Grasim Industries Limited Inducts Ananya Birla, Aryaman Vikram Birla As Directors

The Board of Grasim Industries Limited, at its meeting held today, inducted Ms. Ananya Birla, and Mr. Aryaman Vikram Birla as Directors. Ms. Ananya Birla and Mr. Aryaman Vikram Birla come with rich and varied experience straddling entrepreneurship and business building. The board believes that Grasim Industries Limited will benefit from their new-age insights and business acumen.

Commenting on their appointment, Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman Aditya Birla Group said, “ As the flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, Grasim has incubated several high-growth businesses over the years. The global scale built across diverse sectors like cement, fibre, and chemicals is a testament to the dynamism that defines the company. Grasim now is at a pivotal juncture as it is on the verge of creating two new high growth engines—paints and B2B e-commerce for building materials. This is, therefore, an appropriate moment for the board to induct Ananya and Aryaman as Directors. Their business acumen and insights into new-age businesses & consumer behaviour will be valuable for Grasim as it embarks on a new growth journey.” He added, “Ananya and Aryaman believe passionately in the group’s values and purpose. I am confident that they will further add dynamism and energy to the group’s rich entrepreneurial traditions and help create sustained stakeholder value.”

Ms. Ananya Birla and Mr. Aryaman Vikram Birla have recently been inducted as Directors on the board of Aditya Birla Management Corporation Pvt. Ltd, the apex body that provides strategic direction to the Aditya Birla Group’s businesses.

Ms. Ananya Birla is a successful business woman and platinum selling artist. Her first company, Svatantra Microfin Pvt Ltd, founded at the age of 17, is amongst India's fastest growing MFI's. It has crossed an AUM of 1 billion USD, and has grown at a CAGR of 120% (2015-2022). With over 7000 employees, it has consistently been accorded a Great Place To Work. With a CRISIL A+ rating, Svatantra is the youngest, highest rated organization in the sector. Svatantra successfully acquired Micro Housing Finance Corporation Ltd. in 2018. Her innovation across the business has resulted in a number of firsts in the industry, and solidified Svatantra's position as an industry leader in financial services. Ms. Birla is also the founder of design-led home decor brand Ikai Asai. On the social front, Ms. Ananya Birla has co-founded Mpower, and advocates the need for conversations around mental health in India. She is also the founder of the Ananya Birla Foundation that does pioneering research in mental health and social impact.

Mr.  Aryaman Vikram Birla comes with diverse experience which includes, entrepreneurship, VC investing, and professional sport. Aryaman is closely involved with several businesses of the Aditya Birla Group. In consultation with the Group Chairman, Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, he is actively championing the Group’s foray into new-age businesses. Aryaman helped incubate the Group’s D2C platform, TMRW, and is a director on its board. His maiden entrepreneurial foray was in the hospitality business. Aryaman is also spearheading the Group’s Venture Capital fund, Aditya Birla Ventures. Prior to joining ABG, Aryaman was a prolific first-class cricketer.

Further, the Board has also appointed Mr. Yezdi Piroj Dandiwala as an Independent Director. Mr. Dandiwala is one of the leading Corporate Lawyers. He is a Partner at Mulla & Mulla and Craigie Blunt & Caroe, Advocates & Solicitors. He has a rich experience in corporate and commercial transactions.

These appointments are subject to requisite approval by members of the company.

udChalo Channels The Careers Of AIT Students By Rendering Scholarships

~udChalo supports education of 32 students at Army Institute of Technology (AIT), an initiative for shaping India’s future

udChalo, a leading consumer-tech start-up company that exclusively serves India’s defense forces and their dependents, announced scholarships for 32 AIT students on February 1, 2023. General Manoj Pande, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) graced the event as Chief Guest, followed by scholarship distribution to the students. Aimed to further augment the role of building a nation, udChalo is creating opportunities for deserving students.

udChalo has collaborated with AIT in Pune since 2018. Through this scholarship, every year, 32 talented students are given the opportunity to seek higher educational pursuits on the basis of their merit.

This scholarship comes to the aid of these competitive students. udChalo, in partnership with the AIT administration, identifies these students who are deserving of this scholarship. The AIT scholarship encourages students, right from the beginning of their education, to become a solid defense shield for our country to veterans and after. 

Ravi Kumar, founder, and CEO, udChalo said, “It has been observed that our colleges, such as AIT, serve as an incubator for developing the best-armed force personnel, providing them with hands-on experience to develop a solution-oriented analytical approach. This scholarship motivates and inspires the students to hold on to a core value of humanity with a strong defense shell for the country in the future.”

