Godrej Launches A Virtual Season 5 Of Godrej L’Affaire With A Social Commerce Angle

* #LiveItUp fortnight offering the best deals, discounts and experiences from leading lifestyle brands

* Launch of #LiveItUp 2021, a new web-series featuring Jamie lever, Arjun Bijlani, Surbhi Chandana & others

* Live session with Bollywood and TV personalities

Godrej L’Affaire, a curated experiential luxury lifestyle platform by the Godrej Group, is back with its fifth season. This is India’s coolest lifestyle affair to be held digitally from February 14th till February 28th. Celebrity live sessions, exclusive web-series launch, #LiveItUp sale with the biggest discounts on 40+ lifestyle brands along with flash contests, is lined-up for this power-packed 15-day lifestyle celebration by Godrej L’Affaire. Catch all the excitement of Godrej L’Affaire by clicking on https://bit.ly/3r8llIB

Arjun Bijlani, Shivangi Joshi, Surbhi Chandana, Gurmeet Choudhary & Debina Bonnerjee, Amol Parashar, Smriti Khanna, Aashka Goradia Goble, and Kunal Vijayakar, are all suing the dreadful year 2020. Shocked? Don’t be as they are all coming together for #LiveItUp 2021, an eight-part web-series which will be released during Godrej L’Affaire. The mini-series is a quirky courtroom theatrical where the year 2020, played by actress-comedienne Jamie Lever, will be put on trial for the disruptions it caused in our lifestyle. A ‘judge’, played by radio host Sharma G aka Gaurav Sharma, will hear the arguments before delivering the verdict at the end of each episode. The webisodes will premier daily on Godrej L’Affaire Instagram and Facebook pages. Godrej L’Affaire, in association with Bollywood Bubble, will stream live tete-a-tete sessions with bollywood and TV personalities.

Godrej aer, Godrej Professional, Goodness Me, Godrej Security Solutions (EVE Home Camera, Home Lockers, UV case), Godrej Locks (Advantis, Pentabolt), Godrej Appliances, Script, Godrej Interio, India Circus, BBLUNT, Godrej Expert, Cinthol, Godrej Protekt, Godrej HIT, Godrej Yummiez, Godrej Real Good Chicken, Godrej Jersey, Godrej Veg Oils, Godrej Interio Kitchen, SKIDO by Godrej, Goodknight, Godrej Properties and Godrej Housing Finance, are some of the Godrej brands which will be featured during the #LiveItUp sale.  As part of the lifestyle festivities, flash digital contests will also be announced where people can win hampers of their favourite lifestyle brands.

Godrej L’Affaire will host #LiveItUp Sale on its social media, offering the best deals, discounts and experiences of select non Godrej lifestyle brands too. These brands are Park Avenue, hand painted designer bags Paul Adams, luxury pret brand MxS, Vikram Phadnis Clothing India, online retailer Redesyn, footwear etailer MY|RA, handcrafted apparel & accessories brand Okhai, Isharya Jewellery, Reneé Cosmetics, organic nutrition brand Wellbeing Nutrition, Fantasie Chocolate, Bombay Island Coffee, Storia Foods & Beverages, takeaway restaurant Varun Inamdar’s Mumbai Local Tawa, South Street - South Indian Comfort Food and Shuk Bombay -From the streets of Tel-Aviv to Bombay! among others.

Speaking about Season 5 of Godrej L’Affaire, Sujit Patil, VP & Head of Corporate Brand & Communications, Godrej Group, said, "Godrej L’Affaire is Godrej groups owned media platform in the lifestyle space. The three pillars of Godrej L’Affaire are content creation, building a community of lifestyle enthusiasts and experiential engagement with participating brands. This year we are piloting a fourth potential pillar of enabling social commerce through direct consumer engagement. 2020 is behind us and with positive aspirations for the future, the theme for the season 5 is #LiveItUp2021. Godrej L’Affaire aims to deliver cheer to people with some exciting relevant content, exclusive deals and a special web-series that has subtle brand integrations. We are curating all these lifestyle experiences virtually, so that patrons can witness them right from the comfort of their homes."

