Media Release
For immediate release
Delhi, India: The Advisory Group of Dishaa - an initiative
for future leaders in the United Kingdom and India - has set a
challenge to be investigated by 40 high potential individuals from
the private, public, government and not-for-profit sectors in
2011.
The emerging leaders from the United
Kingdom and India will investigate solutions, and wider
implications, to the following challenge in Pune, India over four
days early next year:
Heart surgery at $1,000
(USD) - what has to change in how society operates and innovates to
make this a reality?
This challenge will be announced by the Advisory Group Chair of
Dishaa, Sudhakar Rao, at the British High Commission in Delhi
tonight.
"We heard today from Dr Devi Shetty, to my mind one of the most
innovative surgeons in the world, that heart surgery at $1,000 USD
is a reality. The challenge facing future leaders in the UK and
India is to investigate how society and systems would need to
change to drive this type of innovation to scale," said Common
Purpose Chief Executive, Julia Middleton. "This challenge is
perfect for Dishaa participants because it frames a specific idea
that requires widespread, systematic and social change to make it a
reality and would apply to many other widespread social, political
and economic issues facing the UK and India today."
The aim of the Dishaa initiative is to expand, enrich and
energise relations between India and the UK by investing in the
next generation of leaders. It will achieve this by developing
shared approaches in both countries to some of the toughest
challenges facing leaders today. The initiative was first
announced by British Prime Minister, David Cameron, in July
2010.
"Dishaa is Hindi for direction. Dishaa enables future leaders to
see how much can be gained through links between the UK and India
as they set the direction for their lives and careers," said Dishaa
Advisory Group Chair, Sudhakar Rao.
Participants in Dishaa are welcome to apply from diverse fields,
including civil society, arts, media, government and business in
India and the UK. They will participate in four days of intensive
investigation of the challenge in Pune, India, and will report back
their findings to the challenge to a panel of policy experts in
mid-2011.
The Dishaa Advisory Group is comprised of the following members:
Sudhakar Rao, former Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka
(Dishaa Chair); Dr Isher Ahluwalia, Chairperson ICRIER; Karan
Bhagat, Managing Director, Barclays Corporate Banking, India;
Michael Duck, Senior Vice President, UBM Asia; Dame Amelia Fawcett,
Board Member, State Street Corporation; R Gopalakrishnan, Executive
Director, Tata Sons, India; Jo Johnson, MP, Member of Parliament
for Orpington; Jude Kelly, Artistic Director, South Bank Centre;
Chris Mathias, Director, Arbor Ventures, UK; Lord Chris Patten,
Chancellor, University of Oxford; Mariam Ram, Founder, TNQ
Publishers; Dr Devi Shetty, Chairman, Narayana Hrudayalaya,
Bangalore; Lord Nick Stern, UK India Round Table, UK; and Philip
Wright, Partner, PwC, UK.
Dishaa is proudly sponsored by Barclays, Cisco, Kingfisher
Airlines, PwC, Tilda and UBM. The venue at Pune, kind courtesy Tata
Management Training Centre
- Ends.
Notes to Editors:
About Dishaa
Dishaa will expand, enrich and energise relations between India
and the UK by investing in the next generation of leaders. By
fostering discussion amongst a network of diverse leaders, the
initiative will develop shared approaches to 21st
Century political, economic and social challenges for emerging
talent in both countries.
Common Purpose has developed the Dishaa initiative in
partnership with the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
The 40 participants (20 from both India and the UK) will be high
achievers from different backgrounds and a variety of sectors.
Participants will draw insights from across the two countries
and from the diverse range of leaders and organisations involved.
It will allow future leaders to work together to address complex
challenges.
Each year Dishaa will identify a compelling challenge, common to
both countries. The participants then gather in India or the UK to
meet the challenge. They investigate the issues locally, develop
their thinking, work up ideas - big and small - and present their
findings.
Why Dishaa?
There is a new direction in leadership in the UK and India - and
in Hindi, Dishaa means 'direction'.
Dishaa is supported by the Governments of the United Kingdom and
India, recognising that emerging leaders are facing new challenges
brought about by the changing economic, political and social
environments in the both countries. Many of the challenges are
shared, many contrast, and much can be learned by fostering
relations between emerging leaders in the UK and India.
Leaders in the UK and India will not be able to tackle issues in
isolation, or rely on an historic understanding of the relationship
between the two countries to be effective. Dishaa is a leading edge
example of new models of engagement, with investment in people,
relationships and talent.
