Mexican ambassador to India, Melba Pria, opened a new leaf in the embassy’s history, as she set off to the New Delhi office in a colourful auto-rickshaw complete with a blue diplomatic number plate, making it as the official vehicle of the Mexican ambassador to India. During a visit, the ambassador, dressed in a black skirt and a printed top, her shoulder-length hair pulled lightly back with a hair band, she looks like an empress at ease in her kingdom. She laughs when asked about her transit. “Yes, it is quite a celebrity now.” She said after she was posted to India, and decided on the new mode of transport in an auto-rickshaw, which evidently, her official vehicle. “It was a way to honour something that was so Indian,” said the ambassador adding that this three-wheel vehicle, has the lowest carbon footprint compared to other means of transport. “The air we breathe does not distinguish between class and race; it is the most democratic aspect of life in that sense,” said the diplomat whose main concern for air quality, she says, stems from her roots in Mexico and Mexico City’s appalling record with pollution. “ While, Mexico City has 286 good air days, Delhi has only 16, she says. “I share the same air and water as millions of Delhiites. While I am still Mexican, today, here and now, I must think as a resident of Delhi.”
Criteo, the performance marketing technology company, has appointed Ajeet Kandachar as Managing Director of India, to lead the business in one of its largest strategic growth markets globally. The company entered the India market in late 2014 and has been working with e-commerce companies such as AskmeBazaar, MakeMyTrip, Yatra, nearbuy and Urban Ladder. The new office and Kandachar’s appointment will enable Criteo to expand operations in the country and further grow its portfolio of local customers. “We are beginning to see strong growth in India and are happy to welcome Ajeet to the Criteo team. His breadth of experience across the technology industry will help us develop and execute a long-term plan for growth acceleration in India,” said Yuko Saito, Managing Director of Criteo Southeast Asia. Kandachar will be responsible for the strategic direction, operational execution and overall leadership of the India business. He will also focus on cultivating and strengthening relationships with advertisers and publishers. Kandachar joins Criteo from Vizury, an international Internet marketing company, where he was responsible for growing the business throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
An Indian-American biotechnologist has received University of Houston’s highest teaching award for her sustained and significant contributions to education. Rupa Iyer , an Indian-American Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies at the University of Houston’s College of Technology, has been presented the “Distinguished Leadership in Teaching Excellence Award”. An Indian-American biotechnologist has received University of Houstons highest teaching award for her sustained and significant contributions to education. Rupa Iyer, an Indian-American Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies at the University of Houstons College of Technology, has been presented the “Distinguished Leadership in Teaching Excellence Award”. It is the highest award given in teaching and the only one given in this category by the varsity. “My journey from being an international graduate teaching assistant to having the privilege and honour to lead the biotech programme at UH has been extremely humbling and rewarding,” Iyer said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted pictures of his mother Heeraben’s first visit to his Race Course Road residence in Delhi. “My mother returns to Gujarat. Spent quality time with her after a long time & that too on her 1st visit to RCR,” PM Modi said in social media posts, attaching three pictures of him and his 95-year-old mother. Heeraben lives in her ancestral home in Vadnagar, a small town in North Gujarat’s Mehsana district. It has been after two years in office, Modi has at last brought his mother to his official residence in the capital to show her around. PM Modi tweeted photos of himself pushing his wheelchair-bound mother through gardens, pointing out flowers and sharing a drink.
In the post that also appeared on Facebook, PM Modi said he had seen her “after a long time” adding that it was her first visit to 7 Race Course Road, the official residence of the prime minister of the world’s largest democracy. His post got more than 14,000 likes on Twitter, and 1.1 million reactions on Facebook. Modi brought himself close to tears last year when talking about his mother during a Q&A with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in California. “When we were small, what we used to do to get by,” Modi said, before a long pause, “we used to go to our neighbours’ houses nearby, we used to clean the dishes, fill water.” With his voice breaking, the prime minister added, “So you can imagine what a mother had to do, what a mother had to do to raise her children, what she must have gone through. It is not what you become that a mother is going to want or wish for, it’s how you become that,” Modi said in front of hundreds of people that had gathered at the Facebook headquarters to see him speak.
