From MoneyControl.com
3M India approved the appointment Mr. Amit Laroya as a Director and Managing Director of the Company with effect from October 1, 2013 for a period of 5 years subject to the approval of the shareholders in general meeting to be held next year and further subject to the approval of the Central Government.
33M India Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company through a Circular Resolution dated October 4, 2013 have:1. Approved the appointment Mr. Amit Laroya as a Director and Managing Director of the Company with effect from October 1, 2013 for a period of 5 years subject to the approval of the Shareholders of the Company in general meeting to be held next year and further subject to the approval of the Central Government.2. Accepted the resignation of Mr. Ajay Nanavati as a Director and Managing Director of the Company with effect from October 1, 2013 upon his assuming responsibility within 3M Group outside of India.Source : BSE
Showing posts with label XLer in the News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label XLer in the News. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Kimberly-Clark Lever appoints Calvin Lyngdoh (PMIR 99) as the new HR head in India
From The Economic Times
NEW DELHI: FMCG firm Kimberly-Clark Lever has appointed Calvin Lyngdoh as director, HR for its Indian operations, the company said in a statement.
Lyngdoh joins Kimberly-Clark Lever from Nokia where he was head of development, leadership and talent acquisition, responsible for streamlining and expanding the sales and marketing team.
In his new role, Lyngdoh will oversee Kimberly-Clark Lever's signature human resource programmes and initiatives in India and will report to managing director Prakash Iyer. Kimberly-Clark has a 50:50 joint venture with Hindustan UnileverBSE 0.01 % in India.
""Calvin's experience in attracting, developing, rewarding and retaining top talent is vital to Kimberly-Clark Lever and the people who make our brands among India's most trusted," Prakash Iyer, MD, Kimberly-Clark Lever said in a statement.
Speaking on his new role, Lyngdoh said: "Kimberly-Clark Lever is a leading player in the FMCG sector and is already engaged in rich and diverse employee engagement programmes. I look forward to bringing my experience in driving leadership development programmes, succession planning and talent acquisition to the human resources team here."
NEW DELHI: FMCG firm Kimberly-Clark Lever has appointed Calvin Lyngdoh as director, HR for its Indian operations, the company said in a statement.
Lyngdoh joins Kimberly-Clark Lever from Nokia where he was head of development, leadership and talent acquisition, responsible for streamlining and expanding the sales and marketing team.
In his new role, Lyngdoh will oversee Kimberly-Clark Lever's signature human resource programmes and initiatives in India and will report to managing director Prakash Iyer. Kimberly-Clark has a 50:50 joint venture with Hindustan UnileverBSE 0.01 % in India.
""Calvin's experience in attracting, developing, rewarding and retaining top talent is vital to Kimberly-Clark Lever and the people who make our brands among India's most trusted," Prakash Iyer, MD, Kimberly-Clark Lever said in a statement.
Speaking on his new role, Lyngdoh said: "Kimberly-Clark Lever is a leading player in the FMCG sector and is already engaged in rich and diverse employee engagement programmes. I look forward to bringing my experience in driving leadership development programmes, succession planning and talent acquisition to the human resources team here."
Saturday, April 06, 2013
Sonalee Panda (BMD 96) : The growth is in the Rs 5-10 crore segment
From The Hindu Business Line
The growth is in the Rs 5-10 crore segment
Sonalee Panda, Group Head, Private Banking and Wealth Management, ING Vysya Bank.
Having access to a whole lot of SME clients through their lending
relationship is ING Vysya’s niche, says Sonalee Panda, Group Head,
Private Banking and Wealth Management at ING Vysya Bank. After all, it
is this segment of the market whose needs are becoming more
sophisticated but not many are paying attention to it, she says.
What are the services you offer under private banking?
We have been in the private banking business in India since 1995. We
offer investment advisory across equity, debt and structured products
through non-discretionary Portfolio Management Services (PMS). We also
offer what is called the investment banking service. For example, most
of our private banking clients are entrepreneurs.
So when they want to grow bigger and move to newer markets, they are
looking for strategic investments - something like a private equity deal
or a venture capital function. We do it for them, but in a small ticket
size of Rs 25-50 crore.
The next thing we do is estate management. Say a client has built a
business and made a lot of money, we help in protecting the wealth. Then
if the second generation is not interested in it, through our
investment banking practice we find a person who can take over the
business. A fourth service is structured credit.
How do you distinguish the wealth management services from private banking?
The typical wealth management customer is mass affluent and he begins
thinking of creating wealth for his future needs as he touches 30-35
years of age.
So wealth management is when you look at this customer, understand his
profile, his requirements and then do the asset allocation accordingly.
This we started doing in 2007.
Besides equity and debt, in wealth management, we offer structured
products, PE deals and also real estate investment options. But the
transaction sizes there will be about Rs 25 lakh. When we talk about the
same in private banking, we are talking about Rs 25 crore.
Who is your typical customer?
Before ING exited private banking business in Asia, except India, in
2010, we were catering primarily to the global Indian. Many customers
were from UK, Malaysia, South America. So we could offer a lot of
offshore products. After the exit, our focus is more domestic.
If you see where the growth is happening in India, it is probably among
those who have about $1- 2 million liquidity (Rs 5-10 crore
approximately). You can see wealth growing among entrepreneurs.
But this segment is not getting the service it needs. Most banks are
treating these customers as wealth management clients but their needs
are changing and there is a niche available right now. Secondly, because
of Vysya Bank legacy, we have access to SME relationships.
This is our USP. These customers are not very big; they need
transactions in the Rs 25-50 crore bracket and nobody is catering to
that segment right now. We have 527 branches and SME lending happens
across these. So we are able to see the customer’s need and offer
services accordingly.
Have you seen the risk appetite of Indians changing after 2008?
Completely. Till 2008, everyone was putting money only in equity. Now
everyone wants only gold, real estate to some extent and obviously debt.
We tell our customers, “If you buy gold and the price falls, don’t sell
it; keep it for 15-20 years.
Similarly, if you enter equity markets at 21000 levels then why should
you sell it at 8000 levels? Why don’t you hold it for 10 years?” But
today, the consumer is much more risk averse.
Second, previously people were not so aware of what you were selling
them and they trusted our judgement. Today, they are much more aware.
Another big conversation today is about the fees.
Five years back, I would not have written the fees anywhere. Today when I
get a signature from the customer, he signs saying that he has read and
is aware of the fees.
Do people actively ask for options abroad?
Most people are interested in the $ 2,00,000 free remittance available
to resident individuals. They have a relatively positive view on the US.
They want to know what they can do to get there.
However, the maximum that they typically invest offshore will be about
10-20 per cent of the total. The average wealthy Indian believes India
is the place. They also understand the markets here much better.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Unilever elevates HUL's HR head Leena Nair (PMIR 92) as global senior vice-president
From The Economic Times
MUMBAI/ NEW DELHI: Unilever, the world's second-largest FMCG company, has elevated Hindustan Unilever's human resource head and executive director Leena Nair as its global senior vice-president for leadership and organisation development.
Nair, 43, will shift to the London headquarters of the Anglo-Dutch company and report to Doug Baillie, the chief HR officer of Unilever, from January 1, 2013, a company spokesman said.
Being one of 5-6 people reporting directly to Baillie, Nair will have a fair shot at taking up the top HR job in Unileverwhen her 57-year-old boss moves on.
Nair could not be contacted as she is on an annual leave.
The development puts the spotlight on a new breed of Indians that multinationals groom for top jobs globally - people managers. At least half-a-dozen Indians have moved to global human resource roles in the past two years, mainly because of their experience in a culturally diverse country like India.
Exposure to Diversity Helps
The experience in India helps the professionals deal with a multi-ethnic workforce spread across the world.
"(The) Indian workforce is quite diverse and has different kind of sensitivities. Exposure to such diversity becomes a very important virtue at a global level considering they are well-equipped to handle challenges better," says AdityaNarayanMishra, president (staffing business) at Randstad India, a division of the world's second-largest HR services firm Randstad Holding NV.
Earlier, Indians, with their inherent knowledge of a challenging but high-potential market environment, were mostly chosen for operational roles globally as multinationals shifted focus to emerging markets to maintain growth momentum.
A gold medallist from XLRI, Nair has been with Hindustan Unilever for two decades and is credited for a number of HR interventions, including 'Career by Choice', a programme which allows women who have fallen off the career ladder to rejoin the workforce.
Since 1992, when she joined HULas a summer trainee, Nair has had many firsts to her credit - from being one of the first women managers to opt for a factory stint, in the industrial belt of Taloja, to becoming the first woman on HUL's management committee and its youngest executive director five years ago.
Her participative style of working can be gauged by the fact that last month she engaged with top-rung B-school students to give them a taste of real-life leadership as a part of a larger sustainability mission.
"There is more collaboration (being seen now). In the past, leaders were directive. You had one leader and everybody would follow. (Now) it's about participative leadership. It's about co-creating along with your team, along with your external partners," she told ET last month, referring to the company's focus on partnering, collaboration and participative leadership.
Come January and Nair will join a growing number of Indian HR managers taking up global roles in multinationals.
Three months ago, Levi Strauss & Co named Varun Bhatia as its chief human resources officer, while last year Pavan Bhatia took charge as chief people officer at PepsiCo Greater China Region after a four-year stint in India.
In 2011, former HR head of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Shubhro Mitra was elevated as regional chief HR officer at Axa Asia. Around two years ago, Sujata Tyagi, HR director at L'Oreal India, was appointed HR director for Asean & India, based in Singapore. GE's HR head Atul Joshi too has migrated to Novartis' consumer business as regional head-HR, Asia-Pacific. Experts feel this is just the beginning of Indian HR professionals being recognised as great people managers in companies that operate in more than 100 countries, each country having unique cultures and issues.
"Diversity is the biggest agenda for all global CEOs and boards. Thus, being Asian and a woman means your career could accelerate to the highest echelons of the global corporate world," says Vibhav Dhawan, managing partner at Positive Moves Consulting. "India has 30 million expats worldwide and is the only net exporter of leadership talent amongst all emerging markets with others like China, Russia and Indonesia being net importers. The world needs to acknowledge more and more Indians will reach global management roles," he adds.
Within Unilever, the number of Indian managers has been increasing steadily over the past few years and over 200 managers of HUL currently serve the company globally in key leadership roles across markets and functions.
Unilever, the world's second-largest FMCG company, has elevated Hindustan Unilever's human resource head and executive director Leena Nair as its global senior vice-president for leadership and organisation development.
