Jaguar Land Rover Now Offers Contactless Online Purchase and Service Experience in India

Buy Online

* Jaguar Land Rover India enhances its online presence with improved purchase and service portals
* Online Purchase: Jaguar Land Rover was one of the first to introduce online portals in 2016 with “findmeacar.in” for Jaguar and “findmeasuv.in” for Land Rover
* Online Service Booking: Jaguar and Land Rover customers will enjoy a completely contactless and worry-free experience by booking service online at “jaguar.in” or “landrover.in”

Jaguar Land Rover India has announced today that it has further enhanced its online purchase and service presence, creating a safe and convenient experience for its customers, from the comfort of their home. A pioneering effort, Jaguar Land Rover, through its Retailers was one of the first to introduce online purchase with “findmeacar.in” for Jaguar and “findmeasuv.in” for Land Rover. Jaguar Land Rover has now enhanced its offering by adding a comprehensive service suite on its websites, “jaguar.in” and “landrover.in”

Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India said:

“At Jaguar Land Rover India, our aim has always been to offer a hassle-free and transparent purchase and service experience for our customers. With our enhanced and updated purchase and service portals, we are now able to offer the additional benefit of a contactless and safe environment in which our customers can fully enjoy the Jaguar Land Rover experience. ”

PURCHASE

Jaguar and Land Rover’s New and Approved vehicles buying platforms, “findmeacar.in” and “findmeasuv.in” respectively, get enhanced features and navigation for ease of use. With its unique comparison feature, online chat and click to call, existing and potential customers get to make informed decisions. When a customer decides to purchase a New Car, they can choose to opt for a ready delivery vehicle or order one according to their requirement for delivery at a later date. Customers can also offer their existing vehicle for trade-in and get an estimated value if it meets Jaguar Land Rover India criteria.

SERVICE

Jaguar and Land Rover customers can log on to “jaguar.in” and “landrover.in” respectively, to book their vehicle for service. The simple setup allows customers to enter their vehicle details, select the type of service, a suitable date and time and retailer that is the most convenient. From there onwards, the customer will receive an e-mail from the retailer confirming the appointment and should the customer choose, can avail a contactless vehicle pickup and drop facility. If so, and once the order of work is confirmed by the customer, he or she, from the comfort of their home will be updated about the work in progress via photos and videos on the Electronic Vehicle Health Checkup on their e-mail. On completion of work an e-invoice will be shared with the customer and the customer can pay from a variety of online payment options and would receive the car in the same contactless manner.

Zendesk Strengthens APAC Leadership with New Regional COO and SVP of Sales

Zendesk strengthens its regional leadership bench with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) veterans Wendy Johnstone and Gari Johnson to accelerate growth in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, which accounts for more than 10% of the company’s global business with over 24,000 customers, as of the latest financial results (Q1 2020).

Johnstone joins Zendesk as the company’s first regional Chief Operating Officer, where she will spearhead go-to-market strategies and operations for APAC and report into global Chief Operating Officer Tom Keiser. Based in Singapore, she brings over 25 years of experience in numerous senior marketing and operations roles at Salesforce, EMC, IBM and, most recently, Microsoft. 

Working closely with Johnstone is Gari Johnson, Senior Vice President, Sales, Asia Pacific, who will drive the company’s growth strategy and expand its customer base in the region. Previously at Salesforce, Johnson’s experience spans more than 30 years in sales, operations and marketing roles at Oracle, Intralinks and IBM, to name a few. Johnson is based in Sydney and reports into Norman Gennaro, President, Worldwide Sales.

Together, Johnstone and Johnson are set to steer the APAC business through these unique times in an effort to support Zendesk’s long-term goal of becoming a multibillion-dollar revenue company.

Earlier this year, Johnson’s predecessor, Sandie Overtveld, stepped into a newly created role within the business as the Vice President, Strategic Enterprise Accounts for APAC and EMEA and is now based in Europe.

