Emirates SkyCargo Keeps the World Connected with Over 10,000 Flights in 3 Months

Between April and June 2020, Emirates SkyCargo has facilitated the movement of essential commodities and other supplies for individual consumers and businesses across the world by operating more than 10,000 cargo flights to destinations across six continents. The flights were a mix of scheduled, ad-hoc and charter operations.

Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo said: “As a customer focused organisation, Emirates SkyCargo has innovatively adapted our cargo operations and offerings over the last few months in line with rapidly evolving market demand. In keeping with our core value as a global facilitator of trade and economies, we have re-grown our network to over 100 destinations with robust flight frequencies to key production and consumer markets. We continue to be able to offer our customers an unmatched reach and connectivity for their valuable cargo and our flight milestones are a validation of our customers’ trust in our service.”

During the months of May and June, Emirates SkyCargo operated on an average more than 3,800 flights per month, with the aircraft travelling to over 100 destinations and covering approximately 37 million kilometres, which is the equivalent distance of roughly 50 trips to the moon and back.

Starting from just over 35 destinations at the end of March 2020, Emirates SkyCargo has expanded its network to over 100 scheduled cargo destinations across the world for the month of July 2020. From transporting urgently needed medical supplies and food to materials required for manufacturing and other industries from origin to destination, Emirates SkyCargo is helping reconnect cities to international trade lanes as manufacturing and other economic activities recommence.

QuEST Global Rolls Out a New Equity Compensation Plan Globally

* The plan will be rolled out to eligible employees

* Aims at developing and retaining future leaders of the company

QuEST Global, a global product engineering and lifecycle services company, today announced a broad-based equity compensation plan for its employees globally. The plan, aimed at increasing employee ownership in the organization, comprises of Employee Stock Options (ESOPs) which have the potential to provide significant benefits to the participants. ESOPs will be rolled out to eligible employees - selected based on roles, performance, and growth potential - in the coming weeks.

The ESOP grants vest over a future period - typically 3-5 years and will provide employees with a financial interest in the future success of the business. Along with this, the ESOP will also enable the company to develop and retain its future leaders as equity plans help align the interests of the shareholders and the employees.

Calling it a significant business decision, Ajit Prabhu, Chairman & CEO, QuEST Global said, “The well-being of the company is in the hands of our loyal, long-term employees and clients who rely on them. Over the last two decades, our belief in the power of people has led us to build an organization that employs over 11,000 talented engineers across the globe. It is not just the founding families and private equity firms who are the owners of the company but also our employees, who double up during crises to rebuild the business. It is befitting to reward them with ownership by rolling out ESOP for their loyalty and commitment, providing them with a great opportunity to participate in generating and sharing the wealth.”

Ajit also said that he is grateful to all the employees, shareholders, and investors who supported the organization during this unprecedented situation as the COVID-19 pandemic hit businesses worldwide. “The year 2020 has been tough. With the strong support of our shareholders and investors, who continue to believe in us, along with the positive spirit demonstrated by our employees, we have been successfully sailing through the trying times. With their support, we will continue to build an organization where we have put purpose over profit, empowerment over control, networking, and engagement of employees over control and command. The culture and employees are truly the greatest assets of QuEST, and it will lead us to a bright and successful future,” he added.

Niketh Sundar, Global Head – People Function and Culture, QuEST Global, said, “The founders of the company always believed in greater employee ownership and participation. This has translated into us going deeper and enrolling a lot more employees across multiple levels than what is typically expected of such plans in the industry. This strategic move will also help us groom experienced and dedicated engineers who can solve problems for our customers, while they directly benefit from the continued success of the company. At QuEST, we are very excited about the future.”

Over the last two decades, QuEST has seen multiple equity-linked incentive plans, and this is the company’s fourth ESOP grant cycle following grants in 2004, 2011, and 2017. The new plan will enroll almost twice as many participants as compared to previous years; providing greater flexibility and adopts several good practices in terms of design – be it around plan vehicles, vesting, and performance conditions.

