What was expected to be yet another glittering evening of corporate applause and photo opportunities in Chennai turned out to be the ignition point of something far more consequential—a national movement pushing India’s CSR and HR sectors from ceremonial recognition to system-wide transformation.
Held on May 3, 2025, at the IITM Research Park and later culminating at the Minister’s residence on Greenways Road, the CSR & HR Awards 2025, organized by the Women’s League Foundation (WLF), brought together corporate leaders, policymakers, and social change-makers. But what followed went beyond awards, applause, and networking. It sparked a nationwide rethink on how corporate social responsibility and human resource practices must evolve—not for visibility, but for lasting, measurable community impact.
The Spotlight on System Builders
While several leaders were honored, V. R. Hari Balaji emerged as a figure whose journey exemplifies the shift from reactive aid to predictive, system-driven resilience. A Disaster Management and Sanitation/ Conservancy Expert, Hari Balaji has built a legacy not in the aftermath of crises but in preventing them.
With a professional footprint spanning Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Assam, West Bengal, and Bihar, his work stands as a blueprint for disaster governance, urban sanitation transformation, and inter-agency coordination. His academic and professional credentials include a Postgraduate Diploma from the Swiss Hotel Management School in Switzerland, international work experience across Switzerland, the USA, Kuwait, Singapore, and India, and an MBA from Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research. Currently pursuing his PhD in Disaster Management at Saveetha School of Law, Hari Balaji is investing his expertise back into India’s most vulnerable systems.
Accepting the Excellence in Disaster Management – Awareness and Impact Award, he reflected,
“Awards are fleeting, but impact is forever. True recognition isn’t measured in trophies, but in the systems that keep communities safe long after the applause ends. That’s why I returned to India—real change begins at home, not in foreign paychecks.”
A Roadmap for 2025 and Beyond
Hari Balaji presented a future-forward agenda that includes:
• Leveraging Technology for predictive disaster governance and real-time early warning systems.
• Strengthening Pre-Disaster Inter-Agency Coordination, moving away from post-crisis firefighting to effective and efficient pre-crisis preparedness.
• Transforming Sanitation Workers into First Responders, elevating their role in community resilience.
• Championing Dignity and Safety Standards for India’s conservancy and sanitation workforce.
These priorities signal a transition from fragmented initiatives to integrated, system-wide transformations—anchored in data, community engagement, and institutional collaboration.
The Launch of a National Movement
The awards night’s defining moment came with the unveiling of the CSR & HR Changemakers Platform, a first-of-its-kind national framework designed to move beyond symbolic recognition and drive sustained action.
Formally launched by Mr. C. V. Ganesan, Minister for Labour Welfare & Skill Development, Governemmt of Tamil Nadu and Mr. Veera Raghava Rao, I.A.S., Secretary of the Department, the platform aims to unify government, corporate, and civil society efforts in advancing social impact that is both measurable and scalable.
Divya Swapna Raj, Founder of WLF and Chairperson of the Changemakers Platform, articulated the platform’s mission:
“The future of CSR and HR in India lies in continuous engagement—not annual events. Our mission is to build living ecosystems that align corporate vision with community outcomes.”
India’s Cross-Sectoral Thought Leaders at the Helm
The platform brings together four of India’s most respected voices in disaster management, HR transformation, and organizational leadership:
• V. R. Hari Balaji, recognised for his leadership in strengthening disaster management and advancing sanitation/ conservancy systems.
• Charles Godwin, HR Leader and Public Speaker at Zoho, shaping people-first corporate cultures.
• Bindhu Nayarath, Vice President – Human Resources at Casagrand, driving workforce transformation.
• Sonia Janardhan Suvarna, Manager – HR at ICSR, IIT Madras, bridging academia and industry.
Turning Policy into Practice
The Changemakers Platform is built on three key imperatives:
1. Bridging Boardroom Strategies with Ground Realities – ensuring corporate vision translates into community transformation.
2. Converting Dialogue into Actionable Projects – moving beyond reports to real, on-the-ground impact.
3. Building Public-Private Partnerships – aligning government, corporate, and civil society for ecosystem-wide change.
Scaling for National Impact
With plans for nationwide stakeholder consultations, capacity-building programs, and public-private partnership accelerators, WLF is poised to transform the way India approaches CSR and HR.
As the leadership team sets its sights on expanding the platform’s footprint across industries and states, the message is clear:
While the awards have been presented, the real work begins now.
And in that work lies India’s opportunity—not just to recognize impact, but to institutionalize it.