Archive: August 9, 2022

TNS Targets Global Growth with Strategic Acquisition of AGNITY Global

August 9, 2022 – Transaction Network Services (TNS) has today announced the acquisition of AGNITY Global, a leading provider of intelligent business communication applications and infrastructure to organizations in the telecommunications and healthcare industry verticals.

The move strategically enhances TNS’ Communications Market global capabilities through AGNITY’s established channel partnerships business model that spans more than 12 countries. It will also enable TNS’ existing customers to benefit from a broader portfolio of next generation solutions.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley with development and support operations in Richardson, Texas and Noida, India, AGNITY powers the networks of many global Tier-1 service providers via its scalable, carrier-grade Communication Application Server (CAS). This network agnostic, multi-service software platform offers app components and open APIs that enable service providers to address network technology transition challenges as well as future-proofing their infrastructure to more rapidly introduce new services.

“AGNITY is a perfect strategic fit for TNS as we seek to invest in and evolve our carrier service offerings, channel partnerships and development capabilities,” said Bill Versen, President of TNS’ Communications Market business. “Combining AGNITY’s innovative technology with our proven solutions creates a superior portfolio that will enable us to help carriers modernize their networks and bridge legacy platforms with new technology, including 5G enablement services.”

Founded in 2008 by tech entrepreneur and CEO Sanjeev Chawla, AGNITY boasts 5G ready technology and has more than 30 out-of-the-box high value applications, including advanced call routing, evolved next gen intelligent networks and fraud protection. AGNITY’s Defend application combines call screening and audio CAPTCHA with a range of CDR, speech and biometric analysis to identify, filter and block fraudulent calls as required. AGNITY FlexYcharge service is a real-time rating, charging and balance management service for voice, data, messaging across VoIP, IMS and Legacy networks.

“Our objective has always been to facilitate telecom network transformation through efficient, future-proofed applications and adoption of the latest technologies,” said Mr. Chawla, who is remaining with the company as Chief Technology Officer for TNS’ Communications Market business, reporting to Mr. Versen. “Creating the AGNITY CAS, a single platform for legacy, LTE/IMS, 5G and Cloud hosted networks, has brought significant revenue opportunities, efficiency gains and operational cost reduction to our customers. Now, as part of TNS’ large and established footprint, we look forward to bringing our joint capabilities to a wider audience.”

“We are excited to have Sanjeev and his talented team on board,” added Versen. “Sanjeev will play a major role in the development of TNS as we drive forward with our long-term growth vision, including the introduction of our award-winning identity and protection solutions to the global marketplace. We will also now be able to conduct near 24/7 development with resources in the US and India focused on innovating and rolling out our products faster than ever before.”

TNS, a subsidiary of Koch Equity Development, is a leading global provider of Infrastructure-as-a-Service solutions to the communications, payments and financial markets. Its pioneering Communications Market business has been a continuous innovator interconnecting carrier networks efficiently, securely and reliably. Its solutions range from call analytics, which identifies unwanted robocalls while enabling enhanced mobile identity for legitimate callers, to interoperability, mobile roaming, clearing and settlement, and analytics for LTE and 5G.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Pantaloons celebrates its 25th Anniversary

Actors Parambrata Chatterjee and Priyanka Sarkar grace the celebrations

Unveils the brand anthem to commemorate the celebrations in an on-ground event at South City Mall, Kolkata

Kolkata; August 9, 2022: – Pantaloons, one of India’s most preferred fast fashion destinations among large retail format stores from the house of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd., today celebrated its 25th anniversary at South City Mall, Kolkata. Actors Parambrata Chatterjee and Priyanka Sarkar graced the celebrations with their presence. Pantaloons released a brand anthem to mark the milestone choreographed by Terence Lewis’ Contemporary Dance Company.

Launched in Kolkata in the year 1997, with its first store at Gariahat, Pantaloons is a powerhouse of fashion, styling young consumers. Pantaloons offers apparel from exclusive labels as well as well-known brands that offer elegant and on trend fashion. The collections cover a gamut of ready-to-wear western wear and ethnic wear for women, men, and kids for all occasions in addition to a wide range of accessories and home products including bed & bath and décor items.

Ms. Sangeeta Pendurkar, CEO – Pantaloons, Jaypore & Style Up, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. said, “Pantaloons is one of the most loved fashion retail brands of India. As we turn 25 years young, we express our gratitude to all our customers and partners who have supported us and made us a part of not only their wardrobes, but also their lives. We would continue to make shopping a playful and engaging experience for our shoppers.”

Pantaloons has released a new brand anthem to commemorate the 25th anniversary celebrations. Conceptualized by Roshan Abbas Media and choreographed by famed-Bollywood choreographer Terence Lewis’ Contemporary Dance Company, the anthem features a hip-hop composition and choreography, capturing the joy & playfulness of fashion.

