2019-12-26 / HFE

#Power2Think | Profit for Purpose

In a world of startups and everyone wanting to be their own boss, Entrepreneurship in the present context and Profit for Purpose are 2 very important things to keep in mind. During the course of this article, I would like to share my insights for millennials who are ready to set up their own businesses, challenges and how every business needs to serve a valuable purpose while continuing to generate profit.

I started Hero Future Energies 7 years back with a purpose in mind. I solely believe that if you have the opportunity to make a change in the world, why shouldn’t you? While the government is doing its bit for a better society, they’re still restricted to their capabilities and even though NGOs and social enterprises are working towards the same, they cannot go around begging for money all the time. Talking about the role of a business towards this change, I believe that you have to have significant businesses with a profit motive. They should have a large size, they should be authentic, the purpose should be genuine, they should be profitable, so they can scale up and they should be very serious, that’s how you make a profit with a purpose.

Currently, about 63% of millennial workers prefer businesses that focussed on improving society and not just generating profits. While it is essential for a company to generate profits, it is also important for the company to serve its purpose towards society. In my opinion, companies that fulfil that purpose and responsibilities are ultimately being rewarded much higher or much larger through the end customers, through the investor, through the public as well as private markets. So, it’s not only being done for the good of society, it’s being done for a profit motive as well and for your investment motive so, they all go hand-in-hand.

In terms of challenges, there are mainly 3 challenges that one faces when starting a new business. Firstly, you meet a lot of pessimistic people along the way and less who believe in you or what you’re doing and in those moments, it is important to believe in yourself, your business and keep working towards it. Second, is the dream team. It is important to keep changing the members of the team until you have a set of people that are aligned with your goal and vision. It is also important to keep changing and growing the team as and when meeting the goal and size of business increases. Third and last is to stay extremely true to your plan. People often deviate from the original business plan due to offshoots in the business, which might increase profits momentarily, but won’t sustain the business.

To conclude, in a world where everything is measured by numbers, it is important to measure success too, since numbers do happen to tell a story. I can proudly say that Hero Future Energies has been able to save 60 tonnes equivalent of carbon emissions until now. Keeping the society and sustainability at the forefront, companies like Amazon, Walmart, eBay have become part of RE100, promising to function sustainably to the hilt. In order to be able to move forward, it is important for upcoming entrepreneurs to keep profit for purpose of their business as their utmost priority.

Listen to the podcast here - Profit For Purpose

Author - Rahul Munjal, Chairman and Managing Director,Hero Future Energies

2019-07-31 / HFE Team

#Power2Think: Conversations For A Green Tomorrow

Every important movement is driven by two primary factors – action and awareness. And right now, perhaps there is no movement more important than our march towards sustainability. From Paris Climate Agreement to International Solar Alliance, the world is coming together to ensure a future – a cleaner and greener one. The actions are speaking just as loud – be it the renewable energy capacity additions in China, the voice of activists like Greta, or even the green energy ambitions of India.

Our march towards sustainability is gaining strength every day – be it our fight against global warming, e-waste, or plastics. But to reach the finish line, plenty more needs to be done which will require all hands on deck. This is where awareness steps in: greater the awareness among the masses, faster our march. There are plenty of ways to raise awareness and one among them is Power2Think, an initiative by Hero Future Energies.

Power2Think is a platform wherein through digital mediums of Facebook Live, Twitter Live, and podcasts, we converse on different aspects of sustainability. It is a platform where experts across the renewable energy and other industries gather to analyze this march, point out its strengths and weaknesses, and give their opinions on where it is headed and how it needs to grow. It is a platform that brings the best minds involved in this movement to the masses.

The experts who have been on Power2Think sessions include Dr. Arunabha Ghosh (Founder-CEO, CEEW), Dr. Paolo Frankl (Head of Renewable Energy Division, IEA), Ms. Radhika Kalia (MD, RLG), Ms. Vandana Gombar (Editor, Bloomberg), and Mr. Chintan Shah [Director (Technical), IREDA] among others. Such a mix of Indian and international experts from industries like renewable energy, journalism, and e-waste allows Power2Think discussions to disseminate information on a wide variety of topics like Indian solar industry, circular economy, renewable energy trends, etc. The collection of all Power2Think chat discussions till date is also available on YouTube. Click here to watch them.

By conveying the progress we are making and the way ahead, these discussions aim to create awareness about the importance of sustainability. It is nothing short of our planet’s future that is at stake and hence, we must leave no stone unturned. Power2Think platform will continue to grow with more experts and insights and hopefully, it will encourage masses to act sustainably as well. Plenty of steps can be taken into that direction – be it switching to renewable energy or reducing your carbon footprint by using public transport, walking short distances, etc.

Global warming is perhaps the biggest threat ever to this planet and the lives it supports. While there have been plenty of rules, regulations, and implementations to fight it, the decisive factor – as with every movement – will be the mass contribution. All of us need to work together for a green tomorrow, be it with actions or conversations because awareness can also make a big difference.

