Harvard and Jindal Universities Promote Globalisation of Higher Education

Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Today, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) of Harvard University, Boston and the O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), Sonipat, located near Delhi, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand and reinforce their collaborations in three areas:

The first area where the two institutions will reinforce their collaboration is student engagement through an annual teaching session at Harvard for Jindal students. This collaboration has taken the form of an annual study abroad programme conducted at Harvard University for nearly 30 students from JGU. At the successful completion of the programme, the Jindal students will earn academic credits and the course will be reflected in the transcript. For the past three years, the Program on Human Rights in Development of the Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has organized this study program in partnership with JGU on the theme of “Human Rights and Development” at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs in Cambridge. The programme is led by Professor (Dr.) Stephen P. Marks, François-Xavier Bagnoud Professor of Health and Human Rights, Director, Program on Human Rights in Development, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health and Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University & Director, International Centre for Higher Education Research & Capacity Building (IIHEd). The MoU that was signed today at Harvard University has institutionalised this relationship and paves way for other opportunities of institutional engagement between the two institutions.

The second area of collaboration is through joint conferences on themes of interest to both the institutions. Two such seminars have already been held, one in January 2016 on the theme: “Delivering on The Promise of Universal Health Coverage in India: Policy Options and Challenges” and another in February 2018 on the theme: “Poverty, Human Rights and Development: Public Policy for the Common Good.”

Future conferences that are being considered under the MoU, include issues that are at the intersection of human rights, development, law, public policy, public health and governance. The Jindal Global Law School and the Jindal School of Government & Public Policy will be the principal partners to collaborate with the Harvard Chan School in these future conferences.

Third, the MOU opens the way for other research and educational activities mutually agreed upon between the parties, including but not limited to joint research projects, joint training and capacity building programmes and joint publications in the field of human rights, development and public health.

JGU was established through a generous philanthropic initiative of Mr. Naveen Jindal, who is its Founding Chancellor and benefactor. The vision of JGU is to promote global courses, global programs, global curriculum, global research, global collaborations, and global interaction through a global faculty.

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health brings together dedicated experts from many disciplines to educate new generations of global health leaders and produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people everywhere. The Executive Dean for Administration, Professor (Dr.) Michael Grusby, who is also Acting Dean for Academic Affairs, signed the MOU on behalf of the Harvard Chan School and expressed his support to this deepening of the linkages between O.P. Jindal Global University and HSPH. During the signing, Dean Grusby expressed his full fledged support for the development of this pioneering partnership, expressing deep gratification that the accumulation of all parties’ efforts were able to come into fruition.

Mr. Naveen Jindal, founding Chancellor and benefactor of O.P. Jindal Global University, observed, “I am most delighted to learn about the collaboration that JGU has established with Harvard in relation to education and research. This achievement is a testament to the passion, commitment and dedication of our faculty and students. This year has been a fantastic journey for JGU having been giving the status of an autonomous institution by the Ministry of Human Resource Development Government of India and for having broken into the QS BRICS Rankings 2018 and recognized as one of the top 250-300 universities among the 9000 universities in the BRICS region.”

After signing the MoU, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, O.P. Jindal Global University’s founding Vice Chancellor, expressed his enthusiasm for future collaborative initiatives involving faculty and students of the two institutions. “Our vision of excellence in higher education attaches the highest value to collaboration with other institutions with a similar vision and, having studied myself at Harvard, I am excited about continuing and expanding our joint efforts with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. JGU’s founding vision is to be able to offer world class education with a view to promoting institutional excellence in teaching and research. The collaboration with Harvard is an example as to what a young Indian university with a vision for promoting excellence can accomplish and indeed offer fantastic opportunities to its students and faculty. It is an example of our vision to pursue transformative education with a view to empowering India’s aspirations to build a knowledge society.”

The signing of the MOU was celebrated at an event held in Harvard Square and attended by some 60 students and faculty, including Professors Raj Kumar and Marks, who are taking the lead in organizing teaching and research activities under the MOU. Professor Marks observed, “The steady growth of JGU has been an extraordinary development in higher education in large part because of its constant focus on excellence and its commitment to global education, with over 200 collaborations in 50 countries. This MOU will facilitate Harvard’s engagement with JGU in this commitment to excellence and global education.”

