Businessmen in the News

Hindalco Industries has inducted Birla group scion Ananya Birla and Aryaman Vikram Birla as directors. The board believes that Hindalco will benefit from their new-age insights and business acumen. Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman, Aditya Birla group, said Hindalco is now in the midst of yet another transformational growth phase, co-creating solutions that will harness the potential of aluminium and copper to drive the global energy transition and support the shift to a low-carbon future. This is an appropriate moment for the board to induct Ananya and Aryaman as directors, given their strong business acumen and sharp focus on sustainability, he said. Last year, Ananya and Aryaman joined the boards of the group’s flagship companies, Grasim Industries and Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail. They were also appointed directors on the board of Aditya Birla Management Corporation, the apex body responsible for providing strategic direction to the Aditya Birla group’s businesses. Svatantra Microfin, the first company founded by Ananya at the age of 17, is now the second largest MFI with an AUM of over Rs16,000 crore. Vikram comes with diverse experiences including entre-preneurship, VC investing and professional sport. 

Tim Hortons, a Canadian coffee and fast-food chain that opened its first store in Delhi two years ago, considers India as one of the fastestgrowing markets for the brand that has seen a ‘phenomenal’ growth in the country. “India is one of the fastest growing markets for Tim Hortons internationally,” said Tarun Jain, CEO, Tim Hortons, India, at the launch of the brand’s first store in Gujarat last fortnight. “For people like us who entered two years back, there is a huge wide space. Our growth numbers are obviously much higher”. Tim Hortons is now present in 14 cities across India. “We are looking to add 30-40 new stores every year in India. The revenues have been good. Wherever we have gone, people have loved the brand and taken it well. We had huge queues everywhere where we opened. People were familiar with the brand. They had experienced it when they travelled outside the country – in Canada, Dubai or Singapore. I remember when we opened stores in Bandra and Lokhandwala in Mumbai, we had queues for almost a month. The response has been phenomenal. We are conscious about selecting the right store, so that we get the right revenue, its profitable and its value to the brand. Rather than chasing a number, we are kind of building it up.” Jain added

BCM group, a leading Indian conglomerate with over 70 years of diversified business background, has announced the acquisition of Bengaluru’s five-star hotel, The Golden Palms Resorts & Spa. With 100 per cent asset acquisition from World Resorts Limited (WRL), BCM group has taken full ownership of the luxury hotel, and plans to transform it into a premier wedding destination and MICE facility in India. The acquisition aligns with BCM group’s strategic plans to expand into the luxury hospitality segment in India. Its existing luxury hospitality portfolio also includes five-star properties such as Sheraton Grand Palace in Indore and Le Meridien in Surat (hand-over underway), along with an upcoming 450+ key Taj Hotel in Indore. “We are excited about the prospect of The Golden Palms. By upgrading the property to meet international standards and enhancing its offerings, it’s our attempt to deliver a Luxury Urban Resort, benchmarked as one of the finest wedding destinations and MICE facilities for the country. The resort’s world-class amenities and strategic location in Bengaluru will cater to the growing demand for high-quality MICE venues,” said Rajesh Mehta, managing director, BCM group. Golden Palms, which we believe will become a beacon of hospitality and a cornerstone of our legacy,” he added. u and revitalised Golden Palms, which we believe will become a beacon of hospitality and a cornerstone of our legacy,” he added

Ankit Bhuwalka, co-founder & business head, Scarlet Sage, drives innovation and growth in the trans-seasonal fashion sector of India. Bhuwalka established Scarlet Sage in 2017, combining business acumen with strategic foresight. The brand swiftly made its mark by revo-lutionising contemporary wear through the introduction of pleats, setting a new trend. With a top line of R20 crore and a robust bottom line achieving 10-15 per cent in a short time, the brand is looking for fur-ther expansion. The founders recently ventured into expanding their collection through the sister brand, 63 East, following the success of Scarlet Sage. Each Scarlet Sage piece is designed for versatility, allowing multiple styling options and intricately crafted with attention to detail. Additionally, every Scarlet Sage creation is generation-agnos-tic and available in Free Size or One Size that fits all. The brand’s manufacturing takes place in the US. Bhuwalka’s vision extends beyond e-com-merce, as he plans to open retail stores in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad markets in the near future. “At Scarlet Sage, we are committed to offering modern wardrobe essentials that reso-nate with the dynamic lifestyles of women in India’s urban cen-tres,” affirms Bhuwalka. “We ensure our pieces provide long-term value and versatility. Our goal is to stay on-trend while remaining true to our core strengths, adapting to the ever-changing market and consumer preferences”. 