Nair, 43, will shift to the London headquarters of the Anglo-Dutch company and report to Doug Baillie, the chief HR officer of Unilever, from January 1, 2013, a company spokesman said.
Being one of 5-6 people reporting directly to Baillie, Nair will have a fair shot at taking up the top HR job in Unileverwhen her 57-year-old boss moves on.
Nair could not be contacted as she is on an annual leave.
The development puts the spotlight on a new breed of Indians that multinationals groom for top jobs globally - people managers. At least half-a-dozen Indians have moved to global human resource roles in the past two years, mainly because of their experience in a culturally diverse country like India.
Exposure to Diversity Helps
The experience in India helps the professionals deal with a multi-ethnic workforce spread across the world.
"(The) Indian workforce is quite diverse and has different kind of sensitivities. Exposure to such diversity becomes a very important virtue at a global level considering they are well-equipped to handle challenges better," says AdityaNarayanMishra, president (staffing business) at Randstad India, a division of the world's second-largest HR services firm Randstad Holding NV.
Earlier, Indians, with their inherent knowledge of a challenging but high-potential market environment, were mostly chosen for operational roles globally as multinationals shifted focus to emerging markets to maintain growth momentum.
A gold medallist from XLRI, Nair has been with Hindustan Unilever for two decades and is credited for a number of HR interventions, including 'Career by Choice', a programme which allows women who have fallen off the career ladder to rejoin the workforce.
Since 1992, when she joined HULas a summer trainee, Nair has had many firsts to her credit - from being one of the first women managers to opt for a factory stint, in the industrial belt of Taloja, to becoming the first woman on HUL's management committee and its youngest executive director five years ago.
Her participative style of working can be gauged by the fact that last month she engaged with top-rung B-school students to give them a taste of real-life leadership as a part of a larger sustainability mission.
"There is more collaboration (being seen now). In the past, leaders were directive. You had one leader and everybody would follow. (Now) it's about participative leadership. It's about co-creating along with your team, along with your external partners," she told ET last month, referring to the company's focus on partnering, collaboration and participative leadership.
Come January and Nair will join a growing number of Indian HR managers taking up global roles in multinationals.
Three months ago, Levi Strauss & Co named Varun Bhatia as its chief human resources officer, while last year Pavan Bhatia took charge as chief people officer at PepsiCo Greater China Region after a four-year stint in India.
In 2011, former HR head of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Shubhro Mitra was elevated as regional chief HR officer at Axa Asia. Around two years ago, Sujata Tyagi, HR director at L'Oreal India, was appointed HR director for Asean & India, based in Singapore. GE's HR head Atul Joshi too has migrated to Novartis' consumer business as regional head-HR, Asia-Pacific. Experts feel this is just the beginning of Indian HR professionals being recognised as great people managers in companies that operate in more than 100 countries, each country having unique cultures and issues.
"Diversity is the biggest agenda for all global CEOs and boards. Thus, being Asian and a woman means your career could accelerate to the highest echelons of the global corporate world," says Vibhav Dhawan, managing partner at Positive Moves Consulting. "India has 30 million expats worldwide and is the only net exporter of leadership talent amongst all emerging markets with others like China, Russia and Indonesia being net importers. The world needs to acknowledge more and more Indians will reach global management roles," he adds.
Within Unilever, the number of Indian managers has been increasing steadily over the past few years and over 200 managers of HUL currently serve the company globally in key leadership roles across markets and functions.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
UK Based Indian Artist Arifa Khan (BMD 95) Launches Niddoo, a Social eCommerce Portal for Art Lovers
From yourstory
niddoo.com is a pre-beta stage startup, started by Artist Arifa Khan. Niddoo is a social ecommerce portal where art-lovers can discover, buy, commission great art and art accessories from artists around the world. Arifa has successfully exhibited her paintings in London and received critical acclaim for her artistic endeavours.
Faced with the pressures of an artist to financially break even while creating prolific art, she set out to solve the problem for artists around the world by creating a market-place for artists and art-lovers. In a very early stage yet, Niddoo will try to enable artists to create a virtual gallery, communicate and forge relationships with buyers, and raise funds for art projects on the portal.
Arifa is raising funds for the same on Kickstarter- the crowd funding site launched in UK on 31st Oct 2012. “The Poetry of Being Woman” is among the first kickstarter projects launched in UK by niddoo.com. The artist is raising funds on kickstarter by selling art accessories, and targets GBP20000 by November end. Funding is all or nothing.
The funds will be used to organise art exhibitions in Europe to aid in the development and marketing of niddoo.com. Arifa says, “Raising a successful round on kickstarter would not only provide proof of concept and early traction needed for a subsequent VC round, but also help build opt in lists of art-lovers who are voting with their wallets. A formidable marketing arsenal for a startup.” You can choose from a range of Christmas gifts starting from GBP8. Rewards include designer accessories like calendar of paintings for GBP8, themed T-shirt and featuring in an ipad app for GBP20, designer scarf for GBP40, prints from GBP80, real oil paintings, custom-made haute couture and custom-portraits of backers hand-painted by Arifa.
Check out the Kickstarter page for the project!
Faced with the pressures of an artist to financially break even while creating prolific art, she set out to solve the problem for artists around the world by creating a market-place for artists and art-lovers. In a very early stage yet, Niddoo will try to enable artists to create a virtual gallery, communicate and forge relationships with buyers, and raise funds for art projects on the portal.
Arifa is raising funds for the same on Kickstarter- the crowd funding site launched in UK on 31st Oct 2012. “The Poetry of Being Woman” is among the first kickstarter projects launched in UK by niddoo.com. The artist is raising funds on kickstarter by selling art accessories, and targets GBP20000 by November end. Funding is all or nothing.
The funds will be used to organise art exhibitions in Europe to aid in the development and marketing of niddoo.com. Arifa says, “Raising a successful round on kickstarter would not only provide proof of concept and early traction needed for a subsequent VC round, but also help build opt in lists of art-lovers who are voting with their wallets. A formidable marketing arsenal for a startup.” You can choose from a range of Christmas gifts starting from GBP8. Rewards include designer accessories like calendar of paintings for GBP8, themed T-shirt and featuring in an ipad app for GBP20, designer scarf for GBP40, prints from GBP80, real oil paintings, custom-made haute couture and custom-portraits of backers hand-painted by Arifa.
Check out the Kickstarter page for the project!
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Ramakrishnan (BMD 82) Appointed President of Bombay Management Association
From IPF Online
Mr
R Ramakrishnan, Vice Chairman, Joint MD & Group CEO, Polycab Wires
Pvt Ltd, took over as President of the Bombay Management Association
(BMA) at its 58th Annual General Meeting held recently. The Bombay
Management Association (BMA), established in 1954, is one of the oldest
associations in the field of management. BMA is the principal
association of managers, academicians, professionals and students with a
membership of over 3000 members. BMA conducts management development
programmes, arranges conferences, seminars, workshops, study-tours &
industrial visits, evening lectures, etc. The BMA Awards are a coveted
recognition in Corporate India. Mr Ramakrishnan held the position of
Vice President in 2011-12 in BMA.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr.Ramakrishnan, said, "The Association takes pride in the capacity of its members to come forward willingly and work towards the cause of promoting it to even greater heights. I am sure, each one of you will come forward to contribute in which ever way you think you can to make this a vibrant and a dynamic association, providing opportunities, both for the Management Professionals, Academia and the new Management Students to intermingle and learn from the other. In conclusion, let's work together to make this year a memorable year in the history of BMA".
Mr Bhaskar Joshi, General Manager - HR, Somaiya Group of Industries and outgoing President said "I have had a very satisfying year as President of BMA thanks to the excellent support of all my Committee members and well wishers. I am sure that Mr Ramakrishnan as incoming President will take forward the good work done in the past and take BMA towards greater success and achievements".
Mr
R Ramakrishnan, Vice Chairman, Joint MD & Group CEO, Polycab Wires
Pvt Ltd, took over as President of the Bombay Management Association
(BMA) at its 58th Annual General Meeting held recently. The Bombay
Management Association (BMA), established in 1954, is one of the oldest
associations in the field of management. BMA is the principal
association of managers, academicians, professionals and students with a
membership of over 3000 members. BMA conducts management development
programmes, arranges conferences, seminars, workshops, study-tours &
industrial visits, evening lectures, etc. The BMA Awards are a coveted
recognition in Corporate India. Mr Ramakrishnan held the position of
Vice President in 2011-12 in BMA.Speaking at the meeting, Mr.Ramakrishnan, said, "The Association takes pride in the capacity of its members to come forward willingly and work towards the cause of promoting it to even greater heights. I am sure, each one of you will come forward to contribute in which ever way you think you can to make this a vibrant and a dynamic association, providing opportunities, both for the Management Professionals, Academia and the new Management Students to intermingle and learn from the other. In conclusion, let's work together to make this year a memorable year in the history of BMA".
Mr Bhaskar Joshi, General Manager - HR, Somaiya Group of Industries and outgoing President said "I have had a very satisfying year as President of BMA thanks to the excellent support of all my Committee members and well wishers. I am sure that Mr Ramakrishnan as incoming President will take forward the good work done in the past and take BMA towards greater success and achievements".
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Ajay Das (BMD 92)to Lead Timken Global Quality Organization
From The Sacramento Bee
The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR) announced the appointment of Ajay Das to the position of vice president – quality advancement. In his new role, Das is responsible for the company's quality management systems and quality assurance. Das will report to Christopher A. Coughlin, group president.
Sanjay Koul assumes position of managing director and director of manufacturing operations in India. In his new role, Koul is responsible for Timken India's operational and financial performance as well as manufacturing operations in India. He reports to J. Ron Menning, senior vice president of Asia Pacific.
Das most recently held the position as managing director and director of manufacturing for the company's business in India where he was named one of India's most valued industrial business leaders by Business World magazine in 2011. He joined Timken in 1992. During his 20-year career, he served as national sales manager for India. Das was named director of manufacturing at the company's plant in Jamshedpur, India, in 2001. He later served as director of new business development in Asia and was based in Shanghai. From 2007 to 2009, he served as general manager for wind energy based in Canton, Ohio.
Das holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology in Jamshedpur and a master's degree in business from Xavier Labour Relations Institute in Jamshedpur.
Koul joined Timken in India in 1990 as a production engineer at the company's manufacturing facility in Jamshedpur, India. He subsequently held various leadership positions including national sales manager for the company's rail business, plant manager in Jamshedpur and general manager of Asia's supply chain based in Wuxi, China. He most recently held the position as director of manufacturing and supply chain for the company's business in Asia operating from Shanghai, China.
