Dan Rosensweig Joins Asia’s Edtech Major upGrad’s Board of Directors

Asia’s largest Integrated Learning Skilling & Workforce development company upGrad today announced Dan Rosensweig, a longtime Silicon Valley Executive joining its Board of Directors. He comes on board as an Independent Non-Executive Director and joins the current senior representatives from Singapore-based investor Temasek and International Finance Corporation (IFC).

As President and CEO of Chegg (NYSE: CHGG) since 2010, Dan Rosensweig has transformed the company into the leading, student-first connected learning platform. Dan also serves on the Board of Adobe and is a senior advisor to TPG Growth Ventures & Kleiner Perkins.

“I am excited to be joining upGrad’s Board of Directors as there has never been a better time to provide accessible and flexible higher education and skills training to learners around the world. By working in partnership with key universities and major technology enterprises, particularly in India, upGrad can help transform the workplace of tomorrow,” said Dan Rosensweig, President, and CEO of Chegg.

Adding to the development, Ronnie Screwvala, Co-founder & Chairperson of upGrad commented, “The US and India along with Asia are the two largest markets for Skilling & Learning Development and Dan brings with him a powerful global overview of this sector which in turn, shall continue to cement our corporate governance as we march ahead in our mission of disrupting the future of jobs and careers of tomorrow.”

About upGrad

Started in 2015, upGrad is Asia’s largest integrated Learning, Skilling, Workforce Development & Placement Company. upGrad fosters a stackable learning ecosystem with immersive online and blended courses for high school graduates and working professionals. The offerings range from online & hybrid Degree programs to pathway and study abroad programs to certification and Bootcamps to Diploma, Master’s and Doctorate programs for working professionals. upGrad also provides most of these programs to enterprise clients through its B2B arm along with recruitment and staffing services. Till date, upGrad has touched 7 million+ learners across 100+ countries.

With 25+ offline offices, upGrad is present across multiple cities in India, San Francisco, Washington DC, London, Singapore, Dubai, Vietnam, Sydney and Melbourne. It boasts a strong network of 300+ direct global university partners, a wide lineup of 2500+ pathway connections, over 20,000 recruitment partners, and a robust enterprise arm with a clientele of 3000 corporate partners worldwide.

Multi: Directional, Bladeless And New Ventilation Fans Launched By Luxury Fan Brand - Fanzart

Fanzart, the pioneers of luxury fans in India, have yet again added another set of luxury fans to their incredible list of designer fans. The new set of fans, one being multi-directional and bladeless and the other being a new age ventilation fan, is an addition to the already existing outstanding range of more than 100 luxury designer fans customised to meet the unique needs of its connoisseur clientele.

Commenting on the latest launches, Tarun Lala, Co-Founder and Director, Fanzart, says, “Our latest launches are set to bring in elegance, finesse along with the benefits of modern  technology into the interior spaces. While the twin models of silent exhaust fans will be much sought after in the utility and service areas - the bathrooms, kitchens, utility areas and more, the bladeless pedestal option will serve as a fitting tribute to a sleek contemporary interior.”

Orbit: Multi-directional and bladeless

Orbit fan from Fanzart is a bladeless option, the air circulation being multi-directional, the body totally sleek and contemporary in looks to fit in finely into a high end space. Built with Japanese technology, the black coloured 38.1 inch designer fan, aptly christened as Orbit, comes with an oscillation of 900 and an air velocity of over 7m/s.

The silent performer also comes with power saving, requiring barely 45W for its operations. The luxury fan has a smart touch LED control panel, facilitating operation through infrared remote control that can be easily stored in a remote control nest. A built-in dust filter ensures the circulation of clean and dust free air.

Pro and Max: New age ventilation

Fanzart has yet again come out with a differential approach to addressing ventilation through its twin options of Pro and Max exhaust fans. Packing in an ultra-silent technology, the twin fans come with a noise level of 35db. Working on a low power requirement of 25W, the light weight exhaust fans prove to be high performers, with the airflow amounting to 320 m3/h.

The company is renowned across the country for its exclusive designer fans that include fans with classic looks, customised unique options to cater to children’s room, elegant fandeliers, mini fans, humanoids, fans with blue tooth and customisable blades.

About Fanzart

Having started its operations in 2012, Fanzart has currently 105 showrooms across the country. Fanzart has one company-owned showroom and two franchised outlets in Bengaluru where it originally started its operations over a decade back. Fanzart is a name to reckon with in the luxury interior segment with its niche offerings. The products are also shipped internationally and have made a mark for themselves.

