Category business

Kaatman named Director of Enterprise Development for growing insurance alliance.

(St. Louis, Mo., April 22, 2023) Valley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA), a cohesive family of more than 160 independent insurance agencies in Missouri and Illinois, recently promoted Bill Kaatman to Director of Enterprise Development.

Kaatman’s responsibilities include overseeing new member recruitment and onboarding, as well as pursuing strategic partnerships to further the alliance’s growth. He will also serve on the company’s development team to assist alliance members with implementing new technology and digital tools that can be utilized to advance their own insurance agencies.

Kaatman has 17 years of insurance industry experience that includes holding a variety of positions in both agency management and direct-to-consumer insurance sales. Prior to his promotion, he served as VIAA’s Digital Agency Coach where he helped members with online sales strategies, improving their digital presence, and strategic business planning. Kaatman joined VIAA with nine years of experience as a partner and principal sales leader in a local independent insurance agency that was within the VIAA family of agencies.

“Bill’s background as both an entrepreneur and a seasoned communication specialist will directly benefit our alliance member agencies,” said VIAA’s co-founder Henry Powers. “He is tech-savvy and solution-oriented when it comes to providing the best service possible, and we look forward to all Bill will accomplish in his new position.”

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. Founded in 1991, Powers Insurance & Risk Management provides personal and business insurance, surety, risk management, and employee benefits. The companies are headquartered at 6825 Clayton Ave. For more information, call (314) 725-1414 or visit www.viaa4u.com.

London / Mumbai, April 22, 2023: The overall Construction industry in the United Kingdom is forecast to increase to revenue of 476.6 billion British pounds until 2027. With 239.4 billion British pounds, the construction of buildings is forecast to remain the biggest segment in the UK market, according to industry reports.

On the other hand, the UK’s construction industry has been continuously facing numerous skills shortages. According to the Shortage Occupation List created by the UK’s Chartered Institute of Building, between December 2022 and February 2023, there were 41,000 job vacancies. Considering the shortage of manpower in the sector, the UK is emerging as a bright spot for Indian skilled real estate and construction workers who may witness huge immigration opportunities.

Opening on the prospects for Indian immigrants searching for opportunities in the UK’s construction industry, Yash Dubal, the UK visa and immigration expert and Director of the UK immigration law firm A Y & J Solicitors said, “In my professional opinion, the UK realty sector continues to thrive, especially in house building, as the Government has committed to build 300,000 new homes per year by the mid-decade. However, Brexit has caused a shortage of labour in the industry, as builders from Europe, particularly Eastern European countries, could previously work freely in the UK.”

Mr Dubal added, “With the recent addition of new trades to the shortage occupation list, I predict that we may witness more European workers entering the UK realty development industry. While it is possible that skilled workers from India and other countries may find opportunities in the UK’s realty industry. I remain interested to observe if this route will be utilised by Indian construction workers and to see how they may contribute to the UK construction sector.”

NAREDCO, an apex body of India’s real estate developers, which also undertakes skilling trainings for over one lakh industry workers annually, affirmed the fact that with India’s strong expertise and potential to produce skilled and efficient real estate and construction workforce, it can become a major supplier of skilled workforce for the global real estate and construction sector including the UK.

Rajan Bandelkar, National President, NAREDCO said, “With the likely free trade agreement of India with the UK and structural changes in the UK’s visa framework, the immigration prospects for the skilled real estate workforce exploring employment opportunities in the UK might increase in the near future. The UK’s real estate industry has a deficit of skilled personnel and India has a large skilled workforce; both in construction and management sides of the real estate industry. If the UK gives a smooth access to skilled real estate workforce through visa relaxations to address its manpower challenges, it would pave the way for skilled Indian workforce in the construction sector to bridge this deficit and seek the UK as a preferred immigration destination.”

Bandelkar added, “India’s real estate industry is far more evolved globally with a massive base of skilled labour and managerial talent with ample expertise. The Indian real estate and construction industry’s workforce draws its expertise from large scale real estate and construction projects being undertaken by the real estate professionals in the country with due support from the Government and industry bodies like NAREDCO, which has been training over one lakh workers annually for the real estate industry. India is set to become a global hub to supply skilled manpower in the real estate and construction industry.”

