Myntra Gears Up For A Stylish Second Inning As The 'Official Fashion Partner' Of Royal Challengers Bangalore

Myntra announces its association with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), one of the most popular T20 franchises in India, as its official fashion partner, for the upcoming edition of the most awaited cricketing extravaganza. As part of this association, Myntra will create unique content stories with RCB through the lens of fashion, while also extending the association onto the Myntra app with various offerings. Customers will be able to shop for the official RCB merchandise, access curated RCB special offers and engage in fan contests to win prizes. This season promises to be the most awaited and exciting season for RCB fans till date, thereby building a deeper connection with the franchise's wide and ardent fan base across the country

Myntra and RCB are set to create about 150 engaging videos for the die-hard fans of the game under four broad themes, which will be released on RCB's social channels. These are Bold Diaries – series of videos showcasing the ‘behind the scenes' life of an RCB player, RCB Insider – a satirical and humorous series of videos mainly led by the very popular character 'Mr. Nags', played by comedian Danish Sait, Game Day – videos that show different interviews with the players and coaches before and after the match, and RCB 12th Man – a series of videos completely dedicated to RCB fans. This content collaboration will allow Myntra to give RCB fans a peek into the lives of their favorite cricketing icons, such as their fashion choices and various other preferences. 

Additionally, Myntra will collaborate with RCB on five bespoke quirky fashion content pieces for their digital properties. The videos will be available across two of the key RCB’s digital properties, RCB Insider and RCB Bold Diaries, featuring ‘Mr. Nags’ and various other Marquee players of the team. 

‘Mr. Nags’ has announced the RCB-Myntra partnership with a humorous two-and-a-half-minute video, where he vividly emphasizes the essence of partnerships, drawing from both, personal and professional examples of himself and some of RCB’s players. The video can be viewed here https://www.instagram.com/tv/CNROpPwHXw9/?igshid=pbu7hj9nr57m  

RCB's strong fan following, both on and off ground (Digital & Social), coupled with Myntra's wide consumer base, will provide both entities an opportunity to drive unique and interesting conversations to keep the audience engaged and entertained through the T20 season. Myntra seeks to reach 30 million people through this integration.  

Speaking on the association, Harish Narayanan, CMO Myntra, said, "We are delighted to announce our partnership with RCB, after a very fruitful association in the previous edition. Our collaboration with RCB will touch millions of fans, a number that's considered one of the highest among T20 teams, across the team's social media platforms.  This is a unique association as it allows us to integrate our brand presence and engage with the audience at various levels across all leading communication channels of the franchise. We look forward to an exciting T20 season that will allow us to form deep and lasting connections with the league's enthusiasts."

Speaking of the partnership, Rajesh V Menon, Vice President & Head of Royal Challengers Bangalore, said, "We are delighted to partner with Myntra in the consecutive year, the leading e-commerce platform for fashion in India. RCB shares the same ethos of being a cutting- edge lifestyle brand, and this association further helps enhance the proposition. In addition to our official partnership, we are glad to also have Myntra as our lead sponsor on our marquee digital content properties - RCB Insider, 12th man TV, Bold Diaries and Game Day. This truly enhances the opportunities for bespoke brand integration, reach and engagement of the partnership."

Haier India Introduces UV Clean Pro Air Conditioner For Healthy Air

* Haier’s new UV Clean Pro air conditioner eliminates virus through its built-in LED UV light that sterilizes the surrounding by providing clean and breathable air  

* The AC aims to redefine innovation with contactless connectivity, AI-enabled voice control, and a unique convertible feature that optimizes energy saving  

Haier, the global leader in Home Appliances & Consumer Electronics and World’s Number 1 brand in Major Appliances for 12 Consecutive Years*, augmented its AC line-up for the summer season with the launch of UVClean Pro. This air conditioner has been designed keeping in mind the growing needs for clean and fresh air while ensuring energy savings for the consumers. The new variant HSU18F-UVSW4B (INV) will be available in 1.5 Ton and 4 Star Rating.

With the rising threat of air pollution, aggravating the coronavirus disease, clean and healthy air has become a necessity and not a luxury in today’s scenario. Understanding this need, Haier India has introduced UVC Sterilization in their new air conditioner which allows the consumers to breathe in clean and virus-free air. The newly launched AC eliminates all the airborne pollutants without leaving any harmful chemicals or residues behind. Equipped with built-in LED UV light, the air conditioner kills airborne hazards when the air circulates from the air inlet thereby delivering healthy air to a room.

