Be.Seen - A beacon for supplier equity, diversity, and inclusion

An accelerator program by Hindustan Unilever Limited and Genpact, implemented by Sattva to support businesses owned by underrepresented and minority-owned groups including Women, Persons with Disabilities, Minorities (SC/STs), and Transgenders.
empowered women in business

A powerful platform for your business to shine

Be.Seen represents a transformative approach to support sustainable product and service enterprises that are led by underrepresented groups.
To advance the ideals of diversity, inclusion and responsible sourcing, Be.Seen was conceptualised as a collaboration between Hindustan Unilever Limited and Genpact, and implemented by Sattva. The primary objective of this program is to empower businesses belonging to minority-owned groups including women, persons with disabilities, minorities (SC/STs) and transgenders, enabling them to enhance their competencies and upskill themselves to thrive in large global value chains.
By tackling the barriers that impede the participation of diverse suppliers in the value chain, we are fostering more inclusive opportunities for all.

The program includes

Business masterclasses

Business masterclasses

Personalised one-on-one mentoring

Personalised one-on-one mentoring

Networking

Networking

Apply now

In the pilot phase of Be.Seen, shortlisted business owners will receive training from top industry experts across critical behavioral and technical skills over a period of six months.

As part of the program, shortlisted businesses will acquire skills and knowledge in the following areas:

Business strategy optimisation

    Business strategy optimisation

    Business risk management

      Business risk management

      Finance

        Finance

        Communications

          Communications

          Supply chain and procurement

            Supply chain and procurement

            Marketing and sales

              Marketing and sales

              Product refinement

                Product refinement

                Sustainability

                  Sustainability

                  The training will be conducted virtually, and a demo day will be organised at the end of the program to celebrate the progress and achievements of each business owner.

                  Partners to empower you

                  Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India’s largest fast-moving consumer goods company, with its products touching the lives of nine out of ten households in the country.

                  Advancing on its journey to embrace diversity and inclusion across the value chain of Hindustan Unilever Limited, the company has made timebound commitments to increase opportunities for underrepresented groups.

                  In 2021, Hindustan Unilever Limited committed to spending ₹2,000 crores annually with diverse businesses by 2025. The commitment by Hindustan Unilever Limited aligns with Unilever’s wide-ranging set of commitments and actions announced to help build a more equitable and inclusive society by raising living standards across its value chain, creating opportunities through inclusivity, and preparing people for the future of work. One of the key commitments by Unilever includes spending €2 billion annually with suppliers owned and managed by people from underrepresented groups.

                  Genpact (NYSE: G) is a global professional services firm delivering outcomes that transform our clients’ businesses and shape their futures. We’re guided by our real-world experience redesigning and running thousands of processes for hundreds of global companies.

                  Our clients – including many in the Global Fortune 500 – partner with us for our unique ability to combine deep industry and functional expertise, leading talent and proven methodologies to drive collaborative innovation that turns insights into action and delivers outcomes at scale.

                  We create lasting competitive advantages for our clients and their customers by running digitally enabled operations and applying our Data-Tech-AI services to design, build and transform their businesses. And we do it all with purpose. From New York to New Delhi and more than 30 countries in between, our 115,000+ team is passionate in its relentless pursuit of a world that works better for people.

                  At Genpact, fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture is core to who we are and foundational to how we drive continuous innovation and impact for our clients and the world. With a 42% gender-diverse global workforce, 50% women representation on our board, we are working strategically to reach our vision of 50% across all levels of the company.

                  We’re also passionate about creating a more sustainable, resilient planet. We apply our Data-Tech-AI insights and process skills to help our clients achieve business sustainability and make decisions based on improving economic, social, and environmental (ESG) outcomes for people.

                  Sattva is a mission-driven organisation focused on impact. Sattva works at the intersection of knowledge and practice, bringing together various stakeholders to design effective, inclusive and sustainable change models.

                  Be.Seen is at the heart of Sattva’s core objective to deliver scalable solutions powered by knowledge. It is an innovative model demonstrating the power of collaboration and innovation in creating inclusive and equitable opportunities for entrepreneurs and producers from vulnerable, underrepresented groups.

                  Be.Seen aims to solve a problem that affects both society and business, and we are ideally positioned to design a solution that benefits everyone. We are helping empower diverse-owned firms to increase their income and growth potential, while also promoting the value of supplier diversity among top companies.

                  Hindustan Unilever Limited and Genpact

                  As equitable partners, Hindustan Unilever Limited and Genpact will collaborate with the selected businesses to provide comprehensive support across the key areas listed below:

                  • Contextualised business support from global leaders
                  • Deep domain expertise
                  • Opportunity to be integrated into the supply chains of large consumer goods companies

                  Sattva

                  Sattva, as the knowledge and implementation partner of Be.Seen, will function as the accelerator for this initiative. Sattva will facilitate program implementation by

                  • Designing strategy
                  • Anchoring overall implementation
                  • Identifying appropriate target segments
                  • Identifying partners

                  Our First Cohort

                  Our outreach partners

                  Cwe
                  Abwci
                  Bangalore Creative Circus
                  Ncre
                  Ylc

                  Eligibility criteria

                  To qualify for Be.Seen, businesses must be operational in India. Only businesses that are at least 51% owned and led by women, persons with disability, minority communities, and transgenders are eligible. The program will carefully evaluate each applicant based on the following key parameters:

                  To explore more, you can download our PDF which contains a comprehensive version of our eligibility criteria.

                  Download

                  How to apply

                  To apply for the program, please fill out our application form and propel your business journey to new heights. We look forward to receiving your application.

