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The second edition of the Summit for Employee Volunteering and Action (SEVA) 2025, organised by SoulAce, brought together CSR, HR and ESG leaders from across sectors to discuss the growing role of employee volunteering in shaping impactful workplace engagement and advancing sustainable organisational purpose. The Summit was held on 2nd December, 2025 at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai.
The Summit opened with a presentation on SoulAce’s 16-year journey in shaping the CSR ecosystem in India. SoulAce has pioneered several innovative verticals, such as impact assessment, employee volunteering and tech for good, that have shaped the social sector landscape in India across several thematic areas.
This presentation was followed by a panel discussion on the Future of Employee Volunteering in India. The speakers included Mr Alok Sheopurkar, Head-Human Resources, HDFC AMC, Mr Chandra Shekhar Gowda, Head - CSR, Sun Pharma and Ms. Shubha Shanbhag, Head - ESG, IndoSpace. The session was moderated by Mr Anirudhya Gupta, Vice President - Partnerships, SoulAce.
The speakers on this panel discussed how corporate volunteering was evolving beyond activity-based engagements into a strategic driver of organisational responsibility, community impact, and social transformation.
The panel discussion on Building Sustainable Employee Volunteering Programs focused on how organisations can design, implement, and sustain impactful volunteering initiatives. Moderated by Mr Adarsh Kataruka, Managing Director, SoulAce, the panel included Ms Aakanksha Tiwari, CSR Lead, Bosch Global Software Technologies, Dr Neha Parmar, Program Manager, Wipro Foundation, and Ms Shilpashree Muniswamappa, Director ESG and Communications, Colgate-Palmolive.
During the session on Building a Culture of Purpose Through Employee Volunteering, the speakers discussed how organisations can embed volunteering into their culture to foster meaningful and purpose-driven employee engagement. The speakers on this panel included Ms Pallavi Barua, Global Head and Director, Tata Communications, Ms Rashmi Nagori, Head of ESG and CSR, Nuvama Group, Ms Srishti Gupta, Focus Area Head - K12 Education, Tata Consultancy Services, and Ms Sonal Mehta, CSR Lead, Mondelez. The session was moderated by Mr Aishik Saha, Director at Avagam Ventures.
Over the last two years, the Summit for Employee Volunteering and Action (SEVA) has emerged as a leading platform for meaningful dialogue on the future of employee volunteering in India. This year’s discussions explored how volunteering fosters a sense of belonging, aligns with the expectations of today’s workforce, and can be seamlessly integrated across the employee lifecycle. Speakers also highlighted the crucial role of leaders and managers in modelling volunteering behaviours, cultivating a purpose-driven culture, and ensuring robust impact measurement.
Speaking at the summit, Mr Adarsh Kataruka, Managing Director of SoulAce, said, “Volunteering is no longer just a CSR initiative; it is a powerful driver of meaning, belonging, and shared purpose in the workplace. This Summit has opened new avenues for deeper conversations and richer insights on building a culture of purpose through employee volunteering.”
The highlight of the summit was two hands-on volunteering activities: creating tactile Braille books for visually impaired children and developing Teaching–Learning Materials for underserved schools. These action-led experiences demonstrated the power of well-designed volunteering initiatives and offered a glimpse into how SoulAce helps organisations foster a strong culture of employee volunteering. SoulAce enables organisations to build impactful and scalable employee volunteering programs that align with their CSR and ESG goals. Through end-to-end curation, planning and execution—supported by its robust technology platform—SoulAce helps companies onboard volunteers, match employee skills with meaningful volunteering opportunities, and drive sustained engagement and measurable impact.
This year’s summit brought together CSR, HR, and ESG leaders from some of India's leading organisations including Sun Pharma, TCS, Wipro, HDFC AMC, Colgate-Palmolive, Tata Capital, Mondelez, Tata AIA, GSK, Trent, L&T Financial Services, Bajaj Electricals, Novartis, RPG, SBI Caps, LIC Housing Finance, TVS Motors, Nuvama, Castrol, and Tata Communications, among others.
SEVA 2025 demonstrated how cross-sector collaboration and purposeful employee engagement can drive large-scale, meaningful social change.
CSR leaders from several of India’s leading organisations convened in Mumbai on November 21, 2025, for a focused, high-impact workshop hosted by SoulAce on CSR Compliance and Fund Utilisation Review. The session provided much-needed clarity on statutory CSR obligations through a blend of legal insights, monitoring frameworks, and peer-driven discussions aimed at strengthening governance and enhancing the effectiveness of CSR expenditure.
