Category business

Baa Atoll, Republic of Maldives, 6 March 2023 – Vakkaru Maldives invites guests to embrace the tropical magic of the Maldives with the “Five Days in Wonderland” Easter programme from 6-10 April 2023. Inspired by the renowned classic tales and in conjunction with the resort’s fifth anniversary, this five-day action-packed extravaganza promises to be a one-of-a-kind experience for guests of all ages as the island is transformed into a world of wonderland.

From themed gastronomic feasts to unique wellness and fitness rituals to egg hunts and creative crafts workshops for little ones, this is the place to be this Easter. Director of Culinary, Daabaz Driss and his team have created a range of culinary and wine journeys to tempt your palate, including a sumptuous Lobster & Champagne Dinner. Wellness seekers can use the opportunity to rejuvenate with a range of new therapies from returning wellness and fitness expert Domingos Folgado and resident yogi Anna Tsoy, plus workshops by Siddhalepa Ayurveda.

The young ones will be kept busy with creative art workshops at Parrotfish and Coconut Club, family Olympics, and more. Other sporty activities include padel tennis, volleyball, plus Tipsarevic Luxury Tennis tournament, football matches and the family kayak race.

The main highlight of the celebrations is the Easter Gala Dinner on Saturday, 8 April, at Isoletta Beach. The sumptuous international buffet with live stations will take guests on an epic culinary journey while Aura band and DJ Mira provide a soundtrack for them to dance under the stars. On Easter Sunday, 9 April, the Easter Bunny will make his appearance, followed by an exciting Easter Egg Hunt on the beach.

Book your Easter/Spring getaway at Vakkaru Maldives with our special “Blissful Escape” offer on vakkarumaldives.com and get exclusive benefits.

• – Reserve a minimum of 6 nights and save up to 40% on your accommodation with daily breakfast and complimentary daily dinner at our globally-inspired restaurants.
• – 50% discount on roundtrip transfers for up to two adults – Complimentary stay and meals for up to two children below 12 years
  Additional ‘Book Direct’ benefits
• – Resort Credit of $100 per Villa or $200 per Residence per stay – 10% discount on any individual Ayurvedic treatment
• – Complimentary non-motorised activities by Splash
• – Yoga & Wellness sessions (selected days as per weekly schedule)

For reservations and general information, please visit vakkarumaldives.com or contact reservations@vakkarumaldives.com. For real-time updates, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/vakkarumaldives, Instagram @vakkarumaldives and Twitter @vakkarumaldives

-Maldives is a timeless sanctuary recently named the Indian Ocean’s Leading Resort in the World
Travel Awards. An awe-inspiring 30-minute seaplane ride from Velana International Airport takes you
to this secluded reef island, shaded by coconut palms and blessed with calming ocean views and
powder-soft white-sand beaches.

Mumbai,6th March, 2023: Post the release Holi, a celebration of the triumph of good over evil is one of India’s most fun-filled festivals celebrating happiness and togetherness. On this occasion, Marwari Sanskriti Manch and Jain International Trade Organization (JITO), a socio-cultural organization of Greater Kolkata organized a celebration of the legendary festival in absolutely new colours at the Central Park Mela Ground (Saltlake) today which was attended by: Sri. Sujit Bose, Minister of State for Fire; Sri. Sabyasachi Dutta, Chairperson of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation and many other eminent personalities.

People enjoyed the grand “HOLI MAHOTSAV 2023” which featured the Dhap – Dhamaal performance by Bawalia group and Maharaas – Flower Holi by renowned artists of Vrindavan were the special attractions of this event. The mouth watering delicious food along with Thandaai and Jharia Dal Pakodi gave a true feel to this festival of Colours! The event witnessed a footfall of more than 5000 people soaked in the hues of Holi with high festive spirits.

Speaking to the media, Sri. Niranjan Agarwal, President of Marwari Sanskriti Manch said, “While maintaining the traditional form of Holi, the main aim of the Manch was to connect people of modern thinking with it. This time also its hallmark was seen. Dhap Dhamaal by Bawalia group, Maharaas and Flower Holi gave full on entertainment to the music lovers of Kolkata. Everyone got drenched in the colors of Holi with varied traditions of merriment this year.”