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New Delhi, India, May 25, 2018: Crystal Crop Protection Limited has signed a Letter of Intent with KeyGene at a high-profile trade mission headed by the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in New Delhi. Crystal Crop Protection Limited, an R&D based crop protection manufacturing and marketing company has recently acquired Indian grain sorghum, fodder sorghum(SSG) and pearl millet seeds business (including their germplasms, plant variety protection applications and registrations and market authorizations) from Syngenta India Limited.

Crystal Crop has a breeding program with germplasm in cereal and fibre crops.KeyGene and Crystal envisage to explore a strategic collaboration to discover new traits for increasing crop yields and combatting climate change. The effort will be to develop products through sharing of high-tech and novel breeding technologies that benefit the farmers to increase their farm profitability.

“KeyGene is one of the global leaders in crop innovation and we are excited to explore models in which we can leverage our expertise, and KeyGene’s next generation technologies and trait innovation platforms to develop tolerant and more resilient crops for the Indian market”, says Ankur Aggarwal, Managing Director of Crystal Crop Protection Limited.

“Indian seed companies can gain a lot by embracing innovation, enabling acceleration in their breeding and development of traits, and bringing novel products to farmers. We are excited to explore this research collaboration with Crystal Crop to enhance their breeding programs using our proprietary knowledge, know-how and innovation platforms for accelerating and developing novel non-GM products for Crystal’s seed business”, says Arjen van Tunen, CEO of KeyGene.

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•  MS. Dhoni has agreed to be featured by the online pharmacy Netmeds.com in a nationwide marketing campaign

•  The campaign will connect MSD with the company’s pillars of reliability, strength and experience

15th May 2018, Chennai: Netmeds Marketplace, Ltd, today announced MS Dhoni as it’s brand ambassador. Dhoni is among the most recognized and revered icons in India and has an incredibly strong appeal across all sectors and all demographics.

Netmeds CEO Pradeep Dadha said “This is one of our proudest moments. Dhoni is the perfect inspiration for Netmeds. He rose from humble beginnings and fought against very tough odds, but through hard work and belief in himself, he rose to a position of prominence and became a name whose aura resonates through every household in India. At Netmeds, we believe we have embarked on just such a  journey, and with him on board, we’re even more excited about the road that lies ahead.  When you’re out to beat a tough competitor, Dhoni is the leader you want on your team. Chronic disease is a tough competitor, and we want people to know that we intend to be the team member that helps them win the fight. And he embodies all the core values upon which we have built Netmeds. He’s someone you can really count on; he’s a strong and experienced leader and he exemplifies a healthy lifestyle. He also puts “family first” and at Netmeds, we’re helping families look after each other.

MS Dhoni said of the new ambassadorship, “I really believe in Netmeds and what they are doing. Making important medicine more available and affordable is a great thing for the country, and Netmeds is one the mainstays in the space.  They have a long legacy in the pharma business and they are making it easier for people to stay healthy. I know what it’s like to be away from the family and I can trust Netmeds to help me look after my loved ones, no matter where I am.”

Arun Pandey, Chairman, Rhiti Sports Management said, “Digital healthcare and specifically online medicine is one of the most important emerging trends, and there’s no question that Netmeds is the ground-breaker and industry leader. We always choose our brand partnerships with great care, but even more so when healthcare is involved. We found that Netmeds has the experience, the technology, and the leadership to ensure the best outcomes for its customers. We are proud of the association and of our opportunity to help them spread the good word about this new paradigm and the promise of digital healthcare.

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• Innovative city will make extensive use of digital technologies for smarter living and working environment
• Jeddah Tower is a vertical city that contributes to transformation planned under the Saudi Arabia National Vision 2030

Orange Business Services has signed a smart city consulting agreement with Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), the master developer of the world’s tallest tower, Jeddah Tower. The tower, which is over 1km tall, will be situated at the 5.3 million square meter Jeddah Economic City Project. Orange will create a blueprint for the ICT infrastructure of the tower, from the plan and design, to the build and run phases.

Jeddah Economic City (JEC) is located between the two Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah on the Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia. It aims to become the sustainable new northern district of the city of Jeddah and the focus of economic growth along the coast. JEC will be a destination for business, residences of different types, tourism, leisure, entertainment, retail, medical centers and government offices and services, and will become the new “downtown” of uptown Jeddah.

