Archive: March 31, 2023

CEAT launches SUV tyre campaign featuring India’s Ace Cricketers Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill

Kolkata, March 31, 2023: CEAT Ltd, India’s leading tyre manufacturer launched its new TVC for its four-wheeler SUV tyre range. The TVC features Rohit Sharma, captain of the Indian Men’s Cricket team, and two exciting young players, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill – with all three of them featuring in somewhat different roles in the new advert. With the forthcoming cricket season, the three cricketers are all set to spread the message and highlight the importance of having good SUV tyres that can handle speed as well as offer a superior grip.

The new TVC conceptualised by Ogilvy, features an SUV with Rohit Sharma as a busy politician riding in the back seat and sharing nuggets of political wisdom. A bespectacled Shubman Gill, as a typically harried-looking politician’s secretary busy on his cell phone, is quickly alerted to his master’s latest pontification by the chauffeur, played by Shreyas Iyer in the video. As the secretary frantically searches for a pen to record the advice, just at that instant, around a sharp bend, a group of protestors suddenly appear in the middle of the road. The driver has to brake hard and swerve fast to prevent an accident. Once done, he is quick to repeat their master’s advice – the importance of ‘speed and grip’ in the context of both driving as also in politics. This analogy echoes the same attributes as exemplified by CEAT Tyres – and is demonstrated by Shreyas Iyer in adroitly avoiding an accident because of the superior grip of CEAT’s new SUV tyres at high speed. “You should definitely write it down”, reiterates Rohit Sharma to Shubman Gill to reinforce the message. The gospel for success in politics and that of safety on the roads is the same, as the TVC playfully tries to show.

The campaign once again leads back to CEAT’s purpose of ‘Making Mobility Safer & Smarter. Everyday’.

Speaking on the campaign, Mr. Lakshmi Narayanan B, Chief Marketing Officer – CEAT Limited said, “It’s the cricket season and CEAT is thrilled to get 3 of India’s top cricketers – Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill in ‘never seen before’ avatars. CEAT’s wide range of SUV tyres have a unique capability to provide both speed and control while delivering on its promise of safety and comfort. Our range of offerings, which include SportDrive SUV, CrossDrive SUV and SecuraDrive SUV address a wide range of on-road and off-road requirements.”

Mr. Rohit Dubey Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy adds “In general, creatives are a little vary of sportsmen, when it comes to performing in front of camera. Scripts are watered down, roles are pruned, lines shortened or a ‘proper’ actor is built in for heavy lifting. But this time around, with CEAT’s conviction, the team got the confidence to go beyond the norm. We had three star players, acting out of their skin (and such a commendable job), in a duration strait-jacket of 20 seconds, segueing into tyre story, effortlessly. We are quite thrilled with the result, and awaiting all the brand love this one will garner in coming days.”

Essar Project chosen by the UK Government

Bangalore/Mumbai/London 31 March 2023: Essar welcomes the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ), cluster sequencing Phase-2 announcement confirming that EET’s Vertex Hydrogen project has been chosen as part of one of the two hydrogen plants that will help build the UK’s hydrogen economy.

The announcement follows the UK Government’s commitment to providing up to £20bn in funding for early deployment of carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) to help meet its climate commitments. The funding supports private investment and job creation in locations including the North West of England, Essar’s UK home. This development supports Essar’s commitment to major investment in the UK in support of the UK Government’s net zero ambitions.

Recently, Essar launched Essar Energy Transition (EET) to invest US$3.6 billion in developing a range of low carbon energy transition projects over the next five years, of which US$2.4 billion will be invested at the Stanlow site in Ellesmere Port, between Liverpool and Manchester.

This plan includes Vertex Hydrogen which will produce some 350MW of hydrogen from 2026, making it one of the UK’s leading low carbon hydrogen businesses. Some 600 thousand tonnes of CO2 will be captured and stored using HyNet’s carbon-capture infrastructure – the equivalent to taking around 250,000 cars off the road.

Vertex provides vital but ‘hard to abate’ industrial and power generation businesses with a route to decarbonise delivering job certainty and growth in a globally emerging sector. The direct investment in the production plant will be nearly £500 million and is a critical first step in building a hydrogen economy in the North West.

Vertex is also rapidly progressing a second plant (HPP2) for 700MW into Front-End-Engineering-Design. This will be completed in 2023, positioning Vertex as the enabler of a broader hydrogen economy in the North West. The HPP2 plant has today received support from the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund as part of its development.