The all-new UV Clean Pro also comes with a distinctive convertible feature that allows the user to reduce the AC’s tonnage capacity from 1.5 ton to a minimum of 0.6 ton. This unique feature can be activated with just a press of the ECO button on the remote. This will help the users to choose the tonnage of the AC as per their requirement, resulting in more energy savings. Moreover, to avoid unexpected damages caused by voltage fluctuations, this AC comes fitted with a hyper PCB which maintains steady operation of the air conditioner even when voltage drops or increases suddenly.

With a vision to embrace the connected future, Haier’s new AC is enabled with Wi-Fi and voice control. The Wi-Fi control feature lets the user turn on or switch off their AC even when they’re not around, physically. Not only this but one can control the climate of their room with just a click of a button on their smartphones using the ‘Haier Smart’ app. From the app, one would be able to perform a plethora of functions such as weekly timer, error alarm, enable group control, set reminders, pre-set sleep curve, and control the AC from anywhere.

Powered with a voice-enabled feature, the smart AC can be controlled by just a voice command. The all-new AC is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google assistant that enables one to interact with smart home devices more intuitively. The smart functions of the AC allow the consumers to customize the controls as per their needs and operate the air conditioner from anywhere and anytime, remotely.  

Commenting on the launch of the new AC, Mr. Eric Braganza, President, Haier Appliances India said, “At Haier, we believe in designing products powered with innovative technologies that make our consumer's life simpler and more convenient. Our new UV Clean Pro air conditioner addresses a very big problem that Indians are facing today - air pollution, which is both an indoor and outdoor threat. With the launch of this new smart AC, we are fulfilling our commitment to provide our consumers with clean and breathable air. Apart from providing virus-free air, the new addition in our AC range will also keep our consumers cool even at a scorching heat of 60℃ degrees with optimized smart capabilities and connectivity. We endeavor to usher in a range of new age of smart technologies in the white goods space and our UV Clean Pro AC will deliver that and more.”

With Haier’s Self Clean Technology, users can get a complete indoor wet wash with the press of a button. Once you activate the Self Clean feature, a frost is formed on the AC’s evaporator which traps all the dust present on the coil. After some time, the frost melts and washes out all the dirt along with it in the form of Water out of the drain pipe. Through this, one gets an actual indoor wet wash to breathe clean & healthy Air.

Adding to its new offerings, the AC comes with Haier’s Triple Inverter Plus that reaches desired temperature a lot quicker and adjusts DC voltage to achieve stable operation between 140V to 264V with ideal voltage control. In remote areas, users can enjoy cool air despite power fluctuations. This technology helps achieve smart control of the air conditioner and, in the meanwhile, maximize comfort, reliability and ensures highly efficient performance.

Furthermore, armed with a Micro Dust Filter, the AC removes dust, bacteria, and airborne virus from the air, protecting users from the risk of falling ill. Moreover, the AC is fitted with the best-in-class motor, optimized fan, and air duct which enable it to blow air as long as 15m. This unique feature helps in cooling the room faster while reaching extreme corners of the room. Additionally, the AC comes with Super Anti-Corrosion Protection which helps in keeping the AC rust-free.

The all new Haier AC - HSU18F-UVSW4B (INV) will now be available across India with 12 years of compressor warranty at the below price: HSU18F-UVSW4B (INV) | 4 star | INR 66,500

Welcomgroup Graduate School Of Hotel Administration Becomes First Hospitality School In Asia-Pacific Region

* WGSHA is now a part of Hotel Schools of Distinction, USA- an association of educational institutions with hoteliers, affiliated with The Leading Hotels of the World 

Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA) is proud to announce accreditation by the Hotel Schools of Distinction, USA, as its partner school. WGSHA aims to strengthen its network with the affiliation from Hotel Schools of Distinction to provide hospitality management programs. With this partnership, HSD’s goal is to create hospitality leadership through education, to provide the hospitality industry with the best talent, wherever they are located in the world.

Prior to this, WGSHA received three accreditations in the past two years apart which includes-

Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA), October 2019

World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WACS, October 2019

India International Skill Centre (IISC), April 2020

Sharing his thoughts, “Chef K. Thirugnanasambantham, Principal, Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, “ I would like to express my sincere gratitude to MAHE and ITC Leadership for extending all support and guidance to WGSHA. This latest accolade from Hotel Schools of Distinction (HSD) adds to our earlier accreditations and we are extremely happy to receive this accreditation. The cooperation and encouragement received from all our stakeholders - the Students, Parents, and the proud Alumni of the college is commendable. I would also like to shed light on the college’s faculty and staff of WGSHA for their dedication and passion for their work. With the rich experience of all, WGSHA can provide quality education.”