Social Alpha, Aster DM Healthcare Collaborate to Launch Aster – Social Alpha Co-Innovation and Clinical Practice Integration Initiative

Aster DM Healthcare, a leading integrated healthcare provider and Social Alpha, an initiative supported by the Tata Trusts and Government of India have collaborated to support entrepreneurs and innovators working in the areas of digital health and medical technologies and launch Aster – Social Alpha Co-Innovation and Clinical Practice Integration Initiative.

As of 2018, there were a total of 4,892 start-ups in the Indian MedTech space and the Indian healthcare market is estimated to be valued at $372 Billion by 2022. The unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 has created a global healthcare emergency and an urgent need for investment in science and technology innovations across the healthcare ecosystem. The partnership will support selected start-ups to take their solutions and technologies to market via Aster and Social Alpha’s platform and ecosystem, provide access toa shared pool of mentor network, expert connects and market access opportunities.Aster and Social Alpha will work together on co-creation of technologies and support start-ups with a vast network of pharmacies, primary care clinics and hospital expertise in India and Middle East for easy clinical adoption.

A one-of-its-kind projectAster – Social Alpha Co-Innovation and Clinical Practice Integration Initiative aims toprovide vast infrastructural support to start-ups which will include:

* Incubation support including access to specialized co-working spacewithin Aster and Social Alpha premises in Bengaluru, Cochin and Delhi
* Creation of Healthcare Technology Experience Centre at Aster CMI Hospital in Bengaluru. The Centre will hostAster Social Alpha – Innovation Lounge with Clinical Investigators who will work closely with innovators to co-create disruptive MedTech innovations.
* Creation ofDigital Health Incubation Core Group that will provide specific research support to help start-ups with relevant resource material and substantially reduce their R&D costs
* Social Alpha will host an Open Innovation Platformto systematically curate problem statements and manage the ‘lab to market’ journey of innovative solutions that solve a set of validated problem statements. It will allow multiple stakeholders to work together and create as well as build on an existing solution. Aster DM will co-host and participate in the curation, validation & prioritization of problem statements, innovations and enterprises.
* Year-round nationwide scouting of start-ups, innovators and entrepreneurs as per the curated problem statements

Speaking about the partnership, Manoj Kumar, Founder& Chairperson, Social Alpha, says,“The need for accelerated adoption of tech innovations in healthcare delivery cannot be overstated. The ability of the MedTech start-up ecosystem to pivot their technologies to respond to the immediate needs of the COVID-19 demonstrates the innovation agility and creativity of our entrepreneurs. The appetite for new technologies that can strengthen our healthcare delivery system is palpable but engaging clinicians and healthcare professionals throughout the lab to market progression is necessary to drive user acceptance and adoption at scale. Our partnership with Aster DM Healthcare is a step forward in that direction."

Speaking about the partnership, Dr. Satish Prasad Rath, Chief of Innovation and Research, Aster DM Healthcare says,“Healthcare systems of today’s age need more and more innovations to move from hospital centric sick care to patient centric healthcare. This will bring in efficiency and sustainability. In the COVID-19, non contact healthcare delivery era, importance of this has increased manyfold. We are extremely glad to have partnered with social alpha. The start ups need real testing environment, real data, real insights, which Aster with its comprehensive network; from pharmacy, primary care to tertiary and quaternary care can help in acceleration. We are also quiet eager to use this platform to bring forth newer innvotions for COVID-19 related solutions, as a part of our organisation’s efforts to continue providing easily accessable quality care”

The partnership has already shortlistedthreetechnologies for the first batch of Aster – Social Alpha Clinical Practice Integration Initiative. These technologies have been carefully identified based on the gaps in different stages of the existing Covid-19 management. These technologies include: a digital therapeutics app to manage anxiety, stress, depression and PTSD; AI driven teleICU that can reduce exposure to intensivists and care assistants and can also be used in low resource settings; and peptide based antiviral therapies targeting ACE2 and adsorption cartridges capable of removing cytokines from blood and preventing lethal complications of ARDS and viral sepsis. 

O2Matic is a MedTech start-up currently being incubated by Social Alpha under the program.They have intelligently designed infrastructure independent, affordable, easy to use oxygen generator for emergency oxygen sypply.