Koul holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani and a master's degree in business from Xavier Labour Relations Institute in Jamshedpur.
About The Timken Company
The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR; www.timken.com) keeps the world turning with innovative friction management and mechanical power transmission products and services that help machinery perform more efficiently and reliably. With sales of $5.2 billion in 2011 and approximately 21,000 people operating from locations in 30 countries, Timken is Where You Turn® for better performance.
The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR) announced the appointment of Ajay Das to the position of vice president – quality advancement. In his new role, Das is responsible for the company's quality management systems and quality assurance. Das will report to Christopher A. Coughlin, group president.
Sanjay Koul assumes position of managing director and director of manufacturing operations in India. In his new role, Koul is responsible for Timken India's operational and financial performance as well as manufacturing operations in India. He reports to J. Ron Menning, senior vice president of Asia Pacific.
Das most recently held the position as managing director and director of manufacturing for the company's business in India where he was named one of India's most valued industrial business leaders by Business World magazine in 2011. He joined Timken in 1992. During his 20-year career, he served as national sales manager for India. Das was named director of manufacturing at the company's plant in Jamshedpur, India, in 2001. He later served as director of new business development in Asia and was based in Shanghai. From 2007 to 2009, he served as general manager for wind energy based in Canton, Ohio.
Das holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology in Jamshedpur and a master's degree in business from Xavier Labour Relations Institute in Jamshedpur.
Koul joined Timken in India in 1990 as a production engineer at the company's manufacturing facility in Jamshedpur, India. He subsequently held various leadership positions including national sales manager for the company's rail business, plant manager in Jamshedpur and general manager of Asia's supply chain based in Wuxi, China. He most recently held the position as director of manufacturing and supply chain for the company's business in Asia operating from Shanghai, China.
Koul holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani and a master's degree in business from Xavier Labour Relations Institute in Jamshedpur.
About The Timken Company
The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR; www.timken.com) keeps the world turning with innovative friction management and mechanical power transmission products and services that help machinery perform more efficiently and reliably. With sales of $5.2 billion in 2011 and approximately 21,000 people operating from locations in 30 countries, Timken is Where You Turn® for better performance.
Friday, August 24, 2012
K Pandia Rajan (84) aims to carve a niche in the HR services segment with MaFoi Strategic Consultants
From The Economic Times
There is something indefatigable about K Pandia Rajan. The former head of the staffing and consultancy company Ma Foi Randstad has recently seen his life's work, a Rs 1,000-crore company, merge with its international partner to become Randstad India.
After more than two decades on the job, he's had to start over with a fledgling organisation, Ma Foi Strategic Consultants, and faces the prospect of striking out in the crowded and competitive field of recruitment and HR services. Yet, Pandia Rajan—staffing pioneer, entrepreneurship developer and legislator—is raring to go. "It took me 20 years to build a Rs 1,000-crore company," he says. "My plan is to do it again, but in half the time."
Clearly, Pandia Rajan, 53, likes challenges. With Ma Foi Strategic Consultants, he plans to go in a completely new direction: education, market research and strategy. The flagship of his new enterprise will be management schools across the country, but for entrepreneurs.
The first is a 15-month executive education programme to be run from Chennai, where he is based. The second, more ambitious, plan is to set up a 10-acre campus in Madurai by June 2013 to offer a two-year post-graduate programme in management.
"This will be the first B-school in the country entirely devoted to entrepreneurs," says Pandia Rajan. "VCs and PEs will be involved, right from the selection of candidates based on their ideas, to funding of startups."
So while other B-schools place students with companies, the Ma Foi Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship will connect budding entrepreneurs with investors. Pandia Rajan, a founder-member of the investors' group Chennai Angels, plans to rope in the Delhi and Mumbai chapters—a total of about 100 investors. "It will be a unique blend of entrepreneurship, consulting and research," he adds.
The Investor
This is familiar territory for Pandia Rajan. Besides playing a critical role in the Chennai Angels, and running various entrepreneurship development programmes via Ma Foi, he has also been a foundermember of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and is associated with organisations like the Bharatiya Yuva Shakthi Trust (BYST), which helps foster enterprises among youngsters from marginalised groups.
"I have invested in 14 ventures myself, and none has failed," says Pandia Rajan, with a smile, to seal his credentials. "He is passionate about entrepreneurship, though he doesn't have much time for mentoring now," says Apsara Madhubal, coordinator for the Chennai Angels. "As a trustee, he also brings a governance perspective to the work of our organisation."
Pandia Rajan's 14 investments range from bakeries to e-learning companies. "I go by my gut," he says. "I don't have a lot of empirical evidence, but I always look to my entrepreneurial side." S Shivkumar, MD of the e-learning solutions company Axis V Creatives, one of those investments, reiterates this. "KPR's strength is his people ability," he says. "He is able to move with the same kind of ease with the finance minister and the watchman of the building."
According to wife Latha, Pandia Rajan has "very good ability to connect the dots. If someone is talking about a particular policy, he can see its impact on industry." Usually, before the policy comes into force.
"He reads voraciously, can see the backward and forward integration of things, and has tremendous energy, especially when it comes to meeting people," she says.
The Entrepreneur
Ma Foi's consulting business was born out of a 'connecting of dots'. In 1991, when Pandia Rajan was employed with BOC, a fire broke out in the Ravva oil fields in Andhra Pradesh and an Australian company was brought in to put out the blaze.
It sourced professionals from all over the world, including 31 non-resident Indians. "They brought in Indians to work for Indians on Indian soil," says Pandia Rajan. "I realised then that if you are able to access people around the world, and can move them to the right place at the right time, using the right model, it can be very lucrative."
The following year, he and Latha, with seed capital of Rs 60,000 borrowed mostly from friends and family, set up Ma Foi Management Consultants. While Pandia Rajan has the eye, his wife has the execution skills. "We are both firstgeneration entrepreneurs, and we've been able to work together for 23 years because we defined our boundaries," says Latha.
"While I took care of the finance, legal and people aspect of Ma Foi, Pandia Rajan took care of marketing and operations. These boundaries really helped us." As well as the business: by 2000, Ma Foi Consultants had grown from a Rs 10-crore company to a Rs 100-crore one, helped by VC funds, and by 2004, it had touched the Rs 500-crore mark.
The Politician
Besides their "passion for people", the couple also shares the philosophy of wanting to give back. That's what set Pandia Rajan on the path to politics in 2000, when he joined the BJP. Last year, he became an MLA for the DMDK from Virudhnagar, the district he grew up in.
Every weekend, Pandia Rajan trades in his suit for a veshti, and flies 400 km to his constituency from Chennai. He is a hands-on legislator, walking around his constituency and meeting the electorate; trying to cover each panchayat at least once in three months and making sure his Rs 2 crore local area development funds are properly deployed. Some of this has gone towards setting up engineering colleges in a district that is still 60% rural, an IT park and a 'knowledge city'.
While his position in the corporate world is undisputed, Pandia Rajan has to peddle doubly hard to impress his party. A DMDK colleague, who declined to be named, says: "He has not made any significant contribution to the party or his constituency.
However, he is one of the [most] knowledgeable and enterprising MLAs in the party. Since he has a management background, he understands the state finances well." During the tabling of the state budget, for instance, Pandia Rajan was seen taking copious notes, and later brought up some contentious issues with chief minister J Jayalalitha in the assembly.
A senior politico adds that while Pandia Rajan has come up with some good ideas for his constituency, nothing has been significant enough to catch the high command's eye. "[The ability to participate in] politics don't happen overnight. It takes time," he says, a tad sympathetically. Perhaps Pandia Rajan's new ventures will be just the thing to shut up the naysayers.
Talking Heads
Latha Rajan, Wife and business partner
We are both first-generation entrepreneurs, and we've been able to work together for 23 years because we defined our boundaries.
There is something indefatigable about K Pandia Rajan. The former head of the staffing and consultancy company Ma Foi Randstad has recently seen his life's work, a Rs 1,000-crore company, merge with its international partner to become Randstad India.
After more than two decades on the job, he's had to start over with a fledgling organisation, Ma Foi Strategic Consultants, and faces the prospect of striking out in the crowded and competitive field of recruitment and HR services. Yet, Pandia Rajan—staffing pioneer, entrepreneurship developer and legislator—is raring to go. "It took me 20 years to build a Rs 1,000-crore company," he says. "My plan is to do it again, but in half the time."
Clearly, Pandia Rajan, 53, likes challenges. With Ma Foi Strategic Consultants, he plans to go in a completely new direction: education, market research and strategy. The flagship of his new enterprise will be management schools across the country, but for entrepreneurs.
The first is a 15-month executive education programme to be run from Chennai, where he is based. The second, more ambitious, plan is to set up a 10-acre campus in Madurai by June 2013 to offer a two-year post-graduate programme in management.
"This will be the first B-school in the country entirely devoted to entrepreneurs," says Pandia Rajan. "VCs and PEs will be involved, right from the selection of candidates based on their ideas, to funding of startups."
So while other B-schools place students with companies, the Ma Foi Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship will connect budding entrepreneurs with investors. Pandia Rajan, a founder-member of the investors' group Chennai Angels, plans to rope in the Delhi and Mumbai chapters—a total of about 100 investors. "It will be a unique blend of entrepreneurship, consulting and research," he adds.
The Investor
This is familiar territory for Pandia Rajan. Besides playing a critical role in the Chennai Angels, and running various entrepreneurship development programmes via Ma Foi, he has also been a foundermember of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and is associated with organisations like the Bharatiya Yuva Shakthi Trust (BYST), which helps foster enterprises among youngsters from marginalised groups.
"I have invested in 14 ventures myself, and none has failed," says Pandia Rajan, with a smile, to seal his credentials. "He is passionate about entrepreneurship, though he doesn't have much time for mentoring now," says Apsara Madhubal, coordinator for the Chennai Angels. "As a trustee, he also brings a governance perspective to the work of our organisation."
Pandia Rajan's 14 investments range from bakeries to e-learning companies. "I go by my gut," he says. "I don't have a lot of empirical evidence, but I always look to my entrepreneurial side." S Shivkumar, MD of the e-learning solutions company Axis V Creatives, one of those investments, reiterates this. "KPR's strength is his people ability," he says. "He is able to move with the same kind of ease with the finance minister and the watchman of the building."
According to wife Latha, Pandia Rajan has "very good ability to connect the dots. If someone is talking about a particular policy, he can see its impact on industry." Usually, before the policy comes into force.
