Tag: Chief Operating Officer

Business

Shivalik Small Finance Bank and indiagold partner to launch India’s first Loan against Digital Gold

Dec 7, 2021 by Agency 0 Comments #Chief Operating Officer, #co-Founder, #Gaurav Mittal, #indiagold, #Nitin Misra, #Shivalik Small Finance Bank

Shivalik Small Finance Bank (SSFB) today announced a partnership with India gold, an NCR-based Financial Technology company to launch India’s first Loan against Digital Gold.

Being a progressive Indian bank, Shivalik has a strong digital-first approach aimed at customer convenience and offers an unparalleled range of services placing banking at the fingertips. This alliance will enable customers to seamlessly access gold loans starting at a monthly interest of just 1%. Customers can now access credit against their gold assets without the hassle of branch visits, minimal documentation, instant transfer and zero processing charges.

Digital Gold is an affordable medium to own and save with gold without the trouble of physically handling and storing the asset. This collaboration will enable customers to use their digital gold balance to avail of instant and digital loans up to Rs. 60,000. On repayment of the loan, customers will have an option to either renew the loan or get their gold home delivered.

Commenting on the collaboration, Mr Gaurav Mittal, Chief Operating Officer, Shivalik Small Finance Bank said, “Since its inception, Shivalik has aimed to fulfil evolving customer expectations and needs through innovative tech-focused solutions. This association is yet another step in the direction of accelerating the access of secure and affordable credit to our customers looking for quick liquidity against their gold assets.”

“We are excited to launch this product with Shivalik Small Finance Bank. At India gold, we always strive to deliver more value to our customers and enabling them to avail credit against their digital gold balance, is another step in that direction. The ease of use and simplicity of this product is something we’re proud of and will pave the way for many more such products in the ecosystem.”, added Nitin Misra, Co-founder, indiagold.

Customers can avail of gold loans using the indiagold app in just five easy steps:

Open your indiagold App.

Step 1: Go to the Gold Loan section & select Gold Loan with Digital Gold.

Step 2: Select the jewellery you want to buy and pledge to get the loan. You will get this jewellery delivered to your doorstep once you close the loan.

Step 3: Verify your PAN, Aadhar and your photo.

Step 4: Review and sign the loan agreement digitally.

Step 5: Your loan would be disbursed instantly.

Business

On the occasion of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day 2021 Wadhwani Foundation urges aspiring women entrepreneurs to seize the opportunity

Nov 18, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Chief Operating Officer, #Sanjay Shah, #Wadhwani Foundation - India/SE Asia

Bengaluru: On the occasion of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, the global not-for-profit, Wadhwani Foundation, celebrates the indomitable spirit of women entrepreneurs by emphasizing the social and economic importance of more and more women realizing their potential by starting up new ventures by leveraging a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in India.

· A McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) report states that India could add $770 billion to its GDP by 2025 simply by advancing gender equality

· A Google and Bain & Company report concludes that 13.5 to 15.7 million women-owned enterprises make up only 20 percent of all the enterprises in the country

· An International Monetary Fund (IMF) research paper postulates that improving the gender imbalance in favour of woman entrepreneurs could lead to a gain of 6.8 percent in India’s GDP

Making a strong case to tap into the largely untapped entrepreneurial spirit of women, Sanjay Shah, Chief Operating Officer, Wadhwani Foundation – India/SE Asia, says, “Women entrepreneurs in India are breaking glass ceilings and creating waves across sectors. However, they are few and far between. Empowering and encouraging women entrepreneurship at scale will not only enhance their contribution to India’s GDP from the current 18% and fuel economic growth but also accelerate their socio-economic independence. Aspiring women entrepreneurs need to take inspiration from many role models around them and keep a few basic tenets in mind to give shape to their entrepreneurial dreams and follow their passion, like finding a mentor or business coach to navigate through the crucial initial period, actively networking in the right business forums and upskilling through sector-specific programs. Even If you don’t want to take the leap into entrepreneurship, you can still celebrate Women’s Entrepreneurship Day by showing support for local, regional and national women-owned businesses!”

Here are some tips for aspiring woman entrepreneurs to startup on the right footing:

1. Get access to the right mentor who can decisively provide purpose to the startup journey – from idea to execution.

2. Get access to the right networks that provide peer-to-peer learning, business-enhancing connects and experience-sharing.

3. Get a trusted partner who can keep a hawk’s eye on business operations to ensure against any slip-ups.

4. Invest in learning and upskilling: Learning the ropes of the trade, keeping abreast of current trends and best practices, and upskilling as per domain/sector requirements will go a long way in establishing strong business fundamentals.

