Archives March 2023

New Delhi, March 2023: Women Inspiring Network (WIN) in association with FICCI G20 Empower hosted an impactful event celebrating International Women’s Day. The event brought together a diverse group of women leaders, ranging from entrepreneurs to politicians to corporate executives, to share their stories and insights on breaking barriers and achieving success. With inspiring panel discussions and a Global Mentoring Walk, the event proved to be a remarkable success, empowering women to pursue their passions and strive for greatness.

The event began with an opening speech by Stuti Jalan, Founder of Women Inspiring Network (WIN). She said, “Today, I am extremely grateful to be in a room full of exceptionally talented women who decided to make time and celebrate the International Women’s Day with the Women Inspiring Network, FICCI G20 and The Global Mentoring Walk. Audicious action is needed right now. The only way to measure your power is extent of positive impact on the world and women. You are part of something much bigger than you see.”

The first panel discussion was titled “Mental Health and Wellness.” The panel was moderated by Ms. Harpeet Suri, Influencer. The panelists included Ms. Taranjeet Kaur, Head Nutritionist and Program Manager, Metabolic Balance India, and Ms. Pragati Sureka, Author and Mental Health Coach. Ms. Sureka said, “Some simple tips to manage stress are one, to meditate. It doesn’t have to be a big practise, but it definitely needs to be a leading practise. Second, give yourself a self-love hug every single day. When you combine both these practises, your stress levels will go down and you will be much happier.” Ms. Kaur added, “Good nutrition is not only responsible for physical health but also for mental health because our body requires a good balance of micro and macro nutrients when it comes to both.”

The second panel discussion was titled “Women Leadership: Making an Impact.” The panel was moderated by Ms. Stuti Jalan. The panelists included Ms. Nidhi Modi, Entrepreneur, Mammlys, Ms. Payal Kanwar, Director General of Indo French Chamber, Ms. Shailja Dutta, Stellar Search, Mallika Sadnani, Entrepreneur, The Mom Co., and Shivani Malik, Da Milano. Ms. Malik said, “Women still aren’t taken seriously. It’s often thought that they will work for a little bit or they won’t last long. It’s unfortunate that we have to do so much more to be taken seriously and to overcome this. We need to have more and more women in our organizations, empower them and make the working environment a little more inclusive.” Ms. Dutta concluded, “I feel like it’s every woman’s responsibility to straighten the crown on another woman’s head but unfortunately we don’t see that often. Even one woman empowering another woman can make a difference in this world.”

The third and final panel discussion was titled “Design & Beauty for a Sustainable Future.” The panel was moderated by Ms. Pooja Singh. The panelists included Ms. Angelique, CEO, Obeetee, Naina Ruhail, Co-Founder, Vanity Wagon, Payal Jain, Designer, Akshara Dalal, JD Institute, and Nitya Bajaj, Fashion Designer. Ms. Dalal said, ” Sustainability should become a standard of living, not a choice. A way of life where sustainability isn’t something you choose, it is something that is inherent.” Ms. Jain added, ” As Indians, we are intrinsically sustainable in who we are.” Ms. Birla concluded, “Sustainability for me is to recycle, reuse and relive.”

The event concluded with a Global Mentoring Walk, where the attendees, which included young students from JD Insititute, had the opportunity to network with each other and receive mentoring from the inspirational women leaders and panelists.

Apexon, a digital-first technology services company, is celebrating International Women’s Day, 2023 with a series of webinars and panel discussions across its offices in India, the U.S., and the U.K., as well as a hackathon where employees can ideate, code and build innovative digital technology solutions to help bridge the equity gap. Drawing upon its digital expertise, Apexon is hosting the events under the banner “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”

“We all have a role to play in creating a world that celebrates diversity and values inclusion,” says Leila Modarres, Chief Marketing Officer, Apexon. “And at Apexon, with our philosophy of human-centric digital both in our business and in our purpose, we believe that a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce that celebrates unique perspectives is essential to solving business problems while placing humans at the heart of it.”

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) is #EmbraceEquity. IWD is held each year on March 8th, and is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

Out in the communities it supports, Apexon Ignite, the company’s CSR program, is also hosting several STEM-themed contests, quizzes and educational sessions for girls from underprivileged communities. Special events for the children include trips to the Apexon offices for an immersive digital technology experience at our digital labs. And in Ahmedabad, Ignite volunteers have planned an all-day educational trip to Science City.

