If you’re interested in trends, then take a look at the attached – quite spectacular…
Richard Watson, who’s a futurologist created this, and he claims that those on the outer fray of this tube style map is already taking place.
Incredible stuff. Enjoy.
Remember those words? Remember Bob Geldof on TV during Live Aid launching into a tirade asking people to call in to pledge money for the people of Ethiopia? Well, guess what?
I’m on my way to Addis for the Africa Summit of the World Economic Forum, which last year was held in Cape Town – in Africa’s largest economy – South Africa. So, when they announced that this year it’d be in Ethiopia, I, and many others, looked a little puzzled – about their choice.
Since then, I’ve paid attention to everything “African” and am actually looking forward to attending, knowing that Ethiopia is one of world’s fastest growing economies – YES, you read correctly – Ethiopia’s BOOMING – who would have thought!!
Take a look at this BBC report if you want to learn more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15739706
I’m going to be live tweeting from Addis, so please do follow me on Twitter if you want to know what’s being said.
Such is the faith of people in India that problems, challenges, opportunities, and any successes are often attributed to a divine force – the almighty. I remember a raging argument with my mother when I was a child, in which she basically justified her in-action by citing the same – “if it’s meant to be…”, which I’ve always seen as a cop-out as she avoided taking responsibility for an action.
Well, the reason I mention this is that having participated in the World Economic Forum’s India Summit in Mumbai earlier this week, India’s political & business leadership reminded me of the raging argument between my mother and me. Just that in this case, India’s much celebrated captains of industry became my mum for two days.
The problem is that everyone now recognises that the challenges India faces are possibly too big to overcome. The shine has truly come off. The penny’s dropped and they don’t know what to do. So they’re happy just to bumble on and see what happens (if it’s meant to be…)
Such was the elation of the mid 2000’s, that she was pleased to have been invited to the G20, and other international platforms, it seems that they’ve forgotten that if they desire global recognition, they need to offer solutions that fix problems.
Take, for example, the construction industry which itself will see an investment of a trillion dollars over the next ten years, but where are the skilled tradesman? In a similar fashion, take any profession and you arrive at the same problem.
India’s much talked of demographic dividend stands to turn into the exact opposite if practical solutions are not found. It’s far too easy to say that the private sector needs to play a role by harnessing the opportunity. India’s government needs to follow through by creating a favourable policy environment, else… the risks to her growth are simply too significant to consider.
I’m quite a positive guy, but this Summit knocked the stuffing out of me.
Corruption, a bloated bureaucracy, a ego, all stand in the path of progress. That’s what the India Summit confirmed in my mind.
This interview was first featured on www.indiaincorporated.com, where I write a column called The Social Capital
The Social Capital with Vikas Pota – What giving really means?
Vikas Pota speaks to Malcolm Lane from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
Malcolm Lane has over 35 years’ management experience within the IT and telecommunications industries. He joined Tata Consultancy Services in 2001 where he is Director Corporate Affairs. He also leads the European Tata Corporate Sustainability Group, which encourages synergy across the Tata Group companies.
1. Is giving important? Why?
Yes, when we see others in need around us, I fail to see how we can close our eyes and ignore. Clearly it is not possible to support all in need locally or around the globe so we need to identify the areas close to our hearts where we feel we can have maximum impact.
2. What charities do you personally support?
Some of the groups overseas and locally in the UK that do marvellous work like Compassion, Tear Fund, British Asian Trust and Cell Barnes Residents Association, St Albans.
Health is another area close to my heart and support includes The Institute of Cancer Research, Myeloma UK, Grove House hospice, Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, Anthony Nolan Trust and Indian Cancer Society.
Through the online Just Giving channel I like to encourage people in their fundraising, especially employees of Tata Consultancy Services.
Education charities are another priority area for me. I admire and support groups like the Mumbai Mobile Crèche, Loomba Trust, African Children’s Choir (orphans in Africa), Cunningham Hill School UK – where I have been a school governor for 24 years, Bread Tin – teaching young City professionals philanthropy and Stepney Football club education projects.