"He reads voraciously, can see the backward and forward integration of things, and has tremendous energy, especially when it comes to meeting people," she says.
The Entrepreneur
Ma Foi's consulting business was born out of a 'connecting of dots'. In 1991, when Pandia Rajan was employed with BOC, a fire broke out in the Ravva oil fields in Andhra Pradesh and an Australian company was brought in to put out the blaze.
It sourced professionals from all over the world, including 31 non-resident Indians. "They brought in Indians to work for Indians on Indian soil," says Pandia Rajan. "I realised then that if you are able to access people around the world, and can move them to the right place at the right time, using the right model, it can be very lucrative."
The following year, he and Latha, with seed capital of Rs 60,000 borrowed mostly from friends and family, set up Ma Foi Management Consultants. While Pandia Rajan has the eye, his wife has the execution skills. "We are both firstgeneration entrepreneurs, and we've been able to work together for 23 years because we defined our boundaries," says Latha.
"While I took care of the finance, legal and people aspect of Ma Foi, Pandia Rajan took care of marketing and operations. These boundaries really helped us." As well as the business: by 2000, Ma Foi Consultants had grown from a Rs 10-crore company to a Rs 100-crore one, helped by VC funds, and by 2004, it had touched the Rs 500-crore mark.
The Politician
Besides their "passion for people", the couple also shares the philosophy of wanting to give back. That's what set Pandia Rajan on the path to politics in 2000, when he joined the BJP. Last year, he became an MLA for the DMDK from Virudhnagar, the district he grew up in.
Every weekend, Pandia Rajan trades in his suit for a veshti, and flies 400 km to his constituency from Chennai. He is a hands-on legislator, walking around his constituency and meeting the electorate; trying to cover each panchayat at least once in three months and making sure his Rs 2 crore local area development funds are properly deployed. Some of this has gone towards setting up engineering colleges in a district that is still 60% rural, an IT park and a 'knowledge city'.
While his position in the corporate world is undisputed, Pandia Rajan has to peddle doubly hard to impress his party. A DMDK colleague, who declined to be named, says: "He has not made any significant contribution to the party or his constituency.
However, he is one of the [most] knowledgeable and enterprising MLAs in the party. Since he has a management background, he understands the state finances well." During the tabling of the state budget, for instance, Pandia Rajan was seen taking copious notes, and later brought up some contentious issues with chief minister J Jayalalitha in the assembly.
A senior politico adds that while Pandia Rajan has come up with some good ideas for his constituency, nothing has been significant enough to catch the high command's eye. "[The ability to participate in] politics don't happen overnight. It takes time," he says, a tad sympathetically. Perhaps Pandia Rajan's new ventures will be just the thing to shut up the naysayers.
Talking Heads
Latha Rajan, Wife and business partner
We are both first-generation entrepreneurs, and we've been able to work together for 23 years because we defined our boundaries.
XLRI confers alumnus award on Dr. Akshay Rao (BMD 80)
From Business Standard
XLRI, the premier private management school of the country, today conferred a special distinction on Dr. Akshay Rao, alumnus of Business Management Programme of the 1980 batch.
XLRI has been conferring the Distinguished Alumnus Award on alumni who have excelled in their profession, both in the corporate world as well as in the field of academics.
At a special ceremony held at the campus, Rao, who is based in USA and currently holds the 'General Mills Chair' in Marketing at Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, US, visited the facility in Jamshedpur to receive the alumnus award from XLRI Director Fr. E. Abraham.
XLRI, the premier private management school of the country, today conferred a special distinction on Dr. Akshay Rao, alumnus of Business Management Programme of the 1980 batch.
XLRI has been conferring the Distinguished Alumnus Award on alumni who have excelled in their profession, both in the corporate world as well as in the field of academics.
At a special ceremony held at the campus, Rao, who is based in USA and currently holds the 'General Mills Chair' in Marketing at Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, US, visited the facility in Jamshedpur to receive the alumnus award from XLRI Director Fr. E. Abraham.
XLRI, the premier private management school of the country, today conferred a special distinction on Dr. Akshay Rao, alumnus of Business Management Programme of the 1980 batch.
XLRI has been conferring the Distinguished Alumnus Award on alumni who have excelled in their profession, both in the corporate world as well as in the field of academics.
At a special ceremony held at the campus, Rao, who is based in USA and currently holds the 'General Mills Chair' in Marketing at Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, US, visited the facility in Jamshedpur to receive the alumnus award from XLRI Director Fr. E. Abraham.
XLRI, the premier private management school of the country, today conferred a special distinction on Dr. Akshay Rao, alumnus of Business Management Programme of the 1980 batch.
XLRI has been conferring the Distinguished Alumnus Award on alumni who have excelled in their profession, both in the corporate world as well as in the field of academics.
At a special ceremony held at the campus, Rao, who is based in USA and currently holds the 'General Mills Chair' in Marketing at Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, US, visited the facility in Jamshedpur to receive the alumnus award from XLRI Director Fr. E. Abraham.
Monday, July 02, 2012
Ramesh Jayaraman (PMIR 88) named Perfetti MD
From: The Economic Times
NEW DELHI: India's largest confectionery company Perfetti Van Melle (PVM) has named Ramesh Jayaraman its India head. Current managing director Sameer Suneja, who has been holding the position for past four years, has been relocated to a global role at the Italian firm.
Jayaraman has been named the new MD of the 1,500-crore PVM India, which competes with the likes of Wrigley, ITC and Parle. Prior to this appointment, Jayaraman was in-charge of the company's operations in both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, Jayaraman worked in Cadbury, Britannia and Danone before moving to PVM in 2006.
Suneja joins the growing ranks of Indian managers taking on global roles in key positions at multinational firms, especially in the consumer goods space. He has been with PVM for over 15 years and has led the company's foray in the rapidly-growing snacks category with its brand Stop Not- the first time the group diversified into the non-confectionery segment to compete with players like PepsiCo's Frito-Lay and Haldiram's.
PVM, which set up India operations in 1994, has close to 25% share in the 4,000-crore domestic sugar confectionery market. With brands including Alpenliebe and Mentos candies, Chlormint toffee and Center Fresh chewing gum, PVM has doubled its business over the last three years. But the category is fraught with challenges like wafer-thin margins and inability to hike costs because of intense competition.
NEW DELHI: India's largest confectionery company Perfetti Van Melle (PVM) has named Ramesh Jayaraman its India head. Current managing director Sameer Suneja, who has been holding the position for past four years, has been relocated to a global role at the Italian firm.
Jayaraman has been named the new MD of the 1,500-crore PVM India, which competes with the likes of Wrigley, ITC and Parle. Prior to this appointment, Jayaraman was in-charge of the company's operations in both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, Jayaraman worked in Cadbury, Britannia and Danone before moving to PVM in 2006.
Suneja joins the growing ranks of Indian managers taking on global roles in key positions at multinational firms, especially in the consumer goods space. He has been with PVM for over 15 years and has led the company's foray in the rapidly-growing snacks category with its brand Stop Not- the first time the group diversified into the non-confectionery segment to compete with players like PepsiCo's Frito-Lay and Haldiram's.
PVM, which set up India operations in 1994, has close to 25% share in the 4,000-crore domestic sugar confectionery market. With brands including Alpenliebe and Mentos candies, Chlormint toffee and Center Fresh chewing gum, PVM has doubled its business over the last three years. But the category is fraught with challenges like wafer-thin margins and inability to hike costs because of intense competition.
Friday, April 13, 2012
HT promotes Diptakirti Chaudhuri (BMD 99) as Head - Strategy & New Businesses, Digital Business
From afaqs:
Diptakirti Chaudhuri, head, marketing, HT Delhi, has been given a new role at HT Media in the digital wing of the company as head, strategy and new businesses, digital business. His position at HT Delhi (that of head, marketing) has been handed over to Parveen Gupta with immediate effect.
In this new role, Chaudhuri will be a part of the leadership team of the digital business of the group and will be responsible for working on new category evaluation and its entry.
Chaudhuri will report to Amit Garg, business head, digital, HT Media.
Chaudhuri is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the Jadavpur University and is an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
Diptakirti Chaudhuri, head, marketing, HT Delhi, has been given a new role at HT Media in the digital wing of the company as head, strategy and new businesses, digital business. His position at HT Delhi (that of head, marketing) has been handed over to Parveen Gupta with immediate effect.
Chaudhuri will report to Amit Garg, business head, digital, HT Media.
Chaudhuri is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the Jadavpur University and is an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
Saturday, April 07, 2012
Padma Bhushan Award conferred to Mr. B Muthuraman by President Pratibha Patil
From Odisha Diary
New Delhi: The Honourable President of India Mrs. Pratibha Patil presented the prestigious Padma Bhushan Award to Mr. B Muthuraman, Vice Chairman, Tata Steel Limited in the trade and industry category on Wednesday at a glittering function organized at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.
The function was attended by Vice-President Mr. Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and a host of other dignitaries. Mr. Muthuraman is amongst the 109 Padma award winners this year. Padma Awards, the country's highest civilian awards, are given in all disciplines/ fields of activities, viz. art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.
Mr. Muthuraman joined Tata Steel in 1966 and has held various positions at the Company including Vice President (Marketing & Sales) & Vice President (Cold Rolling Mill Projects). He was appointed as Executive Director in 2000, Managing Director of the Company in 2001 and non-executive Vice chairman in 2009. Under his visionary leadership, Tata Steel became a truly global company marked by some of landmark events like the acquisition of Corus, UK and Netherlands in 2007.
Mr. Muthuraman is currently the President of Confederation of Indian Industry. He is the Chairman of Tata International Limited on the Boards of several companies which include, Bosch Limited, Tata Industries and Strategic Energy Technology Systems Pvt. Ltd. He was Chairman of several Tata Steel Group companies like Nat Steel, Singapore; Tata Steel, Thailand; Tinplate Company of India Ltd; Dhamra Port Company Ltd.; Tata Sponge Ltd. and Tata – Martrade International Logistics Ltd. He was also the Chairman of the Board of Governors National Institute of Technology (NIT), Jamshedpur; IIT, Kharagpur; XLRI, Jamshedpur and Member of the Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT Madras). He is member of Governing Council of The National Institute of Design (NID). He is also a member of the Business Advisory Council of Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).
Mr Muthuraman holds degrees in Bachelor of Technology in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT, Madras and a Masters of Business Administration from XLRI, Jamshedpur. He has also completed the Advanced Management Programme at European Centre for Executive Development, France and has undergone the Leadership Programme at INSEAD, France.
