GoodWeave Certification Private Limited (GWCPL) is an approved service provider for Inspection, Monitoring and Certification (IMC) against the GoodWeave International Generic Standard in India. GWCPL assesses the supply chains of licensed Indian companies for compliance with the rigorous GoodWeave Standard that assures no child, forced or bonded labour was used in the making of products, including carpets, home textiles, garments and fashion accessories. GoodWeave certification labels are also issued for select products.
GWCPL has worked with GoodWeave International since 2011. GoodWeave International is a nonprofit organisation founded in 1994 by Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi and is the leading institution working to stop child labour in global supply chains through a market-based system and holistic approach.
Leadership
Board of Directors
R. Venkat Reddy
R. Venkat Reddy, National Convener of M V Foundation (MVF), has worked to abolish child labour, protect children’s right to education, and campaign against child marriages in India for more than two decades. He trained and built the capacity of thousands of youth, members of gram panchayats, and government officials at all levels on issues relating to child rights. He is involved in networking with government and non-government organisations in several states in the country.
Mr. Reddy has travelled extensively across Africa, Latin America, Europe and the USA sharing his experiences, orienting partners and strengthening alliances. He has been instrumental in initiating the concept of the Area Based Approach for Creation of Child Labour Free Zones which was replicated by government agencies, national level NGOs, and by international “Stop Child Labour Campaign” partners in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali and Morocco.
He has published several articles in leading regional newspapers, which are compiled into three books entitled “Balala Paksham.”, “balyaaniki Bharosa” and “vidya tho vimukthi”. He is also a member of the Experts Committee on Educational Reforms for the Government of Andhra Pradesh; Member, Unorganized Workers Social Security Board, Government of Telangana; and Executive board member-Elangana Society for Protection and Empowerment of Children, Development Society, Government of Telangana.
Mohd. Parvez Khan
Mohammad Parvez Khan is one of the founding directors of GWCPL. He is the Executive Partner of Neman Carpets and Managing Director of Neman Carpets Pvt Ltd, based in Mirzapur. He also holds directorship in other carpet manufacturing companies.
Mr. Khan is concerned about social issues, especially education and uplifting the poor and vulnerable. He is an active member of the Rotary Club and in the past has served as President and Assistant Governor. He is a trusted name in the social circles of Mirzapur and Western UP in India. Mr. Khan is a graduate in commerce and he considers his diplomacy one of his significant strengths.
Management Team
Manish Srivastava
Manish Kumar Srivastava is GWCPL’s Head of Finance and Compliance and he has worked with the organization since September 2021. His primary responsibilities are to oversee, supervise and monitor finance and administration activities of the company to ensure healthy functioning and legal compliance.
His career spans over two decades, during which time he has worked for both corporations and nonprofit organizations such as Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T), Global March Against Child Labour, Era Infra Engineering Ltd, and others. Mr. Srivastava is passionate about child rights, and his other areas of interest and expertise include sustainability reporting, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards.
He is also a registered independent Director for IICA (Government of India) and is a Member of Institute of Directors, India. Mr. Srivastava is an alumni of the prestigious IIM Ahmedabad and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in commerce. He also holds an advanced diploma in management accounting from CIMA in the United Kingdom.
Vinti Singal
Vinti Singal is the Inspections, Monitoring and Certification Head for GWCPL. As Head of the IMC, Vinti manages a team of monitoring officers and supports supply chain monitoring operations in India. Before this role, Ms. Singal was Program Manager, Apparel and was responsible for the apparel and fashion jewellery portfolio in India.
Vinti has over 14 years of experience in social compliance audit systems, as well as human and worker rights. Before joining GoodWeave, Vinti was India Sustainability Vice Manager for GEMO Groupe Eram where she was responsible for the development of social compliance standards in supplier facilities and sustainability for the North and West region of India. Previously, Ms. Singal served as Workplace Rights Operations Specialist for the Coca-Cola Company where she was responsible for workplace supply chain compliance operations for Eurasia, Southwest Asia and India, and was involved in management of multiple stakeholders including Coca-Cola regional office teams, global audit agencies, bottlers and supplier partners, external partners and various brands. Ms. Singal has also worked with a well-known fashion jewellery export house helping them develop systems and procedures for supply chain mapping and transparency, as well as improving social compliance standards.
Navneet Singh
Navneet Singh Meena has worked with GoodWeave since 2018, serving as Manager of Business Development and Licensing for India. Mr. Singh is responsible for expanding GoodWeave’s outreach by partnering with new businesses, coordinating with newly on-boarded and existing licensees across India, facilitating certification procedures, and liaising with key stakeholders such as the Labour & Education Ministry, business fraternities, etc.
His extensive experience includes working 15 years in the development sector in multiple states (Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan). Previously, he worked with Caya Constructs as Regional Manager-Rajasthan implementing the “Clean India Mission” and designing state-level IEC campaigns. He has also served as Director Projects at Gayatri Memorial Foundation where he coordinated national-level programs on health, education and livelihoods, and also mobilized resources from various institutions. Mr. Singh has also worked as State Head with GIDF-IIPM and implemented corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects in an association with UNICEF, GAIL and NTPC in the tribal villages of Madhya Pradesh.
Mr. Singh completed his Bachelor’s Degree in international business and finance from Jamia Millia Islamia – Central University – Delhi. He also holds a Master’s Degree in social work – with a specialization in child welfare from Jamia Milia Islamia – Central University Delhi.
Arpita Gupta
Arpita Gupta is GWCPL’s Senior Manager, Licensing and Supplier Support. She is responsible for communication and coordination with businesses and internal stakeholders to facilitate companies implementing the GoodWeave Standard in their supply chains. She coordinates with the label department for communication with licensees regarding issuance of labels and capacity building of the exporters for compliance with the GoodWeave Standard. She began working with GoodWeave in 2018 as Manager, Business Communications.
Ms. Gupta has more than a decade of experience working with the United Nations in various capacities. She served at the United Nations Mission in former Yugoslavia, where she worked as the Senior Election Specialist and held similar roles in other missions: UNOMIL, Liberia, West Africa as a Transitional Manager (Elections) for Monrovia and East Timor (UNAMET). Additionally, she has held managerial positions in the private sector working on training, vendor management, and building and maintaining database processes for in house projects. She has also organized trainings for staff in capacity building and joint collaborations with external stakeholders. Ms. Gupta holds a Post Graduate Diploma in public relations and advertising and a Bachelor’s Degree in political science from the prestigious St. Xaviers College, University of Kolkata.