CleverTap Now Powers 4 of the Top 5 Video-on-Demand Mobile Brands in the Highly Competitive Media and Entertainment Industry

National, July 18^th, 2018 – CleverTap, the comprehensive global mobile marketing solution provider, today announced that it is now used by 4 of the top 5 media apps across app stores in India, to drive data-driven user engagement strategies at scale, including the popular media brand SonyLIV.This latest development positions CleverTap as one of the foremost players in the space, helping media apps fuel growth and top-line revenues.

Greater penetration and adoption of smart devices, cheaper access to data, and increasing mobile content consumption has skyrocketed growth in the subscription-based Video-on-Demand (VoD) over-the-top (OTT) market over the last few years. Slated to be worth $61.5 billion by 2019, the global VoD media app industry faces major challenges when it comes to monetizing and retaining acquired users. With over 100 million subscribers active on multiple platforms, the Indian VoD market is already worth $280 million. The average number of app launches per user per month has also increased to currently lie in the range of 13 to 20.

The most popular OTT app to have taken the market by storm is Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN)’s SonyLIV.

SonyLIV a freemium platform, offers content in multiple genres and are pioneers in the original web series, TV shows and the VOD content category with a large repertoire of short films on any OTT platform. They are also the pioneers in food, sports, and the fitness genres among all OTT players. In the sports category, SonyLIV has an extensive sports portfolio and premium users can catch their favorite sport live while free users will get a 5-minute deferred feed. SonyLIV also has linear channels from the Sony Network available to premium users for watching their favorite channels.

Uday Sodhi, EVP and Head of Digital Business of SonyLIV, stated, “The VoD mobile media market has exploded in India over the last year alone. There is an exponential demand for quality content that is increasingly being consumed on the go. Whether it’s live sporting events, movies, sitcoms, reality shows, or music videos, there’s a sub-market for every genre of video content today. Promoting each of these at the right time, to the right user, and on the most relevant channel is one of the biggest challenges we face. This is precisely what CleverTap’s data-driven mobile marketing platform helps us address at scale.”

He further added, “As demand rises and data costs continue to fall, users will become more discerning about what they’d like to watch. This requires us to engage our users across multiple channels as we strive to deliver the best possible customer experience. We believe in 360-degree entertainment that should be available to the consumer at their fingertips using the device of their choice.”

CleverTap’s comprehensive mobile marketing suite helps SonyLIV gain user-level insights based on past and real time in-app behavior. They can reach users via multiple channels and automated segments, including push notifications, in-app messages, email, and SMS; created and sent from the same platform. These hyper-personalized, timely user engagement campaigns help update users on the latest content added, inform users of live events, encourage paid subscriptions, and win back dormant users. In fact, these dynamic campaigns have gradually helped increase the average time spent per user during each session. CleverTap’s live-user segmentation engine is also being leveraged to effectively target users that spend less than a few minutes a month consuming content, nudging them to spend almost double the time in-app through compelling reach-out campaigns.

Sunil Thomas, CEO of CleverTap, said, “VoD as a platform requires service providers to leverage every single mobile moment across the entire user lifecycle. Also, diverse engagement campaigns, targeted at user segments based on past and real-time behavior, can serve a common purpose.” He elaborated, “For instance, updating a sports-loving segment of your users on the score of a live tennis match and informing another segment about the latest episode of their favorite sitcom are unique ways to bring them back to your app. We at CleverTap are thrilled to partner with – leading players in the media space and aim to facilitate their high-growth strategies as they continue to make further inroads into an exciting market.”

About CleverTap

CleverTap helps consumer brands retain their users for life. It is a powerful mobile marketing solution that brings together user data from online and offline channels on one centralized platform. Everyday, thousands of brands leverage CleverTap’s machine learning models to orchestrate differentiated customer engagement strategies that help marketers drive omni-channel growth. Build valuable customer relationships using actionable, real-time insights that help create amazing customer experiences.

Over 4,000 global brands, including Star, Sony, Vodafone, Domino’s, DC Comics, BookMyShow, and DealsPlus, trust CleverTap to help them connect with users and grow their mobile apps. For more information about CleverTap, visit clevertap.com or follow on Facebook and Twitter.

