Category: business

Indian Staffing Federation (ISF), India’s apex voice & platform for staffing commemorates it’s 10th year completion with a hybrid summit

Seeks quick implementation of 4 labour codes; calls for change to acceptance of differential treatment without protection ‘as a norm’ which incentivizes informal employment; highlights how formal employment acceleration will reduce 2 crore workers dependent on government financial support; suggests rebate on services through GST as Income tax benefits against taxes paid to almost 5 crore domestic workers to encourage individual tax payers to adopt formalization; calls for extending lower contribution in social security at the hands of entry level worker (those with 21K per month or lower salary) to MSME workers & Daily wagers besides Gig, platform & domestic workers; suggests funding of PMRPY among others through reduced allotment for MNREGA & Ayushman Bharat schemes since increased social security means lower spends on benefit schemes for daily wagers; highlights the tremendous positive impact on Indian healthcare industry in the form of 500 bedded hospitals in each of India’s 740 districts, if 39 crore informal workers gain coverage; requests employment services be treated as ‘Merit services’ with 5% GST slab instead of the current 18% allowing cenvat benefits to industry; points how the 7362 crore shortfall is more than offset by increased annual ESIC contribution of Rs. 3,04,200/- crore assuming Rs. 650/- monthly contribution by the formalized 39 crore informal workers; seeks remitter to be provided benefits of ICT against GST and to link skilling initiatives to formal employment.

October 26, 2021, New Delhi: Indian Staffing Federation (ISF), the apex body that represents staffing companies in India, held a hybrid summit in New Delhi to mark its 10-year completion with Shri. Sunil Barthwal, Hon’ble Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Govt. Of India as the Chief Guest. Former board members – K Pandiarajan, Raja Sekhar Reddy, Asim Handa, Srikanth Rengarajan, Aditya Misra, Dr. Moorthy Uppaluri, A G Rao, Tapasi Chakraborty, Munish Kumar, K Pandiarajan, Rachna Saksena, Kamal Karanth, Kush Bhargava, Soumen Basu, Vipul Prakash, Namr Kishore & Bhavna Udernani were felicitated on the occasion by the Hon’ble secretary. Ajit Issac, Chairman & MD, Quess Corp. and Manish Sabharwal, Executive Vice-Chairman, Teamlease Services outlined their vision for the Indian staffing industry over the next 10-years. K Pandiarajan and Rituparna Chakraborty both former Presidents of ISF joined Bettina Schaller, President, World Employment Federation in a panel to deliberate ways to build the staffing industry in India. Sudhakar Balakrishnan, Group CEO, FirstMeridian Business Services, Sandeep Gulati, MD, ManpowerGroup Services India, Viswanath Pudukkod, MD, Randstad India, Vidyasagar Gannamani, Chairman & MD, Adecco India, Pravin Tatavarti, MD, Allegis Services India & Marcos Segador, Country Head, Gi Group India deliberated on the Future of work and how ISF can play a role in light of changing employment trends globally. Narayan Bhargava, CMD, Calibehr Business Support Services, R P Yadav, CMD, Genius Consultants, Mehul Shah, MD, Collabera Technologies, Sanju Ballurkar, President-Experis, ManpowerGroup India, Suhas Basakhetre, MD, Prompt Personnel, Sameer Mehta, MD, Multiplier Brand, Pramod Pachisia, COO, 2 Coms Consulting & Somnath Banerjee, Director, Orion Corporate Alliance, discussed the role of current leaders in shaping the Indian staffing industry. A dossier containing the suggestions of the Indian staffing industry was handed over to the Hon’ble secretary by an ISF delegation on stage at the summit.

In his remarks, Shri. Sunil Barthwal, Hon’ble Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. Of India, said, “The rule making process for the 4 labour codes is currently underway at both the central and state levels. Many states have responded and there is positive progress. I encourage the members of ISF to provide suggestions at the earliest after going through draft rules when published. I am confident the national license for the staffing industry will usher in a new era of reduced statutory hassles. The world is moving towards different labour models. We understand and are open to these as long as there is employment and protection. it would be really good if the staffing industry which is a playing a major role in driving formalization to focus on improving the lives of 83% informal workers. Linking NCS portal to relevant portals of other ministries, we are working on various initiatives to make it easy and effective for the industry.”