Emerging leadership will be one of the driving forces behind
India's rapid growth and innovation as, according to the United
Nations, approximately 50 per cent of the country's population is
under the age of 25 and two-thirds are under the age of 35.
In the United Kingdom, as the current generation of established
leadership ages, there is the need for rapid succession planning
and much responsibility will be placed on new talent to take the
country into an era of recovery and future success. In the UK's
post-recession 'big society', the need for a new mode of leadership
that is self reliant and able to be nimble, move quickly across
cultures and think beyond their job description.
Dishaa is an initiative that recognises there is much to be
learned from existing models of leadership in the economies of the
West, and a great deal to be learned from more traditional and the
emerging fast-paced and entrepreneurial style of leadership in the
East.
Dishaa will foster this new direction in leadership by
expanding, enriching and energising relations between the UK and
India. The initiative will challenge future leaders to find real
solutions to real problems set by real leaders.
Who is Dishaa for?
Applications to participate in the Dishaa initiative are invited
from future leaders across the UK and India. Participants in Dishaa
will bring new and different views and opinions to the challenge
set by the Dishaa Advisory Group on a key policy issue that will
have significant impact on the future of UK-India relations. They
will report their insights and findings to senior policy makers
from both the UK and India at the conclusion of the initiative.
These leaders will be 40 (20 from both the UK and India)
exceptional and high achieving individuals working in all sectors
and backgrounds including: manufacturing, professional services,
retail, police, education, health and government; the arts, media,
sport, voluntary organisations, development and charities.
ADishaa participant could, for example, be an entrepreneur
looking to expand their business internationally or the director of
a medium sized team in a multinational. Others may be a
fast-tracked civil servant or government official working across
departments and looking to head up their first big team, or they
may be a senior research fellow at a university, a consultant in a
hospital, an acclaimed artist, or an award winning and
ratings-attracting journalist.
Participants should be skilled and respected practitioners in
their respective fields, and looking to effect change in their
organisations and wider society.
www.commonpurpose.org/dishaa
Dishaa partners
Common Purpose
Common Purpose is an independent international leadership
development organisation. Over the past 21 years, Common Purpose
has designed and delivered courses that help people at all stages
of their career become more effective leaders in society.
Common Purpose was founded by Julia Middleton in 1989 and now
operates in 11 countries around the world, including: France,
Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Ireland, South Africa, Sweden,
Turkey and the UK. Common Purpose will launch in Hong Kong in
August 2010.
Common Purpose runs courses that give people from the private,
public and not-for-profit sector the inspiration, skills and
connections to become better leaders both at work and in society.
Common Purpose helps people, organisations, cities and regions to
succeed, by broadening the horizons of their leaders and developing
their ability to work together and lead complex change.
Common Purpose deals with real life issues and insights. We
connect people who might otherwise never meet and give participants
an understanding of the local context in which they do their jobs,
the impact of their decisions and the contribution they can make.
We operate in countries across the world - and connect them up. So
participants are exposed to a broader international perspective of
leadership.
There are 30,000 Common Purpose alumni around the world and each
year, 3,000 people complete a Common Purpose course. To attract the
widest range of potential participants from a diverse range of
backgrounds, Common Purpose provides approximately 600 bursaries a
year for those who could not otherwise afford to attend.
www.commonpurpose.org
The British Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), or 'the
Foreign Office' for short, is the government department responsible
for promoting British interests overseas and supporting our
citizens and businesses around the globe.
In today's economic climate, international relations are more
important than ever.
There are major changes under way in the world. For example,
economic power is moving eastwards into Asia. The spread of
democracy and the power of the internet are giving non-government
groups and the individual new opportunities to contribute to
decisions affecting them. And the need for global solutions to the
great issues of our time, such as climate change, terrorism and
social inequality, means that international institutions are more
important than ever.
The UK is well placed to benefit from these changes. We are an
influential member of key international organisations such as the
United Nations, the European Union, NATO and the Commonwealth, and
we have strong links with many parts of the world. Britain is
emerging as a global hub for ideas and a primary force in the
search for answers to global problems.
The FCO and its worldwide network of embassies and consulates is a
unique national asset.
Our diplomats have world-class skills in understanding and
influencing what is happening abroad, supporting our citizens who
are travelling and living overseas, helping to manage migration
into Britain, promoting British trade and other interests abroad
and encouraging foreign investment in the UK.
www.fco.gov.uk
Dishaa sponsors
Barclays
Established more than 300 years ago, Barclays has grown to offer
a range of products and services tailored to meet the specific
needs of its customers all over the world.