About SonyLIV

SonyLIV is the first premium Video on demand (VOD) service by Sony Pictures Networks’ (SPN) providing multi-screen engagement for users on all devices. Launched in January 2013, it enables users to discover 20 years of rich content from the network channels of Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt Ltd. It also provides a rich array of movies, strong line-up of events across all sports, shows, music, product reviews. With over 63 million app downloads so far, SonyLIV is the first amongst its competition to provide original exclusive premium content. As a true pioneer in its space, SonyLIV launched India’s first-ever original show exclusively for the online platform earlier this year. With #LoveBytes, it became the country’s first digital video-on- demand (VOD) platform to introduce an innovation of this nature. SonyLIV also launched YOLO – You Only Live Once, the first-ever regional language web-series on an OTT platform in India and LIV FIT the first-ever health and wellness segment on an OTT platform in the country. In October 2016, SonyLIV also introduced LIV Kids as its premium content especially designed for children.

The digital platform is a home to over 4000 hours of food content making it the one stop destination for food lovers. Streaming the biggest football tournament of 2018 – FIFA World Cup 2018, SonyLIV is also the preferred online destination for football fans.

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Whistleblower directive heading for approval by the European Parliament contains serious deficiencies that impede direct reporting to law enforcement agencies

WASHINGTON, D.C. | July 13, 2018—The National Whistleblower Center (NWC) and leading international bank whistleblower, Mr. Bradley Birkenfeld, have filed a formal response to the European Commission’s proposed Whistleblower Directive. The response highlights serious deficiencies in the proposed Directive that undermine international anti-corruption treaties and place restrictions on the ability of private sector employees to directly report corruption to law enforcement officials.

Stephen M. Kohn, prominent whistleblower rights attorney and pro bono as the Executive Director of the NWC, stated:

“The EU must get whistleblower protections right. Whistleblowers need effective laws that aid in the fight against corruption, tax evasion, and bribery. The Directive needs to incorporate the provisions in highly effective qui tam and reward laws that have been remarkably effective in combating fraud.”

“The Directive contains many good provisions but fails to incorporate the protections guaranteed under international conventions approved by EU members, and places restrictions on the right of private sector employees to report violations of law directly to police. Every citizen must have the unrestricted right to report crimes to law enforcement.  This right is the foundation of the rule of law,” Kohn added.

According to Bradley Birkenfeld, the UBS whistleblower who triggered the most successful prosecution of offshore tax law violations in history:

“The essence of whistleblowing is exposing the truth without the fear of retaliation. The EU Directive must ensure that whistleblowers can report violations directly to law enforcement agencies. Whistleblowers are the key source of information about financial frauds and they must be fully protected and incentivized. The proposed EU Directive fails to achieve these goals and as a result must be strengthened. Citizens of the EU deserve justice over corruption.”

In its 16-page letter, the NWC outlines eight amendments and changes necessary to ensure the Directive on Whistleblowing achieves its goal.

“The Directive is a first step toward European-wide whistleblower protections. We must ensure that this critical first step is effective. We look forward to working with the European Parliament in improving the current directive,” Kohn added.

Founded in 1988, National Whistleblower Center is a non-profit, non-partisan legal advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. that fights for whistleblower rights in the U.S. and around the world

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With this strategic acquisition, Getronics establishes itself as a leading Information & Communication Technology (ICT)  service provider on a global scale, with a broadened services offering and capabilities to provide an exceptional customer experience. Getronics is owned by Bottega InvestCo S.à r.l., whose founder and majority shareholder is the Brazilian/American entrepreneur Nana Baffour, Chairman and Group CEO of Getronics.

London UK & Amsterdam, Netherlands – 12th July 2018 – Getronics has acquired Pomeroy, one of the leading U.S. providers of digital workplace transformation services. The newly expanded company, with combined revenue of approximately $1.3 billion, will be a leading global player in the field of Managed Digital Workspace, Applications, Industry Specific Software Solutions, Multi-Cloud Management and Unified Communications. With a presence in 23 countries and coverage in over 110 countries through the Global Workspace Alliance, Getronics will continue to build local customer relationships and provide local solutions, backed by the strength of  a global service delivery organization.

