Archives 2023

23rd December 2023 Bengaluru: GMR Airports Limited (GAL), a subsidiary of GMR Airports Infrastructure Limited, and NIIF (National Investment and Infrastructure Fund) entered into binding agreements for NIIF to invest up to INR 6.75 billion in GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL), a special purpose vehicle to develop and operate the Bhogapuram International Airport. This investment is part of the financial partnership announced on 7th December 2022 between the parties, in relation to investment by NIIF in the equity capital of three airport projects of GMR Airports Limited. This marks NIIF’s second airport investment, after its investment in GMR Goa International Airport Limited, which operates Manohar International Airport in Goa, was completed in April 2023.

GVIAL, in 2020, was awarded the concession to develop and operate the greenfield Bhogapuram International Airport (BIA) to the north of Visakhapatnam under a 40-year Design-Build-Finance-Operate-and-Transfer model. BIA, a part of the National Infrastructure Pipeline, is poised to become the largest airport in the state of Andhra Pradesh with a phase I capacity of up to 6 million passengers per annum and with an ultimate capacity of up to 40 million passengers per annum. The transaction envisages a primary investment by NIIF in the form of Compulsorily Convertible Debentures (CCDs) to be issued by GVIAL. The transaction is subject to customary completion of conditions precedent and necessary approvals.

BIA will provide vital infrastructure to deliver a world-class passenger experience in Andhra Pradesh while significantly enhancing air travel potential in the Visakhapatnam region. The project is well positioned to boost connectivity and transportation infrastructure in northern Andhra Pradesh and also resonates with national priorities of strengthening air travel penetration and connectivity, especially to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. GVIAL shall be an important engine of Andhra Pradesh’s economic development and growth over the medium to long term.

GBS Raju, Business Chairman – Airports, GMR Group, said, “It is a proud moment for GMR Group to develop the greenfield Bhogapuram International Airport in the State of Andhra Pradesh. We are confident that we will replicate the success of our Hyderabad Airport and the new world class airport will act as the catalyst for the socio-economic growth of the city and the State at large. The new Bhogapuram airport and airport city will help in the transformation of Visakhapatnam and will place it on the global map as the most preferred investment destination. Our growing partnership with NIIF is a further testament of GMR’s credibility as an Airport Infrastructure developer and the future of the Aviation industry in the country.”

Vinod Giri, Managing Partner – Master Fund, National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited, said, “NIIF believes that Bhogapuram International Airport will strengthen aviation infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh, playing a pivotal role in the region’s economic progress in the coming years. NIIF’s Master Fund is India’s largest infrastructure fund with a robust and well-diversified portfolio across transportation, energy and digital infrastructure. NIIF’s investment in GVIAL represents the Fund’s second airport project, underscoring our commitment to participate in the implementation of Government of India’s ambitious National Infrastructure Pipeline.”

Bangalore, 23rd Dec 2023: In line with its commitment to the cause of Road Safety, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) today announced the implementation of two impactful road safety programs, namely the Toyota Safety Education Program (TSEP) and the Toyota Hackathon, aimed to educate, create awareness, instil a sense of responsibility, and empower the youths to become advocates for road safety. While TSEP is an interactive program targeting school children from 5th – 9th grades, educating them on the importance of road safety through a phase-wise approach, Toyota Hackathon provides a platform for 11th – 12th graders to develop effective road safety solutions.

Both these road safety programs offered by Toyota (TSEP was launched in 2007 and Hackathon during 2018) have successfully reached over 790,000 school children to date, bringing about a positive change in the behaviour as road users. This year, TSEP will be implemented across Bangalore & nearby districts, focusing to cover more than 20,000 students across 40+ schools. The learning modules under the TSEP program covers interactive content and assessment, club activities for experiential learning, intra-school club activity sessions and conducting annual event to encourage children to demonstrate their understanding about the road safety, thereby helping in creating ‘Road Safety Ambassadors’. The program’s unique ‘Child to Community’ approach aims to influence road safety practices within local communities and become a flagship project striving towards zero fatalities.

