Arpana Sharma Pushes Boundaries Across Sectors

Arpana Sharma

Health, Hospitality, Management Consulting, Recruitment, Tertiary Education, Consultant and Social Impact Advocate – Arpana Sharma the Executive Director of PraeEminere Advisory

Tell us about your journey as a business education sustainability consultant.

“My transition from a corporate professional to a sustainability consultant in the domain of Higher education and Industry has been an organic and a natural progression. I currently lead the Business-Education Sustainability Consulting at PraeEminere Advisory, a boutique firm based in Dubai, UAE. This follows a cross-sectoral corporate career spanning over three decades in India and the UAE – within Health, Hospitality, Management Consulting, Recruitment and Tertiary Education. An extensive tenure in Higher Ed in the UAE provided ongoing opportunities for meaningful interactions with industry, government, academics, communities, professionals, students and graduates, which has instilled a deep understanding of the connections between these domains.

Economic shifts, globalization together with technological advancements and innovation are intensifying industry competition, influencing business trends and talent requirements. Recognizing trends and emerging patterns provided an effective opportunity to introduce my experience and skills as a consultant. The approach integrates two strategic models at its core: a ‘Business Internship Program’ for companies, specifically SMEs and MSMEs, alongside an ‘Alumni Engagement Framework’ for academic institutions and businesses. My work is a bridge between industry and youth as a conduit to accelerate the momentum of business growth, youth employability and enhanced societal sustainability.

Through ongoing interactions with students and recent graduates who had undertaken internships, these revealed a vast and divergent set of experiences – from those having gained valuable skills to those at the other end of the spectrum, where little or no value in terms of employable skills was achieved. Also worth highlighting is that, many companies who I engage with that are providing internships present an unidimensional perspective on how the intern has benefitted from the experience. My business therefore focuses on shifting the paradigm from a one-sided viewpoint, to build awareness and create an approach that supports mutual benefit – for the firm and the intern. The key lies in helping firms shift from an ad-hoc unstructured approach to the systematic and organized development of strategies that clearly define the anticipated outcomes of a program.

Data assessment, tracking, and reporting are fundamental to ensuring alignment between progress and goals and delivering benefits for everyone in the partnership. We develop conceptual business plans that are structured and tailored to provide measurable outcomes that align with the customer’s business

goals relevant to the scenario, whether an organization is launching a new initiative or enhancing an existing process. I mentor young businesses and students and regularly participate in high-profile panels as an industry thought leader. I am also privileged to continue my association with not-for-profit entities – as a Board Member, and an NGO, as a Volunteer Consultant.

Throughout my career, I have worked in different industries, which not only provided learning opportunities throughout as I progressed professionally but has also developed my ability to recognize the interdependencies between industry and their business functions. Working among intergenerational workforces and leading multi-functional projects afforded a balanced insight into what yields success. Early in my career, I realized that joining the dots is critical for a business to create long-lasting and enduring value for itself and its stakeholders. This principle applies to all individuals within an organization and across hierarchies, from leaders to operations.

When Dubai was preparing to host COP28, my interest in sustainable business practices heightened. To learn and educate myself on sustainability development, I enrolled in a course with the Cambridge Institute of Sustainable Leadership at the University of Cambridge. The program provided an excellent grounding moving away from a solely economic growth perspective to viewing this as an inherent outcome of social and environmental wellness. Business profitability is reliant on human, social and planetary resources. How an industry contributes, preserves, regenerates and protects these will define a firm’s long-term existence. Sustainability itself is a vast discipline, hence understanding its context provides a foundation to acknowledging climate change challenges and how risk mitigation can lead to business opportunities. I now use a holistic and cohesive approach that transforms traditional economic models into responsible practices to enhance competitive positioning and growth alongside youth development for social impact.”

What has been your greatest inspiration? What motivates you to help others/organizations with improving their future operations?

“I am inspired by the opportunity to identify purposeful collaborations that drive authentic action and deliver equitable solutions to help businesses, communities, and the planet prosper. Therefore inherently, remaining current with relevant trends requires a continual learning mindset. This means understanding how emerging patterns impact the industry landscape, such as sustainability development standards, legislation, technology, innovation as well as how existing and new competition are adapting their strategies to stay ahead of the curve. Recognizing these shifts inspired me to bridge the gap between traditional business concepts and current market themes within the domain of my expertise.

As climate change alters the nature of industries, communities and the planet, companies need to renew their approach as a natural vehicle for embracing social and environmental stewardship and re-imagine the intersection between corporate performance and society. While ESG-related legislation, disclosures and reporting vary across the world, we are also seeing countries embracing unified global standards, which means large enterprises that are currently under these regulations are already evaluating their supply chains and, if not now, will be required to do so as part of the compliance requirements. I would also like to highlight that companies play a vital role in influencing consumer behavior change, government policies and rules.