Today, Barclays is a major global financial services provider
engaged in retail banking, credit cards, corporate banking,
investment banking, wealth management and investment management
services with an extensive international presence in Europe, the
Americas, Africa and Asia. Barclays operates in over 50 countries
and employs more than 144,000 people. Barclays moves, lends,
invests and protects money for more than 48 million customers and
clients worldwide.
As a responsible global citizen, Barclays is committed to ensuring
the sustainability of the communities in which the business
operates, and strives for sustainable relationships with customers
and clients worldwide.
www.barclays.com
Kingfisher Airlines
Kingfisher Airlines is India's only five star airline. India's
favourite airline commenced operations with a brand new fleet of
aircraft on 9 May 2005. Widely acclaimed as India's most premium
private airline, it now offers over 380 flights daily connecting 71
key business and leisure destinations in India and abroad.
Kingfisher Airlines is committed to the spirit of innovation and
offers its guests the unparalleled flying experience. It has been
conferred the 'Five - Star Airline Status', the most recognized and
prestigious award that honours airline Product and Service Quality
Excellence, by Skytrax, the world's leading, independent travel
forum and air travel information organisation
Kingfisher Airlines has been conferred numerous national and
international awards in the last five years, the latest being the
awards conferred at the world airline awards in Hamburg, wherein it
bagged the best Airline award for India and central Asia, Staff
excellence award and the Best economy seat in the world
award.
www.flykingfisher.com
PwC
PwC firms provide industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory
services to enhance value for their clients.
More than 163,000 people in 151 countries in firms across the
PwC network share their thinking, experience and solutions to
develop fresh perspectives and practical advice.
www.pwc.com
Tilda
Tilda Pure Basmati is the UK's number one Basmati brand by volume
and value. With over 30 years of experience in buying, importing
and selling the highest quality Pure Basmati Rice, it's a name that
you can trust. This year Tilda is celebrating its 40th
anniversary.
Tilda supports over 10,000 farmers in India, each of whom it knows
by name, by providing free Pure Basmati seeds, advice on farming
techniques and ultimately ensures they receive a fair price for
their crop at the market.
Tilda remains a family business, employing over 200 people in the
UK, and is proud of its reputation for uncompromising quality and
commitment to sustaining the legendary status of Basmati.
www.tilda.com
United Business Media
UBM is a leading global media business which provides events;
data, marketing and information products; print products; and
targeting, distribution and monitoring services to specialist
business communities. UBM employs more than 5,800 staff in more
than 30 countries worldwide.
www.ubm.com
Tata
The venue at Pune, kind courtesy Tata Management Training
Centre.
www.tata.com
Quotes on Dishaa
"To my mind globalisation should be about more than the trade of
goods and services; it must be about the trading of experiences and
stories between friends on opposite sides of the world and our
countries can set the example. That's why today we are launching a
new network to bring together the next generation of British and
Indian leaders. There will be politicians - they always seem to
turn up everywhere, yes - but there will be entrepreneurs,
scientists, people in the media and dynamic young people from both
our countries, brought together to find solutions to the challenges
we face."
David Cameron, British Prime Minister, Bangalore, July
2010.
"India is an important market for Barclays and a critical
ingredient in our future growth. As a global bank, with significant
operations in both markets, we believe that we have valuable
expertise, perspective and insight to bring to the challenges
facing future leaders. We take our responsibilities in the round
very seriously so are eager to find opportunities to give back to
the communities in which we operate.
"Dishaa should help broaden and deepen the understanding of each
others' cultures, perspectives and areas of concern. The ideas
generated by the forum should provide a fresh perspective for
current leaders, coming from the next generation of leaders.
"The crucial challenges facing future leadership in the United
Kingdom and India include facilitating balanced development and a
fair society, achieving growth while preserving scarce resources,
supporting innovation while regulating to ensure stability and
poverty alleviation."
Karan Bhagat, Managing Director, Barclays Corporate
Banking, India.
"One of the main challenges I perceive is that of face-to-face
personal relationships in business. My business of trade fairs,
exhibitions and events is all about having people meet, greet, and
form firm lasting business and personal friendships. The advent of
the internet is a challenge to this, but I find more and more that
it is used as an enhancement to the real business of having trust
between business partners. Both Indians and British people thrive
in business as firm lasting business connections have been made
over the years. It's important for the young entrepreneurs and
business leaders of tomorrow not to forget this, and that
success in 'making these bridges' turns into long lasting
profitable business.
"Any Initiative where firm peaceful friendships are made at
levels where future leaders are involved is going to
permeate through their business and /or political life.