Getronics, the leading European provider of digital transformation solutions with a rich history that extends over 130 years, is expanding its capabilities  with Pomeroy’s resources and leading expertise in digital workplace transformation, infrastructure optimization, network and data center services. With locations coast to coast in the United States serving campus and distributed IT environments in retail, healthcare, financial institutions, services and manufacturing, the acquisition of Pomeroy enables Getronics to expand its global services capabilities focused on business transformation to the North American market.

“We are very pleased with the successful acquisition of Pomeroy. Our combined revenues now reach  $1.3 billion,  achieving our goal of becoming a billion-dollar  company two years earlier than originally planned,” stated Nana Baffour, Chairman and Group CEO of Getronics. “This reflects the power of our dreams and the dedicated execution of our team and financial partners, and we are excited about the value and customer experience that the new combination will allow us to deliver. Our operations are now significantly strengthened globally, extending from Brazil to Singapore and from Spain to the U.S. and Canada, with over 2,800 active clients, served by approximately 9,000 employees. With this scale, we are poised to succeed in our ambition to be the preferred partner for our customers in enabling business transformation using the latest technology.”

“This is an outstanding combination and an incredibly exciting event for our clients as well,” said Brian Robinson, current CEO of Pomeroy and Global CFO of the newly combined company. “Getronics’ global service delivery capabilities and service offerings will be a compelling added value for North American clients. We  look forward to introducing Getronics’ Applications, Cloud and Unified Communications solutions to further enable our clients to transform their businesses utilizing the latest digital tools as part of the workspace of tomorrow.”

The acquisition of Pomeroy was supported by a USD815 million financing and recapitalization transaction.  CPPIB Credit Investments Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Permira Debt Managers and White Oak Global Advisors, LLC led a USD550 million first lien senior tranche of the financing.

About Getronics:

Getronics is a global ICT integrator with an extensive history that extends over 130 years and is owned by Bottega InvestCo S.à r.l.

Our vision is to become the preferred partner in business transformation using technology and exceptional people, with a unique focus on happy clients by enabling happy employees. With nearly 9,000 employees in 23 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, North and Latin America, Getronics’ Transformation portfolio brings a strong capability and expertise around Managed Workspace, Applications, Industry Specific Software Solutions, Multi-Cloud Management, Unified Communications and Security services to provide a proactive, end-to-end portfolio to enable the digital user – business or consumer, in both public and private sector.

Getronics is the leading member in the Global Workspace Alliance, a unique model that provides customers with consistent IT services across 110 countries, with one single point of contact and billing entity. The GWA manages 10m workspace assets globally.

About Pomeroy:

Pomeroy provides high quality IT infrastructure services from its locations throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.

Pomeroy’s portfolio of infrastructure managed services includes Workplace Services, Network Services, Data Center Services, and Cloud Services along with staffing services and the full range of procurement and logistics services. The industry’s foremost expert in Optimized Workplace Services, Pomeroy is industry recognized for Managed Workspace Services. Pomeroy also received the Americas VMware Partner Innovation Award in the Digital Workspace category in 2017. Committed to first-rate service and customer satisfaction, Pomeroy fulfills your business needs with the tools and know-how to build and sustain flexible IT environments.

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[Beijing, China, June 1^st, 2018] Today, Huawei announced its Intelligent Computing initiative, based on its Boundless Computing strategy. Huawei provides a full-stack artificial intelligence (AI) computing platform to bring boundless intelligent computing to life and fuel enterprise business such as computing and digital transformation. The announcement also launched the KunLun V5 Mission Critical Server and the new-generation ES3000 V5 SSD for today’s intelligence-driven era.

With the blazing-fast development of AI, quantum information technology, and virtual reality, existing computing architecture cannot deliver the volume required by these applications. This has driven the entire industry to an architectural rethink.

Drawing on its 16 years of computing practice and innovation, Huawei constantly innovates accelerator components and system architecture. Huawei proposes three technology themes in line with the enterprise demand in different stages: intelligent servers for traditional business models, hybrid cloud for digital transformation, and heterogeneous/edge computing for building intelligence. These tailored solutions help navigate enterprises go digital and go smart.

