Dr Mukund Rajan, Chairman, ECube Investment Advisors
Dr. Rajan is the Chairman of ECube Investment Advisors, a platform created in 2019 to catalyze Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) related changes in Corporate India.
Podcast
Overview
It is said that we must treat our planet like it is a loan we have taken from future generations, but historically it is proven that we have exploited our planet time and again, for our own benefit. Large corporations become the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Although things are now improving in terms of awareness, are we making any progress towards making our planet a better place for our future generations? Let’s find out with our guest Dr. Mukund Rajan.
Dr. Mukund is the Chairman of ECube Investment Advisors, a firm that catalyzes Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) related changes in Corporate India. Dr. Rajan has had a successful career of 23 years with Tata Groups, including the first Brand Custodian of the Tata Group, head of the foreign offices of Tata Sons, and Chair of the Tata Global Sustainability Council, Member of the Group Executive Council at Tata Sons. Honored by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, Dr. Rajan developed a keen interest in environmental issues during his Masters and Doctorate at Oxford University.
How relevant is the ESG to the corporate sector?
Dr. Rajan informs us that environmental social governance is of utmost relevance to the corporate sector. Large and small firms become huge contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in our country making India the third-largest producer of greenhouse gases after China and the USA.
“The Indian corporate sector, I think has a huge responsibility to play its part in trying to address some of the genesis of global warming and climate change, in particular, reducing its carbon emissions.”
Dr. Rajan then talks about the impact of mid and small businesses on our environment and how they have become our new big players in producing carbon emissions. He then shares some hard facts about how India is dealing with the issue of global warming. We are still in the talking phase of planning about these issues, while developed countries have had the opportunity to build awareness about environmental issues much earlier than us.
Businesses that are thoughtful of the sustainability of their products and packaging are on the track of becoming favorable companies to investors and buyers. There is a shift in the mindset of an average consumer in the whole world. Dr. Rajan also talks about how millennials are changing the environmental situation by being more conscious about the sustainability and the environmental impact of their activities.
Tune in to this episode and get more aware of the environmental issues and what can be done about them!
“Everybody in the organization, if you want the organization to be truly successful, has to believe that they are in part owners of the business and really represent the brand.”
Profile
Dr. Rajan is the Chairman of ECube Investment Advisors, a platform created in 2019 to catalyze Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) related changes in Corporate India. Prior to this, he held a number of senior executive positions through his 23-year career with the Tata Group, including Chief Ethics Officer of the Tata Group, the first Brand Custodian of the Tata Group, head of the foreign offices of Tata Sons, Chair of the Tata Global Sustainability Council, Member of the Group Executive Council at Tata Sons, Head of Private Equity at Tata Capital, and Managing Director of one of the Group’s listed telecom businesses. He served on the boards of various Tata companies including Tata Teleservices, Tata Communications, Roots Corporation, Piem Hotels, Tata SIA Airlines, Tata AIG, and the TCS Foundation.
Dr. Rajan serves as the Chairperson of the Environment Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and is a member of the Council of Management of the Forum of Free Enterprise. He has previously served as the Chair of the India@75 Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Chair of the CII Core Group on China.
In 2007, the World Economic Forum honored Dr. Rajan as a Young Global Leader. He was also part of the inaugural class of the CII-Aspen Institute India Leadership Initiative.
Dr. Rajan graduated from the Bachelor of Technology program at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in 1989. He received a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University, where he completed a Masters and Doctorate in International Relations. His doctoral dissertation titled “Global Environmental Politics – India and the North-South Politics of Global Environmental Issues” was published by Oxford University Press in 1996, and his second book, “The Brand Custodian” was published by HarperCollins in 2019.
