Project Management Institute to Kick Off New Virtual Experience Series 29 July with Host Tamron Hall and Chef José Andrés

Project Management Institute (PMI), the world's leading association for the project management profession, launched the new Virtual Experience Series to introduce professionals from all industries to innovative global voices and energize them to bring big ideas to life.

This groundbreaking new series, which is open to the public, connects participants with global innovators, inspirational voices and project leaders who will deliver 40 power-packed sessions to help those who want to boost their career or pivot to a new one. During the series, participants can connect with peers, mentors, experts and renowned public figures alike to gain insights on how to move their careers and projects forward and embrace the great potential and opportunity ahead of us.

Hosted by journalist, talk show host and executive producer Tamron Hall, the series’ six virtual experiences begin 29 July 2020 and continue through 9 December 2020. The first live 4.5-hour experience, titled “The Individual: My Work, My Life, My World” will feature renowned chef and humanitarian José Andrés; author and The New York Times podcast host Priya Parker; and more than 40 industry experts who will inspire, inform, engage and entertain.

During the opening session, José Andrés will discuss how he taps into his inner project manager to help feed the world. In 2010, he formed World Central Kitchen, a non-profit specializing in delivering food relief in the wake of natural and humanitarian disasters. World Central Kitchen has responded to dozens of disasters worldwide and distributed tens of millions of meals. In response to COVID-19, Andrés has partnered with restaurants, small farms and community leaders worldwide to combat food insecurity.

During the first-ever PMI Book Club, Bob Safian, podcast host and former Fast Company editor-in-chief, will chat with Priya Parker, author of “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters.” Parker will share her inspired strategies for gathering global teams to get meaningful results from your virtual face-to-face meetings.

Each monthly experience will feature a new roster of celebrities and industry experts. Upcoming series dates and topics include:

* 29 July 2020 at 9 a.m. -1:30 p.m. EDT - The Individual: My Work, My Life, My World

* 25 August - The Community: Together We Rise

* 9 September - A Deep Dive in Organizational Agility: Adaptability, Resilience and Learning

* 20 October - The World: Our Global Impact

* 12 November - A Deep Dive in Business Analysis:  Drawing a Map to the Future

* 9 December - The Future: Forging Our Path Forward

Registration for PMI members is $99 for a single experience or $359 for the entire series. Registration for non-members is $149 for a single experience or $899 for the event series. Purchasing a series pass includes complimentary on-demand access to PMI’s Talent and Technology Symposium, which took place in June. Each experience is also PDU-eligible.

For more information on this event and to register, visit experience.pmi.org.

About Project Management Institute (PMI)

Project Management Institute (PMI) is the world's leading association for those who consider project, program or portfolio management their profession. Through global advocacy, collaboration, education and research, we work to prepare more than three million professionals around the world for The Project Economy: the coming economy in which work, and individuals, are organized around projects, products, programs and value streams. Now 50 years in the making, we work in nearly every country around the world to advance careers, improve organizational success and further mature the project management profession through globally-recognized standards, certifications, communities, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities. As part of the PMI family, ProjectManagement.com creates online global communities that deliver more resources, better tools, larger networks and broader perspectives. 

Siemens and SAP Join Forces to Accelerate Industrial Transformation

End-to-End Software  

* Together, industry leaders Siemens and SAP will deliver integrated end-to-end software solutions across product lifecycle, supply chain and asset management.

* Partnership leverages expertise and technology of both companies to provide a true digital thread that helps enterprises eliminate process and information siloes, drives digitalization and delivers a comprehensive solution for the 4th industrial revolution (Industry 4.0).

* SAP will offer Siemens’ Teamcenter software as the core foundation for product lifecycle collaboration and product data management. Siemens will offer SAP® Intelligent Asset Management solutions and SAP Portfolio and Project Management applications to maximize business value for customers over the entire product and service lifecycle and enable new collaborative processes between manufacturers and operators.

Siemens and SAP SE has announced a new partnership that will leverage their industry expertise and bring together their complementary software solutions for product lifecycle, supply chain and asset management so their customers can deliver new innovation and collaborative business models that will accelerate industry transformation globally. Through this agreement, both SAP and Siemens will be able to complement and integrate their respective offerings in order to offer customers the first truly integrated and enhanced solutions for product lifecycle management (PLM), supply chain, service and asset management. This will enable customers to form a true digital thread integrating all virtual models and simulations of a product or asset with real-time business information, feedback and performance data over the entire lifecycle.