“The project aims to offer an advanced quality of life in a mixed use environment; with residential apartments of different types, offices, retail leisure and entertainment, hotels and tourism attractions public and cultural amenities, that will provide thousands of job opportunities for young Saudis in various fields and numerous investment opportunities. The implementation of the smart city components is considered as an essential step for delivering an environmentally friendly self-sustainable project. The construction of the infrastructure is going according to the set timeframe along with the supply of utilities. Next year, land for development will be ready for investors to start construction,” commented Mounib Hammoud, CEO of Jeddah Economic City.

“In Saudi Arabia, smart city projects are gaining momentum fast and are setting the pace for the region’s rapidly growing economic and technological developments planned under the Saudi National Vision 2030. Orange brings a wealth of experience in developing infrastructures and smart services for smart cities on a global level, together with insights, innovations and expertise. This includes cutting-edge digital technologies that will have a transformative impact on the way people live and how businesses will work in the future. We are delighted to be working with JEC to help them achieve their vision of transformation in the Kingdom,” said Luc Serviant, vice president Middle East & Africa, Orange Business Services.

Orange Business Services is working on a number of major smart city projects in Saudi Arabia. They include the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), being built by the Al Ra’idah Investment company, which is the largest of four smart cities in Saudi Arabia being built with a collective investment of over $70 billion. Orange Business Services has operated in the Middle East for over 50 years and established a local presence in Saudi Arabia in 2012 to support enterprise across all sectors in the Kingdom. It has offices in the main cities across the three provinces of Saudi Arabia – Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.

About Orange Business Services

Orange Business Services, the B2B branch of the Orange Group, and its 22,000 employees, is focused on supporting the digital transformation of multinational enterprises and French SMEs across five continents. Orange Business Services is not only an infrastructure operator, but also a technology integrator and a value-added service provider. It offers companies digital solutions that help foster collaboration within their teams (collaborative workspaces and mobile workspaces), better serve their customers (enriched customer relations and business innovation), and support their projects (enriched connectivity, flexible IT and cyberdefense). The integrated technologies that Orange Business Services offer range from Software Defined Networks (SDN/NFV), Big Data and IoT, to cloud computing, unified communications and collaboration, as well as cybersecurity. Orange Business Services customers include over 3,000 renowned multinational corporations at an international level and over two million professionals, companies and local communities in France.

Learn more at www.orange-business.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and our blogs.

Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with annual sales of 41 billion euros in 2017 and has 273 million customers in 29 countries at 31 December 2017. Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).

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The actor stars in the new Pepe Jeans Spring Summer 18 campaign #MadeToCreate

Mumbai, March 07, 2018: Pepe Jeans India has signed Bollywood heartthrob Sidharth Malhotra as its first ever Indian brand ambassador. An intriguing mix of classic movie star with an irreverent, urban edge, Malhotra’s unique style, confidence, and charisma makes him the perfect advocate for Pepe Jeans’s newest Spring Summer 18 campaign #MadeToCreate.

The campaign is all about acting on your passion to create art and bring to life something remarkable that is driven by creative expression. Our artists and customers were born, or made to create in their own right, so the collection talks to them. And finally the collection inspires you to experiment with fashion and create your own individual looks.

Sidharth Malhotra will kick-start a multifaceted campaign set to inspire the next generation of artists and trailblazers. As part of the Spring Summer 18 campaign, Malhotra shared the spotlight with Polish fashion model Hanna Juzon.

Speaking on this association Sidharth Malhotra said, “Pepe Jeans is such a cool and iconic casualwear brand, and I am super excited to be the first Indian face of the Pepe Jeans brand legacy with this campaign. Denim has always been my go-to fashion essential and I have been a longtime fan of the brand.”

“Pepe Jeans today has evolved in to one of the coolest and most iconic denim brands in the world. We are happy to have Sidharth Malhotra become part of the Pepe Jeans brand heritage. He joins a long list of celebrities, models and fashion icons that have been featured in our global brand campaigns over the years. Sidharth’s popularity, expressed affinity for the brand, powerful persona and youth connect brings a compelling energy to Pepe Jeans.” said Kavindra Mishra, MD Pepe Jeans India.

Sidharth Malhotra joins a star-studded global line-up including Ashton Kutcher, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and Cara Delevigne all of whom have modelled for Pepe Jeans over the years.

Pepe Jeans Spring Summer 18 collection is now available at stores nationwide.

