Archive: October 31, 2022

Rashi Sharma joins Sheraton Grand Pune and Le Méridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa as the Cluster Marketing and Communication Manager

Marriott International is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Rashi Sharma as the Cluster Marketing and Communication Manager of Sheraton Grand Pune and Le Méridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa. Rashi is a thorough marketing professional and brings with her over seven years of experience in public relations & marketing.

Backed with an MBA from SIMC, Pune and BBA from NMIMS, Rashi will spearhead the marketing activities for both the properties. She is looking forward to creating a unique positioning for the properties through effective and innovative strategies.

Prior to this, she was spearheading the PR mandate at Taj Santacruz, Mumbai for three years. During her tenure in the PR industry, she has worked with agencies including Edelman India, Fleishman Hillard to develop the reputation strategy for brands including Kimberly-Clark, Jaguar Land Rover, United Nations, CashE across verticals including FMCG, automobile and finance. Her forte lies in travel & hospitality having worked with Taj Group Hotels both from the brand and agency side.

Rashi is a hotelier by profession and a traveler at heart. On weekends, you can often find her immersed in art.

India’s Regional PR awards (IRPRA) is back with a bang

Indore, 31 October 2022: India’s Regional PR Awards (IRPRA), is back with its second edition to recognize and honor the PR professionals from regional India who with their dedication and ceaseless efforts continue to take the communication bar up to top notches. The second edition of IRPRA is going to be held on 19th November 2022 in virtual space.

According to Pawan Tripathi, Organizer of IRPRA, “In the last year, IRPRA’s first edition received a heartwarming response from all over India, and now we are excited to move towards its second edition. IRPRA aims to recognize the next generation of PR and communication leaders who are shaping the regional PR sector through their creative ideas and exemplary performances.”

The esteemed jury panel for the 2nd edition of IRPRA comprises extremely senior PR professionals, journalists, and corporate communications specialists. Roma Balwani, CEO, Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA); Archana Muthappa, Communications Specialist and Mental Health Advocate; Kavita Lakhani, National President WICCI Public Relations & Digital Marketing Council and Independent Director Finlabs India Pvt Ltd; Krishna Solanki, Director – Corporate Communication Publicis Groupe; Charu Raizada, Vice President, MarketsandMarkets Council Member, WICCI PR & Digital Marketing, Dr. Samir Kapur, Director Adfactors PR; Mr. Bhaskar Majumdar, Head – Corporate Affairs, Communication, CSR & Digital Egis in India; Arun Mittal, Brand Consultant and Communication Strategist to brands like boAt Lifestyle; Ujjawal Punmiya, Deputy Vice President – Public Relations & Corporate Communications, Axis Mutual Fund; and Charanjit Singh, Communication Strategist, Coach, Startup Mentor, and Visiting Faculty Shoolini University.

IRPRA 2022 will be held on November 19th, 2022, and the nomination and case study submission deadline has been extended to November 10th, 2022. Registrations and fulfillment of nominations are free of cost. Criteria for applicants should be 40 years or below as of the event date and should be practicing PR and Corporate communication within the geographical territory of India

Instant Loan Platform #mPokket Launches #mPoweringYourPocket and #mPoweringYourDreams Campaign

National, 31 October 2022: mPokket – India’s leading and one of the fastest-growing lending platforms – today announced the launch of its social media campaigns #mPoweringYourPocket and #mPoweringYourDreams. The campaigns highlight the company’s initiatives in empowering customers and employees this festive season.

As part of the product-centric campaign, the brand has launched teasers to showcase how mPokket has been financially empowering the youth of India through hassle-free instant loans. In the LinkedIn campaign, #mPoweringYourDreams, employees of the organization highlight how mPokket’s initiatives are boosting their confidence at the workplace and providing them with an open space to showcase their talent and share ideas.

Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Gaurav Jalan, Founder & CEO, mPokket, said, “We wanted to align our social media presence with the Company’s core business values and work ethics. Our team has been working tirelessly to ensure the disbursal of flexible and paperless loans to help individuals manage financial emergencies in time. The social media campaigns and hashtags reiterate this message, thanking employees for driving our growth since inception.”

mPokket has been financially empowering the youth through their instant loan disbursal process, lending amounts from Rs500 to Rs30,000. Their social media campaign encapsulates this theme through the strong message of facilitating financial independence for users. As part of its campaign, mPokket ran an engaging contest, asking its audience to guess the hashtag they would be introducing. mPokket will be giving out exciting gift vouchers to the top 3 winners who guess the hashtag correctly. Besides this, the brand has come up with an amusing comic strip that addresses diverse concerns and stigmas associated with instant loans. The post captures how mPokket acts as a handy companion in helping college students and young professionals meet their end-of-the-month cash crunch.