In his opening address, Lohit Bhatia, President, Indian Staffing Federation, said,“It gives me immense pride to see ISF growing from 8 members in 2011 having 30000 on their rolls to 96 members today who provide formal employment & social security to over 1.06 million representing 1/3rd of India’s formal tri-partite staffing. On the policy front too, we are proud to have played a role in the 4 labor codes whose implementation will fuel Indian economy’s growth besides bringing protection to over 39 crore informal workers. Would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Ministry of labor and employment which has been receptive and committed to reforms.”

In her comments, Suchita Dutta, Executive Director, Indian Staffing Federation, said, “Formalization of employment and freeing both labor and industry from various shackles, is a vision that ISF has been relentlessly working towards in the last decade. Would like to place on record the immense support we have received from each member in driving the industry and the other stakeholders including the government towards that vision.”

About Indian Staffing Federation (ISF): Is the apex body representing flexi staffing companies, formed to provide a platform for recognized employment, work choice, even compensation, social security and health benefits for the temporary workforce that is a sizeable segment of India’s total workforce. Over 100+ members of the federation have generated employment for 9+ million employees in the last 10 years and currently employ 1+ million flexi staff annually. ISF strives strengthen triangular employment relationships, in which the staffing company is the employer of temporary worker, who works under the supervision of user company. Its purpose is to enhance long-term growth of staffing industry and to ensure its continued ability to make positive contributions to the economy/society. Do visit http://www.indianstaffingfederation.org for further details.

Cashfree Payments launches PAN Verification for customer KYC; simplifies bulk KYC for businesses

Bengaluru, 26 October 2021: Leading payments and API banking solutions company, Cashfree Payments today announced that it has launched PAN (Permanent Account Number) Verification on Cashfree Payments Verification Suite. This feature will allow merchants to do a single online PAN verification or bulk pan verification of upto 10,000 PANs of their customers via PAN verification API. Through this solution merchants can check pan card details online and check pan status online.

The PAN Verification can verify PAN Details such as validity of the PAN, Name provided, Verification ID, PAN type, Name registered, Father’s name, Date of Birth and Date of issue. With this launch, merchants and businesses can get their customers’ PAN verification done and check the status in real time, improving the speed and experience of onboarding.

A Permanent Account Number (PAN) is a unique ten-digit alphanumeric number issued by the Income-tax Department of India to all taxpayers in India. PAN Verification is used to check the authenticity of the details, validate PAN Card and also check if the card is owned by a business or an individual. Merchants and businesses use PAN for various purposes, such as:

● Onboarding vendors

● Onboarding employees

● Transferring funds or process payments

● KYC for financial services

Akash Sinha, CEO and Co-Founder, Cashfree Payments said, “With markets becoming increasingly competitive, it is vital for businesses to reduce turnaround times for any KYC-related requirements so that onboarding or payments can be conducted faster. We’re excited to introduce our API based pan verification for our merchants to verify their users’ PAN card details, get the status of the PAN card, and check whether it belongs to a business or an individual. With this move, onboarding new customers will be much easier and quicker.”

PAN card Verification is a new feature added to Cashfree Payments’ Identity offering. Cashfree Payments launched its Identity offering, starting with Bank Account Verification in 2019, and since then, it has been adopted by various businesses for their unique business use cases like KYC before vendor onboarding, employee background checks, and account verification before disbursals, etc.

With over 50% market share among payment processors, Cashfree Payments today leads the way in bulk disbursals in India with Cashfree Payments Payouts. Recently, India’s largest lender, SBI invested in Cashfree Payments underscoring the company’s role in building a robust payments ecosystem. Cashfree Payments works closely with all leading banks to build the core payments and banking infrastructure that powers the company’s products and is also integrated with major platforms such as Shopify, Wix, Paypal, Amazon Pay, Paytm and Google Pay.