5. Build a support system: Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey, which applies to both men and women. Therefore, co-operation and encouragement at both home and beyond can be critical for women to effectively manage their businesses.

It is time to fast-forward women entrepreneurship in India, and aspiring women entrepreneurs should seize the opportunity by leveraging the evolved inclusive environment and conducive business ecosystem.

Technology

Introducing Surface Go 3 – the most portable Surface built for Windows 11

Nov 17, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Chief Operating Officer, #Microsoft India, #Rajiv Sodhi

Bangalore– Microsoft today announced that pre-orders for the new Surface Go 3 will commence on Amazon. Surface Go 3 comes at just 1.2 pounds (544 gms) with 1080p cameras, best-in-class studio microphones, Dolby Audio, and a 10.5” touch display. It is the perfect device to connect, collaborate, and play from anywhere.

“We are pleased to bring the new Surface Go 3 to India, expanding our Surface portfolio for Windows 11. Throughout our history as Surface, we have seen that the most meaningful experiences come from innovation at the intersection of hardware and software. This idea was the catalyst for Surface—to build hardware that would not only be a stage for Windows but push the platform and the ecosystem forward. We hope that this new product will help more and more people to collaborate and create anytime and anywhere,” said Rajiv Sodhi, Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft India.

Surface Go 3 is the most portable Surface 2-in-1 perfect for workforces on the go, everyday tasks, homework, and play. Designed to light up the best of Windows 11, Surface Go 3 is 60% faster with a 10th Gen Intel Core i3 processor. This product brings optional LTE Advanced, all-day battery, built-in Microsoft security, and is optimized for tablet-to-laptop versatility with digital Pen and touch. Built to reduce complexity, commercial variants of Surface Go 3 can be deployed straight to employees with Windows Autopilot for a zero-touch experience. Whether devices are onsite or in the field, the built-in cloud-powered security is designed to keep company information and customer data safe.

Surface products are designed to deliver the Microsoft experiences customers depend on. Every device offers incredible typing, premium materials, correctly placed cameras, and a 3:2 aspect ratio for perfectly scaled documents. These new devices and accessories ensure that users can realize the full power of Microsoft 365, Teams, Edge, -, and more. With Windows 11, Surface Go 3 will unlock the benefits and capabilities created through the thoughtful design of hardware and software.

The device will be generally available on Amazon from November 23. Commercial SKUs will be available in the country starting December through authorized resellers.

Business

Air Products Expands its Presence in India with an Office in New Delhi

Nov 17, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Air Products, #Air Products India, #Anand Chordia, #Chief Operating Officer, #Dr. Samir J. Serhan, #Managing Director

NATIONAL– Air Products, a world leader in industrial gases, today announced the opening of an office in New Delhi, India. The Delhi office will be the hub for the company’s Business Development and Stakeholder Engagement activities. This expansion follows the opening of a new EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) center in Vadodara, Gujarat which began operations just over a year ago during the pandemic.

Dr. Samir J. Serhan, Chief Operating Officer, Air Products said: “India is a growth region for Air Products and plays a strategic role in the Company’s journey. We are very proud to invest in India and want to continue to grow our presence and develop strong relationships in the region; aligned with our goal to be the safest and most innovative industrial gas company in the world.”

Anand Chordia, Managing Director, Air Products India, said:” We are delighted to expand our footprint in India as we continue to grow in the region. A year back we opened our second EPC center in India and hired close to 400 highly skilled employees and we continue to hire in both Gujarat and Maharashtra. Since 2019, we have almost tripled our work force in India. Our EPC centers are focused on providing technology, engineering and project execution, for Air Products’ activities in India, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Being centrally based in the capital city of New Delhi will aid our Business Development and Stakeholder Engagement efforts as the Company focusses on several investment opportunities in India on BOO (build, own, operate) model in the Gasification, Green Hydrogen and Hydrogen for Mobility (H2fM) space.”

With the opening of the New Delhi office, Air Products is now present in four states of India as it operates an EPC center and IT center in Pune, Maharashtra, an EPC center in Vadodara, Gujarat and a World scale, Industrial Gas Complex at BPCL Kochi Refinery in Kochi, Kerala.

Business

Wadhwani Foundation and Frontier Markets announce a strategic partnership to empower up to 10,000 women of rural India

Nov 10, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Ajaita Shah, #Chief Operating Officer, #Founder and CEO, #Frontier Markets, #Sanjay Shah, #Wadhwani Foundation - India/SEA

Wadhwani Foundation and Wadhwani Catalyst Fund today announced a strategic partnership with Frontier Markets to empower and support up to 10,000 women in rural India over two and half years by helping them to earn income independently.