For more details log in to: http://www.fanzartfans.com

IFF 2023: Emergence Of Fashion Retail Experience Lies In The Heart Of ‘Bharat’

* At the 22nd edition of India Fashion Forum, industry experts predicted that the growth of fashion retail would be steered by Tier  2 & 3 cities and the rural hubs of India.

The 22nd edition of India Fashion Forum (IFF), India’s biggest fashion intelligence event, opened to a packed house in Bengaluru today with leaders, key stakeholders, experts and delegates, from across the fashion ecosystem, having gathered to discuss emerging trends like AI, seamless shopping experiences and the prospects of as many as 100 Indian cities in generating new business opportunities in the post-pandemic fashion landscape. Shailesh Chaturvedi, 22nd IFF Chairman, Industry Thought Leader, MD & CEO, Arvind Fashions welcomed the attendees along with outgoing IFF Chairman Akhilesh Prasad, President and CEO, Fashion & Lifestyle Business, Reliance Retail.

In line with this year’s theme ‘Decoding the DNA of Profitability: Growth defined by Value Creation’, the inaugural session of the two-day event, witnessed speakers forecasting the way forward for fashion retail and Tier 2 and 3 cities as the focal points of growth. In her presentation, Saloni Nangia, President, Technopak, indicated that 25 cities beyond the 8 metros would drive a lot of consumption, while Vineet Gautam, CEO-South Asia, Bestseller India, lent this segment a new name - Bharat. The latter expects the next 100 cities to drive consumption in the country.

Though ‘Bharat’ is still largely unknown, Shailesh took a leaf from his career graph and added that it cannot be ignored anymore by the industry. “There is a lot to learn and plentiful value to create when we make a shift from known to unknown territories.”

Emphasizing the importance of building capability for brands, in his keynote address, Shailesh said, “The industry must lessen its focus on growth opportunities and build their unique competitive strengths. It is their fundamental capabilities that will help businesses steer through short or medium term headwinds. The future lies in concepts like Total Shareholders Reward wherein a company is evaluated on its wealth creation which, in turn, is based on capital efficiency, margin profile and scale of business.”

Dilip Kapur, Founder & President, Hidesign, spoke about his brand’s journey in creating an identity and the relevance of building a brand’s capabilities to achieve profitability.

The highlight of the inaugural session was ‘A story a minute’ , a rapid 60-second presentation by brand custodians on their profitability strategies. Bijou Kurien, Chairman, Retailers Association of India, led the session. Upcoming startups like Shobhitam and women-centric brands like Ayesha Fashion and Nykaa also presented their success stories in this session. With over 50+ conferences and 200+ speakers sharing their insights over the two days, IFF 2023 also welcomed UK delegates on their first-of-its-kind fashion and beauty trade mission to India. Brands like Lush, Benny Hancock, Jennifer Young and Lilly and Sid to name a few will showcase their offerings and innovation to potential distributors here.

Some of the sessions over the two days include unified commerce as the future of retail, omnichannel in fashion, social media, personalization, sustainability, profitability, mall strategy, global green initiatives in fashion and artificial intelligence.

Among the speakers at the 22nd IFF are: Shailesh Chaturvedi, MD & CEO, Arvind Fashions Limited; Akhilesh Prasad, President and CEO, Fashion Lifestyle Business, Reliance Retail; Amisha Jain, MD & SVP, South Asia, Middle East, Africa, Non-EU, Levi Strauss & Co; Dilip Kapur, President, Hidesign; Rajesh Jain, MD & CEO, Lacoste India; Dr. Naresh Tyagi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail and Revathi Kant, Senior VP and CDO, Titan Company among others.

About India Fashion Forum

Launched in 2000, India Fashion Forum (IFF) is India’s largest fashion retail intelligence event. Every year, a powerful blend of conference sessions, workshops and master classes, zoned exhibitions and industry awards mark IFF’s confluence of the biggest consumer trends, market intelligence and retail innovation in the business of fashion in India.

The 22nd edition of India Fashion Forum will provide the latest insights from international and Indian industry experts, academics, global fashion research majors and analysts by way of keynote addresses, panel discussions, CEOs Roundtables, presentations, knowledge series sessions and workshops.

Aditya Birla Capital Collaborates With NPCI To Develop And Promote Digital Payments

Aditya Birla Capital Ltd (ABCL), the holding company for the financial services businesses of the Aditya Birla Group (“Aditya Birla Capital”) announced its collaboration with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to develop and promote digital payment methods through subsidiaries to its customers.