Microsoft Occupies Top Spot as India’s Most Attractive Employer Brand

Randstad Employer Brand Research 2020

* Employees seek work-life balance, attractive salary & benefits and job security

* 69% of the survey respondents indicated that they stayed with their employer in the past year and 81% agree that non-monetary benefits are equally important when choosing an employer

Microsoft India, the technology giant emerged as India’s most ‘attractive employer brand’, reveals the findings of Randstad Employer Brand Research (REBR) 2020 - the most comprehensive, independent and in-depth employer brand research in the world. Microsoft India scored high on financial health, strong reputation and utilization of the latest technologies – the top 3 EVP drivers for the organization, as per the survey. Samsung India emerged as the runner up, followed by Amazon India.

The annual employer brand research, based on perceptions of the general audience (students, employed and unemployed workforce) has been conducted by Randstad, the global leader in the HR services industry. REBR has been providing valuable insights to help employers shape their employer brand for over 20 successful years globally and it is the 10th edition in India this year.

The Randstad Employer Brand Research, covering 75% of the global economy with 33 participating countries and more than 1,85,000 respondents worldwide, clearly revealed that in 2020, work-life balance (43%) emerges as the top EVP driver for the Indian workforce while choosing an employer, followed by attractive salary and employee benefits (41%) and job security (40%). These are also the areas where there is a significant gap between what employees want and what they think employers offer in India.

This year, it is interesting to note that there are no gender differences in the top two EVP drivers. Both male and female respondents attributed equal importance to work-life balance (43%) and attractive salary and employee benefits (41%) as key factors while choosing an employer. However, more men (40%) considered job security as a key factor while choosing an employer than women (39%).

A higher percentage of male respondents (36%) also accorded more importance to career progression opportunities compared to their female (33%) counterparts.

Presenting the REBR 2020 survey insights, Paul Dupuis, MD & CEO Randstad India said, “This is the 10th edition of REBR in India and 20th edition globally. For the last 10 years, our research has been consistently adding value to India’s HR community, by bringing out remarkable insights on workforce sentiments and allowing them to evaluate their employer brand. Employer branding is an evolving journey based on newer and deeper insights that unravel with time, so organizations must make this a strategic business agenda”.

“I believe that effective employer branding is a function of an organization’s purpose. If the company has clear visibility of its true north, a great culture and can define and articulate why they exist, while making real connections, the process of creating a ‘meaningful employer brand’ that resonates with their audience will become easier. This process has become increasingly important since the onset of COVID19 – when the job market is undergoing a paradigm shift and the need for organizations to transform their employer branding proposition to make it more ‘humane’ in the new world of work becomes even more critical”, he added.

Top 10 most attractive employer brands in India for 2020:

1.         Microsoft

2.         Samsung

3.         Amazon

4.         Infosys Technologies

5.         Mercedes-Benz

6.         Sony

7.         IBM

8.         Dell Technologies Ltd

9.         ITC Group

10.       Tata Consultancy Services

Other key findings from the Randstad Employer Brand Research 2020

What do potential employees want by generational profile:

38% of Gen Z’s (18-24 years) are looking for good training opportunities from their employer, while 34% of the Millennials (25-34 years) are attracted to forward-thinking and tech-savvy organizations and deem the use of latest technologies as a very important attribute. 46% of Gen X’s (35-54 years) find good work-life balance a very important pull-factor towards an employer, whereas 32% of the Boomers (55-64 years) find a convenient location as the key factor.

Switchers, Stayers and Intenders In Focus:

69% of the survey respondents mentioned that they stayed with their employer in the past year and 43% mentioned that they plan to change their employer within the next year.  Work-life balance emerged as the top factor for stayers (45%) while 71% of switchers and intenders mentioned that they changed their employer or plan to do so shortly because of a lower salary compared to elsewhere. 35% of the survey respondents who left their previous employer received a salary increase between 1% and 10%. 81% of the respondents find non-monetary benefits like company phone/car, childcare services and support, flexible working hours etc. important.