The British Columbia (BC) provincial government’s crown corporation, Forestry Innovation Consulting India (FII India), popularly known as Canadian Wood, conductefd a seminar on Building with sustainable and certified Canadian wood, at the CEPT University, Ahmedabad. The seminar provided valuable insights into the benefits and applications of sustainably sourced Canadian wood and showcased presentations from esteemed Canadian Wood team, including Pranesh Chhibber, country director, Canadian Wood; Jimmy Thomas, assistant director, technical services, Canadian Wood; and Gajanan Patankar, assistant director, business development, Canadian Wood. Additionally, the seminar had Vivekabhilash Sharma of Artius Interior Products, a domain expert from the industry, who shared valuable insights and experience on building with wood in India. “We are delighted with the fantastic turnout at the Ahmedabad seminar,” enthused Chhibber. “It is truly refreshing to see such an informed and diverse audience, including professors, students and professional architects. Engaging in meaningful conversations with professionals, who are passionate about sustainable practices in the wood industry is always a pleasure. Canada remains a global leader in wood certification, and every species of Canadian wood we export is from sustainably managed forests, legally harvested, and certified.” 

Automobili Lamborghini has opened a new chapter in its history with the launch of Urus SE , the first plugin hybrid super SU V in India. Featuring a new design, optimised aerodynamics, unprecedented on-board technology and an 800 CV hybrid powertrain, the PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) version improves on Urus S in terms of comfort, performance, efficiency, emissions and driving pleasure. Thanks to its ‘two hearts’, thermal and electric, the torque and power values are the highest ever, giving the SE a unique place in its category and boasting an 80 per cent reduction in emissions. “The Urus SE embodies our brand’s DNA and is a testament to our relentless pursuit of innovation and excellence in both being fun to drive and dynamic performance,” says Francesco Scardaoni, regional director, Automobili Lamborghini, Asia- Pacific. “I am proud to present the most powerful version of our SU V line-up to all our customers and fans in India. The new Urus SE sets the stage for an era of Super SU V evolution in the electrification phase, and it is also a significant milestone for the brand. I am confident that the Urus SE will continue the success story of the Urus product line in India”. 

Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics manufacturing giant, is planning to establish a battery energy storage system (BESS ) unit in India, according to its chairman Young Liu. The company has already set up its first battery manufacturing plant in Taiwan, with a focus on the electric vehicle segment. Liu, who was in India recently, said that Foxconn’s information and communication technology segment has already commenced operations in India. “We are also waiting to put our 3+3 future industry in India. I have been talking to the minister for industries here about how we can collaborate on BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) in Tamil Nadu...” he added. Foxconn’s 3+3 strategy prioritises three key industries: electric vehicles, digital health and robotics. Each of these industries has significant growth potential, with a current scale of $1.4 trillion and a CAGR of over 20 per cent. The company’s battery storage business is primarily focussed on electric vehicles.

IT infrastructure services provider Kyndryl has launched a global Security Operations Centre (SOC) in Bengaluru, to offer support and protection capabilities for the entire cyber threat lifecycle, using artificial intelligence, specifically machine learning and integrated automation systems. The company said the SOC is designed to be a cyber defence hub operating around the clock to offer cyber threat intelligence and incident response while collaborating with Kyndryl’s global network of cybersecurity experts. Kyndryl provides a hybrid model allowing organisations to selectively outsource certain cybersecurity functions, or fully outsource the end-to-end management of their cybersecurity operations to Kyndryl. It will also be a centre of excellence for cyber-security management with specialised skills, certifications and experience in cybersecurity platform management, and technologies to support security events, operational management, and monitoring. “We are addressing the critical security challenges faced by C-Suite leaders, the need for enhanced operational efficiency, compliance with evolving security regulations and integration with new technologies,” explained Lingraju Sawkar, president, Kyndryl India. “Our focus is on managing increased workloads, responding to dynamic business needs and defending against an expanded attack surface.” Kyndryl’s SOC capabilities include multiplelevel incident monitoring, malware labs, threat hunting and security information and event management (SIEM ) that monitor and correlate security events. The SOC supposedly has highlevel cyber engineering to analyse evolving compromise indicators and incident impacts to provide customers with decisive insights.