On this occasion, Sri. Vinod Dugar, JATF Chairman said, “Conservation and promotion of Rajasthani culture is our priority. The kind of programs being carried forward by this platform to preserve and promote Rajasthani culture is commendable and exemplary, that’s why JITO is a part of such events.”

On this Occasion, Marwari Sanskriti Manch Chairman, Sri. Lalit Kr. Prahladka and Secretary, Sri. Ashish Mittal said, “Holi is not only a festival of colors but also of beautiful songs and emotions. Underlining the diversity of the culture, Holi is a festival that gives the message of keeping everyone drenched with Raag-Rang-Raas, that is why Marwari Sanskriti Manch gives priority to entertaining events liked by people of all ages.”

Speaking to the media, JITO Kolkata Chapter’s Chairman, Sri. Bhaven Kamdar and Treasurer, Sri. Sumit Kothari said, “We are elated with enthusiasm especially among the Jain youth for organizing Holi and believe that only healthy song-music-dance will act as a bridge between generations. The classical melodiousness and essence of Indian music is unique. It is our responsibility to take cultural consciousness to the new generation that is why Marwari Sanskriti Manch and JITO have come together for this fun-filled celebration.”

(L-R) Georgios Karaiskos, Business Development Manager, Marjan Group of UAE; Anupam Kapoor, VP, MAK Sustainable Developers; Ritesh Kumar, Assistant Director- Business Development, Canadian Wood; Harshendra Goyal, Regional Sales Director, Marjan group; Dr Nawab Mir Nasir Ali Khan, Promoter and Managing Director, MAK Projects; Abdulla Al Abdouli, CEO, Marjan Group, UAE; Aaref Alnuaimi, Consul General of UAE in Hyderabad; Mir Osman Ali Khan, Director, MAK Projects & Amina Mehmood, Director, MAK Sustainable Developers P Ltd.; posing for a picture in front of the MAK Canadian Wood villa at MAK BTR, Hyderabad, India.

Hyderabad, March 6th, 2023: Marjan Group, UAE, a leading business conglomerate of UAE and a mega real estate company, evinced keen interest in the eco-friendly and sustainable Canadian Wood construction. Mr. Abdulla Al Abdouli, CEO, Marjan group and the master-developer and architect of freehold properties in Ras Al Khaimah; accompanied by Mr. Harshendra Goyal, Regional Sales Director, Marjan group and Mr. Georgios Karaiskos Business Development Manager, Marjan group, visited the sustainable Canadian Wood Project in MAK BTR at Hyderabad; to understand the novel and pioneering initiative of MAK Projects.

Marjan Group is known for its thriving lifestyle destination and flagship project the Al Marjan Island, which was developed under the visionary guidance of His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah. The visit of the UAE delegation to MAK Projects has great significance. UAE is the host for the 28th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 28) to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), to be held from November 30th, 2023 to December 12th, 2023. UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has declared the year 2023 as the “Year of Sustainability.”

UAE as a nation takes the averse climatic changes in the world very seriously. As host of COP28, UAE is committed to fulfilling the role of the global convener and will continue to support action and innovation in the field of sustainability. An eco-friendly project in climatic conditions akin to us is of immense interest to replicate in our country. The expertise of MAK Projects in sustainable wooden housing is impressive and the construction is aesthetically appealing, therefore we see a great opportunity to collaborate, says Mr. Abdulla Al Abdouli.

The delegation led by Mr. Abdulla had an extensive discussion with H.E Dr Nawab Mir Nasir Ali Khan, the Promoter and Managing Director of MAK Projects P Ltd., to gain comprehensive conversance of this unique wood construction in tropical climatic conditions, closer to the climate prevalent in UAE. The sustainable wood project in BTR Greens is a joint venture of MAK Projects P. Ltd., and Forestry Innovations Investment (FII) India, an enterprise of Government of British Columbia, Canada.

