LD Sharma, MD, Mayhigh Films, Delhi explains the evolution of a product to a brand. He talks about how being distinctive is the need of the hour and shares the mantra to nail it.
What could be a company’s biggest tangible asset? No points for guessing. It’s undoubtedly a well-known and loved brand. In a sea of competition, how can you make your product stand out for it to be called a “BRAND” is serious business?
“Every entrepreneur instinctively understands the need for uniqueness, but finding true distinctiveness proves to be a ‘catch me if you can’ kind of situation,” says LD Sharma Co-Founder & MD, Mayhigh Films.
“Mayhigh Films focuses on all aspects of creative advertising and effective media planning & buying so that a potential brand gets its unique identity which is the ultimate business objective of any organisation (big or small)”, Sharma added.
With his vast media industry experience spanning over 17 years, Sharma knows the tricks of the trade and lists out the process of building a successful brand.
1. Align brand strategy with overall business objectives
Getting the brand strategy right so that it is aligned with the overall business objectives is half the battle won. Recognising business goals early on in the process will set the stage for developing a strong and unique brand. If you are clear on where you want to take your firm, your brand will help you get there.
2. Define your brand and its objective
To know a brand’s objective is to know its purpose. What is the reason for its existence, what it stands for, what is its personality like if it were a person?
3. Identify the target group (TG) and competition
Who all are most likely to buy your product? If you can crack this question, you have hit the blindspot bang on!!! Do not forget to establish an emotional connection with your audience.
Competition analysis is supremely important as it will help you understand what differentiates you from the competition. It will also help identify the loopholes in the market, unleash market trends, develop improved products, market, and sell more effectively.
4. Develop your brand positioning
The idea is to establish the image of the product so that the consumers perceive it in a certain way. For eg., positioning it as a luxury status symbol or focus on its cutting-edge technology… Ensure what you promise is what you deliver.
5. Develop your messaging strategy
The messaging strategy must intertwine with brand positioning and should be conveyed consistently. It must capture the most relevant points to grab the eyeballs of the prospective buyers.
6. Develop a name, logo, and tagline.
The company’s reputation is defined by its brand. The brand identity – its name, logo, and tagline must be in tandem with the company’s ethos.
7. Set a marketing budget
Plan the advertising mix-TV, print, radio, outdoor, or digital. If the goal is to reach the masses; TV Advertisement, outdoor, and newspaper advertising is recommended. TV Advertisement outperforms other mediums when the aim is to get instant brand visibility because of its unscalable reach and undivided audience attention. Hence, it’s inclusion becomes crucial in a media plan.
For a more focused approach, digital and content marketing strategies should be adopted. Allocating budgets for the appropriate promotional variables within the advertising mix to achieve the best marketing result poses a big challenge for advertisers.
8. Create effective content around the brand
Today’s audience is smart and well-informed. They want to know the inside-out of the brand they have set their minds on. Here, content marketing comes into play as it not only increases awareness but also educates the consumer on product nuances. For starters, the website is the most important brand-building tool. It is like a window to the offerings you have for the world out there. The more relevant and well optimised the content is, the more likely it is to reflect in your SEO efforts so the prospects spot you no matter what.” A well-shot Corporate Video also serves the same purpose as a website does only in a video format, is much more interactive and easier to remember. It should be the future of a brand storytelling process in the time to come” Sharma points out.
Creative content like youtube ads, social media posts, blogs, etc also helps in lead generation. “Astute marketers convert run-off -the mill information and transform it into a sensational narrative that has a character, argument, and hidden call-to-action.” Sharma quips.
9.Hire A Media Planning Agency
Agencies know the best market practices and how to maximise your budget to yield effective results. Also, it is always good to get an outside perspective for a balanced approach.
10. ROI Monitoring
Any investment is a mere expenditure if it does not lead to profitability. Discuss with your agency on how to generate ROI through advertising. “Keep a track if advertising is worthwhile, reach the right conclusions, and make appropriate adjustments to achieve the overall business goals” he concludes.