The top 5 most attractive benefits for the Indian workforce are healthcare (85%), flexible working hours (84%), the possibility of working from home (83%), internal training and subsidized higher education like short-term courses, certifications etc. (80%) and group life insurance (79%).

Top 4 sectors in India by awareness and attractiveness:

The survey also highlights that the Indian workforce prefers to work for companies operating in sectors like IT, ITeS & Telecom, Automotive, followed by FMCG, Retail & E-commerce and BFSI.

BCT Digital Launches ‘IND AS 109 Product Suite’ to Tackle Expected Credit Loss

BCT Digital, a global Fintech company specializing in BFSI, Predictive Analytics, and Risk Management, has announced the launch of rt360-ECL solution from ‘IND AS 109 Product Suite’ for Expected Credit Loss (ECL) reporting. The rt360-ECL is an integral part of the IND AS 109 Product Suite and has been designed exclusively keeping in mind the unique and specific nuances of Indian Financial Institutions and the Indian Regulatory Environment.

With the introduction of the global International Financial Reporting Standards-9 (IFRS 9) and its equivalent Indian Accounting Standards (IND AS) 109, financial institutions are moving towards adopting scientific methods for computing credit losses. The first set of guidelines in this regard were issued by the RBI in February 2016, which  was followed by a series of amendments, and the latest one was issued in March 2020. This amendment announced the implementation of the Indian Accounting Standards, including IND AS 109 for NBFCs and Asset Reconstruction Companies.

IND AS 109 requires financial institutions to take the Expected Credit Loss (ECL) approach as opposed to the Incurred Loss approach. Under the ECL approach, credit losses must be granularly and systematically estimated and provided for throughout the life span of a loan. The rt360-ECL is a business-driven technology solution that enables banks to compute Expected Credit Loss as per regulatory guidelines, while addressing requirements such as Point-In-Time Probability of Default (PD), Validation and forward-looking estimates.

“During these unprecedented times, banks are facing huge credit losses as their customers suffer through the COVID-19 pandemic. Managing credit risk in a volatile financial market is very critical. If not carefully monitored, the systemic risks can easily snowball, and this can impact not only the banking network, but also the financial health of the country at a macroeconomic level. The rt360-ECL is an integral part of BCT Digital’s IND AS 109 product suite and has been exclusively designed keeping in mind the unique nature of the Indian regulatory environment and specific nuances of Indian financial institutions.” said  Jaya Vaidhyanathan, CEO at BCT Digital.

The rt360-ECL aggregates banks’ historical data and estimates parameters such as Probability of Default (PD), Loss Given Default (LGD) and Exposure at Default (EAD) and Effective Interest Rate (EIR). It’s inbuilt standard functions support validation and calibration of models to ensure that the process is efficient and robust. It’s essential value additions include automation of credit risk monitoring processes, faster turnaround time to achieve regulatory compliance and internal reporting and proactive credit risk assessment and monitoring. The core features of the rt360-ECL include computing 12 months’ and lifetime ECL for both fund-based and non-fund-based facilities; automated computation of Probability of Default, (Loss Given Default and Exposure at Default); Effective Interest Rate computation; automated validation of parameters as per RBI/Basel requirements through a pre-built library of model validation tests; integration with other solutions, such as core banking/Asset Liability Management systems& and prebuilt dashboards for management reporting. Click here for more information.

BCT Digital being a FinTech specialist and pioneer in risk management solutions aims to empower banks and financial institutions to recognize expected change in credit risk and provide a framework to manage forward-looking credit loss through the rt360 Risk Management Suite. rt360 risk products are a 100% “Made in India”, by BCT Digital, keeping in mind the complexity of internal and external risk factors faced by banks.