Led by Suresh Kejriwal, CSR Compliance Lead at SoulAce, and supported by Rahul Katyari, Associate Director, and Anirudhya Gupta, Vice President- Partnerships, the workshop covered a comprehensive range of critical topics, including:
Mr. Adarsh Kataruka, Managing Director of SoulAce stated that the workshop underscored their ongoing commitment to advancing compliance and transparency in the CSR landscape. By providing CSR leaders with structured guidance and practical insights, they want to support organisations in addressing regulatory challenges more effectively and in driving impact that is both scalable and sustainable.
The workshop saw participation of CSR leaders from organisations such as ACG, 360 One, All Cargo Logistics, Apar Industries, Aristo Pharma, Avendus, Blue Star, Colgate Palmolive,CMS Info Systems, Deepak Fertilizers, Edelgive Foundation, Godrej Enterprises, Envalior,Godrej Industries, Godrej Properties, HDFC AMC, HDFC ERGO, Heidelberg Cement,Indo Count, JSW Foundation, IndusInd Bank, IndoCount Industries, Motilal Oswal, Nesco, KEC International, NSE, NSE Foundation, Oberoi Reality , SMBC, SMFG, NTT Data Services, Tata Capital TCS, SBI Mutual Funds, Sony, Trafigura, VFS Global, Visa, Unichem Labs, Oberoi Reality.
The Summit for Employee Volunteering and Action (SEVA 2024), organized by SoulAce, brought together CSR, Sustainability and HR leaders from across sectors to explore the significant role of corporate volunteering in shaping organizational culture, enhancing reputation, and hiring and retaining talent. The Summit, held at the Hilton Embassy Golf Links in Bengaluru on 12th December, 2024, featured thought-provoking panel discussions, expert insights, and hands-on activities designed to deepen the understanding of employee volunteering and how it can help engage a socially conscious workforce that is looking for ways to make a positive impact.
"Employee volunteering plays a significant role in building a resilient and purpose-driven organization. The need of the hour is to make volunteering an integral part of organizational culture. This can be achieved by designing and implementing volunteering programs that are long-term and sustainable,” says Adarsh Kataruka, Managing Director, SoulAce.
While making a presentation on the State of Employee Volunteering in India, he said, “Volunteering is not just about giving back to the communities; it is about creating a ripple effect of positive change within organizations and the society. Through SEVA 2024, we wish to expand the dialogue about the need and benefits of employee volunteering.”
The first panel discussion on the Future of Employee Volunteering focused on emerging trends in volunteering, and the growing demand for flexible, virtual, and hybrid volunteering opportunities. The distinguished speakers on this panel included Ms Sakina Baker, Head - CSR, Bosch Limited & Bosch India Foundation, Mr Kishore Thangavelu, CSR Lead, Microsoft , Mr Sumit Chauhan, Head - CSR, Mphasis and Mr Surendran M, Manager - ESG & CSR, CGI. This panel discussion was moderated by Mr Aishik Saha, Co-founder, Avagam Ventures.
Next, was a session on Building Sustainable Employee Volunteering Programs which discussed actionable strategies as the panellists shared best practices for measuring impact and integrating technology to streamline efforts. Mr Aby Babu, CSR Specialist, Senior, Qualcomm, Mr Nirbhay Lumde, Senior Vice President - ESG, Prestige Estate Projects, Ms Smita Sharma, Global Program Manager - CSR, UST and Ms Smitha Sreenivas, Head - CSR, Quess Corp spearheaded the discussions. The discussion was moderated by Mr Adarsh Kataruka, MD, SoulAce.
The attendees at the Summit included CSR and HR leaders and professionals from Alstom, Amara Raja Batteries, Standard Chartered GBS, Kyndryl, Titan, Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance, Natwest India, Cisco, Cytecare Hospitals, Wipro, Infosys, Intel, State Street, IBM, and Schneider Electric, among others.
Interactive Breakout Sessions
During the interactive breakout sessions, participants indulged in group discussions on virtual and physical volunteering programs. They discussed various aspects of virtual volunteering such as impactful online initiatives and case studies.