Last July, Huawei envisioned its Boundless Computing strategy. After nearly one year’s strategic investment, Huawei has infused intelligence into:

• Servers: Huawei’s focus on accelerator components and application performance accelerates the entire system by using SSD and FPGA technologies and fully converged network interface cards. In addition, Huawei introduced the concept of full-lifecycle management for customers to use, maintain, and manage server resources more conveniently.
• Cloud data centers: To evolve from server intelligence to data center intelligence, Huawei has first built orchestration and scheduling of heterogeneous computing resources into the Huawei public cloud. Customers have access to such resources in seconds.  Huawei’s intelligent applications available on the public cloud offer ubiquitous intelligence and full-scenario support.

Second, Huawei offers an E2E data center solution. Intelligent server–data center coordination lets customers manage data center resources the smarter way, reducing maintenance costs by 25% and energy consumption by 5%.

• Edge computing: Huawei brings data center intelligence to the edge thanks to its solution for real-time analysis and modeling of edge data and edge-cloud collaboration. These features make more intelligent applications a reality.

Huawei deploys the Intelligent Computing initiative while staying customer-centric. Technological innovation helps customers open up their IT systems from general-purpose silos to versatile collaborations, and break through computing boundaries. Enterprise IT is reborn with a brain.

• Huawei’s latest ES3000 V5 is one of its three accelerator components. Its ease of use, smarter features, and 50% outperformance of previous generations supports intelligent multi-stream, atomic write, and intelligent O&M for good service QoS and customer experience. Huawei provides a reference architecture for customers to select the right architecture for their needs.
• The newest Huawei Mission Critical Server boasts three Huawei-unique features. KunLun V5 is the industry’s only server to support CPU and memory hot swap, physical and logical partitioning, and an open ecosystem. Enterprise IT systems can now migrate even faster from closed platform to open architecture while safeguarding critical systems. Customers can then reserve their focus for business operations.

Huawei forges ahead with continuous innovation in intelligent computing. With partners in a robust AI ecosystem, Huawei promotes intelligence everywhere and greater value for enterprises.

About Huawei

Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. With integrated solutions across four key domains – telecom networks, IT, smart devices, and cloud services – we are committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world.

Huawei’s end-to-end portfolio of products, solutions and services are both competitive and secure. Through open collaboration with ecosystem partners, we create lasting value for our customers, working to empower people, enrich home life, and inspire innovation in organizations of all shapes and sizes.

At Huawei, innovation focuses on customer needs. We invest heavily in basic research, concentrating on technological breakthroughs that drive the world forward. We have more than 180,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees.

For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com

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US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the African Development Bank, and KfW support to African Local Currency Bond (ALCB) Fund to focus on housing, microlending, and agriculture projects

Frankfurt, Germany, April 13, 2018 – Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and ALCB Fund Board Members have signed a loan agreement to support high impact sectors in Africa focusing on housing, agriculture and SMEs.

OPIC contributed US $40 million to the Fund while the African Development Bank is providing a Senior Loan of ZAR 140 million ($10 million) to support the development of local currency corporate bond markets in Africa. The latter loan was first local currency financing obtained by the ALCB Fund. The Fund was incorporated in December 2012 by the German Development Bank (KfW), with initial paid-in capital of US $47 million.

Jim Polan, OPIC Vice-President for Small and Medium Enterprise Finance; Pierre Guislain, African Development Bank Vice-President in charge of Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization; Vitalis Ritter and Mark Napier, Board members of the African Domestic Bond Fund, signed the agreement.

Many local financial institutions and companies in Africa are new to capital markets transactions and to working with institutional investors. The ALCB Fund engages with financial institutions and companies at an early-stage of the funding process, helping them to understand whether a bond issuance is the right path and the process involved. It also seeks to address a number of challenges in African capital markets, including limited primary issuances, price transparency, and limited participation by local market investors.

“Capital markets in Africa are both a challenge and opportunity,” said Polan. “This fund will have a tremendous impact by increasing the amount of long-term local currency financing available to companies operating in impact sectors. OPIC looks forward to working with its partners on this innovative fund and facilitating sustainable economic opportunities in Africa.”

“The development of well regulated, deep, effective and liquid financial markets in Africa is central to the African Development Bank’s strategy,” said Pierre Guislain. “The contribution to the Fund complements our existing initiatives aimed at mobilizing domestic savings and stimulating non-sovereign debt capital markets for private sector growth across Africa. We welcome this opportunity and are proud to partner with institutions from Germany, UK, US and other African Development Bank Member Countries to finance Africa’s Sustainable Development Goals and the Bank’s High 5 priorities agenda.”