Narendra Modi@narendramodi My mother returns to Gujarat. Spent quality time with her after a long time & that too on her 1st visit to RCR.
Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, accepted Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) invitation to be one of the goodwill ambassadors for the Indian contingent in the forthcoming Rio Olympics. Rahman would now join legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actor Salman Khan and ace Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra to become the fourth goodwill ambassador. Jubilant with the offer, the musical maestro said that he felt honoured and pleased to be a goodwill ambassador of the Rio Games. Welcoming Rahman as the goodwill ambassador of Indian contingent, Rajeev Mehta, Secretary General, IOA said, “I would like to welcome AR Rahman on board as a goodwill ambassador of Indian contingent for Rio Olympics. It’s our privilege to have the Oscar-winning living legend-music composer on board to spread awareness and promote the Olympic movement. As per our plan to reach out to maximum people in the country for Olympic Sports, we are happy that Rahman has come forward from the field of music to support our athletes.
Kotak Mahindra Bank Chief Uday Kotak, who has a net worth of about US $ 7.1 billion, is the sole Indian in Forbes’ list of 40 of the most powerful people in the financial world who control the flow of trillions of dollars around the global economy. The 57-year-old Kotak is ranked 33rd in the Forbes, list of ‘Money Masters: The Most Powerful People In The Financial World’ topped by Blackstone Group’s CEO Stephen Schwarzman, who has a net worth of US $ 10.2 billion and oversees assets worth US $ 344 billion. It said the 40 financiers on the list dominate the world of money, from banking to buyouts, trading to takeovers. “The hedge fund managers, private equity moguls and lenders who control the flow of trillions of dollars around the global economy impact just about all of us one way or another,” Forbes added. With the Kotak Bank overseeing US $ 34.6 billion in assets, Forbes said the Indian billionaire, who has a net worth of about US $ 7.1 billion, has made his fortune lending to the sprawling masses between Mumbai and Delhi and has also taken a stand on behalf of savers. “His bank is continuing to offer six percent on savings accounts, even as falling rates make it harder to do so. Kotak is gung-ho on his native country and believes investing in India is like a Bollywood movie—long, but with a happy ending,” it said. The list also includes JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on the third spot, Berkshire Hathaway head Warren Buffet (4), Goldman Sachs Chairman Lloyd Blankfein (9) and Soros Fund Management chief George Soros (10). The candidates on the list were, judged on net worth, assets under management or overseen, three-year track records and influence on markets.
Paytm, India’s largest mobile payments and commerce platform has announced the appointment of Ruchita Taneja Aggarwal as its lead of banking operations, whereas Priya Karnik will be working on products for bank. Both Ruchita and Priya were previously associated with Citi in leadership roles; while Ruchita was Director Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) and Singapore Head - Regional Product Sales, Priya’s last role with Citi was as a Director- Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) - Regional Implementation. Speaking on their appointments, Vice President Paytm, Amit Sinha said, “We at Paytm, are committed to keep enhancing our services and product portfolio by bringing more experience and talent into our team. We are confident that with them on board, we will be able to drive greater growth and success for the organisation.” Later, Ruchita stated, “Paytm is one of the most renowned Indian companies today, and joining the team is a source of immense pride and delight for me. I will be looking forward to work with this extremely talented bunch of professionals and play my role in the company’s continued success”. Holding an MBA from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai, Ruchita brings almost 14 years of experience in the field of payments and finance. She has been integrally involved in execution, ideation and planning of new business strategies at Citi Transaction Banking as a part of her job responsibilities, and has led sales of complex, multi-country working capital solutions to corporate in India and Singapore. For her efforts, she was also named the Best Woman Sales Director at the first-ever India Women in Sales Awards, 2015. “It is no secret that Paytm is expanding and diversifying at an exponential rate. Joining the organisation gives me an unparalleled opportunity to work with some of the most wellknown industry thought leaders who are trying to build something new and unique. I am very excited to be a part of Paytm, and am eagerly looking forward to growing in tandem, both professional and personally, with the organisation,” said Priya.