About Cashfree Payments:

Cashfree Payments is a leading payment and API banking solutions company. It provides full-stack payments solutions enabling businesses in India to collect payments and make payouts via all available methods with simple integration. Cashfree Payments’ offerings include an advanced and easy way to integrate payment gateway, a split payment solution for marketplaces, bank account verification API and Auto Collect — a virtual account solution to match inbound payments to customers. Founded by IIIT Hyderabad alumnus Akash Sinha and IIT Kharagpur graduate Reeju Datta, www.cashfree.com is among the leading payment service providers in India processing transactions worth USD 20 Billion annually. It has leveraged technology to lead payment disbursals in India with more than 50% market share among payment processors. Cashfree Payments enables more than 1,00,000 businesses with payment collections, vendor payouts, wage payouts, bulk refunds, expense reimbursements, loyalty and rewards. Apart from India, Cashfree Payments products are used in eight other countries including the USA, Canada and UAE. Cashfree Payments is backed by Silicon Valley investor Y Combinator, Apis Partners, State Bank of India (SBI) and was incubated by PayPal.

SEROS Logistics acquires a Supra Max vessel to its diversified sea logistics fleet

October 26th, 2021: SEROS Logistics, one of India’s leading players in multimodal and marine logistics, has added a Supra Max vessel to its diversified fleet, taking the total count up to over 40. The company will operate the “MV Amarnath” vessel to carry breakbulk cargo. The company has invested approximately $7 million in the acquisition.

With one of the largest coastal fleets in India, SEROS boasts of vessels including mini-bulk carriers, offshore accommodation barges, a diverse fleet of tugs, floating cranes, propelled and non-propelled barges. The company offers a wide range of services, including dry-docking, lighterage operation, chartering, repair and maintenance of ships, dredging, and other offshore support offerings. SEROS has the expertise to cater to the marine industry and believes in providing its customers a hassle-free and seamless experience.

Amarnath is the latest addition to the company’s specially designed shallow-draft vessels “Nath Series.” Some of the others are MV Adinath, MV Kedarnath, and MV Parshvanath.

Speaking on the development, Mr. Ashish Agarwal, Spokesperson, SEROS Logistics, said, “With one of the longest coastline with major and minor ports, India has huge scope in the maritime industry, but it has not been fully explored. We, at SEROS, have the potential to offer end-to-end sea logistics services. By adding MV Amarnath to our maritime fleet, we have further strengthened our core competencies. We always ensure that the entire supply chain is geared towards value creation with our systematic operations, backed by a robust information system. This acquisition not only will help us in achieving our goals, but also demonstrate our capability in allocating capital and resources at the right time.”

About SEROS Logistics

SEROS Logistics is one of India’s leading multimodal and marine logistics players, with a gamut of local and global services. Incorporated in 2019, SEROS has emerged as one of the fastest-growing companies in the maritime sector. Besides the multimodal and maritime segments, SEROS also has a business division dedicated to green logistics – SEROS Green. It is one of the very few environmentally conscious logistics companies committed to providing its clients with the best-in-class service while keeping a greener future. The company has invested over $10 million in this venture.

Dindigul Thalappakatti expands their presence in Bangalore – with their 21stOutlet in Bengaluru in New BEL Road

Bengaluru, 26th October 2021: For over 60 years, Dindigul Thalappakatti has stood the test of time. Started in 1957 in Dindigul by Mr.Nagasamy Naidu, Ananda Vilas Biryani Hotel transformed into what we know it today as Dindigul Thalappakatti Biryani Hotel.

Dindigul Thalappakatti is one of the largest South Indian casual dine in chain well known for its Heirloom Biryani preparation. Always a delight to the customers, DindigulThalappakatti is known for their signature dishes like Thalappakatti Mutton Biryani, Thalappakatti Gun Fire Chicken, Thalappakatti Chicken Biryani, Jigarthanda and more.

Mr Arvind Iyer, Chief Business Officer – Dindigul Thalappakatti says,“Dindigul Thalappakatti (“DT”) is growing at a fast pace. We are also seeing a huge demand amongst the consumers for the style of Biryani DindigulThalappakatti is known for. With more than 86 branches across 6 countries, DT is one of the most loved Indian restaurant brands. In response to the customer demand – we decided to launch the 21stOutlet in New BEL Roadin Bengaluru.We are looking forward to reach out to many more corners of Bengaluru to serve our customers”.

Dindigul Thalappakatti recently won the “Prestigious Rising Brand of India 2021” in the restaurant Category. Prestigious Rising brand of India 2021 Awards is the most recognized listing of the notable brands that have substantiated their aspirations to create the future, and transform the Indian economy, embracing a combination of their state-of-the-art products and services.