On the path to becoming one of India’s most prestigious construction firms, the real estate giant Sanali Group, founded by Mohammed Noor Haq, has become an industry leader in the Hyderabadi construction realm.
From world-class real estate and Malls to hospitality assets, construction firm Sanali Group has changed the face of much of India’s two major cities – Hyderabad and Bangalore. With the company being thrill-seeking instead of risk-averse, it is also poised to transform the future of the real estate industry in the country.
The company is especially making a name for itself with persistent innovations by employing latest technologies like Mechanization, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Building Information Management (BIM).
What’s more interesting is that there are some jaw-dropping technologies which the company is planning to acquire which promise to further revolutionize the construction sector, particularly in India. These range from kinetic flooring to cement capable of absorbing and irradiating light energy to bricks capable of absorbing pollution by filtering the air.
On the path to becoming one of India’s most prestigious construction firms, Sanali Group was established in 1988 in Hyderabad. Founded by Mohammed Noor Haq, the real estate Group has, over time, become a household name in the Hyderabadi construction realm.
The founder Noor Haq is himself a brilliant entrepreneur with an unmatched mind. He has grown as a businessman over the years and formerly served as the General Secretary of Andhra Pradesh Builder’s Association, a well-deserved seat owing to his extensive experience and commendable leadership skills.
Mohd Noor Haq, Founder, Sanali Group
His experience and expertise have been instrumental in some of the massive achievements of Sanali Group. He, however, says, “While Sanali Group was founded in Hyderabad, it has now established itself in Bangalore as well as Dubai; these two massive achievements are a result of our team’s efforts.”
Specializing in High Tech Residential Development, Commercial Office Towers, IT Parks, Grade-A Offices, the firm has also been providing professional management of the offices, hence attracting the highest quality tenants while commanding favourable prices. The Group also focuses on constructing special economic zones in India to free people from the economic zones which are crowded, hence expanding business in the nation.
Sanali Group’s efforts and significant contributions towards the expansion of the real estate and construction business in both Hyderabad and Bangalore has been recognized by the government as well as the community, with the Group winning quite a few accolades. Prominent among awards conferred include the Gem of India Award, Rashtriya Gaurav Award, Udyog Pratibha Award, International Status Award, International Trade Promotion Award and Rashtriya Nirman Ratan Award.
“Each of these awards was received by Sanali Group with great pride; such awards are the result of hard work and encourage the Group’s team and staff to keep working and producing excellent results for the community,” says Noor Haq, with humility.
The real estate firm is extending its expertise in developing projects internationally, and today, has a significant presence in several key global markets. Sanali’s world-class project development competencies are underlined by its iconic assets in India and other international markets.
“Sanali Info Park (Corporate campus at Banjara Hills, Hyderabad), Sanali Mall (Shopping complex at Abids, Hyderabad), Sanali Spazio (Software Park at Madhapur, Hyderabad) are some of the well-known projects of the firm,” says Noor Haq, while enlisting the completed projects, adding, “We are working on tens of other important projects like Sanali Casa Paraiso (Luxury apartment residences at Whitefield, Bangalore), Sanali Business Bay (Office building at Hitech City, Hyderabad) and Sanali Edge (Luxury Apartments at Kokapet, Hyderabad).”
After attaining unmatched success in the real estate sector, the Sanali Group has expanded itself and spread its wings into new businesses. Sanali Group is now into a wide range of industries from mineral, IT, marketing, energy, advertising and real estate and comprises of several subsidiaries including Luxor Energy, Sanali Power, Aryabhatta Solutions & IT Parks, Amir Ads, Sanali Resources, Sana Haq Architects, Sanali Mines & Minerals, Ameri Resources, Cloud Resources, Cyber Towers, Lakefront Towers, Millenium Estates, Sanali IT parks and Remax Constructions.
The construction firm, being around for over two decades now, is at the forefront of the infrastructure revolution that’s moving to tackle the astounding growth of the Indian economy. With proven competencies in property, IT parks, shopping malls & retail and hospitality & leisure, the Group has been shaping new lifestyles with a focus on design excellence, build quality and timely delivery. This has contributed vastly to shaping the Sanali Group as one of the world’s most valuable and admired real estate development companies.
