Ashwini Kumar Tewari Appointed as the New Managing Director and CEO of SBI Card

SBI Card, the country`s second largest credit card issuer announced that Mr. Ashwini Kumar Tewari has taken over as the company`s new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. The baton passes from Mr. Hardayal Prasad who retired on July 31, 2020, following a successful tenure during which the company achieved many significant accolades.  

Mr. Ashwini Kumar Tewari is a career banker with over 29 years’ experience with State Bank of India, including domestic and foreign postings. Prior to taking charge at SBI Card, since April 2017 Mr. Tewari held the position of Country Head of US Operations at SBI, based in New York. He also served as Vice Chairman of the State Bank of India (California) Board of Directors. 

Commenting on the development, Mr. Dinesh Khara, Managing Director, GB &S, State Bank of India said, “We are pleased to welcome Mr. Ashwini Kumar Tewari as the MD & CEO of SBI Card. He has demonstrated authentic, adept leadership in diverse positions both in India and abroad, during a successful career. We believe that he has the strategic vision and skill sets to lead the rapidly growing credit card business. We are confident that he will be able to further strengthen SBI Card’s market share and propel the business to new milestones.” 

Mr Ashwini Tewari, MD & CEO, SBI Card said, “We are at the cusp of an interesting time – there is a digital payments revolution sweeping India today and the country is firmly on the path to becoming a digital economy. SBI Card has achieved stellar success so far; and with the right focus on innovation, technology and customer service, the company remains poised to capitalise in a big way on the significantly underpenetrated Indian credit card market.  I look forward to steering SBI Card’s efforts to enhance customer experience at every touch point, fuelling growth and strengthening our position as industry leaders.” 

He added, “My immediate goal is to ensure sustained business performance as seen in the last two quarters, despite the challenging environment. In the long run, my endeavour would be to enable SBI Card to scale new heights along with the robust management team that has been driving the growth of this exceptional company.” 

Mr Tewari started his banking career with SBI in 1991 as a probationary officer. He has expertise in driving business, administration, and HR. He has experience in diverse leadership roles, extending across significant business functions like Credit, International and Retail Banking including Business Process Re-engineering. He was involved in the bank technology upgrades in Core Banking and Internet Banking platforms and acquisition of a new Trade Platform. 

In his previous assignments, he served as Regional Head and GM, East Asia Hong Kong and oversaw operations of SBI in Hong Kong, China, Japan, Korea, and the neighbouring region. He also served as Deputy General Manager, (Operations & Information Systems), IBG, Mumbai and Head of SBI’s Cash Management Services. Mr. Tewari has served on the boards of International Institute of Bankers, New York and University of Washington Global Bankers Program. 

Mr. Tewari holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Electrical). He is also a Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP). He has a CFPCM certificate and is ACAMS certified. 

About SBI Card  : SBI Cards and Payment Services Limited (formerly known as SBI Cards and Payment Services Private Limited) (“SBI Card”) is a non-banking financial company that offer extensive credit card portfolio to individual cardholders and corporate clients which includes lifestyle, rewards, travel & fuel and banking partnerships cards along with corporate cards covering all major cardholders’ segments in terms of income profile and lifestyle. It has diversified customer acquisition network that enables to engage prospective customers across multiple channels. SBI Card is a technology driven company. 

The Company is listed on National Stock Exchange (“NSE”) and The Bombay Stock Exchange (“BSE”). 

Note: The brand name of the company is ‘SBI Card’ and it is registered in the name of ‘SBI Cards and Payment Services Limited’. The company is trading under the entity name ‘SBICARD’ on stock exchanges. Visit www.sbicard.com for more details. 

Panasonic Jaguar Racing Head To Berlin for a Lockdown Showdown

Berlin Tempelhof

* After more than 150 days, Panasonic Jaguar Racing head to Berlin Tempelhof, Germany for the final six races of season six of ABB FIA Formula E

* The pacesetting Jaguar I-TYPE 4 will line up for six races in an incredible nine days on three different track layouts for the most intense finale in motorsport history

* Mitch Evans sits second in the ABB FIA Formula E drivers’ championship

* Panasonic Jaguar Racing are third in the ABB FIA Formula E teams’ championship

* Tom Blomqvist announced as the reserve driver for Panasonic Jaguar Racing

* Lights go green for the Berlin E-Prix at 19:00 local time (CET) on 5 August

After 158 days, Panasonic Jaguar Racing will head to Germany to complete season six of Formula E in a unique lockdown showdown. Berlin’s Tempelhof circuit will witness six races in nine days with three different track layouts.