The physical volunteering session was focused on designing high-impact, on-site initiatives. The attendees experienced hands-on volunteering as they prepared sandwiches for underserved communities. Another group created teaching-learning materials (TLM) for underserved schools, which was facilitated by experts. It fostered a sense of purpose and showcased the ease of organizing in-office volunteering initiatives.
“With the successful launch of SEVA, we have created a platform that not only educates but inspires action. The overwhelming response to the summit reflected a growing recognition of the role that businesses can play in driving social change through employee volunteering," says Kataruka.
Senior CSR & ESG heads and professionals at some of India’s leading organizations came together in Mumbai at the India Water Sustainability Forum to drive forward the agenda of water sustainability in India while addressing the critical intersection between corporate social responsibility and sustainable water resource management. The gathering, organized by SoulAce and chaired by CSR & ESG leaders and experts, was held at the Jio World Convention Centre on 10th September, 2024. The Forum witnessed insightful discussions and expert contributions from leading minds in areas of watershed management, lake rejuvenation, innovative drinking water initiatives, climate resilience and groundwater recharge.
"Water sustainability is not just an environmental priority, it’s a business imperative for organizations globally. As business goals become more aligned with CSR and ESG, water security has emerged as a top priority for long-term growth and sustainable community development. By investing in water stewardship, companies not only protect this vital resource but also drive innovation, reduce risk, and create lasting value for both society and shareholders. The India Water Sustainability Forum was our effort to spotlight the important role that CSR can play in helping India to meet its commitment to SDG 6,” says Adarsh Kataruka, Managing Director, SoulAce.
The speakers who inspired the audience and sparked meaningful discussions included Ms. Dhanalakshmi Ramachandra, CSR Business Partner, Bayer; Mr. G Chandra Shekhar Gowda, Head-CSR, Sun Pharmaceuticals; Ms. Rema Mohan, CEO, NSE Foundation; and Mr. Shiv Santra, Head-CSR, Ultratech Cement, Aditya Birla Group who were part of the panel discussion on Watershed Conservation Initiatives and its Livelihood Impact. Moderated by Dr Pooja Prasad, Assistant Professor at IIT Delhi, the panel discussed community-based models in watershed protection and decision-making, challenges such as changing rainfall patterns, increasing droughts and floods that impact watershed initiatives.
The session on Innovative Drinking Water initiatives in CSR was moderated by Mr Adarsh Kataruka, Managing Director, SoulAce and the speakers on this panel were Ms. Arshiya Mecklai, Lead-CSR & Employee Volunteering, Tata Trent, Mr. Sandeep Kumar, General Manager - CSR, Indo Count Industries, Ms. Shilpashree Muniswamappa, Director-ESG & Communications, Colgate-Palmolive, and Ms. Sunita Sule, Director - Country Development & Government Relations, BASF India. While the speakers talked about the drinking water projects they are successfully steering in their respective organizations, they also discussed the challenges such as community involvement, infrastructure, government support, the linkage between safe drinking water and sanitation, and the impact of these initiatives in the lives of women of the community.
Mr. Vishwanath S, Director, Biome Environmental Solutions, during his expert session, gave a reality-check about the grim situation of availability of clear drinking water in the urban areas of India and the wide demand-supply gap that exists in large pockets of the indo-gangetic plain. He made a strong case for the government - industry collaboration to deal with the growing drinking water crisis and disappearing lakes and water bodies in India.
The panel discussion on Urban Water Security through Lake Restoration further emphasized on the historical and cultural significance of urban lakes, the urgent need for recharging groundwater, and the role that CSR is playing in supporting lake rejuvenation programs across India. Moderated by Mr Vishwanath, the speakers on this panel included Ms. Ashwini Deodeshmukh, Head-CSR, Godrej & Boyce; Mr. Himanshu Nivsarkar, Senior EVP and Head-CSR & ESG, Kotak Mahindra Bank; Ms. Pallavi Barua, Director-CSR, Tata Communications; and Mr. Subrato Roy, SVP-Communications, PR & CSR, HDFC Life.
An expert session on an Innovative Approach to Sustainable Water Conservation and Resource Management by Mr Sriram Raghavendran, Director at the Heartfulness Institute focused on a series of rainwater harvesting techniques that the Institute has implemented at its campus.