Mr Ankit Pradhan speaks on how India handled the pandemic and the impacts on India after the COVID-19 lockdown ends. He discusses how India will emerge winner after this COVID-19 chaos.
It can be said that the global economy has already entered into a great recession. Superpowers like Italy or America or France or Germany is already the worst affected. A lot many industries such as Travel and Tourism, Hospitality, F&B, Entertainment, Automobile, White Goods, IT, Retail are suffering huge losses, and there is no visible ray of hope any sooner.
In comparison to the developed nations around the world, India has dealt with pandemic very well. The containment of COVID-19 to the current levels is noteworthy.
For foreign investors, India could be the top bet as it already has plans to have more open trade and investment policy. Besides, India is also considered to share values and interest that align closely with the western democracies.
Pre-COVID amidst the global financial crisis, companies like Apple, Nintendo, HP, Dell were already planning to move as rapid wage growth in china outplaced labour productivity growth.
“Not only can India boast of having highly skilled labour, impressive entrepreneurial talent, a large internal consumer market and thriving private enterprises, but India’s analytic, financial, technical, and management services are also world-class”, says Mr Ankit Pradhan, Founder and CEO, Realtyassistant.
Developed nations like Japan has announced setting up of a $2.2-billion fund, to help its manufacturers for shifting of their production out of China as the coronavirus disrupted supply chains between the major trading partners. Other developed countries are also likely to urge their investors to follow a similar strategy.
Ankit Pradhan, Founder and CEO, Realtyassistant
American and Europian economies have taken a significant hit, and now the foreign investors have to look for destinations with comparatively low operation and production costs and a local supply chain in place. Furthermore, businesses want to de-risk in having supply chain concentrated in one area and try to diversify and disperse.
Mr Ankit Pradhan, Founder and CEO, Realtyassistant further adds, “India is among the top FDI destinations in the world; it is evident from the fact that last year India received half of the total of previous twenty years of FDI investment.”
India did receive a sum of $64.37 billion of FDI in 2018-19, which is a 6 per cent jump over the2017-18, at a time when global FDI flow was declining. UNCTAD, India compiled the Global Investment Trend Monitor report which shows India among the top 10 recipients of FDI in the year 2019, resulting in attracting $49 billion in inflows, a 16 per cent increase from the previous year.
Meanwhile, India is emerging as a reliable alternative to China for foreign companies invested in manufacturing and sourcing. India has to work on positioning itself as a global services hub in sectors like Pharmaceuticals and the integration of India in the worldwide supply chain is to be seen.
‘Invest India’ has joined hands with the Top global consultancy firms like Bain & Co, EY, PwC, BCG, KPMG, Primus Partners, and Mirae Asset Management to make out an economic revival strategy. Our country can meet this requirement as incentives allow fast-tracking of manufacturing, especially in special economic zones (SEZs) and free trade zones.
India has allocated about US$6 billion to boost domestic manufacturing and to attract investment and incentivise electronics and components manufacturing and exports in the country. This move was announced as a part of India’s ambition to become a US$1 trillion economy by 2025.
The official trade and investment regulator of the country, the Department of Promotion for Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) notified changes to India’s foreign direct investment (FDI) policy.
The above step was taken in turn to restrict any wrong buying of Indian businesses by the Chinese companies or state-run institutions. These changes now make government clearance mandatory – for all FDI inflows from countries that share land borders with India.
Lately, UP Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath has also promised tailor-made facilities to giants like FedEx, Cisco and Adobe for moving facility to Uttar Pradesh.
The FDI policy is already tightened to prevent any opportunistic takeovers or acquisition of Indian companies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, India has an opportunity to become a sustainable, resilient and diverse economy. It looks like India is all set to emerge as a post-COVID winner.
Sachin Mathur, after pursuing his post-graduation in management, had a choice to continue his family business, family with great political legacy, but he left home to prove himself and joined corporate. After having worked for 13 years with corporates like Zee Network, CNBC TV 18, Reliance and Tata, he exhibited all his energy in the marketing field and was on high of his career.