The collaboration will also include, but not be limited to, co-hosting innovation events, co-participation in grand challenges, technology and innovation evaluations, end user feedback and knowledge sharing and providing crucial mentorship support to the start-ups.

EdTech Live Online Tutoring Pioneer Vedantu Appoints Arvind Singhal as Chief Operating Officer

Vedantu, a pioneer in LIVE online tutoring in India, today announced the appointment of Arvind Singhal as Chief Operating Officer. Based in Bengaluru, Arvind will report to Vamsi Krishna, CEO and Co-founder. Arvind will lead Vedantu’s growth strategy and scale up the organization while working very closely with sales, marketing, academics, operations, and customer experience teams.

An industry veteran, Arvind comes with over two decades of rich experience across multiple sectors and well-known brands such as Asian Paints, Marico, Nokia, Reliance Communications, McDonald’s , TaxiForSure, Ola, BlueStone and Blackbuck. In the last decade, Arvind has been scaling and building businesses in COO/CEO role. He brings a diverse mindset and collaborative approach having worked in both traditional set ups as well as the startup ecosystem.

Announcing the appointment Vamsi Krishna, CEO and Co-founder, Vedantu said, “We are very pleased to have Arvind on board. He has a proven track record and is a leader with unparalleled understanding of business and people. By virtue of his strong contribution in the past, his appointment is in line with our growth strategy as we strive to become one of the world’s largest impact companies in education. I am confident that Arvind will drive Vedantu in its next stage of exponential growth as we continue to enhance our platform with world-class educators and embrace innovative technology to cater to learners across the country.”

On his appointment, Arvind Singhal, Chief Operating Officer, Vedantu said: “Vedantu is a category creator in LIVE online learning and I’m elated to take on the mantle as COO. Education is a great enabler for a beautiful future. It is not beyond our power to create a world in which all children have access to a good education. In the present scenario as online learning gains acceptance amongst students, it is our responsibility to create the right opportunity for the students of India.”

Arvind holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Mumbai and is an MBA from IIM Calcutta.

RBI Takes Proactive Steps to Support Growth; Real Estate to Benefit from the Financial Measures

The measures announced by the RBI today during the MPC meeting complement the economic stimulus package announced earlier by the Central government and Central Bank to restart the economy through liquidity infusion, fiscal support and reform led investments. There is a strong indication by the Bank to kick-start the economy by fueling demand across sectors including Real estate. Given the current grim economic, the  environment underlined by weak demand and supply conditions, RBI has acted prudently to revive demand by facilitating cheaper credit and supply through enabling higher liquidity infusion across key sectors.

The 40 bps further reduction in the repo rate only gives more elbowroom to banks to reduce mortgage rates in favour of the homebuyers. The repo rate is now at 4.0%, which is lower than the 4.75% rate prevailing during April 2009 - global financial crisis period.  A faster transmission of these benefits to the end consumer in the form of lower home loan rates will aid in improving their effective affordability. Further, the reverse repo rate cut from 3.75% to 3.35% will further disincentivise  banks to park the surplus money with RBI, rather inject back into the productive sectors of the economy in the way of higher credit.

The extension of loan moratorium until August 31 will provide the much-needed respite to the corporate sector including real estate developers whose cash flows have been severely impacted due to the pandemic. Banks are also allowed to extend this benefit to NBFCs, which are strapped with short-term liquidity concerns. The Central Bank has also permitted the conversion of the accumulated interest on working capital facilities during the moratorium period into a term loan, which can be paid until March 31 2021. The lending institutions are being permitted to restore the margins for working capital to the original level by March 31, 2021.

Further, the commercial banks have been allowed to raise their group exposure limit from 25% to 30%, which will enable higher flow of credit to the corporate sector including real estate. These measures are significant to tide the short-term working capital challenges faced by the corporates and will give them a breather to focus on restarting their business operations. However, one-time restructuring of loan is the need of the hour more importantly for the real estate sector which is severely ailing due to the pandemic. It is expected that RBI will take a decision soon once it is clear about the lockdown’s impact on the economy and cash flow.

