Cadre of Project Managers and Procurement Mangers trained, from various Tata companies
Project Managers
Leaders in emergency response
57 Project Managers
from 27 Tata companies and Trusts
23 deployed
Procurement Officers
In-charge of purchase, logistics & warehousing
26 Procurement Officers
from 17 Tata companies
8 deployed
Project Managers
As part of its efforts in developing disaster response capabilities within the Tata group, TSG collaborates with Tata companies and the Tata Trusts to form a cadre of Project Managers, with the requisite knowledge and capabilities to manage future disaster response initiatives of the Tata group. Project Managers are Tata employees who volunteer to be trained for the role and commit to being deployed for a group response to a disaster, as required. The Project Managers are deployed at the location of a response initiative for a period between 1 to 3 months and are central to the planning and execution of projects, engagement with multiple stakeholders, sourcing and analysing information and looping back on key decisions / approvals.
Meet the Project Managers
Satya Muniasamy
Tata Consumer Product Ltd.
Project Manager -
J&K Floods Response, 2014
I think volunteering gives you new perspective and stretches your own capabilities and skills. While helping contribute to societal problems, you also broaden your ways of thinking and acting.
When I volunteered as a Project Manager for the Tata group's flood response in Kashmir, it was a heartening experience for me. It is one thing to know that the Tata group believes in giving back to community and quite another to actually be on ground and have the opportunity to help with an initiative. nteracting with communities to conduct a needs assessment and thinking through possible longer term initiatives taught me to view things through their eyes. It also made me realise the importance of thinking through a solution - an intervention can have unintended consequences too, so one needs to think through possible outcomes and how they link to other systems and behaviours in the community.
I joined the Project Managers cadre and was deployed in Kodagu for the response programme in 2018. It was like you are put in ground zero without any background and very less information about the disaster. Our Project Manager training programme helped me a lot to understand the situation of the disaster and how to go about. I was there to do the need analysis and identify villages where we can respond. We had a lot of interactions with impacted communities, Govt officials etc. and could reach a few affected places before the Govt could reach.
I have learnt a lot in this process - my ability to handle situations, to make decisions guided by data even when there is chaos all around you, interacting with different stakeholders and the challenges that come with it, and of course, the belief in the humanitarian principles and reasons why as a group we do this.
Kishore V A S
Tata AIA
Project Manager -
Kerala and Karnataka
Floods Response, 2018
Procurement Officers
To augment the Project Managers' Cadre, a cadre of Procurement Officers have been identified and trained in emergency supply chain management and logistics. These seasoned procurement professionals from multiple Tata companies are based at the location of a response and work with the Project Managers to provide timely, essential assistance to affected communities.
Meet the Procurement Officers
Ajay Panchal
Tata Realty
Procurement Officer (PrO) - Odisha Cyclone Response, 2019
I consider myself very lucky to work for a humanitarian cause which is in alignment with my values and the things that I believe in. Few of my colleagues who are also the member of Procurement Cadre in Tata Sustainability Group (TSG) have spent time in the field during response situation. The experiences shared by those colleagues have motivated me to join response & do something for the community. Fortunately, I was given an opportunity to work as a PrO to respond Fani Cyclone in Puri district.
While working in Puri as a PrO, I had to coordinate with various people including vendors, logistics, volunteers, NGOs & helpers etc. The success of the response is mainly due to people who worked tirelessly like as a team. On the other hand, TSG has provided excellent support by giving timely decisions & approvals on critical issues with timely vendor payments. The overall work experience as a PrO was heartening.
Core Volunteers
Employees from Tata group companies are also called in during disaster response, with the aid of Tata Engage - the group's corporate volunteering platform. Expression of interest is invited from Tata employees registered on tataengage.com. Based on a quick interaction with those interested and their ability to contribute at least seven days of effort, volunteers are allowed to sign up to join the Disaster Response (DR) team on the ground. Volunteers are given an orientation in the field by the Project Managers, following which they commence work in roles that are most suitable to them.
During this week-long activity, I have earned an enriching experience and memories which I will cherish for a lifetime.
The priceless smiles on children's faces after getting the bags, the boundless respect and affection from school management & villagers, the selfless dedication of each and every volunteer to reach out to the schools either by our vehicle or by walking on kachha roads, the true team effort with totally unknown team members.
All these moments and learnings were a valuable experience for me.
Subhashree Sasmita
Tata Power
Core Volunteer Odisha Cyclone Response, 2019
Extended DR team
Arvind Rawat
DR team member,
Tata Relief Committee.
Lucas Saldhana
Admin, Tata STRIVE
Venkat Raidu
Finance, Tata STRIVE
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