PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Nov 8: XLRI Jamshedpur hosted the 33rd JRD Tata Oration on Business Ethics at the Tata Auditorium in Friday.
Sanjay Pradhan, President of the World Forum for Ethics in Business (WFEB), delivered the keynote address on “Business and Ethics: Contradictory or Complementary?”. Speaking to industry leaders, faculty and students, he emphasized that ethical conduct is not a hindrance to business but the foundation of long-term value and trust.
The event began with a lamp-lighting ceremony, followed by remarks from Fr. Joseph Mathew, Chairperson of the XLRI J.R.D. Tata Foundation for Business Ethics, who highlighted the Foundation’s mission since 1991 to advance ethical practices rooted in Jesuit ideals and inspired by J.R.D. Tata.
XLRI Director Fr. Sebastian George, introduced Pradhan, noting his global contributions to business ethics, AI governance and anti-corruption.
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In his oration, Pradhan drew from global corporate experiences—such as J.R.D. Tata’s leadership, the Tylenol recall and Patagonia’s sustainability model—to show how integrity drives enduring success.
He contrasted these with examples like the Volkswagen emissions scandal and the 2008 financial crisis, underscoring the cost of compromised ethics.
He described WFEB’s work as the “third wave” of ethical evolution, beyond compliance and CSR, advocating conscience-based leadership that aligns purpose with profit.
He outlined the Forum’s initiatives in AI ethics, regenerative climate action and anti-corruption, proposing tools such as bias audits, watermarking, integrity pacts and regenerative business frameworks.
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Using a “three-layer cake” analogy, he stressed the synergy between value creation, leadership transformation and inner conviction.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Sanjay Patro, Dean (Academics), who reaffirmed XLRI’s commitment to nurturing ethical, purpose-driven leaders.