New BEL Road can look forward to a fine blend of traditional cooking style, mixed with home-ground ingredients and topped off with its rich legacy.

Address :- #16, First Floor, New BEL Rd, Jaladarsini Layout, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560054

About: The Thalappakatti Biriyani Hotel’s roots can be traced all the way back to 1957. Founded by Mr. Nagasamy Naidu under the name Anandha Vilas Biriyani Hotel in Dindigul. He always wore a turban called THALAPA(a traditional head dress), which over the years became synonymous with his brand and cooking styles, leading him to earn the nick name “Thalappakatti Naidu” which would eventually became the name of our brand and restaurants.

Interweave becomes India’s only company to join month long Inclusion activities for awareness on equality, diversity and inclusion at workplace

Bengaluru, 25th October 2021: Celebrating Global Diversity and Inclusion Month, Interweave Consulting has become India’s only company to join #30DayInclusionChallenge to build greater consciousness and awareness around matters related to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Interweave with this initiative is focusing on increasing the participation and representation of the women workforce as India still has one of the worst labour force participation rates (LFPR) by women at 21%. Furthermore, currently, many organisations still look at diversity through the gender lens but Interweave with this initiative is working on other dimensions of workplace diversity that include sexual orientation, PWDs, and generational diversity.

It has joined the unique initiative together with its partners INvolve People, Amanda Hammett, and Cohesion Collective in this 4-week long learning journey to witness dialogues, activities, and practices around race and ethnicity, gender, and generations. The unique initiative is also bridging different perspectives and voices from different regions across the globe including countries notably South Africa, India, the UK, and the USA.

“We are extremely glad to join this one-of-its-kind initiative that not only celebrates equality, diversity, and inclusion but also pivots the focus back on the need of initiating dialogues and building awareness around them. It is extremely important to have discussions even on exclusion and highlight the importance of inclusion mainly at workplaces for better personal and professional development. Furthermore, such initiatives normalise questioning the status quo, open new paths for learning, and create an ecosystem where many cultures can coexist,” said Ruchira Gokhale, Head (Consulting) Solutions – Interweave Consulting.

The unique challenge is seeing engaging activities that require only 15 minutes a day for building better language, literacy, and awareness around major diversity dimensions. It is further showcasing practical examples on how to be an inclusive leader with a greater understanding of the historical context of exclusion. Interweave is utilising this opportunity to start conversations in India around Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), the measures they have put in place to ensure a more supportive and collaborative work environment. Moreover, it is also stressing the role of social media, global events, policy initiatives, efforts by advocacy and consultancy organizations, and some progressive judgments from the Indian judiciary that are paving the way for inclusion at Indian workplaces.

“It is heartening to see Indian corporations stepping ahead to make their workplaces more diverse and inclusive. We understand the impact such initiatives can create and that is why we have to accelerate our endeavours to make workplaces more inclusive where everyone feels better, is heard, gets equal opportunity to grow, fair treatment, and more chances to make the best contributions. The growth in work-from-home opportunities has greatly helped women to join the workforce or relaunch their careers. Along with women, it is crucial to secure a place for LGBTQ community, financially weaker members of the society in offices by breaking down the existing barriers and to help them to think and accomplish more by feeling equal, happy, and secure,” added Smitha Chellapan, Head (DEI) – Interweave Consulting.

Website Link: https://www.interweave.in/about/

About Interweave: As the pioneering Inclusion solutions consulting firm in India, our range of solutions are designed based on our deep knowledge and experience of the subject in the context of the Indian landscape. This, coupled with our global experience helps us to customize and align varied strategies and approaches in a culturally relevant way for the best impact.

Our recognition across key industry bodies in India and the marquee list of clients, 80% of whom are Fortune 500 companies is a testament to our work and the kind of impact we have been making in the business world.

Macquarie Asset Management’s ex VP, Pratik Adatia joins ZipLoan as Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Pratik Adatia brings in a wealth of experience to ZipLoan with an aim to strengthen the FinTech platform’s financial hold in the market

26th, October 2021: ZipLoan, an RBI-registered FinTech leader in India, has announced the appointment of Mr. Pratik Adatia as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Adatia will be a notable addition to the company’s ongoing advancement in the FinTech market. He will be leading the Finance (fundraise, treasury, co-lending and FPA), Legal & Compliance verticals at the organization.