Commenting on the association, Shweta Bachchan Nanda, Founder and Designer, MxS, said, "The design sensibilities of MxS is aimed to appeal to everyone who is fashion forward. This is in line with what Godrej L’Affaire represents and is an ideal lifestyle partner for us. Social commerce is a crucial area for fashion brands like us to engage customers effectively. Godrej L'Affaire's social commerce feature will further reinforce its position as a social hub for brands to integrate content along with the best deals on premium lifestyle brands."

"Godrej L'Affaire is a confluence of several cosmos of food, fashion and lifestyle. This year it aims to re-frame brand agnostics retail with the lens of social commerce. I am humbled and honoured to partner for its fifth season to tickle all your senses of taste with Varun Inamdar's Mumbai Local Tawa." added two national award winning chef and chocolatier Varun Inamdar.

Sharing her experience of shooting the web-series, actress-comedienne Jamie Lever, said, “I had a great time working for the Godrej L’Affaire web-series. I think the script is real funny, different and unique. To be associated with a brand like Godrej is an honour. I was more than happy to be part of #LiveItUp web-series project.

The media partners for the season 5 of Godrej L’Affaire are Curly Tales, Bollywood Bubble, Mid-Day and IWM Buzz. Witness Season 5 of Godrej L’Affaire on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @godrejlaffaire.

About Godrej Group

Established in 1897, the Godrej Group has its roots in India's Independence and Swadeshi movement. Our founder, Ardeshir Godrej, lawyer-turned-serial entrepreneur failed with a few ventures, before he struck gold with a locks business. Today, we enjoy the patronage of 1.15 billion consumers globally across consumer goods, real estate, appliances, agriculture and many other businesses. In fact, our geographical footprint extends beyond Earth, with our engines now powering many of India's space missions. With revenues of over USD 5 billion we are growing fast, and have exciting, ambitious aspirations. For us, it is most important that besides our strong financial performance and innovative, much-loved products, we remain a good company. About 23 per cent of the promoters’ holding in the Godrej Group is held in trusts that invest in the environment, health and education. We are also bringing together our passion and purpose to make a difference through our Good & Green strategy of 'shared value' to create a more inclusive and greener India. At the heart of all of this, are our people. We take much pride in fostering an inspiring workplace, with an agile and high performance culture. We are deeply committed to recognizing and valuing diversity across our teams.

Shree Cement Collaborates With IBM To Enhance Its Manufacturing Plant Efficiencies

* AIX and Red Hat on IBM POWER9 to simplify the IT infrastructure for the managed, private cloud environment

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a collaboration with Shree Cement Limited, one of the top three cement producers in India, to run their database and core business applications using AIX and Red Hat on IBM POWER9-based IBM Power Systems. Powered by IBM POWER9 servers, the implementation will allow Shree Cement to seamlessly enhance its productivity and bring in supply chain efficiencies across its manufacturing plants.

Shree Cement automated its key supply chain processes with Oracle Enterprise Command Center on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. This shift helped the company optimize operational decisions, improve processes, bring in supply chain efficiency, drive better cost and revenue decisions. The company has also integrated a third-party IoT solution on the same platform to track manufacturing plant data such as in-plant logistics, supply chain processes involving the movement of raw materials and trucks from yards to plants, and monitor production efficiencies. 

The client refreshed its hardware from the existing Oracle-based servers and migrated to IBM POWER9-based IBM Power Systems S922 servers with higher per-core performance than the previous systems, designed to boost the infrastructure's performance by 2X from the existing setup. The servers ensure high security and availability of the application, even as the company adds capacity to handle new workloads. The company also implemented IBM FlashSystems 5100 Storage to gain a competitive advantage from its data assets and investment protection with the latest generation of NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory express) which delivers the highest throughput and fastest response time for all enterprise workloads. 

