UNV/UNDP/ACCA Breakfast Seminar
“Human Resource Management and Corporate Volunteerism”

15 October 2011

 

Source: UNDP

Marking yet another step in a successful development partnership between the UNV Field Unit in Trinidad and Tobago and the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA), the two organisations jointly held a breakfast seminar on the issue of ‘Human Resource Management and Corporate Volunteering’ at the Marriott Hotel at Invaders Bay in Port Spain on Thursday, the 13^th October 2011.

 

The event was attended by 40 participants from the local Private Sector who heeded the call from UNV Programme Officer Dr. Jens-Ulrich Poppen and the Head of the ACCA Caribbean Brenda Lee Tang to come together for discussions on the business value of employee engagement. The audience which comprised of both human resource managers as well as employees with responsibility for companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) portfolio was addressed by Key Note Speaker Charles Percy who in his capacity as CEO of Methanex and immediate past president of the Energy Chamber gave a very personal account of his own volunteer commitment in a corporate environment.

 

“Do Good and Good will follow you” was his credo and his speech conveyed the message that this Good could positively affect individual lives as well as the company’s bottom line. Proceeding the Key Note Address, the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Dr. Marcia de Castro in her welcoming remarks stressed the importance of strategically integrating corporate volunteering into the core business processes of the company and to fully appreciate the value proposition and HR value inherent in the concept of staff volunteering.

 

Three working sessions dealing with the question of leadership and volunteering, skills development through volunteering and performance appraisals and volunteering followed ably led by facilitator Melanie Richards of CSR Solutions Ltd. One of the highlights during the working sessions was undoubtedly the presentation of Dave Ramkissoon, CEO of the EIL Group of Companies who positioned corporate volunteering firmly within a framework of CSR and business ethics and who reminded participants that volunteering in the corporate world should not be seen as a sacrifice but as an opportunity to embedded the company in local communities.

Please click the below thumbnails to access the Newsday's article and Charles Percy's Address:

Newspaper Article

Charles Percy's Address