Prashant Ruia, Director, Essar Capital, said:

“I welcome and thank the UK Government for their support to our investment. This enables us to confidently move forward with our plans in EET to build a premier energy transition hub in the North West of the UK, anchored around our Stanlow Refinery. Today, huge progress has been made. We are more confident than ever in the potential of our UK site, with its core contribution to HyNet, to play a vital role in the UK’s decarbonisation strategy and to act as a catalyst for significant investment in our region. We are demonstrating how legacy industrial businesses can become part of the solution, and drive decarbonisation across the North West’s industrial heartlands”.

EET will include:

• Essar Oil UK, the company’s refining and marketing business in North West England;
• Vertex Hydrogen, which is developing 1 gigawatt (GW) of low carbon hydrogen for the UK market, with follow-on capacity set to reach 3.8GW;
• EET Future Energy, which is developing 1 GW of green ammonia in India, targeted at UK and international markets;
• Stanlow Terminals Ltd, which is developing enabling storage and pipeline infrastructure; and
• EET Biofuels, which is investing in developing 1 MT of low-carbon biofuels.

EET’s strategy is founded on the fact that hydrogen and biofuels are fast becoming globally significant fuels of the future and that the UK is positioned strongly to spearhead the rapid growth of the European low carbon fuels market. The UK already benefits from an advanced regulatory and policy framework to support low carbon energy production, including the UK government’s target of achieving 10GW of hydrogen production by 2030.

Such is the scale of the market growth opportunity that EET estimates approximately two-thirds of its aggregate cash flows could come from diversified low carbon sources before the end of the decade. As a core part of the HyNet cluster, Essar’s Stanlow site is in one of the only two hydrogen clusters in the country to potentially be supported through to full operations. The Stanlow refinery itself will also achieve a 75% reduction in carbon emissions before the end of this decade and net zero by 2040.

In addition to the US$2.4 billion investment in the UK, EET will also invest US$1.2 billion in developing a cost-efficient global supply hub for low carbon fuels in India

TapOnn Launches “Don’t try So Hard to Network; Just TapOnn” Campaign to Revolutionize Smart Networking

New Delhi, 31st March 2023 – TapOnn, a brand dedicated to revolutionizing smart networking, is excited to announce the launch of its first brand campaign “Don’t Try So Hard to Network; Just TapOnn”. The campaign aims to create brand awareness and introduce TapOnn as the future of networking. With this campaign TapOnn aims at expanding its reach to digital audiences. The brand’s dedication to using technology to make networking simple, efficient, and effective has made it a go-to choice for individuals and businesses.

The campaign focuses on how traditional paper business cards are not relevant in today’s digital era and are not adding any value to our smart working professionals. If we are in the digital era then so should be out business cards – smart, instant and eco-conscious that only adds more value to you and enables you to create a great first impression.

To add more star power to the launch, the video features renowned actor and model, Rohit Mehta. With massive followers on social media, Rohit Mehta has been featured in the movie ‘ Veer Gomtesha’ and various brand ads.

Today networking has become a crucial part of personal and professional growth. TapOnn recognizes this and has developed a smart product system to simplify networking. With TapOnn, users can create a digital smart card to share their information with anyone, anywhere, anytime and they don’t need to carry 100’s of useless paper cards. Just one TapOnn is enough. With the smart card you can share all relevant contact information, social media links, website, portfolio payment gateway and more, making it easy to network, stay connected and convert your leads.

“We’re thrilled to launch the ‘Don’t try So Hard to Network; Just TapOnn’ campaign and introduce the world to the future of networking. At TapOnn, we believe that networking should be easy. We’re excited to empower professionals to achieve their brand and business goals by converting their next network into a plausible lead, said Dhruv Jolly, Founder & MD,TapOnn.

We are confident that the campaign will be a massive success and look forward to connecting with a wider audience meaningfully,” Dhruv added.

IPRS Music Day in collaboration with Meta

Hyderabad/Mumbai/New Delhi, March 31st, 2023 – The Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS) is pleased to announce its upcoming event, IPRS Music Day, an insightful music workshop in collaboration with Meta, on April 5th at 4 pm. This event will be live cast on IPRS Facebook and Instagram pages from the Meta Studio in Mumbai, making it available to IPRS members, independent artists, music creators, and aspiring musicians from all across.

The workshop aims to raise awareness about music copyright in the digital age and how music creators and independent artists can use meta platforms to promote their music and connect with fans. The workshop will have individual segments covering topics such as music copyright and managing creators’ rights on social media, using social media for promotion, community building, and how to earn more from the music made.

The workshop will also include an experience-sharing session with leading creators, who will share their journey as a creator, the art of Songwriting, and how to make your music big through the power of digital and social media.