He quit his sparkling career to own the responsibility of 56-year-old educational institute, Lachoo Memorial College of Science & Technology situated in the city of Western Rajasthan, Jodhpur. The college was established by great freedom fighter, Gandhian, Cabinet Minister for several years in Rajasthan and his grandfather Shri. Mathura Das Mathur.
After his active involvement in Lachoo College, it was never easy to shift his focus from marketing to learning insights of how educational institutes are run. But, his motivation towards giving back to the society was nonpareil. He knew that the Marwari community holds businesses all over the globe and the Marwar region gives to the world, a large number of CAs.
Taking note of the fact that students were forced to NCR or down south for their management courses, Mathur started the commerce and management courses to help the students get a quality education. That being said, it was never easy all stakeholders for starting commerce and management courses in a science college. This vital decision was proved a success when it benefitted the regional students since the Marwari families would be hesitant to send their girls outstation to pursue such courses.
He then organized the structure and under his leadership, Lachoo College is only standalone Higher Education Institute situated in sands of Thar recognized as ‘College with Potential for Excellence’ by UGC, Ministry of Human Resource Development; Accredited by NAAC-UGC with ‘A’ Grade. The Government of Rajasthan declared it as ‘Model College’ in the state. Furthermore, the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India identified this college as a research potential centre for the flora and fauna of the desert area and established Bioinformatics Center and selected the college under its ‘Star College Scheme’.
His exemplary work was appreciated by the professionals around and was appointed as Vice President of ‘All India Professional Congress’ for the state of Rajasthan. He used this forum to serve the society by organizing blood donation camp, health camps, public health awareness in slums and calling experts like ‘Waterman of India’ Rajendra Prasad, Water conservationist to make people aware importance of water conservation in Rajasthan.
Sachin Mathur definitely paved the path as a role model for young generations in India where family-run philanthropic institutes are lacking the contemporary changes going worldwide.
Harmony Foundationheld an informative forum on the 31st of January 2020 on the topic of Organ Trafficking and Donation to truly reach the hearts and minds of the youth of Mumbai. Organ trafficking is a brutal reality today and still happens in India and our country has earned the nickname of ‘kidney bazaar’ because it has become a haven for illegal harvesting. The demand and supply gap for donor organs has paved the way for illegal transplants and trade of human organs. To complicate matters further, the lack of sound policy and infrastructure to support willing donors and recipients has made this illegal trade thrive. Acute shortage of organs against an increase in demand for the same in this 1.3 billion strong nation has led to organ trafficking becoming a very serious problem.
Due to a serious
lack of awareness, there are myths, fears, and superstitions in the minds of
people about organ donation. The aim of the conclave was to create awareness in
order to enlighten and motivate the youth to pledge now for donating their
organs after death and to spread awareness about the necessity of organ
donation.
Our eminent
speakers addressed the various factors that affect organ trafficking. One such
factor that was constantly recognised was poverty, which plays a substantial
role in the illegal supply of organ trafficking. Dr. Madhu Chopra,
mother of Priyanka Chopra, spoke for legalizing organ trade and stated “we must
encourage government hospitals to have quality centres thereby making organ
trade accessible, cheaper and humane.”
On the other
hand, Dr. Narinder Mehra, the former Dean of AIIMS and who
currently is on the advisory board of DAFOH (Doctors against Forced Organ
Harvesting), opined that, “money for organs is a process that won’t go too
far.” He believed that true awareness of organ donation and more importantly,
deceased organ donation is what will effectively change the nature of the
issue, and eventually reducing the massive gap in the demand and supply of
organs.
Celebrated
Bollywood actress, Raveena Tandon, who has already pledged her
organs for donation, concurred with the same. As an ambassador for organ
donation, she was very vocal about the role that superstitions play in
dissuading potential donors. She stated that the USA follows a procedure
wherein driver license forms contain the option of being an organ donor or not.