"Digital transformation will be critical for the manufacturing industries to increase productivity, flexibility and accelerate innovation, so companies must come together in new ways to enable the digital enterprise,” said Klaus Helmrich, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Siemens Digital Industries. “This exciting collaboration between two industry leaders is about more than just interoperability and interfaces; it is about creating a truly integrated digital thread that unites product and asset lifecycle management with the business that enables customers to optimize production of products.”

Silos between engineering and business have existed in enterprises for decades. This new partnership will help customers to break down these siloes so manufacturers, product design teams and service managers have the information needed to quickly create and manage customer-centric product and service offerings.

“As manufacturers design and deliver smarter products and assets, access to real-time business information across networks is critical to bring new and improved innovations to market faster,” said Thomas Saueressig, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE and responsible for SAP Product Engineering. “Bringing together expertise from SAP and Siemens to offer Industry 4.0-enabled business processes allows enterprises to create a digital thread for the entire product and asset lifecycle. With this end-to-end solution, teams across the business network can efficiently work together to design and deliver innovative products productively, profitably and sustainably.”

Going forward, both SAP and Siemens will be able to offer new solutions that combine their technologies in order to help companies shorten time to market by leveraging Industry 4.0-enabled data using intelligent assets and products. This will also give organizations the benefit of incorporating customer insights into product development through a comprehensive solution, from product design to service and asset management. As a first step in the partnership, SAP will offer Siemens’ Teamcenter®  software as the core foundation for product lifecycle collaboration and data management and Siemens will offer SAP® Intelligent Asset Management and SAP Portfolio and Project Management software to maximize the business value for manufacturers and operators across networks. Both companies will collaborate to develop applications from an end-to-end lifecycle perspective to help customers achieve a seamless digital thread that improves overall business performance.

“Combining Siemens’ Teamcenter and SAP S/4HANA® software provides companies an end-to-end process capability from product design to decommission,” said Bob Parker, Senior VP of Industry Research at IDC. “The IT benefits of pre-integration of PLM, ERP, asset management and supply chain applications and the business benefits from having a more resilient response to changing market demand make this a compelling consideration for companies seeking a competitive advantage in the digital economy.”

Educational Project Adds Feather in the Cap for Nadakkavu School in Calicut, Kerela

Nadakkavu School, an educational project that has become the exemplary model for the hundreds of government schools all across India has done it again and proven to us that if the right atmosphere and tools are provided, anyone can be a leader. 

TiE Young Entrepreneurs is a Global program aimed at fostering the future generation of entrepreneurs; with focus on teaching entrepreneurship to high school students and helping them discover the rewards and challenges of becoming an industry leader.

It is with immense pleasure that Faizal and Shabana Foundation announces that a team of five students from Government Vocational Higher Secondary School for Girls Nadakkavu, Calicut, Kerala have reached the finals of TiE Young Entrepreneur competition.

Beating the odds and 23 other teams from all over the world, the prodigious team of five girls made it to the finals which are being held today in Seattle, USA but due to COVID is being held online at 8 am Pacific time, 8.30 pm IST.

“This is the very first time a Government School is taking part in TiE Global Finals and these students stand tall before the world  

as representatives of all the Government School Students. This 

moment is of great pride and pleasure for the education system 

of Kerala and the nation as a whole”, says Kozhikode North MLA A. Pradeep Kumar.

Faizal and Shabana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of KEF Holdings has a vision to transform the education system in India replicating the PRISM (Promoting Regional Schools to International Standards through Multiple Intervention) model which was conceptualized and initiated by A. Pradeep Kumar, MLA, Kozhikode North. 

Faizal and Shabana Foundation truly believe that education should not be an elite commodity to be consumed by only a few, but rather it should be made available to all. This is the only way forward to a progressive society.

PMI Educational Foundation to Invest $1 Million in Children International to be Social Change Agents

* More than 20,000 youth in 10 countries will strengthen critical life skills as they execute social good projects

PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF) today announced its partnership with Children International (CI) to integrate project management into programming that gives young people the resources, tools and skills needed to act as change agents in their community. As a result, they will be better prepared to address challenges such as infrastructure dilapidation, substance abuse and violence, public health and safety, and the environment.

This initiative will help vulnerable youth build the competencies necessary to lead happy, productive lives as a result of PMIEF’s more than $1 million investment in CI over three years, including a US$ 681,349 grant plus in-kind project management fundamentals training, expert project management coaching, and educational resources.  The experiential learning opportunities CI provides will strengthen young people's understanding of, and appreciation for, civic engagement. Furthermore, CI's youth programming involves families and community members to ensure collective impact.