Committed to the motto of “making life simpler for soldiers” udChalo’s AIT scholarships is a testament to the brand's support to the armed forces. Apart from this, udChalo has recently tied up with Seed Spark's five-month online entrepreneurship program.

With these initiatives udChalo is being instrumental in lives of jawans from the beginning of their careers up to their retirement and beyond. 

eMudhra Launches emSign; Becomes Provider To Issue SSL/TLS Certificates Globally

* Issued under the globally accredited Trust Services offering emSign, will help eMudhra compete on a global scale with a state-of-the-art managed PKI offering

eMudhra Limited, (Listed on BSE & NSE, EMUDHRA) a technology, digital identity, and transaction management company, has launched its services to issue its own Secured Sockets Layer (SSL) / Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificates for large enterprises, IoT manufacturers, SMEs and retail customers. eMudhra is the first & only company from India to get accredited by Webtrust, and its offering emSign is recognized by all the major browsers in the world.

SSL/TLS Certificates play a major role in the Cyber Security space, where they help encrypt every communication on the internet. This includes use-cases such as E-commerce websites for secure online transactions, online banking sites, social media and other websites that require login credentials, Email services, online marketplaces, payment gateways, healthcare portals, online government services, mobile applications, OTT streaming portals and apps, API Services including Digital Public Infrastructure Services (e.g.: UPI), and others.

These certificates use PKI (Public key infrastructure) technology and are widely used in the form of SSL (or TLS) issued by global trust service providers. Certificates issued by emSign are trusted by prominent web browsers of today to enable secure, trusted communication between a web server and the website. This enables organizations and consumers to enhance encrypted network connections, thereby protecting both the end users’ information and the service provider. The SSL/TLS certificates issued by emSign – eMudhra’s Global Trust Root, is a fully made in India solution for the world with local data residency capabilities.

V. Srinivasan, chairman of eMudhra said, “With this latest initiative, eMudhra expects to enhance secure encryption across sectors like BFSI, Government, Education, logistics, healthcare, E-commerce, etc. Through our SSL and TLS certificates, customers can ensure accountability while browsing the web for their needs and be confident while making transactions. A seamless and secure digital experience is a priority for everyone, and SSL/TLS certificates issued under emSign will instill confidence and trust amongst businesses and government authorities, as the data stays in India with limited or no reliance on foreign players”.

Operated under the brand “emSign”, Businesses can get the certificates online from the website, or through eMudhra resellers. emSign certificates support modern ACME APIs, as well as web server agents to adopt automation. Domain validated certificates are issued instantly and meet the global compliance requirements. Enterprises/Businesses can also get Organization/Extended validated certificates to display their identity as part of the certificates. This offering is also available in wildcard and Unified Communication Certificates (UCC) categories for multiple website support and is compatible with all major browsers in the world.

About emSign

emSign by eMudhra is a Managed PKI Ecosystem and a Globally Trusted Root to issue X.509 certificates for a multitude of use-cases across industries. From issuance of SSL/TLS certificates that are trusted by all major web browsers to SMIME and Code Sign Certificates, emSign powers businesses to achieve identity assurance through seamless issuance and management of public certificates at scale. Businesses, large enterprises and IoT companies across the globe can deploy certificates issued by emSign to make safe transactions, protect network and device, and all communication from cyber-attacks.

Certificate lifecycle Management (CLM) offered by emSign is best suited for enterprises looking for scale and would like to manage millions of digital identities on an intuitive dashboard. With an end-to-end automation of authentication and encryption, emSign offers to make the digital world secure, trusted and agile.

ONGC Recreates An Offshore Platform For India Energy Week

At India’s flagship Energy Event “India Energy Week 2023 “(IEW 2023) organised at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) recreated an offshore platform, which is employed to produce oil and gas from the high seas.

The ONGC Pavilion showcased a number of cutting-edge features to engage the global audience visiting the 3-day international conference and exhibition.

With an immersive anamorphic display sampling the Maharatna’s offshore operations, the ONGC Pavilion has two helidecks, one of which serves as a fully-functional networking station, possibly the first of its kind.

With a 3-dimensional Virtual Reality Center known as the ‘Third Eye Center’, ONGC’s Pavilion offers its visitors an intriguing show of the sun-surface habitat of oil and gas and how the Energy major constructs reservoir models based on data secured from drilling.