Ms. Tandon wished that India would follow the same but superstitions among the
public do not allow for the negative topic of death or the possibility of
accidents be discussed on the happy occasion of getting a drivers license.
Being an organ
recipient herself, Jaya Jairam, a Project Manager in MOHAN
Foundation (Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network), gave a pragmatic view on what
live organ donation means and the psychological trauma attached to it. She
promoted deceased organ donation and proclaimed “a deceased body can save up to
55 lives”. She further explained the true legalities entailed in the process of
organ donation upon death. As a topic that is often enshrouded in mystery, she
helped make a tangible difference by helping the youth understand what it means
to be a donor. Dr. Mary Mathew, the chair of UNESCO BioEthics –
Indian Mission, provided an alternative and a more innovative solution to this
plaguing problem. She reckons that 3D – printing is the future of organ
donation
Despite of
different opinions presented on the dias, one thing all speakers agreed upon
was the importance of awareness and sensitization on the topic of organ
pledging and donation, especially among the youth. As aptly mentioned by Ms.
Jairam, “The youth come without the baggage of misunderstanding, myths, and
superstitions. This is why we should focus on the youth.”
“The need of the hour in our nation today, besides the several protests happening around the country to protect the Constitution, is also to address the tragedy of thousands of children who go missing and possibly kidnapped and killed for organ harvesting” expressed Dr. Abraham Mathai, the Founder Chairman of Harmony Foundation. He further stated, “The only viable solution to this issue is through a revolution by the youth to promote pledging of organs for a better tomorrow.”
Harmony Foundation is an
international NGO that works in the Social sphere, it was founded in 2005, with
raison d’être being the establishment and strengthening of social cohesion
among various communities and to work towards the benefit of all without any
discrimination.
The Corporate Interface Team (CIT) of Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Pune, organized its annual flagship management conclave, ‘ Senate 2020 ’. This year ‘Senate’ was a two-day event which was held on 31st Jan 2020 and 1st Feb 2020 at SIBM Pune’s campus located at Lavale, Pune.
With a rich legacy of over 41 years, SIBM Pune has been at the forefront of inspiring the minds of future business
leaders through valuable corporate engagements. Taking this trend forward, Senate 2020 focused on the theme of ‘Recasting the Indian Economy: The Millennial Effect’ to highlight on and understand ‘How industries identify and respond to the evolving millennial trends through disruptive business strategies?’. According to Divyansh Singh Coordinator – Corporate Interface Team ‘SIBM Pune’s Corporate Interface Team aims to bring together diverse thought leaders who can acquaint the students with the key facets of change and also guide them on how best to prepare for the future’
Speeches Delivered By Industry Leaders
The conclave hosted business stalwarts and thought leaders across industries from organizations like McKinsey & Company, Reliance Jio, L&T Financial Services, Sony Pictures Networks, Mondelez International and others. The two-day event comprised of formats including keynote address, panel discussions and masterclass workshops.
The speakers on the day one were Mr. Abhinandan, Solutions Leader at McKinsey & Company, Mr. Dinanath Dubhashi MD & CEO of L&T Finance Holdings Ltd., and Mr. Ashwin Sanghi, one of India’s leading authors.
SIBM Pune’s Senate 2020
On day two, the keynote address was delivered by Mr. Vikas Choudhury, President -Reliance Jio and Mr. Sunit Mukherjee, Associate Director at Mondelez International. The day two ended with an interesting panel discussion on the theme ‘Trends redefining the consumption story in the Indian Context’.
Keynote On How Firms Rethink Their Framework
The panellist for the panel discussion included Mr. Nitish Sharma – Head of Programming Strategies and Insights – Sony Pictures Network India, Dr. Kushal Sanghvi – Business Head – Reliance Entertainment and Digital, Mr. Amit Verma – Director and Head, Growth Marketing – Zoomcar, Mr. Ankur Tiwari – AVP – Growth & Marketing – UrbanClap, Mr. Janak Malkani – Executive Director – CBRE.