A truly inspirational project is the Sevalaya School [www.sevalaya.org] project in India, built by a former TCS employee over a 20-year period. The idea is to help any child who cannot afford to pay to go to school. The school has an orphanage for boys and girls as well as an old people’s home, a library and medical centre and a sanctuary for cows. I have been associated with Sevalaya School for many years. It has succeeded in eradicating child labour in a number of villages in the area.
Some faith-based charities I support include Prospects UK – supporting adults with learning disabilities, Thirlmere Church, and students at All Nations Christian College addressing needs in society.
3. What was your first ever donation to a charity?
To my local church as a child in Sunday school.
4. Which individuals stand out for their support to charitable causes?
Eric Low, the CEO of Myeloma UK, and V. Muralidharan, founder and managing trustee of the Chennai-based Sevalaya School.
5. What percentage of our income should we give to good causes?
A minimum of 10 per cent is a good starting point. But for those who have more, I believe more is expected. Consider, if a person receiving a ridiculously high income of £1 million and then gives away 90 per cent they are still left with £100,000 which is four times the national average income. So, 10 per cent for high earners (however you define high earners) would seem inadequate.
6. What do you, personally, gain from contributing?
I believe we should give expecting nothing in return. However, sometimes we are pleasantly surprised with gifts that money cannot buy, such as a get well card signed individually by 750 children from Sevalaya School, Chennai, and subsequently a thank you card signed by 900 children a few years later on my 60th birthday.
7. Do administrative charges by charities determine your decisions?
I used to judge a charity as being good if it had a very low administration charge, however we need to be more sophisticated in our approach. Different charities include different activities in their administration charges. Whilst I would still want to see low administrative charges, the administrative activities can be the engine and powerhouse of a charity.
8. When was the last time you volunteered for a cause?
On June 27, 2011, I spoke in the House of Parliament at the launch of Myeloma UK’s latest initiative to improve information to Health Care Professionals (HCPs) of the latest treatment and care options via the Myeloma Academy training facility. The aim was for the HCPs to be equipped to inform patients of the best treatments and latest options available in terms of emotional and financial support.
9. Should charitable donations be private?
We need to look from the perspective of those in need and if making our giving visible encourages others to give we should swallow our humility or pride to remain humble. However, neither should we be proud and shout ‘look at me, how good am I for giving so much’ or use our giving as a means of buying favour or recognition. In addition to financial donations, we should donate our time and skills which might be visible and as a result have a positive impact on those the charity is seeking to support.
10. Does your faith play a role in the charities you support?
A strong driver in life is my Christian faith, but not just faith for faith’s sake. Faith without deeds is dead and that action should be to meet the needs of those of all faiths and those of none. Faith might be our driver but not to just meet the needs of those aligned to our own faith. Unless faith brings about action with compassion for those in need, we had better confine the promotion of our faith to those well off and comfortable, which would be to my mind a wrong understanding of faith. I would summarise my Christian faith as ‘love God and love your neighbour’. Who is my neighbour? All those in need!
Through these in-depth interviews with industry leaders, Vikas Pota asks charity-related questions that unearth the driving force behind their philanthropy and social responsibility.
That corruption in India is an issue is not news to anyone. Just look at the news headlines being generated by Anna Hazare’s attempt to reshape the Lokpal Bill. You see scores of everyday people piling in behind this, BUT…
What I’m dismayed about is the manner in which big business has keep out of the fray. In a country that accords celebrity status to the likes of the Ambani’s and other businessmen / promoter families, why is there such a deafening silence?
I’ve often canvassed opinion on the issue of corruption in India, and the overwhelming opinion of businessmen is that paying people off is justified as long as it progresses their matter! It’s the cost of doing business in India.
Aggrieved that I’m accusing their country of being a shady place, they quickly retort by asking rhetorically whether our business practices are cleaner and cite examples such as BAe systems case dropped by the Labour government in the national interest. Or more recently, the hacking scandal that’s engulfed the media industry. They also cite the parliamentary expenses scandal as another example in which the UK is as corrupt a society as India.
So, what’s your view?
Earlier today, it was announced that KV Kamath would become Chairman of Infosys – a major Indian and international IT services company that’s based in Bangalore.