“With the participation of OPIC and the African Development Bank, the ALCB Fund has achieved two milestones. Firstly, it takes total committed funds to US $180 million, maximizing the Fund’s investment reach on the continent and its ability to mobilize domestic capital,” said Ritter, a Principal Project Manager at KfW. “Secondly, through the African Development Bank, the Fund is for the first time ever able to raise funding in a local currency from an African institution. Through the ALCB Fund, institutions from Germany, the UK and the US are joining forces with the AfDB to promote sustainable capital market development in and for Africa.”

“The Board of the ALCB Fund and FSD Africa, on behalf of the UK government, greatly welcome the African Development Bank and OPIC as partners to the Fund,” said Napier, the Director of FSD Africa based in Nairobi. “These loans re-affirm both of these important organizations’ strong commitment to the development of long term finance markets in Africa and allow the Fund to reach scale and maximize impact as an agent of change in African capital markets.”

The OPIC loan will facilitate the Fund’s participation in approximately 10 to 14 local currency bond issuances for institutions operating in financial inclusion, housing, agriculture, renewable energy and other developmental sectors throughout Africa.

About OPIC

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) is a self-sustaining US Government agency that helps American businesses invest in emerging markets. Established in 1971, OPIC provides businesses with the tools to manage the risks associated with foreign direct investment, fosters economic development in emerging market countries, and advances US foreign policy and national security priorities. OPIC helps American businesses gain footholds in new markets, catalyzes new revenues and contributes to jobs and growth opportunities both at home and abroad. OPIC fulfills its mission by providing businesses with financing, political risk insurance, advocacy and by partnering with private equity investment fund managers.

About the African Development Bank Group

The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 34 African countries with an external office in Japan, the African Development Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. www.afdb.org.

About KfW

KfW Development Bank has been supporting the German Federal Government to achieve its goals in development policy and international development cooperation for more than 50 years. In this regard, KfW Development Bank is both an experienced bank and a development institution with financing expertise, an expert knowledge of development policy and many years of national and international experience. On behalf of the German Federal Government, and primarily the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), KfW Development Bank finance and support programmes and projects that mainly involve public sector players in developing countries and emerging economies – from their conception and execution to monitoring their success.

About FSD Africa

FSD Africa www.fsdafrica.org is funded by UK aid from the UK government to reduce poverty through financial sector development. Through access to finance initiatives, it seeks to build financial inclusion. Through capital market development, it looks to promote economic growth and increase investment.

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The brand will be available at BinSina Pharmacies across the UAE

Dubai, UAE, 27 January 2018: It’s always welcome news when leading beauty brands that we’ve discovered abroad or online land on our fair shores. Korff Milano, the premier European make-up brand launched in the UAE recently. The brand marked its launch with an exclusive gala dinner at Address Hotel, Dubai Mall, which witnessed the presence of a large group of dignitaries, high-profile beauty influencers and media representatives.

The Italian company, which is known for its upmarket beauty solutions in the pharmaceutical industry, will be available exclusively at BinSina Pharmacies across the UAE. Combining make-up with pleasure and scientific technology with glamour, Korff Milano aims to be the first choice for women with high standards for skin health and well-being.

“We are excited to launch in the UAE, a place known for its up-market beauty trends and high quality products. Our innovative revolutionary formulas are ahead of time, which offer the perfect make-up solutions, making it an unmissable addition to the growing beauty market in the region,” said Dr. Mohammad Al Rammal, General Manger of Korff Milano in the GCC.

Foreign beauty product firms are increasing their presence in this country as the sector offers an expanding market that is also giving local firms a platform for growth. According to Euromonitor International, consumers in the UAE spent US$247 per capita on cosmetics and personal care, more than any other country in the Middle East, and ninth worldwide. This is forecast to grow to $294 in 2020.

“Dermatological know-how applied to make-up, trusted active ingredients and extremely close attention to purity of raw materials form the basis of every single product we make. We are optimistic that the brand will be an instant hit with women looking for beauty combined with safety and efficacy,” added Laura May, Commercial Director of Korff Milano.

The initial product offerings from Korff Milano will include, make-up which will come in high-tech, highly concentrated formulas. The premium brand is hoping to use its experience and expertise in dermatological innovation and cosmetic pleasure to provide targeted solutions to women in the UAE.