For additional information on Pepe Jeans India and to view SS18 campaign content and additional announcements surrounding the #MadeToCreate campaign, follow @PepeJeans on Facebook and @PepeJeansIndia on Twitter and Instagram.

About Pepe Jeans London:

Pepe Jeans London has been at the forefront of international denim-led fashion for the past 45 years, being able to create an internationally recognized brand with a unique strategy and reputation. This has been possible because of the brand’s commitment to create strong fashion led collections, the hottest multimedia marketing campaigns and the most exciting retail environments while remaining sincere to the Pepe Jeans DNA and in particular the roots in London’s Portobello Road. In India, Pepe Jeans is present across 218 EBOs, over 1,350 MBOs and 477 large format stores.

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Mumbai, February 12, 2018: ICICI Lombard General Insurance Ltd., one of India’s leading private sector general insurance companies and RBL Bank have entered into a Corporate Agency Tie-up agreement. The agreement has been signed for the distribution of ICICI Lombard’s non-life insurance products at RBL Bank branches all over the country as part of the insurer’s Bancassurance channel focus.

ICICI Lombard will now offer its non-life insurance solutions to RBL Bank customers spread across the latter’s 246 branches. Bancassurance tie-up is an important part of ICICI Lombard’s growth strategy and the company is focused on forging successful alliances, to enhance its distribution network in the country.

Commenting on the tie-up, Sanjeev Mantri, Executive Director, ICICI Lombard General Insurance stated, “We are delighted to have partnered with RBL Bank. At ICICI Lombard, we endeavor to make our products available to our consumers through multiple and convenient channels. The tie up with RBL Bank is a step forward in this direction and will enable RBL Bank customers to source our non-life insurance solutions from the convenience of their bank’s branches and other customer connect points. We will continue to pursue customer centric ways to help consumers avail of and benefit from our range of non-life insurance offerings.”

Surinder Chawla, Head – Retail Liabilities & Wealth Management said, “We are delighted to partner with ICICI Lombard as part of our ongoing initiative to offer best-in-class personal finance solutions to all our customers. With growing awareness and a plethora of new schemes, insurance penetration in India has been increasing every year, and is expected to cross 4 per cent in FY18. RBL Bank, along with its partner, aims to capture a major share of this potentially large and untapped market. As a partnership oriented bank, we strongly believe that this step will add significant value to our customers by giving them access to a wide range of superior products.”

ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd. is one of the leading private sector general insurance companies in India with a Gross Written Premium (GWP) of Rs 94.31 billion in Q3FY18, registering a growth of 17.0%. With this partnership, RBL customers will get access to ICICI Lombard’s entire portfolio of products across motor, cyber and rural plans.

About ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd

ICICI Lombard is the largest private-sector non-life insurer in India based on gross direct premium income in fiscal 2017, a position we have maintained since fiscal 2004 after being one of the first few private-sector companies to commence operations in the sector in fiscal 2002. We offer our customers a comprehensive and well-diversified range of products, including motor, health, crop, fire, personal accident, marine, engineering and liability insurance, through multiple distribution channels. ICICI Lombard is listed on the BSE and NSE (ICICIGI). More details are available at www.icicilombard.com

About RBL Bank

RBL Bank is one of India’s fastest growing private sector banks with an expanding presence across the country. The Bank offers specialized services under six business verticals namely: Corporate & Institutional Banking, Commercial Banking, Branch & Business Banking, Agri Business Banking, Development Banking and Financial Inclusion, Treasury and Financial Markets Operations. It currently services over 3.98 million customers through a network of 246 branches and 394 ATMs spread across 20 Indian states and Union Territories.

Over the last few years, RBL Bank has earned recognition in various national and international forums such as: CNBC ASIA’s India Talent Management Award (2017); India’s Best Bank for four consecutive years (2013 – 2016) in the mid-sized segment (Growth) by a Business Today – KPMG Study; Business World’s ‘Fastest Growing Small Bank’ consistently for three years (2013,2014,2015) and recognized by the World Economic Forum as a ‘Global Growth Company’ (GGC).

RBL Bank is listed on both NSE and BSE (RBLBANK). For further details, please visit https://www.rblbank.com/

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National, February 9, 2018 : Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, has been selected by ESA, the European Space Agency, to deliver and operate Copernicus Data and Information Access Services (DIAS). The DIAS will combine real-time geo data from Copernicus, the world’s largest single Earth Observation program, with data from multiple sources and turn it into information products for companies in sectors such as manufacturing, insurance, utilities, agriculture, forestry, urbanism and emergency services.