                  Apply now

                  The pathway to success —
                  An overview

                  Be.Seen represents a transformative approach to supporting sustainable product and service enterprises that are led by underrepresented groups.

                  By tackling the barriers that impede the participation of diverse suppliers in the value chain, we are fostering more inclusive opportunities for all. Be.Seen provides comprehensive support to help businesses thrive, while also advancing social and environmental sustainability.

                  Key takeaways for the participants

                  About the mentors

                  Pradeep Patidar

                  Global Process Owner, Transformation Services, Genpact

                  Business analyst and system integration specialist

                  Sugantha Rajakumari

                  Data Tech AI leader, Genpact

                  Supply chain practitioner with 21 years of multi-industry experience

                  Sunetra Vijaykar

                  Global Executive Producer, Genpact

                  Leading global operations of Genpact’s in-house creative agency

                  Sonali Jain

                  Global Leader DEI, Genpact

                  18+ years’ experience in human resources and global diversity and inclusion

                  Aanchal Tyagi

                  Head of Global Employee Communications, Genpact

                  A 19-year career spanning TV news and documentaries, branded content production, and corporate communications

                  Aswinpratap Narayanaswamy

                  Corporate Strategy leader, Genpact

                  Leading sustainability strategy for Genpact , working on ESG offerings and client solutions.

                  Ajay Rawat

                  Creative Director, Genpact

                  20+ years of expertise in graphic design and user experience , in brand, marketing, and communication

                  Mahesh Ramnath

                  Commercial Director, Genpact

                  Qualified Chartered Accountant and Cost Accountant, with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Delhi University) with over 20 years of experience in the gamut of Finance & Accounts.

                  Shamal Parkar

                  Senior Manager, Genpact Enterprise Risk Consulting

                  Chartered accountant India (ICAI) & England & Wales (ICAEW) with 15+ years’ experience in risk and control advisory services

                  Mohita Sajwan

                  Chief Operating Officer – Consumer & Healthcare, Genpact

                  24 Years of Global leadership experience in delivering tangible business impact across roles in Business Process Transformation, Business Strategy & Operations Management

                  Sreedhar Vegesna

                  Senior Vice President, APAC Financial Service, Genpact

                  Global experience in leading digital businesses, distribution, and operations across investment, retail, and corporate banking

                  Mudit Lawania

                  Sr. Manager – Wood-Based Procurement, South Asia HUL

                  15+ years of experience in packaging, branding & supply chain across Walmart, Mondelez & Amazon, currently leading wood-based packaging procurement at Unilever

                  Singharaja Thevar

                  Procurement Lead - Flexible Packaging, South Asia HUL

                  Experienced Supply chain professional with close to 2 decades of MNC experience, working with a purpose to enrich people’s lives through empowerment.

                  Vikas Upreti

                  Strategic Sourcing Manager Utilities & Waste, South Asia HUL

                  Supply Chain Professional with 15+ years of extensive and diversified experience currently, leading Unilever's EPR and waste management sourcing for South Asia countries

                  Satish Godisela

                  Sr. Procurement Manager - Nutrition & Ice Cream South Asia HUL

                  Procurement Professional with 17 years of experience in value-chain insights and analytics across the FMCG industry with specific expertise in grains, coffee, processed fruits, functional ingredients and engagement with FBOs (farmer-based organizations)

                  Divya Bhadani

                  Procurement Manager - B&W and PC Chemicals South Asia HUL

                  Divya has 14 years of experience across manufacturing & procurement doing various leadership roles with expertise on FMCG Supply Chain Management.

                  Nagesh D Telang

                  Designation - Sr Procurement Lead, HUL

                  I am a people centric leader with quick adaptability to the fast-changing business environment coupled with authenticity in my business dealings.

                  Abhishek Haritwal

                  Senior Manager, Procurement

                  13+ years of key expertise in supply chain and procurement, currently driving the sourcing for the nutrition category.

                  Jane

                  William Dave

                  Co-Founder

                  12 years of experience

                  Mike

                  andrea smith

                  Co-Founder

                  12 years of experience

                  John

                  jonathan summer

                  Co-Founder

                  12 years of experience

                  Project timelines

                  1. May-June 2023

                    22nd May to 5th June - Be.Seen applications are welcome

                  2. June-July 2023

                    (A) Selection period

                    (B) July 15th - Announcement of final Be.Seen cohort

                  3. August 2023-January 2024

                    (A) Be.Seen is underway

                    (B) Masterclasses

                    (C) One-on-one mentoring

                    (D) Networking

                  4. Febrary 2024

                    (A) Be.Seen demo day

                    (B) February end - Be.Seen ends

                  Want to know more?

                  Contact us

                  If you have any queries regarding the program, please reach out to us and we will get back to you shortly.

                    Frequently asked questions

                    To provide comprehensive support and address common concerns, we have addressed several
                    frequently asked questions.
                    Be.Seen aims to promote inclusion in India within the supply chain of FMCG companies by empowering and enabling innovative businesses led by entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds to achieve their full potential. The primary objective of the program is to provide capacity-building support to 15 shortlisted businesses over six months to enhance their ability to meet industry standards at a global level. This support will be provided by mentors from corporates, NGOs, and associations whose expertise includes areas related to diversity-strengthening, product/service development, and business enhancement and sustainability.
                    No, we do not take any equity nor charge any fee.  
                    We will be hosting virtual sessions.
                    Be.Seen will run over a 6-month period.
                    The expected time commitment by each business representative is 3-5 hours a month.
                    Be.Seen sessions are curated for one CXO member (with the option of an additional senior leadership member).
                    Applicants will be informed by email regarding whether or not their application has been successful by the 1st week of July 2023.