IndiGo’s parent InterGlobe Aviation appointed of Rohit Philip as its Chief Financial Officer.Philip, coming in place of Pankaj Madan, who has put in his papers, would be joining the no-frills carrier from global document management and business services major Xerox Corporation. InterGlobe’s board approved the appointment of Philip during its meeting recently. His appointment as the Chief Financial Officer and Key Managerial Personnel of the company would be effective from July 18, 2016 for a period of five years, the company said in a filing to the BSE. At Xerox, he was Corporate Vice President and Treasurer. His appointment comes at a time when IndiGo, which got listed on the stock exchanges last year, is implementing ambitious expansion plans amid growing competition. IndiGo is the country’s largest carrier by market share. Philip had worked at United Airlines for 17 years, where he was Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Business Development. Besides, he had also held various other positions. He graduated in Mathematics from St Xavier’s College, University of Mumbai and has an MBA from Cornell University. InterGlobe Aviation saw its net profit remain flat at Rs.579.31 crore in the three months to March.
Waking up and getting a good news is something everyone would crave for,. This is what happened to 22-year-old Tina Dabi, as she discovered she had topped the Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) civil services examination in her very first attempt. The rest of the evening, at the family home in BSNL Colony on Kali Bari Marg near Gole Market in the heart of New Delhi, was taken up by interviews to the press, congratulatory phone calls and visits from friends and family. “I was sleeping when the results came. I knew they would be out on that day but there’s usually no particular time. When my phone started buzzing repeatedly, I realised the results had been announced. Since then we have been so busy that I still haven’t had time to actually register what has happened,” Tina said. Congratulating Tina, Northwest Delhi MP and Dalit leader Udit Raj tweeted, “Napoleon said that without opportunity ability can’t be cultivated. Dalit girl topped IAS & this could not have been possible 40-50 years back.” Tina has opted for the IAS, with Haryana as her cadre preference. “I opted for Haryana because it presents such an interesting example, where you have a lot of economic progress but when it comes to social indicators you are lagging behind, and that is a very big paradox.” “What is actually holding Haryana back is its patriarchal mindset and the gender inequality, which is a subject very close to my heart, since I am a woman from a progressive family and have also studied in a college that lays great emphasis on gender equality, so that is something I want to change about the state,” she said. Born in Bhopal, Tina moved to Delhi with her parents and younger sister when she was in Class VII. She completed her schooling from the Convent of Jesus and Mary, opting for humanities in Class XI, by which time she had also started seriously considering attempting the civil services examination. Himali Dabi, her mother, trained as an engineer. Father Jaswant Dabi works in the Department of Telecom. “My parents were the ones who suggested I consider a career in the services. They felt this was something I had a flare for, that I had the requisite qualities required for a bureaucrat, and could master the field. They were the ones who encouraged and guided me.” Tina spent a year attending coaching for the UPSC examinations, waiting until she reached the eligibility age of 21.
Shell India announced the appointment of Nitin Prasad as its new chairman after the incumbent Yasmine Hilton retires in September. Prasad is currently the cluster general manager for lubricants sales and marketing for India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He will take charge from October 1, the company said in a statement. Hilton, who has been the chairman of Shell companies in India and vice president for IT project excellence at the parent Royal Dutch Shell, will end her assignment on September 30, 2016, after a career spanning 37 years with Shell, the statement added. Hilton began her career with Shell in 1979 in IT and went on to hold a number of senior posts in the Group including, chief information officer for Britain and for Shell’s global retail business, operating in all five continents. In October 2012, she took up a four-year assignment as country chairman, the first woman leader in the Indian oil and gas industry.
Investors must pay taxes on money they earn in India and the domestic economy is now strong enough to depend on any “tax-incentivised route” to attract foreign investments, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said recently. He said there was no ‘serious apprehension’ of investors shifting base to other tax havens and he sees no depletion in FDI flows due to re-drawing of decades-old tax treaty with Mauritius – the biggest source of foreign investments into India. The amendment would also help check round-tripping of funds and boost the domestic consumption, Jaitley added. After toiling for almost a decade to redraw the tax treaty with Mauritius, India will begin imposing capital gains tax on investments in shares through Mauritius next April onwards. This has been made possible with amendment to the 34-yearold tax treaty between the two countries. As markets reacted cautiously to India expanding its crackdown on tax treaties to make it harder for investors to use tax havens as a shelter to avoid levies, Jaitley said, “Eventually, markets have to operate on inherent strength of (Indian) economy.”