The number of new construction is predicted to grow significantly, reaching 200,000 new private housing starts in 2027.

In response to five occupations being added to the Shortage Occupation list, a spokesman for the Chartered Institute of Building, said: “We are pleased that today’s budget states that the Government has accepted the MAC interim recommendations to initially add five construction occupations to the Shortage Occupation List.”

“The construction industry continues to face numerous skills shortages, resulting from a mixture of lack of new entrants, to skilled professionals reaching retirement age.”

“This is why migration continues to be a necessity for construction, helping dampen the harmful effects of having a volatile labour market.”

James M. Butcher, Director of Policy at the National Federation of Builders, said, “Construction faces a vacancy rate higher than the all-industry average; so it is fair to say we are in a worse position than many other industries.”

New Delhi, 22 April 2023 – Remote, the leader in building, managing, and supporting global distributed workforces, today released the results of a survey of remote work adoption among Asia-Pacific companies. The IDC InfoBrief sponsored by Remote, “Bridging the Talent Gap: The Future of Hiring in the Asia/Pacific Region,” March 2023, IDC Doc #AP241420IB, features findings from the IDC AP SMB and Mid-Market Hiring Trends 2023. It highlights the growing trend of remote hiring and distributed workforce strategies in India, New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore.

The survey demonstrates that three years since the global remote work revolution began, Asia-Pacific companies have come beyond temporary work-from-home arrangements to embracing permanently distributed teams spread across multiple locations, with the aim of widening their talent pool, improving cultural diversity and productivity, and expanding globally. In the post-pandemic world, Indian companies lead the pack in hiring remote international workers while they transition to the Future of Work.

Key findings include:

About 50% of SMBs/mid-market companies in India are planning to hire 40-60% FTEs or contractors in the next 12 months. Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, on the other hand, are planning to hire only 20%-30% remote FTEs or contractors. India has the highest EOR (Employer of Record) adoption (70.5%), followed by Singapore (64.0%), as Indian companies are looking to globalize their businesses while reducing workforce costs. As more SMBs and mid-market businesses hire employees to work remotely from various locations, they are using EOR (Employer of Record) solutions to simplify the complexities of payroll, tax, and compliance.

India is the least mature when it comes to hiring maturity. SMBs and mid-market companies in New Zealand are the most mature, integrating technology into their HR processes, enabling their internal teams to hire and retain workers from geographies where they do not have a presence.
Surveyed companies state that cost-effective workforce options is the top business priority, and finding the right mix of skills is a key challenge in hiring internationally.

“The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way businesses operate, and we are seeing that companies in the Asia/Pacific region have been among the fastest in the world to adapt their hiring and workforce strategies for the current era,” said Job van der Voort, CEO and co-founder of Remote. “As remote work continues to gain traction, companies that are able to tap into the international talent pool will have a significant advantage over those that do not.”

The InfoBrief highlights that most companies rely on internal expertise to hire and retain international workers, which could become unmanageable as the ratio of international remote hires in their total workforce grows. One in three Indian companies (31%), however, are using Employer of Record (EOR) platforms for onboarding and management of their global workforce. EORs help companies employ and pay international employees living in countries where they do not have a legal entity and manage the complexities of local compliance, payroll, benefits, taxes, and more. This enables business and HR leaders to focus on tasks such as workforce planning, sourcing and retention strategies to drive the new and emerging work culture.

The IDC AP SMB and Mid-Market Hiring Trends 2023 study surveyed respondents from SMBs and mid-market companies in Australia, India, New Zealand, and Singapore at the end of 2022, with the aim of understanding international hiring trends in the region. For a copy of the IDC InfoBrief, visit https://idcdocserv.com/AP241420IB_FINAL.

India, 22 April 2023 – MSys Technologies was named the winner of the Bronze Stevie® Award in the Innovation in Business-to-Business Products & Services category in the 10th annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards today.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the only business awards program to recognize innovation in the workplace in all 29 nations of the Asia-Pacific region. The Stevie Awards are widely considered to be the world’s premier business awards, conferring recognition for achievement in programs such as The International Business Awards® for 21 years.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word for “crowned,” the winners will be celebrated during a virtual (online) awards ceremony on Tuesday, 27 June.

