Category business

Mumbai, 10th March, 2023: After a bright and colourful campaign last year, COLORS and Imperial Blue, in partnership with Wavemaker India, were back with another joyful campaign for Holi this year. Kicking off the campaign was a light-hearted video that showcased popular stars of the Hindi GEC market along with a host of Marathi stars.

The campaign effectively captured the revelry around Holi and built on Imperial Blue’s classic brand tonality. The team reprised their ongoing association with Hindi television stars Rubina Dilaik, Karan Kundra, Prateek Sehajpal, Nishant Bhat, and Marathi celebrities Jay Dhudhane, Meenal Shah, Vikas Patil, and Vishal Nikam. Further amplifying the glam quotient were special cameos from the enchanting leading lady of Ishq Mein Ghayal – Reem Shaikh, along with the always charming Amruta Dhongade, a former finalist of Bigg Boss Marathi. The dazzling duo of divas joined the gang and played integral parts in subtly integrating the brand ethos of “Men will be Men”.

Commenting on the 2nd year of the campaign, Vivek Mohan Sharma, Head- of Branded Content, Viacom18, said, “Our aim when collaborating with a brand is to create incremental value not only throughout the year but year on year as well. We focus on the intent and build brand image and visibility most relevant to the ethos of the brand. For Imperial Blue we have tapped into the festival landscape and positioned the brand where it owns the space with the narrative of youthful, wholesome fun. This is the second consecutive year we’re partnering with them for Holi and continue to build the brand story with a content-backed, targeted strategy which maximises the impact and engagement with consumers.”

Talking about the association, Ishwindar Singh, Pernod Ricard India, said, “Imperial Blue celebrates the lighter side of a man’s life. Holi, the festival of colours, brings alive the free spirited fun while being a great occasion for conviviality. This festival lends us an opportunity to bring forth a light hearted take inspired by our unique and consistent focus on encouraging our consumers to embrace life with a smile. Our partnership with Viacom has helped us create interesting ways of engaging around the key festivals and occasions.”

We are excited to launch this campaign this year as well and hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Holi!”

Mansi Datta, Chief Client Officer & Office Head – North & East, Wavemaker India, said “As Holi is synonymous with fun and mischief, collaborating with both powerful brands is a sure-fire way to spread the brand’s message. At Wavemaker, we are proud of this successful collaboration running for the fourth association in a row. We believe the campaign will reach people on a broad range of platforms and resonate with them.

Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, The Soul Company, and Ardbeg bring you a Taste of Japan with Yakimono Night with Chef Son Pham. Yakimono is a Japanese term that refers to dishes cooked over direct heat. With this series, the finest chefs come together to create an enjoyable celebration of food cooked over fire: crispy, smoky, and savory!

With Episode 1 and 2 now complete, the curtain is raised for the finale of Yakimono Nights which will be held at the stylishly modern, pan Asian restaurant San:Qi at Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai. Guests can experience some of Japan’s most popular Yakimono dishes made by Chef Son Pham, who has rich culinary experience with a stint at NOMA and has set up restaurants in Hong Kong and Singapore. Chef Son Pham has always had an eye for the spectacular, and guests can enjoy his culinary flair in the season finale of this Yakimono journey.

India March 10, 2023: To celebrate World Backup Day, which falls on March 31^st, Western Digital has launched an exciting digital campaign “Backup Effortlessly” to encourage consumers to back up their digital content.

The inertia of backing up digital content runs deep in consumers as they consider it a cumbersome job. Therefore, the 360-degree, integrated, campaign aims to reiterate the need and significance of backing up and preserving content. The campaign also highlights how backup can be done effortlessly using storage solutions such as external SSDs, external HDDs, and mobile Pen Drives from WD and SanDisk brands.

The month-long campaign started on March 1^st with an awareness phase, across the company’s social media channels, and digital media focused on news, entertainment, sports, lifestyle, etc. The company will also run exclusive brand days with top retailers and e-tailers across the country introducing special consumer offers. The campaign videos will also be played at Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru airports covering 123 screens.  Over 1500 retail stores across 25 top cities will be covered through point-of-sale-materials (POSMs) to create awareness about backup.

Commemorating the campaign, Mr. Jaganathan Chelliah, Senior Director, Marketing, India, Middle East, and TIA, at Western Digital said, “PCs and smartphones have become a part and parcel of our daily lives and unfortunately so has the data loss. So, this World Backup Day we have introduced an educative campaign to remind everyone about the importance of backing up data and offering solutions to do it effortlessly.”

As part of the campaign, Western Digital has created four videos and multiple rich media formats that highlight the importance of data in various real-life scenarios and how it can be backed up effortlessly. The “Backup Effortlessly” campaign is live and will run until April 4^th, 2023.