2019-07-16 / HFE Team

#Power2Think - June Edition 2018

Each month on #Power2Think, we invite renewable energy experts to have impactful conversations about the sustainable lifestyle. This month, our guests were Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, Founder-CEO, CEEW (Council On Energy, Environment and Water) and Dr. Paolo Frankl, Head of Renewable Energy Division, IEA (International Energy Agency) who led an exciting conversation on ‘Trends in Renewable Energy Markets: India and the World’.

We had the pleasure of having a very insightful dialogue between the two in our latest video series.

Here are the highlights!

#Power2Think - Dr. Arunabha Ghosh & Dr. Paolo Frankl - June, 2018

Hero Future Energies @HeroFuture_HFE

2019-05-10 / HFE Team

#Power2Think - January Edition 2019

#Power2Think is a platform that encourages conversations around sustainability, led by industry experts themselves. The month of January saw our experts Mr. Sunil Jain, CEO and ED, HFE and Ms. Radhika Kalia, MD, Reverse Logistics Group, hold an insightful discussion on the importance of ‘Circular Economy’ for the world today.

We had the pleasure of having a very insightful dialogue between the two in our latest video series.

Here are the highlights!

#Power2Think - Circular Economy

Hero Future Energies @HeroFuture_HFE

2018-04-11 / HFE Team

#Power2Think December Edition, 2017

Each month on #Power2Think, we invite a renewable energy expert to have impactful conversations about the sustainable lifestyle. This month, our guest was Mr. Thomas Kerr, International Finance Corporation’s Climate Change Group Principal Climate Policy Officer who led an exciting conversation on the growing importance of ‘Carbon Pricing’, globally!

Tom Kerr has worked for 20 years designing and implementing public or private efforts that transform markets for resource-efficient climate business solutions. He currently leads the IFC’s private sector climate policy engagement, which involves working with emerging economy governments and major corporations to develop investor- and climate-friendly national strategies; designing coalitions to advance carbon pricing and performance standards; and providing private sector input into international policy processes such as the G20 and the United Nations climate talks.

We had the pleasure of having a very insightful dialogue in understanding the importance and as well as the rising relevance of ‘Carbon Pricing’.

Here are the highlights! 

#Power2Think Tweetchat with Thomas Kerr - December, 2017

Hero Future Energies @HeroFuture_HFE

2017-06-03 / HFE Team

#Power2Think | February, 2017

At #Power2Think, each month we in invite a renewable energy expert to have a Q&A session. This month at #Power2Think we invited Soma Banerjee, Principal Energy & Infrastructure, who discussed the role of India’s industry associations in the renewable energy, specifically of the solar industry while delightfully giving many insightful answers on renewable energy and sustainability. We enjoyed her company immensely and everyone else who participated in February’s edition of #Power2Think.

2017-04-13 / HFE Team

#Power2Think April Edition, 2017

In April’s #Power2Think, we in invite renewable energy experts to have a Q&A session. This month at #Power2Think we invited Hero Future Energies’ Solar Energy expert team. A talented ensemble of renewable energy enthusiasts as well as professionals with an extensive India market and technical know-how. They engaged the participants with valuable information about the benefits and challenges of installing Rooftop Solar plants across varied rooftop terrains in industries & institutes in India.

2016-09-30 / HFE Team

#Power2Think | September

Each month at #Power2Think, we invite a renewable energy expert to have a live Q&A session. This month we invited our very own, Mr. Sunil Jain, CEO & ED of Hero Future Energies, experienced in spearheading large Independent Power Producers in India & recent trends in Indian & global renewable sector. He is also the President of WIPPA (Wind Independent Power Producers Association) and has been associated with this sector for over a decade. We had the pleasure of enjoying his company and everyone else who participated in September’s edition of #Power2Think.

2016-08-19 / HFE Team

#Power2Think | August

At #Power2Think, each month we in invite a renewable energy expert to have a Q&A session. This month at #Power2Think we invited Mr. Shrey Goyal, founder of Sustainable Growth Initiative, who tackled issues and themes like clean energy, climate change and economy in India tactfully. We had the pleasure of enjoying his company and everyone else who participated in August’s edition of #Power2Think.

2016-08-19 / HFE Team

#Power2Think | July

At #Power2Think, each month we invite a renewable energy expert to have a Q&A session. This month at #Power2Think we invited Prasanto K Roy, a green evangelist and Head of Nasscom’s Internet, Mobile and E-commerce Council who shared some great information about the need for adapting to clean energy. He also shared very informative counsels on how we as individual and as a society could play the role of bringing such vital change in India and to world as a whole.

With great amount of engagement, our third #Power2Think tweet chat went well and ended on a good note.

Here are the highlights of the third session of #Power2Think.