Manoranjan Kumar, Chief Information Officer, Shree Cement Ltd, said, "The company was in the midst of an expansion plan, and was looking for a dependable IT Infrastructure support that could deliver 24/7 capabilities, integrate operations, logistics, resources and export-import supply chain. The two operating systems, namely Oracle E-Business Suite on IBM AIX and Oracle Enterprise Command Centre on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, helped us move away from the vertical business approach. The new solution allowed us to operate horizontally across the company to bring in synergy amongst multiple manufacturing plants to drive business results and ensure business continuity even during the migrations."

Ravi Jain, Systems Leader, IBM India/South Asia added, "For any manufacturing plant, constant upkeep of the infrastructure and solution is a key priority. Building the right Information Architecture (IA) is crucial to Cloud and AI success. We helped Shree Cement develop their private cloud strategy for the IT infrastructure and seamlessly integrated Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power Systems. IBM Power Systems on the AIX platform is a secured and a scalable infrastructure which offers the flexibility to deploy mission-critical, data-oriented workloads across any environment." 

While migrating the client to IBM Power Systems, the IBM team considered Shree Cement's growth for the next three years, keeping in mind the scalability for future business expansion, ensuring maximum utilization of the hardware and saving the database software license costs. Besides, IBM Flash Systems 5100 provides a dashboard for usage and AI-driven alerts to reduce management and downtime costs. As part of IBM's Software-Defined Storage, Easy-Tier AI capability makes recommendations based on historical performance coupled with automation, transparent migration to the appropriate storage tier to improve the Storage system’s economics and performance. With IBM Storage technology, Shree Cement reduced data centre management costs with AI-driven insights. 

About Shree Cement

The world of Shree Cement is one without boundaries – changing and challenging every day. We make cement and through it we touch lives of millions of people every day. From the house you live in, the roads you to drive on, to the bridges you cross, we strive to deliver unparalleled quality through our customised products and value added solutions.

UPL Included In S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2021 For Demonstrating Excellence In Corporate Sustainability

* The SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) evaluates over 7000 companies around the world for sustainability practices; an inclusion in the yearbook is a true statement of corporate sustainability excellence

* In order to be listed in the Yearbook, companies must score within the top 15% of their industry and must achieve an S&P Global ESG Score Within 30% of their industry’s top-performing company

* DJSI has rated UPL 100% in environmental reporting, water related risks & social reporting

UPL Ltd. today announced its inclusion in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2021 for its strong performance in environmental, social and governance risk management. The SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) is issued annually by S&P global. This year, UPL Ltd. not only secured a spot in this prestigious Yearbook, but is also the only crop protection company globally to do so, securing their position as an industry leader. UPL Ltd is one of the 633 companies globally and 21 in India to have featured in the yearbook.

SAM offers insights highlighting opportunities and risks deriving from economic, environmental, and social trends and developments that have an impact on the competitive position of companies in 61 industrial sectors analyzed. Since 1999, SAM has been conducting the annual Corporate Sustainability Assessment and has compiled one of the largest and most comprehensive global databases on corporate sustainability.

Manjit Jus, Global Head of ESG Research, S&P Global said: “We congratulate UPL for achieving a place in The Sustainability Yearbook 2021. With over 7,000 companies assessed, an inclusion in the yearbook is a true statement of corporate sustainability excellence.”

In order to be listed in the Yearbook, companies must score within the top 15% of their industry and must achieve an S&P Global ESG Score within 30% of their industry’s top-performing company.

“We are honored to be included in The Sustainability Yearbook 2021, proving our leadership in sustainability,” said Jai Shroff, CEO of UPL. “With sustainability at top of mind for multiple stakeholders, UPL’s intends to keep the momentum going and will continue to hold ourselves accountable through measurable performance. This is one of the ways in which we will achieve our mission to change the game and make every single food product more sustainable.” 