Simultaneously, the Toyota Hackathon, initiated in 2018, encourages children to become critical thinkers and solution providers for modern-day road safety challenges, while inspiring the young minds to learn from the innovations and incorporate solutions towards promoting road safety. For the academic year 2023-24, Toyota Hackathon is focusing to cover youths from the existing TSEP implementing schools & pre-university colleges, targeting around 100 institutes, both from Bangalore and nearby districts. The Toyota Hackathon broadly includes online and offline evaluation by conducting tests, screening & shortlisting of teams, building implementable road safety solutions with mentors, also incubation support for best innovations and participation of school children in 24 hours hackathon.

Some of the major causes of road accidents in India include breakdown & malfunction of poorly maintained older vehicles plying on the roads causing mishaps, inadequate road engineering, lack of understanding and non-following of road safety rules, behavioural issue such as over-speeding, not wearing helmets while riding, not wearing seatbelts while driving and so forth. In a continuing trend, most victims of road accidents are young. Recognizing the need for a comprehensive approach to road safety, TKM is committed to creating awareness among future road users through its uniquely designed road safety initiatives with a focus on not only manufacturing ‘Safe Cars’ but also ensuring ‘People’s Safety on Roads’.

Mr. Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President at Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “Through “Toyota Safety Education Program” and Toyota Hackathon, we aim to educate the future road users – school children on the importance of road safety and inculcate responsible road behaviour to eliminate road mishaps. Children are the change agents who can bring desirable transformations in the society. We are strong advocates of the fact that safety messages should be seeded in school curriculum which ultimately will serve as an enabler to drive positive behavioural change. In this direction, our road safety efforts involve an integrated approach, harmonizing people, vehicles, and the traffic environment. TKM’s dual road safety initiatives are a testament to the company’s continued focus to foster a culture of road sense and innovations amongst the youth, thereby contribute to the safety of the future generations.”

Being a safety leader, TKM encourages the school children to become the change-makers in the realm of road safety through implementation of TSEP and Toyota Hackathon. Additionally, these road safety initiatives undertaken by the company includes capacity building for teachers and student leaders, improved school visibility, road safety contributions to national and global priorities (UN SDG3), and the development of life skill sets in students.

Overview of TKM

Overview of TKM 1st Plant:

Overview of TKM 2nd Plant:

[CITY], [DATE] – Shemaroo Bhakti, a definitive destination for devotional content on YouTube and home to a massive audience of over 11 million subscribers, proudly announces a groundbreaking initiative in the spiritual landscape—an unprecedented LIVE streaming of Musical Shrimad Bhagavad Gita paath. This historic first-of-its-kind musical masterpiece is crafted under the guidance of Guruji Shri G. Narayan and features blissful voices of music maestros, including Suresh Wadkar as Shri Krishna, Roop Kumar Rathod as Arjun, and Sanj V as Sanjay. Log on to Shemaroo Bhakti YouTube Channel on 22nd and 23rd December and be a part of this exceptional divine experience.

Mokshada Ekadashi, also known as Gita Jayanti, holds special significance as the day when Lord Krishna imparted profound teachings of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita to Arjun. On this sacred occasion, it is believed that merely listening to the Complete Shrimad Bhagavad Gita paath helps in absolving your sins and brings abundance.

Arpit Mankar, Head of Non-Bollywood Category at Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., said, “We are delighted to organize the LIVE streaming of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Paath on the auspicious occasion of Gita Jayanti. Our aim is to make this experience accessible to audiences of all age groups worldwide, motivating them to listen to the sacred scripture and implement the profound teachings from these Shlokas into their lives.”

This LIVE musical presentation of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Paath will offer a soul-stirring and immersive experience, inviting listeners and viewers to delve into the wisdom of the sacred scripture from the comfort of their homes.

