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Fighting for inclusive growth

A few days before Lord Michael Hastings took to the stage at the International BusinessWomen Forum in doha, the world was shaken by the attempted assassination of a young Pakistani girl who dared to fight for education rights of girls. A prolific speaker, Hastings is KPMGs Global Head of Citizenship, and it was no surprise that he highlighted the story of Malala Yousfzais plight to enforce the importance of inclusive growth.

by S i nd h u Nai r

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the world to finally experience inclusive growth it is necessary for both genders, in every continent of the world, to get the education they need. For generations, girls have been disadvantaged but now it is time to draw a line under this longtime suffering by making sure they are able to take an active role in societies where girls have the ability to thrive. Sound early education, right from primary to secondary school, is the fundamental right of everyone, says Hastings. For genuine inclusive growth, women must be in a position of equal education, equal remunerations and equal potential to men. That is not to say that there should be enforced jobs or enforced privileges, because you cannot achieve that simply by forcing people to make decisions that they are not qualified to make.

Inclusive growth means that by giving women, and particularly young girls, the potential to learn, it will give them the dignity to define how and when they they work, whom they relate to and if they wish to, how and when they have families and how they can secure health and security prospects of their own kids, he adds. There are now vivid and strong examples of women and even girls standing up for the right to education. The right to education, says Hastings, is a fundamental right laid down by the UN way back in the post-second World war period, and 70 years on, still not enacted. There has to be a campaign for education rights by nations with influence, wealth and capacity, says Hastings. Qatar is one of the countries with women in leadership positions and they should take a strong stand

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it is extremely comforting to see that as a country, Qatar is focusing on its long term development plans, and has a very holistic approach to the way they are engaging the various stakeholders within the country,

in these areas and help spread the message globally. Country perspective As a first time visitor to the country, Hastings gives his take on a country that has its own version of non-inclusive growth, looking at the migrant population and their issues. This is indeed my first visit to Qatar, and it is extremely comforting to see that, as a country, Qatar is focusing on its long term development plans, and has a very holistic approach to the way they are engaging the various stakeholders within the country, says Hastings. The country clearly has its share of strengths and challenges. Its access to natural gas as a resource gives it enormous strength in terms of the economy, but its lack of water poses a huge challenge in terms of its development. Ive had the good fortune to have some very enlightening conversations with some key people driving the development plan within Qatar, and can confidently say that they are well aware of the areas of development, and Im sure they will see the Vision 2030 through to success. In terms of the issues around the migrant population, the country seems to have been dealing with this issue since the early 1970s, and is in fact looking at engaging all parts of the population, i.e. national and migrant to help in implementing its development plans. The one impact they will indeed need to consciously work on is the cultural element, but this already seems to be a key focus area in the development process. Lord Hastings also focuses on an increasingly widening gap between haves and havenots. On how this is played out even more intensely in Qatar, he says: The country is one of the most progressive and aggressive countries in the Middle East with a

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People are feeling the divide between this small percentage of rich and the rest of the population while they are also seeing children dying due to malnutrition, due to lack of access to clean sanitation, medicines and water. This cant be appropriate at least not now when there is so much development in other fields.

leadership that is already investing in education and a sustainable environment. With its position on the world stage, this small country with its small population but enormous mineral richnesshas the potential to instigate solutions in global matters and take a stance that will help steer action. The richest two percent own more than half the household wealth in the world. The richest 10% hold 85% of total global assets. And the bottom half of humanity owns less than one percent of the wealth in the world. The three richest men in the world have more money than the poorest forty-eight countries. More than before, people are watching the opulence, says Hastings. People are feeling the divide between this small percentage of rich people and the rest of the population while they are also seeing children dying due to malnutrition, due to lack of access to clean sanitation, medicines and water. This cant be appropriate, at least not now when there is so much development in other fields. Hastings had earlier been quoted as saying that the greatest way to change the world is by overcoming cynicism. How do you change that to fit the Arab region? Cynicism is a condition driven by affluence and indifference. People become focused on the difficulty of the problem and not the opportunity of the solution. Significantly, cynicism stops engagement and ownership of the actions necessary to move forward. For the new emerging democracies and new political arrangements in the North African and Arab countries, this is an opportunity to build not the affluent society but the generous and committed society, and I hope that countries in the Arab region grab the opportunity to lead from affluence, he says. Diversity at KPMG Talking about the role of diversity in organisations and Hastings role in building that, he says, My role in KPMG is to lead our thinking towards how we as a global busi-

ness can lead on solving some of the worlds most complex problems, and how we develop successful partnerships with all our stakeholders to help make this is a reality in our operations. At KPMG our approach to corporate citizenship is founded on the belief that business has a distinct and vital role to play in helping solve the worlds most complex problems, he says. Responsible business practices, which are at the heart of corporate citizenship, help build trust and contribute to the development and sustainability of the capital

Prior to KPMG Hastings had spent over a decade with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). He worked for over 12 years for the BBC, first as a Journalist, then as the Head of Public Affairs leading Government and Political relations. He has also set up the CSR team within the BBC and spent his last three years with them in leading their work towards Corporate Responsibility. Hastings came to KPMG by invitation of the then Chairman, Sir Mikael Rake. In 2005, Hastings received the UNICEF award for his outstanding contribution to understanding and effecting solutions for Africas children.

our values, embracing diversity and our responsibility to our communities, we aim to create an environment in which our people are proud to work - and to foster a rich pool of talents to support our clients business. After all, our member firms reputations are founded on our exceptional people. With over 145,000 people across 152 countries, KPMG is globally diverse by its very nature. But there are always ways to enhance our performance, to ensure that we create an environment of inclusiveness and respect for all our people, he says. On removing barriers in the work places, Hastings says, Embracing differences of culture, race, colour, ethnic or national heritage, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, marital or parental status, age, disability, faith or religion is good for business. Removing any barriers that are irrelevant to our peoples ability to do their work, will make the business more successful. Arab Spring legacy The issues around the Arab Spring and the tensions in the region are not something that is region-specific says Hastings. The global economy is going through a dramatic transition, and issues around disparity, poverty, hunger, ethics, unemployment are all being challenged across the world. The advent of technology and innovation has made it easier for the common man to express their opinions, and essentially gain a voice through the power of virtual media. This means that not only governments, but also businesses need to rethink the way they operate. People across the world, who are also consumers / stakeholders for businesses are going to challenge irresponsibility in the way governments and businesses operate. This is an opportunity for public/ private sector organisations to understand the force of the voice of the people, and take this new opportunity to redefine the way they operate to ensure that they have a sustainable future, he says

markets. But Hastings is pragmatic when he says that this by itself is not enough to address the challenges facing our world today. We are committed to doing more moving beyond good governance, compliance, ethical behaviours and philanthropy to work with governments, societies, and nongovernmental organisations to tackle global social and environmental issues, he says. Through our commitment to our people,

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