Mumbai, March 2023: On the occasion of “International Women’s Day 2023”, the lady’s wing of India Bullion & Jewellers Association (IBJA) presented their first ever Golden Girls Awards to recognise & reward all those Women Entrepreneurs, who with their sheer skill & passion have attained success in each and every curve of Jewellery Manufacturing, Processing, Designing & Trading Nationally. It is a salutation for the brave and brilliant female entrepreneurs, who defied all odds through sheer passion and determination to attain success through all the Cs such as confidence, concentration, consistency, collaboration and cooperation.

IBJA conceptualized The Golden Girl Awards in association with “Heera Zhaveraat Group”, with the sole purpose of motivating the highly talented pool of women workforce in India, who had been creating their own mark in the complete ecosystem of Gem & Jewellery sector nationally. The first edition had a good representation & garnered a tremendous response from every corner of the country, going forward the Golden Girls Award will be an annual affair

The “Golden Girls Award” winners were Nishtashri Srinivasan,Coimbatore,Rakhee Biswas Deb, Guwhati, Abirami Santhosh, Salem, Vandana Saraf,Gorakhpur, Piyusha Nyati,Kota, Mona Shah,Mumbai, Dr Renisha Chainani,Ahmedabad, Ambika Burman, Hyderabad, Aishwarya Guptha,Coimbatore, Preeta Agarwal, New Delhi & Pooja Mehta, Mumbai

Mr. Prithviraj Kothari (National President, IBJA) hosted the glittering GGA show at Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai, in the august presence of Ms. Hetal Vakil Valia (National Chairperson, Ladies Wing-IBJA) & distinguished stalwarts from the industry such as: G&J Industry Icon Mr. Sanjay Kothari (former Chairman-GJEPC), Dr Chetan Mehta (National Vice President – IBJA), Mr. Surendra Mehta (National Secretary- IBJA), Mr. Ashish Pethe, (of Waman Hari Pethe and former Chairman-GJC), Mr. Rajesh Bajaj, (Head, HZ International & HZ Trade Media Group Enterprises) & Mr. Neeraj Gaba (Creative Entrepreneur & Motivational Speaker) among others. The GGA event was sponsored by Laxmi Diamonds (Diamond and Jewellery sponsor), Emerald Jewel Industry India Ltd. (Branding partner) and Shringhar House of Mangalsutra Pvt. Ltd. (Mangalsutra partner). Ms Reena Shukla was the Convener of the GGA Award

Mr. Prithviraj Kothari (National President, IBJA), said, “IBJA is known to help its members and the community at large for the promotion & regulation of the bullion trade. Our Industry has women who are so powerful, yet gentle, so learned & still humble, so fierce and still compassionate, rational, disciplined, yet free. Now they are marching ahead carrying national sentiments and economical aspirations of India. GGA is dedicated to those talented women of India who have been instrumental in bringing the G&J industry this far in its evolutionary journey and holds within them the power & potential to enable Prime Minister Modi’s vision of activating India 2.0, fuelled by the spirit of “Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

Ms. Hetal Vakil Valia, National Chairperson, Ladies Wing-IBJA said, “GGA is being specially crafted for those upcoming & progressive luminaries of our Gem & Jewellery (GJ) industry who have yet to receive their due recognition. IBJA believes that such courageous entrepreneurs deserve true accreditation. IBJA acts as an instrument to give them their rightful due! GGA will be all about the unsung and hardworking women who work tirelessly in this tough yet exciting industry. Their existence and presence gives IBJA the opportunity to recognize and reward their work and dedication in front of their peers and industry experts.”

IBJA plays a key, pivotal role in interacting with all the Government departments on behalf of bullion traders, dealers and jewellers in its implementation of new policy matters, import export issues and also helps in the economic growth of the country. IBJA addresses disputes and arbitrations between dealers & provides a neutral & correct platform for weighing precious metals acceptable to the trading community. It interacts with different executive agencies and provide reliable & correct reports of assaying of precious metals acceptable to the parties involved.

Weis brings nearly 10 years of insurance industry experience to the company.

(St. Louis, Mo., March 10, 2023) Valley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA), a cohesive family of more than 160 independent insurance agencies in Missouri and Illinois, recently hired Brett Weis as Personal Lines Coach.

In this position, Weis will work with the alliance’s development team to achieve technology and revenue goals. He will coach new and existing team members on best practices for all property and casualty insurance issues including coverages, claims, carriers, and processes.

Weis has worked in the insurance industry for nearly 10 years. Prior to joining VIAA, he served as a personal lines department manager at an independent insurance group that served doctors nationwide. Weis earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo. He holds licenses in Property & Casualty Insurance, as well as Life & Accident and Health or Sickness Insurance. Weis also has a Personal Lines Coverage Specialist (PLCS) designation.

