Nutanix Opens New Office In Pune To Serve Its APAC Customers

Nutanix, a leader in hybrid multicloud computing, has expanded its operations in India by opening a new facility in Pune today that will provide service to customers and partners in India and across the Asia-Pacific region.  

The new facility is one of the largest Nutanix campuses outside of the U.S. It is part of Nutanix's global service and support function, providing Nutanix customers with 24-hour help as part of the company's "always-on" service and support program.  It will also host, in a hybrid work model, research & development, customer success, training, and product support professionals and teams, accounting for a large percentage of Nutanix’s team members based in India.

The expansion is part of Nutanix's ongoing commitment to and growth in India which has the largest base of Nutanix team members outside the U.S.  Since Nutanix began operations in the country in 2013, the company has also continued to add a wide range of customers in the country across the financial services, IT/ITes, public, health care and other sectors. Local customers in Pune include Amdocs, Persistent Systems Limited and KPIT.

Sankalp Saxena, SVP & MD, India Operations, Nutanix, said: “Pune is home to an enormous pool of talent, and our new office in the city’s IT hub will enable us to provide more opportunities to local tech professionals and the training that will help them further develop their cloud skills.   We also look forward to working with local institutions to create internship and incubator programs that will enable students to learn about cloud technologies as they prepare for and embark on their careers.  

”On behalf of everyone at Nutanix, we are excited and proud to be expanding in India as we work to help more customers in the country realize cloud on their terms with our hybrid multicloud platform that gives them the freedom of choice to put their applications and data in the environments that make the most sense.  This mission and our culture – we are Hungry, Humble and Honest with Heart – are the reasons why our Net Promoter Score continues to exceed 90 and customers trust Nutanix to help them with their future success.”

De Beers Group Invests US$2 Million In Kelp Blue, An Innovative Start-Up focused Focusing On Underwater Kelp Forests To Lock Away CO2

-           The investment supports a pioneering nature-based solution for sequestering carbon and increasing biodiversity, while supporting job creation and sustainable economic development in Namibia

-           De Beers will have access to potential carbon credits generated by Kelp Blue to complement the company’s core carbon reduction and removal strategies as it strives to be carbon-neutral across its operations by 2030

De Beers Group today announced it is investing US$2 million in Kelp Blue, an innovative start-up focused on growing and managing large-scale giant kelp forests, initially off the Namibian coast. These underwater forests have the potential to safely and permanently lock away vast amounts of CO2 in the ocean. Research has shown that kelp forests have carbon sequestration properties exceeding those of terrestrial forests and that they help sustain healthy marine ecosystems, providing food and shelter for countless species.

In line with De Beers Group’s Building Forever sustainability goals, the investment supports a pioneering nature-based solution for sequestering carbon and enhancing biodiversity, while also delivering skills development and job creation in Namibia, where De Beers has recovered diamonds in joint venture partnership with the Namibian Government for almost three decades.

In 2021, Kelp Blue was awarded a licence to cultivate Giant Kelp off the coast of Namibia and is now in the pilot phase. The business will contribute infrastructure development in and around the town of Lüderitz, benefitting the local community by creating employment and upskilling opportunities in kelp cultivation and processing. During the pilot phase, the business will generate a range of direct and indirect jobs in biotechnology, engineering, processing, support services and logistics in Namibia

The initiative will also support De Beers in its goal of being carbon neutral across its operations by 2030. While De Beers Group’s primary focus in achieving this goal will be on increasing efficiency and replacing fossil fuel and fossil-based energy from its operations with renewable alternatives, carbon credits resulting from the investment in Kelp Blue will support the company in removing any remaining emissions, alongside other nature-based initiatives.