In addition to the companies’ sustainability scores derived from the CSA, a qualitative screen based on SAM’s Media and Stakeholder Analysis (MSA) is applied to determine eligibility for inclusion in the Sustainability Yearbook. The MSA is based on an examination of media coverage and publicly available stakeholder information provided by RepRisk ESG Business Intelligence and evaluates a company’s response to critical sustainability issues that may arise during the year.

DJSI has rated UPL 100% in environmental reporting, water related risks & social reporting. The company scored 100% in 22 questions out of 37 questions under environmental dimensions. Additionally, Sustainalytics, a specialist unit of Morningstar and one of the world’s most respected ESG indices, ranked UPL No. 1 AgChem company for Environmental, Social and Governance risk management1.

1Sustainalytics ESG Risk Rating Summary Report dated Sep 25, 2020

About UPL

UPL Ltd. (NSE: UPL & BSE: 512070) is a global provider of sustainable agriculture products & solutions, with annual revenue exceeding $5 billion. We are a purpose-led company. Through OpenAg, UPL is focused on facilitating progress for the entire agricultural value chain. We are building a network that redefines the way an entire industry thinks and works – open to fresh ideas, innovative ways and new answers as we strive towards our mission to make every single food product more sustainable. As one of the largest agriculture solutions companies worldwide, our robust portfolio consists of biologicals and traditional crop protection solutions with more than 13,600 registrations. We are present in more than 130 countries, represented by more than 10,000 colleagues globally. For more information about our integrated portfolio of solutions across the food value chain including seeds, post-harvest, as well as physical and digital services

Koo Witnesses A Surge In Downloads With MEITY Setting Up An Account

* India’s own micro-blogging platform gains popularity among users with an increase in downloads

Key organisations from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) have set up accounts on Koo, India’s own micro-blogging platform. This move comes as a strategic response as an action against Twitter for not complying with the order for blocking around 257 Tweets and Twitter accounts which were tweeting about farmer genocide. 

So far Koo has verified handles of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), MyGov, Digital India, India Post, National Informatics Centre (NIC), National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Common Services Center, UMANG app, Digi Locker, National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) to name a few. 

Aprameya Radhakrishna, Co-Founder and CEO, Koo, said: “We believe that it is important to build social networks keeping in mind local cultural nuances. Koo being deeply focussed on India will help ensure a consistent experience for all users on the platform. We are humbled and at the same time excited by the adoption and encouragement by so many noteworthy personalities and recently the entry of the top most government offices of the country onto Koo.”

Koo creates a trusted local space for Indians to connect, comment and engage, making it a people-first platform. The app facilitates active conversations as creators can express themselves and users can follow creators of their choice to create a customised feed. It is a one-of-its-kind platform that resonates with the voices of Indians. The 10-month-old app has received appreciation from all quarters, having won the Aatmanirbhar App Challenge by the Indian government. It was also named Google PlayStore’s Best Daily Essential App for 2020 and got a special mention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat address.

Voot Select’s The Gone Game Returns With Season 2, Harleen Sethi Roped In To Play A Pivotal Role

Despite being burdened by innumerable restrictions in the early days of the lockdown, Voot Select transcended all limitations with their exceptionally creative, entirely remotely shot murder mystery The Gone Game. The stellar cast of industry heavyweights including Sanjay Kapoor, Arjun Mathur Shriya Pilgaonkar, Shweta Tripathi Sharma and more left audiences stunned with the gripping tale of a family being torn apart.

The Gone Game, produced by Bodhitree Multimedia Ltd.,  pioneered the concept of shooting digitally, becoming the very first web series to have ever been shot entirely at home. From the fascinating plotlines to the outstanding performances, the first season garnered rave reviews, impressing viewers and critics alike. After the edge of the seat ending of the first season, the series is all set to be back with a transfixing second season, taking off from where they ended on the dramatic cliff hanger.

While the original cast members Sanjay Kapoor, Arjun Mathur, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Rukhsar Rehman, Lubna Salim and Dibyendu Bhattacharya will return, actor and performer Harleen Sethi will join the cast to portray the character of Sharmila Sangma, a sharp and systematic CBI officer who is charged with leading the investigation in the Gujral case. The shoot of the second season is slated to commence soon.