“Brett brings the industry knowledge and experience our alliance members need to increase their revenue,” said VIAA’s co-founder Henry Powers. “His customer service background, along with the working relationships he builds with clients and carriers, make him an excellent addition to our growing team.”

Founded in 1991, Powers Insurance & Risk Management provides personal and business insurance, surety, risk management, and employee benefits. Founded in 2006, sister company Valley Insurance Agency Alliance generates more than $600 million in written premium and is the regional founding member for the Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance (SIAA), a $11 billion national alliance. The companies are headquartered at 6825 Clayton Ave. For more information, call (314) 725-1414 or visit www.powersinsurance.com or www.viaa4u.com.

New Delhi, March 09, 2023: YES BANK announced that it has partnered with Aadhar Housing Finance Ltd to offer home loans at competitive interest rates.

Aadhar Housing Finance is one of India’s largest affordable housing finance companies. With this partnership, both entities aim to provide, convenient home finance solutions such as Home Loan for Salaried Employees, Loan for Plot Purchase and Construction, Home Improvement Loan, Loan Against Residential Commercial Property, Balance Transfer and Top Up, among others, to customers from lower and middle-income groups.

This partnership is in accordance with the co-lending framework of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that enables banks and non-banking companies to jointly bring forth financial solutions that cater to the requirements of the unserved and underserved sections of the society.

Speaking on the partnership, Mr. Lavesh Sardana, Country Head – Retail Assets, YES BANK said, “Home loan penetration in India is relatively lower as compared to the most developed economies of the world. This offers an opportunity for lenders to bridge this gap with their product offerings. We are happy to partner with Aadhar Housing Finance, to bring forth a slew of affordable home finance solutions that will largely benefit individuals from lower-and middle-income groups by helping them fulfill their dream of building their own home. Given our vast network of banking relationships, we aim to cater to the financial requirements of customers across a wide socio-economic spectrum, in line with the Government’s vision of encouraging inclusive growth within the country.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rishi Anand, CEO and MD, Aadhar Housing Finance said, “YES BANK’s wide reach and trust in the market, coupled by our own network and digital, state-of-the-art IT infrastructure, improved control, underwriting functions, and increasing customer reach and distribution capability, will help provide efficient and economical home loan solutions to a wide gamut of customers across geographies, socio-economic groups and yield spectrum, to enable optimum growth.”

This is in context of ANSR collaborating with Hy-Vee, a $14 billion US Retail chain to set up it’s first ever offshore capability centre in Bangalore, India. The Hy-Vee team inaugurated the one-of-its kind GCC today, with the grace of BV Naidu, Chairman of Karnataka Digital Economy Mission. Please find attached the press release for the same, which includes statements from Mr Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee’s Executive Chairman of the Board and Executive Director, Mr BV Naidu and Mr Lalit Ahuja, CEO of ANSR.

India March 9th, 2023: redRail – the rail ticketing platform by redBus, has launched a content property for its social media platforms, that takes audiences through the inspirational journeys of unique travellers in an interview series, known as ‘Window Seat’. redRail by redBus has interviewed Surekha Yadav, who is Asia’s first loco pilot, in the launch episode of the series and has released a 10- minute interview with Surekha, that captures her journey from her childhood to her education, the challenges faced and her role at present. The conversations are intended at inspiring hundreds of thousands of people who seek motivation and advice from those who have made a difference.

redRail by redBus roped in Juhi Sharma, a filmmaker working in documentaries, fiction films, music videos and branded content, to interview Surekha. Below are excerpts from their informal conversation.

On being asked about how Surekha came by her profession and why she chose trains- She never thought or dreamed about becoming a motor woman or a loco pilot, though she was fascinated by trains since childhood, but after completing her education, she applied for the job and the criteria was to have a diploma in any stream and be over 18 years of age. She cleared the 3 steps- the written test, the viva and the psycho test. And from there, her journey began. Before the selection she didn’t believe she had the calibre for it, but once selected, she was determined to be a train pilot.

A bit about her family background and childhood- Surekha’s father was a farmer and they lived in Satara. She received good encouragement on the education front since childhood as her parents and relatives were supportive of her yearning to learn. That gave her the confidence and the foundation to make it to her position.

What people say and about being judged for making her way into a male bastion- Surekha states that people judge and comment, no matter who you are and what you do, that’s how society is, but what we need is a mindset that allows us to focus on what we do. Then people are compelled to change their mindset about you. She believes there is no job or area that is male dominated, it is just that women have not entered that field yet and once they do, there is no question of dominance. At the beginning of her career, there was certainly a mindset that women could not manage or drive trains, but all it took was a bit of determination and confidence, especially since the criteria for the job did not require the candidate to be a man or woman in particular. Surekha did not look at her job or role through the lens of gender, but only through competence or the aptitude for it. There is enough and more encouragement that comes once the person is successful in his or her endeavour. She thanks Indian Railways for giving her the opportunity of a lifetime to pursue her dream job.