HDFC Bank named ‘Best Bank in India’ at Euromoney Awards 2022

• Receives prestigious recognition for 4^th year in a row; 15^th year overall

Mumbai, 9^th August 2022: HDFC Bank is pleased to announce that it has been adjudged ‘Best Bank in India’ at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2022. The Bank has been recognised with the coveted honour for the 4^th consecutive year.

In its editorial, Euromoney writes, “In a challenging environment, retail and treasury profit fell, but was more than compensated for by a knockout 38.6% growth in the wholesale banking business. And through all of this, non-performing loans – consistently the lowest in the industry through Covid – fell to just 1.17% gross. In the year to March 31, 2022 – a difficult environment for many in financial services – HDFC’s profit after tax rose 14.6% to the equivalent of $4.88 billion.” 

A first of its kind in the global financial publishing industry, the awards were introduced in 1992. The awards are based on year-round monitoring of market share and customer-satisfaction data compiled by Euromoney’s industry-leading surveys. This is supplemented by an intensive three-month process of review by Euromoney’s editorial team, culminating in interviews with shortlisted candidates.

In the 30 years of the Euromoney Awards’ existence, the bank – founded in 1995 – is humbled to have been bestowed the prestigious recognition of “Best Bank in India,” for 15 years.

This year, Euromoney received a record number of submissions from banks in our regional and country awards programme that covers more than 50 regional awards and best bank awards in 100 countries.

In its awards issue, Euromoney further writes, “HDFC Bank, led by chief executive Sashidhar Jagdishan, has managed this so consistently over the years by doing the simple things right. It has steered clear of scandal, its risk management division is peerless and it never does anything stupid. Based on this sturdy foundation, it has then found the best things to excel at: the largest cash-management player in the country, for example, and a leader in supply-chain financing, as well as a local bank of choice for multinational corporations operating in India.”

PlayerzPot Teams Up With Indian Superstar Rashmika Mandanna As Brand Ambassador

 Joining the PlayerzPot team, Rashmika will now boost their vast repertoire of skilled based games across traditional media and digital platforms.

India, 9^th August 2022: PlayerzPot, India’s leading fantasy sports and casual games platform, has just turned 7! Celebrating the milestone of delighting gamers for 7 thrilling years, the brand has announced gorgeous actress Rashmika Mandanna as the brand ambassador.

PlayerzPot has engaged gamers across demographics in India with over 15+ games such as Ludo, Carrom, Snakes Ladders-Ludo, Fruit Slice, Sheep Fight, Poker, and Call Break. Taking it from the top will be Rashmika, an online gamer herself, who will be the face of the entire exciting campaign by PlayerzPot across traditional and social media platforms. The Pushpa: The Rise actor will also boost PlayerzPot’s positioning by promoting their expanding catalogue of games.

Announcing the association, Sunil Yadav, CEO, PlayerzPot, said, “PlayerzPot has grown from strength to strength in these seven years, while entertaining gamers across the country. Day in and out, we gain new insights to serve gamers better, and our 7th anniversary is perfect for announcing none other than the ravishing Rashmika Mandanna as a brand ambassador. We are sure that Rashmika will take PlayerzPot’s to new heights with her energetic and lively persona. Skilled based gaming is attracting a large number of Indian gamers online. Rashmika’s presence will boost that interest and help PlayerzPot reach niche markets across India.”

Excited to collaborate with PlayerzPot, Rashmika Mandanna said, “I can go on and on about how excited my family members used to be, just on a game of Snakes & Ladders! The love for such games stands the test of time, and PlayerzPot has redefined that love with recreating the board games fever for active mobile players today. One can log in and compete with gamers anytime, anywhere, on scores of exciting casual games. I’m excited to be part of PlayerzPot’s mission of becoming one stop gaming destination for all.”

Through this engagement, PlayerzPot is expecting more enthusiasm among users to login and enjoy casual games with friends and family online. The platform, with its games, offers excitement, fun, and complete security of user’s data, thus effectively tackling cyber fraud when everything has moved to digital.

Demand for ‘creativity’ and ‘growth mindset’ soft skills exponentially grows in India

Bangalore, August 9th, 2022 – The world’s #1 job site, Indeed, today announced a research showing that the pandemic and the new hybrid work norms have influenced the skills companies are looking for. A list of the top 10 soft skills required reveals most companies are increasingly looking for workers that are considered “Creative” and have a “Growth mindset” at their jobs.

A “growth mindset” is the skill with the highest rise in demand in the last two years, with a 194% jump between April 2020 to April 2022. This ability is usually defined as believing that a professional can develop his capabilities through dedication and hard work, that learning is always part of the process, and that resilience is critical to achieving results.

The second soft skill with the highest growth is “Creativity”, which increased 72% in the last two years. At work, creativity is the ability to think about a task or a problem in a new or different way or to use imagination to generate new ideas.

While soft skills have always been considered important at the workplace, the pandemic has redefined what it means for businesses to have talent with equal amounts of soft skills as technical skills. Due to the slowdown led by the pandemic, enterprises and startups are at an aggressive growth stage where hiring the right talent is critical. Soft skills provide the differentiation in a large and equally qualified talent pool that gives businesses the edge in innovation and growth.