With two VR Experience Centre shows, visitors can witness the ‘Building of data driven reservoir models’ in the Seismic to Simulation show, and ‘Controlling drilling remotely with real time data’ in the Real Time Drilling Control show.

ONGC Production Clock at the pavilion will showcase how India saves around Rs 6 lakhs every ten seconds thanks to ONGC. As the largest crude oil and natural gas Company in India, ONGC contributes around 71 per cent to Indian domestic production.

Equipped with a wide range of immersive digital experiences, the pavilion has pillars, and demo zones where visitors can understand the intricacies of the Maharatna’s expansive operations in the energy sector.

Visitors can engage in ONGC’s pioneering exploration and production game called the ‘Oil and Gas Hunt’. With a devoted room for immersive display, the ONGC Pavilion highlights the company’s in-house service capabilities in all areas of Exploration and Production of oil & gas and related oil-field services.

With the unique distinction of being India’s only fully–integrated oil and gas company in India, ONGC has single-handedly scripted the nation’s hydrocarbon saga.

The gaming and quizzing zones at the pavilion offer visitors the chance to understand ONGC is steadily making novel discoveries, while fast tracking its development. Tapping into new and unconventional sources of energy, ONGC is taking the road ahead with its Energy Strategy 2040.

Designed to be operated remotely without onsite personnel, unmanned offshore platforms are controlled either by onshore teams or via a neighbouring platform.

Organized during India’s G20 Presidency, IEW 2023 is set to feature more than 30 Energy Leaders, 50 Key Executives and over 10,000 delegates from the across over the world.

Schaeffler India Limited Appoints Sumithasri Eranti As The New Chairperson To Lead The Board Of Directors

Leading automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler India Limited (BSE: 505790, NSE: SCHAEFFLER), today announced the appointment of Ms. Sumithasri Eranti as the new Chairperson of the Board of Directors.

With over 25 years of experience in business leadership, technology, consulting and financial services industry, Ms. Eranti brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her new role.

She has held various roles in technology companies - global service portfolio leadership, CXO collaboration, P&L ownership, large account management, business consulting and product development. She possesses multi-cultural experience of living/working in 11 countries including Germany, India, USA, UK and The Netherlands.

Ms. Eranti has been an independent director of Schaeffler India Limited Board since 2020. She is also the chairperson of board of directors at Aviva Life Insurance company India limited and has been associated with other companies as a board member.

Ms. Eranti takes over as the Chairperson from Mr. Avinash Gandhi who retired after leading the company for over 20 years. Ms. Eranti will lead the board in its mission to drive Schaeffler India's growth and success. Under her guidance, the company aims to continue its focus on innovation and commitment to excellence.

The appointment of Ms. Eranti as the new Chairwoman of the Board is a significant milestone for Schaeffler India. The company is committed to promote diversity and inclusion. This appointment is a testimony to that commitment.

"I am honored to have been chosen as the new Chairperson of the Board. I thank the Board of directors for their trust and support," said Sumithasri Eranti. "I am excited to work with the talented members of the board and the management team of Schaeffler India "

Schaeffler India looks forward to new perspectives and leadership that Ms. Eranti will bring to the table as the new Chairperson of the Board.

Schaeffler Group – We pioneer motion

As a leading global supplier to the automotive and industrial sectors, the Schaeffler Group has been driving forward groundbreaking inventions and developments in the fields of motion and mobility for over 75 years. With innovative technologies, products, and services for electric mobility, CO?-efficient drives, Industry 4.0, digitalization, and renewable energies, the company is a reliable partner for making motion and mobility more efficient, intelligent, and sustainable. The technology company manufactures high-precision components and systems for powertrain and chassis applications as well as rolling and plain bearing solutions for a large number of industrial applications. The Schaeffler Group generated sales of approximately EUR 13.9 billion in 2021. With around 83,000 employees, Schaeffler is one of the world’s largest family companies. With more than 1,800 patent applications in 2021, Schaeffler is Germany’s third most innovative company according to the DPMA (German Patent and Trademark Office).