More than 800 nominations from organizations across the Asia-Pacific region were considered this year in categories such as Award for Excellence in Innovation in Products & Services, Award for Innovative Management, and Award for Innovation in Corporate Websites, among many others. MSys Technologies won in the Innovation in Business-to-Business Products & Services category.

With the increased proliferation of digital assets as a payment mode, there is a growing need for a unified platform to manage digital assets seamlessly. With clients’ blueprints, business outlook, and tech stack expertise, MSys Technologies’ FinTech Architects and developers build a powerful platform for managing digital assets like cryptocurrency and loyalty currencies. The easy-to-use application enables retail, institutional, and merchant clients to have access to trillions of digital asset markets in a completely safe and efficient manner. Meticulous quality assurance and embedded automation from MSys Engineering experts contributed to the application being launched in time with budget optimizations. The launch’s success resonated in embracement from dozens of loyalty program sponsors, gift card merchants, and tens of thousands of users worldwide.

Sanjay Sehgal (Founder, Chairman and CEO, MSys Technologies) echoes triumphantly, “MSys Technologies is a pioneer in FinTech and Digital Transformation Services with cutting edge technologies for over two decades now. We embolden the visions of great minds in the Digital Transformation space and make their blueprints tangible to global software products and applications. The APAC Stevie Award gives us the badge of honor as a trusted software product engineering services partner, further expanding our innovative work with APAC, SEA, ANZ and RoW ISVs and Enterprises. We are truly delighted to win the Stevie® Award and congratulate our fellow nominees who are leapfrogging innovation and driving disruptions in the business ecosystem.”

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 100 executives around the world acting as judges in February and March.

“The 10th edition of the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards attracted many remarkable nominations,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Miller. “The organizations that won this year have demonstrated that they are committed to being innovative, and we applaud them for their perseverance and creativity. We look forward to celebrating many of this year’s winners during our virtual awards ceremony on 27 June.”

Chennai: Karur Vysya Bank has donated 33 battery-operated pushcarts to women from underprivileged sections to market the ice cream and other dairy products of Aavin. Valued at Rs. 40.00 lakhs, this is a CSR initiative of the bank to provide employment opportunities to women. The beneficiaries were identified in association with the Department of Women and Child Development and the Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare, the Government of Tamilnadu, and Aavin.

Thiru Udayanidhi Stalin, Honourable Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Development handed over the carts to the beneficiaries and flagged off the carts in the presence of Thiru S M Nasser, Minister for Dairy Development today.

Karur Vysya Bank supports projects in the areas of education, healthcare, and the environment. This project is meant to provide employment opportunities to women and provide them with economic independence.

22 April 2023: Noise, India’s leading connected lifestyle brand, announced its partnership with PUMA India to emphasize the synergy between fitness and sports in daily lifestyle. As part of the alliance, Noise joins PUMA’s #LetThereBeSport campaign with dedicated challenges and step streaks on the NoiseFit app. Another interesting leg of the campaign is the ‘NitroRun’ where both brands come together for an in-person run. The campaign, where both brands advocate fitness by urging people to make sports a part of their daily lifestyle, is now live on the NoiseFit App.

The partnership brings the best of the fitness and sports world together, where Noise will drive, especially curated Puma #LetThereBeSport challenges and step streaks on the NoiseFit app, one of the top-rated apps in the health and fitness category. A community of over 10 million people, the NoiseFit app will actively engage users to achieve their goals, drawing a direct positive correlation between practicing sports and fitness. Participants will not only stand a chance to win exciting gifts from the two brands but also the city that will lead in the challenge will be chosen as the location for the second activation, ‘NitroRun’.

Utsav Malhotra, Chief Operating Officer at Noise said, “At Noise, we have strongly believed that fitness and sports hold a definite correlation driving performance and overall well-being. We are excited to partner with PUMA for the campaign to further strengthen this resolution. As we gear up to harness this collective energy that binds the zeal and zest for fitness and sports together, we are looking forward to instilling this belief in a larger community.”