Bengaluru, 23rd December, 2023: Nexzu Mobility, a sustainable urban transportation solutions provider, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Gujarat, to develop India’s first ever Smart EV Park in a move that promises to redefine the country’s mobility landscape.

The company will invest INR 5,000 crores over the next 10 years to set up the park, which is expected to generate employment for over 5,000 people. Work on the project is set to begin next year once land has been allotted to it.

This landmark agreement between Nexzu and the State of Gujarat comes as the mobility space straddles a critical juncture.

Electric vehicles are a key pillar of India’s push to slash its greenhouse gas emissions and are finding increasingly greater acceptance with commercial and passenger vehicle customers.

The Smart EV Park, harnessing all of the promise and potential of the skills and visionary policies instituted by the Government of Gujarat, will provide a big boost to the development of the overall EV ecosystem, accelerating adoption of electric mobility.

It will act as a hub providing comprehensive solutions for EV companies, professionals, owners, and users by enabling an ecosystem in a concentrated area, streamlining the supply chain, enabling cross pollination of ideas, knowledge and infrastructure sharing.

Commenting on the signing of the MoU, Mr. Atulya Mittal, Founder, Nexzu Mobility said, “We are excited to redefine the landscape of clean and green mobility by signing this ambitious MoU. With its focus on clean energy and mobility, high tech manufacturing and innovation, Gujarat is a fantastic destination for a Smart EV Park. The establishment of the Park will strengthen the state’s standing as an EV manufacturing hub and support the ‘Make-in-India, Make-for-the-World’ initiative in the industry. With its fantastic connectivity, forward thinking state leadership and pioneering people Gujarat has both the natural and the human resources to become the high tech manufacturing hub for the new EV Age.”

Mr. Chintamani Sardesai, Business Head, Nexzu Mobility, said, “This is a first-of-kind development in the Indian EV ecosystem and has the caliber to transform the EV landscape in the country. At this hub, we will be providing support to OEMs manufacturing commercial as well as passenger vehicles across segments, along with battery manufacturers. The facility will also have training schools for drivers and mechanics, along with test tracks to help manufacturers with testing before homologation. The EV city will also act as an incubation hub for new-age EV start-ups with a high focus on sustainability.”

The proposed Smart EV Park will be a state-of-the-art industrial park with ready to move in manufacturing facilities, common testing facilities, common R&D units, housing, educational and healthcare facilities. It will also include facilities designed to train professionals on the latest in electronics, battery manufacturing, powertrains and other EV components. The EV Smart Park will also support start-up entities who have a vision and the technology, but lack the infrastructure or mechanical engineering and operations expertise required to kick start their operations.

India,23rd December 2023 Synchrony, a leading financial services company marked a momentous occasion with its annual Thanksgiving Town Hall. The event held at the Aahwanam Resort in Gandipet, Hyderabad, saw over 2800+ employees gather for an evening of celebration, camaraderie, and recognition.

The event commenced with portfolio engagement activities, games, and inspiring global leadership messages, creating an atmosphere of joy and togetherness. Adding a touch of musical magic to the evening were performances by Synchrony’s internal rock band, Razzmatazz, and captivating dance acts by the MARS (music, art, recreation, and sports) Club. Renowned singer Shalmali Kholgade further electrified the atmosphere with her energetic performance, leaving the audience mesmerized.

“The Thanksgiving Town Hall is a tradition we cherish to express our heartfelt appreciation for our employees’ dedication and commitment,” said Vatika Kaura, Vice President, Operations at Synchrony. “This year, the infectious joy and genuine connection among our employees were a powerful reminder of the positive and inclusive culture we strive to cultivate. Witnessing our team come together, bound by mutual appreciation for each other and our company, solidifies our commitment to preserving these traditions. At Synchrony, we remain resolute in our dedication to nurturing this sense of unity and belonging,” she added.

As Synchrony India looks ahead, the company is poised to continue its upward trajectory, fueled by the power of its diverse talents united in a shared vision. This celebration marks not just a moment in time but a stepping stone towards an even brighter future for Synchrony and its dedicated team.

