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Optics to outcome: Corporate India needs to do more on diversity
Business Standard Editorial Comment Mumbai
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The appointment of Priya Nair as the first woman managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Hindustan Unilever marks an important milestone for corporate India, which has witnessed slow progress in terms of gender diversity in leadership roles. Regulatory measures, such as the listing regulations mandating at least one woman director on the board of a listed company, have pushed companies towards greater boardroom diversity. However, progress has not been as desired. Women hold just 21 per cent of board seats, and only around 5 per cent of National Stock Exchange-listed firms have women as CEOs or managing directors.

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Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
From charity to capitalism with conscience, ESG gains ground in Indian healthcare and pharma
New Delhi: As India's healthcare sector races toward a projected USD 596 billion valuation by 2025, a quiet but powerful shift is underway—Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles are emerging as the next big disruptor. No longer just a corporate buzzword, ESG is now being seen as a critical framework to tackle inequities, attract impact-driven capital , and build a resilient, inclusive healthcare ecosystem. Experts say ESG could be the game-changer India needs to move beyond piecemeal CSR initiatives and government subsidies—offering instead a data-backed, accountability-driven approach to bridging access gaps, especially in rural and underserved regions. Despite its massive scale, healthcare accounts for just six per cent of the total market capitalisation of the top 1,000 NSE-listed firms—highlighting an urgent need for long-term, value-based transformation. With over 7.5 million workers across hospitals, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, medtech, and biotech, embedding ESG may not just boost investor trust—it could define India's path to becoming a global healthcare leader by 2047. India currently ranks 120 out of 156 countries on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index, reflecting an urgent need to adopt frameworks that move from short-term charity to measurable, long-term impact. In a conversation with ETHealthworld, Amit Bhatia, Founder of Aspire Impact and Aspire Circle, emphasised the growing relevance of ESG in reshaping healthcare outcomes across the country. 'ESG enables us to move from charity to capitalism with conscience . It incentivises healthcare providers to address underserved populations through market-based mechanisms, improving both health outcomes and investment returns,' he said. India's healthcare landscape is marked by deep-rooted inequities, especially in rural and tier 2/3 cities, where critical gaps in infrastructure, affordability, and access remain. According to Bhatia, traditional philanthropy often lacks scale, sustainability, and accountability. ESG frameworks, by contrast, offer structured and quantifiable models backed by 150+ healthcare-specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These KPIs track metrics viz patient safety and care quality, medical waste management, gender equity and workforce inclusion, affordability and last-mile access, digital health adoption and ethical governance and transparency 'Only 25 per cent of Indian companies disclose ESG metrics today. But those that do often enjoy 5 to 20 per cent higher valuation multiples, increased investor trust, and improved brand equity,' Bhatia noted. Unlike one-off donations or government subsidies that risk creating dependency, ESG-driven investments aim to align profitability with purpose. Aspire Impact uses a Dual ESG Ratings & Rankings system that evaluates companies on both risk mitigation and impact potential, helping guide capital towards organisations making a measurable difference—particularly in low-access geographies. Through its evaluation of over 1,000 companies, Aspire has helped develop sector-specific ESG roadmaps tailored to various industries. The healthcare ESG framework, launched in 2022, is designed to support providers operating in underserved regions, where demand for quality, inclusive care is rapidly growing. Bhatia also highlighted how embedding ESG principles into public health initiatives—such as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission (ABDM)—can significantly enhance transparency, accountability, and scalability. He further called for greater alignment between ESG disclosures and India's regulatory mandates, including the Companies Act and SEBI's ESG reporting requirements. This alignment, he noted, could catalyse widespread adoption of ESG frameworks across both public and private healthcare players. 'The future of healthcare is not just digital or data-driven, it must be value-driven. ESG allows us to quantify our intentions, measure our progress, and attract capital that's both responsible and results-oriented,' Bhatia said. With sustainability and accountability becoming top priorities for investors, ESG adoption in healthcare is no longer optional—it's a strategic imperative. For India to bridge persistent gaps in equity, affordability, and access, ESG provides a clear and actionable pathway to achieving universal healthcare goals while reinforcing national resilience. As India looks ahead to its centenary in 2047, embedding ESG principles into healthcare strategy could become a defining lever—reshaping not just institutions, but also the future of public health and social impact in the country.