Shreya Sachdev, Head of Marketing at PUMA India, said, “We are excited to partner with Noise to champion the adoption of sport as a life skill among Indians. This comes as part of PUMA’s ongoing ‘Let There Be Sport’ initiative, where we hope to inspire India to prioritize sports and fitness across all life stages, be it as the main curriculum in school, or pride of place on one’s resume. Noise is a proven health and fitness app with a wide reach and aligned values on sports culture, and we are confident that the PUMA X Noise association will promote a strong sports culture which is critical for the development of a country.”

Participants stand a chance to win merchandise and coupons from both brands. Not just that, there will be a limited period Noise x PUMA sale where users can avail exclusive 15% discount on all Noise products while shopping from gonoise.com.

Kolkata 2023: Arohan Financial Services Limited, Kolkata-based, leading, digitally advanced NBFC-MFI in India, has opened 102 new branches in FY 23 to expand its footprints to the underserved states of the country spanning east, west, central and north-east India. As of March, the lender has 835 branches across 15 states.

The 102 new branches were opened in the states of West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan with additional operations in the states of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha, Telangana, and Tripura. Arohan is investing heavily to penetrate further into semi-urban and rural geographies, creating huge opportunities for employment for the rural youth, as well as enhanced access to credit for the financially under-penetrated segment of society. Its new business line, ArohanPrivilege Digital Lending is India’s first Digital Lending platform for microfinance customers. Under ArohanPrivilege Digital Lending, customers get benefits like having their loans disbursed within 5-10 minutes of a successful application, safe repayment facilities online, enticing cash-back on timely repayment, etc.

The company has also introduced working capital loans for Micro Enterprises with ticket sizes starting from INR 1 Lakh with a pilot branch in West Bengal covering the regions of Behala, Maheshtala and Jodhpur Park in Kolkata.

“Our endeavor is to include every under-served household and small business under the umbrella of financial services. As we commence on our ambitious 5-Year Vision plan of rapid expansion path to serve 20 million lives by 2027, we plan to enter Gujarat, Haryana and Maharashtra this year, besides expanding our footprint in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh,” said Mr. Manoj Nambiar, MD & CEO – Arohan Financial Services Limited.

New Delhi, India – Shikhar Dhawan Foundation (SDF) is proud to celebrate its first anniversary, marking a year of commitment to making a positive impact in the community and beyond. To commemorate this milestone, SDF hosted “Unchaai” on March 30th, 2023, at The Dome by Da One Group, where over 200 attendees, including organizations, influencers, and community leaders, came together to celebrate.

The event featured an interaction with SDF’s founder, Mr. Shikhar Dhawan, Mr. Amitesh Shah (CEO of Da One Group), and Dr. Kanika Dewan (Director, Impact, and Strategy), highlighting the organization’s successes and plans for the future. “SDF’s first anniversary celebrates the progress we’ve made toward our vision. I am proud of our team, volunteers, and supporters who have dedicated themselves to making a positive impact in our community,” added Mr. Amitesh.

Eleven organizations were invited to Unchaai, and their participants performed various cultural acts, from dance routines to musical performances. SDF donated to each organization for their demonstrated commitment to making a positive impact and providing aid to disadvantaged communities and advocating for social justice.”We thank all our partners for their unwavering support and collaboration. Together, we have accomplished a great deal, and I look forward to continuing our shared mission of making a difference in the lives of those we serve” said Dr. Kanika.

The donations included resources from digital devices to equipment that promotes skill development (Sports and Sewing Machines) and Educational Supplies.

Looking ahead, Shikhar Dhawan Foundation has several exciting plans in the works to build on the organization’s successes and continue its mission. The event was a testament to the foundation’s commitment to positively impacting the community and supporting organizations that share the same values.

In a video call, Shikhar Dhawan expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the support the foundation has received in its first year. He also reiterated his commitment to the foundation’s mission and encouraged others to get involved in making a positive impact in their communities.