Mr Manish Kumar, Head - ESG & CSR, ICICI Bank; Dr Pooja Prasad, Assistant Professor, IIT Delhi; Mr Santos Verma, HSE Culture and Performance Coach, Sanofi; Mr Vijay Vardhan, General Manager, Social Investments Programme, ITC came together for a panel discussion on Water and Climate Resilience.This discussion was moderated by Mr Siddharth Agarwal, Founder, Veditum India Foundation. The panelists agreed that climate change is a reality, and its risks were becoming increasingly clear every day. As a result, the linkages between water and climate were playing out in our fragile ecosystem having a large-scale impact on biodiversity. The discussion steered towards adopting a systems approach to water conservation besides leveraging the knowledge being generated through advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities.
The Forum culminated with SoulAce launching a new report - The Impact of CSR Initiatives on India’s Water Security. The report is based on extensive research conducted by SoulAce, which includes over 100 impact assessment studies of CSR water programs.
CSR leaders from some of India's leading organizations came together at two interactive workshops aimed at enhancing our understanding of CSR compliance requirements and effective fund utilization strategies. The CSR Compliance and Fund Utilization Review Workshops were organized by SoulAce in Gurugram and Bengaluru in June and August 2024.
Led by Mr Adarsh Kataruka, Managing Director, SoulAce and Mr S K Kejriwal, an expert on CSR Compliance and Audit, the participants discussed a host of topics including:, The expanding role of the Board and the CSR Committee, Inclusions, restrictions and exclusions with respect to CSR expenditure, The three modes of implementation, the types of implementation agencies, and CSR implementation in association with another company, and The difference between the term “utilization” and “spending”; what constitutes utilization review.
These workshops are a reflection of our collective commitment to transparency and impactful change. By discussing the issues that concern the CSR community, we empower each other to not only meet compliance standards but also deepen the impact of CSR initiatives." says Adarsh Kataruka, Managing Director, SoulAce.
SoulAce partnered with IFC for The Shared Value Summit at The Leela Kempinski, Gurugram. The agenda of the summit was to deliberate on lessons from experiences of participating companies in their journey of creating shared value and present an interactive learning platform for the Indian enterprises. It had keynotes and plenary sessions discussing strategies of implementing shared value business models in practice.
The chief Guest of the Summit was Shri Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister of Railways, India. The honorable guest for the event were Mr Bibek Debroy (Member Niti Aayog), Prof Anil Gupta (Professor, IIM Ahemdabad) and many other delegates from Corporate, Government and Development Sector.
SoulAce as a platform partner collaborated with Economic Times to bring out ‘ongoing trends and future of CSR’ at Hotel Leela Palace, New Delhi. The chief guest of the event was Shri Ravi Shankar, Minster of Law and Justice and Information Technology. The event was attended by more than 150 delegates comprising of CXOs, Government o icials and Development Sector Professionals.
SoulAce in association with Indian Chamber of Commerce organised Eastern India CSR summit. The agenda of the summit was to share success stories on CSR and deliberate on future opportunities in the sector.
The chief guest for the summit was then Union Minster for Sports & Youth Affairs, Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal and Guest of Honour: Mr. Krishan Pal Gurjar, Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Minister of India. The summit also had keynote address by the founder of Sulabh International, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak. The summit was attended by 180 delegates from top MNCs and PSUs.
SoulAce in partnership with IFC organized Social Enterprise Summit at the Lalit, Mumbai. The agenda of the summit was to deliberate on how Conscious Capitalism is gradually emerging as a strong and viable form of doing business with a conscience. There is a growing network of global organizations and social enterprises, which are looking beyond the narrow focus on economic pro its or philanthropy towards the whole business idea of creating shared value. The summit was an attempt to bring together the minds, businesses and social enterprises who believe in conscious capitalism and shared value as a way forward for sustainable economic growth and wider social impact. The event was attended by more than 100 delegates across Corporate, Government and Development Agencies.
SoulAce partnered with IFC for the Sustainability Summit “Creating Social Impact through Corporate efforts” at The Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon. The Key Note address was delivered by Mr. Ashok Pavadia, Adviser & Addl. Secretary, ISCS, Government of India (Instrumental in framing CSR law)
Special address was given by Dr. Nipun Vinayak, Deputy Secterary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India. (Heading Swacch Bharat Abhiyan). The Summit had participation from more than 100 CXOs from leading companies including Yes Bank, Essar, Jubilant Life Sciences, PVR, Welspun Energy, Religare, Microsoft, DLF, Panasonic, Jindal Steel & Power, NBCC etc