Producer Mautik Tolia stated, “The season one of The Gone Game received a lot of appreciation and it set a new industry benchmark for being shot entirely from home during lockdown.  Picking up the story from where we left, season 2 will pack a punch and create more intrigue around the plot. Most importantly, the story of season 2 talks about the realities of the current time we live in. We will have interesting additions to the cast that will elevate the excitement of the show further. We are looking forward to Season 2 of The Gone Game and we are sure the audience is going to love it.”

Joining The Gone Game family, Harleen Sethi said, “Having seen the first season, I was instantly sold on the idea of joining this stellar cast and essaying the role of a well fortified CBI officer - Sharmila, a headstrong woman who has made a place for herself in what is predominantly a man’s world. Her sharp wit and systematic approach to solve a crime only add to the emotional and empathetic side of her personality. I am excited to play with this character and showcase what a criminal investigation would be in the “new normal”. The first season pushed the boundaries on what a lockdown pandemic could be and I’m positive this season is only going to take it a notch higher. So I cannot wait to get started.”

HGS Q3 FY2021 Revenues At Rs.14,568 Million; Revenue Growth Of 9.1% YoY During Q3 FY2021

Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) (listed in BSE & NSE) today announced its unaudited Third Quarter Results for FY2021. 

Speaking on the results, Partha DeSarkar, Wholetime Executive Director and CEO of HGS said: “HGS’ results of Q3 FY2021 demonstrate strong revenue growth despite being amid a pandemic. Growth has been driven by the Healthcare business as well as our UK business. I am very happy with how we have quickly realigned our operating model to the new normal. These results demonstrate TeamHGS’ resilience and agility. 

Overall revenues for Q3 stood at Rs. 14,568 million, an increase of 15.2% YoY on like-to-like basis. PAT rose by 5.6% to Rs. 752 million. EBITDA margins for Q3 FY2021 stood at 14.2%. 

Most of our business segments, including Healthcare, UK and HGS Digital, did well. Healthcare growth was led by the open enrolment season. A key driver of growth has been the number of new logo signings this year and the strong pipeline conversion. We expect sustained demand for our services in coming quarters too. Looking ahead, we are optimistic to close FY2021 on a strong note.” 

Financial Highlights for Q3FY2021

Q3 FY2021 revenues stood at Rs. 14,568 million. Revenue growth of 9.1% YoY as reported

On like-to-like basis, revenue growth was 15.2% YoY (excluding India Domestic CRM business revenues included in Q3 FY2020) 

EBITDA was Rs. 2,063 million. On like-to-like basis, EBITDA growth was 6.6% YoY (excluding India Domestic CRM business included in Q3 FY2020) 

EBITDA margins stood at 14.2% in Q3 FY2021 • Net profit was Rs. 752 million, a growth of 5.6% YoY; Net margins stood at 5.2%

Capital expenditure for the quarter was Rs. 591 million. 

Reduction in gross debt of Rs. 510 million in Q3 FY2021; As on 31st December, 2020, Net Cash stood at Rs 467 million.

Interim Dividend of Rs. 6/share

Business Highlights for Q3FY2021

Client wins:

Added 14 new logos across verticals for core BPM services and five for HRO/ Payroll Processing

Signed 45 opportunities for expansion of business with existing clients

Signed engagements with 17 clients (new and existing) for HGS Digital services (RPA, digital, analytics and Social Care services)

Clientele: As of 31st December, 2020, HGS had 244 core BPM clients and 704 HRO/Payroll processing clients. 

M&A: Between November 2020 and January 2021, Hinduja Global Solutions UK Limited, a subsidiary of HGS, has acquired the balance equity interest in HGS Digital LLC, USA, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Employee Headcount: 41,110 as of 31st December, 2020, up from 39,578 reported for the September quarter.

Delivery Centers: HGS had 59 global delivery centers across seven countries as on 31st December, 2020.