The sustainable wooden housing model project, MAK Projects is developing at MAK BTR, Hyderabad, has been garnering much attention and interest in the construction industry, the word has spread beyond borders. Its immensely heartening that the acknowledged leader in construction domain, Marjan group, is appreciating our niche expertise in a sustainable wooden housing, says H.E Dr Nawab Mir Nasir Ali Khan.

At the lunch hosted in honour of His Excellency Aaref Ali Muhammad Al-Taboor Al-Nuaimi-Consul General of the United Arab Emirates, Hyderabad, guests including Mr. Abdulla Al Abdouli; Mr. Harshendra Goyal; Mr. Georgios Karaiskos; Mr. Ritesh Kumar, Assistant Director, Business Development, Canadian Wood; Mir Osman Ali Khan, Director, Business Development, MAK Projects P Ltd., Amina Mehmood Khan, Director MAK Sustainable Developers P Ltd. and Anupam Kapoor, Vice President, MAK Sustainable Developers., among others attended.

New Delhi 6th March, 2023: PropsAMC, the asset management services and data intelligence arm of Square Yards, said it has raised INR 100 Cr+ AUM for its first Grade A commercial project in Hyderabad in a record time of three months. The project is Square Yards’ maiden venture into the fractional product category, with an average investment participation of INR 40 lakhs from a pool of over 250 investors totalling to 100,000+ square feet.

“We are excited by the response we have received in just three months since the launch of our fractional investment platform last year. This INR 100 Cr+ AUM milestone is testament to the unbridled faith reposed by investors on our platform and will play a significant role in establishing ourselves as a trusted investment partner for both clients and developers. Our prime focus is to help investors earn lucrative returns through rental income and capital appreciation of the property. We plan to reach AUM of INR 1000 Cr within the next six months by building a gamut of assets across tier 1 cities, while focusing on properties that offer better periodic yields and exit returns,” said Tanuj Shori, Founder and CEO, Square Yards.

The Hyderabad commercial property will provide investors with 8% gross returns on their investment and a targeted XIRR of 14-15%, post fees and pre-tax. Amid the digital transformation of the commercial real estate sector, investing in commercial assets through fractional ownership is slowly becoming the next big thing for people looking to build stable wealth. It has opened the commercial real estate market for middle-class investors who want to enjoy high-yielding assets alongside HNIs.

“The fractional ownership market in India is at a very nascent stage and have 4-5 players collectively today, having approx. INR 1200Cr asset under management (AUM). Presently most players are only investing in commercial yielding asset. We see this market growing at 10x within 3 years with an average return of 14-15% XIRR (post fees, pre-tax) and would also start fractional offering in industrial assets, schools, student housing, hospitals, land etc. beyond just commercial assets,” said Anand Moorthy, CBO, Asset Management Services and Data Intelligence, Square Yards.

With the help of real estate tech platforms like PropsAMC, it has become easier for investors to identify, buy, track and scale fractional property investments without any fuss. Furthermore, investing in CRE via fractional ownership meets all criteria of returns, has the safety of capital preservation, and can generate steady monthly or quarterly cash flows.

The fractional ownership market in India is pegged to become a big investment vehicle in the coming years, with the market now valued at $5 billion and expanding. Demand for CRE and office leasing has grown significantly in the past couple of years in India as MNCs are dropping anchor in tier 1 cities to become a part of India’s growth story. With the CRE market estimated to grow by 16%, fractional investing will play a stellar role in substantial infusion of capital in several upcoming commercial projects and in the same breath earn handsome returns for investors.

Kochi, March 6th, 2023: Ahmedabad Defenders clinched the trophy in the second season of RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 with a 15-7, 15-10, 18-20, 13-15, 15-10 win over the Bengaluru Torpedoes at the Regional Sports Centre, Kochi on Sunday. Angamuthu was named the player of the match for his dominating show.

LM Manoj and Nandhagopal combined early on to put blocks on Bengaluru’s attacks. As Ibin and Pankaj got involved in attacks, the Torpedoes showed they are there to fight. But with incessant attacks from Angamuthu, the Defenders maintained their composure. As skipper Muthusamy Appavu began setting up Danial and Manoj, Ahmedabad drew block errors from the Torpedoes and picked up a hefty lead.