Two causes that the Ignite CSR program champions are vocational training for livelihood and financial independence; and menstrual health in underserved communities. Ignite has partnered with Karma, an NGO, to work with women inmates of Sabarmati prison and teach them skills that will enable them to be financially stable after their release. These women have been given tailoring lessons and have made over 50,000 biodegradable sanitary pads.

Throughout March of this year, these ‘Sabarmati Saheli’ pads will be distributed to women and girls from disadvantaged communities across 100 locations in India as part of the Apexon Happy Periods Drive. The Sabarmati Saheli pads will also be given to all our partner schools. Furthermore, Apexers can also distribute these pads in their local communities.

“Every day, I am motivated by the extraordinary women around me – colleagues, clients and mentors. It’s truly inspiring to see the great work done by Apexers globally to champion the cause of gender equity,” says Modarres.

The Art Exchange Project presents their 5th Group Art Show, ‘Pulse – Vibration of Life’

from 11 am to 7 pm from Sunday to Friday, March 5th to 10th, 2023

at The Stainless Gallery, Mira Corporate Suites, Mathura Road, New Delhi

The Art Exchange Project presents their 5th Group Art Show, ‘Pulse – Vibration of Life’ at The Stainless Gallery, Mira Corporate Suites, Mathura Road, New Delhi. Chief guest Gurpreet Singh (Founding partner of Aakar Design Consultants Pvt. Ltd.) inaugurated the exhibition on Saturday, March 4th, 2023. The exhibition will showcase works by 16 artists on a medium of their choice and will be on until Friday, March 10th, 2023.

Curated by the Founder of The Art Exchange Project and Visual Artist, Aarti Uppal Singla, the show will be a wreath of paintings, digital art, collages, photographs and ceramic pieces created by artists from Delhi and Mumbai which includes Aarti Uppal, Balesh Jindal, Devangi Sidharth, Dharmendra Singh, Divyaman Singh, Khushroo Kalayanwala, Jaspreet Kaur, Meena Vohra, Rashmi Rai, Shibani Sehgal, Shireen Khanna, Sushil Bhasin, Sushmita Choubey, Vidyasagar Hariharan, Winnie Singh and Yumi Onishi.

To make the event wholesome, there will be separate activities slated throughout the week at the gallery.

Mindfully chalked-out Workshops will be held on the topics:

• Sunday, March 5th, 2023: Doodle-n-Emotion by Sushil Bhasin at 2pm.
• Tuesday, March 7th, 2023: Drawing your Story by Winnie Singh at 3 pm
• Thursday, March 9th, 2023: World of Collages by Shibani Sehgal at 4 pm

Enriching Talks on:

• Sunday, March 5th, 2023: Flamingos in the City by Vidyasagar Hariharan at 4.30 pm
• Monday, March 6th, 2023: Artist’s Journey by Meera Vohra at 3 pm
• hursday, March 9th, 2023: Inspiring Demo on Acrylic Textures by Divyaman Singh at 12 noon.

Pulse – Vibration of Life is an ideology that brings out artists from the dullness and darkness that pandemic lashed out at the world. It is an opportunity for everyone, the artists and onlookers to feel alive and hear their hearts throb with energy and not just drift away with the flow of time. The colours used testify the very concept and the inspiration all these 16 artists hold within them.

As she brings forth such vitality, Aarti Uppal Singla says, “The past 2 years have not shown any mercy and with Pulse I want each one of us to feel that we are back on track and that life gives hope only when we want to see it. I am elated with the colours and techniques all the artists have chosen to express themselves and emerge out after a long period of containment of sorts. It is miraculous how creative minds using different mediums creating their individual pieces come together in union, in sync with one another. This is my ode to life and it’s vivacity. Hope is what keeps us moving on, afterall.”

Pulse – Vibration of Life is TAEP’s fifth group show. The others being Explorations at AIFACS in March 2017, Noir – the mystery unfolds at The Stainless Gallery in September 2017, Spaces – real and imagined at The Stainless Gallery in December 2018 and Viewpoints – Distinct diverse at The Stainless Gallery in December 2019.