Rakesh Nigam, CEO of IPRS, commenting on the association with Meta said, “the digital age has presented new learnings and opportunities for music creators and publishers. We want to ensure that our members and budding creators have the information they need to succeed in the fast-transforming music industry,” he said. “I would like to thank Salim Merchant, Yashraj Mukhate, and Antara Nandy for joining us in this initiative and sharing anecdotes from their real-life experience as eminent composers, songwriters, and new-age creators. I’m sure our members and those aspiring to build a successful career in music will benefit from the session.”

The event is free to join for all.

Join us for the IPRS Music Day and don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to learn from industry experts and take your music to the next level.

Details of the session

What: IPRS Music Day in collaboration with META

An insightful live session decoding music copyright in digital, the power of social media platforms in the digital age, how to promote your music, build your community and earn from meta platforms, and hear eminent songwriters and music composers on the art of songwriting and music composition.

When: 5th April 2023

Time: 4 pm onwards

Venue: Live on IPRS Facebook (@iprsorg) and Instagram (@iprsmusic) page

Godrej Group and Sbi Sign a Strategic Mou to Deepen Partnership

Mumbai, March 31, 2023: Godrej Group, through its financial services arm, Godrej Capital and State Bank of India (SBI) today signed a strategic MOU to deepen their partnership wherein State Bank of India would provide various financial products and offerings.

For decades, both SBI, its group companies, and the Godrej Group have played an important role in the growth of our country’s economy. With this partnership, they hope to continue their contributions to building the nation.

Speaking on the development, Pirojsha Godrej, Chairperson of Godrej Capital, said, “This partnership is a big step forward in making financial solutions more accessible and affordable. Together, we aim to unlock opportunities for financial inclusion and build a long-term, sustainable franchise, helping drive India’s growth story forward.”

Dinesh Khara, Chairman of SBI, speaking on the announcement, said, “We are happy to embark on this exciting partnership with Godrej Capital. We aim to capitalize on synergies that will empower our customers and accelerate the growth of our economy. In addition, we will focus on delivering financial solutions to the Godrej group.”

This association leverages the strengths of both groups by facilitating a gamut of financial services provided by the Bank, including, and not limited to, banking products, credit cards, wealth management, Life Insurance, and General Insurance as preferred partners.

Manish Shah, MD and CEO of Godrej Capital added, “We are excited about this partnership between two of the most reputed brands in the country. Financial services have always been the leading indicators of growth of the economy, and the two groups coming together is a milestone we want to leverage in building a sustainable organization.”

Godrej Capital has, so far, disbursed over INR 5000 crores since inception in November 2020 across housing, SME, and MSME loans. It has expanded its presence across 11 cities in India and aims to expand its footprint to 30 cities across India in the next 12 months.

Canara Bank becomes first public sector bank to tie up with NPCI Bharat BillPay

Last year, the Reserve Bank of India, permitted cross-border inbound Bill Payments to be received under the rupee drawing arrangement (RDA) through the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS).

In order to facilitate utility bill payments for Indian Diaspora, Canara Bank, one of India’s largest public sector Bank, has teamed up with BBPS. This tie-up will enable the Indian Diaspora to make payments towards utility bills, school fees, municipal taxes, etc., in India from Oman. This move will provide a convenient and hassle-free payment option for NRIs.

A pioneering facility of its kind has been launched by Canara Bank in co-ordination with Bharat BillPay Limited (NBBL), the wholly owned subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India, and Musandam Exchange, Oman on 29th March, 2023.

A comment by K Satyanarayana Raju, MD & CEO at Canara Bank, on the occasion, said, “We are proud and delighted to be the first PSB to introduce this much-awaited facility in collaboration with NBBL and Musandam Exchange for Non-Resident Indian Diaspora in Oman. This initiative is in line with our commitment to provide innovative and customer-centric solutions to our clients. We are confident that this facility will enhance the banking experience of our NRI customers and strengthen our relationship with them.”

Commenting on the launch, Noopur Chaturvedi, CEO, NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd., said, “We are delighted to announce the launch of our services for NRIs living in Oman. Indians in Oman will now be able to take advantage of the fast and secure bill payments platform offered by BBPS. We are grateful to Canara Bank for being fundamental in bringing this project to fruition. This new initiative will not only provide a convenient bill payment solution but will also have a significant impact on the lives of thousands of Indians living in Oman.”

Welspun strengthens its B2C portfolio – Acquires major consumer brand Sintex

Mumbai, 31st March 2023: The global conglomerate Welspun Group is taking another step that aligns with the Group’s new vision of ‘Har Ghar Se Har Dil Tak Welspun’. Welspun has acquired the plastic industry market leader, Sintex. The deal marks a significant expansion for world’s leading home textile and line pipes manufacturer.