66% of Active Job Seekers will Increase their Time Spent on Job Search: LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, today announced the findings of the seventh edition of the Workforce Confidence Index, a fortnightly pulse on the confidence of the Indian workforce. Based on the survey responses of 1,303 professionals in India, findings from June 15-28 reveal India’s rising optimism towards job security as businesses slowly reopened last month.

The seventh edition of the Workforce Confidence Index shows a modest increase in India’s overall workforce confidence, which reflects in this fortnight’s composite score of +50 (up from +48 in June 1-14). This growing confidence comes at a time when the economy continues to reboot, thus sparking hiring prospects across varied industries such as ecommerce, IT services, insurance and gaming. In fact, the economic repercussions of the pandemic have also urged businesses to innovate their offerings to lead through change, thereby stimulating job creation across sectors. Backing this up, Arvind Mediratta, MD & CEO of Metro Cash & Carry India says, “There is going to be a lot of demand for new products and services which, maybe, we’re not even able to envisage right now.”

Active job seekers confident about career progression as economy reboots

The lifting of the lockdown in several states and the continued adversities caused by COVID-19 have instituted a new set of workforce demands, thus creating new economic opportunities across the country’s industrial landscape. This uptick in hiring has fuelled the confidence of active job seekers towards career progression as findings show that about 2 in 3 professionals will increase their time spent searching for (66%) and applying to (64%) jobs in the next 2 weeks. Findings also highlight the active job seekers’ clear intent to upskill today for a safer tomorrow as 68% say they will increase their time spent on online learning to harbor long-term job security and career progression.

Decision makers more confident about job security than junior workers

To understand how this optimism towards job security differs across seniority levels, the LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index also captured responses from professionals with varied work experience levels. Findings state that decision makers appear to be more confident about their job security when compared to their junior workers. Only 1 in 4 senior professionals said they would increase their time spent on searching for jobs in comparison to almost half (45%) of the junior workforce. Further reinforcing the confidence of senior executives towards job security, findings showed that only 16% of Director+ professionals (decision makers) would increase the number of jobs they apply to, when compared to 48% of the junior workforce.

Commenting on this growing optimism, HR expert Prabir Jha explains why India’s rising hope towards job security comes with slight trepidation - “It must be understood that retaining a job in the present times is in itself a strong confidence booster. Many people are also willing to take up to 50% cut in their salaries for an assured job. This means that whoever retains a job today, clearly knows that his/her role matters to the organization even in the new reality.”

He also added, “More experienced workers may have savings to support them in the long run,” to explain why senior professionals are not as inclined towards increasing their time spent on searching for jobs.

Job-seekers can signal that they are #OpenToWork, with LinkedIn’s new feature

To help job seekers land a job in an uncertain environment, LinkedIn is providing free tools and resources for effective job search and placement. One such profile feature that was recently launched is #OpenToWork, which helps job seekers maximize their visibility on the LinkedIn platform. The feature, which frames the profile picture on LinkedIn, helps members signal to recruiters that they are immediately available to take up in-market opportunities. The feature also helps them specify the types of jobs they are interested in, and what their preferred start date and location is. So far, more than 30 million job seekers have used the #OpenToWork tool to find their next job on the platform.

Here are a few member stories that show how this tool is assisting them to connect with the right opportunities during such testing times -

●     Shilpisweta asked for advice, or opportunities from her network as she embarked on finding a new role in a LinkedIn post.

●     Yash moved back to India and decided to post on LinkedIn to find opportunities in the Social Media Management and Branded Content Strategy fields.

●     Vijay lost his job due to the COVID-19 situation and asked his LinkedIn network to refer him to new opportunities in a LinkedIn post.

●     Gopinath thanked his previous employer- Uber for the learnings in a LinkedIn post and asked his connections for leads to another exciting job opportunity.