With service pressure building, the Torpedoes struggled to run their attacking plays from the middle. Ahmedabad’s in-form defence tackled well with Bengaluru’s attack, while Angamuthu and Santhosh dismantled the Torpedoes’ momentum.

Just when it looked like Ahmedabad will run with the game, Sethu’s magic from the service line brought Bengaluru back into the business. Danial almost ended the show with his powerful spikes. But Bengaluru held themselves on, drawing errors from Ahmedabad.

Abalooch tried to use his height to bully Santhosh, but the dual block line of Santhosh and Manoj kept making crucial blocks for Ahmedabad. But with a block on Mujeeb and a magical super-serve, the Torpedoes truly brought the contest back to level pegging and pushed the match to the fifth set.

The battle between the middle Danial and Jishnu raged on in the final set. A clever block from Abalooch brought Bengaluru back into the see-saw battle. Angamuthu’s spikes kept testing the Torpedoes’ defence. A soft super-serve from Santhosh ended the contest and the Defenders closed out the final set to clinch the trophy.

March 2023: Burma Burma Restaurant and Tea Room is a brand known to offer cuisine from Burma (Myanmar), delicately made from cherished family recipes. Post the successful launch of its restaurant business and bb pantry, the brand now forays into launching artisanal ice creams and merchandise t-shirts. Deep rooted connections with flavors, stories and nostalgia, Burma Burma now introduces gourmet ice creams in 6 unique and premium flavours. Each of the icecreams brings an irresistible mix of flavor profiles, set to satisfy every taste and inspire moments of everyday happiness. To match their yummy ice creams, Burma Burma collaborated with Pure Waste to design a range of responsibly produced recycled t-shirts. Talking about the t-shirts designed by Rushil Bhatnagar, the designs pay homage to 80’s ice cream parlours coupled with chequered decors and stencil-painted texts. These t-shirts are exclusively made to celebrate Burma Burma’s new range of nostalgic artisanal ice creams.

The icecream flavours are so unique that you might be spoilt for choices. “Honeycomb & Sweetcorn”, “Dark Chocolate & Olive Oil”, “Caramelised Chocolate & Cheese”, “Pineapple Energee” , “Avocado & Honey” and “Durian Fruit” are the scrumptious whipped up scoops to choose from the ice cream menu. With palette friendly flavors & people’s favorite, the experimentation goes beyond the kitchen to innovate with nostalgia. At its core, the team at Burma Burma is constantly inspired by everyday ingredients living with them since they were kids. These ice creams are created with some very unique and unusual ingredient combinations like a Sweet corn ice cream popsicle and honey comb, the after school drink of every kid Pineapple Energee which is flavoured milk, churned to an ice cream, served with brown butter crumble, Avocado ice cream topped with honey caviar and coconut fumes and the forbidden Asian Durian Fruit known for its distinct taste and flavour churned into one-of-a-kind handmade ice cream exclusively available at Burma Burma.

Offering the yummiest Ice Creams in a variety of flavours for Indian homes is a new dimension added by the recognised multiple outlet brand. These delectable scoops by Burma Burma are here to win your hearts with the best quality ingredients.

Commenting on the launch Co-founder, Ankit Gupta says “The recently introduced flavours are a reflection of the preferences of Millennials and Gen Z. We have played upon the nostalgia of ice cream rituals such as visiting parlors, birthday parties, bowls shared with families & guests which to an extent helped us in creation of each flavour. Thus making this new range accessible and enjoyable for all ages. These new flavors represent our passion and commitment to creating what’s ‘next’ on our menu. Our packaging is equally nostalgic and breaks through the monotony by encapsulating the feeling of Vintage Parlors and Ice Cream Trucks.”

Burma Burma Artisanal Icecreams and merchandise t-shirts are available exclusively at all Burma Burma Restaurant and Tea Room. Icecreams are also available for delivery in Mumbai, Noida, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Delhi and Kolkata priced at Rs 500 onwards.