For example, it can help:

• Scientists understand the impact of climate change,
• Governments and cities better manage and anticipate urban development,
• Oil and gas companies evaluate and manage risk,
• Farmers better manage their crops and yield.

Open platform for innovation

On behalf of the European Commission and the European Space Agency, Atos will lead a newly-created consortium, composed of DLR, e-Geos, EOX, GAF, Sinergise, Spacemetric, Thales Alenia Space and T-Systems.

Atos will be responsible for integrating, delivering and operating the Cloud platform which will integrate specialized data sources. This new platform will make the data from the European Union constellation of Sentinel satellites and from data providers, more accessible. This will make it possible for third parties (industrial players, institutions such as national space agencies, SMEs and start-ups) to build innovative business services based on satellite data. Atos, with its partners, will build and commercialize the new services.

Atos’ technology and expertise combined with those of its partners will bring speed, flexibility and robustness to the platform which is capable of handling vast amounts of data in different formats.

The Atos Codex portfolio of data services will provide DIAS with analytics and cognitive capabilities to turn raw satellite data into valuable insights for several industries.

Key value for society

Providing new services that integrate accurate and real-time information from satellites offers the following major advantages:

• Greater understanding of how our planet functions– key earth observation and remote sensing data is increasingly valuable to understand the functioning of our planet and ecosystems.
• Faster prediction– combining and processing large volumes of complex data from multiple sources can produce unique insights in near real-time.
• Improved decision-making– organizations can now easily integrate earth observation data into their business value chains providing insights that have not previously been within reach.

Stéphane Janichewski, Head of Defence & Aerospace Market at Atos concludes:

“We have spent several years investing in this offering in order to help scientific organizations, public organizations and enterprises of all sizes benefit from combining large volumes of Earth Observation data with third party data sources. We see immense opportunities to address some of society’s greatest challenges such as wildlife protection, climate change or resource scarcity.”

According to the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC), which brings together professionals in the sector, the market for services based on Earth observation data is expected to grow by 10% to 15%[1] over the next few years, with multiplication of innovative services in many areas.

The platform will be available to customers worldwide in June 2018.

About Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with approximately 100,000 employees in 72 countries and annual revenue of around € 12 billion. European number one in Big Data, Cybersecurity, High Performance Computing and Digital Workplace, the Group provides Cloud services, Infrastructure & Data Management, Business & Platform solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payment industry. With its cutting-edge technologies, digital expertise and industry knowledge, Atos supports the digital transformation of its clients across various business sectors: Defense, Financial Services, Health, Manufacturing, Media, Energy & Utilities, Public sector, Retail, Telecommunications and Transportation. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldgrid, Bull, Canopy, Unify and Worldline. Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index.

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AccorHotels today announced the signature of an agreement with  Mantra Group Limited with the view to acquire all of the issued capital in Mantra by way of a scheme of arrangement to be approved by Mantra shareholders.  Under the terms of the agreement AccorHotels would offer AUD3.96 in cash for each Mantra share including any potential special dividend.

Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AccorHotels said, “We are delighted to have come to an agreement to acquire the Mantra Group. This operation will underpin our long-term growth in the Asia Pacific region. Mantra’s portfolio would offer AccorHotels additional accommodation formats and a strong customer base to complement our successful hotel portfolio in Australia. We are confident that the transaction terms are attractive for shareholders of both groups”.

Chairman of Mantra, Peter Bush, said, “The AccorHotels offer represents an attractive proposition for Mantra and for our shareholders and the Board unanimously recommends AccorHotels’ proposal.  AccorHotels is one of the world’s leading hotel operators and we trust that our business will be in good hands.  Mantra’s strong expertise in apartments, in particular, and our presence in resort locations are very complementary to the AccorHotels operations in Australia and New Zealand.  The combined business will be an important part of Australia’s strong and growing tourism market and its customers will benefit from the market leading expertise of both groups”.

Mantra is one of Australia’s largest hotel and resort marketers and operators with 127 properties and over 20,000 rooms in hotels, resorts and serviced apartments across Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Hawaii.

Properties in Mantra’s portfolio range from luxury accommodations and coastal resorts to serviced apartments in city and key leisure destinations, under three key brands: Peppers (28 properties), Mantra (75 properties) and BreakFree (24 properties). Mantra also manages core accommodation services including guest relations and reception areas, restaurants and bars, conference and function centres, pool and entertainment facilities and offices.  Mantra has more than 5,500 employees.

