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View from the Top: Cap Gemini and the CSR
Corporate Social Responsibility is a growing area of any corporation and graduate students need to have it in their minds as they embark on Masters degree study. Many top universities have already incorporated CSR into their postgraduate programs. QS TopGraduate.com spoke with Carolyn Nimmy, Vice President of HR at Cap Gemini about CSR and Recruitment.
QS. Please remind us of Cap Gemini�s scope and main business activities.
CN. Cap Gemini is a world leader in the provision of consulting, technology outsourcing, data centres and business process outsourcing. We enable our clients to transform their businesses through technology. Our business has expanded from 40,000 employees ten years ago, to over 80,000 employees today.
Cap Gemini is a global company, with headquarters in France. We have 21,000 employees based in France, with India now our second largest market in terms of staff with 17,500 staff, followed by the USA, UK and Netherlands each with over 6,000 staff.
QS. Why does it make good business sense for Cap Gemini to have an active CSR policy?
CN. Cap Gemini is an intellectual services company. We need a strong brand and a reputation for being honest and caring about people we do business with. Our values are fundamental to our clients maintaining ongoing business relationships with Cap Gemini.
Cap Gemini�s brand and reputation is fundamental to our ability to hire and retain talent. We seek to have an impact on the broader communities in which we work. People are attracted to Cap Gemini because of our pro-active stance on CSR. We celebrated our 40th birthday in 2007 and we are proud that �sustainable development� has always been a central theme of the company. We are constantly encouraging our people to make a difference in their community and in their work.
"Cap Gemini seeks to be recognised as a �thought leader� in the area of sustainability. We help our clients to be more sustainable in their supply chain, IT sourcing and architecture of their IT systems".
Cap Gemini seeks to be recognised as a �thought leader� in the area of sustainability. We help our clients to be more sustainable in their supply chain, IT sourcing and architecture of their IT systems. Our clients recognize the need for sustainability and they appreciate our genuine commitment to this business objective throughout our recommendations and implementation.
As a publicly quoted company, many funds and rating agencies favour �socially responsible� companies. As such, we can access capital more cost effectively by being serious about CSR.
QS. Can you give some examples of how Cap Gemini has acted on its CSR policy?
CN. Everything we do retains a focus on CSR and sustainability. We aim to protect the environment. Our offices are designed to be carbon-neutral. Our client solutions are energy efficient � grid computing, optimizing server capacities, set-ups using the latest technology, with tools to measure our carbon footprint. Our travel is being dramatically scaled back via video conferencing (travel between Mumbai and Utrecht has been cut by 30 per cent last year alone).
Cap Gemini builds strong internal awareness of CSR issues through our internal news video channel. We have features on sustainability and regular executive interviews discussing CSR initiatives. We really work to engage our people around the world and to ensure common values.
QS. Which regions and services are the primary sources of growth for Cap Gemini and what are the implications for your CSR initiatives?
"Cap Gemini is growing around the world. Our biggest growth is occurring in markets like India and China, which host many of our technology centres of excellence, and which happen to have major CSR challenges".
CN. Cap Gemini is growing around the world. Our biggest growth is occurring in markets like India and China, which host many of our technology centres of excellence, and which happen to have major CSR challenges.
Cap Gemini can play a major role in stimulating awareness of CSR and sustainability in these markets. In India our 17,500 employees are among the educated elite and they can spread the word about our CSR initiatives. Our Indian employees are amongst our most enthusiastic and engaged on this topic.