Mint
10 hours ago
- Mint
DBS Conferred Three Global Awards, Including the Most Prestigious ‘World's Best Bank' Accolade, by Euromoney
Singapore & India – Business Wire India Recognised as 'World's Best Bank for Customer Experience' and 'World's Best Bank for Corporate Responsibility' Also named 'Best Digital Bank for SMEs – India' in a first-time win from Euromoney DBS scored a hat-trick of global wins at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025. This included receiving the 'World's Best Bank' accolade, marking the third time that the bank has clinched Euromoney's top accolade since 2019. The recognition is a testament to DBS' solid financial performance, unwavering commitment to customer excellence, relentless focus on innovation and strong sense of purpose. DBS was also named the inaugural winner in the 'World's Best Bank for Customer Experience' category and 'World's Best Bank for Corporate Responsibility' for the second time. In another maiden win from Euromoney, DBS has been recognised as the Best Digital Bank for SMEs in India, underlining the value that its digital-first offering has delivered for customers domestically as well. 'At a time of economic uncertainty and rapid technological change, DBS stands out for its future-forward approach, focus on trust and reliability, and proven ability to realise value from technology investments,' said Dominic O'Neill, Head of Banking, Euromoney, in its award citation. 'The bank's agile-at-scale transformation has shown fruits in revenues and customer satisfaction, and low staff turnover rates are a result of investing in its employees throughout their careers, and of an underlying sense of purpose, including to social and environment causes. DBS has also demonstrated how banks can steer their organisations towards excellence in customer service. All this has had an impact on its financial results and shareholder returns, which have both reached record levels.' In 2024, DBS' total income of SGD 22.3 billion and net profit of SGD 11.4 billion were both at new highs. Return on equity of 18.0% was one of the highest among developed market banks. The bank was also the first Singapore-listed company to cross USD 100 billion in market capitalisation. On the customer front, DBS has continued to innovate to make banking simpler, more effortless and highly personalised. In 2024, this included engaging more than 13 million customers across the region through 1.2 billion AI-powered personalised nudges to guide them towards better investment and financial decisions. Last year, the bank more than doubled economic outcomes from AI to SGD 750 million through over 370 use cases. It also continued to mature the way it manages through journeys, improving customer satisfaction, turnaround times and other customer outcomes in the process. DBS' commitment to corporate responsibility cuts across the environmental, social and governance pillars. To help drive Asia's transition to a low-carbon economy, DBS has committed SGD 89 billion in sustainable financing commitments net of repayments. It has also pledged up to SGD 1 billion and over 1.5 million volunteer hours in the coming decade, starting 2024, to improve lives and livelihoods of the low-income and underprivileged in Asia. Tan Su Shan, DBS CEO, said: 'We are very honoured to be conferred three global awards, including the 'World's Best Bank' accolade, by Euromoney. Innovation and purpose are integral to the DBS culture, driven by our desire to make banking simpler and more effortless for customers, as well as to do real things for real people. To be recognised for our commitment to customers and society, who are at the heart of everything we do at DBS, is very gratifying. We will continue to be that trusted, purpose-driven and transformative partner that everyone can count on.' Rajat Verma, Managing Director and CEO, DBS Bank India, added 'The recognition from Euromoney is an affirmation of the trust our customers place in us and the impact we have on the communities we serve. The first-time award for 'Best Digital Bank for SMEs' in India has reinforced that our support for SMEs is truly valued, as we help them innovate, internationalise and increase competitiveness.' DBS received its first global Best Bank title in 2018, when New York-based Global Finance named it the Best Bank in the World. That same year, The Banker, a publication by the Financial Times, awarded DBS the title of Global Bank of the Year. In the years that followed, DBS continued to earn top honours, with Euromoney and Global Finance conferring their highest accolades in 2019 (Euromoney), 2020 (Global Finance), and 2021 (Euromoney). This latest World's Best Bank win marks the eighth time DBS has been recognised for its global leadership. DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 19 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS is in the three key Asian axes of growth: Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The bank's "AA-" and "Aa1" credit ratings are among the