About The Art Exchange Project:

TAEP is a free art community with the objective of getting people back in touch with their creative energies. Members include professional artists, designers, engineers, doctors, teachers, homemakers, students, and others for whom art is a significant part of their lives. TAEP members learn, teach and collaborate to make art. They are bridging the gap between art lovers and creators by bringing affordable art to people.

March 7th, 2023, New Delhi: Varthana was awarded USD 250,000 by UBS Optimus Foundation for its student financing solutions aimed at the lower and lower-middle income students in India, to gain better access to tertiary education. UBS Optimus Foundation awarded the Tertiary Education Financing Prize in partnership with Convergence to four winners globally, two of which are based in India, for a total of USD 1 million.

The winners were asked to identify successful existing solutions that provide inclusive, fair, and affordable financing to students in tertiary education in low and lower-middle-income countries as access to cost-effective tertiary education remains out of reach for most people from these countries

They were selected after participating in a thorough and highly competitive process, including a virtual pitch day which had applicants participating from developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The shortlisted applicants presented their solutions to a panel of expert judges and the four winners were then selected by Convergence and UBS Optimus Foundation based on the feedback of the judges. The financing solutions were evaluated based on their scalability and ability to contribute towards greatly increasing funding for tertiary education, so that more young people in emerging markets have access to high-quality education in areas that will have good employment opportunities in the future.

“We are delighted to award the Tertiary Education Prize recognizing the best solutions available today that enable students to access higher education through inclusive, fair, and affordable financing. Education is key to transforming employment opportunities and life chances and we want to develop investible, innovative, and scalable financing solutions that help more young people on this journey,” said Maya Ziswiler, CEO of UBS Optimus Foundation, on congratulating the winners.

On being awarded the prize, Steve Hardgrave, Co-Founder and CEO, Varthana, said:“I am delighted that Varthana’s solution was selected as one of the best student financing solutions from those offered by institutions across the world. Varthana, since its inception, has worked tirelessly towards making education accessible to the lower and lower-middle income segments by providing easy access to credit. This affirmation by UBS Optimus and Convergence towards our mission of providing access to quality education is heartening.”

Varthana, through its student financing solution, has disbursed over 5,000 loans to students, many of whom do not have a credit history and have limited access to financing. This is made possible through partnerships with domestic tertiary institutions whose students frequently seek financial assistance once they are admitted to colleges, universities or vocational training institutions or any other post-secondary educational programs. With the help of the prize money, Varthana will work towards scaling its student financing solution and making it more accessible to the underserved students in India.

Mumbai, March 7th, 2023: Vastu Housing Finance Corporation Limited, a digital-first housing finance company, has introduced a menstruation leave policy effective March 2023. The women employees can avail one full-day wellness leave, or two half-day wellness leaves every month, to prioritise their well-being.

The company focuses on a slew of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies to foster productivity, and innovation to empower women employees across the organisation.

Vastu Housing Finance has partnered with Global Women Connect to enable the participation of their female team members in a global mentorship program. This will provide women at Vastu with a platform to enhance and develop their leadership skills. The program facilitates year-long one-on-one mentorship for career progression with global business leaders.

The firm also offers dedicated training, upskilling, and development opportunities for women employees to build competencies in different business areas, as well as, acquire managerial skills to grow within the organisation.

In line with their commitment to advancing diversity in their workforce, Vastu will soon be launching a ‘Career Returnship’ Program for women. This program is specifically designed for women who have been on a career break for two or more years and is industry and function agnostic. Through this program, the company is committed to providing a mix of on-the-job and classroom training to selected program attendees. Those who successfully complete the training will be offered full-time positions at various corporate functions at Vastu.

Speaking on the DEI policies, Shefali Pathak, Head – of People, Diversity and Change, Vastu Housing Finance said, “Since day one of the operations, we have been very intentional about being engaging and inclusive towards all our stakeholders, especially our team members. We strongly believe that having a diverse workforce enables deeper perspectives and fosters innovation. Diversity facilitates better decision-making, increased profitability, and an engaged work climate. It enables a culture of collaboration, empathy, and agility at work, which is crucial for organisational growth. We are committed to DEI being an integral part of our business strategy.”