This collaboration marks entry of Aditya Birla Capital into payments space through its operating subsidiaries and envisages faster adoption of the new technologies in collaboration with NPCI and its subsidiaries with an objective to promote digital payments.

Mr. Pankaj Gadgil, Head Digital Platforms and Analytics, Aditya Birla Capital “We are delighted to partner with NPCI to offer a complete set of digital payment options to our customers. It is our intention to offer a comprehensive suite of financial solutions to our customers and the digital payment solutions is a significant addition to the financial services portfolio offerings. This gets us closer to becoming a one stop shop for all finance needs of our customers. We will create distinctive propositions for existing customers of Aditya Birla Capital and also focus on acquiring new customers from market. Given the group’s focus on building presence across products, we foresee a huge potential to target the requirements of untapped customers. Our foray into digital Payments in partnership with NPCI will give us the competitive edge to offer a frictionless digital payment experience to our customers”

Ms. Praveena Rai, Chief Operating Officer at NPCI, said, “NPCI has always looked to expand the digital payments universe and bring more and more netizens/ citizens into it.  For us, it has always been about seamless, simple digital payments experience to all of India and beyond. As Aditya Birla Capital embarks on their journey into payments, the partnership enables both of us to leverage each other’s strengths and expertise to create value and enhance the overall customer experience. This shall bring all of the offerings of Aditya Birla Capital and its subsidiaries together, driving access to financial services and financial inclusion.”

About Aditya Birla Capital Limited

ABCL is the holding company for the financial services businesses of the Aditya Birla Group. With subsidiaries/JVs that have a strong presence across Protecting, Investing and Financing solutions, ABCL is a financial solutions group that caters to diverse needs of its customers across their life cycle. Powered with more than 34,000 employees, the businesses of ABCL have a nationwide reach with over 1200 branches, more than 2,00,000 agents/channel partners and several bank partners.

Aditya Birla Capital Limited is a part of the Aditya Birla Group, in the league of Fortune 500. Anchored by an extraordinary force of over 140,000 employees, belonging to 100 nationalities, the Aditya Birla Group operates in 36 countries across the globe.

About NPCI

NPCI was incorporated in 2008 as an umbrella organization for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India. NPCI has created a robust payment and settlement infrastructure in the country. It has changed the way payments are made in India through a bouquet of retail payment products such as RuPay card, Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM), BHIM Aadhaar, National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC FasTag) and Bharat BillPay.

NPCI is focused on bringing innovations in the retail payment systems through the use of technology and is relentlessly working to transform India into a digital economy. It is facilitating secure payment solutions with nationwide accessibility at minimal cost in furtherance of India’s aspiration to be a fully digital society.

Citroën Launches New Ë-C3 All-Electric: Priced At Rs 11,50,000 (Ex-Showroom Delhi)

New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric’s introductory price starts at  Rs 11,50,000 (ex-showroom Delhi)  

1st OEM in India to launch EV after ICE in just 6 months

Segment-leading Range – 320 km* (*ARAI MIDC I Certified)

100% DC Fast Charge capability & 15 AMP Home Charging option

Available with 13 exterior colour combinations, 3 packs with 47 customisation options

Attractive standard/extended warranty on vehicle/battery/emotor & 24/7 Roadside Assistance

To be sold through 29 La Maison Citroën Phygital Showrooms across 25 cities 

B2C customers can buy New Ë-C3 directly from factory with doorstep delivery in major cities 

Citroën India launched the much-awaited New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric at a special introductory price of  Rs 11,50,000 (ex-showroom Delhi). This full BEV B-hatch is from the C-Cubed family of vehicles and is built at its manufacturing facility in Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu. The New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric deliveries to the B2B and B2C segment will start from End-February through the La Maison Citroën phygital showrooms across the country.

The New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric: Introductory prices (ex-showroom Delhi)

The New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric is now available for retail at La Maison Citroën phygital showrooms in 25 cities, namely, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Lucknow, Bhubaneswar, Surat, Nagpur, Vizag, Calicut, Guwahati, Bhopal, Karnal, Dehradun, Rajkot, Mangalore and Coimbatore. All showrooms will be equipped with DC Fast Charging facility provided by Jio-bp and will cater to all EV vehicle owners.  

Citroën will also extend its 100% direct online buying – BUY ONLINE - for the New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric. Customers in major Indian cities will be covered through this direct online initiative and can order directly from the factory and get doorstep delivery of their Electric Vehicle. 

