For Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL), social responsibility has been part of the organisation’s DNA since its inception, rooted in its commitment to community and service to people. This long-standing commitment meant that HPCL was well prepared for the formal CSR framework that was introduced by the Government of India in 2014.
It was in this environment that Sreedevi Kaul, was transferred to the CSR function in 2012 as HPCL’s first CSR officer. Management gave her the trust and freedom to experiment, and she used that space to turn ideas into initiatives that brought employees closer to communities. What began with small acts of participation gradually grew in scale, reach and engagement.
She found the space to do what came naturally to her, bring people together around a purpose. What followed was a journey that eventually built a strong culture of employee participation and volunteering within the organisation.
It all began with 500 toys…
At the request of Toy Bank, Sreedevi made her first visit to a children’s home. It was her first such experience, and the visit stayed with her. She came back with a simple idea: Why not ask HPCL employees to collect toys for these children?
Her boss was initially sceptical. Such an employee-driven initiative was new, and there was no certainty that people would respond. But she trusted Sreedevi enough to give her permission to try.
Within 10 days, more than 500 toys had been collected.
The number, however, was not what stayed with Sreedevi. It was the sight of the children receiving the toys their smiles, innocence and sheer joy. That moment changed something for her. She realised that people did not necessarily need to be persuaded to contribute. They needed an opportunity to participate. And that became the philosophy behind much of her work.
From initiatives to a movement
Her work soon moved beyond individual activities. When the Uttarakhand floods struck in 2013, she helped mobilise supplies collected from HPCL employees, ensured they reached Goonj’s facility in Rishikesh and spent days helping sort the material received from across the country. She subsequently travelled to affected villages to participate in distribution.
At Uri, she worked with the Army on an HPCL CSR initiative to establish a skill-development centre for school dropouts.
Skill development became another important part of her journey. Through a major partnership with CII, she worked with a network of skill-development institutions and travelled extensively to underserved parts of the country, including Gumla and Chaibasa in Jharkhand, parts of Rajasthan and the North-East.
For Sreedevi, these were not simply project visits. She wanted to see what was happening beyond the reports and numbers. Were young people actually acquiring useful skills? Were those skills helping them find livelihoods?
That field exposure shaped her belief that social impact has to be experienced on the ground, not just measured on paper.
HP SAMPARK — giving volunteering an identity
By 2018, what had begun as individual initiatives had grown into something much larger. HPCL, a pioneer among India’s oil PSUs in employee volunteering, gave this growing movement a formal identity through HP SAMPARK “Bringing Smiles, Touching Lives.” Alongside SAMPARK, Sreedevi also created HP Shakti, involving officers’ wives in community initiatives across 12 locations in the country.
SAMPARK expanded into major sports festival – HP Nakshatra for children from homes and the SAMPARK Mini Paralympics for children with disabilities, Diwali Melas that brought NGOs and HPCL employees together, and later initiatives such as school libraries in remote villages in Srinagar.
What had begun with 500 toys had gradually become something much larger a way for employees and their families to participate in social responsibility themselves. Each step added another dimension to the work she was already doing, understanding communities, working with people, building capability and eventually helping individuals connect their potential with purpose.
The work also gave her a deeper understanding of what she wanted to do, build bridges between organisations, employees, NGOs, institutions and communities.
Over the years, employees contributed lakhs of rupees. For Sreedevi, the real significance was not simply the money raised. It was the trust behind it, employees believing in the initiatives and in the person bringing them together.
“One person may initiate an idea, but a movement is built by people who believe in it.”
Showing up when it mattered
During COVID-19, that commitment took a different form. Using her status as a PSU employee, Sreedevi travelled through Mumbai to deliver medicines and food to elderly residents of old-age homes. She also volunteered for a month at Sushrut Hospital, assisting with vaccination of senior citizens, and helped coordinate vaccination drives at old-age homes, particularly for those who struggled with documentation.
For her, social responsibility was never simply a program or a budget. It meant showing up.
A career that found its purpose
Sreedevi’s journey into CSR came after a diverse career at HPCL. She joined the organisation in 1988 and worked across several functions, including public relations, aviation, LPG, industrial fuels and lubes, as well as assignments involving government and oil-sector coordination. Her work in Aviation Sales brought formal recognition, including an Outstanding Achiever award.
CSR was different. She genuinely loved the work. It allowed her to connect people, build partnerships, travel to the field and turn ideas into something tangible.
As her work in CSR deepened, so did her own learning. She had already completed her Master’s in Public Administration and later pursued a Master’s in Social Work while continuing to work in CSR. As her understanding of social impact evolved, she further strengthened her professional knowledge through Executive Education in CSR & Social Impact Strategy at IIM Bangalore. This was followed by a Counselling Certification from Xavier’s Institute and Coaching Certification from Coacharya, ICF-aligned.
Behind the professional journey was another journey that shaped her deeply. For nearly 25 years, Sreedevi was a single parent, raising her two children while building her career. Her children became her greatest strength, her motivation and her reason to keep moving forward, even through the most challenging phases of life. Their love, support and belief in her have remained among the most meaningful achievements of her life.
Recognition did not always keep pace with the scale of her contribution, but the work itself continued to give her something more enduring: purpose.
A journey that continues
After 37 years at HPCL, Sreedevi retired in August 2025 as Chief Manager – Corporate Affairs. Her work in social impact saw her lead and participate in initiatives that reached more than 4 lakh beneficiaries through 1,100+ programmes.
She is quick to acknowledge the role HPCL and its leadership played in that journey. The organisation gave her the freedom to experiment and, at crucial moments, trusted her enough to say, “Try it.” Employees then turned those opportunities into participation.
For Sreedevi, that trust became one of the most meaningful parts of her professional life. Because somewhere along the way, CSR stopped being just a function. It became her purpose.
Today, as she begins her next chapter, she hopes to carry that purpose forward through coaching, employee volunteering and social-impact work.
After all these years, the work that continues to excite her is still the same: bringing people together, building bridges and turning good intentions into action.
Lessons for the Next Generation
Reflecting on nearly 40 years of professional experience, Sreedevi’s advice for young people entering the social sector is rooted in both accountability and field experience. She believes that those working in CSR must understand that they are operating within a corporate framework. Social objectives have to be pursued while also recognising the perspective and responsibilities of the organisation.
She also stresses the importance of carefully evaluating NGOs before entering into partnerships. A background check, including a consistent track record of at least five years, is important before committing organisational resources. For Sreedevi, the question of financial responsibility is equally significant. Company funds should be treated with the same care as one’s own money, with a focus on ensuring that projects are productive and create meaningful value for communities.
But beyond processes and financial accountability, she believes there is no substitute for fieldwork.
Personal involvement, she suggests, is one of the most effective ways to understand whether a social intervention is actually making a difference. Her larger message is simple: social responsibility cannot belong only to the CSR
department. Every individual within an organisation, in some way, can contribute to the community.
The Logical Indian Perspective
From an NCC cadet participating in cycling expeditions and army camps to HPCL’s first designated CSR officer, Sreedevi’s journey was shaped by that belief in participation. Whether it was collecting more than 500 toys in 10 days, volunteering during the Uttarakhand floods, creating platforms such as HP Sampark and HP Shakti, organising sporting opportunities through HP Nakshatra, or personally assisting elderly people during COVID-19, her work consistently sought to turn social responsibility into something people could actively take part in.
Her story is ultimately one of a professional who spent decades working within a corporate
institution while continuing to ask a broader question: how can organisations create space for
individuals to step forward and contribute to the communities around them?
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