The discussion was moderated by Mr. Prodipto Roy – Founding Partner – Crimson Consulting and Prof Sandeep Bhattacharya – Head Corporate Relations SIBM Pune, felicitated all the guests.
The discussions provided key insights on how firms re-think and change their conventional framework to adapt to the ‘VUCA world’ and align their operations with the decision patterns and consumption behaviour of the new age consumer. India’s consumer segment has witnessed major transience over the last decade. Industry experts shared their views on how changes in the determinants of consumer spending are impacting the dynamics of the economy.
According to Dr Ramakrishnan Raman – Director SIBM Pune ‘Events like Senate is a showcase of SIBM Pune’s commitment to promoting holistic management education by bridging the gap between industry and academia through extensive corporate connect and providing its students exposure to broaden their management perspectives’
Monika Enterprises an importer and
distributor of premium spirits in India has partnered with several restaurants
in Mumbai, Bangalore and Goa to celebrate Pisco Sour Day which is celebrated on
the first Saturday of February every year.
Pisco is the national spirit of Peru and the Pisco Sour is one of the most popular and revered cocktails that is made with Pisco. The Pisco Sour originated in Lima, Peru and went on to become loved around the world, so much so that the government of Peru officially designated the 1st Saturday of February as National Pisco Day even declaring it as a government holiday.
Being one of only 2 importers of Pisco in India, Monika Enterprises has taken the initiative to partner with over 25 outlets across 3 cities to make people more aware about this classic cocktail as well as the culture and heritage behind it being one of the more loved drinks the world over.
The Pisco Sour was first invented in 1920 which means this year will mark 100 years of existence for the iconic cocktail. This is the first time that Pisco Sour day will be celebrated in India with residents of Mumbai, Bangalore and Goa getting a chance to experience the day with expert mixologists making variations of the Pisco sour cocktail using Tabernero Pisco La Botija Quebranta which is one of the best and most authentic Piscos imported all the way from Peru itself.
Talking about the partnership and celebrating Pisco Sour day for the first time, Mr Kunal Patel, Managing Partner, Monika Enterprises had the following to say,” We are proud to be the first to bring one of the finest Pisco’s to India. We are also extremely excited to be the first to celebrate Pisco Sour Day in India. Our aim is to steadily grow the popularity of Pisco every year so that Indian consumers from all across the country can one day join in this celebration.”
Pisco Sour Day will be celebrated at various outlets in Mumbai like Cin Cin, Thirsty City 127, Asian Town and Masque, in Bangalore at Windmills Craftworks, Fox In The Field and Levels along with places like Cuebebar, Antares and Jamun in Goa. Mixologists across these 25 outlets are set to create multiple variations of the Pisco Sour cocktails to cater to all tastes and preferences.
‘ The First Temptation Of Christ ‘, a Netflix Christmas Special movie produced by the company Porta dos Fundos., which was released last year made millions of people angry all over the world because it shows Jesus Christ in a gay relationship and Mary as a weed-smoker.
Due to this, millions of people around the globe signed a petition demanding its withdrawal and as per the recent verdict from the Supreme Court Brazil, they overturned the High Court ruling banning of this movie.
Following this verdict, Dr Abraham Mathai wrote an open letter to the President of the Supreme Court Judge of Brazil.
In an open letter addressed to the Hon’ble Justice Jose Antonio Dias Toffoli, President of Supreme Court Brazil, Dr Mathai wrote, “It is rather disheartening to note that you have overturned the High Court ruling banning the movie “The First Temptation of Christ” produced by the company Porta dos Fundos. Also shocking to note is that your verdict is based on the justification of free speech implying that the defamation of Christ by portraying Him in a homosexual relationship is acceptable under this provision.”
Dr Mathai also added, “This defies logic in every sense that free speech permits offending the sentiments of the adherents of a faith persuasion notably the Christian community in this particular instance. One is left wondering what rationale you have used in your capacity as the Judge of the Supreme Court to arrive at such a verdict of using the premise of free speech.”
He
expressed his concern that such verdict has opened the floodgates and has set a
precedent for the deity of Christ to be mocked with impunity.
