Archive: January 31, 2024

AArete Promotes Three New Managing Directors in Healthcare Consulting Practice

CHICAGO – (Jan. 31, 2024) – AArete, a leading global management and technology consulting firm, is pleased to announce that three members of its Healthcare practice – Leslie Lotano-Saba, SueEllen Carroll and Jeff Schacht – have been promoted to managing directors. The promotions reflect the strong dedication and results that these leaders have demonstrated to their clients and AArete colleagues.

“Leslie, SueEllen and Jeff are highly respected by AArete’s healthcare clients, and we congratulate them on their well-earned promotions,” said Loren Trimble, AArete CEO. “By promoting from within, we reward our high-performing team members while enabling deeper long-term client partnerships. I know these three new managing directors will continue to serve as champions for our people, clients and company.”

Leslie Lotano-Saba (managing director and leader of AArete’s Pharmacy Solutions practice) has more than 35 years of experience in leading managed care pharmacy programs within payers and PBMs. She is recognized for her expertise and impact in assisting health plans, PBMs, technology, and clinical care organizations to address strategic and operational issues and improve performance. Prior to AArete, Leslie served as the president of Saba and Associates, COO of Clinical Support Services, senior vice president for Amerigroup (now Elevance Health), and vice president for Horizon NJ Health. She is an active member of AMCP, CHIEF, WBL, Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA), and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). Leslie earned a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Albany College of Pharmacy and a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from Union College (Clarkson University) and attended the Wharton School Executive Management Program for Pharmacy Leaders.

SueEllen Carroll (managing director) partners with clients to drive enterprise value through strategic profitability improvement and process re-engineering. She has worked in healthcare for over a decade and brings a wide range of experiences across the payer, provider and pharmacy industries. SueEllen leads teams to deliver excellence across all functional areas through strategic growth initiatives, cost management, and efficient resource utilization. In 2023, she was recognized by Consulting Magazine as a Rising Star for Excellence in Healthcare Strategy Consulting. SueEllen is an active member of Women Business Leaders in Healthcare (WBL) and holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, a Post-Baccalaureate in Biology and Pre-Medicine from Loyola University of Chicago, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Chicago, and a Lean Daily Management certificate in Healthcare from the University of Michigan.

Jeff Schacht (managing director) partners with healthcare payer clients to achieve profitability improvement, operational improvement, and M&A synergies. He has an extensive background in improving cost of care and affordability, enhancing payer processes to drive improved outcomes at reduced cost, and positioning plans for sustainable growth. Jeff has worked with health plans ranging from community nonprofits to national multi-line payers in delivering transformative improvements to better and more efficiently serve their membership. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan.

AArete celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2023 and is among Forbes World’s Best Management Consulting Firms.

Taboola’s AI That Automatically Maximizes Conversions Sees Almost Double Growth in Past 90 Days

New Delhi, 31 January 2024, – Taboola, a global leader in powering recommendations for the open web, today announced rapid adoption and results for its performance advertising-focused bidding technology, called Maximize Conversions. Since launching just 3 months ago, this technology has already been used by 50 percent of Taboola advertisers, including Hyundai, ERGO, Leica Camera, Sonova, Peugeot Turkey, and Opel Turkey, with some advertisers seeing 110 percent increases in conversions.

Taboola’s Maximize Conversions empowers Taboola advertisers to evolve beyond manual and time-consuming cost-per-click (CPC) bidding strategies, in favor of simply specifying a budget and having Taboola’s algorithm automate the CPC bid to drive as many conversions as possible while staying within budget. Advertisers are using Maximize Conversions to drive results, boosting conversions while maintaining their Cost Per Acquisition (CPA). In addition to making ad campaigns more effective, Maximize Conversions has also provided immense benefits in making campaigns more efficient, reducing the time in which advertisers get to their optimal results by half.

Maximize Conversions is designed to give advertisers flexibility for their campaigns. The technology can be used without a target CPA, which delivers against an advertiser’s daily budget, driving the most conversions at the lowest cost. When used with a target CPA, it delivers performance at a CPA they control.