In my book titled ‘India’s Inc – How India’s Top 10 Entrepreneurs Are Winning Globally’, I interviewed and included Kamath – although he wasn’t an entrepreneur per se – simply because he’d taken a boring, old world, finance institution and made it globally competitive – displaying all the traits that successful entrepreneurs display while building their businesses. In the book, I called him ‘India’s banker’ as ICICI had truly become a force in India. Their retail operations were slick, their corporate and investment bank delivered exceptional returns etc. The thing that truly marked him out, though, was his fascination with technology. He could have easily been the Chief Technology Officer for ICICI, such was his grasp of the potential technology held to provide a well deserved boost to his company.
For this reason, it came as no surprise that KVK, on retirement as CEO of ICICI, was asked to serve in Infy’s Board. So in many respects, this announcement also doesn’t come as a major surprise to the markets.
Interestingly, Narayana Murthy, founder and soon to retire Chairman of Infosys, also features in my book. Murthy’s known for many things but what stuck out was his commitment to retiring from Infosys as per the governance of the company. In many cases, such words are seen as niceties as it’s widely expected that their next generation will take over, so for this reason its important to mention and celebrate an entrepreneur who’s kept to his word on this – not that anyone has ever doubted it.
Recently, I’ve also read some of the media coverage around succession at Infosys in particular, which despite being interesting to ponder, is in fact a sign of things to come. Mr Murthy and his band of founders will retire soon. Whilst they claim that Infosys will thrive without them, Kamath’s appointment is a litmus test on their faith in the company that they’ve built.
It’ll be worth keeping an eye on Infosys, that’s for sure.
In the past year, you’ve seen the who’s who of global politics make a bee line to New Delhi. Despite scams, corruption, failure of governance, and all such less desirable faces to India, David Cameron, Barack Obama, Nicholas Sarkozy, Wen Jiabao, and now President Medvedev seem keen to cosy up to a country, which when spoken of is often referred to as a slow elephant in comparison to the Dragon that’s come to symbolise China.
With the global economy facing severe challenges, its understandable that they seek to forge stronger partnerships with a nation that’s averaging GDP growth of 8.5% and with an increasingly young & affluent population. But is this the only reason?
Clearly, no.
The movement towards India is also, if not more so, about geo-politics. It’s about regional balance.
It was said that Cameron’s love for India is really about countering the emphasis the Blair gave to developing relations with China. America similarly after decades of a cool relationship with India warmed up by paving the way for the game-changing civil nuclear agreement, and the French have always been good friends with India, just as the Russians have.
In fact, it comes as no surprise that Medvedev is in India. There are some parallels and reasons to work together. Both have a massive need for infrastructure, which friends suggest, India is more likely to get done because it’s more open to foreign expertise and has lots of cheap labour. The significant differences are that India’s democracy is more developed and Russia has a serious demographic problem. It has some natural resources that India needs, but I’d say that Russia is definitely in a weaker economic position long term. That’s why Medvedev needs to work with India.
On a strategic plane, the India- Russia relationship goes back decades, for it was the Russians who were early to recognise India’s potential, both on the economic, and also on the geopolitical matrix as a counter to China, decades ago. Medvedev will be pushing an open door when in New Delhi.
You don’t need to be a genius to work out that India & China are key to the prosperity of nations like ours, but what’s critical is that the dance between the slow elephant and the fierce dragon doesn’t lead to an all out x-factor type contest where instead of houses being divided as to who’s the more meritorious, countries have to decide who to back for the big time. That’s why, in my opinion, Premier Wen’s sojourn to India was probably the most important visit of the lot.
It matters that China and India work towards resolution on key issues. It matters to the prosperity of future generations, in Russia, and the world over.
Wow. What a visit this is working out to be for Obama. Fresh from his defeat in the mid-term polls, Obama arrived in India on his first visit and on day one announced 20 business deals worth over $10bn, which will create approx 53,000 new jobs in the US.
Contrast that with David Cameron’s first visit a couple of months ago. Anyone remember that?