T-shirts are available on the Burma Burma pantry website too- www.shopburmaburma.in.

World Book Fair is a platform for various book launches, author discussions, and literary events. As World Book Fair is on full swing at Pragati Maidan, the series of book launching events are on its way. Among the most talked-about book releases today, there was book release of Pendown Press’ books Driving Digital Transformation by Raktim Singh, Bhuwan Pant’s Don’t Delay Act to Play, Ajay Adlaka’s Why Nobody Cares for Your Brand, Dr. Taara Malhotra’s MIndful Miracles and Sanjay Narwal’s books, namely Rich Practitioner Kaise banein and Pashupalak Apni Amdanee kaise badhayein.

Among these books, Raktim Singh’s book is in both Hindi and English which is written on the topic of Digital Transformation, whereas Sanjay Narwal’s both books are in Hindi language which are written for the purpose of making the readers aware, especially the farmers of this country, about the importance of cattle wealth and how to nurture and preserve this wealth.
The author corner of Pragati Maidan was jam-packed just before and during the release of these books.

As the guests took their seats, the host of the event welcomed everyone and introduced the authors of these books in concise but effective way. Firstly, the founder and CMD of Pendown Press Dinesh Verma was called upon the stage and were asked to address the audience. Amid the thunderous clapping, Mr Verma Greeted the Gathered with his quintessential smile and said,

” Releasing books through the prestigious place of Author Corner in Pragati Maidan is indeed a proud moment for us. The Pendown Press authors have made all these possible. All the books being launched today carry great values and significance for the readers and this is what the aim of Pendown Press is.”

Soon after that the authors read a brief excerpt of their books to give the audience a taste of the books being launched.
Following the author’s presentation, Q&A session began. After the Q&A, there was book signing event. Readers met the author, and took his signed book. The entire book launching ceremony was quite electrifying and engaging.

Mumbai, March 2023: A recent survey of Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) in India, conducted by Dun & Bradstreet India, a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, found that CFOs’ confidence in financial and macro-economic conditions has declined over the same quarter in the previous year. The pan-India survey compared the confidence levels of CFOs for Q1 2023 with the previous quarter.

Key findings from the survey:

• The Composite CFO Optimism Index declined by 7.8% (y-o-y) to 96.1 in Q1 2023. However, the index increased by 8.3% on a q-o-q basis

• The optimism level for overall macroeconomic scenario declined by 18.2% (y-o-y) in Q1 2023

• Only 35% of CFOs expect an increase in the operating margin of their company in Q1 2023, lowest in 10 quarters

• Only 7% of CFOs in the industrial sector expect the level of financial risks to decrease in Q1 2023, lowest since Q2 2012

• Optimism for raising short term funds is highest since Q2 2012

• Overall scenario for mergers and acquisitions is highest since Q2 2022

• Risk appetite of the CFOs in the industrial sector is highest since Q1 2020

The Dun & Bradstreet India Composite CFO Optimism Index analyses the optimism level of CFOs on 12 parameters: operating margin, liquidity position, level of financial risk on company’s balance sheet, risk appetite, need for raising short-term and long-term funds, cost of raising funds, availability of funds, domestic and global macroeconomic scenario, overall scenario for mergers and acquisitions, and level of financial risks for corporate sector.

Commenting on the findings of the survey, Arun Singh, Global Chief Economist, Dun & Bradstreet, said: ”The optimism level of CFOs has been subdued for five consecutive quarters, although the pace of decline moderated in Q1 2023. Even as the outlook for domestic growth remains positive, businesses remain wary about the economic developments in the domestic and global market. India’s growth forecast has been revised downwards in the last few months as core inflation has not yet abated, and interest rates are still inching up. As the global economy is headed towards a synchronized economic slowdown, export prospects remain weak. Reflecting upon the risk to the economic and business environment, CFOs remained cautious about operating margin and liquidity position – the optimism for which fell to a 10-quarter low in Q1 2023. Amidst the low optimism for profitability and liquidity position, the need for short term funds – an indicator for working capital – has surged to the highest level since Q2 2012, indicating a tightening of cash flow conditions. Businesses should remain vigilant and increase the close monitoring of strategic accounts and focus on effective recovery system”’.