Citroën will also launch connectivity apps like MY CITROËN CONNECT and C-BUDDY on the New Ë-C3 All-Electric. Available on both iOS & Android, My Citroën Connect hosts 35 smart features including Driving behaviour analysis, Vehicle tracking, Emergency services call, auto crash notification, over-the-air software updates, Usage-based insurance parameters and first in segment 7-year subscription.

For the aftersales network named the L’Atelier Citroën, the company will offer unique services like remote diagnostics and 100% parts availability to assure New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric customers of a stress-free ownership experience. Citroën Service on Wheels will enhance reach and availability for customers covering most common repairs at customer’s doorstep. This represents the Citroën Service Promise that extends “Comfort at Your Fingertips” for customers.

Extended Warranty options for New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric available:

B2B – Upto 5Y / 200k km (5 products available within this range)

B2C – Upto 5Y / 140k Km (4 products available within this range)

Extended Warranty Add-on Products 

B2B (Only eMotor & Battery) – Upto 7Y / 200k km (3 products available within this range)

B2C (Only eMotor) – Upto 7Y / 140k Km (2 products available within this range)

Roland Bouchara, CEO & Managing Director, Stellantis India, said, “The launch of the New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric is a key milestone for Stellantis in India. With this launch, Citroën moves from being a newcomer in the ICE passenger vehicle segment to a key player in the Electric vehicle segment. Thanks to the engineering and development by our teams and local suppliers on the Smart Car Platform, we have been able to bring this affordable full BEV within 6 months of the launch of the ICE variant of the New C3 and that is a commendable achievement.”  

Saurabh Vatsa, Brand Head, Citroën India, remarked, “We are excited to launch the New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric

for the young and progressive customers who will enjoy the CLEVER, COMFORT & COOL product propositions. The vehicle was developed keeping in mind the Indian audience and their unique needs and preferences. Ë-C3 delivers a certified driving range of 320 km per charge (MIDC cycle), 100% DC fast charging capability, and a plethora of intuitive technology-driven features. With the famed Citroën Advanced Comfort on board combined with an efficient e-powertrain, we are certain that the New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric will meet the expectations of both private customers’ and fleet operators." 

Customers can now test-drive and experience the New Citroën Ë-C3 All-Electric by visiting a La Maison 

Citroën phygital showroom near them and/or book/buy the car online at www.citroen.in.

3i Infotech Signs An INR 16.5 Cr Oracle DWBI Managed Services Deal With SBI General Insurance

* To deploy end-to-end Oracle stack to the insurance major.

3i Infotech Limited (BSE: 532628, NSE: 3IINFOLTD), a global Information Technology company, committed to accelerating business transformation, has won Oracle Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence (DWBI) Managed Services deal with SBI General Insurance. With a value of around INR 16.5 Cr, the contract is spread over a tenure of three years.

As a part of the deal, 3i Infotech will perform 24/7 application and production support, data migration and integration, ETL operations (currently more than 25+ peripheral systems), DWBI Service Management L2, L3, MIS report, ad hoc reports and dashboards, data reconciliation, data democratization, data remediation, user management, knowledge management, security, audit and compliance services for data warehouse and Business Intelligence solution using end-to-end Oracle stack. Considering the above scope, 3i Infotech with its expertise in Oracle has proposed 30+ resources to perform the activities.

Commenting on the deal, Thompson P. Gnanam, Managing Director, and Global CEO, 3i Infotech said, “Having India's leading general insurance company as one of our marquee clients is a great privilege. As a company we are uniquely positioned to deliver our solutions to the BFSI segment, owing to our three-decade legacy and combined with our new-age digital propositions. Our dedicated Oracle CoE and width of solutions offered to clients under the Oracle stack was a key differentiator for us in clinching this prestigious deal."

SBI General Insurance has chosen 3i Infotech for its thought leadership and more than a decade of experience in providing value-driven offerings with a combination of Automation tools/Processes and a better understanding of business KPIs. 3i Infotech has a dedicated Oracle CoE that ensures guaranteed success by combining Oracle Technologies with BFSI domain expertise for Consulting, Implementation, and Support engagements.