“Maximize Conversion is one of our most rapidly adopted offerings ever,” said Adam Singolda, CEO and founder, Taboola. “The world’s top advertisers are embracing it because it takes the guesswork out of CPC bidding, it clearly produces results, and it is based on AI that is trained with an understanding of their consumers–one that is unique to Taboola. We’re connecting advertisers with customers quickly and easily, no matter what goal an advertiser has.”

Vir S Advani to succeed Shailesh Haribhakti as Chairman & Managing Director of Blue Star

Mumbai, January 31, 2024: The Board of Blue Star Limited has unanimously approved the elevation of Mr Vir S Advani as Chairman & Managing Director with effect from April 1, 2024. He will succeed Mr Shailesh Haribhakti, who will be completing two consecutive terms as an Independent Director and will be retiring from the Board on March 31, 2024.

Mr. Shailesh Haribhakti joined the Board of Blue Star in 2005 as an Independent Director and was elevated to the position of Independent Chairman in 2019. Under his exemplary leadership, the Company grew significantly with all its businesses performing very well.

Mr Vir S Advani holds bachelor’s degrees in Systems Engineering and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He has also completed a comprehensive Executive Management Program at the Harvard Business School. After a 2-year working stint in a private equity firm in New York, Vir joined Blue Star Infotech Ltd in 2000 and later founded Blue Star Design & Engineering Ltd in 2003, designated as its Chief Executive Officer. In 2007, he moved to Blue Star as Vice President – Corporate Affairs. He was promoted as Executive Vice President in 2008; President – Corporate Affairs & Special Projects in 2009; Executive Director in 2010. In 2016, Vir was appointed Managing Director of the Company. He was, thereafter, elevated to the position of Vice Chairman, and re-designated Vice Chairman & Managing Director on April 1, 2019.

Vir will succeed Mr Shailesh Haribhakti as Chairman and Managing Director with effect from April 1, 2024.

Mr Shailesh Haribhakti, Chairman, of Blue Star Limited adds, “Vir has been with the Blue Star group of companies for nearly 25 years. Having initially managed several independent assignments in associate companies, he joined Blue Star Ltd in 2007 and made valuable contributions in several senior staff and operational positions. India is a fast-growing market for air conditioning and refrigeration products, and Blue Star is well-positioned to consolidate its market leadership and accelerate its growth. Vir is leading from the front and is spearheading the Company’s plans to grow faster than the market and improve its profitability through significant investments in R&D, Manufacturing, and expansion of its international footprint. There is no doubt that he is the most deserving and the Blue Star Board is unanimous in selecting him as my successor with effect from April 1, 2024. I am confident that under his able leadership, Blue Star will sustain its good performance and reach new heights as it marches towards its centennial.”

JSW Paints continues exponential growth as India’s fastest growing paints company

MUMBAI – January 31, 2024: JSW Paints, India’s leading environment-friendly paints company and part of the US$ 23 billion JSW Group has recorded a 5x higher than industry growth in business since its launch 5 years ago. After crossing INR 1,000 crore in FY22, JSW Paints has now hit an INR 2,000 crore run rate within 15 months. The company is on track to close FY24 with a turnover higher than INR 2,000 crore. The company is confident of achieving its next INR 1,000 crore of revenue in an even shorter period, having already crossed the INR 1,500 crore mark within 9 months in the current fiscal. These milestones place JSW Paints in a unique position and set the company up well to move from its current spot of being the 6th largest paints player in the country to becoming one of the largest 4 players within the next few years.

Commenting on its business growth Mr Parth Jindal, Managing Director of JSW Paints said, “Our pioneering efforts to build a strong holistic water-based paints portfolio has placed us in a commanding position to service the fast-evolving preferences of Indian consumers. It’s a moment of great pride that JSW Group’s first true consumer-facing business has been so well received across the country enabling us to cross the Rs 2,000 crore revenue so quickly from when we entered the market. We are committed to our vision of building JSW Paints as the leading paints company of the future that will continuously set new trends in the industry. Our core strategy of continuous innovation and wide-ranging disruptions are delivering promising results.”