Several diverse yet interdependent factors primarily influence long-term business viability, resilience and license to operate. These include a firm’s ability to implement sustainable practices, embrace innovation and technology, adopt inclusion and diversity, identify opportunities through risk mitigation strategies, integrate with communities, encourage an entrepreneurial and learning mindset, invest in capacity building and upskilling, institutionalize transparency and business ethics, and promote adaptability, talent development, partnerships, and regulatory compliance.

My motivation stems from helping organizations develop their internal capabilities as unique strategic assets within internships and alumni engagement frameworks to compete more effectively. As an industry thought leader, I aim to create awareness and educate stakeholders on the advantages of transitioning away from a business-as-usual, silo approach to acknowledge businesses as dynamic, evolving and complex systems that overlap, interact and connect with their surrounding environment. These linkages are interdependent; change in one sphere exponentially impacts all other realms. While I work primarily with companies, I am consistently involved in mentoring youth around career readiness, university guidance and other areas – this is an important area of focus for me not only to support youth development but also to give back to the community.”

Why does youth development matter? How may it facilitate socio-economic development? How do you help them build leadership competencies?

“Understanding the reciprocity and interdependent relationship between human beings and social systems is essential. At the core of social systems are individuals who interact and live together and constitute the workforce – a key contributor to a firm’s success, profitability and growth. Youth development shapes the potential of young people to influence social welfare and boost a business’s ability to innovate and collaborate. As the next generation in society and the workforce, youth have a fundamental role in influencing socio-economic growth, progress, resilience and adaptability, and technological advancement.

Youth leadership competencies can be developed from a very early stage in their education journey. It is up to institutions to provide a platform of initiatives that stimulate outside the classroom development – having said that, the student has an equal or higher accountability to leverage these opportunities for which directional guidance is important. Further, purposeful public-private sector

partnerships and policy-driven strategies are needed to focus on enhancing the quality of youth development through education, learning, and training. By providing effective opportunities for the practical application of the acquired knowledge, skills, and capabilities needed to contribute to a productive economy, youth can access the job market and be effectively integrated into the workforce. By integrating youth in real-life situations, shifts at the grass-roots level can be accelerated, developing individuals as leaders and positive change agents.

Firms hiring interns should also provide an unbiased non-conformist space for youth to voice their views and participate in discussions related to company operations or even global issues as an imperative. This enhances their learning and creates a sense of belonging, especially as these agenda will have the most significant impact on their future and well-being. Inclusive participation increases the scalability of positive action and strengthens civic engagement, social inclusion, solidarity and ownership between communities and organizations. A cohesive and integrative approach provides a holistic perspective and understanding of the impact of individual and collective action in a society’s response to large-scale challenges, such as climate change, poverty, and social inequality. A lack of productive and channeled labor utilization can negatively affect economic growth and social progress.

An increasing number of global conglomerates acknowledge their role in developing youth talent and providing a platform to enhance the economic health of communities by setting ESG targets and social advancement through CSR initiatives. Providing an inclusive platform that gives youth a balancing voice in discussions enhances firms’ opportunities to be creative and innovative, challenge the status quo, address existing stereotypes, foster empathy and mutual understanding, and break down societal, cultural, and economic barriers.

As a resident of the UAE since 1993, it has been a privilege and an inspiration to witness the government’s strategic vision, which has consolidated the UAE’s pioneering role in establishing a knowledge economy that focuses on education and workforce development. The UAE has always demonstrated a commitment to engaging with youth, and this dedication was particularly amplified during COP28.”

What are the major areas to work on in youth development in modern times?

“Youth development is imperative in global transformation strategies. Equipping youth with the competencies to address real-world problems and contribute to tangible outcomes requires cross-sectoral alliances and an interdisciplinary approach. Multi-stakeholder partnerships built on the fundamentals of collaboration and immersive learning are crucial to providing youth with the right tools and techniques.

Technological advancements create an opportunity to scale youth education and learning strategies exponentially. Mainstream teaching approaches need to be complemented by participatory and hands-on mechanisms and the exchange of best practices that facilitate youth engagement and build sustainable communities.

It is crucial to integrate these strategies into policies and plans from the design stage, when governments and institutions align their plans to the SDGs, to encourage inclusive action from the local to the national and international levels.

Strategies can only be as effective as the decision makers and their understanding of critical parameters: for example, the current and projected shifts in the business environment, regulatory frameworks, and the impact of their businesses on communities and the planet. The role of decision-makers and leaders within organizations is vital. Transformative capabilities exhibited by sustainability leadership recognize the importance of youth development and their influence in designing future-proof organizations that are custodians of people and the planet. These leaders focus on empowering youth to develop adaptive capacity and resilience as an autonomous and scalable solution to overcome barriers and address challenges.

Mentoring is another powerful technique and a vital component in youth development within communities, organizational talent, and education institutions. Structured mentoring allows the mentor to contribute their skills and experiences and is also an opportunity for learning and self-development. Mentoring as a strategic approach needs to be pushed and broadly adopted in youth development. It has validated advantages across diverse contexts.”