Hyderabad, 23rd December 2023 – Novotel Hyderabad Airport located at GMR Aerocity, Hyderabad appoints Mr. Rahul Choudhary as the Director of Revenue. With over 12 years of expertise in yield management and comprehensive revenue strategies, he brings invaluable insights and leadership to drive the hotel’s financial success and revenue management.

His illustrious journey in the hospitality sector showcases a consistent track record with a focus on maintaining financial discipline and driving growth. He is renowned for his strengths in demand management and marketing with a specialisation from Cornell School of Hotel Administration.

He has been associated with brands like ITC, Accor, and The Park, where he has demonstrated his ability to drive revenue growth, enhance profitability, and elevate brand positioning.

Mr. Sukhbir Singh, General Manager of Novotel Hyderabad Airport, expressed enthusiasm about Rahul’s appointment, stating, “We are thrilled to welcome Rahul Choudhary to our team. His extensive experience and notable achievements in revenue management align perfectly with our commitment to delivering unparalleled guest experiences while driving revenue growth. We are confident that Rahul’s expertise will further elevate our strategies and reinforce our position as a leader in the industry.”

Novotel Hyderabad Airport anticipates Rahul Choudhary’s visionary leadership and profound expertise, expecting them to play a pivotal role in propelling the hotel towards new horizons of revenue growth and operational excellence.

India, 23rd Dec 2023 — Visionet Systems, a global technology and services leader, has bagged the esteemed “Best in Future of Digital Infrastructure” award at the IDC Future Enterprise Awards 2023 for India. This accolade reaffirms Visionet’s dedication to innovation and its role as a trailblazer in the digital landscape.

The IDC Future Enterprise Awards recognise outstanding digital transformation contributions, and Visionet’s recognition as the Best in Future of Digital Infrastructure reflects the company’s commitment to advancing digital capabilities and fostering long-term business transformation.

Innovative Platform

Visionet’s digital infrastructure transformation platform signifies a paradigm shift in digital business practices, designed to enhance engagement, promote agility, and establish a robust infrastructure capable of meeting the ever-evolving needs of the digital era.

Long-Term Transformation Catalyst

Visionet’s strategic move towards digital infrastructure transformation ensures adaptability in an ever-changing technological environment. At the core is Visionet’s platform, driving long-term digital business transformation. This pivotal move not only bolsters but also lays the foundation for sustained transformation.

Exceptional Uptime

Visionet’s platform boasts of an impressive 99.9% uptime, showcasing the company’s dedication to providing seamless and dependable solutions. This uptime not only demonstrates the reliability of Visionet’s platform but also underscores its mission to empower businesses with trusted technology.

“The digital business priorities guiding our overall infrastructure strategy include agility, scalability, security, and innovation. Our platform aligns seamlessly with these priorities, providing the foundation for our digital transformation journey. The Visionet hybrid cloud management platform was tuned to provide the single view dashboard for the architecture components, making hybrid management seamless, thus saving USD 147,468 saving annual costs”, said Sandeep Agarwal, CTO and Managing Director, Visionet India

“At Dell Technologies, we are committed to enabling our customers with best-in-the-industry products and solutions to help optimise their operations and deliver a better tomorrow. We are delighted to have partnered with Visionet to provide them with state-of-art private cloud infrastructure and hyperscale architecture that not only optimises workloads but also embodies resiliency and flexibility,” said Venkat Sitaram, Country Head & Senior Director, Enterprise Segment, Dell Technologies India.

The accelerated adoption of AI and the massive explosion of generative AI shook up the world this past year. Looking ahead to 2024, here are some insights from Zendesk leaders and customer champions, across sectors, around the world including, a global beauty brand, a German manufacturer, a Brazilian financial services company, and a UK-based charitable social enterprise. They shared their thoughts on: What impact will this AI evolution have on the human agents using this technology and customers on the receiving end of conversational AI?

