With an aim to advance diverse and sustainable sourcing, the initiative will enable minority businesses to be absorbed into the supply chains of large consumer goods companies, including HUL.
Ansu Archana, procurement director of HUL, said the initiative is aimed at expanding the scope of the company’s social and environmental commitments in India.
“This is one of our ambitious goals and very much aligned towards Unilever for global commitment, where we have committed to spend Rs 2,000 crore annually with diverse businesses by 2025,” said Archana.
The programme will start with 75 applications. A top criteria of the programme is to identify businesses that are 51% or more owned, managed or controlled by members of diverse groups, said Katie Stein, chief strategy officer, Genpact.
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“The programme will cater to groups that have not been seen, such as women, persons with disabilities, scheduled castes and tribes, among others,” said Stein.
HUL and Genpact will involve leaders with domain expertise to hold over 150 hours of virtual master classes, one-on-one mentoring sessions, and expert-led workshops across key areas such as finance, supply chain management, engineering, sales and marketing, communication, business development, digital transformation, and more.
The pilot phase of the programme will enable shortlisted business owners to develop critical behavioural and technical skills over a period of six months, including advancing business and growth plans, pitching to investors, as well as fundraising activities.
“After six months, we will have an understanding of their capabilities and some of them, depending on the value chain, relevance and competitiveness, will be possibly working with us or our partners across the industry,” said Archana.
The programme will be implemented by Sattva, a social impact research and advisory firm.
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