Additionally, to highlight the different initiatives taken by the Company to boost employee morale and satisfaction, mPokket has launched a special LinkedIn campaign. This shows how the team amplifies the ethos of enthusiasm and resonates with the team-building spirit through several fun activities and competitions held regularly. With its robust ambition of turning into a truly diverse, people-driven company, mPokket has incorporated the essence of inclusivity and equitability among its employees.

Chingari’s festive campaign #DiwaliGARIWali applauded the top GARI miners of the season

India, 31st Oct 2022: Chingari, the world’s fastest growing on-chain social app powered by GARI, was all set to celebrate Dhanteras, Diwali, and New Year with its GARI Miners who have earned over 90,000 GARI Tokens in just 90 days on the Chingari App. This Diwali, the platform honored and celebrated the top GARI miners through their #DiwaliGARIWali campaign. Chingari users have been mining (earning) GARI Tokens on the app since the GARI Mining programme was launched in June 2022.

Chingari users mined (earned) over 90,000 GARI Tokens simply by watching, sharing, liking, commenting, and consuming content on the Chingari App. Ratnesh Kumar (RKStatus), Junaid K, and Shehadad (Gaming Shorts) were the top-ranking miners of the season.

Vijay Soni, a Chingari creator, has mined over 24K GARI Tokens, followed by Sancheet who has mined over 18K GARI Tokens, and Ranjan Singh (also known as Chingari Superstar winner), had mined around 17K GARI Tokens.

Chingari launched GARI Tokens in 2021, around Diwali, with the goal of disrupting the global creator’s economy. And this year, the implementation of GARI Tokens has reaped sweet benefits for all, which gave them yet another reason to celebrate the festive season with great zest.

Apart from applauding the GARI Miners, Chingari had also curated a special Diwali contest for its creators under the #DiwaliGARIWali. The contest allowed creators to make entertaining videos using #FatakaGang where they could introduce the members of their group as different types of fatakas (Diwali firecrackers). The winners of the contest would earn GARI Tokens.

Chingari’s CEO and Co-Founder, Sumit Ghosh, exclaimed, “We are overjoyed that the Chingari community is now able to reap the benefits of our hard work and efforts. We had aimed to achieve a revolution in the creator’s economy while working on the GARI project, allowing creators to monetize their content without sacrificing their creative freedom, and today we can all see that goal being accomplished. We hope to reach many more milestones on our way to becoming ‘The go-to App’ for creators worldwide.”

Junaid K, Chingari user, and top GARI Miner said, “I am incredibly happy to have mined GARI Tokens worth $1500 and grateful to team Chingari for enabling us to explore the app and earn by spending our time on it, unlike other social media platforms. I intend to use my earnings to purchase the GARI Level 10 Badge and GARI Panda NFT, as I believe the app has the potential to help creators and users grow and achieve their goals.”

Truly this was a very happy and prosperous Diwali & New Year for the Chingari community. And team Chingari wished an exceptionally happy festive season for all its users.

Two Day ‘times Property Hyderabad Expo’, a One-stop Solution for Home Buyers, Begins on Saturday at Hitex!