With this accreditation WGSHA becomes the only hospitality school in the Asia-Pacific region to be so recognized and among the nine select members in the world which includes Niagara University, College of Hospitality and Tourism Management (USA), International University of Applied Sciences (Germany), Institut Paul Bocuse (France), Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (Canada), Hotel school The Hague, Hospitality Business School (Netherlands), Fairleigh Dickinson University (United States), EUHT StPOL - University College of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts, Barcelona (Spain) and, Dublin Institute of Technology (Ireland).

The accreditation from Hotel Schools of Distinction will now be co-certified for WGSHA graduating students. This membership will demonstrate WGSHA’s commitment to offering hospitality education programs that do not only offer world-class but also comply with rigorous international standards of performance. HSD’s accreditation validates WGSHA’s quest for continuous self-improvement to deliver a teaching-learning experience that gives our students an edge in a challenging industry.

Sakra World Hospital And Nutanix Boost Patient Care At A Critical Time

 * Hospital ensures a seamless digital experience and rolls out new applications for patients on Nutanix infrastructure

Nutanix (NASDAQ: NTNX), a leader in private, hybrid and multicloud computing, today said Sakra World Hospital (Sakra), a leading multispeciality hospital in Bangalore, is using Nutanix technology to enhance medical services for patients and deliver multiple telehealth applications to reduce the disruption of COVID-19.

Sakra is a multispecialty hospital committed to advanced medical care through innovative, efficient services and cutting-edge technology.  With its 350-bed capacity and 200-plus doctors, the hospital relies on its IT infrastructure to deliver a superior digital experience.

“Time is of the essence in healthcare. With our previous legacy infrastructure, we faced challenges like slow billing, extended wait times, and delays in retrieving health records and processing X-rays. These issues affected both our staff and patients,” said Bhoopendra Solanki, head of IT at Sakra World Hospital. “With Nutanix HCI, IT has become an enabler for business. Clinicians can now access data in seconds not minutes, and we were even able to quickly respond to customer needs during the pandemic by rolling out new applications for virtual consultations, online registration and payments without any delay.”

Sakra’s initial three-tier legacy infrastructure involved high maintenance time and costs and became a barrier to further development. By switching to Nutanix, the hospital was able to cut their total cost of ownership by about 35 percent, and the one-click simplicity has allowed Sakra to refocus resources away from routine infrastructure management and cut administration time by about 57 percent.

“IT plays an important role in healthcare today. With Nutanix, the lead time for implementing new services at Sakra World Hospital has been drastically reduced, and downtime has been cut by about 90 percent. We can now use IT to react faster to the needs of patients and staff, rather than simply keeping the lights on,” said Lovekesh Phasu, chief operating officer, Sakra World Hospital.

“The ability to shift focus from internal resource management to customers is a big advantage for any organization today, and more so on the critical frontlines of the healthcare industry. With Nutanix, Sakra World Hospital has been able to adapt quickly to changing patient needs and continuously meet their goal of delivering a customer-centric experience,” said Faiz Shakir, Director, Sales, India and SAARC, Nutanix.

In total, Sakra World Hospital has migrated 41 applications from the three-tier infrastructure to Nutanix Enterprise Cloud OS, which includes Nutanix AOS, Nutanix Prism management software and Nutanix AHV.

Sara Ali Khan Urges Millennials To Choose The Goodness Of Mamaearth

* The millennial icon to be the first ambassador for Mamaearth Hair Range 

Mamaearth, the fast-growing toxin free personal care brand, introduces the millennial icon, Sara Ali Khan, as the new face on the brand. She will be endorsing Mamaearth Hair Care Range and advocate the goodness of its natural ingredients.

Mamaearth is a purpose driven brand for millennials who believe in choosing goodness for themselves and the environment. Mamaearth believes that goodness starts with the small choices each of us make every day! The brand continues to live up to its belief by using only the best of nature and no toxins or harmful chemicals in their products. They are also animal cruelty-free, plastic positive, and have launched the Plant Goodness promise last year. As part of this, the brand links every order made on their website to a tree they plant and is set to plant 10 lakh+ trees in 5 years.

Sara Ali Khan is a strong millennial icon and with her fun, bold and authentic personality, will be a great fit for the brand. She is known to speak her mind and will truly believe in the brands’ purpose of Goodness inside! 

