Sanjay Manohar Appointed Managing Director of McAfee India

McAfee, the device-to-cloud cybersecurity company, announced the appointment of Sanjay Manohar as managing director, India. He will be responsible for building and leading teams to drive product revenues, increase adoption of cloud-based products and strengthen customer relationships. He will report directly to Craig Nielsen, vice president, APAC, McAfee.

Sanjay brings over 25 years of proven industry experience spanning leadership roles across the APAC region. His career has been marked by continuous growth and recognition in marketing, sales and channel strategy. His core strengths include go-to-market strategy and execution, supplemented by his expertise in the areas of SaaS, enterprise software and networking.

Commenting on Sanjay’s appointment, Craig Nielsen said, “Sanjay will work closely with our leadership team to further accelerate our growth in India, which is a strategic market for McAfee globally. He joins us at a time when enterprises are realizing the significance of cybersecurity and making it a part of their boardroom discussions. His extensive knowledge of the industry and the region will help our customers find the best solutions for optimizing their security infrastructure, reducing risk and increasing operational efficiencies.”

“There is an increasing need today for robust cybersecurity protection for both enterprises and individuals with the fast-evolving threat landscape. I look forward to helping customers address this challenge and I’m pleased to join McAfee which remains committed to making the connected world more secure while being a trusted partner for all our stakeholders across the region,” said Sanjay Manohar.

Prior to McAfee, Sanjay held roles as regional vice president - Asia Pacific Japan, Carrier Business at Akamai Technologies, and MD of the Greater China region spearheading a cross-functional team of over 100 employees across 5 offices. Sanjay has been associated with leading MNCs when the industry was at the cusp of cloud offerings for businesses.

India's Online Retail Market Likely to Cross $170 Billion by 2030: Jefferies Report

Online retail in the country that is growing at a faster pace, is expected to be $170 billion by FY30, growing at a CAGR of 23 per cent, according to a Jefferies report. Currently, the total online retail in the country is pegged at $18 billion.

The online retail, which is currently around 25 per cent of total organised retail market in India, can potentially increase to around 37 per cent of the total organised retail market during this period, the report said.

Currently, the total online retail in the country is pegged at $18 billion.

Spends per online shoppers, which is estimated at Rs 12,800 is expected to increase to Rs 25,138 by FY30, with consumers shopping online for other segments, beyond electronics and apparel.

It noted that electronics, including mobile phones, has grabbed the market share from physical retailers, largely due to heavy discounting and cash-back online in electronics.

“Apparel and electronics have been present as categories in online retail space quite some time now in India, but online grocery is increasingly witnessing new consumers as companies such as Big Basket and Amazon Pantry are heavily advertising there discounting days, which takes place at the start of every month.

We believe that new customers will continue to enter the online grocery, given low differentiation in grocery and convenience for consumers. However, penetration of online retail in grocery will continue to remain lower,” it said.

Personal care, including make-up, too is gaining its market share online.

Jefferies noted that increase in online penetration has been a function of both discounting and convenience, however, over the medium term, discounting in the system should rationalise and convenience will be the key driver.

However, it observed that product quality remains a key concern for most of the consumers shopping online and there have been lot of instances in the country where consumers have got a counterfeit or a fake product, especially in categories such as perfumes and cosmetics.

“Quality remains a key issue for consumers while shopping online. Though online retailers are taking steps to address this issue, it will take some time and hence some consumers will continue to stay away from online shopping, especially for big-ticket, branded items.

The adoption of online retail should continue at a fast pace, as convenience seems even more important. Apart from quality, breach of data and data security are also key issues hampering adoption of online retailing,” it added.

Jet Airlines Assures Value of JPMiles Will Remain Secure and Intact

We would like to assure our members that the value of their JPMiles are secure and remain intact. With our air reward offering, “Select Flights”, members have the choice to redeem their JPMiles to fly free across more airlines, any destinations, any flights and any seats in India and globally, starting with the same JPMiles requirement as before which was applicable on Jet Airways and its partner airlines.

As always, our members can also continue to use their JPMiles on hotel stays, fuel & 2500+ merchandise options on the JetPrivilege Reward Store. We consider it our foremost responsibility to safeguard the faith our members have placed in us and remain steadfast in protecting and creating more value for our members through JPMiles. We are constantly expanding our vast partner network to offer diverse JPMiles earning opportunities across 10+ categories to our members.

Jet Privilege Pvt. Ltd. is a separate, independent entity, part of the Etihad Aviation Group formed with the sole purpose to market, develop and grow JetPrivilege – an internationally acclaimed award-winning loyalty and rewards programme.

Jaguar I-Pace Wins Unprecedented Treble at 2019 World Car Awards

The all-electric Jaguar I-PACE has completed an historic treble at the 2019 World Car Awards. Not only has it won the coveted 2019 World Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year titles – equalling the success of the F-PACE in 2017 – it has also been named World Green Car.

I-PACE is the first model ever to win three World Car titles in the 15-year history of the awards.

This latest win for the I-PACE, awarded at the New York International Auto Show by a panel of 86 motoring journalists from 24 countries, comes just weeks after it claimed the European Car of Year title, and affirms its status as the most desirable premium electric vehicle (EV) in the world.

