XLRI Jamshedpur: Companies must move beyond compliance towards biodiversity leadership, says Shailja Singh

XLRI Jamshedpur hosts Business-Biodiversity Conclave

Jamshedpur, April 28: XLRI – Xavier School of Management, India’s first management institute and a global leader in responsible management education, hosted the Business-Biodiversity Conclave in association with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at its International Centre on the Jamshedpur campus.

The conclave brought together distinguished leaders from academia, industry, government, and global organizations to advance the urgent dialogue on integrating biodiversity into business strategy.

Prof. Tata L. Raghu Ram emphasized XLRI’s commitment to promoting sustainable leadership. Dr. Yashveer Bhatnagar, Senior Technical Officer at IUCN, shared a global perspective on the private sector’s evolving role in biodiversity conservation, highlighting businesses’ critical contribution to addressing ecological challenges.

Prof. Sanjay Patro, Dean Academics, reflected on the strong partnership between XLRI and IUCN, underscoring XLRI’s early commitment to sustainability by being one of the first institutions to sign the UN Global Compact in 2006.

In his special address, Sourav Roy, CEO of Tata Steel Foundation, stressed the importance of aligning boardroom decisions with grassroots realities. He called for deeper collaboration between businesses and communities, blending market and non-market approaches for effective biodiversity conservation.

Delivering the keynote address, Shailja Singh, IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of the Jharkhand State Biodiversity Board, urged companies to “move beyond compliance towards leadership” in adopting biodiversity-friendly practices. She emphasized the legal, economic, and ecological imperatives of conservation and highlighted opportunities for integrating emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT) in conservation efforts.

A panel discussion titled “Business and Biodiversity – Challenges, Opportunities and the Way Forward for Indian Business” featured eminent speakers including Smita Pankaj, IFS (PCCF, Jamshedpur); Vaishnavi Prabhakaran (Head of Corporate Sustainability, Tata Power); Wei Hsien Lee (Senior Technical Officer, IUCN); K. Sourabh (Bureau of Indian Standards); and Pankaj Kumar Satija (EIC FAMD, Tata Steel).

Moderated by Prof. Tata L. Raghu Ram, the session provided actionable insights on biodiversity offsets, managing invasive species, adopting TNFD frameworks, innovative insurance solutions for biodiversity risks, and fostering partnerships between the private sector and forest departments.

Through the discussions, speakers underscored that businesses and biodiversity are intricately linked—and that proactive biodiversity stewardship not only secures ecological integrity but ensures long-term business resilience and sustainable economic growth.

This conclave is part of XLRI’s broader commitment to Excellence & Integrity, For the Greater Good and its aspiration to produce leaders who can drive meaningful, nature-positive change in India and across the globe.