Mr Muthuraman received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Madras in 1997 and the Tata Gold Medal from the Indian Institute of Metals in 2002. He also received the “CEO of the Year Award” from Business Standard in 2005, “CEO with HR Orientation Award” from World HRD Congress in 2005, Economic Times Award for Corporate Excellence in 2008 and IIM JRD Tata Award conferred by Indian Institute of Metals. He was recently bestowed an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa from Loyola University, Chicago.
New Delhi: The Honourable President of India Mrs. Pratibha Patil presented the prestigious Padma Bhushan Award to Mr. B Muthuraman, Vice Chairman, Tata Steel Limited in the trade and industry category on Wednesday at a glittering function organized at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.
The function was attended by Vice-President Mr. Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and a host of other dignitaries. Mr. Muthuraman is amongst the 109 Padma award winners this year. Padma Awards, the country's highest civilian awards, are given in all disciplines/ fields of activities, viz. art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.
Mr. Muthuraman joined Tata Steel in 1966 and has held various positions at the Company including Vice President (Marketing & Sales) & Vice President (Cold Rolling Mill Projects). He was appointed as Executive Director in 2000, Managing Director of the Company in 2001 and non-executive Vice chairman in 2009. Under his visionary leadership, Tata Steel became a truly global company marked by some of landmark events like the acquisition of Corus, UK and Netherlands in 2007.
Mr. Muthuraman is currently the President of Confederation of Indian Industry. He is the Chairman of Tata International Limited on the Boards of several companies which include, Bosch Limited, Tata Industries and Strategic Energy Technology Systems Pvt. Ltd. He was Chairman of several Tata Steel Group companies like Nat Steel, Singapore; Tata Steel, Thailand; Tinplate Company of India Ltd; Dhamra Port Company Ltd.; Tata Sponge Ltd. and Tata – Martrade International Logistics Ltd. He was also the Chairman of the Board of Governors National Institute of Technology (NIT), Jamshedpur; IIT, Kharagpur; XLRI, Jamshedpur and Member of the Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT Madras). He is member of Governing Council of The National Institute of Design (NID). He is also a member of the Business Advisory Council of Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).
Mr Muthuraman holds degrees in Bachelor of Technology in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT, Madras and a Masters of Business Administration from XLRI, Jamshedpur. He has also completed the Advanced Management Programme at European Centre for Executive Development, France and has undergone the Leadership Programme at INSEAD, France.
Mr Muthuraman received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Madras in 1997 and the Tata Gold Medal from the Indian Institute of Metals in 2002. He also received the “CEO of the Year Award” from Business Standard in 2005, “CEO with HR Orientation Award” from World HRD Congress in 2005, Economic Times Award for Corporate Excellence in 2008 and IIM JRD Tata Award conferred by Indian Institute of Metals. He was recently bestowed an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa from Loyola University, Chicago.
Friday, April 06, 2012
Corporate stint helps start-up, says Peelworks CEO Sachin Chhabra (XLRI 96)
From The Economic Times
From a corporate executive to an entrepreneur, the journey of Sachin Chhabra, CEO and founder of Mumbai-based Peelworks, has not been an easy one, he tells ET. After 14 years at Hindustan Unilever in a variety of roles in HR and sales, he decided to set out on his own to manage the indirect sales force of companies across various sectors.
THE TRANSITION
It was difficult, given that till some time back I had the organisation to back me up for everything. HUL offered me all the expertise, support, wisdom and alignment to carry out any task. But again, I believe you can be a better entrepreneur if you've had a stint at corporate India, especially in the kind of business I am in. It is there that I realised that a majority of the consumer goods industry's revenue comes from its indirect sales force, and ironically it doesn't get the attention it deserves. I decided to fix this problem.
THE EARLY DAYS
Having put all my thoughts in place, I started operating out of home for the first few days, then moved to my wife's office, which had a spare room. I spent a lot of time hunting for a viable office space in and around Mumbai and visited at least 30 locations to try to strike a deal. Now, we have an office in Navi Mumbai.
THE IDEA
My decision to become an entrepreneur was not impulsive. It was there in my mind for long. I completed my graduation in Economics from St. Stephen's College and joined Xavier's Labour Relations Institute (XLRI). I joined HUL as a management trainee in 1996. It was in the early 2000s that I started scouting for an idea, the right one, which would sail me through a competitive market.
It was difficult for me to take the final plunge given that I had a steady job going for me but I didn't want to finish my working life without trying my hands at entrepreneurship. I decided to quit in 2010 and put into practice all that I learnt as an HR professional in HUL in my own venture. Getting the right talent for my venture was a problem initially but good talent gets excited by vision. Currently, we have about 40 employees, both on and off payrolls.
THE BUSINESS
We cater to companies that conduct their businesses using indirect sales force. We compute performance-based ratings and offer recommendations on promotions, skill and competency for outsourced staff on an online platform so that the staff that helps generate revenue is not neglected. Having been in HR for long, I realised the opportunity in this space specially in a country like ours where trade is fragmented.
Within 9 months of launching, we got around $1 million in angel funding from the Indian Angel Network in December last year. Going forward, we have big plans and want to add clients given that there is tremendous opportunity in the sector.
From a corporate executive to an entrepreneur, the journey of Sachin Chhabra, CEO and founder of Mumbai-based Peelworks, has not been an easy one, he tells ET. After 14 years at Hindustan Unilever in a variety of roles in HR and sales, he decided to set out on his own to manage the indirect sales force of companies across various sectors.
THE TRANSITION
It was difficult, given that till some time back I had the organisation to back me up for everything. HUL offered me all the expertise, support, wisdom and alignment to carry out any task. But again, I believe you can be a better entrepreneur if you've had a stint at corporate India, especially in the kind of business I am in. It is there that I realised that a majority of the consumer goods industry's revenue comes from its indirect sales force, and ironically it doesn't get the attention it deserves. I decided to fix this problem.
THE EARLY DAYS
Having put all my thoughts in place, I started operating out of home for the first few days, then moved to my wife's office, which had a spare room. I spent a lot of time hunting for a viable office space in and around Mumbai and visited at least 30 locations to try to strike a deal. Now, we have an office in Navi Mumbai.
THE IDEA
My decision to become an entrepreneur was not impulsive. It was there in my mind for long. I completed my graduation in Economics from St. Stephen's College and joined Xavier's Labour Relations Institute (XLRI). I joined HUL as a management trainee in 1996. It was in the early 2000s that I started scouting for an idea, the right one, which would sail me through a competitive market.
It was difficult for me to take the final plunge given that I had a steady job going for me but I didn't want to finish my working life without trying my hands at entrepreneurship. I decided to quit in 2010 and put into practice all that I learnt as an HR professional in HUL in my own venture. Getting the right talent for my venture was a problem initially but good talent gets excited by vision. Currently, we have about 40 employees, both on and off payrolls.
THE BUSINESS
We cater to companies that conduct their businesses using indirect sales force. We compute performance-based ratings and offer recommendations on promotions, skill and competency for outsourced staff on an online platform so that the staff that helps generate revenue is not neglected. Having been in HR for long, I realised the opportunity in this space specially in a country like ours where trade is fragmented.
Within 9 months of launching, we got around $1 million in angel funding from the Indian Angel Network in December last year. Going forward, we have big plans and want to add clients given that there is tremendous opportunity in the sector.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Agent Vinod's XLRI connection - Arijit Biswas (91PMIR)
Got this message from Prof Shukla:
Hello,
After Akash Khurana (77BMD - http://www.imdb.com/name/
Arijit Biswas (91PMIR) is the co-story and -script writer of “Agent Vinod”
http://articles.timesofindia.
Congrats, Arijit!
Madhukar
Hello,
After Akash Khurana (77BMD - http://www.imdb.com/name/
Arijit Biswas (91PMIR) is the co-story and -script writer of “Agent Vinod”
http://articles.timesofindia.
Congrats, Arijit!
Madhukar
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Aparna Banerjee - Retailing Hope
This write up appeared in the Dec 25, 2011 issue of The Week.
She was 17 when her father quit his job. As money grew scarce at home, the entrepreneur in Aparna Banerjee came out. She started manufacturing transformers. In the first three months her turnover was Rs:18,000; in four years it went up to Rs:1.8 crore. At 21, she quit the business and decided to pursue higher studies. One thing was clear, she wanted to be her own boss.
“My father dreamt of me joining the administrative services,” said Aparna, 37. “But I never saw myself working under people, I wanted to be an entrepreneur.” In 2002, Aparna met a US-based friend who wanted her to do a management degree there, because the US nurtured entrepreneurs. Aparna demurred and said things were getting exciting in India. She joined XLRI, Jamshedpur, for a MBA in supply-chain management.
Simultaneously, she started work on a distribution model involving micro-management. The project aimed to connect urban customers with rural suppliers. Aparna also wanted to help women scale up their businesses by removing bottlenecks in the supply chain. She devised a model which provided services such as storage, inventory management and transportation.
The real breakthrough came in 2006, when she took this idea to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who asked her to start with a pilot programme. “I also met President Abdul Kalam, who asked me to bring in the rural perspective to the project,” she said. Thus, Project Sukanya was born.
Aparna sold some property she had and invested Rs:42 lakh in the project. She had to fight prejudices and the regular challenges to make the project commercially viable. Five years later, she is launching Project Sukanya in five states—Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and Tripura.
“I was heard only because I was adamant and had a good education,” she said. “Almost 95 per cent of the people would have otherwise dismissed me as too young and inexperienced.” Project Sukanya is now a public-private partnership, linking 1,341 NGOs to urban consumers. Aparna has around 96,000 people as suppliers and another 4,893 are enrolled in her grassroots entrepreneurs programme. She plans to sell products through kiosks, franchisees and shops. “Our three-year projections are Rs:1,000 crore,” she said. The project is supported by banks, state governments and various Central ministries.
“I want to be one of the best entrepreneurs in the world and I want to be able to share my profits with society,” she said. It is just not about helping society for her, the thrill lies in making a difference without the charity tag.
Memorable moments? Many. But one stands out. A woman came to her office for help. “Her son had met with an accident and was on the verge of having a leg amputated,” said Aparna. “She and her husband could not afford the medical bills, so she came to me for help. She said she knew to make handicrafts.”
Aparna guided her to start her own venture. “I asked her to employ people and train them to make the handicrafts,” she said. “She became one of our regular suppliers. Eventually, her son recovered.” To give hope is the biggest thing, said Aparna. It for that bonus that she works 21-hour days, and to ensure that Project Sukanya has a fighting chance in the world of mega-retailers.