AccorHotels and Mantra’s combined geographic footprint, together with enhanced distribution and systems, would form a favorable base from which AccorHotels can expand further in the region.  Mantra’s expertise in apartment management, in particular, will offer a new opportunity for growth.

The Offer Price represents:

• A 23% premium to the last close price of AUD3.23 as at 6 October, 2017
• An implied EV / 2018e EBITDA (including transaction costs) multiple of 12.4x pre-synergies and high single-digit post-synergies.

The acquisition will be accretive to earnings per share in the first year of ownership pre-synergies. AccorHotels will pay AUD1.3 billion, equivalent to €0.9billion [1].

Besides, AccorHotels confirms it is in discussion with potential investors in relation to the sale of part of the Share Capital of AccorInvest. The Group aims at signing an agreement before year-end 2017. At this stage, the Group has no certainty to reach an agreement.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, including from the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board, the Federal Court of Australia and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, as well as the approval of Mantra shareholders and other customary conditions. It is anticipated that subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, the transaction should be  completed by the end of the first quarter 2018.

ABOUT ACCORHOTELS

AccorHotels is a world-leading travel & lifestyle group and digital innovator offering unique experiences in more than 4,200 hotels, resorts and residences, as well as in over 10,000 of the finest private homes around the globe. Benefiting from dual expertise as an investor and operator, AccorHotels operates in 95 countries. Its portfolio comprises internationally acclaimed luxury brands including Raffles, Sofitel Legend, Fairmont, SO Sofitel, Sofitel, onefinestay, MGallery by Sofitel, Pullman, Swissôtel and 25hours Hotels; as well as the popular midscale brands Novotel, Mercure, Mama Shelter and Adagio; the much-prized economy brands including JO&JOE, ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budget and the regional brands Grand Mercure, The Sebel and hotelF1. AccorHotels provides innovative end-to-end services across the entire traveler experience, notably through the acquisition of John Paul, world leader in concierge services.

With an unmatched collection of brands and rich history spanning close to five decades, AccorHotels, along with its global team of more than 250,000 dedicated women and men, has a purposeful and heartfelt mission: to make every guest Feel Welcome. Guests enjoy access to one of the world’s most rewarding hotel loyalty programs – Le Club AccorHotels.

AccorHotels is active in its local communities and committed to sustainable development and solidarity through PLANET 21, a comprehensive program that brings together employees, guests and partners to drive sustainable growth.

Accor SA is publicly listed with shares trading on the Euronext Paris exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and the OTC marketplace (Code: ACRFY) in the United States.

For more information and reservations visit accorhotels.group or accorhotels.com.

[1] Assumes AUD1.49/€ as exchange rate

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Churchill’s Old War Office soon to become London’s most significant luxury hotel and residence

Paris, June 14, 2017 – Raffles Hotels & Resorts, the top luxury brand of AccorHotels Group, today announces the signing of an historic partnership with the Hinduja Group and Obrascon Huarte Lain Desarrollos (OHLD) to transform the iconic Old War Office building in Whitehall into the most unique hotel and deluxe residences in London. The Raffles Hotel in London will be the heart and soul of this exciting landmark destination.

Raffles Hotels & Resorts is delighted to complete its already stunning portfolio with such an exclusive asset in such strategic city and location.

Steeped in history, the first Raffles Hotel was opened in 1887 in Singapore, named after the British statesman and founder of Singapore, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. Raffles was celebrated by Nobel Prize winner, Rudyard Kipling in his 1889 book, From Sea To Sea and in 1915 Singapore’s most famous cocktail, the Singapore Sling was created at the hotel.

The Grade II* listed Old War Office, with its 1100 rooms across seven floors, and two miles of corridors, was completed in 1906. It was the office to many of the United Kingdom’s most important and influential political and military leaders of the twentieth century, notably Sir Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, Lord Kitchener, Herbert Asquith and T.E. Lawrence. It was also the haunt of the British Secret Service who had their own, more discreet entrance.

Close to 10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, the Old War Office was bought by Hinduja Group and OHLD in December 2014 following a public bid. Planning permission was granted for a multi-purpose development including 125 rooms (of which 40% are suites), 88 private residences, restaurants and other amenities. Completion is expected in just over three years.