India 7th March 2022 – The recent catastrophic disaster in Turkey has left tens of thousands of people dead and thousands more injured. While the rescue phase is complete, the recovery and rehabilitation phase is just beginning. Many hospitals have been demolished and are not functional, and doctors, nurses, and staff have been stretched thin.

To support the country during this critical time, Apollo Hospitals and LifeSigns have partnered to donate 1000 remote patient monitoring patches. These patches can be used in settings where patients need close vital signs monitoring, including cardiac rhythm. They allow doctors to reliably monitor a patient’s heart rate, ECG rhythm, respiratory rate, temperature, and position, and can also be used to connect to oxygen saturation monitoring devices. This will free up critical care beds for the sickest patients, and those who need care outside of hospitals or in the field can use the patches.

Timely monitoring of vital signs is essential to avoid further loss of life, especially when patients may not have access to their usual care and medications, and are dealing with immense stress from their losses. Dr Sai Praveen Haranath from Apollo Hospitals stated, “Apollo Hospitals stands ready to assist Turkey in this hour of need to help with medical assistance and guidance from our entire critical care and sub-specialist teams, who can help with monitoring these patients.”

The Founder & Director of LifeSigns, Mr Hari Subramaniam, who donated the patches, understands the critical need for such a device, stating, “As a company, we have always believed that vital signs need to be monitored anywhere, anytime, and our devices allow doctors to make important decisions for their patients to prevent harm and encourage healing.”

The Turkish Medical Association Central Council General Secretary Prof. Vedat Bulut

Said, “We are thankful for humanitarian health aid and the solidarity of Apollo Hospital Group on behalf of the Turkish Medical Association. All efforts to help the earthquake victims are invaluable. Adana Medical Chamber is now the logistic centre in the disaster zone, and all medical supplies are distributed from Adana to other cities. In particular, four cities were damaged badly, and even the buildings of medical chambers collapsed in these cities.”

Dr Selahattin Menteş, Radiation Oncology Specialist, and President of Adana Medical Chamber said “We thank you for the international solidarity shown in the earthquake that affected a total of 11 provinces, including 15 million people.”

This whole endeavour was made possible through an international network of volunteers spanning many countries and required extreme coordination and cooperation from busy doctors in Turkey who were already dealing with multiple issues related to the crisis.

We are hopeful that this donation of devices and expertise will help build a medical bridge between these two great countries and alleviate suffering.

Hyderabad, 7 March 2023: Shri Vishwanath Suresh assumed office of Director (Commercial) at NMDC on March 1, 2023. He has been appointed as a Functional Director on the board of NMDC, India’s largest iron ore producer.

Prior to this appointment, Shri Suresh held the post of Executive Director (Coal Import) shouldering the responsibility of procuring over 15 MTPA of imported coal and also held additional charge of ED (Corporate Materials Management) at SAIL.

With a long service spanning over three decades in the mining and manufacturing sector, his career is marked by versatile experience in fields like sales and marketing of Steel in domestic and international markets, procurements, strategic management and policy. By virtue of commercial acumen and leadership qualities, he took numerous initiatives for systems improvement, boosting sales and revenue. He is a frequent keynote speaker at
various industrial conclaves.

Shri V. Suresh is an alumnus of the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela (formerly REC Rourkela) from where he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He also holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing and a certificate in Advanced Strategic Management course from IIM Kozhikode.

Normet has acquired Remion Ltd, a specialist in innovative business- and process-enhancing industrial internet solutions and advisory services situated in Finland. Remion employs a team of 28 professionals.

“We see Remion as a critical enabler for our digitalization strategy going forward. Remion’s capabilities in analytics and software development provide a foundation for us to utilize related skillsets in developing the Normet offering. We value Remion’s existing customer base and its significant growth opportunities. We look forward to working together with Remion to tap into these growth opportunities while ensuring that development and support continues with Remion’s existing customers”, comments Riku Helander, Senior Vice President, Services Business Line, at Normet.

“The change of ownership doesn’t change the focus for Remion. We look forward to developing IoT and analytics solutions for our customers and to further expand our customer base. Remion will continue to develop its offering and grow under new ownership”, comments Jukka Kivimäki, CEO at Remion.

