Anjalli Kaur Diwakar’s journey from a committed professional to India’s Head of CSR, Sustainability, and Communications at Marelli illustrates how one leader’s dedication can turn corporate pursuits into meaningful, measurable social change.

In 2025, Diwakar is at the heart of nationwide transformation, advancing community-driven, data-supported and scalable CSR models most notably in clean energy, skill training, and social equity programs.

Her approach, rooted in transparency and active listening, has led Marelli to exceed several sustainability targets and positioned the company as a sectoral benchmark. “The strength of any CSR programme lies in its direct connection with the people it serves,” Diwakar insists, echoing her belief that impact is measured not by budgets, but by the quality of everyday lives improved.

As India evolves under new regulations and expectations for responsible business, it is these values collaboration, accountability, and empathy which define Diwakar’s enduring legacy.

Listening First, Acting with Integrity

Diwakar’s path has been shaped as much by humility as by vision. From her earliest roles, she demonstrated an instinct to listen before acting, conducting stakeholder consultations and regularly engaging directly with the communities her programmes aim to benefit.

“We must listen before we act, and let the voices of the underserved guide us,” she says words that have become central to Marelli’s evolving project design. Whether consulting women’s self-help groups about clean cooking solutions or convening village leaders in skills development planning, Diwakar’s methodology consistently privileges participatory dialogue over top-down directives.​

In practice, this translates into granular needs assessments, ongoing public feedback loops, and third-party audits to measure programme impact. “It’s only facts, figures, and real stories that tell you if change is happening,” she remarks.

By insisting on continuous monitoring and external validation, she ensures that Marelli’s sizable CSR investments impacting over 50,000 lives in 2025 alone are not just compliant, but community-owned and sustained.

Building Impact: From Skills to Sustainability

Under Anjalli’s stewardship, Marelli has implemented one of the most ambitious sets of social and environmental targets in the industry. The company has committed to a 25% reduction in Scope 3 emissions by 2025, with direct material supplier plants working towards ISO 14001 certification and nearly 99% of all suppliers undergoing ESG assessments by 2024.

Essential to this achievement has been Diwakar’s strategy of interlinking industry innovation with on-the-ground needs deploying solar micro-grids in partnership with rural panchayats, and expanding green jobs training in collaboration with technical institutions.​

“Collaboration is not a trend it’s a necessity for scalable change,” says Diwakar, referencing Marelli’s partnerships with NGOs, government agencies, and sector peers. The impact of her leadership is evident in company metrics: by early 2025, Marelli operates 18 facilities, employs over 6,000 professionals, and has catalysed numerous upskilling and environmental projects across at least seven major Indian cities.

More telling, perhaps, is her insistence that “accountability, disclosure, and learning from failure are foundations for trust in CSR not just checkboxes for compliance.”​

Her team’s work has included securing ISO 45001 and SA8000 certifications for workplace safety and ethical practices, increasing women’s representation in leadership to 22%, and successfully advancing clean water and zero-waste projects in plant communities. This focus on gender equity, safety, and long-term resilience positions Marelli and its partners at the intersection of business success and measurable social value.

Leading Change Amid Sectoral Evolution

Diwakar’s leadership has played out against a backdrop of major regulatory shifts and growing public scrutiny. CGovernment mandates now require companies to spend a mandated percentage of profits on CSR and publicly disclose their impact pressures that have elevated the role of leaders who understand both policy and people.

Diwakar became a voice at industry summits her workshops being oversubscribed, her claims scrutinised, her approaches often emulated by peer companies.​

“True sustainability in India will come when every company sees itself as a stakeholder in societal wellbeing,” she told business leaders at a 2025 summit on responsible business.

Diwakar’s workshop series, co-hosted with the NIIT Foundation, brought regulatory experts, educators, and social entrepreneurs into dialogue resulting in collaborative frameworks to support climate action and gender parity projects.

Her hands-on supervision of Marelli’s “Women Fast Track Development Plan,” for example, is part of a larger effort to revise targets upward from 18% to 25% female leadership by 2028, alongside commitments to equal pay and new career mentorship schemes.

These measures, combined with regular public reporting, have drawn praise from sector watchdogs and community members, many of whom cite improved trust and transparency in CSR delivery.

Personality Beyond the Boardroom

Those who work with Diwakar describe her style as “pragmatic, data-driven, and quietly persistent.” She is often first to arrive at project launches and last to leave community meetings, listening keenly to direct feedback from beneficiaries.

Colleagues note that her preference for facts over adjectives is deliberate: “Success must be shared and measurable, not just described,” she often says. What sets her apart is not showmanship or force, but relentless curiosity and a willingness to adapt attributes rare and necessary in a sector facing rapid, unpredictable change.

Diwakar’s belief in upskilling is not rhetoric. Marelli’s own HR Director notes, “Our teams are now trained in innovative technologies thanks to Anjalli’s push for continuous development, opening doors for women and youth previously excluded from such opportunities.” This ripple effect, from policy vision to personal empowerment, is the hallmark of Diwakar’s approach.

The Logical Indian’s Perspective

Leadership is often measured in grand gestures; Diwakar reminds us that its true impact is found in listening, letting go, and guiding by example. Her journey reflects not jargon, but the lived experiences of thousands whose futures are now brighter with clean energy, safe workplaces, and accessible training. The Logical Indian views this story as a testament to peace, respect, and the belief that transformation is a shared journey. 

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