Other free tools that help job seekers prepare for interviews and gain the right guidance include ‘Interview Prep’ and ‘Offer Help’. While ‘Offer Help’ makes it easier for our members to share that they are willing and able to extend a helping hand to their connections who are actively looking for opportunities, ‘Interview Prep’ offers free tools, including a new Microsoft-AI powered feature, to help members demonstrate their skills through effective interviewing and real-time feedback.

Total and Indian Oil Form Joint Company in India to Offer High-Quality Bitumen Derivatives

Indian Oil Corporation, India’s largest refiner and marketer of petroleum products, and Total, broad energy company with headquarters in Paris, France, announce the formation of a 50:50 Joint Venture(JV) company that will manufacture and market high-quality bitumen derivatives and specialty products for the growing road-building industry in India. 

Total is the leading bitumen manufacturer and supplier in Europe, while Indian Oil is the largest player in the Indian bitumen market. The two companies have already an established business relationship in India, notably in LPG and fuel additives businesses. 

The new JV will combine the R&D and marketing strengths of both Indian Oil and Total to manufacture and market innovative bitumen formulations and superior quality products such as polymer-modified bitumen, crumb rubber modified bitumen, bitumen emulsions and other specialty products. The JV will set up manufacturing units across the country with cost-effective logistics solutions, keeping innovation, safety and sustainability at the helm of its operations. The JV will also explore possibilities to cater to other South Asian markets. 

“India is a strategic country for the future of Total and we are delighted by this partnership, yet another testimony of our commitment to this fast-growing market.” highlighted Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of Total. “Today, Total is further cementing its longstanding business cooperation with Indian Oil, into a strong and sustainable new partnership. With this agreement, we are pursuing the growth of businesses with key Indian energy players, adding to our ongoing developments in renewables, gas and power.” 

Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, Chairman of Indian Oil said: “The Indian Oil-Total joint venture company would combine Indian Oil’s credentials as India’s Flagship National Oil Company and the Total’s strength as an International Energy Major. This would cater to B2B customers involved in road infrastructure development, both in the government and private sectors and I am confident that this would start a revolution in road construction activities in the country by providing superior technology products at competitive prices”. 

He added: “This joint venture company would bring in latest technologies and formulations for Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) and other fast-growing non-conventional derivatives such as Cold Mix & Micro Emulsion, Block Bitumen, etc. to the Indian market. The operations of this JV would commence by taking over an existing plant of Total at Jodhpur and subsequently set up new Greenfield plants”. 

The Government of India has a strong focus on developing the country’s road infrastructure with mega projects like the ‘Bharatmala project’ which envisages development of 34,800 km of roads at an estimated investment of over Rs. 5 lakh crore in the first phase (equivalent to approximately 66 billion USD). 

The demand for aggregate material and manufactured material for the highway construction and rehabilitation sector in India is very high, especially for good-quality bitumen derivatives. The Indian Oil and Total JV will offer high-spec products using sustainable technologies. 

TECNO Forays into the True Wireless Space with Hipods H2, Aims to Create a TECNO Connected Device Ecosystem

Wireless Space

* Hipods H2 offers a true wireless audio experience with stereo sound effect, environment noise cancelling technology, smart touch controls and 24 hours of non-stop music

* Priced aggressively at Rs. 1,999, Hipods H2 will be available for sale on Amazon from July 27 (12 noon) and at TECNO’s offline retail network of 35,000+ outlets across PAN India

TECNO, the global premium smartphone brand, expands its footprint into the truly wireless and innovative audio devices space with the launch of its next-gen Hipods H2 Bluetooth earbuds. The brand, which is synonymous with ‘industry-first’ smartphone devices in the affordable segment, promises to offer a true wireless consumer experience with its new audio device that, priced aggressively at Rs 1,999, will also supplement the smartphone experience for its category consumers.