Referred to as ‘Saral Jeevan Sahelis’, these are local women from villages who will be sourced, recruited and skilled, and then provided an opportunity to earn a livelihood. Sahelis are an integral influencer in rural communities, especially their villages. So, by enhancing their income opportunities, the objective of the Wadhwani Foundation and Frontier Markets is to improve rural households’ overall quality and enable investments in their children’s future.

Rural women crave for sustainable livelihoods, but consistent opportunities for them are few and far. To fulfil their mission of empowering Sahelis, Frontier Markets to expand to new geographies (from the current 2 to 7 states), make a significant investment in their tech platform and add new Sahelis as they move to new geographies. The long-term objective is to catalyze the achievement of onboarding thousands of Sahelis in 5-6 years.

This funding is in sync with the mission of the Wadhwani Catalyst Fund of amplifying impact through catalytic funding aimed at large-scale job creation. This partnership endeavors to grow the income of Sahelis to Rs. 7,000-10,000/month so that they can lead an independent and dignified life. In the rural areas, this is a significant additional income for a family.

Speaking on the funding closure, Sanjay Shah, Chief Operating Officer, Wadhwani Foundation – India/SEA, said, “Wadhwani Foundation is excited to partner with Frontier Markets. From selling only clean energy and agri products in 2011, they have managed to add multiple categories, including consumer durables products and essential services, by leveraging their social commerce platform and by simply listening to the pulse of rural consumers. Frontier Markets is changing the way villages buy products and services, and the way business is done across the hinterland by building an army of rural women salesforce (or Sahelis), armed with smartphones and deep consumer insight. They are driving change, creating an impact while managing to make money and profits. We certainly look forward to leveraging the Wadhwani ecosystem to help them grow their network and touch more lives.”

Frontier Markets is a rural social commerce platform providing quality products in 3000+ villages through a network of ~10,000+ rural women entrepreneurs (Sahelis) who earn stable & growing incomes. Its product basket includes clean energy solutions, energy-efficient home appliances/mobile phones, agri-products, FMCG and digital financial services.

Ajaita Shah, Founder and CEO, Frontier Markets, said, “We are extremely excited about partnering with Wadhwani Foundation and the Wadhwani Catalyst Fund as they validate our mantra that investing in rural women is smart business and the key to driving SDG goals at scale. This partnership also becomes one of the first to showcase how blended capital can be leveraged to support social businesses and help drive accelerated scale.”

Through a Phygital Model, the ‘Sahelis’ understand customers and curate demand. The app collects customer data, showcases products, manages sales & inventory, while the ‘Saheli’ homes double up as stores/local touchpoints supported by branches of Frontier Markets, which serve as warehouses. It’s the first data-centric model leveraging insights to drive customized solutions for rural consumers.

Health

Oasis Fertility conferred ‘The Best Employer Brand Award’ by Asia Pacific HRM Congress

Oct 30, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Chief Operating Officer, #Mr Sudhaker Jadhav, #Oasis Fertility

National: Oasis Fertility, trusted healthcare experts in the field of Reproductive Medicine and Advanced Infertility Treatments, has been recognised with the prestigious ‘The Best Employer Brand Award’ at the recently held 19th edition of Asia Specific HRM Congress in Bengaluru. Oasis Fertility received this award for their unique and constructive Human Resource policies and consistent efforts towards offering industry-leading best practices for employee engagement and development.

The Asia Specific HRM Congress Award is instituted to recognise the HR perceptions and aspirations across several industries. The award offers an insight into how industries in the large sectors can align their employer brands to the aspirations of their workforce. The aim of these awards is to recognize the Best in the Industry, organized for a professional cause. The objective at the core is benchmarking Talent & HR practices.

Mr Sudhaker Jadhav, Chief Operating Officer, Oasis Fertility, receiving the award commented on the achievement being a benchmark recognition for Oasis Fertility. He said, “We are delighted to receive such an esteemed award – ‘The Best Employer Brand Award’ at the 19th edition of Asia Specific HRM Congress. We deeply appreciate this nomination and are honoured to be a part of this recognition. It is yet another feather in the cap of Oasis Fertility for our unique, industry-proven HR practices. This recognition is always a testament to the collaborative efforts of the entire team during the difficult pandemic times and I take this opportunity to congratulate everyone at Oasis for this milestone.”