Hyderabad, October 31st, 2022: The two-day, Times Property – Hyderabad Property Expo 2022, one of the biggest property expos in Hyderabad, being hosted by The Times of India; was formally inaugurated by Chief Guest Mr. Somesh Kumar, IAS, Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana; today at HITEX Exhibition Centre. The exhibition is open from 10.00 am to 7:30 pm on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th October 2022. Over 35 property developers, including the biggest developers like Aparna Constructions, Jayabheri Properties, and Rajapushpa Properties are participating in the exhibition. Mr. Srinivas Reddy, ED, Rajapushpa Constructions; Mr Ashwin Shukla, Chief Marketing Officer, Jaya Bheri Constructions and Mr Venkat Ravi, Aparna Constructions; graced the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion Mr Somesh Kumar said, it is interesting to see forty property developers participating in this exhibition. It is heartening to know that Hyderabad is one of the fastest-growing city in terms of real estate. It is also heartening to know that from August 31st, 2018, that’s when we launched RERA, we have cleared more than 5299 registrations, the amazing part is, we are number five in the country, by size we are much lower, but by growth and number of registrations, there are only a few states which are above us like Maharashtra, you know how big it is, besides Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Karnataka. Very soon we will move further up. RERA really reflects how healthy is the real estate market, which gives us lots of assurance. We clear all the new proposals expeditiously without giving any opportunity for anyone to complain about any delay. In commercial space 9.5 CRS. ft has been registered and in residential alone, we registered 188 crs., Sft., under RERA and are confident of going forward with the same vigor. Many ask how Hyderabad is doing so well, it is because we ensure the growth of the city through certain factors. The government has taken various measures, some of which you already know, like the business of inverters and generators, which have become extinct, because of uninterrupted power supply. Law and order is of the highest order, there is no scarcity of potable water, because of the various measures initiated by the government. All these have led to huge investments coming to Telangana. Under the concept of SRD, Strategic Road Development, we have something called the Corridor approach, we take a corridor and work towards a free and fast movement of vehicles. We have done 47 projects of flyovers, ROBs RUBs, etc., for more than Rs six thousand crores and already completed 32 of these and the remaining also will be completed shortly. Urban flooding is a world phenomenon, we are working to tackle that. The government of Telangana has initiated a program called SND, the Strategic Nala Development project has taken up works worth of Rs 850 CRS., to ensure water logging-free areas and has been successful on that. In addition to infrastructure, we have been focussing on the city being green and the air quality being clean. Because of the Hon’ble Chief Minister’s initiative of Telangana Haritha Haram, the green cover of Telangana has increased by more than 7.7 percent. Hyderabad got the Green Award recently, despite major cities like Paris, and Montreal participating and competing against Hyderabad and there we got the award, which is an indication of our high standard of green cover. The stamps and registration department has simplified the process, and this year only two states will be ahead of us in revenue terms those states Maharashtra and UP are so big, that it is very difficult to compete with them, but someday we may overtake them as well.

Mr Srinivas Reddy said, the Times Property – Hyderabad Property Expo, is an excellent platform for anyone coming to purchase a home, to get information about all the projects and value for money you spend, under one roof.

Mr Ashwin Shukla said, Hyderabad has been growing remarkably well and events like Times Property – Hyderabad Property Expo, bring the buyers and developers together for the benefit of both.

The expo is hosting Seminars, with an eminent panel comprising of Mr Ram Reddy, AVP, CREDAI National; Mr Nand Kishore, MD, Ramky Estates and Farms; Mr Biswajit Patnaik, MD, Mandate & Beyond Advisory; Mr Samson Arthur, Branch Director, Hyderabad, Knight Frank India; Mr Mukul Agarwall, Director, Koncept Ambience; & Mr Ajitesh Korupolu, CEO, ASBL; educating and empowering consumers to take an informed decision.

The Expo is showcasing some of the latest and best projects in Hyderabad, offering futuristic amenities across various locations of the rapidly growing city. It offers a plethora of options under one roof, to satiate the varied preferences and appealing features to customers. It has Villas, Apartments, and other options and price points to suit different budgets, with luxurious amenities to facilities of comfort; across the geographies of the expanding city.

Reports indicate that the demand for properties has seen an extraordinary upsurge in Hyderabad, post-pandemic. Most consumers are looking to invest in property as a residence to live or an investment, as property prices are appreciating and offer better returns. Some are opting for a second property that is more spacious and provides greater privacy. The ultra-modern amenities which upgrade the lifestyle is major traction for most opting for a second home. Adding to the spurt in demand, is the City attracting the cream of the talent from across the country and abroad, who don’t mind paying a premium for a cozy dwelling.

According to studies on property markets, Hyderabad has seen an unprecedented 222% jump quarter-on-quarter and a 140% rise year-on-year in property sales, making the city the second most expensive property market, next only to Mumbai. Most properties are getting sold like hotcakes across different locations of the city including Bachupally, Kompally, Tellapur, Gandipet, Dundigal, Nacharam, Mallapur, Miyapur, AS Rao Nagar, etc. The ten-year low home loan interest rates have given further impetus to this property-buying spree.

Times Property – Hyderabad Property Expo 2022, is an initiative of India’s largest and most well-known media house, to make the consumer aware of the best options available in terms of quality, amenities, price, locations and other valuable parameters and ensure the best bargain for the him.

The top Developers participating in the Expo are Aparna Constructions; Rajapushpa Properties; Cybercity Builders & Developers; Ramky Estates; ASBL; M A K Projects; Sukhil Group, Mahidhara Projects Pvt Ltd; Vertex; Red Cell; Jayabheri; SRR Sriram River View; Ira; Vishal Projects; Anmol Constructions; Koncept Ambience; Mahaveer; Pooja Crafted Homes; MRKR Constructions & Industries; SMR Holdings; Modi Builders; Lansum; GHR Infra; Planet Green; Janapriya Upscale; Real Stone; Pacifica Companies; Silpa Infratech; S Sarabha Group; Kapil Properties; Century Homes; NCC Urban; Virtusa Life Spaces; TMR Group; Fortune Infra Developers; Ruchin Infra; Green Home, Vijay Sai Housing Projects and Tejase Developers.

