In 2010 90,000 people were employed in the UK by Indian firms,
with many more involved in the activities of British firms in
India[1].Indeed, over 1 million people
travel between the UK and India every
year[2].
There is a growing level of mutual investment between the two
nations, but increased communication and collaboration between
leaders from both countries is needed to support this.
This is why leadership development organisation Common
Purpose's Dishaa Venture aims to expand, enrich and
energise relations between India and the UK by
investing in the development of the next generation of leaders from
the two countries.
Common Purpose Ventures bring together diverse groups of leaders
to foster discussion and build shared approaches to 21st century
political, economic and social challenges.
Participants in this, the second Dishaa Venture, are skilled and
respected practitioners in their fields and looking to effect
change both in their organisations and wider society. The diverse
group, 20 from the UK and 20 from India, will come
together in London from 29 November to 3 December to
develop their leadership skills by meeting, interviewing and
debating with a range of leaders, all operating in very different
contexts. Bringing this group together will expand the existing
partnerships, friendships and dialogues that are already taking
place between leaders in India and the UK.
Founder and Chief Executive of Common Purpose Julia Middleton said: "The links between the
UK and India are long standing but more importantly,
they are deep, edgy, thoughtful and multi-dimensional. By learning
together the participants will be able to enrich the connections
between both countries and produce some very exciting ideas."
"Dishaa showed me that by working together with a diverse group
of people from both the UK and India, there is so much
we can do and so many changes we can make in the world for the
better" said Vandana Saxena Poria, CEO of Get Through
Guides Pvt. Ltd and a graduate of the first Dishaa Venture held in
Pune, India in February 2011.
The Dishaa Venture is run in partnership with the British
Foreign & Commonwealth Office and sponsored by United Business
Media (UBM), Tilda, Cisco, Fly Kingfisher and PwC. British Prime
Minister David Cameron is patron of Dishaa and
launched the Venture in July 2010.
Jennifer Duvalier, Group People & Culture Director, UBM
explains why her organisation sponsors the Dishaa Venture: "UBM is
a keen supporter of Dishaa, believing that individuals learn most
powerfully when they have the opportunity to engage with impactful
development experiences and to share their learning journey with a
diverse network of fellow learners."
Notes for editors
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 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. and /ventures
Key information
- Four-day intensive Venture in London, UK - 29
November-3 December 2011
- Continued development of solutions with expert advisors and
mentors using Cisco TelePresence, December 2011
- June 2012
- Presentation of solutions to a panel of policy experts, Autumn
2012
- Participants from organisations including Hindustan Unilever,
Welsh Government, British Red Cross, Government of Uttarakhand,
Rajiv Ghandi Foundation, Standard Chartered, 3i, BAE Systems and
Vodafone Group Plc
- Interviews with and quotes from stakeholders, spokespersons,
participants and alumni of Dishaa available
- Photographs and videos from both current and previous Dishaa
Ventures available
- At each event the participants will be presented with a
challenge to explore. They will investigate the challenge locally,
and work together to come up with ideas and recommendations. Each
year a different challenge will be selected for that year's
participants to investigate.
- This Dishaa challenge is: Unique carbon cutting measures are
happening locally in India and the UK. How do we
accelerate and multiply our actions to reduce carbon emissions by
50% in the next five years?
- The challenge for the last Dishaa Venture in February
2011 was: Heart surgery at $1,000 (USD) - what
has to change in how society operates and innovates to make this a
reality? The final report which includes models and solutions from
this is available upon request.
- Availability to accompany Dishaa participants as they visit
corporations, community projects and local government initiatives
to investigate the carbon reduction challenge.
1. A transcript of a speech given by the Prime Minister in
Bangalore, India, on 28 July 2010 http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/pms-speech-in-india/
2. British High Commission New Delhi http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/working-with-india/india-uk-relations/
For further information please contact:
Isabella Betkowski
Communications and Alumni Officer
T: +44(0)207-608-8122
M: +44(0)7958-560-943
E: isabella.betkowski@commonpurpose.org
