talks
Harsh Purohit, the Founder Director of Cognito, is a sustainability strategist and a regular speaker at various forums across Asia and Europe. A strong proponent of sustainability, he has developed the '4Ps of sustainability - profits, protests, policies and preservation', a framework through which he is helping diverse sections of society understand sustainability, internalize it and implement it in their personal and professional lives.
Audiences, he has had a privilege to speak to, include students, environment enthusiasts, journalists, communication designers, urban planners, engineers, politicians, HR professionals, corporate boards, middle-management, risk advisories, and consultants.
Some of the events and organizations who have hosted Harsh’s talks:
INDIA
Design Yatra 2008, Goa
Kyoorius Design Yatra is a global design event where creatives meet to exchange ideas and insights on the future of design and highlight exciting new innovations. In 2008, the Design Yatra was held between September 13 and 15, wherein over 1000 national and international designers gathered in Goa.
Sustainability is a big problem for design: Purohit
During the recently concluded Kyoorius Design Yatra 2008, Harsh Purohit of Cognito spoke about the biggest challenge facing the Indian design community: sustainability.
Payal Kahndelwal
Campaign India, 17 September, 2008
Next someone - finally - talked about sustainability. Up until that point, the presentations had largely focused on the commercial role of design without discussing its ability to communicate important issues such as climate change and its own complicity in the disaster. Harsh Purohit of Cognito Advertising gave a powerful and persuasive presentation on why Indian designers need to confront this issue - both for themselves and on behalf of their clients. "This is an opportunity for the Indian design community in the same way that Y2K was for the Indian IT industry," he argued. "The East is where living in harmony with the environment is inherent. We possess this knowledge." "Imagine, he said, "if everything you produced - all the brochures and packaging - came back to you for you to dispose of." Such a responsibility might make designers think twice about their choices.
Patrick Burgoyne
Creative Review, 16 September 2008
‘This is a huge opportunity to redesign everything, in a new sustainable format,’ argued Harsh Purohit, of the Gujarat-based communication design company Cognito. ‘It is an opportunity for the Indian design community in the same way that Y2k was for the Indian IT industry. It’s good for the planet and good for business. The East is where living in harmony with the environment is inherent. We possess this knowledge.’
Julie Fairless
Eye Review, Winter 2008
FYI–Kyoorius FYIday, Mumbai
Kyoorius FYIDAY is a design dialogue series hosted across cities in India. A platform for knowledge sharing, a typical Kyoorius FYIDAY session would contain a presentation by an international figure in design, along with presentations by Indian design studios or individuals, in subjects related branding and communication industry.
CII, Baroda
The CII Central Gujarat Annual Day organized a session on 'Success through Innovation', to launch the action theme of the council for 2009-10. The focus was on building competitiveness by creating long-term knowledge driven assets through innovation.
TEDx Ahmedabad
Organized along the theme of 'Designing Management', the TEDx Ahmedabad held on November 28th, 2009 featured country’s leading Designers and Professors talking on Designing Management and sharing their experiences on the same. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.
NHRDN Conference, Mumbai
The National HRD Network organizes a National Conference every year, attended by management professionals from the private and public sectors, representative from Academia, NGO Sector, Management Consultants, Self-employed Consultants and Professionals.
The 2009 Conference raised several profound questions and brought to the fore the need to define a completely new agenda for tomorrow's corporation; one that looks at sustainable growth, financial inclusiveness, human capital and ' mindfulness'.
INTERNATIONAL
Amsterdam Good Co., Amsterdam
Founded in 1993, Good Company was the first consultancy firm for corporate social responsibility in The Netherlands. They advise clients on how CSR works, help companies to develop a CSR-strategy and implement it in every part of their company.
Global India Business Meet, Munich
Global India Business Meet, 2009 held in Munich, Germany from 28 June -30 June 2009, was an influential annual gathering of Indian business leaders and their global counterparts. Co-hosted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the state of Bavaria, Germany, the agenda of the meeting was to attract more NRI investors in the sectors of steel, power, automobiles, electronics, food-processing and IT and BT (bio-tech).
This meeting witnessed a presence of about 200 decision makers of the corporate world as well as the state governments of India.
What Makes India Urban?
A symposium by Aedes Gallery, Berlin
Organized by AEDES Gallery-Berlin and the Asia Pacific Weeks, Berlin-2009, 'What Makes India Urban?' was a symposium on the contemporary Indian Architecture held on October 10, 2009 on the transformation of Indian Cities and architecture with its prime focus on mobility and energy.
Apart from speaker participation, Cognito also exhibited 'How are cities reflected in the media?' by developing a unique and interesting method of depicting India's urbanism through magazine covers as they mirror the true state of the nation.
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Sri Lanka Design Festival, Colombo
The inaugural Sri Lanka Design Festival, Colombo held between November 27 and December 5, 2009 was a week-long event that showcased to the world the beauty and universal appeal of design. Conceptualized by the Academy of Design, the festival aimed to promote Sri Lanka's creative industries and showcase its innovative talent. Following three key principles; Design without Limits, Garments without Guilt and Ideas without Boundaries, the festival provided a mélange of aesthetic, ethical and original fashion shows, a significant ethical fashion symposium as well as design exhibitions and workshops.