Citi India features in top 10 Best Companies for Women in India 2022 list released by Avtar and Seramount

Bangalore: Citi India has ranked in the top ten of Avatar and Seramount’s Best Companies for Women in India 2022 (BCWI) list for the second year in a row. It has also been placed in the topmost category (Champions of Inclusion, which is awarded to the ten most inclusive firms in India) of the Most Inclusive Companies Index (MICI) – India 2022 list for the second consecutive year.

The awards recognize Citi’s decade-long efforts to ensure a more inclusive workforce, with robust policies to not only promote diversity hiring, but also encourage its people to bring their true selves to work. It is a validation of the relentless focus on sensitizing employees towards gender neutrality and respect for colleagues from diverse backgrounds.

Balaji Nuthalapadi, Head of South Asia Operations & Technology and Citi Solutions Centers, India, said, “This recognition is a testament to the progress we have made in creating a more diverse and inclusive work environment. Our focus on hiring, developing and retaining our diverse talent has yielded meaningful and tangible outcomes. We have taken a systematic approach spanning our policies, benefits and measures to ensure equity. Inclusion is fostered through employee involvement via our affinity networks and continuous sensitization efforts, which together create a work environment where every individual is valued, respected and enabled to contribute to their fullest potential.”

Citi values diversity and equity, and fosters inclusion via people-centered initiatives and a meritocratic culture. Unbiased and equal treatment of both employees and potential hires, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, age, or physical ability, is ingrained as part of its culture. The fact that Citi India is included on both lists for the second year in a row is evidence of the significant strides it has taken in advancing diversity, equality and inclusion.

Over the last decade, Citi India has made tremendous progress on LGBTQ+ inclusion, which includes the establishment of the Citi India Pride Network, introducing demographic questions on sexual orientation and gender identity in the annual Voice of the Employee survey, and extending employee benefits to all domestic partners of employees, including LGBTQ+ partners. It has eight affinity networks across the four key strands of diversity, namely Gender, LGBTQ+, Disability and Generations. These networks ensure that the unique needs of colleagues from diverse backgrounds are adequately represented.

Citi has best-in-class policies, benefits, and guidelines, such as Performance Rating Protection for women coming back from maternity, as part of the Maternity Matters program, to provide holistic support to expectant and returning mothers. Child care benefits and day care tie-ups help young mothers to transition back to work. Citi has pioneered the implementation of the 180-day long maternity leave (way before it was passed as a legislation), transparently disclosing, and addressing gender gaps in compensation. Last year, it launched the Return to Work program for women who joined Citi after a break of six months or more.

Recording consistently upward trend in its gender diversity representation metrics, Citi India achieved a +10% increase in grades above the level of AVP over the last three years. About 50% of campus recruits are young women graduates, while the overall gender diversity hiring numbers in 2021 stood at 38%.

The seventh edition of the Best Companies for Women in India (BCWI) study was conducted in 2022 by Avtar, India’s premier diversity, equity, and inclusion solutions firm, in collaboration with Seramount (formerly Working Mother Media), now a division of EAB, a strategic professional services company committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace in the United States. The research has established itself as the most thorough Diversity analytics exercise conducted for corporate India throughout the course of its previous six iterations. Over 300 organizations participated in each research edition, which culminated in the alphabetical listing of the Top 10 and 100 Best Companies for Women.

Commenting on the occasion, Dr Saundarya Rajesh, Founder-President, Avtar Group said, ““The results of the 7th edition of the Best Companies for Women in India (BCWI), the largest and the most comprehensive diversity analytics exercise in the country, conducted by Avtar in association with Seramount (Formerly Working Mother Media), are a glowing testimony to the relentless efforts of organizations in India towards including diversity talent. There has been an approximate 10% rise in women’s workforce participation from the time of the study’s inception, which today stands at a promising 34.8%. There is a steady pace of DEI progress in the Best Companies with 77% of them reporting an upsurge in their DEI momentum post covid. These are the companies that have reaped the fruit of raising the bar in their DEI efforts by way of increased operating profits. When the DEI best practices of these role model organizations go beyond their internal cultures to the ecosystem of vendors, partners, customers, and community we will create a society where our future generations can thrive and succeed.”