Turning points in her career as a loco pilot- The first train that she operated was a goods train and as an assistant driver. She worked under the observation of the driver and after about 5-6 years, she herself became the driver. In 1999, she was appointed to operate one of the Mumbai local trains, which is the lifeline of the city. She has been extra careful not to let her seniors and peers down as she is the centre of attention and more so because she is responsible for the safety and punctuality of so many people.

Surekha’s favourite route to operate trains – She loves all the routes she drives on, especially the ghat sections and Kasara to Igatpuri is her favourite, for its greenery. She takes trains on those routes even now, where they couple a banker engine from behind to take the help of two engines to climb the gradient, once they reach the peak the banker engine is uncoupled, while the train keeps moving. She remembers piloting the Deccan Queen train and when she set up the engine on the 8th of March in 2011 at Pune, there was a grand ceremony organized, which included taking her arthi, and welcoming her with a dhol and a massive crowd had gathered. Surekha was overwhelmed and there were tears in her eyes. She also has fond memories of piloting the Ladies Special Express from CST to Kalyan in Mumbai

The interaction culminates with Juhi asking Surekha if she uses online booking on her phone to book train tickets and Surekha asserting that online booking has made things extremely easy for people as it saves time, with bookings now possible in seconds and on the go.

Clarapath, a robotics company aimed at catalyzing change in the way pathology laboratories process human and animal tissue, today announced the acquisition of Mountain View, CA-based Crosscope. Crosscope is a digital pathology company with a turnkey imaging solution providing best-in-class workflow tools and slide management along with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology to assist pathologists with better and faster decision-making.The enhanced and integrated technologies add a new dimension for laboratory leaders and clinicians. The acquisition combines Clarapath’s SectionStar, the first, fully automated, all-in-one tissue sectioning and transfer system with Crosscope’s workflow and computational pathology tools enabling labs to deliver care faster, more cost-effectively, and at higher quality.

“Clarapath is thrilled to welcome Crosscope to the Clarapath team. We believe that the combination of SectionStar’s exceptional automated robotics with Crosscope’s advanced workflow and computational pathology tools provide an end-to-end platform for more patient-centric care in human and animal health,” said Eric Feinstein, CEO of Clarapath. “Our combined offering will solve some of the most pressing issues in the lab such as labor shortages, quality control challenges, and the rapidly increasing volume of samples needing review. We are equally excited about the global expansion of our engineering team in Mumbai, India.”

The Crosscope Dx software platform has been designed by pathologists and aims to streamline the pathology process by enabling interoperability, storage, image management, and collaboration. The software provides end-to-end digital pathology, and advanced, integrated, and highly flexible workflow features with an open and scalable architecture.

It has been an incredible journey and we are grateful to have done it alongside our amazing co-founders Jayendra Shinde, Ph.D., Ketan Bacchuwar, Ph.D. and Puneet Pantane, and importantly the entire Crosscope team (throughout many phases) with the support of our advisors, investors, partners, customers, and family. Thank you for building Crosscope alongside us.

Bangalore, 9 March 2023: Data from Indeed, the world’s no. 1 job site reveals an exponential surge in demand from jobseekers for call center and remote customer service jobs over the past 4 years. While job postings too have witnessed a moderate rise of 16.2%, a dramatic increase of 432.80% in clicks per million has been observed since 2019.

The data reveals that there was an elevated demand for call center and remote customer service jobs in the period from Jan 2020 – Jan 2021, with a 498.40% increase in job postings and a tremendous increase in jobseeker interest (1405% increase in clicks per million). This can be attributed to the pandemic necessitating more virtual customer service representatives, an exponentially rising demand for quick-commerce platforms and growth of the app economy.

Gig work also grew during this time frame owing to the emergence of work-from-home as a predominant model of work. However, job trends over the past year reveal a moderate drop in both job postings (by 73.50%) and jobseeker interest (by 64.50% clicks per million) as the economy opens up and on-site jobs resume.

Sashi Kumar, Head of Sales, Indeed India said, “The overall rise in call center and customer support jobs over the past five years indicates that businesses are recognising the rising importance of improving customer experience. Especially in a post pandemic world, there is definitely a growing need for professionals who can manage customer interactions with empathy and efficiency, while also possessing the technical expertise to work with emerging technologies like AI and machine learning. It is also heartening to see that the country is a preferred destination for call centers and customer support outsourcing due to its large pool of skilled workers, lower operating costs, and proficiency in English.”

Bangalore leads job postings for call center executives and remote customer support roles

Bangalore leads job postings in this segment by a large margin, contributing to 19.14% of total jobs. This is followed by Delhi (9.33%), Mumbai (9.11%), Chennai (8.33%) and Hyderabad (6.31%).

Top 10 cities with highest job postings