Neil Ventura, Executive Vice-President, Strategy and Innovation at De Beers Group, said: “We are committed to being carbon neutral across our operations by 2030, and to achieve this ambitious target we will need to recover a share of our emissions after we have removed and replaced the majority of the fossil fuel energy in our business. Instead of simply purchasing carbon credits on the market, we are looking to identify potential long-term, sustainable and innovative nature-based solutions for this – particularly those that can deliver additional carbon capture benefit beyond our own business. While there is still work to be done to understand more about the scale of opportunity, Kelp Blue is an innovative start-up with significant potential, and we are proud to invest in its future.

“Alongside protecting the natural world, another priority of our Building Forever sustainability framework is to partner with communities in our host countries on sustainable development opportunities. The potential benefits in Lüderitz and elsewhere in Namibia – in terms of employment and supporting ‘green’ solutions to wider challenges – highlight just how well Kelp Blue’s objectives align with our own sustainability approach.”

Daniel Hooft, Founder and CEO of Kelp Blue said: “We are very pleased to have De Beers alongside us, thinking about the future, today. De Beers has communicated its commitment to protecting the natural world through its 2030 Building Forever sustainability goals, with its focus on carbon neutrality, minimising its water footprint and delivering a net positive impact on biodiversity. These are one hundred per cent aligned to Kelp Blue’s core passion and purpose. De Beers’ early investment in our offshore pilot – a world first in terms of scale and ambition – specifically helps us accelerate the quantification and verification of the carbon sequestration pathways, which is essential for the whole seaweed industry in terms of scientifically establishing the potential of this novel nature-based solution.”

Tata Motors Rolls Out Landmark 4,00,000th Tiago From Sanand Plant

* First car from Tata Motors to achieve this milestone in a short timeline

Tata Motors, India’s leading automotive brand, today commenced celebrations of its brand, Tiago achieving the 4,00,000 sales mark with a signature roll-out from its home ground, the Sanand facility in Gujarat. The Company has launched #Tiago4ever campaign to celebrate with its employees and customers across all Tata Motors offices, plants and customer touch points. 

Launched in 2016, under the Impact design philosophy, the Tiago has redefined the hatch segment with its sporty design, superior drivability, and best-in-class safety features and as a testament to its superior offering, in the first year of its launch, it bagged over 30 prestigious awards. Over the years, Tata Motors has constantly kept the Tiago family refreshed with various technological interventions. Today, the Tata Tiago, with its BS-6 compliant engine is an important part of the Company’s New Forever Range and is being offered in 2 Avatars – Tiago and Tiago NRG and offers 14 variants.

Commenting on this milestone, Mr. Rajan Amba, Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Customer Care, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd. said, “This is indeed a historic milestone for Tata Motors as Tiago is the first car to complete this milestone in a short span.  Tiago has been a key product in our Turnaround 2.0 strategy and since its launch has been successful in grabbing a sizeable market share in the most crowded segment in the auto industry. The Tiago has become the preferred choice for youngsters who are looking for a stylish, feature-loaded, and safe car, with more than 60% of sales generated from first-time buyers. The recent interventions of Tiago NRG and Tiago CNG have gained quite the popularity among prospective buyers. We are confident that the Tata Tiago will continue to play an integral part in our New Forever range and will enhance our market performance in the Indian auto industry.”

The Tiago commands a market share of 19% in its segment. The car is available in two fuel options – 1.2-litre Revotron Petrol and recently launched iCNG. The Tata Tiago comes with a 4 Star Global NCAP Safety rating & boasts of best-in-class safety features like Dual Air Bags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Corner Stability Control (CSC) & Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Rear Parking Assist and much more. The innovative and advanced iCNG technology in particular, with its segment-first features like Direct CNG Start, Single ECU, and many more such features, has been appreciated by the customers and has helped in making Tiago the preferred car in its segment. Furthermore, the Tiago NRG in its muscular and rugged form was launched in August 2021 and has managed to captivate the minds of prospective customers who prefer a car with sturdy and SUV looks. 