For decades, Welspun has been an export-focused organization but with its new vision, the company is exploring B2C business prospects in India. Recently, the company has been focusing in the building material category. With the acquisition of Sintex, Welspun will be an integral part of many more households nationwide, expanding its building material portfolio which is a huge part of the larger B2C strategy. Welspun Flooring is emerging in the building material business with market-disrupting strategies, providing flooring solutions in a day. With the combination of flooring, water tanks and other interior solutions like doors, windows etc, Welspun is poised to emerge as a strong brand in the category.

Sintex’s auto business already has a strong portfolio of OEM as well as tier 1 customers nationally and globally. BAPL – Rototech is a preferred partner in the industry for designing, developing and producing full functions and system solutions. The Rototech space of Sintex is another big opportunity for the Welspun Group.

In recent times, Welspun has also been installing manufacturing units for DI Pipes, TMT bars with brand Welspun Shield, Advanced textiles and other capabilities to support the B2C strategy. The company has also been leading sustainable practices across the nation and with amplified ESG initiatives. The goal is to positively touch 1 million lives by 2030.

After foraying into sectors like warehousing, flooring & advanced textiles to create strong emerging businesses, Sintex is another emerging opportunity for Welspun. The acquisition was accomplished with a ₹ 1251 crore deal.

For decades Sintex has been a household name in India for water tanks and other plastic products having a strong distribution network across India.

Commenting on the development of the acquisition, Mr. Balkrishan Goenka, Chairman of Welspun, said, “As we strengthen our building material portfolio and envision a strong domestic foot prints with our diverse businesses Sintex acquisition is a strategic addition to strengthen our consumer connect and on ground presence. Sintex brand is synonymous to the category and is known for its legacy of quality products. With our new vision “Har Ghar se Har Dil Tak Welspun” every business is committed about driving our penetration in domestic market.

Goa, Portugal can build on historic links through curated tourism packages: Turismo de Portugal official

Panaji, March 2023: Goa and Portugal can build on their historic connection and strengthen cooperation between the two regions by curating special tourism packages for citizens of both countries, according to Head of Training and Education at Turismo de Portugal, Ana Paula Pais, who was in Goa recently to participate in an international student exchange programme.

Pais, who represents the federal tourism authority in Portugal, also said that the delegation of Portuguese students and faculty got to learn and understand the cultures and traditions of people living in Goa, during their four week-long intensive exchange programme.

“We can improve promotion based on our historical connections, create specific packages and have more information. Initiatives like the one the Indian Minister of Tourism recently had with our government during our national tourism fair in Lisbon are very important to strengthen cooperation between the two countries,” Pais said.

The Portuguese delegation consisting of 12 students, drawn from 12 hospitality institutes in the Portugal, was hosted by the V.M.Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE), as part of the ‘Collaborative International Training and Education Program’ with Turismo de Portugal, in order to acquaint them with Goan hospitality, cuisine, and culture. Students from the Raia-based institute would participate in the second leg of the exchange programme, which is scheduled to be held in Portugal soon.

The four-week intensive programme included field trips, demo sessions with in-house faculty and visits to culturally significant Goan sites, including a spice farm, Dudhsagar waterfalls, Bhagwan Mahavir sanctuary, while also enjoying a traditional meal at a local temple in Ponda. The field tours also helped the delegation understand traditional businesses like feni production and baking. Members of the delegation also interacted with native tribal representatives to broaden their understanding of co-existing cultures in Goa.

VMSIIHE also conducted demo classes for the members of the delegation, teaching them skills from making Indian breads to understanding the different meats used in the Goan kitchens.

Speaking on the significant and valuable experiences attained through this cultural exchange program, Head of training and education at Turismo de Portugal, Ana Paula Pais, says “This is an extraordinary programme, which has provided a unique experience for our students, not only in a professional area, which is very important, but especially from a personal perspective. To be a professional of excellence in today’s tourism industry, it is essential to have global knowledge about others, about other values, about other cultures, because we want to build an inclusive industry where respect for others and commitment to the preservation of the planet are the central elements.”

According to Prof. Irfan Mirza, Director and Principal of VMSIIHE, the programme gave the Portuguese delegation a chance to taste the cuisines of the country and respective states and learn and understand the culture of a foreign country.

“The exchange students got to learn and understand the cultures and traditions of people living in India. We also had a chance to understand the culture that they brought with them. Thus after going back to Portugal, the students can share with their families and friends their valuable experiences and a new perspective of Goa’s rich heritage and culture,” Mirza said.