Commenting on the new partnership, Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO of AccorHotels said: “I am delighted to announce this long-term management contract with the Hinduja Group and OHLD. This is the start of an important partnership for Raffles Hotels & Resorts and will create a new and vibrant landmark for London. This is a significant step for Raffles and a strategic addition to the Group’s Luxury portfolio. We remain committed to providing guests with unparalleled service and experience.”

Gopichand P. Hinduja, the Hinduja Group’s Co-Chairman said: “Our new partnership with Raffles Hotels and Resorts is a significant milestone in our vision to transform the Old War Office into London’s finest luxury destination. Raffles brings a unique understanding of British heritage and tradition that will help revive this great British landmark.”

Sanjay G Hinduja, President of the Hinduja Group, said: “We are delighted that after the completion of the Grade I listed building in Carlton House Terrace, we can now apply this valuable experience to a greater challenge and create what will become the most iconic place in London.”

Juan Villar-Mir de Fuentes, Chairman of Grupo OHL said: “The OHL Group is extremely proud to be part of, in partnership with the Hinduja Group, this exciting project which, reinforced with the Raffles brand, is now fully aligned with OHL Desarrollos’s strong commitment and strategy to develop unique projects around the world.”

ABOUT HINDUJA GROUP

The Hinduja Group (www.hindujagroup.com) is India’s foremost privately-owned Group, with a global footprint across 100 countries employing over 100,000 people. Founded in 1914 in Mumbai by Parmanand D Hinduja, today the management, future strategy and focus of the Group is managed by the Parmanand’s four sons Srichand, Chairman, Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok and the younger generation. With a century of experience, intelligent investment and disciplined growth, the Group has become an international multibillion Group active in ten business sectors encompassing Automotive, Energy, Banking, IT, power generation, Real Estate, Project Development, Media, Healthcare and trading.

In the Real Estate businesses the group has a great experience in recovering historic buildings in the most emblematic locations.

ABOUT OHL DESARROLLOS

OHLD is the fully-owned development subsidiary of the OHL Group, one of the largest Spanish construction groups, focused on the development of large hospitality and real estate mixed-use projects. Its track-record includes the development of both urban and vacational projects, including the world renowned resort Mayakoba, in the Mexican Riviera Maya, where it has developed four hotels: Fairmont, Rosewood, Banyan Tree and Hyatt Andaz, as well as the PGA Tour golf course El Camaleón; and also the Canalejas mix used Project in Madrid including the first Four Seasons Hotel in Spain.

ABOUT RAFFLES

Raffles Hotels & Resorts is a luxury brand with an illustrious history dating back to 1887 when the world-renowned Raffles hotel first opened its doors in Singapore. Today, the remarkable collection includes eleven extraordinary properties in many of the world’s best cities and top holiday destinations including favourites such as Paris, Istanbul, and the Seychelles. Many more exciting locations are also on the horizon with new hotels being developed in destinations such as Warsaw and Jeddah. Whether it’s a secluded resort or a lively city-centre, each Raffles promises an oasis of calm and charm and a compelling mix of cultures and styles, and has its very own story to tell. Part of AccorHotels, a world-leading travel & lifestyle group and digital innovator offering unique experiences in more than 4,000 hotels, resorts and residences around the globe, Raffles is proud to draw on the timeless essence of Raffles – to deliver thoughtful, personal and discreet service to well-travelled guests. For more information or reservations, please visit raffles.com.

ABOUT ACCORHOTELS

AccorHotels is a world-leading travel & lifestyle group and digital innovator offering unique experiences in more than 4,100 hotels, resorts and residences, as well as in over 3,000 of the finest private homes around the globe. Benefiting from dual expertise as an investor and operator through its HotelServices and HotelInvest divisions, AccorHotels operates in 95 countries. Its portfolio comprises internationally acclaimed luxury brands including Raffles, Sofitel Legend, SO Sofitel, Sofitel, Fairmont, onefinestay, MGallery by Sofitel, Pullman, and Swissôtel; as well as the popular midscale and boutique brands of 25hours, Novotel, Mercure, Mama Shelter and Adagio; the much-prized economy brands including JO&JOE, ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budget and the regional brands Grand Mercure, The Sebel and hotelF1. AccorHotels provides innovative end-to-end services across the entire traveler experience, notably through the recent acquisition of John Paul, world leader in concierge services.