The Hipods H2 offers stereo sound effect augmented by Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) technology to provide a wholesome listening experience. H2 can run for 6 hours on single charge, and up to 24 hours when used with its portable charging case. With a mere 15-minute of charging, H2 can play for 2 hours. The earbuds are also equipped with Environment Noise Cancellation (ENC) technology that can effectively reduce ambient sound to provide crisper audio and allows clear voice calling. The device is also equipped with smart touch controls, IPX4 water protection, smart pop-up interface for instant pairing and comes with the latest Bluetooth 5.0.

Commenting on the venture, Mr. Arijeet Talapatra, CEO, TRANSSION India said, “We are excited to announce the launch of TECNO Hipods H2 which also marks our foray into the TWS category. The India TWS market has been growing consistently and the industry is expected to further grow in 2020 with COVID-19 setting off a trend where people working from home and connecting through voice and video calls become more appreciative of the convenience and reliability of TWS devices. The increasing audio consumption, portability and smart assists are making TWS extremely popular among smartphone users and driving demand. With Hipods H2, we, at TECNO, endeavour to build our own connected device ecosystem of TECNO smartphones and extend the best audio experience at an affordable price.”

With Hipods H2, TECNO reinforces its commitment to its ‘ahead of the curve’ approach that aims to provide future-ready, innovative products to its customers. TECNO will be coming out with another TWS & smartphone offerings soon to further strengthen its position in the entry level and affordable segments. The new products are expected to play a strong role in revolutionizing the affordable connected device ecosystem in India.

Available in two color variants – Black and White; The USP of the Hipods H2 include:

* Real Stereo sound with AAC: To enhance the listening experience, the Hipods H2 are equipped with an Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) technology. The earbuds have undergone Acoustic measurements and testing to provide a natural and deep bass.

* 24 hours of non-stop music: In-built with a 45 mAh battery in each earbud, the Hipods H2, provides music playback for up to 6 hours on a single charge, enabling users with a long lasting, seamless audio listening experience. When used with its portable charging case, the playback time can be extended up to 24 hours. Also just a 15-minute charge gives an additional 2 hours of playback.

* IPX4 water resistant: The IPX4 level protects the device from rain or sweat, making it the most suitable device for fitness lovers or people doing outdoor activities, who don’t have to worry about interruptions or spoilage of the device during their activities.

* Noise Cancellation (ENC): The environmental noise cancellation, deep bass and loud treble, altogether intensifies the listening experience. The high performance, dual microphones are induced with noise reduction technology, reduces environmental noise and offers clear phone calls in a noisy environment.

* Smart touch controls: Control calls, music, volume, and activate the phone’s voice assistant with Smart Touch Controls, by just a tap on the earbuds.

* 120ms super low latency: The Hipod H2, provides the perfect sync between audio and video while playing games or watching videos, by reducing the latency to 120 ms.

* Latest BT 5.0: The wireless earbuds encrypted with Bluetooth v5.0, provides a fast and stable connection with both the earbuds for instant synchronization, with the transmission speed being 2 times faster and the capacity being 8 times larger, altogether enhancing the audio listening experience.

* Smart Pop-Up Interface: The Hipods H2 Bluetooth Earbuds features a Smart Pop-Up interface for Instant Pairing that supports an automatic pop-up connection interface on recent Tecno smartphones, as soon as the charging case is opened and Hipods H2 can be easily connected in one click.

TECNO Hipods H2 will be available for sale on Amazon from July 27 (12 noon) and at TECNO’s offline retail network of 35,000 outlets.

About TECNO Mobile

TECNO Mobile is a premium smartphone brand from TRANSSION Holdings. Upholding the brand essence of “Expect More”, TECNO is committed to giving the masses access to latest technology at accessible prices, allowing the consumers to reach beyond their current limitations and uncover a world of possibilities. TECNO understands the needs of consumers from different markets and provides them with localized innovations across a product portfolio featuring smartphones, tablets, and feature phones. TECNO is a major global player with presence in around 60 emerging markets across the world. It is also the global Official Tablet and Handset Partner of Manchester City Football Club.