AI

This year, the introduction of generative AI opened the door for companies to better understand customer needs and effectively assist in complicated inquiries. But it’s just the beginning – leaders are still navigating the intersection of AI, data privacy and environmental impact.

“In 2024, the AI user experience needs to become smoother and more human-like, even with a bot. Agents should be prepared to ask for additional things in a proactive manner. Customers will come to expect this as part of the experience.” – Stephan Marzi, Head of Customer Service, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein GmbH

“The volume, variety and velocity of data have increased exponentially in recent years. Data will continue this exponential rise as it powers more data-driven technologies, like AI. But next year, it won’t just be about training models on vast quantities of data – the data battleground will shift to quality.” – Adrian McDermott, Chief Technology Officer, Zendesk

“As more companies develop AI solutions, they must keep a keen eye on their environmental footprint and take steps to ensure positive impact. Specifically, leaders will need to call for greater transparency on AI’s climate impact. The lack of trusted data is now the biggest hurdle for effective actions. Additionally, leaders must incorporate the impact of AI into their sustainability strategy, and consider sustainability when developing AI-related business strategy. Another key component is cultivating collaboration on environmentally responsible AI across the AI value chain, including cloud providers, AI engineers, and end users.” – Megan Trotter, Vice President, Social Impact & Sustainability, Zendesk

Customer Experience (CX)

2023 reinforced customer expectations of fast, effective, and personalized support continuing to rise. Businesses responded by doubling down on technology, especially AI, to create those optimal experiences – not just for the customer, but also for those in support including agents and admins.

“I see the potential of AI in remembering customer preferences and helping our businesses make proactive suggestions to both customers and the business functions.” – Naomi Rankin, Global Customer Care Manager, Lush

“More and more companies will trust AI to fully automate resolutions in the CX context. With the latest advancements in AI and large language models (LLMs), there will be seamless blending between bots and human agents. Additionally, we expect the number of interactions touched by AI to be at least 10x higher compared to 2023 – moving the industry even closer towards this reality of fully digital agents.” – Cristina Fonseca, Head of AI, Zendesk

“CX is at an inflection point where brands are valuing customer engagement more than ever but also need to leverage automation and AI to deliver more meaningful and personalized interactions. Now, with generative AI, it’s exciting to think about all of the new and innovative ways that we can help our customers enhance their brand and unlock new experiences.” – Jon Aniano, Senior Vice President of Product, Zendesk

Employee Experience (EX)

As businesses navigated onboarding new hires and retaining talent with tighter budgets (and fewer resources), AI became a must-have in improving the employee experience. And more and more leaders began integrating AI into EX to streamline processes and increase efficiencies.

“AI will not cut the work load itself in every single case, but it will be in the position to speed up and to assist. The employees who are open to using new technology — like ChatGPT — and can enable new processes will be in high-demand as new jobs come on the market.” – Stephan Marzi, Head of Customer Service, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein GmbH

“Most organizations have a multitude of policies, protocols, practices and procedures. With so much required knowledge, HR teams may become overworked with trying to remember everything – or where to find everything. AI could digest all of that knowledge and offer a simple answer to some very complex questions – many people in the workforce may have situations or needs that are specifically identified in the text, but rather across various texts… In 2024, we can improve employee welfare by giving them a way to find the information that they need. Reducing the stress and workloads of HR teams gets them back to being proactive rather than reactive.” – Daniel Cox, Customer Service Centre Assistant Manager, Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL)

“As AI continues to mature in 2024, its role in crafting exceptional employee experiences will only become more pronounced. This surge in AI efficacy will allow leaders to further enhance, personalize, and streamline engagement with their employees — especially as flexible work models remain the current state of the workplace.” – Josh Bean, Head of Employee Experience, Zendesk

Data Privacy and Security

As a result of the AI data explosion, data protection and privacy became an even more pressing concern for business leaders, governments and consumers.