Oasis Fertility has always been engaging its employees with its unique, positive and proactive HR policies. This award is also the appreciation of its versatile industry-lending HR policies and consistent efforts to build the best work environment that focuses on creating an engaged, diversified, productive and healthy workforce through employee-friendly initiatives.

ABOUT OASIS FERTILITY: Oasis Fertility, a unit of the Sadguru Healthcare Services Pvt. Ltd., has redefined reproductive care in India by bringing in internationally recognized best practices and protocols in Fertility treatments. It offers would-be parents a friendly ‘one-stop’ day-care clinic where consultations, investigations, and treatment are all conducted under one roof. Since its inception in 2009, Oasis has gained an excellent reputation for its high success rates driven by its high-quality services led by a team of experienced infertility specialists with international experience. The chain has expanded to 17 centres across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.

Business

Wadhwani Foundation announces Sanjay Shah as its Chief Operating Officer for India and SE Asia

Sep 6, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Chief Operating Officer, #Sanjay Shah, #Wadhwani Foundation

Sanjay has over three decades of experience in founding and steering software product companies to the global market. He founded Zapty, Instavans Logistics, Skelta, Everest Software and Accel Computers, some of which were successfully acquired and his last stint was with iManage as its Managing Director for Asia responsible for business development of its solutions in Asia. With M.S. in Computer Science from Virginia Tech and a B.Tech in Aeronautical Engineering from IIT, Bombay, Sanjay sits on the board of Sasken Technologies and Instavans Logistics as an Independent Director, and on the advisory board of Avo Automation.

Expressing happiness on joining the Wadhwani Foundation, Sanjay Shah said, “My experience in building multiple technology startups, working with entrepreneurs and helping businesses to scale using technology has inspired me to embrace the mission of Wadhwani Foundation. Emerging economies today require massive job creation, which can be achieved through large-scale initiatives in entrepreneurship, innovation and skilling. All three are necessary as entrepreneurs and small businesses create brand new jobs, innovation helps drive job creation, and skilling provides the supply of industry-ready candidates to fulfill these new jobs In addition, if technology is used as a force to scale these initiatives massively, it can only accelerate the mission of the Foundation.

Business, News

Viacom18 scores broadcast and digital rights for Italian Serie A

Aug 20, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Amikam Kranz, #Chief Operating Officer, #Ferzad Palia, #Gourav Rakshit, #Head – SVOD and International Business, #Infront, #Viacom18 Digital Ventures, #Vice President Media Sales and Operations

Mumbai: Viacom18, today, announced that it has acquired the broadcast and digital rights for Italian Serie A for the Indian sub-continent region for the next 3 seasons. The latest edition of Italian Serie A will kick off on Saturday, 21st August at 10 PM IST. Matches will be available live across Voot, Viacom18’s TV channels and Jio.

Gourav Rakshit, Chief Operating Officer, Viacom18 Digital Ventures, said, “One of the core propositions of our network is the promise of variety in content. Sports is a whitespace that we have been consciously experimenting with for some time now. The response to our initiatives, thus far, has been very encouraging. Italian Serie A is one of the most exciting & competitive leagues in Europe and we are excited to bring it to our viewers across digital and broadcast platforms.”

The Italian Serie A has been voted as the World’s Best Nation League in 2020 by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. Top 4 teams from the league will qualify for the group stages of the Champions League, while the fifth ranked team will qualify for the Europa League group stage. Indian Fans will witness the action unfold live as legends like Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexis Sanchez, Paulo Dybala and a galaxy of stars from the Euro 2020 winning Italian squad play in the world’s best football league.

Ferzad Palia, Head – SVOD and International Business, Viacom18 Digital Ventures
Ferzad Palia, Head – SVOD and International Business, Viacom18 Digital Ventures

Further elaborating, Ferzad Palia, Head – SVOD and International Business, Viacom18 Digital Ventures said, “We are delighted to host the Italian Serie A across our network. The league enjoys great affinity with football lovers in India. Some of the world’s top clubs, coaches and players make the Serie A stand out as one of the best leagues in the football world. We are confident of growing the fan base through a slew of initiatives that are lined up.”

Viacom18 has entered into a partnership with Infront, whom Italian Serie A has appointed to manage its international media rights for all platforms across Europe, Asia, Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa and Americas (excl. USA). Viacom18 has been steadily expanding its sports offerings with the network recently entering multi-year partnerships for Spanish La Liga (football) and Abu Dhabi T10 League (cricket).

Amikam Kranz, Vice President Media Sales and Operations, Infront said: “This is the start of what we hope will be a positive relationship between Infront and Viacom18. Serie A already has a significant resonance with Indian football fans and this will help us further grow the audience in the country. We believe this is the beginning of what we hope will be a promising future.”

