Group Head/Assistant Vice President - Environmental Social & Governance - Financial Services

Group Head - AVP - ESG

- Our Client is an India's most diversified financial services conglomerate.

- It is focused on lending, asset management, wealth management and insurance.

- The incumbent would be part of the central team, driving ESG initiatives for the group (Environmental, Social and Governance).

Location : HO Pune

Business Context :

- The Group ESG function works with all the Group Companies to drive ESG adoption and reporting.

- The function also involves interaction with external stakeholders for furtherance of Group's ESG initiatives.

- Drives continuous benchmarking to deliver best in class ESG rating within Financial Services space.

Job Purpose :

- Establish an ESG governance structure at the group level and drive the same at Operating Entity level through monitoring their respective Steering Committees.

- The role is responsible for formulating a plan and execute various projects for furtherance of ESG initiatives of the Group.

- Develop and implement a comprehensive sustainability strategy, aligned with the Group's goals and values.

- Oversee the overall execution and efficacy of the ESG and Sustainability functionality.

- Collaborate with various Operating Entities to identify sustainability opportunities and drive the implementation initiatives.

- In collaboration and consensus with the operating entities, decide on the long term and short term commitments while bringing cohesiveness in projects, policies, reporting etc.

- The role would also involve driving projects based on external stakeholder consultation for:

- Improving our periodic ESG reporting across all group companies.

- Implementation of reporting tools,

- Adoption of reporting standards,

- Dealing with rating / assurance / certification agencies. Lead efforts to identify, obtain and maintain relevant sustainability certifications and accreditations.

- Drive external reporting, including assurance, designing etc.

- Ensure best in class ratings.

- Role would also require participating in ESG committee meetings of the group companies and the Group level ESG committee meetings.

- Provide leadership and guidance to cross-functional teams, promoting a culture of sustainability throughout the organization.

- Collaborate with the marketing and communications teams to develop and implement sustainability-focused campaigns and initiatives to educate and engage internal and external stakeholders.

- Board level updates.

Major Challenges :

- (Challenges faced on an on-going basis in carrying out the job).

- Working with various companies and personalities in the group.

- Scope of work can be fluid and can expand significantly.

- Developing new ideas and getting teams to work on them.

- Diverse nature of businesses of various Operating Entities within the group and varying extent of various elements of ESG to them, e.g relevance of environmental issues to the life insurance business, leading to challenge of overall of scope of ESG initiatives.

- Driving new projects towards furtherance of ESG across the group companies.

- ESG ratings is a derivative of not only ESG projects, but also various Corporate Governance and Structural requirements which will require a lot of influencing.

- Setting up budget of ESG expenses via annual operating plan for the overall group as well as via Operating Entities.

Decisions :

- (Key decisions taken by job holder at in consultation with Supervisor).

- Deciding timelines and acting as project manager.

- Decisions on engagement of external agencies.

- Decision on adoption of reporting framework.

- Decision on driving balance between business and ESG needs.

Total Team Size :

- 1 to 2 dedicated reportees. Need basis team from the functions also to be roped in.

- Lot of engagement with ESG heads of group companies who should have dotted line reporting to Group ESG Lead.

Educational Qualifications :

- Any degree / course on ESG would be preferred.

Functional Skills :

- Prior experience on ESG (execution / reporting / monitoring) and exposure to technical requirements related to ESG, e.g. UNSDG, GRI, etc.