New Delhi: The country needs public policy professionals to handle
its complex governance challenges. The youth want to be the change they wish to
see, and are, hence, keen to embark on this career path. The Government as well as
corporate bodies are increasingly becoming open to attracting such talent in their
policy-making exercises. In addition, career opportunities in the public policy domain
have grown manifold over the past few years in India, both across the public and
private sectors.
Keeping the rising demand for this career choice, the ISPP organized
a panel discussion with Arun Bhagat (President - Corporate Affairs & Advocacy,
GMR Group), Mandar Kagade (Head, Public Policy & Outreach, RupeePower),
Vineeta Hariharan (Senior Leadership - Public Policies and Programmes - GoI and
Multilaterals), Ashish Aggarwal (Senior Director and Head - Public Policy,
NASSCOM) and Chetan Krishnaswamy (Director, Public Policy, India and South
Asia, Google) on the topic: Public Policy Careers in the Corporate Sector. The
event was moderated by Rajesh Chakrabarti (Professor and Dean, Jindal Global
Business School, Jindal Global University), on the 25 May, 2019, at the Constitution
Club, New Delhi.
on the emergence of public policy as a career springboard, especially in the corporate sector
The session began with an introduction to the ISPP by Dr. Parth J. Shah, Founder &
Director, the ISPP and President - Centre for Civil Society, and was followed by the
panel discussion that addressed key questions such as the state of public policy
making in India and the role of the corporate sector, the need for policy making
minds in the corporate sector in India, comparison of a corporate's engagement in
public policy outside India, the future of policy making in the corporate sector,
careers for graduates in policy making and talent skills expected, amongst others.
Expressing his views on public policy as a career, Chetan Krishnaswamy, Director,
Public Policy, India and South Asia, Google said: “Public policy, as a profession, has
undergone a rapid evolution in India over the past few years, especially in the
corporate sector. Unlike many other professions, public policy often welcomes
individuals from incredibly diverse educational backgrounds and work experiences.
Strong analytical and interpersonal skills, along with the ability to distil complicated
developments in a manner that they are easy to grasp for non-experts, are arguably
the two most vital requirements from a public policy professional. The profession is
bound to grow by leaps and bounds in the coming years.” Ashish Aggarwal, Senior
Director and Head - Public Policy, NASSCOM, spoke about public policy still being
an emerging space India. He emphasized on the scope for development this domain
has to offer, adding that those entering this space, at this point in time, are set to see
a challenging yet expansive career. “Select domain expertise and experiential
learning would be crucial,” he added. Mandar Kagade, Head, Public Policy &
Outreach, RupeePower, one of the eminent panellists, emphasized on public policy
being an important career option for the reason that it serves as a vital interface
between the government and the corporates, adding value to both ends. He added
that soft skills, with focus on communication, and hard skills including a macro
understanding of law/economy, besides others, were important skill sets required by
a public policy professional.
Speaking on the occasion, Vineeta Hariharan, Senior Leadership - Public Policies
and Programmes (GoI and Multilaterals), added: “Today is the right time for
individuals to embark on a career in public policy. Private and public sectors need
trained professionals in this domain. A course in public policy is vital to speed track
one's career in the public sphere, and for the youth to be educated and trained to
contribute towards nation building.” Arun Bhagat, President- Corporate Affairs &
Advocacy, GMR Group mentioned that though public policy was not seen as an
integral part of a business in earlier times, times have, now, seen significant change,
ensuring that public policy is being seen as an emerging career choice. According to
him, the skill sets required for a professional in this domain may be varied, but focus
is on communication skills, panoramic knowledge and awareness, as well as basic
intelligence.
Post the panel discussion, questions were taken, by the panellists, from an
enthusiastic audience, who continued to interact with the some of the panellists over
a networking lunch.
Notes to the Editor:
The Indian School of Public Policy was formally launched on October 23rd, 2018
at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi by dignitaries including Shri N.K. Singh,
Shri Rajiv Mehrishi and Shri Gurcharan Das. Notable experts from Tata Institute of
Social Science, Twitter Inc India, Brookings Institution, Uber India and GMR
established the urgent need for a new generation of policy professionals through a
panel discussion. The School will commence a year-long, equivalent to Master’s
Certificate Programme in Policy, Design & Management, intended to prepare
students for challenging careers in policy action across government, industry and
civil society.
https://www.ispp.org.in/
Arun Bhagat - President- Corporate Affairs & Advocacy, GMR Group
Arun Bhagat joined the Company in 2007 in the Human Resources department. A
management graduate from XLRI, one of India’s best Business Schools, he also
holds an Honours degree in Economics from the University of Delhi. Starting his
career in 1981, Arun has worked, over the last 38 years, with a number of major
corporations, primarily in Human Resources, Manufacturing, Real Estate & Logistics,
both in India and abroad. He now spearheads the company’s Corporate Relations,
Image and Advocacy initiatives, and works across businesses to ensure appropriate
policy adherence and brand valuation.
Mandar Kagade - Head, Public Policy & Outreach, RupeePower
Mandar's work is an exciting mix of working externally with industry bodies to
advocate a facilitative Fintech ecosystem on behalf of RupeePower and internally,
working alongside the core team on business development and other strategic
initiatives. Leveraging his experience of the policy ecosystem, he also advises the
core team on the impact of regulatory developments on business on an on-going
basis. Before joining RupeePower, Mandar headed policy for “Catalyst”, an USAID-
funded digital payments initiative in India. At Catalyst, he executed several thought
leadership projects including a flagship on use-cases relevant to regulatory sandbox,
and worked alongside Ministry of Electronics to get government buy-in. His earlier
work includes consulting on assignments funded by PayPal. Mandar is a graduate
from Columbia University Law School as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and from the
Govt. Law College, Mumbai.
Vineeta Hariharan - Senior Leadership - Public Policies and Programmes (GoI
and Multilaterals)
Vineeta is a Public Policy Expert with over two decades of experience in leadership
roles. She has formulated and led key flagship policies and programmes at the
National level, in various themes across the urban, rural and livelihoods domains.
Ashish Aggarwal - Senior Director and Head - Public Policy, NASSCOM
Ashish leads public policy at NASSCOM. He is deeply involved in discussions on
evolving policies and laws to address regulatory and policy challenges posed by
technology-led business models. Prior to NASSCOM, he worked at the National
Institute of Public Finance and Policy, a policy think tank of the Government of India,
where he advised the Government on policies around digital payments and
consumer protection in finance. As a social entrepreneur, he has pioneered micro
pensions in India and he is a country expert at Korea-OECD Asia Pacific Pensions
forum. He began his career as a financial sector journalist in Business World
magazine, and Business Standard newspaper.
Chetan Krishnaswamy - Director, Public Policy, India and South Asia, Google
Chetan Krishnaswamy engages with policymakers, industry associations, members
of civil society and academia to create a conducive environment for an open and
inclusive internet. Chetan Krishnaswamy was earlier Director - Corporate Affairs at
Dell India, and steered the company’s efforts in the public policy space. Before
joining Dell, Chetan was with Intel for five and a half years as Head - Public Affairs
and Technical Assistant to the Intel India President. He was responsible for Intel
India's policy engagements in India and parts of South Asia. Chetan won the
prestigious Intel Achievement Award – the company’s highest award in 2004. Chetan
was the Assistant Editor and Head of the Times of India's Technology Bureau, the
first to be constituted by any newspaper in the country. He wrote a regular column -
Mousetrap - on tech-related issues for the newspaper. He was also instrumental in