Sitting second in the drivers’ championship, Mitch Evans, and teammate James Calado will look to push for more points, podiums and wins during the ABB FIA Formula E Berlin E-Prix with the pacesetting Jaguar I -TYPE 4.

Tom Blomqvist is confirmed as the reserve driver for the remaining six races of the season, replacing Alex Lynn who will drive for Mahindra. The British-Swedish driver previously drove for the Andretti Formula E team in 2018.

James Barclay, Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team Director:

“We’re going into the final six races in Berlin in a great position. Whilst it’s going to be an  intense challenge for all of the team to complete six races in nine days we are looking forward to it and feeling positive that we are ready to give it our all to fight for the drivers title with Mitch and achieve our best result to date in the team standings. At Panasonic Jaguar Racing our season six objective was to compete for more points, podiums and wins and so far, we’ve done just that. It’s been a long break in the season, but we are hungry to pick up where we left off and finish the season successfully. The whole team has been working incredibly hard during lockdown to ensure that we maintain our positive momentum. We never underestimate the quality of our competition in Formula E though and the challenge that the team and the drivers will face in Berlin but we are fully prepared and ready to give it our all. It’s ultimately within reach so we will be doing our all to achieve our goals together.”

Mitch Evans, Panasonic Jaguar Racing Driver #20:

“This season we’ve tasted success and I am really proud of my performance, particularly in the last three races. We achieved Super Pole and a Podium in Santiago, we won in Mexico City and we made history in Marrakesh by gaining 18 places and finishing P6 after starting from the back of the grid. Being second in the drivers’ championship puts me in a good position heading into Berlin but I know I can’t underestimate the challenge that we have ahead. Our Jaguar I-TYPE 4 is incredibly quick so I’m hoping to show the everyone that we can be in the fight by 13 August.”

James Calado, Panasonic Jaguar Racing Driver #51:

“I’m looking forward to getting back into the Jaguar I-TYPE 4 at the Tempelhof circuit. I started in P10 in Marrakesh and felt like I had made some solid progress. I want to give my best performance in Berlin. My role is to support Mitch and the team and secure as many points as possible. I’m sure it will come with its challenges and this break has definitely added the pressure but I’m ready for the lights to go green and finish the season on a high.”

In less than one week, the ABB FIA Formula E Berlin E-Prix will commence, with the first race of six taking place on Wednesday 5 August at 19:00 (CET) ahead of the most intense finale in motorsport history.

Acer India Appoints Sudhir Goel as the Chief Business Officer for India and Bangladesh

Acer India, the global PC brand, has appointed Sudhir Goel as their Chief Business Officer. Sudhir has been associated with Acer India since 1999 handling various leadership roles spanning product engineering, manufacturing, support, supply chain and recently as the head of commercial business group. In his new role as Chief Business Officer, Sudhir will be responsible for leading both the commercial and consumer business of the company in India and Bangladesh.

With over 35 years of experience, Sudhir brings in a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role in Acer India. He was instrumental in establishing Acer India’s manufacturing facility at Pondicherry. He later took on the portfolio of Chief Supply Chain officer, handling complete supply chain - operations, procurement, material planning and manufacturing functions. In addition, he assisted Sales and Marketing in strategic calls on all large deals. Before this role, he was responsible for Acer India’s commercial business group handling PnL, product strategy, alliance relationships and establishing leadership position in multiple categories. He was also in charge of the company’s product solution development in Asia Pacific countries.

Harish Kohli, President, and Managing Director, Acer India said, “Under the leadership of Sudhir Goel, Acer India has successfully excelled in an intensely competitive environment and gained substantial impetus in Indian commercial PC market. Sudhir brings in excellent prerequisites to navigate Acer India in a challenging business situation and we are confident that his strategic thinking, experience, and ability to drive people will navigate the organization to even greater success in the future.” 