Schaeffler India Limited

Schaeffler has been present in India for over 50 years. With 3 well known product brands LuK, INA and FAG, 4 manufacturing plants and 8 sales offices, Schaeffler has a significant presence in India. Schaeffler is among the largest Industrial and Automotive supplier with sales of INR 55.6 billion in 2021 and around 2,922 employees. The manufacturing plants in Maneja and Savli (Vadodara), produce a vast range of ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, spherical roller bearings and wheel bearings that are sold under the brand name of FAG. The plant at Talegaon near Pune, manufactures engine and powertrain components for front accessory drive system, chain drive systems, valve train, gear shift systems and a range of needle roller bearings and elements, under the brand INA. The fourth manufacturing location is based out of Hosur, producing a wide range of clutches and hydraulic clutch release systems for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, heavy commercial vehicles and tractors sold under the brand of LuK. Schaeffler also has the largest after-market networks serving the industrial and automotive customers. All of this is backed by dedicated engineering, research and development support based in India in support of product teams.

Boeing Set To Build $200 Million R&D Campus In Bengaluru By 2023

* The aeroplane manufacturer says it has invested $200 million to build the campus on 43 acres of land

Boeing India said it would open its new and second largest campus outside of its global headquarters, in Virginia, at Aerospace Park in Devanahalli, near Kempegowda International Airport, by the end of 2023.

The company said on January 30, Monday, it had invested over $200 million to build the campus on 43 acres of land on the city’s outskirts. It may be recalled that the project was cleared by H.D. Kumaraswamy’s government in September 2018.

The new facility would house various labs, testing infrastructure, and part of R&D operations while most engineers would continue to work from Boeing India Engineering & Technology Centre at Bagmane Tech Park, Bengaluru, said Aarti Singh, Senior Director, IT and DA and CIO Boeing India while addressing a media conference.

SIAM Organises Sustainable Mobility Pavilion In Bengaluru From February 6-8, 2023

As India took over G20 Presidency in December 2022, Government of India is celebrating  The India Energy Week 2023 at Bengaluru from 6th - 8th February, 2023. The event attains greater significance in view of India’s commitments to sustainable development and Honourable Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi's pledge at COP26 to cut India's emissions to net-zero by 2070. It is a major step in the direction of Decarbonization and Sustainable Mobility.

The India Energy Week 2023 event is being held under the patronage of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India.  India Energy Week has seen participation from the highest level of the Indian government, including all the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), and is supported by the Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI).

The Indian Automobile Industry under the aegis of SIAM has coordinated a “Sustainable Mobility Pavilion” at the India Energy Week 2023 showcasing the readiness of Automobile Manufacturers for transiting towards  Sustainable Mobility by adopting different technology options ranging from Ethanol (E-20) to Flex-Fuel vehicles to Electric and Hybrid, amongst both Four wheelers and Two wheelers.

This is in line with the mandate to SIAM from Government of India to promote Ethanol as a transportation fuel, jointly with the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI). India’s Ethanol Blending Programme is driven by the highest level within the Government. The important timelines decided for pan India implementation of E-20 are 2023 for vehicles to be material compliant, and 2025 for vehicles to be fully E-20 compliant.

SIAM’s Sustainable Mobility Pavilion at IEW 2023 showcased 12 products of Ethanol, Flex fuel, Electrified vehicles including Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicles, demonstrating the E20 compatibility and Electric/hybrid readiness. 

The Rally during the event encompassing over 57 vehicles contributed by SIAM through its Member OEMs, was flagged off by the Hon’ble Prime-Minister today in presence of leading energy producing and consuming countries and over 30,000 delegates. SIAM had showcased E-20, E-85, CNG , Electric, Electric Hybrid and hydrogen Vehicles at the Rally.

India is projected to witness the largest increase in energy demand of any country over the next two decades, as its economy continues to grow and create opportunities for its people, and the global energy value chain. As a rapidly developing country, India’s Energy Transition will play a pivotal role in global energy markets. SIAM’s presence at the inaugural India Energy Week facilitated the launch of sustainable fuels to decarbonize India’s fuel market by bringing in vehicles which are Material Compliant to Ethanol. The Filling of these vehicles are showcased and demonstrated at few outlets in New Delhi/Bengaluru and Pune to start with and will be expanded to major towns and cities shortly. SIAM’s participation alongside PSU’s / private OMCs strengthens the bond of One Nation-Partnership at the India Energy Week 2023 and comes at a critical time, with the challenges of energy security and environmental sustainability impacting long-term energy transition and paths towards decarbonisation.

About SIAM 

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) is a not-for-profit apex national body representing all major vehicle and vehicular engine manufacturers in India. SIAM works towards supporting the sustainable development of the Indian Automobile Industry with the vision that India emerges as the destination of choice in the world for the design and manufacture of automobiles. It also works towards facilitating the enhancement of the competitiveness of the Indian Automobile Industry, reducing the cost of vehicles, increasing productivity, and achieving global standards of quality.