She was 17 when her father quit his job. As money grew scarce at home, the entrepreneur in Aparna Banerjee came out. She started manufacturing transformers. In the first three months her turnover was Rs:18,000; in four years it went up to Rs:1.8 crore. At 21, she quit the business and decided to pursue higher studies. One thing was clear, she wanted to be her own boss.
“My father dreamt of me joining the administrative services,” said Aparna, 37. “But I never saw myself working under people, I wanted to be an entrepreneur.” In 2002, Aparna met a US-based friend who wanted her to do a management degree there, because the US nurtured entrepreneurs. Aparna demurred and said things were getting exciting in India. She joined XLRI, Jamshedpur, for a MBA in supply-chain management.
Simultaneously, she started work on a distribution model involving micro-management. The project aimed to connect urban customers with rural suppliers. Aparna also wanted to help women scale up their businesses by removing bottlenecks in the supply chain. She devised a model which provided services such as storage, inventory management and transportation.
The real breakthrough came in 2006, when she took this idea to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who asked her to start with a pilot programme. “I also met President Abdul Kalam, who asked me to bring in the rural perspective to the project,” she said. Thus, Project Sukanya was born.
Aparna sold some property she had and invested Rs:42 lakh in the project. She had to fight prejudices and the regular challenges to make the project commercially viable. Five years later, she is launching Project Sukanya in five states—Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and Tripura.
“I was heard only because I was adamant and had a good education,” she said. “Almost 95 per cent of the people would have otherwise dismissed me as too young and inexperienced.” Project Sukanya is now a public-private partnership, linking 1,341 NGOs to urban consumers. Aparna has around 96,000 people as suppliers and another 4,893 are enrolled in her grassroots entrepreneurs programme. She plans to sell products through kiosks, franchisees and shops. “Our three-year projections are Rs:1,000 crore,” she said. The project is supported by banks, state governments and various Central ministries.
“I want to be one of the best entrepreneurs in the world and I want to be able to share my profits with society,” she said. It is just not about helping society for her, the thrill lies in making a difference without the charity tag.
Memorable moments? Many. But one stands out. A woman came to her office for help. “Her son had met with an accident and was on the verge of having a leg amputated,” said Aparna. “She and her husband could not afford the medical bills, so she came to me for help. She said she knew to make handicrafts.”
Aparna guided her to start her own venture. “I asked her to employ people and train them to make the handicrafts,” she said. “She became one of our regular suppliers. Eventually, her son recovered.” To give hope is the biggest thing, said Aparna. It for that bonus that she works 21-hour days, and to ensure that Project Sukanya has a fighting chance in the world of mega-retailers.
Friday, February 03, 2012
SKS Microfinance appoints Verghese Jacob (79BMD) as Ombudsperson
From Business Today
SKS Microfinance, the country's only listed mirofinance entity, announced on Wednesday that it has appointed Verghese Jacob as its ombudsman, making SKS arguably the only Indian NBFC-MFI (non banking microfinance company- microfinance institution) to have such a structure in place for customer protection and grievance redressal.
Verghese Jacob, who has had long years of experience in the corporate and social sectors, is also the Chief Integrator (the preferred designation for the CEO) at Byrraju Foundation, set up by the Satyam Computer's erstwhile promoter family of Rajus. Verghese Jacob, SKS says, has over 30 years of experience spanning the corporate and social sectors. In the corporate world he has held senior executive and board level positions with groups like the Godrej, IBS, ACCEL and KVK. It also says the 57-year-old MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur is also a Six Sigma Black Belt.
Interestingly, this announcement comes close on the heels of the company getting its shareholder and the Reserve Bank of India approval for raising the investment limit of foreign institutional investors in the company to 74 per cent from 24 per cent. It is currently at 15 per cent but post its QIP, it is expected to touch 45 per cent.
People from the sector have welcomed the move to have an ombudsman though some are not sure if this move is any way linked to the plan to have an increased FII holding where in it would technically become a largely foreign-owned company. The company however sees this as an effort aimed at heralding a new era in institutionalising customer protection and grievance redressal in the Indian microfinance industry.
"The appointment of Verghese Jacob as our ombudsman showcases SKS Microfinance Limited's commitment to continue its pioneering customer protection and grievance redressal initiatives including its toll-free Helpline (1800 300 10000) in eight Indian languages, constant vigil on process, system and regulatory compliance and customer awareness programmes over the years," says MR Rao, managing director & chief executive officer, SKS Microfinance Limited. He says, "Verghese will help us set new benchmarks of excellence in customer protection and grievance redressal."
Verghese Jacob,already sees work cut out for himself. Talking to BT, he says: "The plan is to have a team in place for this but right now the focus in not just on attending to customer protection and grievance redressal but also on the internal processes that are in tune with the needs of the RBI guidelines." For example, looking at whether the transaction process with customers is robust enough to ensure the guidelines are not violated.
"It certainly is an excellent idea,'' says Sanjay Sinha, managing director, Micro-credit Ratings International Limited (M-CRIL), which is involved in financial rating of microfinance institutions and in sectoral advisory services.
He however has a piece of advice for MFIs: "It is important to keep in mind that it is not just respected people that would be needed in such roles but also those who understand the sector and it nuances.'' How this will be handled at SKS will be closely watched given the company operates across 19 states of India - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Delhi.
SKS Microfinance, the country's only listed mirofinance entity, announced on Wednesday that it has appointed Verghese Jacob as its ombudsman, making SKS arguably the only Indian NBFC-MFI (non banking microfinance company- microfinance institution) to have such a structure in place for customer protection and grievance redressal.
Verghese Jacob, who has had long years of experience in the corporate and social sectors, is also the Chief Integrator (the preferred designation for the CEO) at Byrraju Foundation, set up by the Satyam Computer's erstwhile promoter family of Rajus. Verghese Jacob, SKS says, has over 30 years of experience spanning the corporate and social sectors. In the corporate world he has held senior executive and board level positions with groups like the Godrej, IBS, ACCEL and KVK. It also says the 57-year-old MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur is also a Six Sigma Black Belt.
Interestingly, this announcement comes close on the heels of the company getting its shareholder and the Reserve Bank of India approval for raising the investment limit of foreign institutional investors in the company to 74 per cent from 24 per cent. It is currently at 15 per cent but post its QIP, it is expected to touch 45 per cent.
People from the sector have welcomed the move to have an ombudsman though some are not sure if this move is any way linked to the plan to have an increased FII holding where in it would technically become a largely foreign-owned company. The company however sees this as an effort aimed at heralding a new era in institutionalising customer protection and grievance redressal in the Indian microfinance industry.
"The appointment of Verghese Jacob as our ombudsman showcases SKS Microfinance Limited's commitment to continue its pioneering customer protection and grievance redressal initiatives including its toll-free Helpline (1800 300 10000) in eight Indian languages, constant vigil on process, system and regulatory compliance and customer awareness programmes over the years," says MR Rao, managing director & chief executive officer, SKS Microfinance Limited. He says, "Verghese will help us set new benchmarks of excellence in customer protection and grievance redressal."
Verghese Jacob,already sees work cut out for himself. Talking to BT, he says: "The plan is to have a team in place for this but right now the focus in not just on attending to customer protection and grievance redressal but also on the internal processes that are in tune with the needs of the RBI guidelines." For example, looking at whether the transaction process with customers is robust enough to ensure the guidelines are not violated.
"It certainly is an excellent idea,'' says Sanjay Sinha, managing director, Micro-credit Ratings International Limited (M-CRIL), which is involved in financial rating of microfinance institutions and in sectoral advisory services.
He however has a piece of advice for MFIs: "It is important to keep in mind that it is not just respected people that would be needed in such roles but also those who understand the sector and it nuances.'' How this will be handled at SKS will be closely watched given the company operates across 19 states of India - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Delhi.
Saturday, October 08, 2011
P. Senthil Kumar (XLRI 84) appointed as Chief HR Officer at Tata Steel
From Orissa Diary
Mr. P Senthil Kumar has been appointed as Chief Human Resource Officer at Tata Steel, in the level IL1. He will operate from Jamshedpur and report to Mr H. M Nerurkar, Managing Director, Tata Steel Limited.
Welcoming Mr P. Senthil Kumar, Mr H.M Nerurkar, MD Tata Steel said “It gives me immense pleasure to announce Mr. P Senthil Kumar as Chief Human Resource Officer. On behalf of the Tata Steel family, I welcome him whole-heartedly and wish him the very best”
Mr. Kumar is a B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from NIT Trichy and a PG Diploma in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations from XLRI Jamshedpur in 1984. Subsequently, he also completed an Advanced Human Resource Management Programme at Ross School of Business, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Before joining Tata Steel he was Director HR & Administration at Cairn Energy India Pty Limited. In his long and illustrious career he has worked in a number of organizations in Manufacturing, Hospitality, and FMCG sectors across a variety of HR & IR roles. Mr Kumar is also a Member of the CII National sub-committee on HR and is actively involved & well known in the HR professional community across the country.
Mr. P Senthil Kumar has been appointed as Chief Human Resource Officer at Tata Steel, in the level IL1. He will operate from Jamshedpur and report to Mr H. M Nerurkar, Managing Director, Tata Steel Limited.Welcoming Mr P. Senthil Kumar, Mr H.M Nerurkar, MD Tata Steel said “It gives me immense pleasure to announce Mr. P Senthil Kumar as Chief Human Resource Officer. On behalf of the Tata Steel family, I welcome him whole-heartedly and wish him the very best”
Mr. Kumar is a B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from NIT Trichy and a PG Diploma in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations from XLRI Jamshedpur in 1984. Subsequently, he also completed an Advanced Human Resource Management Programme at Ross School of Business, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Before joining Tata Steel he was Director HR & Administration at Cairn Energy India Pty Limited. In his long and illustrious career he has worked in a number of organizations in Manufacturing, Hospitality, and FMCG sectors across a variety of HR & IR roles. Mr Kumar is also a Member of the CII National sub-committee on HR and is actively involved & well known in the HR professional community across the country.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Intelius’ Naveen Jain (BMD82) Turns to Moon Mining, Philanthropy
From India West
BERKELEY, Calif. – Naveen Jain is the chief executive officer of Intelius, a Bellevue, Wash.-based Web security firm with annual revenues of $150 million and more than 350 employees.
Before that he founded and headed InfoSpace, which became a very successful publicly traded data aggregation company before encountering problems at the end of the dotcom era.
Jain in April launched Mountain View, Calif.-based Moon Express, which he co-founded with the plan to mine the moon for its rare materials.