Prof. Dr. Ralf Speth, Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “It is an honour that the Jaguar I-PACE has received these three accolades from the prestigious World Car jurors.

“We started with an ideal, to move towards our Destination Zero vision; zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion. I-PACE is our first step to achieving this, and it was conceived when EVs were little more than a niche choice.

“So we started from a clean sheet of paper to create a new benchmark - the world's best premium electric vehicle, and a true Jaguar driver's car.

“For I-PACE to be awarded 2019 World Car of the Year, World Car Design of the Year and World Green Car gives our first all-electric vehicle the ultimate recognition it deserves. I would like to thank the team who have created I-PACE for their passion in making it so outstanding.”

Designed and developed in the UK, I-PACE is attracting new customers to the Jaguar brand, for many of whom it will also be their first EV – to date, over 11,000 customers in more than 60 countries worldwide have taken delivery. Its combination of sports car performance, zero emissions, exceptional refinement and true SUV practicality make I-PACE the stand-out choice in its segment.

Ian Callum, Jaguar Director of Design, who was in New York to accept the awards, said: “Designing Jaguar cars is probably the best job in the world, and I can honestly say that no other project I’ve worked on has been as rewarding as I-PACE. Electric vehicles offer designers unprecedented freedom to rethink the proportions, the profile and the packaging, and it’s an opportunity that my team has exploited in full. Winning the 2019 World Car Design of the Year award, as well as World Car of the Year and World Green Car, is true recognition for their achievements.”

The I-PACE’s dramatic, cab-forward profile, short overhangs and taut, muscular haunches give it a sense of drama which set it apart from other SUVs. The spacious interior – enabled by the bespoke electric vehicle architecture – is finished with beautiful premium details and exacting Jaguar craftsmanship.

I-PACE has a state-of-the-art 90kWh lithium-ion battery and delivers a range of up to 292 miles (WLTP cycle). It’s capable of charging from 0-80% in just 40 minutes (100kW DC), or takes just over ten hours to achieve the same state of charge when using a domestic wallbox (7kW AC) - ideal for overnight home-charging.
A suite of smart, range-optimising technologies also include a battery pre-conditioning system: when plugged in the I-PACE will automatically raise (or lower) the temperature of its battery to maximise range ahead of driving away.
The I-PACE has also earned a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. The body structure provides high levels of occupant protection, and is complemented by technologies designed to protect other road users and pedestrians, including a deployable bonnet and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection.

The I-PACE has received 62 awards since it was revealed little more than a year ago, including European Car of the Year, German, Norwegian and UK Car of the Year, BBC TopGear magazine EV of the Year, China Green Car of the Year, and Autobest’s ECOBEST Award.

Reliance Net Up 9.8% to Rs 10,362 Cr in Q4; Jio Net Jumps 65% Y-o-Y to Rs 840 Crore

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries on Thursday posted the highest quarterly net profit by any Indian private sector firm with a 9.8% rise in earnings in the period ended March 31 after robust business in retail and telecom sectors offset a dip in oil refinery margins.

The oil-to-telecom conglomerate reported a 9.8% rise in its consolidated net profit at Rs 10,362 crore, or Rs 17.5 per share, in the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2019, as compared with Rs 9,438 crore, or Rs 15.9 a share, in the same period of the previous financial year, the company said in a statement.

This is the highest quarterly profit by any Indian private sector company. State-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) holds the distinction of posting the highest ever quarterly profit by any Indian firm when it had reported a net profit of Rs 14,512.81 crore in January-March 2013 after it received the full-year fuel subsidy in just one quarter.

Reliance saw its revenue jump by 19.4% to Rs 154,110 crore in January-March 2019, even though they were 9.7% lower than Rs 170,709 crore revenue in the third quarter of the fiscal.

The company opened more retail stores and added 26.6 million new subscribers to its Jio mobile phone service that helped increase the profitability of the venture as its traditional oil refining business witnessed margin pressures on fluctuating international oil prices.

In full year 2018-19, the company posted a record Rs 39,588 crore net profit on a revenue of Rs 622,809 crore.

“During FY 2018-19, we achieved several milestones and made significant strides in building Reliance of the future. Reliance Retail crossed Rs 100,000 crore revenue milestone, Jio now serves over 300 million consumers and our petrochemicals business delivered its highest ever earnings,” Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani said.

The record profit for the year came in a period of heightened volatility in the energy markets, he said, adding pre-tax profit has more than doubled in the last five years to Rs 92,656 crore.

“Focus on service and customer satisfaction led to higher numbers of subscribers and footfalls across our consumer businesses, driving robust revenue growth. Our endeavour is to create better experiences for our customers, leading to a better-shared future,” he added.

Its retail business, which comprises 10,415 stores with 510 being added in Q4, saw pre-tax business profit jump 77.1% to record Rs 1,923 crore.

“Reliance Retail is the only Indian retailer to be in the top 100 global retailers list and the 6th fastest growing retailer globally as per Deloitte’s Global Powers of Retailing 2019,” the statement said.