Commenting on the campaign, Ghazal Alagh, Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Mamaearth, said, “We are a brand founded by millennials for millennials. As a purpose-driven brand, we intend to serve a greater goal along with creating great quality products that are safe and effective. Sara is a voice that the youth resonate with and we strongly feel that she would be able to advocate the brand’s ideology and further our cause.”

"Since I was a kid, my mother has been using Onion oil, Rice water, Amla juice, etc on my hair. These kitchen recipes have always done wonders for my hair. When Mamaearth approached me to endorse their hair care range and I got to know that their products are inspired by traditional recipes using natural ingredients, I knew I had to partner with this brand. While they create great toxin-free products, what I love the most about the brand is their philosophy of Goodness Inside and their purpose of serving a greater good. I am excited to embark upon this journey and urge fellow millennials to choose the goodness of Mamaearth.” Says Sara Ali Khan.

ABOUT MAMAEARTH 

Founded by husband-wife duo Ghazal Alagh and Varun Alagh, Mamaearth is Asia’s first brand with Madesafe certified products and offers 100% toxin-free & natural baby care, skincare, and hair care products. Driven by innovation and using the best of science and Ayurveda, the brand caters to young, aspirational, and increasingly conscious Indian consumers' personal care needs.  

In a short span of 4 years, Mamaearth has created a product portfolio of 120+ products packed with goodness inside, has reached over 5 million customers in 1000 Indian cities, and is the fastest-growing FMCG start-up to hit 500 Cr run rate in India. Mamaearth products are available on www.mamaearth.in major eCommerce platforms like Amazon, Nykaa, Flipkart, and over 4000 stores across the country. 

ABOUT HONASA CONSUMER PVT LTD

Honasa Consumer Pvt Limited (HCPL) is a digital-first consumer brands company creating the FMCG conglomerate of the future.  A company built on Honesty, Natural ingredients, and Safe care values, HCPL caters to millennial consumers' needs through innovative products, evolved propositions, direct-to-consumer marketing, and e-commerce fulfillment. Currently catering to over 1000 cities in India with brands like Mamaearth & The Derma Co., HCPL is building an ecosystem that helps benefit consumers and the community. Backed by Sequoia Capital India, Fireside Ventures, Stellaris Venture Partners, and Sharrp Ventures, HCPL is set to become a billion-dollar FMCG conglomerate in the next 5 years — spread across the globe but connected through a digital center of excellence. 

DGT-MSDE Announces Results Of All India Trade Test For Craft Instructor Training Scheme 2019-2020

• A total of 7535 trainees appeared for AITT across 34 trades and 45 Institutes across the country in October and November 2020; the passing percentage is 80.57%

• Ms. Savitri, trainee of Dress Making trade from National Skill Training Institute for Women, Jaipur, has topped the examination, scoring a phenomenal 95.44%; overall, a total of 242 trainees scored 90 % and above

The Directorate General of Training (DGT), under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), announced results of the All India Trade Test (AITT) for CITS Academic session 2019-2020. For session 2019-20, a total of 7535 trainees across 34 trades and 45 Institutes appeared in the examination, which was held in 79 exam centers across the country. Ms. Savitri, trainee of Dress Making trade from National Skill Training Institute for Women, Jaipur, topped the examination, scoring a phenomenal 95.44%. Overall, a total of 242 trainees scored 90 % and above and 80.57% of candidates passed the test. The results are available at: https://ncvtmis.gov.in/Pages/CFI/Home.aspx .

In view of the Corona pandemic, the theory and practical examinations were conducted in two batches in the months of October and November 2020 in strict adherence to the healthcare and safety guidelines issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Among its wide range of skilling endeavours, DGT offers Crafts Instructor Training programmes under Crafts Instructor Training Scheme (CITS) to ITI trainees who aspire to pursue a career in skill training. Comprehensive training both in skills and training methodology is imparted to the instructor trainees to make them conversant with techniques of transferring hands-on skills, to train skilled manpower for the industry. At the end of the one-year long CITS training, an All India Trade Test (AITT) for each of the 34 trades is conducted online by DGT.

Congratulating the successful trainees, Ms. Neelam Shami Rao, Director General (Training), DGT said, “In view of the PM’s vision of making India the skill capital of the world, CITS plays a pivotal role by way of generating expert skill trainers, who empowered with the knowledge of hands-on-skills and pedagogy, would in turn impart skill training at the grass root level. Also, it is noteworthy to observe that women have fared really well in this examination, which further reflects our focus on women empowerment.”