During the current fiscal, JSW Paints enhanced its market presence across India to achieve a market scale and coverage of greater than 60% in paint-selling towns. Further, it continues to increase its retailer network with the addition of more than 2,000 retailers every year. The growth in this network has been due to better market penetration in new clusters across existing large cities, nationwide. The company continues to launch new products to complement its ‘Simple-Swift-Sure’ range. Over the recent past, it brought in more than 20 new products across markets, with new brand launches currently contributing over 15% of gross revenues. The company continues to focus on selling a wide range of interior, exterior wall, wood & metal finishes as well as waterproofing products & surface preparation and treatment-related ancillaries. JSW Paints is also growing its presence in the institutional segment and building deep relationships with the communities of architects and interior decorators. The company is on track to turn profitable this fiscal ending March 31, 2024, a significant achievement within just five years of its commencing business operations.

According to Mr AS Sundaresan, Joint Managing Director & CEO of JSW Paints, “Our promise to offer the best quality in every product segment has been much appreciated. We will continue to bring in transparency with our thoughtful disruptions like ‘Any Colour One Price’. Our efforts will continue to empower consumers to be more involved and make informed choices. We are confident that they will continue to discover that JSW Paints offers the very best, as over a million happy households have already experienced this year.”

JSW Paints remains committed to building its business with the youngest, most gender diverse, and most dynamic team in the industry with an average working age of 29 years. It has built also vibrant stakeholder engagement & loyalty programs like the Galaxy Stellar Club for Retailers and the Star Partner program for Contractors.

Dailyhunt, Josh, OneIndia, collaborate with Gurugram Police to enhance public safety measures in Gurugram

New Delhi, 31 January 2024 – In a move to combat various issues affecting the citizens of Gurugram, including drug abuse, women’s safety, and cybersecurity, Gurugram Police has joined forces with Dailyhunt, India’s #1 local language content discovery platform, Josh, India’s fastest-growing and most engaged short-video app and OneIndia, India’s number one Digital vernacular portal. The two-year partnership will harness the extensive reach of these platforms to disseminate vital information and foster community engagement.

In a partnership signing ceremony organised at the Gurugram Police Headquarters, Sh Deepak Gehlawat, DCP of Gurugram Police, exchanged the MOU with Mr. Ravanan N, Executive Director of Eterno Infotech, in the presence of Sh Vikas Arora, Commissioner of Gurugram Police.

On Dailyhunt, Gurugram Police will create a dedicated profile to publish various content formats, including videos, share cards, and listicles, to engage a diverse audience, particularly the youth. OneIndia will complement these efforts by featuring articles, infographics, and videos across multiple regional languages, ensuring widespread impact and reach. Meanwhile, Josh will amplify the initiatives of Gurugram Police via engaging short videos across Bharat.

This collaborative initiative aims to eradicate drug abuse and enhance women’s safety in Gurugram. It will also showcase the efforts of police officers on active duty to create a sense of familiarity and community engagement with the police force.

Ravanan N, Executive Director, Eterno Infotech said “We are dedicated to empowering citizens and elevating public safety standards, and look forward to collaborating with Gurugram police to tackle pressing issues in the city. This partnership is a commitment to fostering community engagement, sharing credible information, and bridging the gap between law enforcement and the people they serve. We strive to shape a future where every citizen feels secure, every voice is heard, and every community is empowered to proactively contribute to a safer Gurugram.”

Sh Deepak Gehlawat, DCP, of Gurugram Police, said “This partnership with Dailyhunt, OneIndia, and Josh marks a significant milestone for Gurugram Police in bridging the gap between law enforcement and the citizens. By leveraging these powerful digital platforms, we aim to tackle pressing issues such as drug abuse, women’s safety, and cyber security. Our goal is to not only disseminate critical information but also to foster a stronger, more transparent connection between the police and the people we serve. This initiative is a step forward in building a more informed, vigilant, and interconnected Gurugram community.”

The collaboration between Gurugram Police, Dailyhunt, and OneIndia symbolises a united commitment to empower citizens and reinforce public safety, addressing pressing social concerns with innovative communication strategies.

Spoken Fest attracts prestigious Indian and global brands to harness the power of storytelling and content marketing

Mumbai, 31 January 2024 – Kommune India, the pioneers of cultural storytelling, is thrilled to unveil the grandeur of SpokenFest’24, slated for the 3rd and 4th of February at JIOWORLD GARDEN, BKC, Mumbai. This festival is a celebration of words, weaving together various forms such as stories, music, poetry, Shayari, comedy, and art installations, creating an inclusive space for fans of all kinds. This year’s extravaganza is fueled by the dynamic partnership of leading real estate giant Arkade House, the title sponsor, and global beauty powerhouse, L’Oreal Paris.