About 3i Infotech 

Headquartered in Mumbai, India, since inception in 1993, 3i Infotech has been committed to driving business value across multiple industry verticals. 3i Infotech, today, has emerged as a leading name in propelling the current wave of digital transformation initiatives, with deep domain expertise across BFSI, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Education, Telecom, Media & Entertainment, Retail and Government sectors. The company has over 5600 employees in 30 offices, 15 countries and across 4 continents. With a digital and cloud-first approach, and a range of IT services and solutions encompassing 5G in Edge Computing, Cognitive AI/ML, Data Science and Analytics and Blockchain, 3i Infotech have successfully transformed business operations of 1,200+ customers across 50 countries. The company has a very strong foothold and client base in geographies like North America, India, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Website: https://www.3i-infotech.com/

Tata Motors Launches Re.Wi.Re, Its First Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility

* Inaugurated by Shri Nitin Gadkari, this world-class facility has a capacity of 15,000 vehicles per year

Tata Motors, India's leading automobile manufacturer, today, took a significant leap forward in its commitment towards sustainable mobility with the launch of Re.Wi.Re – Recycle with Respect, its first Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Inaugurated by Hon’ble Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari, this state-of-the-art facility has a capacity of 15,000 vehicles per annum and follows world-class, eco-friendly processes for safe and sustainable dismantling of end-of-life vehicles. It is developed and operated by Tata Motors’ partner Ganganagar Vaahan Udyog Pvt. Ltd. to scrap end-of-life passenger and commercial vehicles of all brands.

Inaugurating Tata Motors’ maiden Re.Wi.Re RVSF, Hon’ble Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, Shri Nitin Gadkari said, “The National Vehicle Scrappage Policy was introduced with the aim to promote circular economy by creating an ecosystem for phasing out unfit and polluting vehicles and to achieve a lower carbon footprint in the country by replacing them with greener and more fuel efficient vehicles. I congratulate Tata Motors for setting-up this quality facility that is at par with global standards. We are working towards positioning India as a vehicle scrapping hub for the entire South Asian region and need more such state-of-the-art scrapping and recycling units in India.”

Speaking on the launch of Re.Wi.Re., Mr. Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors, said, “At Tata Motors, we are committed to delve into every aspect of mobility to make it greener and sustainable. The inauguration of this RVSF (Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility) heralds a new beginning in responsible scrapping of end-of-life vehicles. With globally benchmarked and optimised recycling processes, we intend to yield maximum value from the scrap for future use and minimise waste for the overall betterment. We appreciate the visionary efforts of Shri Gadkari ji in enabling the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy and look forward to setting-up Re.Wi.Re facilities across the country in collaboration with our partners. These decentralised facilities will benefit the customers, share the economic value generated, create employment while addressing the need of scrapping vehicles in every part of the country in an eco-friendly manner.

The state-of-the-art Re.Wi.Re. facility is designed to dismantle end-of-life passenger and commercial vehicles of all brands and ensures de-pollutioning. It is fully digitalised for hassle-free, paperless operations and has dedicated stations for safe dismantling of components such as tyres, batteries, fuel, oils, liquids and gases. The vehicles go through a stringent documentation and dismantling process, curated individually for passenger and commercial vehicle requirements.

About Tata Motors

Part of the USD 128 billion Tata group, Tata Motors Limited (NYSE: TTM; BSE: 500570 and 570001; NSE: TATAMOTORS and TATAMTRDVR), a USD 37 billion organization, is a leading global automobile manufacturer of cars, utility vehicles, pick-ups, trucks and buses, offering extensive range of integrated, smart and e-mobility solutions. With ‘Connecting Aspirations’ at the core of its brand promise, Tata Motors is India’s market leader in commercial vehicles and amongst the top three in the passenger vehicles market.

Tata Motors strives to bring new products that fire the imagination of GenNext customers, fueled by state of the art design and R&D centers located in India, UK, US, Italy and South Korea. With a focus on engineering and tech enabled automotive solutions catering to the future of mobility, the company’s innovation efforts are focused to develop pioneering technologies that are sustainable as well as suited to evolving aspirations of the market and the customers. The company is pioneering India's Electric Vehicle (EV) transition and driving the shift towards sustainable mobility solutions by preparing a tailor-made product strategy, leveraging the synergy between the Group companies and playing an active role liasoning with the Government in developing the policy framework.

With operations in India, the UK, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa and Indonesia, Tata Motors’ vehicles are marketed in Africa, Middle East, South & South East Asia, Australia, South America, Russia and other CIS countries. As of March 31, 2022, Tata Motors’ operations include 86 consolidated subsidiaries, two joint operations, four joint ventures and 10 equity-accounted associates, including their subsidiaries, in respect of which we exercise significant influence.