The test consists of Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) which examines the trade knowledge of the candidates. Apart from this, practical examination is also conducted in the respective Institutes to test the hands-on-skill acquired by the trainee where an external examiner, who is a field expert, assesses performance of the trainees. These practical examinations rigorously test the trade skill as well as pedagogical approach of the trainees. On successful completion of the training, the trainees are awarded National Craft Instructor Certificate (NCIC).

ABOUT Directorate General of Training (DGT)

The Directorate General of Training (DGT) in Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is the apex organisation for development and coordination at National level for the programmes relating to vocational training including Women's Vocational Training. Industrial Training Institutes are under the administrative and financial control of State Governments or Union Territory Administrations. DGT also operates Vocational Training Schemes in some of the specialized areas through field institutes under its direct control. Development of these programmes at national level, particularly in the area concerning common policies, common standards and procedures, training of instructors and trade testing are the responsibility of the DGT. But, day-to-day administration of Industrial Training Institutes rests with the State Governments/ Union Territories Administrations.

About Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE)

MSDE was formed on November 9, 2014 by the Government of India to focus on enhancing employability of skills. Since its inception, MSDE has undertaken significant initiatives and reforms in terms of formalizing the policy, framework, and standards; launching of new programs and schemes; creating new infrastructure and upgrading the existing institutions; partnering with States; engaging with industries and building societal acceptance and aspirations for skills. The Ministry aims to bridge the gap between demand and supply of skilled manpower to build new skills and innovation not only for existing jobs but also for jobs that are to be created. Till date, close to 5.5 crore people have been trained under Skill India. Under its flagship programme, PMKVY 1.0 and PMKVY 2.0 more than 1.21 crore youth have been trained/ oriented successfully through improved standardized skilling ecosystem in the country.

Edtech LEAD Appoints Nirav Jagad - Ex-Nykaa CHRO To Strengthens Leadership Team

* With more than 20 years of experience, Nirav Jagad will further the company values and promote its growth culture

LEAD, a major EdTech player in India’s K-12 education segment, today announced the appointment of Nirav Jagad as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). Nirav joined LEAD from one of India's biggest online destination for beauty & wellness, Nykaa where he was the CHRO since 2017.

In this new role, he will further the company values and promote its growth culture. Nirav will closely work with the leadership team and look after Employee Engagement, Talent Management, Talent Development, Stakeholder Engagement, Internal Communication, Compliance and Health, Safety, Environment at LEAD.

Nirav is a seasoned HR professional with more than 20 years of experience across industries. He has worked with organisations in Education, BFSI, E-commerce and HR consulting. He is a strong communicator and Relationship Manager at all levels with an excellent track record of developing, delivering, and leading transformational solutions and operations. He is seen highly effective in engaging and building relationships with executives, team members, business leaders, and partners to achieve strategic and tactical performance results. He brings to the table a proven ability to lead diverse cross-functional team members to produce quality deliverables within time and budget constraints and is recognized for being highly energetic, result-oriented, creative, and a problem-solver.

LEAD Co-founder & CEO Sumeet Mehta said, “Today, we have a unique opportunity to reimagine how we manage and lead people, especially during the pandemic. We are excited to welcome Nirav to our core leadership team. He brings in a wealth of experience and best practices from global companies that will empower us in achieving our long-term vision of providing high quality education to affordable private schools in India. Nirav’s skills and experience give us huge confidence in building a high performance and culture centered organization.”

Having begun his career in 2001, Nirav has worked at IL&FS for over five years. He was also associated with Randstad India and Cerberus Consultants before that. As the CHRO at Nykaa, he helped the organization scale its business being part of the Management Team and building a strong talent pipeline. He is an MBA in Human Resources from Welingkar Institute of Management.

Nirav Jagad, CHRO, LEAD said, “I am thrilled to be part of this exciting journey called LEAD. It is a great opportunity to be a part of a fast-evolving industry like EdTech. The problem statement that ‘LEAD’ is attempting to solve is challenging but a hugely engaging one. I look forward to contribute to the company’s growth journey.”

LEAD has been aggressively strengthening its leadership team. The company recently announced the appointment of two senior level appointments including Arpit Mundra as Chief Financial Officer and Vipul Redey as Chief Excellence Officer.

About LEAD:

LEAD (formerly known as LEAD School) is promoted by Leadership Boulevard, one of the fastest growing EdTech companies in India. It combines technology, curriculum and pedagogy into an integrated system of teaching and learning, thus improving student learning and teacher performance in schools across the country. LEAD School partners with 1700+ schools with an estimated 6 lakh+ students in more than 400 cities, including tier 2 to tier 4 cities, in 20 States.