Awards & Recognition in Q3 FY2021:  

Named in HFS Top 10 Healthcare Sector Service Providers’ report, HFS

Included in Booming 15 - Service & Technology Provider Standouts

Global, ISG Index 3Q 2020 - Managed Services and As-a service Market Insights, ISG

Awarded:

2020 Customer Experience Innovation Award – TMC 

Innovative in the ‘Business Products’ category - Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards® 

The Cloud Computing Excellence Award by TMC Cloud Computing Magazine 

2021 Training Top 100 – Training Magazine ➢ Best BPO In Jamaica & 7th Best Employer in Jamaica – Glassdoor

Recognized at the Learning and Organization Development Roundtable (LNOD) awards in four categories:  Inclusion of People with Disabilities, Best D&I Company of the Year, Best D&I Initiative and Best D&I Award for Gender Diversity and Empowerment

Finalist at ECCCSA 2020 in the Responding in a Crisis & Best Large Customer Service Team categories

Finalist at the NHRD HR Showcase 2020 in the Best HR Practice category

Yamaha Unleashes New & More Versatile FZ Series FZS-FI Gets Inbuilt Bluetooth Connectivity

* Gets side stand engine cutoff switch standardized for all models 

* More stylish with 3D Emblem for FZS FI models

At the onset of 2021 as companies are heading out for more businesses, Yamaha is all set to create a brand-new chapter in the history of street-riding motorcycles. The company’s commitment under its brand campaign “The Call of the Blue” will touch a new high with the introduction of an all-new range of FZ Series from Yamaha which is launched today across India. The new FZ series with 149 cc, fuel-injected, BS VI engine have become more lighter, and will flaunt attractive body style in 1 new color for FZS FI --Matte Red. The new FZ series is also beefed up with “Side stand engine cutoff switch” while the FZS FI model additionally get Bluetooth-enabled “Yamaha Motorcycle Connect X”. The price of the new FZ FI starts from Rs.1,03,700 Ex-showroom Delhi and new FZS FI starts from Rs. 1,07,200 Ex-showroom Delhi. 

The new FZ series comprising of FZ FI models will have 2 exciting colors – Racing Blue and Metallic black while the FZS FI models has total 5 colors, Matte red (new), Dark matte blue, Matte black, Dark knight & Vintage Edition. The lightweight of the body, reduced from 137 kgs. to 135 kgs. will further help riders in maneuvering along with an improved comfort of handling. All models in the new FZ (149CC) series are powered by single channel ABS, gets LED headlight, 140 mm wide rear radial tyre, two level single-piece seating and a durable 149 cc FI engine in BS VI. It also gets newly added features like Side Stand Engine Cutoff Switch and the exhaust system has been tuned to produce better sound. FZSFI Models are enabled with Yamaha Motorcycle Connect X Bluetooth- technology & it will offer several features like “Answer back”, “E-lock”, “Locate my bike”, “Hazard”, etc. The all new FZS FI models will come with a 3D emblem that, along with many other features will kickstart another new business year for Yamaha in India with the brand’s commitment of working persistently towards offering innovation and excitement to the Indian market. 

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Motofumi Shitara, Chairman, Yamaha Motor India Group of companies said, “FZ is an iconic brand of Yamaha and in India, we want to recreate its excitement every year with additional features and new offerings. Last year, we had launched the YAMAHA MOTORCYCLE CONNECT X Application in Dark Knight & Vintage models as an accessory. This feature was accepted well by our customers & moving forward with today’s launch of FZSFI, we have decided to make it as a mandatory feature for our FZS FI Models. We are committed to offer something exceptional to the motorcycling customers of India & today we are upgrading our popular FZ series with features like Side Stand Engine Cutoff Switch & Inbuilt Bluetooth Connectivity for FZS-FI. With the upgrade of FZ series, we have completed the upgrade of all the models in Yamaha Lineup with Side Stand Engine Cutoff Switch. We will keep on listening to our customers & continue to launch new products under the banner of The Call of The Blue.”