“Children International’s mission is to empower youth to create lasting change in their own lives and communities," said Susana Eshleman, President & CEO of CI. "With the support of PMIEF, our youth leaders will be equipped with new project management skills that enable them to lead community projects, become even more employable and multiply more good in their communities. We are grateful to PMIEF for investing in our mission over the next three years, and we are proud to be associated with such a world-class, philanthropic organization. We look forward to partnering in the 10 countries where we work to teach this very marketable skill to thousands of facilitators and youth. Together, we will prepare our CI youth to craft their own pathways out of poverty… for good.”

More than 20,000 young people participate in CI's Youth Empowerment Programs each year in Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, Philippines, the U.S. and Zambia. In addition to its focus on youth, PMIEF will provide training and a one-year mentored experience for CI staff so they successfully achieve sustainable best practices in project management.

Jeannette Barr, Executive Director of PMIEF, echoed these sentiments. "Learning project management helps youth eradicate barriers in their pursuit of academic, professional and personal goals. Not only do they gain the confidence and skills needed to lead themselves and others, but they also develop resilience and a never-give-up attitude. In addition, CI's Youth Empowerment Programs touch entire communities through meaningful projects that engage stakeholders of all ages, so everyone gets involved. We are delighted to play a pivotal role to make this happen while we also help CI professionals hone organizational efficiencies."

CI staff will begin project management training and coaching the latter half of this year. The organization will pilot its project management-integrated programming for youth in four countries in 2021, with scale up of these activities through a full rollout in all 10 countries in 2022. 

About Children International

Children International, based in Kansas City, Missouri, is a global nonprofit humanitarian organization working to help end the cycle of generational poverty. Through a long-term, customized approach, Children International supports children and youth for the first two decades of their lives, providing access to information and inspiration in the areas of health, education, empowerment through life skills, and employment. When equipped to transform their own lives, young people also transform their families and communities, and as a result, multiply good in the world. For more information, go to www.children.org

About PMI Educational Foundation

PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF) is a 501(c)(3) supporting organization of the Project Management Institute (PMI), the world's leading not-for-profit professional membership association for those who consider project, program, or portfolio management their profession. Founded in 1990, PMIEF cultivates long-term relationships with nonprofits across the globe to help them integrate project management in their youth programs and to build their own project management capacity. The foundation achieves its mission to “enable youth to realize their potential and transform lives through project management” and its vision for “inspiring youth to achieve their goals, making dreams a reality” by investing in high-quality organizations that exemplify a commitment to preparing young people for 21st century success and an appreciation for both the societal application and value of project management. Visit PMIEF.org for more information.

About Project Management Institute

Project Management Institute (PMI) is the world's leading association for those who consider project, program or portfolio management their profession. Through global advocacy, collaboration, education and research, we work to prepare more than three million professionals around the world for The Project Economy: the coming economy in which work, and individuals, are organized around projects, products, programs and value streams. Now 50 years in the making, we work in nearly every country around the world to advance careers, improve organizational success and further mature the project management profession through globally-recognized standards, certifications, communities, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities. As part of the PMI family, ProjectManagement.com® interactive website fosters online global communities that deliver more resources, better tools, larger networks and broader perspectives. 

Ananya Panday in Awe of Project Runway Season 18, Streaming Exclusively on Discovery Plus

Bravo’s Emmy-winning competition series “Project Runway” returns for another season of high stakes and fierce fashions, this time exclusively on Discovery Plus, the exciting new D2C streaming app from Discovery India, from 1st July 2020. Bollywood star Ananya Panday, used this opportunity to binge on one of her favourite shows, Project Runway’s latest Season and she has been enjoying the experience a lot.

Excited about the latest season, Ananya Panday said she hasn’t missed a single season of Project Runway till date, “I am a big Project Runway fan! It is still one of the most exciting fashion-related shows I’ve ever seen. The moment the latest season dropped on Discovery Plus, I binge-watched it immediately. It is commendable how the contestants can create magic out of just a piece of fabric and sometimes, not even that. You know the iconic quote from the show - As you know in fashion, one day you're in. And the next day, you're out...it’s so apt. The most difficult part of the show is how these guys have to bring their best fashionable foot forward for every challenge and it is so inspiring,”

Talking about the show and her favourite judge, Ananya said, "I love the way Nina Garcia provides constructive criticism every single time to the contestants to help them grow. And while, of course, I do miss Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, I think Karlie Kloss is doing a great job. Season 18 turned out to be just as awesome as I expected it to be.”