Shikhar Dhawan Foundation is excited to continue its work in the community and looks forward to another year of making a difference.

New Delhi– April 22, 2023: Esri India, the country’s leading location intelligence software and solutions provider, today announced the availability of ArcGIS Business Analyst, a location intelligence solution suite designed to aid organizations in making data-driven smart decisions. Some of the target markets for this solution are banking and financial services companies, manufacturing organizations, retail chains, real estate companies, insurance, transportation and logistics, healthcare, hospitality, etc. All such organizations have business data that has a location component attached to it and using ArcGIS Business Analyst they can realize the full value of their data in decisions and gain a competitive advantage.

ArcGIS Business Analyst for India will include a variety of location-based datasets, such as points of interest; road network; accurate boundaries at various levels like a village, PIN codes, district, state, etc.; socio-economic and demographic data; and data available from Esri’s Living Atlas. Live road traffic information will also be available. The solution can help in the identification of new markets, new sites for stores or outlets, understanding customers’ preferences better and getting better visibility about competitors.

Agendra Kumar, Managing Director, Esri India, said, “ArcGIS Business Analyst is a unique solution comprising data, maps, workflows, and infographics that will enable businesses to make smarter decisions. Using ArcGIS Business Analyst, businesses can gain invaluable insight into changing population, housing, demographics, consumer spending, competition, etc., and thus make more informed decisions for market planning, site selection, territory management and customer analysis. Such in-depth analysis will help them gain a competitive edge and improve operational efficiency.”

The power of location intelligence and analytics is being recognized all over the world. Data availability and sharing are now easier in India. With enabling policies like the National Geospatial Policy and the Geospatial Data Guidelines in place, the availability of geospatial data has improved. Being a leader in providing solutions based on geospatial technologies, Esri India has launched ArcGIS Business Analyst in India to enable Indian businesses optimally utilize Indian datasets for carrying out location-specific analysis and gain a competitive advantage.

Progress 64 West and YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis join forces to offer scholarships for aspiring entrepreneurs.

(St. Louis, Mo., April 21, 2023) Progress 64 West and YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis recently announced the establishment of the Progress 64 Entrepreneurial Scholarship Fund, which will assist high school seniors in achieving their educational goals.

The joint effort’s mission is to support, encourage, and foster young entrepreneurs by awarding scholarships to high school seniors living or going to school in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County. The one-year awards can be used at trade schools, as well as two- and four-year colleges and universities.

To qualify for consideration, students must submit an executive summary of a business plan that includes a business concept description; market analysis, including market need, competition, and profit strategy; operations plan; and sales and marketing strategies. The application deadline is Oct. 23, 2023. Application details will be posted in August on Youthbridge Community Foundation’s website at youthbridge.org.

Founded in 1877, YouthBridge Community Foundation is a nonprofit that partners with individuals, families, and businesses to support charities and communities needs in the St. Louis region, especially those focused on children and families.

“It’s a great fit with our mission,” states Barbara Carswell, CEO of YouthBridge. “We focus on children and youth, and the scholarship program that has benefited students in West St. Louis and St. Charles counties is now expanding to all high school students in St. Louis City, County and St. Charles County.”

Progress 64 West was established in 1987 to promote the responsible growth of commerce in the greater St. Louis region, with a particular emphasis given to the I-64 corridor from I-270 west ward to I-70. A partnership of citizens, business and civic leaders, the organization’s vision focused on economic prosperity by championing workforce improvements and infrastructure projects.

In 2004, civic organization Progress 64 West initiated its scholarship program, then named in honor of St. Louis business leader Louis S. Sachs. Sachs was known for his entrepreneurial spirit and ability to envision what could be. Renamed as the Progress 64 Entrepreneurial Scholarship Fund, the program is now positioned to provide more scholarships for a larger pool of candidates.

According to Michael Doster, of Doster, Nations, Ullom & Boyle, LLC and a member of the scholarship committee, “Our partnership with YouthBridge will provide the opportunity for more donors to come alongside our existing scholarship sponsors in making tax-deductible donations that enrich the lives of local students.”

For more information, visit youthbridge.org/p64fund/.