India:  TriVeda Capital, a new-age Indian real estate investment platform and SEBI-registered category II AIF, today announced their partnership with integrated marketing business impact consultancy, One Source. The partnership will involve integrated marketing communication and creative duties across PESO platforms.

The founders, Mr. Ravindra Pai and Mr. Raj Inamdar, have over 40+ years of real estate investment & development experience. The management team at TriVeda Capital has collectively raised over $1.1 Bn capital for real estate projects, and have a development portfolio of 15+ mn sqft. TriVeda Capital in turn is focused on residential assets in major South Indian metropolises.

The partnership will be co-led for One Source by Senior Counsellors, Akanksha Srivastava and Tanya Chaudhary, supported by the national team.

Opining on the partnership Tripti Agarwal, Business Head, TriVeda Capital, said, “At TriVeda, we enable investor participation in the Indian real estate growth story. Hence we looked for partners who believe in mutual growth. It is the same thought process we bring to our investors as well, one of ‘we grow when you grow’. With their extensive experience in the financial space, One Source was an unequivocal choice, demonstrating a partner-and-not-vendor attitude”.

Sandeep Rao, Co-founder & CEO, One Source added, “Over the last five years, we have been defined less as a marketing firm by our partners, and more as a business impact marketing consultancy, or one I heard recently – a scale-up marketing firm. Helping our partners raise billions in valuation and tens of thousands in headcount are the business impact we have created year on year. We are honoured to be working with Ravindra, Raj, and the team at TriVeda, and hope to grow alongside for years to come”.

One Source has offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru which service Indian and global market leaders across start-ups, BFSI, fintech, edtech, construction, e-commerce, fast fashion, manufacturing, packaging, business consulting, ICT, foodtech and more. Over the last five years, the consultancy has seen consistent 100+% growth across partners and people, beating average industry appraisals along the way at 27% YoY.

Mumbai, India, 5 March 2023 – AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, has announced Caspar Herzberg as CEO.

With more than 25 years’ software and industry experience, Caspar brings a deep understanding of how technology can transform and reshape industries, enabling innovation and driving responsible use of resources.

Caspar joined AVEVA in 2021 as Chief Revenue Officer and assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer in 2022. AVEVA has recently been acquired by Schneider Electric, and as AVEVA CEO, he will also be a member of the Schneider Electric Executive Committee.

Prior to joining AVEVA, Caspar led all aspects of Schneider Electric’s business in over 80 countries as President, Middle East & Africa. He started his business career at Accenture based out of its London office and worked in extensive digital transformations for the global energy sector. At Cisco, Caspar led sales and services for over ten years, developing smart cities strategies, technology innovation and business master plans for the private and public sector in China, Asia, Japan, Australia, the USA, and Europe.

Caspar replaces Peter Herweck, who will become CEO of Schneider Electric from May 4th, 2023.

Caspar Herzberg, CEO of AVEVA, said: “It is a privilege to take over from Peter Herweck, who has led the company through a time of transformation and renewal. We have a great opportunity ahead of us, having brought together three market-leading software portfolios– Schneider Electric Software, AVEVA and OSIsoft. We are now one of the world’s top industrial software providers, trusted by over 90% of industrial companies from energy, water and food to manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and smart cities. We plan to drive value for our customers with integrated data, AI-infused applications, accelerating their journey to the cloud and providing Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to reduce total cost of ownership.

“My vision for the future is a completely connected world, where industrial teams use integrated data to collaborate beyond their own four walls. Together with suppliers, partners and customers, they uncover new synergies, reduce waste and create new opportunities. At AVEVA, we are uniquely positioned to enable our customers to thrive in this new connected industrial economy. I’m looking forward, alongside our hugely talented teams, to empowering our customers to design better, operate more efficiently and solve the most critical challenges for industry, infrastructure and our planet.”