Dr Mathai also wrote, “Isn’t this a situation where advantage has been taken of the virtues of peace, love and forgiveness exhibited by the Christian community that has led to the overturning of the verdict of the High Court? Belittling and negating Jesus, a person who turned the world right-side up with his exemplary character and impeccable integrity should not be entertained under any circumstances. You will appreciate that the message and teachings of Christ are relevant even today, as evidenced by the billions of followers worldwide who congregate week after week throughout generations in reverential adoration to His holy name. Jesus remains unequalled by any historical figure universally to date that even history itself, in ultimate recognition of Him, is divided into two eras – Before Christ (BC) and After Death (AD Anno Domini – In the year of the Lord).”
Dr Mathai appealed to the Hon’ble Justice Jose Antonio Dias Toffoli and the courtsto once again bring this matter to light and ensure that real justice would prevail over instances like this where defamation and degrading an entire religion in the name of creative liberty is honoured over timeless sacred beliefs. Brazil is a largely Catholic nation where the Church has great influence. Dr Mathai fears that if this judgment is not reviewed with sincerity it will go down as the darkest day in the history of the judiciary of Brazil where the defamation triumphed over justice and morality which has offended the sentiments of a peace-loving community worldwide.
In the light of his recent visit here to grace the Republic Day commemoration, Dr Mathai appealed to the President of Brazil. He states that it is prudent and imperative for the President, who has openly opposed homosexuality, to use the executive powers vested in him to overrule this verdict by the parliament in the larger interest of the global Christian community whose sentiments have been grieved.
CA. Dr. Harsh Patel, a promising CA and a
self-made entrepreneur expressed his views on the current needs for the
Chartered accountancy fraternity. He emphatically spoke about the necessity for
exploring global opportunities while inculcating a sense of professional
entrepreneurship within this community.
An article recently stated that there are
close to 3 lakh CA’s in India, of which it is estimated that a mere 1.25 lakh
pursue the full-time practice. Therefore, the scope of the chartered
accountancy industry is expected to witness an upward trend. A seminar was
conducted by the coveted and well recognized, Committee for Export of CA
Services & WTO by WIRC of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
(ICAI), Baroda on 25th January 2020. As a speaker, the institute called upon
the young and enterprising CA. Dr. Harsh Patel (DBA, HC USA), as one of the
speakers. His presence can be attributed to his efforts in creating a name of
himself within the Chartered accountancy fraternity and the business community
by expanding in over 6 countries at just
26 years of age owing to his passion and vision.
The seminar witnessed the attendance of various members of the accountancy sector right from the aspiring CA’s to well established CA firm owners. It was a well-represented audience that could benefit from the lecture on the opportunities that lie ahead.
CA. Dr. Harsh Patel
CA. Dr. Harsh Patel was asked to
befittingly speak on ‘”Global Opportunities for Indian CA”, owing to
his expansion endeavors. He enlightened the audience with his insightful
excerpts. He emphasized the pressing need for the Chartered accountants in
India to explore newer avenues globally. A common spirit of complacency in
private practice has been observed within the community. This latency also
stems from the lack of wanting to explore newer global laws and the fear of
failure. To move ahead as a fraternity, it is imperative to conquer new
grounds.
CA. Dr. Harsh Patel, also delved into a
vast range of relevant topics right from Legal Provisions to Global
Opportunities that are available for the Indian CA’s. That includes segments of
Company Incorporation, Accounting, Providing Risk Management Advisory, Business
Advisory, Tax Advisory & Audit, and Assurance Services. While also shedding
some invaluable insights on the scope for business expansion in Various
Countries like India, USA, UK, Canada, Singapore, and UAE.
He spoke about the organization from the point
of view of inculcating a sense of community within it. He expressed that the
industry needs to have a sense of foresightedness to create spaces on a global
platform. The responsibility of which lies heavy on the shoulders of both the
students and the management. The seminar intended to enlighten the students and
practicing CA’s to break boundaries and come together as a community to set
foot into the global scale of things.
