-graduation, I started volunteering in an NGO where our focus was on environment, education, and art. This helped me understand my strengths and where  my passion lay i.e., helping people and conserving the environment. This gave me a lot of clarity on what I want to be in future.

I decided to pursue a career in the sustainability field during my MSc when in one of the state level debate competitions, I was given the topic to speak on Sustainability and CSR in India. While doing my research on this topic, I developed an interest and decided to pursue MBA in Sustainability Management.

How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Tell us about your career path

As mentioned earlier, after a few events and some research on my own, I started planning my career. First, I looked for careers which I could pursue, and in order to pursue those careers, what education do I require? After getting this clarity, I shortlisted the colleges where I can get the best exposure for my desired field and started preparing for the entrance exams. I appeared for the CAT exam, cleared it, got acceptance letters from two Colleges out of three colleges which I shortlisted and took admission in one of them (Xavier’s Institute of Management, MBA in Sustainability Management). And the rest is history.

During my two year MBA program in Sustainability management, we studied about concepts of environmental management, doing business more responsibly, minimizing waste, circular economy, renewable energy, resource management etc. Along with these, we were also taught Microsoft skills like presentation, excel, word, interpersonal skills, budgeting, reporting and project management. These skills are requisite for being manager in any field.

My first internship during MBA was in an organization which worked in the area of biomass which was being used by the industry as an alternative to non-renewable fuel like Coal.

My second internship was at an organization which worked in the area of alternative bio-friendly packaging materials in the food industry like packets made of bamboo. These bio-degradable materials were suggested as an alternate to the food packaging currently used extensively in the market for packaging food, like plastics etc., which are very harmful for health. I was responsible for the market research for bio-degradable materials for the food packaging industry and how it will impact nature and community health in future.

My first job after MBA was at an NGO where we focused on providing skill related training to underprivileged youth / or youth from economically weaker sections and then post-training, we would provide employment opportunities.

My second job was at UNDP, an international nonprofit organization where we worked on implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Karnataka State.

In my current job, I am working in an automobile manufacturing organization where I work in the CSR dept.

I always keep looking for ways to upskill myself, read the current trends in my field and explore new policies and standards introduced in this field.

How did you get your first break?

I got my first job through a tough competition in the campus placement process. There were five rounds, and I was able to clear them all and get my desirable job.

What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?

Challenge 1: The biggest challenge was to take a risk after my first post-graduation degree to change my field from pure science to the field of management. But with my own detailed research, clarity on my future scope, and understanding on how I can use all my learnings in my future career gave me the courage to go for it.

Challenge 2: The second challenge was sticking to my field in the initial few years of my career. Sustainability field in India was very new and scope to grow and flourish in this field was very less. Before COVID, we had very few opportunities in the industry to grow. Many of my batchmates changed their field as they were concerned about their future. I decided to stick to my field as it has always been my passion to work in this field. During COVID, with new policies, updated and stringent norms by Government of India and changing perception of doing business in a more sustainable way, enhanced opportunities in our industry by tenfold. Now, we have so many avenues to learn, grow and flourish in our field in India itself. 

Where do you work now?

Currently, I work at Bajaj Auto Ltd., a leading automobile manufacturing company where I am working as manager in the CSR department of the company. Here we design, develop, and implement various programs for the community with the help of the CSR funds of the company.

What problems do you solve?

Currently we are addressing the skill gap in the manufacturing industry where in spite of numerous job opportunities in the industry, the majority of the youth are unemployed as they don’t have the right skill for the job. We are helping these youth to get trained in the required skill sets and get employed in the industry. 

What skills are required for your role? How did you acquire the skills?

The required skill sets for my job are:

  • Project management skills
  • Understanding on government policies and norms for ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) and CSR
  • Negotiation and communication skills
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Up to date with current trends and news
  • Leadership skills
  • Higher emotional intelligence
  • MS office efficiency

Many of these skills were acquired during my MBA studies and rest all were acquired and refined throughout my work experience.

What’s a typical day like?

My typical day starts as early as 8 am. I try to make a to-do list with the tasks that need to be completed. The tasks are arranged as per the priority basis. Most of these tasks are managed through interactions and dependencies on various stakeholders. Numerous follow-ups, requests and communication happens on a day-to-day basis to complete a task.

What is it you love about this job?

I absolutely love my job since I am following my passion. The outcome of my job is very satisfying when we see that after so much of our efforts, the community is benefited and a change is visible in their scenario be it financially, environmentally or any other. When youth who were previously unemployed get employed due to our efforts in skilling them and making them industry ready, it gives us immense pleasure and satisfaction in fulfilling our duties as a professional in our job.

How does your work benefit society?

My work directly benefits the society as we work for the community only. Our entire program design, development and implementation is done for the upliftment of the society itself.

Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!

Recently, in one of our flagship programs, we trained 120 engineering students who were unemployed and coming from an economically weaker section of the society. After getting trained, we got them ready for various employment opportunities in their industry. And all these students got placed with very good annual packages in core manufacturing industries. When these students got their offer letters, they showed their gratitude to us and some of them even had tears in their eyes. This touched our hearts and made us feel proud of our job.

Your advice to students based on your experience?

With easy access to the internet, National Education Policy (NEP) implementation in schools & colleges and availability of multiple job opportunities in different sectors, I would say this is a golden opportunity for students to explore. Use all these resources, connect with people, build your network, do a thorough research on your interest, work on the skills required and always aspire to be the best version of yourself. Soon, you will see yourself learning and growing in your life and will become a better version of yourself. And most importantly, always take ownership of your work and actions, as it will take you a long way ahead. And last but not the least, always remember there is no alternative to hard work, dedication, and honesty so never forget them in your life.

Future Plans?

In the next five years, I am planning to be an expert in Sustainability and CSR field and would like to hold a very senior position in the same field. In the next ten years, I would like to see myself leading the Sustainability and CSR department of a reputed organization in India. Post that, I would like to be a part of the changemakers in India in this field.

ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVOURS.