Tata Steel managing director B Muthuraman has been appointed to the board of UN Global Compact, considered to be the world's largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan made the appointment, a Tata Steel statement said on Sunday.
Another 19 people from around the world in the areas of human rights, labour standards and environment serve on the board of UN Global Compact, launched in 2000.
"More than 2,500 companies in over 90 countries are members of Global Compact, which has 50 regional networks across the globe," the statement said.
Muthuraman is the only business representative from the Indian sub-continent on the panel.
The appointees were selected on the basis of commitment to Global Compact's mission and principles, including the support of a regional or constituency group, the statement said.
"Global Compact seeks to make the private sector a part of the solution to the challenges of globalisation. In this way, the private sector in partnership with other social actors can help realise the goal of a more sustainable and global economy," the statement added.