Chandran Nair is the Founder and CEO of what he believes is a “first”. The Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT) is an independent social venture think tank based in Asia.
Mr Nair was Chairman of ERM in the Asia Pacific until March 2004. He established the company as Asia’s leader in environmental consulting, developing it from one small office of 10 people in Hong Kong in 1991 to a strength of 500 in 12 countries when he left in 2004. Clients included many Fortune 500 companies, multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, the UNEP and the ADB, as well as governments. During his leadership the business in Asia remained consistently profitable, producing some of the best results within ERM’s international network.
For more than a decade, Mr Nair has strongly advocated a more sustainable approach to development in Asia, and has helped governments and corporations instil these principles into their key decision-making process.
He has worked and travelled extensively; corporations seek his advice on how to meet the challenges of doing business in Asia and of globalisation, on investment geo-politics, leadership development, ethics, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility.
He has addressed many of these issues at forums around the world, notably at speaking engagements in London, New York, Sydney, and all the major Asian capitals. He writes frequently and his articles have appeared in international publications including the Financial Times.
His first book is entitled, “Consumptionomics: Asia’s Role in Reshaping Capitalism and Saving the Planet” which was published in December 2010.
GIFT’s Global Young Leaders Programme has gained international recognition as an innovation in leadership learning with its emphasis on “learning through the eyes of others”. It provides young executives with the opportunity to develop the necessary skills to navigate an increasingly complex world, beyond those taught in classrooms.
Mr Nair is also the Chairman of Avantage Ventures, an Asian based boutique investment advisory company in the field of high impact social investing. The Company was established in 2010.
In addition to his work with GIFT and Avantage Ventures Mr Nair has maintained his interest in business. He is involved in providing strategic management advice and coaching to the European CEO of a global company with a focus on achieving growth targets and bringing about organisational change. He also sits on the Board of two European companies based in Geneva and Cologne.
Mr Nair is a visiting scholar at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s School of Business, running a course, “Leading in Asia for the Future”, as part of the HKUST MBA programme.
He has been an advisor to the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum, the World Wildlife Fund in Asia, and to the Jane Goodall Institute. He is a fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Directors. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
A keen sportsman, Mr Nair managed the Hong Kong hockey team for seven years, taking it to the 2002 Asian Games in South Korea. He plays the saxophone and used to head a band in Africa where he worked as a volunteer for three years building rural water supply and sanitation schemes. He has lived and worked in Asia, Europe and Africa.