Continuing with an example of the law
industry, he explained how lawyers rooted for each other and honed an
entrepreneurial spirit. Similarly, the time had come to create professional
entrepreneurs out of the members of the CA fraternity. He urged the speakers and the audience to
empower and embolden themselves to take risqué yet calculated decisions and
imbibe a business –oriented skill set.
He further encouraged tie-ups on a global
scale by setting up entrepreneurial ventures that include tapping opportunities
for In-Bound and Outbound-Advisory. Owing to India’s global presence and
investor interests, the scope for this branch is unlimited. It is the
responsibility of each member to take the Indian CA fraternity to a global
level by uplifting and empowering, which requires internal unity, harmony, and
increased partnerships. Together this can be done.
As a befitting conclusion, the seminar
focused on the luminaries whose professional firms had gone successfully
international thus benefitting themselves, the ICAI and the nation.
This eventful seminar reached its
completion as the honorable the Chairman of Vadodara Branch of WIRC of ICAI –
CA. Krunal Brahmbhatt encouraging spoke about the ICAI’s MOU with an IT firm
that will help the CA’s in creating a digital presence at subsidized rates.
Many more such opportunities need to be
explored to continually improve the stand of the fraternity in a domestic and
global scale. It won’t just help our industry and India, but also the future
and scope for the newer generations who aspire to be CA’s by creating new
opportunities for them on a global scale.
HealthSetGo founder and CEO Priya
Prakash has won the Global Citizen Cisco Youth Leadership Award for 2019 for
her school health program that aims at providing 360 degree healthcare support
to children at the school.
The prestigious award honors an
individual aged 18 – 30 who is bringing about a positive change in the world by
solving some of its biggest global challenges. The award includes a US $250,000
prize paid to the individual’s organization to which the individual
contributes, to further their mission of accelerating global problem solving.
The Cisco Youth Leadership Award
for 2019 was given to Prakash by Cisco Executive Vice President and Chief
People Officer Fran Katsoudas, in December of 2019 at the Royal Albert Hall,
London. The prestigious finalist group, which Prakash was a part of, included
four other individuals who are each working continuously to shape the world
like never before. Prakash’s HealthSetGo is a healthcare organization that
supports the UN’s global sustainable development goals and is dedicated to
improving the health and lives of children.
From 6th grade through college, she suffered weight-related bullying that eventually had a devastating impact on her emotional wellbeing and mental health. She finally decided to take charge of her life, and adopted a healthy lifestyle that not only led her into maintaining a healthy weight, and gaining self confidence, but also becoming a state-level weightlifter. Having brought about a positive change in her life, she now wanted to help others in leading a healthy life.
Priya Prakash – CEO HealthSetGo
Speaking on the occasion Priya
said, “Today, I encourage all schools to take steps to ensure that they are
fostering a health promoting environment. Let’s give every child a chance of a
healthier life.”
With a vision to empower parents,
doctors, schools, and governments, Prakash founded HealthSetGo – a company that
uses digital technology to make data-driven decisions to improve the health and
lives of children. The company creates a ‘digital health report card’ with the
help of artificial intelligence & data analytics that provides complete
information about a child’s health aged 2 – 17 which helps in finding the
diseases or other issues he or she might have. During health examination,
doctors record the information in real time on HealthSetGo’s proprietary app and
make it instantly shareable, thereby providing a single place for medical
records to be stored.
HealthSetGo has also introduced
‘HealthSetGo CAREBox’, which contain health curriculums for specific age groups
that help teachers in teaching children about hygiene and sanitation, physical
health, mental well-being, and food and nutrition in a fun way with the help of
activities. The aim of the CAREBox is to drive behavioral change in habit
formation and enable kids to make healthy seeking choices.
Under her leadership, the
organization, in a span of 4 years has become India’s largest healthcare organization
for schools which currently operates in over 77+ cities across the country,
impacting 250,000 students and parents. Prakash has decided to use the prize
money provided by Cisco to expand access to healthcare services, and ensure
that they reach those who need health support the most to continue
creating a sustainable intervention.
