About Us
Who We Are
Ekaagra Social & Microfinance Foundation was incorporated on March 15, 2017 pursuant to sub-section (2) of section 7 of the Companies Act, 2013 (8 of 2013) and rule 18 of the Companies (Incorporation) Rules, 2014 with Corporate Identity Number U85300MH2017NPL292426.
Ekaagra, in Sanskrit, means “Attentive”. Other synonyms include Concentration, Focus, Purposeful.
What we do
Ekaagra Social & Microfinance Foundation is registered as a not-for-profit organization, & has the mandate to carry out all activities permitted under Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013. We work with corporates, institutions, non-governmental organizations and individuals towards finding solutions to issues around sustainability & sustainable development, climate change adaptation & mitigation, preservation of the environment & natural resources, environmental law, and social equity; with a belief that it is possible to find a better way, everyday & to make a positive difference. The Foundation assists corporates & institutions formulate & implement their sustainability & corporate social responsibility strategies and reporting requirements. It conducts research, field studies, and helps spread awareness & offers training and capacity building around sustainability, environmental & social issues. It also engages in advocacy & works with individuals who wish to offer their expertise through volunteering. The Foundation is also engaged in campaigning & advocating for the preservation of the environment in various parts of India.
We draw upon our individual experiences across a wide range of industries in order to provide insights and help develop programs that can have a positive impact on issues that matter today: environmental degradation, natural resources conservation, inequality & sustainable development. We believe that it is important to leverage contemporary knowledge & technology in order to provide solutions that can scale & have the necessary impact. Our extensive hands-on implementation experience allows us to understand issues related to execution, & therefore to take them into consideration in order to ensure good execution.
What Differentiates Us
We have hands-on experience in conceptualizing & implementing Sustainability, Operational Excellence & Digitization initiatives at scale. We believe in Systems Thinking & understanding the linkages & inter-connectedness between various factors. In addition, our unique combination of skill-sets allows us to leverage Technology and allows us to leverage a wide range of approaches to find solutions to various Sustainability issues.
Founders
Biren Vora is one of the founders of Ekaagra Technology Accelerators Private Limited and Ekaagra Social & Microfinance Foundation
(https://ekaagratechnologyaccelerators.co.in/).
He had been employed for over 3 decades in organizations such as the Aditya Birla Group, General Electric Company, Reliance Infocomm, TVS Electronics, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited, Herdillia Unimers & Saurashtra Chemicals. He has held leadership positions in sustainability, corporate social responsibility, projects, total quality management & six sigma. In addition, he had also worked in manufacturing, sourcing, SAP implementation and business development functions in his previous roles. He holds a number of certifications & licenses: Chartered Engineer (Engineering Council, UK); Certified CII-ITC Sustainability Assessor; Black Belt, Master Black Belt; & Certified Reliability Professional. He is also a trained EFQM Assessor and has undergone training on CSR implementation, evaluation & impact; GRI; CII-Exim Bank Business Excellence Award Assessor; eTOM & TAM. He has been an assessor at numerous companies as part of the CII-ITC Sustainability Awards. He graduated from the Technical Leadership Program of General Electric Company, & was recognized with the “Exceptional Contributor” award at the Aditya Birla Group. He has been featured in the book “100 managers in action”, authored by T.V. Rao & Charu Sharma.
Besides this, he also taught the Economics of Sustainable Development & Transformational Change Agent courses of the University of Wolverhampton to 3rd year BA (Business Management) students at Podar World College, Mumbai.
He holds a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras; Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Law from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore; Post Graduate Diploma in Community Mental Health from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, & MBA from Universitas 21 Global. He has also completed the Executive Development Program from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania & the 1-year Business Leader’s Program from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D in Management from NMIMS, Mumbai.
Vision
To build a sustainable world where there is justice & respect for everyone; striking a balance between the needs of development & environment; & reconciling the needs of human beings and others that inhabit this planet.
Mission
To help create lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and social justice through education, healthcare, & skilling; & to inspire preservation of nature & conservation of natural resources through research & action by working together with stakeholders
Values
Purposeful, Resourceful, Passionate, Committed, Responsible.
Partner With Us
We welcome partnerships with subject matter experts, research institutions, universities & educational institutions, multilateral agencies & financing institutions, media, NGO’s, government bodies & corporations, and hope that these will further strengthen efforts toward building an inclusive society and ensuring a sustainable future for all.
If you would like to partner with us, please send an email indicating your interest to partnerwithus@ekaagrafoundation.org.in