She added, “My favourite challenge this season was the one where they had to create victory outfits for real-life 2020 Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Only with real talent and eye for detail, one would be able to come up with something so fabulous that is going to be worn by achievers and real stars of sports!”

Catch Project Runway streaming exclusively on Discovery Plus from 1st July, 2020.

100 Pipers ‘The Legacy Project’ Wins Bronze Pencil at The One Show Awards

As a stamp of recognition, 100 Pipers ‘The Legacy Project’ has been awarded the coveted Bronze Pencil and a Merit at The One Show Awards in New York, the world’s most prestigious award show in advertising, design & digital marketing. The One Show awards are regarded as the top-level global recognition in the creative industry.

Seagram’s 100 Pipers has consistently lived its brand philosophy of ‘Be Remembered For Good’ with various endeavours that lead a positive change. In 2019, the brand embarked on yet another journey of goodness with The Legacy Project; to keep the legacy of endangered Indian art forms alive and help these communities thrive.

2019 saw the first chapter of 100 Pipers Legacy Project where the brand curated designs from six Indian art forms across India - Gond, Bhil, Pattua, Pachedi, Cheriyal and Kalighat. It engaged with local artists from these art communities to present a reflection of their version of ‘goodness’. To take these 6 unique designs to a larger audience, they embellished the new Seagram’s 100 Pipers Limited Edition Pack for 2019 with them.

To further give these artforms a well-deserved platform for exposure, this was amplified via large-scale digital & on-ground campaigns.

Speaking about the award, Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India said, “Seagram’s 100 Pipers has always stayed true to its promise of “Be Remembered For Good”. The Legacy Project was an initiative that displays the brand ethos of leading a positive change in the society by supporting revival of India’s endangered art forms. Winning the Pencil at One Show Awards only strengthens our resolve of boldly marching forward on this chosen path. It’s heartening to make a difference and be globally recognised for it – it only serves to take the dying arts to a larger audience”.

Sharing his enthusiasm about the legendary win, Nitin Srivastava, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy, Gurgaon said, “The Legacy Project brings to the forefront folk artists of India. It's wonderful to see their work being recognised on a global platform as it gives such artists the hope and inspiration to continue on their path of creating beautiful artworks. Ogilvy and PRI have had a long association of over a decade during which we've built the brand together. This project is an example of how we've created something for a greater good and ensures the legacy of India's art forms continue to thrive.”

The brand 100 Pipers is positioned on the platform of ‘TRUE LEGENDS’, personified by successful people who rise above materialistic markers of success and work towards leading a positive change for the society. And hence, the brand’s expression of ‘Be Remembered For Good’. Over the years, 100 Pipers has consistently translated this positioning into actual consumer experiences through interventions like The Legacy Project and the ‘Play For A Cause’ music events. With Play For A Cause, the brand brings together celebrated musicians & organizes performances to generate awareness & contribution for various causes that impact our society like Clean Drinking Water, Meals for the underprivileged, Kerala floods, to name a few.

Seagram's 100 Pipers is the largest Scotch Whisky brand in India; market leader in Standard Scotch segment with twice the size of nearest competition. It is the first & only scotch brand in India to achieve the milestone of selling 1 million+ cases in a year in 2018.

Can TCS earn $1 bn revenue from domestic market?

Country's top software exporter Tata Consultancy Services said that it aims to double its revenues from the Indian market to $1 billion in the next 3-4 years.

"India has been one of the important markets. We are looking at whether in next 3-4 years we can double our revenue to billion dollars in the Indian market," TCS CEO S Ramadorai said.

At present, the domestic market contributes 10 per cent to the total revenue.

"Every mission mode project (government) that would come on the radar, we will certainly bid for them. TCS is in talks for 3-4 such mission mode projects as of now," Ramadorai said.

"When we look at the domestic market we look at three pillars -- large enterprises, governments - both the central and state governments -- and the third is the small and medium businesses which are part of our overall growth," he added.

Of the three, he expects the large enterprises to contribute more than the other two, followed by the government and the SMB sector.

Agencies

Will Capgemini layoff 100 in Chennai?

Consulting and outsourcing firm Capgemini has laid off nearly 100 employees at its Chennai centre.

The pink slips were issued for employees mostly in the middle management positions. This comes on the back of reports that said Capgemini sacked 600 employees in Hyderabad and Pune. The company has nearly 20,000 people working in India.

An employee said the layoff across centers was because of the overall economic slowdown, which was impacting the company’s project flow and clients.

“While some clients have ramped down on the size of contracts, other projects, like the Lehman Brothers account closed after the company’s collapse. Apart from the middle management, some employees on probation were also asked to leave,” said the employee at one of the company’s locations, who did not wish to be named.