Jio continous to excel

Reliance Jio, the group’s telecom arm, posted a standalone net profit of Rs 840 crore, which was 65% more than the previous year, as subscriber base swelled to 306.7 million from 280.1 million at the end of the December quarter.

Earning per subscriber, however, declined to Rs 126.2 a month from Rs 130 in the previous quarter.

The petrochemical business saw pre-tax profits jump by 24% to Rs 7,975 crore on higher prices.

The operator of the world’s largest oil refining complex saw pre-tax earnings from the business decline for the fourth quarter in a row. Pre-tax earnings fell 25.5% to Rs 4,176 crore as margins dipped.

It earned $8.2 on turning every barrel of crude oil into fuel as compared to a gross refining margin (GRM) of $11 per barrel in January-March 2018.

G7 CR Tech Hosts a 2- Day Free Workshop on Architecture and Design on PowerBI with Microsoft Azure Analysis Services

G7 CR Technologies, a leading global information technology, consulting and cloud services company, has organized a full 2-day free workshop on Architecture and Design on PowerBI with Microsoft Azure Analysis services on 26th & 27th April 2019 at G7 CR office, Bangalore.

This Two-day instructor-led Workshop provides delegates a clear and comprehensive explanation of the concepts and best techniques for deploying OLAP (Online analytical processing). The workshop will offer IT professionals a thorough coverage of logical issues such as Design for Data Marts, dimensional hierarchies, as well as physical issues of data storage, access, and calculation. In addition, the session will provide many practical methods and formulae, along with a quick preview of Predictive analysis and Data Mining.

The course consists of 3 modules:

Module 1: Introduction

The BI Architecture
An Architectural Framework and Approach to BI Implementation
Data Marts, Data Warehouse and OLAP
The Need for Data Modeling
Dimensional Data Modeling
Business Cases and Data Modelling Techniques.
Thinking Clearly in N Dimensions
Module 2: The Core of BI and OLAP Solutions

The OLAP Flavors and it’s Pro’s and Con’s
It’s a Jungle Out There – vendors and Products
The Core of Multidimensional Technology
The Internal Structure of a Dimension
Hypercubes or Semantic Spaces
Analytic Visualization
Physical Design of Applications
Practical Steps for Designing and Implementing BI Systems
Product Language Comparisons

Module 3: Success Guidelines and Best Practices

Issues and Resolution Business and Technical
Multidimensional Guidelines
Toward a Theoretically Grounded Model for BI and Its Connection to the Relational
Model and Canonical Logic
Codd's 18 Features
Best Practices For one of the leading SSAS Products

This course will be beneficial for Designers, Managers, and Owners of a BI System who need to get about the business of Analyzing their Information from the heaps of data. And it will be an advantage for those who are already familiar with working knowledge of SQL, experience with database design, understand Data Warehousing Concepts.

Emirates Airlines Rolls Out Special Easter Menus from April 19-23

Emirates is introducing seasonal treats to celebrate Easter on board and in select airport lounges worldwide. The Easter menu is available to customers in all cabin classes from 19 to 23 April when travelling from Dubai to destinations in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Ghana and the Philippines.

Emirates will also observe Orthodox Easter with special menus for customers travelling on flights from Dubai to Russia and Greece on 28 April.

On board, customers can look forward to Easter buns handmade using Emirates’ signature recipe with spiced dough and orange peel, sultanas and currants; and children will be delighted with desserts featuring the Easter bunny. Those flying in premium classes will be able to choose from Easter-inspired desserts. First Class customers can also look forward to an Easter edition of the Lakrids “Egg” Dulce de Leche Liquorice Balls in their personal goodie baskets. This seasonal offering is in addition to the regionally-inspired cuisine served on all Emirates flights.

From 21 – 22 April, all seven Emirates lounges at Dubai International Airport and most of the airline’s dedicated Emirates lounges around the world will also introduce Easter specials. In Dubai, customers can savour traditional Easter buns, Simnel cupcake, carrot cake and Banoffee desserts. For the entire week, Coffee Planet will serve festive drinks such as Marshmallow Mocha and White Chocolate Breve.

At Emirates lounges in other international airports, frequent flyers and those travelling in Emirates First and Business Class can enjoy Easter menus with different local highlights such as Roman lamb chops served with artichokes and mint in the Emirates Rome lounge, Traditional South African Pickled Fish in the Emirates lounges in Cape Town and Johannesburg, Easter bread in the Emirates Kuala Lumpur lounge and Easter leg of lamb in the US lounges.

Customers travelling during the Easter break can enjoy over 4,000 channels of on-demand entertainment on ice, including over 1000 movies from around the world. New family-friendly movies include Dumplin’, Christopher Robin, Freaky Friday, The House with a Clock in its Walls and Mary Poppins Returns. With such a broad array of entertainment on offer, customers can create their own playlists of music, movies and TV shows on the Emirates app ahead of their flight and sync it to their seats once on board to maximise their enjoyment time.

The Easter celebrations on board and on the ground are part of Emirates’ commitment to enhance the customer experience with unique and seasonal offerings.