IIM Bangalore and Deshpande Foundation, in partnership with Sattva and the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, have organized an interactive session with renowned philanthropist, entrepreneur and founder of the Deshpande Foundation, Gururaj ‘Desh’ Deshpande, to be held on January 28, 2016, between 10 am and 12:30 pm, in N001, New Classroom Complex, at the IIMB campus.

The programme will start with the keynote address by Gururaj Desh Deshpande, followed by a panel discussion on ‘Building an ecosystem where social enterprise and innovation can thrive’. Participants can learn more from the pioneering Deshpande Foundation Sandbox approach to social innovation that has impacted over one million lives across Karnataka, supported 48 rural start-ups, forged over 120 partnerships and is now replicated across three other states, with renowned philanthropist Desh Deshpande; Dr. Sushil Vachani, Director, IIMB; and Naveen Jha, CEO, Deshpande Foundation India.

Note: The aim of the Sandbox approach is to create an environment where innovative approaches to addressing social challenges is encouraged.

A second panel discussion on ‘How can corporates and civil society work together for effective CSR?’ will also be conducted. The interactive round-table session will feature Kshitika Krishnaswamy, Director-Corporate Citizenship, Accenture India; Nikhil Pant, Chief Programme Executive, National Foundation for CSR, IICA and Naveen Jha, Deshpande Foundation India.

The discussions will be brought together and moderated by Sattva, a social impact advisory and knowledge firm.