highest in the world. In 2025, CRISIL Ratings reaffirmed its 'CRISIL AAA/Stable' rating on the corporate credit facility of DBS Bank India Ltd (DBIL). The rating on the certificate of deposits programme was also reaffirmed at 'CRISIL A1+'. Recognised for its global leadership, DBS has been named 'World's Best Bank' by Global Finance, 'World's Best Bank' by Euromoney and 'Global Bank of the Year' by The Banker. The bank is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, having been named 'World's Best Digital Bank' by Euromoney and the world's 'Most Innovative in Digital Banking' by The Banker. In addition, DBS has been accorded the 'Safest Bank in Asia' award by Global Finance for 16 consecutive years from 2009 to 2024. In 2025, DBS Bank India was recognised by CRISIL - Coalition Greenwich as the Best Bank for Corporate Banking and Best Bank for Corporate Cash Management in India. Euromoney also named DBS Bank India the Best Digital Bank for SMEs in India in 2025. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region's most dynamic markets. DBS Bank has been present in India for more than 30 years, opening its first office in Mumbai in 1994. DBS Bank India Limited is the first among the large foreign banks in India to start operating as a wholly owned, locally incorporated subsidiary of a leading global bank. As a trusted partner, DBS provides a range of banking services for large, medium, and small enterprises and individual consumers in India, focusing on a seamless customer experience that helps them 'Live more, Bank less'. In November 2020, Lakshmi Vilas Bank was merged with DBS Bank India Limited. DBS Bank India is now present in ~350 locations in 19 Indian states. DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, as it banks the Asian way. Through the DBS Foundation, the bank creates impact beyond banking by supporting businesses for impact: enterprises with a double bottom-line of profit and social and/or environmental impact. DBS Foundation also gives back to society in various ways, including equipping underserved communities with future-ready skills and helping them to build food resilience. With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. For more information, please visit Note to the Reader: This article is part of Hindustan Times' promotional consumer connect initiative and is independently created by the brand. Hindustan Times assumes no editorial responsibility for the content.
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Business Standard
12 hours ago
- Business Standard
Godavari Biorefineries stock jumps 5% on Chinese patent for cancer drug
Godavari Biorefineries share price today: Shares of Godavari Biorefineries surged 5 per cent on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, recording an intraday high of ₹327.43 per share. At 01:35 PM, shares of Godavari Biorefineries were trading at the day's highest level on the National Stock Exchange. In comparison, NSE Nifty was trading largely flat at 25,082.45, down by 8 points. The total market capitalisation of the company stood at ₹1,675.66 crore. So far this calendar year, the shares of the company have remained flat, albeit in the red territory, down by just over 1 per cent. Why were Godavari Biorefineries' shares buzzing in trade? The buying on the counter came after the company announced in a latest exchange filing that its clinical-stage biotech division, Sathgen Therapeutics, was granted a patent by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) for its novel anticancer molecule. The patent covers a novel class of compounds that have shown strong inhibitory effects on cancer and cancer stem cells in vitro studies. These compounds have demonstrated significant efficacy against multiple cancer cell types, including breast and prostate cancer, as per the exchange filing. "Our focus on original, high-quality science continues to guide our journey beyond green chemistry into life sciences,' said Dr. Sangeeta Srivastava, executive director, Godavari Biorefineries. 'This Chinese patent reinforces the promise of our lead molecule and the vital work being done by our team at Sathgen Therapeutics to develop innovative therapies for some of the most pressing medical needs worldwide," she added. Godavari Biorefineries already has an established presence on the global front. Its biotech division, Sathgen Therapeutics, is actively involved in the development of novel cancer and antiviral therapies. It is also worth mentioning that just earlier this month, the company was granted a patent in Europe for its novel anticancer molecule. About Godavari Biorefineries Godavari Biorefineries was originally incorporated as 'Godavari Investment and Finance Corporation Ltd.' in Mumbai on January 12, 1956. The name of the company was changed on November 10, 2006, as 'Godavari Biorefineries'. The company is involved in the manufacturing of ethanol-based chemicals in India and has one of the largest integrated bio-refineries in the country in terms of installed capacity.