Mr. Adatia brings in over 20 years of experience in the investment management and banking industry; focusing on investments, asset management, investment banking, corporate finance, audit and internal controls. Prior to joining ZipLoan, he served as Vice President at Macquarie Asset Management, a globally leading alternative asset manager, as well as other marquee firms including Macquarie Capital, PwC and Grant Thornton. Mr. Adatia has successfully closed transactions valued at $4 billion in aggregate. An alumnus of IIM Indore, he is a Chartered Accountant and holds an undergraduate degree (B.Com Hons.) from Delhi University.

Mr. Kshitij Puri, Co-founder and CEO, ZipLoan said, “We are thrilled to have Pratik join ZipLoan. He complements our strong performance-oriented culture and brings an extensive array of experience in corporate finance and asset management to the organization. We are sure that his association will bring an added impetus to achieve ZipLoan’s vision to be the most preferred in the financial ecosystem.”

Sharing his views on the association, Mr. Pratik Adatia, CFO, ZipLoan, said, “ZipLoan has come a long way in the FinTech industry. It has solved for the unmet needs of the MSME sector in India by (i) creating customized products with a customer-first approach, (ii) achieving industry-leading unit economics with the help of tech-driven processes, and (iii) proprietary underwriting using wealth of data and insights in key focus sectors within MSME landscape. I look forward to my role in enabling growth, financial excellence, and making ZipLoan the most preferred fintech for MSMEs.”

About ZipLoan:

An RBI-registered FinTech leader, ZipLoan is a mobile-first fintech platform that caters to credit and other requirements of small businesses in India. ZipLoan has been able to establish itself as the preferred fintech for MSMEs with c.70% of its customers being new to business loans despite having banking and bureau data.

The Delhi-based NBFC ensures the easy availability of unsecured working capital loans. It provides fast and hassle-free business loans ranging from Rs. 1 lac to Rs. 7.5 lacs to SMEs.

Using its state-of-the-art, tech-driven approach, ZipLoan has today simplified the lending activity for both lenders and their end customers by providing fast approval and easy repayments that are both user-friendly and transparent.

The company envisions creating a financial services ecosystem by becoming the most preferred and trusted financial services provider for small businesses. ZipLoan is currently operational in 5 Indian cities – Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow, Indore, and Delhi. Their leadership team comes with experience across technology and financial services institutions.

So far, the company has raised c.$20 million in equity from some of India’s top VC Investors such as Elevation Partners and Matrix Partners. To date, ZipLoan has disbursed over INR 480 Cr of business loans to over 11,000 customers, of which c.25% are women borrowers.

PokerBaazi.com concludes the 2021 edition of India’s biggest poker tournament EndBoss

New Delhi, 26th October 2021: Hosted by PokerBaazi.com, India’s biggest standalone poker tournament EndBoss, with a monumental prize pool of INR 5 Crore, concluded its second edition. Delhi based 31-year-old MIT graduate, Ishaan Chugh, emerged as the winner of the tournament and took home over 71 Lakh as the prize money. The five-day action-packed tournament witnessed the participation of over 4800 poker players from different parts of the country, each trying to take down the mammoth prize pool.

With the closing of the second edition of EndBoss Tournament, Mr. Navkiran Singh, Founder & CEO at Baazi Games, said, “Tournaments of this scale are a testament to the fast-growing poker landscape in India. What was interesting to see was how we had players from different age groups, and from different walks of life take part in the event.” The 7-year-old homegrown Poker company, which has built award-winning products and technology, has been instrumental to the growth of Poker in the country.

The tournament came down to its final 8 around 9:00 PM on Sunday night. While Ishaan took away the top spot and earned the EndBoss title which got him the reputed golden EndBoss knuckle along with the handsome prize money, Dhiraj Lakhotia who hails from Darjeeling emerged as the runner up, followed by Divanshu Khurana from Gurgaon, who bagged the 3rd prize.

Ishaan is the CEO of Abacus- a boutique AI consulting firm. He is a graduate from MIT with a bachelor’s in computer science and is currently pursuing research program at INSEAD.