Akshaya Patra Foundation Receives a ₹3.75 Crore Grant from the Micron Foundation to Continue Food Relief

The Akshaya Patra Foundation received a ₹3.75 crore grant from the Micron Foundation for COVID-19 relief. Funding will go towards preparing and distributing over 15,00,000 meals (including essential food relief kits) to the affected people in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka as per the directions of local administrative bodies.

“The effects of COVID-19 pandemic in India have been far reaching, creating tremendous need,” said Anand Ramamoorthy, managing director of Micron India. “Micron’s grant to Akshaya Patra’s local kitchens and distribution chains aims to address the burdens most often borne by low-income communities and migrant workers.”

Akshaya Patra has served more than four crore meals across the country. In Telangana, the Foundation is working with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and local municipalities to serve cooked meals to migrant workers and daily-wage earners who have lost their livelihood and are in great despair in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent nation-wide lockdown.

Around 2,00,000 freshly cooked meals are served in Telangana by Akshaya Patra and associates every day. In addition, over 55,000 food relief kits with essential groceries have been distributed as of now. Each of these kits contains Sona Masuri rice, tur dal, refined sunflower oil, masala powders, salt, tamarind and vegetables that have a long shelf-life, such as potatoes.

“Micron’s continued support of Akshaya Patra’s COVID-19 efforts has enabled us to stay agile and adaptive, supporting the growing needs of the communities we serve. We thank the entire Micron Technology family for supporting us in this cause,” said Sri Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa, regional president of Akshaya Patra in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. “We are also grateful to the government, especially the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the police force, for the trust and support they have extended towards our mission on a daily basis.”

Akshaya Patra dedicates its resources, platforms, and goodwill to make the biggest impact on people with the greatest need. This moment is an opportunity to illuminate how we are all affected when some of us lack the protections of a safety net. By focusing on the needs of people most impacted, we can better ensure the health and safety of all communities.

Edelweiss General Insurance Launches a “Unique, Usage-Based Motor OD Insurance Cover”

Key Highlights:

* App-based Motor OD floater policy
* Driver-based, pay-as-you-use model that allows the customer to pay premium only on the days they use the vehicle
* Covers multiple drivers and multiple vehicles under a single policy

Edelweiss General Insurance (EGI), India’s first cloud native insurer, announced the launch of an innovative, app-based Motor OD floater policy – Edelweiss SWITCH. This driver-based motor insurance policy, launched under IRDAI’s Regulatory Sandbox, allows vehicle owners to SWITCH their motor insurance ON and OFF, based on usage and covers multiple vehicles under a single policy.

What differentiates Edelweiss SWITCH from other Motor OD policies, is that it is driver-based insurance, where the insurance is calculated on the age and experience of the driver. Edelweiss SWITCH uses a pay-as-you-use model that allows the customer to pay the premium only on the days they use the vehicle, offering significant cost savings and convenience.  Customers can use the app to SWITCH their policy cover 'ON' and 'OFF', depending on whether they are driving that day.  Also, while the policy covers accidental damage when it is switched on, vehicles will be covered 24/7/365 against fire and theft, even if the policy is switched off at that time, since these incidents can happen even if the vehicle is not being driven.

Shanai Ghosh, ED & CEO, Edelweiss General Insurance, said, “At Edelweiss General Insurance, our focus has always been to create simple and innovative products that are relevant and provide tangible value to our customers. Edelweiss SWITCH has been developed with the specific needs of today’s customer in mind, where you may not use your vehicle regularly or may choose to alternate between your car and two-wheeler. This Driver Based Insurance will mean lower premiums for policyholders, as they will only pay as per usage. In addition to this, being able to cover multiple vehicles under one policy will add to the savings, especially for those customers who own multiple vehicles.”

IRDAI’s Sandbox platform is a welcome and progressive move, to encourage creation of innovative solutions for customers. Under this, nine GI players were given approval for products under the “Pay as you use” model. Of these, only three players, including Edelweiss General Insurance, have been given an approval for motor floater products.  The “Pay as you use” model is expected to change the erstwhile industry standard of determining premium for Motor OD (by age, make and model of the vehicle), to premiums based on usage and driving experience.