But all that the serial entrepreneur wanted to talk about while being interviewed here by India-West on the sidelines of the Economist conference (I-W, April 8), was h
is philanthropic work – that and the fact that his children are following in his footsteps.
“I’m spending 60 to 70 percent of my time on my philanthropic work,” he exclaimed on a rainy day at a Berkeley coffeehouse.
“Entrepreneurship can solve basic human problems and many of these fundamental problems relate to health care and education.”
Jain currently sits on a number of science, technology and education boards, including chairing the education and global development initiative of the X Prize Foundation.
He wants to fund a $1 million incentive challenge at X Prize for an entrepreneur who creates software running on a mobile device, able to be operated by minimally-trained individuals, that can diagnose common diseases in the developing world.
A trained village person would perform the tests and the results would be sent to medical experts at nearby hospitals for follow-up care. “The device could be rented out for $5 a day by a village girl,” he enthused.
The inventor who comes up with a solution, maybe even if the device tests just the five or six most common diseases, could win $1 million, depending on the X Prize panel’s decision.
“The reason I like challenge grants is that you get what you incentivize,” Jain said, adding, “There’s lots of smart people out there.”
Another X Prize grant he may fund is $1 million related to one of Jain’s favorite fields of study, neuroscience. “The brain has a plasticity. It is constantly being wired and rewired,” he said, pointing out that only a fraction of brainpower is used in such activities as reading.
Jain wants to fund accelerated learning made possible through game technology.
He will award a grant to someone who can come up with a “multi-sensory game, with motion, sound and an intense emotional experience, in a video game system, that is effective, addictive and viral, and that enables learning.”
He imagines hundreds of thousands of people online playing and learning. “If this country can create better learners, we will leave a better country for our children,” he said.
Jain is a director on the board of Singularity University and also a board member of the nonprofit Kairos Society, a global network of undergraduate students using entrepreneurship to solve world challenges.
If the concept sounds familiar, it is because Kairos was founded by Jain’s son, Ankur Jain, a student at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania who has been profiled by the national media. The New York Stock Exchange and the United Nations co-hosted the 2011 Kairos Global Summit Feb. 25-26 in New York.
Young entrepreneurs from around the world, including 24 from India, attended the event, Jain said, clearly proud that his son is following in philanthropy.
In addition, he said, “Our daughter, Priyanka, has started the IcareWEcare organization to do social good socially,” he told India-West. “Previously, she was the founder of Circle of Women for high school girls to build schools for girls in developing countries.”
His latest venture, Moon Express, which Jain chairs, is building robotic rovers alongside scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center near South San Francisco. The machines are designed to look for materials that are scarce on Earth.
“From an entrepreneur’s perspective, the moon has never truly been explored,” Jain told the Los Angeles Times. "We think it could hold resources that benefit Earth and all humanity.”
The other two cofounders are CTO Barney Pell, former head architect of Microsoft’s Bing Internet search engine; and CEO Robert “Bob” Richards, founder of International Space University, and a former NASA manager.
MoonEx has received a NASA contract that could be worth up to $10 million. The company is among several teams hoping to win Google’s Lunar X Prize competition, a $30-million race to the moon in which a privately funded team must successfully place a robot on the moon’s surface and have it explore at least one-third of a mile. The team also must transmit high-definition video and images back to Earth before 2016.
“Mankind is standing on the threshold of finding precious minerals and metals on the moon that in the future will power everything from electric car batteries to aerospace applications,” Jain told India-West last week by e-mail.
“This is just beginning. The non-radioactive isotope, Helium-3, which is rare on Earth, but believed to be more abundant on the moon, is sought for use in nuclear fusion research.
“I believe we are about to uncover the moon’s many vital resources, including large quantities of platinum that will solve Earth’s present resource and energy problems and make a better world for my children and for generations to come. I started Moon Express to find the resources to significantly improve the quality of life on Earth.”
“MoonEx should be ready to land on the lunar surface by 2013," Jain told the Times. “It’s our goal to be the first company there and stay there.”
Jain grew up in New Delhi in a poor family. He said his father worked for the government, but the family stayed poor because his father steadfastly refused to take any bribes, meaning he could never be promoted.
“My mother was not educated, but like most Indians, she cared deeply about education for her children. She thought it could make a difference in people’s lives.”
Jain received an engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee in 1979 and an MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur School of Management in 1982.
In 1983, Burroughs accepted him for a business exchange program in New Jersey and in 1989, he was hired by Microsoft, where he later worked on the Windows NT and Windows 95 operating systems and was on the management team that launched the Microsoft Network.
Jain founded InfoSpace in March 1996 and served as CEO until 2000. His net worth ranked him high on the list of Forbes’ richest Americans, but problems at InfoSpace led to him finally resigning as CEO in 2001 and leaving the board of directors a few years later.
Jain said he bounced back and founded Intelius to help people “manage their own identity.”
“You have to protect your family, whether you are hiring a teacher or a gardener or anyone else.” The company does background and security checks. Many of those who worked under him at InfoSpace joined him at Intelius, he said.
Jain was awarded the “Light of India Business Leadership Award” for “visionary entrepreneurship,” by the Times Group April 25. Indians from around the world voted for the award.
BERKELEY, Calif. – Naveen Jain is the chief executive officer of Intelius, a Bellevue, Wash.-based Web security firm with annual revenues of $150 million and more than 350 employees.
Before that he founded and headed InfoSpace, which became a very successful publicly traded data aggregation company before encountering problems at the end of the dotcom era.
Jain in April launched Mountain View, Calif.-based Moon Express, which he co-founded with the plan to mine the moon for its rare materials.But all that the serial entrepreneur wanted to talk about while being interviewed here by India-West on the sidelines of the Economist conference (I-W, April 8), was h
is philanthropic work – that and the fact that his children are following in his footsteps.“I’m spending 60 to 70 percent of my time on my philanthropic work,” he exclaimed on a rainy day at a Berkeley coffeehouse.
“Entrepreneurship can solve basic human problems and many of these fundamental problems relate to health care and education.”
Jain currently sits on a number of science, technology and education boards, including chairing the education and global development initiative of the X Prize Foundation.
He wants to fund a $1 million incentive challenge at X Prize for an entrepreneur who creates software running on a mobile device, able to be operated by minimally-trained individuals, that can diagnose common diseases in the developing world.
A trained village person would perform the tests and the results would be sent to medical experts at nearby hospitals for follow-up care. “The device could be rented out for $5 a day by a village girl,” he enthused.
The inventor who comes up with a solution, maybe even if the device tests just the five or six most common diseases, could win $1 million, depending on the X Prize panel’s decision.
“The reason I like challenge grants is that you get what you incentivize,” Jain said, adding, “There’s lots of smart people out there.”
Another X Prize grant he may fund is $1 million related to one of Jain’s favorite fields of study, neuroscience. “The brain has a plasticity. It is constantly being wired and rewired,” he said, pointing out that only a fraction of brainpower is used in such activities as reading.
Jain wants to fund accelerated learning made possible through game technology.
He will award a grant to someone who can come up with a “multi-sensory game, with motion, sound and an intense emotional experience, in a video game system, that is effective, addictive and viral, and that enables learning.”
He imagines hundreds of thousands of people online playing and learning. “If this country can create better learners, we will leave a better country for our children,” he said.
Jain is a director on the board of Singularity University and also a board member of the nonprofit Kairos Society, a global network of undergraduate students using entrepreneurship to solve world challenges.
If the concept sounds familiar, it is because Kairos was founded by Jain’s son, Ankur Jain, a student at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania who has been profiled by the national media. The New York Stock Exchange and the United Nations co-hosted the 2011 Kairos Global Summit Feb. 25-26 in New York.
Young entrepreneurs from around the world, including 24 from India, attended the event, Jain said, clearly proud that his son is following in philanthropy.
In addition, he said, “Our daughter, Priyanka, has started the IcareWEcare organization to do social good socially,” he told India-West. “Previously, she was the founder of Circle of Women for high school girls to build schools for girls in developing countries.”
His latest venture, Moon Express, which Jain chairs, is building robotic rovers alongside scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center near South San Francisco. The machines are designed to look for materials that are scarce on Earth.
“From an entrepreneur’s perspective, the moon has never truly been explored,” Jain told the Los Angeles Times. "We think it could hold resources that benefit Earth and all humanity.”
The other two cofounders are CTO Barney Pell, former head architect of Microsoft’s Bing Internet search engine; and CEO Robert “Bob” Richards, founder of International Space University, and a former NASA manager.
MoonEx has received a NASA contract that could be worth up to $10 million. The company is among several teams hoping to win Google’s Lunar X Prize competition, a $30-million race to the moon in which a privately funded team must successfully place a robot on the moon’s surface and have it explore at least one-third of a mile. The team also must transmit high-definition video and images back to Earth before 2016.
“Mankind is standing on the threshold of finding precious minerals and metals on the moon that in the future will power everything from electric car batteries to aerospace applications,” Jain told India-West last week by e-mail.
“This is just beginning. The non-radioactive isotope, Helium-3, which is rare on Earth, but believed to be more abundant on the moon, is sought for use in nuclear fusion research.
“I believe we are about to uncover the moon’s many vital resources, including large quantities of platinum that will solve Earth’s present resource and energy problems and make a better world for my children and for generations to come. I started Moon Express to find the resources to significantly improve the quality of life on Earth.”
“MoonEx should be ready to land on the lunar surface by 2013," Jain told the Times. “It’s our goal to be the first company there and stay there.”
Jain grew up in New Delhi in a poor family. He said his father worked for the government, but the family stayed poor because his father steadfastly refused to take any bribes, meaning he could never be promoted.
“My mother was not educated, but like most Indians, she cared deeply about education for her children. She thought it could make a difference in people’s lives.”
Jain received an engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee in 1979 and an MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur School of Management in 1982.
In 1983, Burroughs accepted him for a business exchange program in New Jersey and in 1989, he was hired by Microsoft, where he later worked on the Windows NT and Windows 95 operating systems and was on the management team that launched the Microsoft Network.
Jain founded InfoSpace in March 1996 and served as CEO until 2000. His net worth ranked him high on the list of Forbes’ richest Americans, but problems at InfoSpace led to him finally resigning as CEO in 2001 and leaving the board of directors a few years later.
Jain said he bounced back and founded Intelius to help people “manage their own identity.”
“You have to protect your family, whether you are hiring a teacher or a gardener or anyone else.” The company does background and security checks. Many of those who worked under him at InfoSpace joined him at Intelius, he said.