The first edition of the EndBoss poker tournament was held in April 2020, in which Pune based 28 years old Abhishek Maheshwari had won the title along with the biggest prize won by any Indian in any Indian poker tournament so far.

The final table of the 2021 EndBoss, which was played by the top 8 players of the event, also saw Mohammad Azhar who is 23, (Winner of National Poker Series and Indian poker’s first gold-medalist) emerge 7th. Interestingly, poker in India is witnessing an enthralling mix of players from different career paths and ages who are coming forward and take part in the mind sport.

Notably, participation in such interesting poker events is open to all audiences above the age of 18. PokerBaazi.com, which is India’s biggest poker platform, provides a variety of poker games running 24X7, thereby making the game available for all segments of the audience.

PokerBaazi.com
PokerBaazi.com is India’s biggest online poker platform that provides potential customers with an opportunity to play poker professionally in a safe and secured manner. The 24/7 customer support, user-friendly interface as well as wide array of tournaments, makes PokerBaazi.com an engaging platform to get involved with. Spearheaded by Founder & CEO of Baazi Games – Mr. Navkiran Singh, the platform currently has 2 million-plus registered users, which depicts a mushrooming growth of the platform’s reach since its inception in late 2014. The achievements of PokerBaazi.com are unprecedented, as it stands as a pioneer in the online poker landscape by introducing the first-ever loyalty program – ‘Baazi Rewards’ alongside organizing India’s hunt for gold medalists in poker through the prestigious National Poker Series. The constant innovations and loyalty rewards attract potential and new customers to this game of skill as PokerBaazi.com’s strong suit is to drive innovation and incremental changes for the organization at a holistic level.

Kikkoman wants its soy sauce in every Indian kitchen because a dash of it makes a great dish even more delicious

-Launching the Honjozo Authentic Soy Sauce Experience, the first of a series of activities to promote Kikkoman Soy Sauce with an initial focus on the HORECA market-

Mumbai, India, 26 October, 2021: Kikkoman is on a mission to put a bottle of Kikkoman Soy Sauce on the shelf of every Indian kitchen. Having started to expand its operations in India, Kikkoman India is pleased to announce the Honjozo Authentic Soy Sauce Experience. The goal is to make its most popular, naturally brewed Kikkoman Soy Sauce an everyday ingredient for all restaurants and households, and launching this movement across India is the first of many activities to introduce Japan’s No. 1 soy sauce brand to India.

The Honjozo Experience movement comprises three elements: Developing talent and fostering exchanges among chefs; educating everyone on the use of soy sauce through cooking sessions and contests; Learning the contribution Kikkoman Soy Sauce can make by experimenting through R&D in food culture.

Chefs are going to cook up a storm using Kikkoman Soy Sauce. All chefs from professional chefs to student chefs are going to experiment and learn what can be done with it. Through cooking contests, videos, talks, and workshops, the Honjozo Experience movement will bring together chefs, students, restaurants, hoteliers, the media, industry leaders as well as government representatives to explore how Kikkoman Soy Sauce can enrich any and all dishes served in India.

Hundreds of Indian chefs have since the launch in February 2021 already quickly adopted Japan’s No. 1 Kikkoman Soy Sauce because it is naturally brewed – using just soybeans, wheat, salt, and water as ingredients – and works like magic to heighten the flavour of any dish and lift it to another level. Kikkoman plans to continue working with all chefs in India as part of a great ‘adventure’ to experiment and co-create new delicious experiences with Kikkoman Soy Sauce, to enhance all dishes, be it Chinese, Asian or Japanese, or Western and Indian dishes too.

“We are starting an adventure to bring innovations in the richly diverse Indian food culture to create more delicious dishes through Kikkoman Soy Sauce. So far, it has worked brilliantly, be it in popular Chinese dishes with an Indian twist, or with briyani dishes, samosas, lamb keema, butter chicken and even in desserts, such as jalebis. Kikkoman Soy Sauce works fabulously with Indian spices, but our journey has just started. Kikkoman Soy Sauce has become a part of daily life in millions and millions of households worldwide in over 100 countries, and we are delighted that every Indian household will soon be able to enjoy it too.” Osamu Mogi, Member of the Board of Directors, Senior Executive Corporate Officer, Head of International Operations Division, Kikkoman Corporation, Japan said.