“We are very excited to introduce the Korff Milano collection across our stores in the UAE. Korff Milano is an internationally recognised brand and the on-going scientific research, new technology and safety and efficiency that the brand offers is in line with our core values. With its holistic approach to strengthen, empower and regenerate skin, the brand is certain to make a statement in the UAE,” said Dr. Saleema Shurrab, General Manager of BinSina Pharmacy Group.

Featuring evoking ingredients, gentle textures and research oriented products, Korff Milano offers rare and active ingredients that not only delight the senses, but turn a beauty routine in a moment of pure pampering. Korff Milano has grown to become one of the biggest brands for make up in retail pharmacy channels, and is distributed in more than 15 countries globally.

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Funding round led by Verlinvest and DSG Consumer Partners with participation from InnoVen Capital

July 7, 2017 (Mumbai) – Drums Food International, the parent company of Epigamia Greek yogurt, announced a Rs 90 Crore Series B financing. The round was led by Verlinvest, a Belgium-based consumer focused private equity group created by the founding families of Anheuser-Busch InBev, and DSG Consumer Partners (DSGCP), an early stage venture capital firm run by consumer industry veteran Deepak Shahdadpuri, and also included venture debt participation from InnoVen Capital, India’s largest venture debt provider backed by Temasek Holdings. The company plans to innovate & launch new flavours, initiate brand-building activities and increase production capacity through the new capital.

Rohan Mirchandani, Co-Founder & CEO, Drums Food International said, “It has been such a pleasure to work with Verlinvest and DSGCP, they have been true value-added partners and helped us grow the business with full support and assistance. We have been able to see firsthand why their global track record is so successful! Partnering again in this round was a no brainer and with their support we plan to continue expanding our product lines, categories, and geographies. With the recent additions to our leadership, including Siddarth Menon, Francis Vidhayathil and Dharmesh Joshi, the missing pieces to our dream team are now in place and the sky is the limit for this amazing team I am proud to be a part of.”

Epigamia is India’s first branded and leading premium Greek yogurt which has rapidly gained traction with the Indian consumer. Made with all-natural ingredients and no preservatives, Epigamia is popular across a wide consumer demographic, positioning it as the snack of choice for India’s health-conscious millennials.

Since raising its Series A round last year from Verlinvest & DSGCP, the company has expanded distribution by over five times and launched the Epigamia Snack Pack, the first of its kind in Asia combining dry snacks to be mixed with Greek yogurt through innovative packaging.

Nicholas Cator, Executive Director, Verlinvest said, “We are very happy with our fantastic partnership with Epigamia and Rohan. We believe there is great growth potential to offer premium dairy products to Indian consumers and Epigamia addresses this with a compelling proposition. Verlinvest prides itself on being a daring investor in the consumer world and enabling entrepreneurs through inspiring journeys. Epigamia fits well within this vision.”

Talking about the developments in the FMCG market and growing relevance of Greek yogurt, Deepak Shahdadpuri, Managing Director, DSG Consumer Partners said, “DSGCP is pleased to continue our relationship with Rohan and the amazing team at Epigamia with this new round of investment. Along with our partners Verlinvest, we have seen the team launch India’s first Greek yogurt and more recently, the first yogurt snack pack a few months ago. Core to Epigamia’s success is its unrelenting focus on innovation and always delighting the customer. With this new round of funding, we will see exciting new products coming to the market focused on healthy and functional benefits. Indian consumers are increasingly looking for exciting new products that taste delicious.”

The Company also announced that Arjun Anand, from Verlinvest’s Singapore office, and Prashant Chhaya, former Executive Director at Cadbury (Mondelez International), will join the Company’s Board of Directors.

“We are happy to continue to back a talented team that has set out to build the leading premium dairy brand in India. Greek yogurt has great health and wellness benefits and we believe that Greek yogurt and premium dairy in general will become large categories in India. This increased investment in Epigamia alongside DSGCP fits well within our partnership to be a long-term supporter of young brands and talented entrepreneurs in growing categories in India. Rohan has put together a great Board of Directors with talent across strategic areas and I look forward to joining them soon,” said Arjun Anand.