When contacted, Capgemini India’s chief people officer Cyprian D’Souza said through an email, “India is central to our global delivery model and we are in the process of mapping our existing skills with the business in hand and the business outlook. The economic condition is tough and no company is immune to its effects.”

D’Souza added that the industry was seeing an overhaul within all the affected verticals. “The process though tough, has to be undertaken to align our business with global economic realities, optimise operational efficiency, ensure financial health and enable future growth.”

For the first quarter of 2009, Capgemini group posted consolidated revenues of Euro 2,205 million, up 0.9 per cent compared with the year-ago period.

Agencies

Delayed projects hold up over 160,000 job creations

India has lost the opportunity of employing more than 160,000 people with 18 major steel, power and auto projects getting delayed over land acquisition and forest and environment clearance issues, says a study by a business chamber.

According to the study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham), "the 18 strangled projects of India Inc to the tune of Rs.244,815.5 crore (Rs.2.45 trillion) remained on papers, in the form of memorandum of understanding (MoU) and agreements over the past three-four years".

However, a smooth implementation could have created job opportunities for at least 164,000 people directly and 270,000 people indirectly, it added.

"Assocham Research Bureau has identified 18 major projects announced by India Inc in sectors such as power, steel, automotive, IT, real estate and metals and mining that are just on papers and struggling for government clearances since 2003-04 till 2008," Assocham president Sajjan Jindal said.

The delayed projects include Posco India's proposed 12 million-tonne capacity steel plant in Orissa; it has already obtained in-principle for the special economic zone status needed for getting land in August 2005, and has pumped in some Rs.1.75 billion.

But delay in land acquisition has been a major stumbling block, Assocham said, adding that a green signal could have generated employment for 35,730 people.

Tata Steel's three greenfield projects in Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh - on a cumulative investment of Rs.820 billion - are similarly in a state of uncertainty on account of land acquisition procedures. Assocham said the three projects could have created employment for at least 2,000-3,000 people directly.

Similarly, Arcelor-Mittal's steel projects in Orissa and Jharkhand are facing peculiar situation for the past three years.

In Jharkhand, the company has got iron ore mines, but not the land, whereas in Orissa, it has land, but are yet to get mines. The planned investment in both the states are a little over Rs.43,050 crore, and is estimated to have generated direct employment for over 5,000 people and indirect employment for about 20,000.

Some mega greenfield projects in Jharkhand, if implemented, would have created nearly 9,000 jobs, Assocham said, basing its estimates on proposed investments of about Rs.40,900 crore by Essar Steel, Jindal Steel and Power and Jindal South-West.

Likewise, in the automotive sector, M&M's joint venture in Chennai with Renault and Nissan has been deferred following a delay in land acquisition; this would have created work for at least 5,000 people directly, Assocham said.

Agencies

Wipro BPO recruitments; Techies protest

Hundreds of students in West Bengal, protesting IT company Wipro's decision to recruit engineers as business process outsourcing (BPO) employees, met state IT Minister Debesh Das to air their problems.

The students, who were earlier selected for engineering jobs by the IT major, say the company is now recruiting them as BPO employees.

“We met the IT minister and he told us that he will look into the matter,” Sayantan Mukherjee, a student of Bengal Institute of Technology said.

"We were promised jobs in the company after we complete our engineering courses in 2009. But last week we were asked to join as BPO employees," he said.

Mukherjee got Wipro's offer in March 2007 for the post of project engineer, but was later asked by the company to join its BPO division.

"Moreover, the company is asking for a bond money of Rs 75,000 for the BPO job, which is unheard of in the industry. Usually project engineers are asked to deposit money, not BPO employees," he added.

However, when contacted, a Wipro official told the media that the decision was taken to give opportunity to graduates to start their work without any delay.

"Every year campus joining is spread out over the four quarters. This is done for logistical reasons of training and seating. Due to current business scenario we estimate delays in joining dates of some batches of recruits," Pradeep Bahirwani, VP (talent acquisition), Wipro, told from Bangalore through an email.

"We are providing them an option of a technical support role in our BPO division. The objective is to let engineering graduates commence work without delay," he said.

Bahirwani added that the employees would have an opportunity to move into the technologies business in 12-18 months based on business demand. "The annual compensation will remain unchanged as per the original offer letter and those not wishing to exercise this option would have to await their joining dates for the technologies division."

Mukherjee said similar things were happening in other states like Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. The students over there were also protesting against the decision, he said.

Source: Agencies