In a symphony of words, music, and dazzling experiences, SpokenFest’24 guarantees an immersive journey for all. As the title sponsor, Arkade House’s three-decade legacy in Mumbai’s real estate is set to unveil the ‘Arkade House’ area – a vibrant space pulsating with activities that echo Arkade’s family-first philosophy. From personalised nameplate crafting to a community wall envisioning dream homes, instant photo ops, and exclusive fan meet-ups with celebrities like Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Slow Cheetah, Abish Mathew, Ahsaas Channa, and Sriti Jha, Arkade House promises an extravaganza for all ages. The Kid’s Corner hosts the ‘Budding Stars’ competition, aligning with Arkade’s commitment to community building and the family-first ethos. Additionally, Arkade is offering the family-first ticket, providing a cost-effective option for a family of four to enjoy the festival experience together.

Alongside, L’Oreal Paris, the epitome of global beauty, is partnering with SpokenFest’24 to support words, voices, and stories because “we’re all worth it!” L’Oreal Paris aims to infuse glamour with experiences like a conversation with Mallika Dua and Chitrangda Singh celebrating choices and empowerment, a storytelling performance by Mithila Palkar, and the ‘Get Ready with L’Oreal’ zone offering festival-goers glamorous makeovers.

Furthermore, SpokenFest’24 takes immense pride in its collaboration with an outstanding lineup of sponsors, each deeply committed to the profound impact of words, voices, and stories. These partners play pivotal roles in enhancing the festival experience.

DBS Bank takes the stage as the Sustainability Partner, aligning with SpokenFest’s commitment to environmental consciousness. Fratelli Wines joins in as the Celebration Partner, adding a touch of festivity to the event. Black & White contributes to the vibrant atmosphere as the Festivity Partner, creating an ambiance of shared joy and openness. Bira steps in as the Merchandise Partner, bringing a unique flair to the festival’s merchandise offerings. Nandan Coffee, the Coffee Partner, ensures attendees stay energised and engaged throughout the event. Paytm Insider seamlessly manages the ticketing experience as the dedicated Ticketing Partner. Together, these sponsors not only add significant value to the festival but also exemplify a shared belief in the transformative power of storytelling and collective experiences.

Sharing its enthusiasm Arkade Developers states, “In joining hands with SpokenFest’24, Arkade proudly embraces a celebration of storytelling, poetry, music, and comedy. At Arkade, we’re more than builders; we’re creators of feel-good spaces for families. And Spoken Fest is not just an event; it’s a platform for shared experiences, echoing the values we hold dear at Arkade. This sponsorship aligns seamlessly with our ethos, and we’re thrilled to introduce the ‘Arkade House’ at Spoken Fest – a dedicated space resonating with our family-first philosophy. Through engaging activities like nameplate making and a message wall, we aim to foster the spirit of community. Together, let’s build memories, laughter, and a sense of home for all ages.”

Grateful for sponsors contributing to the festival’s magic, Ankur Tewari, the Co-founder of Kommune, expresses, “Spoken is a melting pot of people, who get together, as a family, to celebrate each other’s stories. The purpose is to build a safe space for people, to come and share their life experiences through poems, stories, and songs. Every verse, plot, and note of their narration is hand-crafted to make everyone feel the togetherness. Arkade fits the spoken philosophy like a glove. With Arkade’s commitment to building spaces for families, there couldn’t be a better match for the title sponsor. L’Oréal’s support as our powered-by sponsor helps us support the storytellers who are bringing forward their experiences that enabled them to feel worth it and empowered them to move ahead in life. I’m looking forward to experiencing two wonderful days with our partners who are helping us in connecting hearts.”

With over 75 artists set to grace the stage over two enriching days, SpokenFest’24 promises to be a treat for the ears and a soothing balm for the soul. Join them at JIOWORLD GARDEN, BKC, Mumbai, on the 3rd and 4th of February for an extraordinary celebration of words, voices, and stories where every word, every note, and every story will find its perfect rhythm.