BWI: Steria Recognised for Examplary Corporate Responsibility in India

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: Steria
Thursday, February 11, 2010 05:27 PM IST (11:57 AM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest, Environment; Business: Advertising, PR & marketing, Banking & financial services, Business services, Information technology, Media & entertainment; Technology
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Steria Recognised for Examplary Corporate Responsibility in India


New Delhi, Delhi, India, Thursday, February 11, 2010 -- (Business Wire India) -- Steria Corporate Responsibility and community engagement programmes receive multiple awards from country's most venerable institutions

Steria India, a leading provider of IT-enabled business services, today announced that it has been awarded two prestigious plaudits from venerable Indian institutions including the Bombay Stock Exchange and the NASSCOM Foundation, that recognise the company's efforts to engage, educate and empower India's local communities.

For the second consecutive year, Steria India has been awarded the Best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Practice award by NASSCOM Foundation, Bombay Stock Exchange Limited and Times Foundation, under the auspices of the Social and Corporate Governance Awards, 2009. The award recognises the achievements of Steria Community Services, which emphasises individual empowerment, self-sufficiency and contribution to local society, and is delivered through a collaborative effort between Steria, central and local governments, and industry bodies across multiple locations.

Steria's corporate responsibility charter focuses on four domains: Environment (minimising the company's impact on the environment and helping its clients do the same); Workplace (supporting the growth and development of our people); Marketplace (promoting ethical business practices); and Community. The company's approach to community engagement emphasises access to IT, education and job opportunities as the keys to dramatically improving the lives of individuals, thereby strengthening local communities. Steria's work in India is part of its global Corporate Responsibility initiatives, which are volunteer-driven, involve more than 3,000 Steria employees, and provide support to 72 international charities.

Steria has also accepted the NASSCOM Social Innovation Award Honours, 2010, for its continued drive to provide a 'superior experience' for more than 46,000 school-aged children in 36 Steria-supported schools across Chennai, Pune and Noida. The initiative aims to bridge the digital and social divide by providing quality, ICT-enriched education to both boys and girls living in the poorest and most underserved rural areas in India. The Steria programme follows the children's progress from the very early stages of primary education onward, providing computer centres, libraries, English language software and mentoring, as well as the opportunity to obtain financial assistance for pursuing a university degree. This University assistance is funded by One Day Challenge, a Group wide initiative whereby Steria's employees engage in community programmes in order to raise funds for sustainable projects. The programme is helping to significantly curb drop-out rates and is encouraging parents to learn computer skills, as well.

Commenting on the awards, Gayathri Mohan, vice president, Corporate Responsibility, Steria India, said: "We are honored to receive these awards which motivate us to set new benchmarks in corporate ethics and citizenship. Steria has a long-standing commitment to, and track record of engagement in social causes that lead to inclusive growth, by empowering marginalised communities with access to education and sustainable livelihood. We strongly believe our initiatives will continue to help bridge the existing socio-economic divide."

Other community initiatives of note undertaken by Steria India this year include:

-- Life Skills Training for children of Steria-supported schools - attended by more than 1,200 students, the programme focused on sex education and healthcare, to address the acute lack of awareness about HIV/AIDS in impoverished communities.

-- Free vaccination programme - Steria India partnered with Max India Foundation and Max New York Life Insurance to provide vaccination to children between 0-12 years of age for BCG, DPT, MMR, Measles and Hepatitis B.

-- Hands-on environmental awareness - local Steria volunteers conducted a workshop to teach children how to grow common herbs and their various uses; in the process, helping boost their awareness of key environmental issues, such as sustainability.

"Many of these programmes and the benefits they deliver would not have materialised without the enthusiastic support of Steria clients," said Francois Enaud, CEO, Steria Group. "We owe them thanks for sharing our vision to contribute to social causes that make a real difference to people's lives."

About Steria: www.steria.com

The leading end-to-end IT services provider in Europe for companies which consider new technologies a vital part of their business strategy, Steria focuses on setting up strategic partnerships with its customers in each of its key markets: the public sector, finance, telecommunications, utilities and transport. Steria offers customers' integrated services including consulting in core business processes as well as the development and operation of their information systems. In October 2007, Steria acquired the British firm Xansa. The new group employs over 19,000 staff in 16 countries, including 5,000 in India. On December 31, 2007, Steria revenue amounted to ?1.4 billion (?1.9 billion pro forma). The Group, headquartered in Paris, is listed on the Euronext Paris market.


CONTACT DETAILS
Isabelle Grangé, Groupe Steria Press Office, +33 1 34 88 64 44, isabelle.grange@steria.com
Laurence Chalude, Firefly Communications, +44 207 386 1404, laurence.chalude@fireflycomms.com
Udai Jain, Gutenberg Communications, +91 (11) 41324969/ +91 9811927261, udai@gutenbergpr.com

KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, ENVIRONMENT, MARKETING, BANKING, BUSINESS SERVICES, IT, MEDIA, TECHNOLOGY

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