“The value added dairy market in India is predicted to grow at double digit rate over the next few years. With rising popularity of probiotic products, superior offering, higher level of brand recall & awareness & increased market penetration, Epigamia is well placed to lead the Greek yogurt market in India,” said Prashant Chhaya   

Launched in June 2015, Epigamia is currently available in 8 unique flavours across 4000+ retail stores such as Reliance Fresh, Godrej Nature’s Basket, Future Group Foodhall & Big Bazaar, Hypercity, e-commerce platforms such as Big Basket, and numerous general trade retailers spread across Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad.

The company is positioned to become a formidable FMCG player in the fast emerging “GLocal” space –global quality and locally made in India.

About Drums Food International:
Drums Food is an upcoming new age FMCG company which launched Epigamia Greek yogurt in June 2015. The brand, made using an ancient Greek process of straining yogurt, has grown rapidly. The company is dedicated to delivering quality product experiences with superior taste coupled with state-of-the-art manufacturing and packaging innovation.

About Verlinvest:
Founded in 1995, Verlinvest is a private Belgian family investment company with offices in Brussels, New York and Singapore. It currently manages over US$2 billion. Verlinvest specializes in growth capital with the objective to diversify its investors’ holdings for the long term by making private investments in branded consumer companies in the F&B, retail & hospitality, consumer digital and education segments.

Some of its portfolio companies include Vitacoco, Sula wines, Future group, Drums Foods, Veeba Foods, XSEED, BYJU and Global Fashion Group. Verlinvest is an anchor investor in DSGCP II, DSGCP’s second fund. Verlinvest shares a common passion with DSGCP for investing in and developing consumer brands in the Indian sub-continent.

About DSG Consumer Partners:
DSG Consumer Partners (DSGCP) is a venture capital fund focused on identifying, selecting and investing exclusively in early stage consumer businesses in India and South East Asia. The team has a track record of investing for the long term. Current and past investments include Sula Wines, Raw Pressery, Eazydiner, Cleartrip, Redmart, Bakers Circle, Veeba Food, Social, Mswipe, OYO Rooms (part exit to Softbank), Zipdial (sold to Twitter), GOQii, Furtados School of Music, Saraf Foods, Chope, Burger King India, Chai Point, Suzette, India Lends, Smilemakers, Simplee Aloe and Hostmaker. DSGCP has US$100m under management and is now investing from DSGCP II.

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HGS named in the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals’ 2017 Global Outsourcing 100 List as published in Fortune

Bangalore, June 6, 2017 – Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS), (listed on NSE & BSE in India) a global leader in business process management, was recognized on the 2017 Global Outsourcing 100 List for the seventh year in a row by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP). In addition, HGS earned special recognition in the categories Sustained Excellence and All Star Company, and received distinction as a top company for Size and Growth, Customer References, Awards and Certifications, Programs for Innovation, and Programs for Corporate Social Responsibility.

“We are deeply honored to be recognized for the seventh consecutive year as one of the best outsourcing partners in the world,” said Chris Lord, Global Head – DigiCX; Growth, Strategy and Marketing. “Our commitment is to put ourselves in the shoes of the consumer every time we apply the HGS consultative-led inside-out and outside-in design thinking methodology. By doing this, we optimize the customer experience and make brands more competitive by providing the right answer, fast. HGS’s approach has always been to create win-win solutions for both consumers and brands.”

As a leader in optimizing the customer experience and advancing clients to become more competitive, HGS is unique in its approach. HGS integrates self-service and live agents, when necessary, to facilitate ‘bots and brains’ working together to leverage analytics and automation in a variety of ways. HGS implements its proprietary Unified CX Strategy® for managing interactions over any device, at any time or via any channel including voice, email, text messaging, video and live chat, and employs innovative tools such as the DigiCX suite to reinvent a client’s existing customer experience.

“Now, more than ever, outsourcing end users need to be able to easily identify and select the right company for their outsourcing needs,” said Debi Hamill, IAOP CEO and Global Outsourcing 100 co-judging chair. “It is great recognition being named to The Global Outsourcing 100 and The World’s Best Outsourcing Advisors lists. Given the strong, global competition, these companies should be proud of achieving excellence in the field.” The Global Outsourcing 100, now in its 12th year, and its sub-lists are essential references for companies seeking new and expanded relationships with the best companies in the industry. The lists include companies from around the world that provide the full spectrum of outsourcing services. IAOP, specifically, is an association that brings together customers, providers and advisors to improve business service models and outcomes.