To know more about offers and car buying options, call your nearest dealership or visit https://cars.tatamotors.com/

#EmbracingVenice: Saype & Lavazza Group With “Beyond Walls

* Partner Of Venice Pavilion Public Programme At The 59th Art Biennale

* Another event in the programme of positive art and sustainability culture in Venice to mark Earth Day

On April 22, to mark Earth Day and the opening of the 59th Venice Art Biennale, Lavazza Group with #EmbracingVenice wel­comes the artist Saype with his new stage in his worldwide land art project, Beyond Walls. The public will be able to admire on April 22 Saype’s gigantic artwork from the Torre di Porta Nuova in the Arsenale Nord area, the venue for the French-Swiss artist’s second solo exhibition after Turin, with photographs, videos and installation details about the Beyond Walls project and some of its 12 stages around the world since 2019, symbolically creating the largest human chain ever and highlighting the importance of staying together to overcome all the challenges of our time.

On Earth Day, Lavazza Group wants to draw attention to a particularly topical issue: the fragility of life on earth and human responsibility towards our fellow human beings, other forms of life and the planet we have the privilege to live on. It will do this through a visually striking but ephemeral artwork, designed to disappear in a matter of days and set in Venice, the city that is the ultimate symbol of art and human creativity but also of the complex relationship between Man and Nature,

Two hands reach out and clasp each other in an expression of confidence and mutual help: this is the central image of a monumental work painted on grass using biodegradable pigments, invented by the artist himself, and installed on a classic Venetian “pontoon”, that daily crosses the canals, to allow the city to host Beyond Walls, “the largest human chain in history”, a project taken to various symbolic locations in countries around the world ( (instagram.com/saype_artiste).

“We have given this project our full backing to continue along the path we set out on many years ago, with the aim of giving voice to the issues raised by sustainability through art and photography.” – Lavazza Group Board Member Francesca Lavazza said. “The art of Saype perfectly embodies our values and is the ideal testimonial for the increasingly close relationship between the visual arts and sustainability. In the spirit of our Goal Zero, we have chosen Earth Day to reawaken our collective consciousness about the delicate balance between man and the natural environment, and about the need to take action to encourage change. With the Venice Art Biennial just around the corner, we want to offer the world a visual synthesis that integrates Saype’s work into this most iconic of cities, with which we have longstanding ties through partnerships and cultural projects”. 

Goal Zero, created by Lavazza, joins the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and aspires to spread the message of the 2030 Agenda to as broad an audience as possible, as well as guiding Group projects for some years now to raise awareness about sustainability issues.

Lavazza Group is a longstanding supporter of Saype, with whom it shares the values of inclusion, solidarity and the desire to protect an environment increasingly at risk. An artistic combination centred on a faith in responsible art that aims to encourage reflection on the role we all have to play in preserving the world we live in. This is accompanied by a real-world commitment that on the one hand the artist applies to his work, and on the other the Group realises by acting as a responsible business on an everyday basis and through its Foundation, guided by the corporate purpose of “Awakening a better world every morning”.

“After traveling for 3 years around the world with Beyond Walls project, I am happy that this emblematic city will be part of it. City of history and confluence of art, Venice reflects our challenges of climate change. In this sense, working hand in hand with respect for nature is the only way to overcome together the failures of the past and create a bright future”. – said Saype – “Being able to bring the hands of Beyond Walls through the canals for the Venice Biennale is an opportunity for me to send a beautiful message of optimism to the whole world. Earth Day is the perfect time to remind us that ecology must be at the heart of our concerns, and I am proud to be able to send this message with Lavazza which is a historical partner in my adventure as an artist and with whom, we are trying to move forward in a more sustainable world. “

The partnership between Lavazza Group, Saype and the Venice Pavilion takes concrete form with the Venice Pavilion Fuori Padiglione events, a series of five encounters based on deeply shared goals. This with the aim of making people think responsibly about the future and about pressing social and environmental issues, with a view to limiting the devastating impact of climate change that threatens unique locations like Venice and highly vulnerable crops like coffee.

