Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a lot more than a popular buzzword, according to Teresa Au, head of corporate sustainability at HSBC Asia-Pacific region. It's all about businesses adopting ethical and sustainable best practices to benefit customers, staff and the community at large, she adds.
Au says CSR should not just be about polishing a company's image by providing photo opportunities to feature cheque presentations. It should be about a wider mandate, a holistic and visionary approach that creates genuine impact on the organisations and all the stakeholders concerned.
The concept has been catching on fast in recent years, opening up a new field of professional services that spread across a broad range of industries and enterprises.
A CSR or sustainability officer needs to have superb communication skills because he must work with a diverse mix of people both internally and externally. It is also important that he can play an advocacy role within his own company.
Furthermore, the person must be creative, outgoing and care about community welfare.
In general, Au feels that candidates should not be fresh graduates but need to have a relevant background in communications, human resources, business development or financial management.
The diversity of the field can be illustrated by looking at some of HSBC's CSR practices, which include reducing the direct environmental impacts of buildings and business operations, promoting community environmental awareness and conservation projects, and embracing diversity in the workplace.