Kikkoman wants to replicate in India the revolution that the company brought about in America since the 1960s. Its popularity has risen to the point where 60 percent of US households now have Kikkoman Soy Sauce – Honjozo Authentic Soy Sauce – in their kitchens.

“In India, the revolution will be driven by consumers realising that just a dash of Kikkoman Soy Sauce can transform all dishes that their families eat in their daily lives – both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, be it the popular Chinese dishes with an Indian twist, or the humble dal khichdi or the rich chicken kadai,” said Harry Hakuei Kosato, Kikkoman’s India representative.

Some chemically made soy sauces are available in India and usually used here to add colour to Chinese dishes, but Kikkoman wants Indian consumers to switch to enjoy the superior taste of Kikkoman Soy Sauce which is made with the Honjozo authentic soy sauce traditional brewing method. It involves a fermentation process that lasts several months, a process that cannot be rushed and is vital for the rich yet mellow flavour and those enticing notes of vanilla, coffee, flowers, fruits and 300 more flavours.

Indian cuisine boasts a dizzying multitude of delicious tastes and the beauty of Kikkoman Soy Sauce is that it adds a full-bodied umami flavour without dominating or interfering with the ingredients. Rather, it brings out the natural flavour of the dishes while adding depth and complexity.

“Just as Indian cuisine has already been enriched by ingredients brought from other countries over the centuries, which are now staples, so we think Kikkoman Soy Sauce will be the latest addition that will infuse yet another layer of flavour to an already delicious cuisine here,” Kosato elaborated.

Kikkoman’s Honjozo Authentic Soy Sauce Experience: Cooking Sessions and Contests

Kikkoman Soy Sauce is already found in millions of homes, and in the kitchens of all professional chefs who appreciate and understand the value that Kikkoman brings to each dish. India is the next frontier. First, Kikkoman India will focus on reaching its HORECA consumers through the Honjozo Authentic Soy Sauce Experience movement. Chefs in India will participate in exploring the uses of Kikkoman Soy Sauce and share their experiences in ‘Chef Conversations’ centred around Meetups, events, podcasts and talks. Kikkoman will also help to develop talent and inspire and educate chefs through cooking videos and an All-India Kikkoman Cooking Contest using Honjozo Authentic Soy Sauce.

Chef Vicky Ratnani, one of Kikkoman India’s Brand Ambassadors for 2021-22, said: “Kikkoman has so much potential in India that Indians don’t know about – yet. The Kikkoman Honjozo Authentic Soy Sauce Experience movement aims to develop new experiences for chefs and home chefs and I’m excited about what professional chefs and home chefs are all going to discover with the versatility of Kikkoman Soy Sauce in their kitchens,” he said.

After an initial focus on the restaurant and hospitality sector, Kikkoman India will launch a range of soy sauce related seasonings in Indian retail shops across the country. In fact, Kikkoman’s main product – Honjozo authentic soy sauce – has started to be available in some key retail outlets.

The Future Vision of the Honjozo Authentic Soy Sauce Experience

Kikkoman has plans for India for the next 100 years and beyond. It is also organizing regular regional meetings and an annual conference bringing together professional chefs and home chefs, industry leaders, government representatives, academics, and media, both from Japan and India. There are currently some two million Indians studying to be chefs and the idea is to connect with them – the next generation of the culinary and hospitality industry – and the wider community – to showcase the delicious experiences that Kikkoman Soy Sauce can bring to the table.

About Kikkoman and Kikkoman India

With a history spanning over 350 years and based in Japan, the current Kikkoman corporate entity was established through merger of 8 families in 1917. The company’s internationalization strategy began some 60 years ago, with the entry into the United States market. In fact, Kikkoman products are now found in the majority, that is over 60%, of households in the United States. Kikkoman has become a global business, expanding to over 100 countries, with 10 manufacturing facilities worldwide that distribute its products all over the world to millions and millions of customers.

Kikkoman India is solely responsible for importing all Kikkoman products, and shall manage all marketing and sales, and distribution in India.