The event with Saype is part of the Venice Pavilion FPV programme curated by Giovanna Zabotti, which this year will be entitled “Alloro” [Bay Laurel], testifying to the dialogue that is possible between Art and Nature and of which Saype’s work is a concrete example.

“Man and nature: this symbiotic relationship has gone hand in hand in recent decades with growing respect for the dynamics of environmental sustainability, animal care, and the protection of all living beings. It is a form of heightened ecological consciousness that has evolved and started to express itself creatively through art. In fact, it represents a new frontier for creativity, where the lines are blurred between art, science and communication. This is where the connection between “Alloro” and the works of Saype lies: nature becomes central to the artwork, a nature that transforms and mutates, changing colour and form and taking on a new life, as do we humans who live in it.” – said Giovanna Zabotti, curator of the Venice Pavilion. “In parallel, nature, experimentation, art and the future will be the themes running throught all the Fuori Padiglione events, in which young people and the hope they represent will play a fundamental role. The partnership with Lavazza Group is a fortunate example of the increasingly close relationship between nature and art, and I am particularly happy with the collaboration we have established “.

Unravelling Ayushmann Khurrana’s Journey From Reality Shows To Bollywood Stardom In An Exclusive Chat With IMDb

Ayushmann Khurrana has proven to be one of Bollywood's most versatile actors in recent years. With 32 wins and 29 nominations, Ayushmann's progression as an artist from theatre to television to the big screen has been the most organic one. The Vicky Donor star shares his journey from hosting TV shows to his first blockbuster in an IMDb exclusive video, The Essential Guide to Ayushmann Khurrana. Here is a throwback to the journey of the star who talks about how the success of this unconventional movie not only got him fame and recognition but also paved his path into a certain genre of movies.

Reminiscing his childhood days, Ayushmann Khurrana shares how at the age of 5 he confessed to his grandmother about his dreams of becoming an actor that landed him in a soup. He recollects, “6th standard, when I did my first play called Merchant of Venice, I played Shylock’s character…that time my father realized that probably this is something serious. In college when I told him I want to do acting and theatre, he had just taken one promise from me that you know I should be like a topper in college and have like at least 70% attendance and I followed that and simultaneously did theatre, so he was very supportive later.”

From there started the journey of auditions and tryouts. On having to give up a role in ‘Kitni mast hai Zindagi’ to being offered to participate in Roadies, Ayushmann ensured to take up the right opportunities that came his way to kickstart his career in the industry. With all the grit and determination, he won the Roadies season and 4 years later came to Bombay where he joined MTV as a VJ. Followed by his stint at MTV, he hosted India’s Got Talent, IPL and a variety of award shows and reality shows where he made a mark in the anchoring space.

“In 2011, Shoojit Sircar noticed me on television and he wanted somebody like me as Vicky Donor….I remember I had at least said no to 6 films first before saying yes to Vicky Donor because I realized one thing that I won’t get a second chance….my first film has to be on point. I thought Vicky Donor was a great script and a very credible director, it was like a dream come true for me in 2012”. He also added, “First Filmfare was very special because I think am the only one in the history of Filmfare who won debut actor along with best playback singer…. competition is crazy…I never expected I will get best singer award…I got it, so I was just shocked and surprised”.

Ayushmann strongly feels that Vicky Donor set a path for him. This one-of-its kind movie set a trend and he felt that following the trend should be the right thing. He added, “I always thought I was unconventional…so I always thought I should make unconventional choices which will probably surprise you….so that was my aspiration, to choose subjects which were novel and clutter breaking.” Ayushmann also fondly shares about Andhadhun and how the movie was the biggest hustle of his life which gave him everything – from a national award to the biggest hit in China. Following which he has always done unconventional roles that have set him apart as an actor. Ayushmann Khurrana has successfully created a sub-genre of his own and highlighted all types of societal issues through some of his greatest hits of all times like Badhaai Ho, Article 15, Andhadhun, Gulabo Sitabo, Shubh Mangal Zyada Sasvdhan all which were huge hits in India.