Saumitra Chand, Career expert, Indeed noted “Amidst the pandemic, businesses realized two imperatives to thrive in a volatile environment. The first is of course the need for digital innovation to stay ahead of the curve. But second and perhaps more important is a talent pool with the right skill sets to lead the changes in a dynamic ecosystem. Skills like a growth mindset, critical thinking, creativity and autonomy have become the key determinants of aggressive organizational growth and success.” 

The search for employees with “critical thinking” — the ability to make informed decisions by evaluating several different sources — and “autonomy” — being able to plan and work in the way that is most conducive to their own best performance — also grew by 45% in the last two years, rounding out the top four skills. Interestingly, persuasion (-6%) and public speaking (-12%) saw a degrowth during the same time period, highlighting that these skills were not at the forefront for employers.

Top 10 softskills in table below

Soft skills are personality traits and behaviours. Unlike technical or ‘hard’ skills, soft skills are not about the knowledge you possess but the behaviours you display in different situations.

“​​Because these are often innate personality traits, job seekers already possess several marketable soft skills that might help them get and be successful in a job. Though many are formed with one’s personality, soft skills can also be learned and developed with practice and experience.” Added Mr. Chand

According to Indeed’s platform data, the Indian labour market is witnessing a positive momentum as new job postings in India are seeing a record high number.  New job postings in July 2022 saw over 40.5% growth above the pre-pandemic baseline (February 2020). This showcases the increase in demand for hiring across several industries. As companies continue to hire, soft skills will play a key role in talent acquisition.

Hydrogen Utopia Appoints Expert Engineering Consultant

HYDROGEN UTOPIA APPOINTS DUNCAN SNELLING, PROJECT MANAGER, EXPERT IN INDUSTRIAL GASES, HYDROGEN, RENEWABLES & CARBON CAPTURE

 Hydrogen Utopia International PLC, a company pioneering non-recyclable waste plastics to hydrogen technology, is pleased to announce the appointment of Duncan Snelling as an Engineering Consultant to the Company with immediate effect.

Duncan is a highly experienced Chartered Engineer with over 25 years of project development and project management expertise gained across a range of engineering projects in industrial gases, hydrogen generation, carbon capture and renewable energy. Most of Duncan’s career was spent at Air Products as part of the global engineering business in locations across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Since 2021 he has run his own consultancy business.

Duncan holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Queensland, Australia, a Master of Science from Imperial College, London and is a Charted Engineer with the Institute of Engineering and Technology. He has extensive experience in project management tools and techniques and business process analysis.

Keith Riley, Director of HUI, commented:

“Duncan’s appointment as a consultant gives HUI access to substantial additional engineering, project development and project management resource which will be hugely helpful in developing HUI facilities and the projects in our pipeline.”

MTAR Technologies clocks PAT of Rs. 16.2 Cr. in Q1 FY 23 with 86.2 % YOY increase

Hyderabad, Aug 09, 2022: MTAR Technologies Ltd (“MTAR”), a leading precision engineering solutions company engaged in manufacturing and development of mission-critical precision components with close tolerances and critical assemblies catering to nuclear, space, defense and clean energy sectors has announced its financial results for the first quarter ended 30 June 2022.

YOY Q1 FY 23 vs. Q1 FY 22 

• Revenue from Operations stood at Rs. 91.0 Cr. in Q1 FY 23  as against Rs. 54.0 Cr. in Q1 FY 22, 68.4% increase YoY
• EBITDA reported at Rs. 25.0 Cr. in Q1 FY 23  as compared to Rs. 14.5 Cr. in Q1 FY 22, 72.5% increase YoY
• Profit Before Tax stands at Rs. 22.2 Cr. in Q1 FY 23  as against Rs. 12.6 Cr. in Q1 FY 22, 77.0 % increase YoY
• Profit After Tax was at Rs. 16.2 Cr. in Q1 FY 23  as against Rs. 8.7 Cr. in Q1 FY 22, 86.2 % increase YoY
• Diluted EPS stands at Rs. 5.3 for Q1 FY 23 as against Rs. 2.8 for Q1 FY 22.
• Operating cashflows was at Rs 16.2 Cr. In Q1 FY 23 as against Rs (6.9) Cr.in Q1 FY 22 

Operational Highlights

• Order book as on 30 June 2022 stands at Rs. 765.6 Cr
• Working capital days reduced to 249 days (as at June 22) from 275 days (as at March 22)
• Initiated working on new products including ceramic assemblies and heaters in Q1 FY 23
• Executed first articles of  Roller Screws

Commenting on the results, Mr. Parvat Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director & Promoter, MTAR Technologies, said, “ The company has received substantial orders in the Clean Energy segment in Q1 FY 23. We are anticipating an accelerated order inflow over the next three quarters. We are working towards building a strong order book, enhancing our customer base and augment our capabilities to address the growing market in Clean Energy, Civil Nuclear power, Space, and Defence sectors.”