Prozo expands Leadership Team through 3 Key Appointments to fuel its growth

New Delhi, October 26, 2021: Prozo, an Indian e-commerce enabler and accelerator for D2C Brands, has announced three key additions to its leadership team. The company has appointed Sagar Hawaldar (previously Country Head, India for Airtricity, a wind energy company acquired by SSE for $2Bn and ex-GM, Brand Capital – Bennett Coleman Group) as Chief Revenue Officer, Arindam Bhattacharya (Previously Head – Fashion & Luxury Vertical at Holisol Logistics Pvt Ltd) and Vinay Reddy (Previously Regional Business Head for South India at TVS Logistics) both as Vice President – Business Development.

In their new roles, Sagar will head the Revenue function while Arindam and Vinay will play an integral role in accelerating Prozo’s efforts to acquire clients for warehousing & fulfilment.

A major challenge for consumer brands today is to create a reliable e-commerce supply chain capability to meet the needs of a modern shopper. The brands have to dynamically manage and control their inventory, serve their customers in the fastest possible manner and speed up their go-to-market timelines, while managing a robust presence on all relevant e-commerce platforms. This is where Prozo is enabling SMEs, D2C brands and Enterprises by offering them supply chain technology platform, pay-per-use warehousing network on a pan-India basis & freight services.

Speaking about this, Ashvini Jakhar, Founder and CEO of Prozo, said, “Prozo is operating at the intersection between brands and e-commerce platforms, helping both become successful with each other”. The appointment of Sagar Hawaldar, Arindam Bhattacharya and Vinay Reddy adds a rich pool of expertise and experience to Prozo.

Adding further, Sagar Hawaldar, Chief Revenue Officer, Prozo said, “ E-commerce in India is a $200 B opportunity by 2025. As more & more brands and shoppers go online, the warehousing and technology infrastructure required for the supply chain also needs to scale up. Prozo is operating at the core of this market dynamic and enabling SMEs and D2C brands in India’s growing e-commerce market. This is something that is very exciting for me. I look forward to my role in this exciting journey of e-commerce transformation in my new role as the Chief Revenue Officer.”

Arindam Bhattacharya, Vice President – Business Development, Prozo added, “Living across four continents has given me ample understanding of the global markets as well as sales and business development dynamics. Further, I have extensively handled the logistics for various renowned brands such as PUMA, Adidas, Swatch, Fossil, Cartier, Rolex, Genesis Luxury, Walt Disney and ShopDisney etc. What I found most interesting about Prozo is how it is democratising access to end consumers for D2C brands and SMEs. Through Prozo’s supply chain services, brands can get all supply chain services under one roof; be it warehousing, supply chain technology, freight or online marketplace seller services. The fact that Prozo is offering these services to these SMEs and D2C brands on a pay-per-use basis really excites me and gives me a platform to create a large-scale impact through my professional work.”

Vinay Reddy, Vice President – Business Development, Prozo said, “ As a banker turned supply chain professional, I understand how hard it is for SMEs to invest in long term warehouse leases and capital expenditure upfront. So, when I saw how these brands can work with Prozo to meet and exceed their supply chain objectives without having to invest in long term leases and capex, I could immediately align with the vision of the company. I look forward to bringing my expertise of working with various MNCs and enterprise clients to enable e-commerce for Prozo’s customers. .”

About Prozo:

Prozo is a cloud supply chain company enabling and accelerating e-commerce for SMEs, D2C brands and Enterprises. It offers its clients pan-India, pay-per-use warehousing & fulfilment network to enable 1-2 day deliveries.

Prozo’s intelligent inventory placement platform – ProPlanning helps these brands place goods closest to their customers, enabling the fastest delivery. On the shipping side, Prozo’s e-commerce shipping platform, ProShip, recommends the best freight partner based on customers’ location and type of products. Prozo’s ‘revenue growth’ platform – ProInsights further helps these brands grow by offering actionable insights around metrics such as online discoverability, listing quality, the voice of the customer, fast-delivery availability, and out-of-stock rates. Prozo’s Unified Order Management System – Prozo OMS aggregates demand from various e-commerce platforms and its Warehouse Management System enables seamless order processing of these orders across various fulfilment centres

The company has a large number of reputed clients across categories such as Reliance JioMart, WH Smith, Damensch, McGraw Hill, the Safilo Group, Lavie, Mobile Premier League (MPL), Mitchel USA and many more. Prozo has so far raised $3.1 Mn and is rapidly acquiring new clients for its warehousing, fulfilment and tech solutions.