A total of 20 teams will be taking part in the Italian Serie A which will start from 10PM, Saturday, 21st August. While 17 teams will be from the previous season, the three new teams promoted from Serie B. Crotone, Benevento and Parma were consigned to the 2021–22 Serie B.

Business World, Health, News

Group Satellite conducts 4-day vaccination drive at Solitaire Corporate Park

Jun 4, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Chief Operating Officer, #Mr. Abhishek Jain, #Satellite Developers Pvt Ltd

Mumbai: Group Satellite, one of Mumbai’s prominent developers rolled-out a 4 day on-premises vaccination drive at their commercial centre Solitaire Corporate Park at Chakala, Andheri East in Mumbai. The Group has partnered with Apollo Clinic to facilitate the vaccination drive on 3rd, 4th, 7th and 8th June 2021. All employees above the age of 18 years at Solitaire Corporate Park will be allowed to register to get vaccinated during the drive. Over 50+ offices with over 2500 employees registered for the vaccine will be taking benefit of this vaccination drive.

Mr. Abhishek Jain, COO - Satellite Developers Private Limited
Mr. Abhishek Jain, COO – Satellite Developers Private Limited

Commenting on this initiative Mr. Abhishek Jain, Chief Operating Officer, Satellite Developers Pvt. Ltd. said, “Group Satellite is committed to the health and well-being of its employees and in line with this ethos it is conducting this vaccination drive in strict-accordance with all Government-approved protocols. The company is extending all possible efforts to get its employees as well as the members in their corporate premises vaccinated. We welcome one and all to take benefit from the service which is made available for the fellow members at Solitaire Corporate Park.”

Many of India’s largest organizations are focusing on vaccinating their employees, largely through partnerships with private health care providers and, in some cases, government vaccination centres. Last year, the government suggested allowing businesses in strategically important sectors to negotiate directly with vaccine manufacturers for doses for their workforce.

While in March, everyone took a backseat owing to the second wave of Covid and workers were forced to stop work in Mumbai city due to the lockdown restrictions, the industry seems prepared and ready to take on the virus attack with timely vaccination.

Business World

Five good-to-know points for aspiring investors in global markets

May 26, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Chief Operating Officer, #Monarch Networth Capital Limited, #Ms.Ashma Zaveri

 By Ms.Ashma Zaveri, Chief Operating Officer, Monarch Global Access

Digital technologies have shrunk the world. The opportunity to create wealth by just a swipe or a click of a button sitting anywhere in the world and investing in stock markets across has become seamless.  More so for Indian investors, who have been taking advantage of this new world of possibilities increasingly over the past year.

The benefits of global diversification of portfolio are many, including shielding yourself from heavy losses brought about by any big volatility in a particular stock market. In recent times, the COVID19 pandemic has shown investors the flipped side of such market swings and pushed this diversification further.

If you are yet to ride the bus, these are five things you much absolutely know in order to make better investment decisions:

  1. Can you invest?

The answer is: Yes.  Any Indian can start investing in global equities with as little money they are willing to risk. The Reserve Bank of India, though, limits overseas investments at $250,000 annually under its Liberalized Remittance Scheme.

  1. Where to start?

Exchange-Traded Funds, or ETF, would be a place to make a start, even though investors can directly purchase stocks on exchanges. ETFs are an assortment of different assets that are benchmarked against an index, investment strategy, or sector.

  1. The secret to diversification

A key plus point to investing in a US stock is that, unlike in India shares where investors have to buy a share as a whole,  one can own a fraction of their pick. So even though stocks are expensive in the global markets, a small investor can still be an owner. This may not give the stockholder voting rights but does not take away the right to a dividend.

  1. Understanding tax implications

Although non-American investors are not required to pay tax in the US, Indians are liable to pay capital gains tax in India as per the duration of their investment. If held for less than 2 years, the investor is liable to pay short-term capital gains tax and long-term capital gains tax if longer.  For dividend payouts, Indian investors needed to pay 25% of the amount in the US. The dividend Indian investors receive is minus this tax. However, since India and the US have a double tax avoidance treaty, Indian investors receive a credit on the tax deducted in the US.

  1. Tax collected at source

According to the Finance Bill 2020, a 5 percent tax collected at source (TCS) is applicable on all remittances over Rs 7 lakh. This is applicable to expenses incurred on items such as investment in real estate, stocks and bonds, and foreign education. The TCS can be claimed as a refund on the filing income tax returns.