Jain was awarded the “Light of India Business Leadership Award” for “visionary entrepreneurship,” by the Times Group April 25. Indians from around the world voted for the award.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Samik Basu (89 PMIR) to be PepsiCo's Chief People Officer, India Region
From The Economic Times
NEW DELHI: Food and beverage maker PepsiCo today said it has appointed Samik Basu as Chief People Officer for India Region.
Basu takes over from Pavan Bhatia (91PMIR), who after a stint of four years, has moved into the role of Chief People Officer of PepsiCo Greater China Region.
"I am pleased to have Samik on board and believe his rich experience will be of immense value to PepsiCo as it enters the next phase of its growth story in the India Region," PepsiCo India Region Chairman Manu Anand said in a statement.
Basu joined PepsiCo in 2001 as head of HR for Frito-Lay India . Over the years, he has served in a variety of leadership roles in PepsiCo across Asia and Asia Pacific Regions.
He was the HR Director, North and South Asia for PepsiCo's Asia Pacific Region in his last assignment.
Prior to joining PepsiCo, Samik worked with Unilever India for eight years and with VIP Industries for four years.
He is a graduate in Economics from Presidency College of Calcutta University and an MBA in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
NEW DELHI: Food and beverage maker PepsiCo today said it has appointed Samik Basu as Chief People Officer for India Region.
Basu takes over from Pavan Bhatia (91PMIR), who after a stint of four years, has moved into the role of Chief People Officer of PepsiCo Greater China Region.
"I am pleased to have Samik on board and believe his rich experience will be of immense value to PepsiCo as it enters the next phase of its growth story in the India Region," PepsiCo India Region Chairman Manu Anand said in a statement.
Basu joined PepsiCo in 2001 as head of HR for Frito-Lay India . Over the years, he has served in a variety of leadership roles in PepsiCo across Asia and Asia Pacific Regions.
He was the HR Director, North and South Asia for PepsiCo's Asia Pacific Region in his last assignment.
Prior to joining PepsiCo, Samik worked with Unilever India for eight years and with VIP Industries for four years.
He is a graduate in Economics from Presidency College of Calcutta University and an MBA in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Anurag Behar (BMD 92) appointed V-C of Azim Premji University
From The Business Standard
Azim Premji University, India’s first private university set up by Wipro’s billionaire chairman to cater exclusively to the education and development sectors, has appointed Anurag Behar as its vice-chancellor.
The university, set up under the aegis of the Azim Premji Foundation which has an outreach of over 22,000 schools and over 2.5 million children in the country, has already announced three courses which will begin from July.
Behar is currently co-CEO of the Foundation. He also leads the sustainability initiatives of Wipro, including its social initiatives and ecological sustainability initiative. He would continue to hold these positions.
Behar has an MBA in marketing and finance from XLRI, Jamshedpur, and has a degree in electrical engineering from REC, Trichy, now NIT Trichy. He was also recognised by the World Economic Forum as a ‘Young Global Leader’.
The university will start functioning from a rented premises near Electronic City on the outskirts of Bangalore. Its own campus, being built near Sarjapur Road, is expected to be ready in the next 18 months.
From daijiworld.com:
Bangalore, Mar 22: Wipro Chief Azim Premji, who is also the Chancellor of the private sector deemed university, Azim Premji University, has announced the appointment of Anurag Behar, the Chief Sustainability Officer of Wipro Ltd, as its Vice Chancellor.
Anurag Behar is deeply engaged in Wipro’s Social initiatives. He led Wipro’s ecological sustainability initiative - EcoEye, and Wipro’s efforts at improving the quality of school education in India.
Currently, this program involves over 1000 schools across 17 states. He is engaged with Azim Premji Foundation’s large-scale initiatives to improve quality of school education, which currently impacts over 2 million children across 20,000 schools.
EcoEye is an initiative to drive ecological sustainability within Wipro, across all dimensions, and to help its partners, customers, and other stake-holders in their ecological sustainability initiatives.
He also leads Wipro Cares, a not-for-profit trust, which runs a range of long term programs for local communities and rehabilitation efforts in communities affected by natural disasters.
Anurag Behar is also a Director on the Board of Wipro GE Healthcare Ltd. - the leading player in Healthcare Technology Solutions in South Asia. He is also a member of the Board of the TERI University.
In his earlier roles in Wipro, Anurag Behar had led brand, quality and innovation for Wipro Ltd. Quality has long been an area of deep interest for him, going back to the days when he was the leader for Six Sigma for GE Medical in South Asia.
Earlier in his career, he was an integral part of the team that built the leadership position of Wipro GE Healthcare in South Asia. A significant part of his early career was spent in financing healthcare infrastructure in India. Anurag Behar has an MBA in Marketing and Finance from XLRI, Jamshedpur and has a Degree in Electrical Engineering from REC, Trichy. He has been honored by the World Economic Forum, by being recognized as a ‘Young Global Leader’.
Azim Premji University is committed to developing outstanding professionals in Education & Development for deeply fulfilling careers as social change leaders.
The Bangalore-based University has three key objectives: Create education and development professionals of high calibre with a deep commitment to social cause; Build capacity of existing functionaries in the education sector - both Government and private - through continuing education programs; and Create deep knowledge in education and development through high quality research that is relevant to India. The University has announced the launch of MA (Education) MA (Development) and Masters in Teacher Education programs from July 2011 and has invited applications from students.
The last date for receipt of completed application forms from interested students is May 15, 2011. The admissions test will be conducted in 38 centres across the country on 29 May 2011.
The test will examine proficiency in English, analytical ability, general and social awareness and knowledge of relevant subjects. Candidates short-listed on the basis of their applications and performance in the written test will be interviewed in the third week of June. The University will announce the list of selected students by end June 2011.
The University has stated that every selected candidate will have the opportunity to study at the University irrespective of financial constraints. Financial assistance, including scholarships and loans will be provided in all deserving cases.
Special financial support programs are available for working professionals, who gain admission to the University. The University will provide placement support for enriching careers in government, private sector, NGOs and multi-lateral agencies.
The current estimated demand of education and development professionals is over 3 lakhs per annum. Azim Premji Foundation itself will be recruiting over 4000 professionals during the next 4 years. The University is multidisciplinary in its approach, and the faculty group brings together diverse disciplines, as well as deep experience in the field in India.
The University has been sponsored and established by the Azim Premji Foundation, under the "Azim Premji Private University Act" of the Karnataka Government.
Azim Premji University, India’s first private university set up by Wipro’s billionaire chairman to cater exclusively to the education and development sectors, has appointed Anurag Behar as its vice-chancellor.
The university, set up under the aegis of the Azim Premji Foundation which has an outreach of over 22,000 schools and over 2.5 million children in the country, has already announced three courses which will begin from July.
Behar is currently co-CEO of the Foundation. He also leads the sustainability initiatives of Wipro, including its social initiatives and ecological sustainability initiative. He would continue to hold these positions.
Behar has an MBA in marketing and finance from XLRI, Jamshedpur, and has a degree in electrical engineering from REC, Trichy, now NIT Trichy. He was also recognised by the World Economic Forum as a ‘Young Global Leader’.
The university will start functioning from a rented premises near Electronic City on the outskirts of Bangalore. Its own campus, being built near Sarjapur Road, is expected to be ready in the next 18 months.
From daijiworld.com:
Bangalore, Mar 22: Wipro Chief Azim Premji, who is also the Chancellor of the private sector deemed university, Azim Premji University, has announced the appointment of Anurag Behar, the Chief Sustainability Officer of Wipro Ltd, as its Vice Chancellor.Anurag Behar is deeply engaged in Wipro’s Social initiatives. He led Wipro’s ecological sustainability initiative - EcoEye, and Wipro’s efforts at improving the quality of school education in India.
Currently, this program involves over 1000 schools across 17 states. He is engaged with Azim Premji Foundation’s large-scale initiatives to improve quality of school education, which currently impacts over 2 million children across 20,000 schools.
EcoEye is an initiative to drive ecological sustainability within Wipro, across all dimensions, and to help its partners, customers, and other stake-holders in their ecological sustainability initiatives.
He also leads Wipro Cares, a not-for-profit trust, which runs a range of long term programs for local communities and rehabilitation efforts in communities affected by natural disasters.
Anurag Behar is also a Director on the Board of Wipro GE Healthcare Ltd. - the leading player in Healthcare Technology Solutions in South Asia. He is also a member of the Board of the TERI University.
In his earlier roles in Wipro, Anurag Behar had led brand, quality and innovation for Wipro Ltd. Quality has long been an area of deep interest for him, going back to the days when he was the leader for Six Sigma for GE Medical in South Asia.
Earlier in his career, he was an integral part of the team that built the leadership position of Wipro GE Healthcare in South Asia. A significant part of his early career was spent in financing healthcare infrastructure in India. Anurag Behar has an MBA in Marketing and Finance from XLRI, Jamshedpur and has a Degree in Electrical Engineering from REC, Trichy. He has been honored by the World Economic Forum, by being recognized as a ‘Young Global Leader’.
Azim Premji University is committed to developing outstanding professionals in Education & Development for deeply fulfilling careers as social change leaders.
The Bangalore-based University has three key objectives: Create education and development professionals of high calibre with a deep commitment to social cause; Build capacity of existing functionaries in the education sector - both Government and private - through continuing education programs; and Create deep knowledge in education and development through high quality research that is relevant to India. The University has announced the launch of MA (Education) MA (Development) and Masters in Teacher Education programs from July 2011 and has invited applications from students.
The last date for receipt of completed application forms from interested students is May 15, 2011. The admissions test will be conducted in 38 centres across the country on 29 May 2011.
The test will examine proficiency in English, analytical ability, general and social awareness and knowledge of relevant subjects. Candidates short-listed on the basis of their applications and performance in the written test will be interviewed in the third week of June. The University will announce the list of selected students by end June 2011.
The University has stated that every selected candidate will have the opportunity to study at the University irrespective of financial constraints. Financial assistance, including scholarships and loans will be provided in all deserving cases.
Special financial support programs are available for working professionals, who gain admission to the University. The University will provide placement support for enriching careers in government, private sector, NGOs and multi-lateral agencies.
The current estimated demand of education and development professionals is over 3 lakhs per annum. Azim Premji Foundation itself will be recruiting over 4000 professionals during the next 4 years. The University is multidisciplinary in its approach, and the faculty group brings together diverse disciplines, as well as deep experience in the field in India.
The University has been sponsored and established by the Azim Premji Foundation, under the "Azim Premji Private University Act" of the Karnataka Government.
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