Commenting on appointment as Chief Business Officer of Acer India Mr. Sudhir Goel said, “I am honored to be appointed Chief Business Officer and excited to lead Acer's Commercial and Consumer business with support from our executive leadership team, as our company shapes the future of our industry. And now with the new normal where we are seeing a paradigm shift in consumer behavior, it is times like these when being effective, innovative and intuitive really makes a difference and I am looking forward to successfully lead both the business groups."

Before joining Acer India, Sudhir started his career in 1985 with DCM Data Products as a Design Engineer and later joined Compaq as National Tech Support Manager for two years. He has done his engineering degree from BITS Pilani and did his MBA from Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University. He is fond of reading both fiction and non-fiction and loves to watch movies in his spare time.

Edtech Startup BasicFirst Appoints AjayDev Singh as Marketing Head and Chief Digital Strategist

BasicFirst – a personalized e-learning platform – today announced the appointment of industry specialist AjayDev Singh as Marketing Head and Chief Digital Strategist

Mr Singh has held leadership roles at top multinationals such as Reliance ADA Group, Percept Ltd and SVG Media (now Dentsu Aegis Network). An alumnus of The Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi, and Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, he possesses decades of experience in Marketing.

On Mr Singh’s appointment, Randhir Kumar, Founder and Chief Mentor – BasicFirst said, “As an e-learning brand, we are committed to helping students achieve academic goals by leveraging the unique combination of content-based learning and doubt clearing. Ajay Dev's experience in the mainline and digital domains will be conducive to our growth, accelerating BasicFirst’s presence in the e-learning space.”

Elucidating his plans for BasicFirst, AjayDev Singh said, “I am excited about the opportunity for heading an emerging ed-tech startup’s marketing unit, especially in challenging conditions. While nurturing the brand, we will be pursuing a long-term strategy of consolidation and growth. We are looking at 50 million installs and 5 million paid subscribers once the product trials and adoptions through marketing efforts across traditional and digital media, including Omni-channel platforms, are complete.”

Mr Singh believes digital campaigns leverage data to the benefit of the business, ensuring top-of-the-mind recall whenever the target audience seeks blended learning. BasicFirst is offering a bouquet of services to help students by promoting holistic development in multi-faceted areas.

About BasicFirst Learning OPC Pvt Ltd

BasicFirst Learning OPC Pvt Ltd is an aptitude-based personalized e-learning initiative that uses Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science to create a platform for adaptive learning online. Founded in January 2017 by Randhir Kumar with a vision to make quality education available in the remotest locations of India, BasicFirst caters to various academic needs of class 6th to 12th students. BasicFirst employs experienced teachers and professionals from top colleges of India, available 24x7, to design teaching modules assisting students from these classes to ace school, Board and competitive exams, including CBSE, ICSE, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Bihar while offering multiple courses designed for competitive exams such as JEE Main, JEE Advance, NEET, AIIMS, NTSE and Olympiads.

BasicFirst clears students’ doubts within 32 minutes or less via chat in the app. It equips students with essential communication skills, aptitude, subject competency and foundational knowledge to excel in academic goals, crack competitive exams and pave their way for a better career. Gradually, BasicFirst plans to spread its affordable services across the farthest regions to make digital academic support universally accessible.

Co-founder of Netscape, Andreessen now joins HP board

Two years after selling his software company to Hewlett-Packard, Marc Andreessen has joined the PC giant's board of directors.

HP announced the appointment, effective immediately, on Thursday. In a statement, HP's chairman and CEO Mark Hurd described Andreessen as "a software pioneer whose leadership has helped shape the Internet...Marc's entrepreneurial background and industry expertise will be a welcome addition to the HP board of directors."

Andreessen and HP's relationship goes back several years, culminating with HP's purchase of Opsware for $1.6 billion in 2007. Since then, Andreessen, best known as the co-founder of Netscape, has helmed social network creation service Ning, and a new venture capital firm Andreessen-Horowitz. He also sits on the boards of eBay and Facebook.

Agencies