After starring in hit films and belting out chartbusters, hear more from the actor on his failures and success mantras during the IMDb Essential Guide to Ayushmann Khurrana https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1756021273/.

Singapore Airlines And Singapore Tourism Board Invite Families To Holiday In Singapore This Summer

* Children enjoy 50% off airfares and families get a 50% discount at 100+ local attractions 

With international travel having resumed from India and with summer holidays just round the corner, Singapore Airlines, in collaboration with Singapore Tourism Board, is offering a “special family promotion on summer travel” to Singapore.  

Families that book their Singapore Airlines tickets between now and 31 May 2022, for travel anytime till 30 June 2022, can enjoy a 50% discount on airfares for children aged 12 years and below.  

Further, families can also enjoy over 100 exciting attractions across Singapore at half the price when they book their tickets using Pelago, a travel experience platform by Singapore Airlines.  

Key attractions on offer include the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Gardens by the Bay, Universal Studios, S.E.A. Aquarium, iFly Singapore and many more.  

Mr. Sy Yen Chen, General Manager India for Singapore Airlines, said, “With international travel having resumed from India, it is once again possible for families to plan a summer vacation together, and what better destination than Singapore? The Garden City has always been among the preferred international family-friendly destinations for the India market, simply because it offers something for all age groups. We are seeing strong demand for travel to Singapore, and our special children’s discount on airfares is our way of welcoming our youngest customers back on board for a fun-filled holiday.”  

Singapore Airlines currently operates 66 flights weekly from 8 cities in India and will continue to progressively increase its frequency to pre-Covid levels in the coming months. Please refer to the current India flight schedule at the end of this release for more details.  

Speaking about the family-focussed promotion, Mr. GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia, for Singapore Tourism Board said, “Singapore is a top-of-mind family destination among Indian travellers. We are happy to welcome them back to Singapore during the peak summer travel season to enjoy their family times. Together with our tourism partners, we have curated a variety of family experiences at half price for children under 12 years. After a hiatus of two years, we are excited to invite Indian travellers to a reimagined Singapore with new and familiar favourite experiences with top notch hygiene and safety standards.” 

Siddharth Shanker, CEO, Pelago commented, "With the resumption of travel, we’re excited to welcome families to Singapore. At Pelago, our vision is to enable travellers to experience different cultures in the 30+ global destinations we operate in. We’re excited to work with Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Airlines to bring Singapore to the world. For families especially, with over a 100 child-friendly activities on Pelago, we hope travellers will have the chance to explore Singapore for its range of well-known icons and hidden gems.”  

HCL Technologies Ltd: Services Biz Momentum Intact; In-Line FY23 Guidance

BUY

CMP: Rs1099  

Target Price: Rs1400

* HCLT delivered broadly in line operating performance in Q4. Revenue grew 0.5% QoQ to USD2.99bn (1.1% CC) on the back of continued traction in Services (5% CC). Products & Platforms declined 24% CC due to seasonality. EBITM declined by 110bps to 17.9%.

* It signed 6 large services and 4 product deals across technology & services, life sciences & healthcare and public services verticals for a total new deal TCV of USD2.3bn (6% QoQ). Broad-based demand, robust deal intake and pipeline augur well for revenue acceleration.

* HCLT has guided for revenue growth of 12-14% CC in FY23 on the back of continued traction in the services business, healthy deal intake and deal pipeline (close to all time high). It has guided for 18-20% EBITM guidance for FY23, considering supply-side challenges and planned investments in Mode 2 capabilities and markets.

* We cut FY23/FY24 EPS estimates by 3%/2.7%, factoring in Q4 performance and FY23 guidance. Revenue growth momentum is encouraging; however, pressure on Services margin led to earnings cut. We maintain Buy with a TP of Rs1,400 at 22x Mar'24E EPS considering attractive valuations, steady cash generation and ~4% dividend yield.