With an unmatched collection of brands and rich history spanning close to five decades, AccorHotels, along with its global team of more than 250,000 dedicated women and men, has a purposeful and heartfelt mission: to make every guest Feel Welcome. Guests enjoy access to one of the world’s most rewarding hotel loyalty programs – Le Club AccorHotels.

AccorHotels is active in its local communities and committed to sustainable development and solidarity through PLANET 21, a comprehensive program that brings together employees, guests and partners to drive sustainable growth.

Accor SA is publicly listed with shares trading on the Euronext Paris exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and the OTC marketplace (Code: ACRFY) in the United States.

For more information and reservations visit accorhotels.group or accorhotels.com.

The post RAFFLES SIGNS AN ICONIC LONDON ADDRESS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HINDUJA GROUP AND OHL DESARROLLOS appeared first on Core Sector Communique.

Targets 10x growth in online sales for the brands over 3 years

Expects to drive a valuation of $1 billion over the next 3 years through this program

Bangalore, June 6, 2017: As part of a new initiative, Myntra, India’s leading destination for fashion and lifestyle online, announces the launch of its Accelerator Program. Through this initiative, Myntra is looking at forging strategic partnerships with about 10-15 local fashion brands that have a strong founding team and unique design sensibility. The program is designed to accelerate growth of these brands through technical, know how, analytics and branding support from Myntra.

As a part of this program, Myntra has signed partnerships with two brands, Chemistry and AKS and has five more brands in the pipeline. Chemistry is a trendy fashion brand for women, who want to stand apart from generic fashion. With a reach of about half a million customers at present, its association with Myntra through the Accelerator program is expected to take it to 3 million customers in the next 3 years. AKS is an ethnic wear brand for the modern day Indian women. The brand’s strong product value proposition has helped it scale to a $6 million annual GMV in 3 years. Under Accelerator, it is expected to witness a growth of 10X over the next 3 years.

Speaking on the occasion, Ananth Narayanan, CEO, Myntra-Jabong, said, “We believe that the next 3-5 years will see the emergence of many new national brands. As the leaders in the fashion & lifestyle space in India, Myntra and Jabong are well positioned to work closely with some of these emerging brands to propel them to the national stage. The brands will be able to leverage our core strengths – largest mass premium customer base and data driven insights on consumer, while also getting operational support.  We are looking at creating about $ 1 billion incremental valuation for the Myntra Accelerator brands over the next 3 years. We look forward to working with the best of Indian entrepreneurial talent in the brand building space”

Sunil Jhangiani, CEO Chemistry said, “Being an offline brand with a strong foundation, our association with Myntra opens up a new world of opportunities for us in terms of reach, visibility and volumes through the online channel. Myntra’s expertise in building successful online brands over the years, backed by strong technological support will aid us in shaping the future of Chemistry and establishing it as one of the foremost fashion brands in the country. We expect the online sales to become 50% of the brand sales in 3-5 years”

Nidhi Yadav, Founder, AKS added, “As an online-first brand, we started small with a passion for design and identity. By associating with Myntra, we are taking the first major step towards creating a national brand. Myntra’s ability to build brands through digital marketing, capture and provide insights on customer behavior and enable reach to 8 million+ women shoppers will be a game changer for our brand.  ”

With successful in-house brands such as Roadster and HRX, Myntra has the know-how of creating brands that have the potential to be category leaders. An online-first approach ensures that brands scale much faster and at better economies compared to an offline model. Through this program Myntra will help partners to build their brand online through Myntra and Jabong and also leverage data from the 18 million monthly active users to get insights on customer behavior and product assortments.

About Myntra:

Myntra is India’s leading platform for fashion brands and pioneer in m-commerce play. Myntra has partnered with over 2000 leading fashion and lifestyle brands in the country such as Nike, adidas, Puma, Levis, Wrangler, Arrow, Jealous 21, Diesel, CAT, Harley Davidson, Ferrari, Timberland, US Polo, FabIndia, Biba and many more to offer a wide range in latest branded fashion and lifestyle wear. Myntra services over 19,000 pin codes across the country. With the largest in-season product catalogue, 100% authentic products, Cash on Delivery and 30-day Exchange/Return policy, Myntra is today the preferred shopping destination in India.

The post Myntra signs on Chemistry and AKS for its Accelerator Program appeared first on Core Sector Communique.