“I believe that the team must be prepared for the difficulties to come, but it is worth remembering that this is something new. I believe that starting with areas that are less sensitive is a good way to check security and gradually scale service in more sensitive environments. Supervision is always necessary, but the advantage is that AI can perform more quickly and dynamically.” – Douglas Fernandes, Zendesk Senior Analyst, Nubank

“We have the moral responsibility to make sure that we are not allowing AI to misuse customer data either deliberately or by omission… Make being secure and robust part of the motivation and plan when initiating designs. Security should never be an afterthought.” – Naomi Rankin, Global Customer Care Manager, Lush

“Next year, the ongoing evolution of government and industry compliance standards will persist. Businesses must stay on top of this changing data privacy sphere in order to maintain customer trust. Leaders will reinforce their efforts on redacting, masking and deleting personal data from customer conversations, which will simultaneously become increasingly streamlined through advancements in AI.” – Vinay Patel, Chief Trust & Security Officer, Zendesk

Looking Ahead

In 2023, generative AI moved beyond its initial hype phase as CX leaders began to see tangible results and as consumers became more accustomed to interacting with the technology. Heading into 2024, these high expectations for AI to facilitate authentic, transparent, and personalized experiences will be top of mind for leaders, agents and customers alike.

Delighted to portray “𝑽𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝑴𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒂: 𝒂 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒏 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏” which was conceptualized by Shinjini Kulkarni & her senior disciple Dr. Samia Mahbub Ahmad in Shilpgram Utsav on 21st Dec’23 at the Main stage, Mukt Kashi Rangmanch, Shilpgram, Udaipur 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 8𝒑𝒎 𝒐𝒏𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔. This was earlier presented and very well received in Chandigarh, New Delhi, and twice in Vrindavan.

It was a musical presentation live by her & recorded music (composed and sung by her) which was enacted partly by Shinjini Kulkarni’s troupe based on the script written by Pt. Vijay Shankar Mishra (a well-known writer & musicologist). She was accompanied by Shri Suman Chatterjee on Tabla, Shri Kiran Kumar on flute, Shri Anurodh Jain on percussion, and Shri Vikas Kumar on Keyboard.

In the recent past, the advancements in technology and its widespread adoption have led to transformations in the stock trading landscape, and India’s financial markets are rapidly evolving. Artificial Intelligence, arguably the most disruptive technology in the twenty-first century so far, is playing a major role in this transformation. A number of online trading platforms such as Zerodha, Groww, Upstox, Shoonya by Finvasia, among others are providing users with AI-powered tools to enhance their trading experience and empower investors to make better decisions, manage portfolios and reduce costs.

Here are key trends related to AI in wealth management in India:

The Rise Of Robo-Advisory

Digital platforms that use AI to provide automated investment advice and portfolio management services are known as robo-advisors, and are becoming increasingly popular in India. The advanced AI-powered advisory offers investors a convenient and affordable way to invest their money.

Personalised Investment Advice

Artificial Intelligence being used to develop more personalised investment advice. This is possible as AI-powered tools can analyse a client’s financial situation, investment goals, and risk tolerance, and the results yielded from the analysis can be used to create a customised investment plans, enabling investors to seek better outcomes from their investments.

Improved Risk Management

Wealth managers are leveraging AI technology to develop better risk management tools. This is achieved through AI-powered recommendations that help identify potential risks to an investor’s portfolio, which further lead to identifying ways to mitigate them.

Greater Automation

AI is being used to automate mundane tasks in wealth management, such as portfolio rebalancing and compliance checks. The power of automation lets managers free up their time and focus on more strategic tasks and services.

Conclusion

The potential impact of AI in wealth management and stock trading is enormous, and is helping people make better decisions, manage their portfolios more efficiently, while making stock trading more accessible for a wider range of investors and democratising India’s financial markets. This positive development for traders and investors indicates that the trend towards AI-powered wealth management is likely to accelerate in the coming years, driven by factors such as increasing availability of data, growing popularity of online trading, and a shortage of qualified financial advisors.