Remion, founded in 2001, offers innovative IoT solutions and services for various industries, machine and equipment manufacturers, service companies and development organizations that are fundamental to efficient, forward-thinking operations. Remion is based in Tampere, Finland.

The acquisition was closed in February 2023. The parties have agreed not to disclose any financial details related to the transaction. After the acquisition, Remion continues to operate as an independent company as part of the Normet Group.

(Memphis, Tenn.) – The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) awarded Southwest Tennessee Community College a $500,000 Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) State Colleges and Universities grant last month to fund the college’s COVID-19 testing and community outreach efforts. Southwest will hire staff and redesign spaces on campus and outfit them with equipment designed to help the community engage in disease prevention.

“These funds are critical to our ongoing efforts to help protect the Mid-South from COVID-19,” Southwest Tennessee Community College President Tracy D. Hall said. “During the pandemic, we helped vaccinate nearly 40,000 residents at our Whitehaven and Gill centers. Our commitment to fighting COVID-19 continues with this effort to help fellow residents avoid infection through education and testing.”

Southwest will use the funds to hire three full-time health educators and two part-time support staff members who will operate free testing sites at the Macon Cove and Union Avenue campuses and the Whitehaven Center. All three locations will offer drive-thru and drop-in testing for Southwest students, faculty and staff and the greater Memphis community.

Health and Natural Sciences Dean Shelia Bouie says health seminars will begin as soon as this summer. “Our goal is to promote a healthier Memphis by providing access to accurate information about COVID-19 and other infectious diseases,” Dr. Bouie said. “A healthy community makes for a healthier college.”

President Hall says the funds will help the college address health disparities. “All of us have been touched by COVID-19 in some way, and communities of color were hit particularly hard,” President Hall said. We are grateful for these funds and intend to use them to address the health disparities surrounding infectious disease in our community,” Hall added. “The ultimate goal is to support our students and employees and greater community to stay healthy and strong.”

For more information about Southwest’s public health efforts, contact Dr. Shelia Bouie at sbouie@southwest.tn.edu.

Tempe, Arizona (March 6, 2023) – BWH Hotel Group is partnering with industry-leading hotel management company, Midas Hospitality, for the management of its urban, upscale boutique Vīb hotel in Tempe, Arizona. The Tempe hotel joined BWH Hotel Group’s global Vīb portfolio in 2022 as a shining example of the brand with thoughtfully designed spaces that invite collaboration and socialization while still offering flexible function with a stylish flair.

“We conducted a thorough search process in finding the right management company for our Vīb hotel in Tempe and we are pleased to be partnering with Midas Hospitality,” said Michael Morton, Vice President of Brand Management, BWH Hotel Group. “This hotel appeals to today’s modern traveler with a truly unique and engaging stay experience, and we believe Midas Hospitality will play an important role in the future success of this property.”

This hotel features a modern lobby designed for collaborating with peers, using as a place to work for the day, or socializing after a local sporting event. The versatile public space can also flex to provide an extended lobby with contemporary furnishings suitable for large events and functions. Its Food & Beverage offerings include being home to Arizona’s first Cousins Maine Lobster restaurant bringing Maine lobster to the heart of downtown Tempe. The lobby bar provides the perfect hangout spot to indulge in crafted cocktails, light dining and espresso beverages. The hotel also features a signature rooftop lounge offering guests breathtaking views of the valley.

“We’re excited to have been selected to manage the Vīb hotel in Tempe, Arizona. With continued expansion of third-party managed hotels across the nation, Midas Hospitality is honored to welcome this upscale, vibrant hotel to its portfolio,” said Linda Eigelberger, Senior Vice President. “Midas Hospitality specializes in delivering premium performance in revenue, market share, guest experience and profitability, and we look forward to continued partnerships together.”

Home to one of the country’s largest universities, Arizona State University, Tempe is the ideal location for this urban boutique hotel. Located adjacent to Tempe’s Valley Metro Light Rail, hotel guests will have easy access to local attractions in Tempe, Phoenix and Mesa. Tempe Vīb celebrates Arizona’s rich local culture and heritage with a unique art installation on the adjacent walking path to bridge the community to the hotel.

For more information on the Vīb brand, please visit BestWesternDevelopers.com and Vib.BestWestern.com.