MAM
Projections indicate that by 2030, at least half of fortune 500 companies may have a CIO
Mumbai: Aspire Impact, under the aegis of the Impact Future Project (IFP), a thought-leadership platform supported by global tech giant Capgemini, has launched a report on the evolving role of chief impact officers and their potential influence on organisations. This research publication is a first-of-its kind effort to understand, define and champion adoption of this crucial C-suite role.
As a comprehensive deep dive into the chief impact officer’s role the report features direct voices and opinions from 25 global ESG, sustainability, and impact leaders from varied organisation types and sectors across 10 countries and 6 continents. The thorough inquiry offered over 12 insights and trends based on responses to an online survey and a series of in-depth interviews which explored the need, readiness, role, skills, key performance indicators, and future prospect of the role.
As we approach pivotal milestones like 2030 and subsequently, the 2050 goals, the role of a chief impact officer emerges as crucial. As each chief impact officer contributes to transformative solutions within their organisations, a network of socially conscious leadership should emerge that is collectively equipped to steer capitalism towards a more responsible and sustainable path.
Organisations must heed the following key implications: Firstly, there is an urgent need for organisations to recognise, prioritise, and formalise the chief impact officer role—an imperative supported by 95 per cent of survey respondents. Secondly, appointment of chief impact officers are driven by an investor-led movement, with a growing demand for transparency and disclosures on ESG, Sustainability and Impact data and its linkage to financial performance. Thirdly, above all else, this role demands collaboration and consensus-building, given the possibility of encountering opposition from other CXOs, an apprehension highlighted by as many as 67 per cent of the participants. Many participants in the research believed in and pressed the necessity to derive authority from the CEO and the Board.
Delving further into the expectations and responsibilities associated with this position, the research reveals a notable transformative trend. 33 per cent of respondents recognise the triple bottom line as a critical focus, with a substantial emphasis (52 per cent) on integrating Impact into corporate values and culture. Chief impact officers play pivotal roles in developing long-term transformation plans for total impact performance, achieving net zero/circularity/SDG targets, and measuring and managing overall impact. The report underscores the imperative for CIOs to possess a profound understanding of the interplay between ESG, Sustainability, and Impact to formulate effective strategies that lead to positive organisational and societal outcomes.
Additionally, the report emphasises the need for extensive research, ample content, and pedagogy to prepare existing CSOs/ESG Heads, enabling them to confidently transition to the role of chief impact officer and guide their boards and corporations into the era of Impact capitalism and impact accounting.
Aspire Impact founder & CEO Amit Bhatia emphasized the urgency of creating the Chief impact officer role, stating, “While 42 per cent of Fortune Global 500 companies have made commitments to reduce emissions by 2030 and 25 per cent have adopted net-zero targets, only a handful have a chief impact officer. There cannot be a better time to push a stronger business case for creating this role and thus a new cadre of protagonists who can catalyse, inspire, integrate, and orchestrate impact.”
Expressing contentment with the research findings. Ecostart and founder CEO of Greenman Black (formerly Partner, head of sustainability & design (ESG) at Infosys Corey Glickman highlighted its particular significance for the Indian corporate landscape saying, “The role of the Chief Impact Officer (CIO) is gaining prominence in the corporate world as companies increasingly recognize the importance of sustainability and social impact. The CIO is responsible for ensuring that the company’s operations align with its social and environmental goals. The evolving role of the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) is central to the integration of material ESG issues into corporate strategy. The rise of the CIO role is a natural progression of this trend, as companies seek to create long-term value by aligning their business practices with their social and environmental goals.”
PVR Limited, chief sustainability officer Sangeeta Robinson expressed her delight at being part of this research, said, “Sustainable Value Creation is a journey not a destination. It is a journey of continual improvement. The impact you create in year one becomes your baseline for the next. This is why I believe that leading Sustainability requires not just skills and qualification, but passion too.”
Knowledge Development, Aspire Impact, director and co-author of the publication Harpreet Ghai said, “Those who can proactively negotiate these challenges and conjure up initiatives to create green pathways for their companies, won’t be wizards with magic wands, but 21st century transformation leaders, aka the new Corporate Sherpas, or chief impact officers.”
ESG, Sustainability, and Impact leaders interviewed included Anirban Ghosh, head, Centre for Sustainability, Mahindra University (formerly chief sustainability officer, Mahindra Group); Kumar Anurag Pratap, vice president, CSR, Capgemini Technology Services India Ltd.; Aradhana Lal, senior vice president, Sustainability & ESG, Lemon Tree Hotels; Dr. Arvind Bodhankar, executive director & chief risk officer, Dalmia Bharat; Carlos Enrique Cavelier Lozano, Dream coordinator & president, Alqueria; Carla Duprat, director for Sustainability, Grupo Camargo; Corey Glickman, co-founder and Partner Strategy & Consulting, EcoStart Ventures Inc, and founder, Greenman Black LLC (formerly Partner, head of sustainability & Design (ESG) at Infosys); Denise Hills, Board member, UN SDG Pioneer, ESG and Sustainability Advisor (formerly Global Sustainability director, Natura&Co); Désirée Lucchese, head of ethics and Impact, U Ethical Investors; Ellen Martin, chief impact officer, Circulate Capital; Fernando Cortes McAllister, vice president, CSR, Grupo Bolivar; Giuliana Ortega, sustainability director, Raia Drogasil; Dr. James Robey, executive VP, Global Head of Environmental Sustainability, Capgemini; Jill Weise, vice Chair and managing director, Kroll; João Figueira, chief strategy officer, Betterfly; Jyotin S Kutty, vice president and chief sustainability officer, Tata Motors Ltd.; Milind Mungale, advisor, Information Security and Technology NSDL (formerly EVP & chief impact officer, Protean eGov) ; Nana Yaa Ofori-Koree, head of partnerships, sustainability and CSR, Fidelity Bank Ghana; Octavio Rocha, chief impact officer, New Ventures; Prabodha Acharya, chief sustainability officer, JSW Group; Pratyush Panda, head ESG, LTIMindtree; Sabina Curatolo, senior director impact, Breakthrough Victoria (formerly Partner & head of Impact, Bridges Australia); Sangeeta Robinson, chief sustainability officer, PVR INOX Limited; Viiveck Verma, founder and CEO, Upsurge Global; and Zarmeen Pavri, co-founder and General Partner, SDGx. Guest Contributors included Swapnil Joshi, director, sustainability & design (Smart Spaces), Infosys; and Radha Sule, deputy vice president, corporate sustainability, Tata Capital.
Prominent figures at the launch event who delivered keynote addresses included well-known names like Vineet Rai, Founder, Aavishkaar Capital; Kieron Boyle, chief executive, Impact Investing Institute, UK; Tatiana Glad, executive director, Impact Hub Network; and Kumar Anurag Pratap, vice president & CSR Leader, Capgemini. Capgemini has been dedicated to supporting Aspire in conducting ground-breaking research within the impact economy ecosystem since 2020, showcasing their commitment to advancing research initiatives in this field.
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Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