Misunderstandings are made when people mistrust relationships,
these initiatives are crucial to help ensure the future is going to
be bright.
"UBM is committed to the investment of our business in India and
that means the bringing together of many people from every
walk of life, race, sex, religion or creed. By investing in
the future via Common Purpose, of our Indian and British best and
brightest youth from all levels of society, it will help to ensure
a confident, successful and fair future for us to be part
of."
Michael Duck, Senior Vice President, UBM
Asia.
"The crucial challenges facing future leaders in the UK and
India will be to make the most of our shared history and heritage
for the benefit of the peoples of both countries while recognising:
differences in culture, differences in age (both demography and
youth of economies), differences in needs, differences in
knowledge, energy, and development, and the massive changes that
are taking place in the world around us.
"The world is changing very fast and old models do not work
anymore. Economic and political power is moving East - from the
Western countries and models to the Eastern ones. Old models of
growth, power and energy supplies, as well as water, food
production and raw materials sourcing are all changing. New models
have not been established. Working together across these divisions
is the only way of bridging the gaps and finding the best new
ways."
Chris Mathias, Director, Arbor Ventures, UK
"Far and away the most crucial challenge is overcoming poverty
and a whole range of deprivations - income, nutrition, health,
shelter, education, environment, and gender - in society. The
challenge is self-evidently encountered on a vastly greater scale,
and in a qualitatively different way, in India than it is in the
United Kingdom but the latter also faces the challenge, especially
in this age of threatened cutbacks. This challenge is often glossed
over or neglected by policy-makers for one ideological reason or
another.
"The challenge obviously cannot be overcome overnight.
Responding to it effectively and with intelligent practicality can
begin with various smaller initiatives, for example, providing and
enhancing social opportunity for young women and men who, though
educated, find it difficult to get worthwhile employment and
therefore lose hope.
"Leadership operates at different levels. The top-down model has
no place in the contemporary democratic and interconnected world.
Young leadership is crucial to the success and future well-being of
countries as much as it is for institutions. Young people need to
be given every opportunity to develop and enhance their
capabilities and skills and leadership qualities and not in a 'top
down' or commandist sense. Common Purpose can make a valuable
contribution by identifying these leaders and identifying what
these qualities are."
Mariam Ram, Founder, TNQ Publishing.
"The crucial challenges facing future talents in the UK and
India will continue to be, as in generations before, leading
outside the confines of a job description or their sector's mindset
to see opportunities and connections to make positive change
happen. Both countries continue to take a specialist and divisional
approach to how people lead, and how they are encouraged to lead,
and yet the problems the world faces now, and will face in the
future, will demand of leaders the ability to be agile, to reach
out to unfamiliar places for solutions, and to be brave about
stepping outside their area of expertise - and indeed their culture
- to find a new way of doing things.
"Dishaa is a crucial step in making this happen over the next
five years. In two countries that have a lot to learn from one
another, and many things in common, this initiative will reveal
some meaningful and innovative solutions from our next generation
of leaders, addressing real problems facing India and the
UK."
Julia Middleton, Chief Executive Officer, Common
Purpose.
Feature menu and interview opportunities
Spokespeople interview opportunities
Interviews with all Dishaa Advisory Group members and sponsor
representatives are available on request.
Dishaa Chair, Sudhakar Rao, Common Purpose Chief Executive, Julia
Middleton and Common Purpose International Director, Adirupa
Sengupta, are available for interview by appointment with
Lyndal Stuart.
Feature menu
- The Dishaa Challenge: shared UK-India interest, potential
approaches and impacts, participant challenges and opportunities.
Sudhakar Rao announces the focus for how 40 emerging leaders will
tackle a key issue relevant to the UK and India.
- Sudhakar Rao and Julia Middleton on how East/West leaders can
be effective.
- Accompany Dishaa participants as they explore leadership in
boardrooms, hospitals, slums, social projects - and with current
leaders - over four days in India.
- Register your interest in covering the Dishaa participant
report back event, where 40 emerging leaders will present their
response to the Dishaa Challenge to policy experts across sectors
from the UK and India, including Prime Minister David Cameron.
- Register your interest to receive an advance copy of Dishaa
participants' challenge report in 2011.
- Receive exclusive advance viewing of Dishaa participants'
report back film in 2011.
Contact
Lyndal Stuart
Media & Communications Manager
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7608 8122 (direct)
Mobile: +44 (0)7958 560943 (including out of
hours)
Email: lyndal.stuart@commonpurpose.org