My Tory friends criticised me for saying openly on the BBC that Cameron ought to follow through from his visit to the US, where he declared that Britain was the junior partner in the special relationship. In India, he might as well continue taking that line when he was going to be there a few weeks later.
As far as I am concerned, when a quarter of the world’s workforce is going to reside in India in the next 15 years, or when a country can claim to have more middle class consumers that the entire population of the US, it’s time has come. The fact that India & China will reclaim their place in global commerce is not a secret. It’s something that we need to get a grip with. In this respect, they’re going to dictate the terms, be the senior partners of any relationship.
Whilst my original point wasn’t meant to be political, I ask those who felt I was speaking an untruth or heaping shame on Cameron to reflect on the substance of Obama’s visit and then really tell me that our Prime Minister & Britain isn’t the junior partner.
Leave a comment on my blog. Let’s have an open discussion.
Given his advocacy of a flat world, it came as no surprise when Tom Friedman was asked to moderate a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum’s Summer Davos event in China, deliberating what forces may shape our futures.
The assembled panel included Otto Scharmer who teaches at MIT, Kai-Fu Lee, a Chinese entrepreneur, and Dov Siedman, an American CEO – it needs to be said that whilst I hadn’t heard of the latter two, they stole the show as far as I was concerned.
Kai-Fu’s remarks on innovation were clever, but must have gone down like a lead balloon in China. After learning more about the guy, it comes as no surprise that he may have used the platform to score a political point with the Chinese authorities. Since the event, I learnt of his influence in China as a result of his previous roles as Microsoft and Google in China. His following on Twitter clearly shows he’s hot property.
He put forward a view that the next decade or so would be characterized by micro innovation – where entrepreneurs build on other peoples ideas, launch imperfect products, which they quickly refine and add value to. He explained that a Google or Apple come around once in a generation, and in all likelihoods regardless of the hype surrounding China’s emergence, the likelihood of successful innovative products coming from the mainland were almost non-existent.
To raised eyebrows and a growing sense of dismay, he spoke about the deficiencies of the Chinese education system, which he said didn’t allow for ‘out of the box’ thinking, thus holding back breakthroughs and progress that China so craves. Of course, he explained as a result of his own American education, he saw that America was better placed to deliver the next BIG discovery – thi in particular would have hit the nationalist nerve in China.
What he said made absolute sense, but to say it on home-turf in such an open manner must have been part of some plan in his head. Whatever game he’s playing (if any), I’m sure he’s likely to emerge victorious regardless of the type of reaction he received from the assembled Chinese media fraternity in the room that afternoon.
On the other hand, what Dov Siedman said chimed with everyone. He specializes in advising companies on ethics, and one his comments left an indelible mark on me.
He explained that in today’s world, whilst we’re able to exercise our judgment about what’s right or wrong, the clarity that a corporation needs to find should centre on how they’ll scale, not the company, but the values that we cherish the most. By doing so, the probabilities of building a sustainable and successful organization would, he suggests, increase dramatically.
By putting thought leaders like, Friedman, Kai-Fu and Siedman in the mix for a concluding session at a meeting like this, I believe that a strong signal has been transmitted by the WEF, marking a departure from one in which, not bankers, but genuine strategists were able to articulate their visions for what the future holds for us.
For someone who really finds it difficult to pay attention and actively listen to people, it may come as a surprise when I say that I really found the recently concluded World Economic Forum’s ‘Summer Davos’ meeting for Global Growth Companies in Tianjin, China to be thought provoking and stimulating.
Sessions ranged from the technical subjects such as the future of solar energy solutions, to the crystal ball gazing type that the WEF team facilitates extremely well.
For me, the Mentor Sessions with Chief Executives of Anglo American, Infosys, Metro Group, and Nestle were the highlights. The CEO’s provided their views on & experiences of various aspects of the journey that leaders from emerging companies will go through – just like they once did.
It goes without saying that the WEF brought together interesting people and communities to interact, debate and learn from each other, not just as speakers, but attendees. Given that they’ve been fine-tuning their proposition for so long, you can be assured of some high quality networking, which is exactly what I found.
All in all a great few days, well organized, and importantly – an enriching experience.