For more information, please visit: https://www.iaop.org/Content/19/165/4701.

About Hinduja Global Solutions

HGS is a leader in optimizing the customer experience and helping our clients to become more competitive. HGS provides a full suite of business process management (BPM) services from traditional voice contact center services and transformational DigiCX services that are unifying customer engagement to platform-based, back-office services and digital marketing solutions. By applying analytics, automation, and interaction expertise to deliver innovation and thought leadership, HGS increases revenue, improves operating efficiency, and helps retain valuable customers. HGS expertise spans the telecommunications and media, healthcare, insurance, banking, consumer electronics and technology, retail, and consumer packaged goods industries, as well as the public sector. HGS operates on a global landscape with over 44,200 employees in 68 worldwide locations delivering localized solutions. For the year ended 31st March 2017, HGS had revenues of US$ 555 million. HGS, part of the multi-billion dollar Hinduja Group, has more than four decades of experience working with some of the world’s most recognized brands.

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Acquisition expands Accenture’s ability to help organizations become digital enterprises through New IT

India, June 03, 2017 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has acquired SolutionsIQ, a leading provider of Agile transformation services for business and technology, to fuel its world-class capabilities that help organizations drive change, improve customer experience and create greater business value through Agile methods. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

With one of the most experienced teams of Agile coaches in the industry, SolutionsIQ helps organizations apply Agile principles and practices to achieve substantial performance improvements including enhanced digital delivery effectiveness, reduced cycle times for software development and greater responsiveness to business needs.

“This acquisition brings tremendous value to Accenture and our clients,” said Bhaskar Ghosh, group chief executive, Accenture Technology Services. “Today Agile is more than just a software development methodology. For the digital enterprise that is rotating to rapidly evolving digital technologies – or New IT – it’s becoming a way of life. SolutionsIQ coaches, who are among the most sought-after experts in the industry, will expand our ability to help clients reduce investment risk, accelerate time to market for new products and services, and support design that delivers better customer experiences.”

“SolutionsIQ brings exceptional domain knowledge and experience in Agile transformation, drawing from the top-notch talent they have assembled from across North America and in other parts of the world,” said Annette Rippert, senior managing director, Accenture Technology. “Accenture was an early leader in Agile and we already have a global team of practitioners with expertise in managing complex, distributed Agile transformation and delivery. Together with SolutionsIQ, we will help our clients create and sustain innovative, value-focused solutions that are aligned with fast-changing user experiences.”

“We couldn’t be more thrilled about joining forces with Accenture,” said John Rudd, chief executive officer, SolutionsIQ. “Agile is about fostering a culture of empowerment and collaboration that enables rapid delivery of innovation at the speed of business today. As part of Accenture, we will help clients navigate the complexities of Agile and unlock their creative power to develop new capabilities.”

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 401,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

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Taher Shams included in the Forbes Middle East influential leaders gala

Dubai, UAE, 11 May, 2017: A new generation of management at Zulekha Hospital was honoured at the Forbes Middle East Top Indian Leaders in the Arab World gala dinner last night in Dubai.

Taher Shams, Managing Director of Zulekha Hospitals was presented with the award by H.E Mr. Vipul, Consul General of India for Dubai and Mrs. Khuloud Al Omian, Editor in Chief of Forbes Middle East during the awards event at the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina, marking his ongoing efforts at the helm of the healthcare group.

Mr Shams plays an influential role in the management team of Zulekha Hospital, alongside Ms Zanubia Shams, Co-Chairperson and Dr Zulekha Daud, Chairperson who founded the hospital in 1992.  Mr Shams said: “It is a great honour to receive this award and be listed among contemporaries and leaders who inspire me every day.

“Dr Zulekha Daud, who has been featured on the Forbes Middle East’s list of Top Indian Leaders over the years, is and will always be an extremely influential person in the Arab world thanks to her contributions to healthcare in the UAE. I’m proud of the work we continue to achieve under the Zulekha name and am very humbled by the recognition.”

The gala dinner, which celebrated its fifth consecutive year, hosted the top 100 Indian leaders across all sectors of business with influence in the Arab world.

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