DineDesk named “Hot100 Technology Company of 2014”

Ahmed Sharief, Dine Desk Director receiving the Hot100 Technology award

DineDesk named “Hot100 Technology Company of 2014”

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India DineDesk has been named a Hot100 technology company by CIO-Choice in their annual awards ceremony held in December.  The prestigious 2014 award is presented in association with KPMG, Microsoft Ventures, Amazon Ventures and Netmagic.

  “We are proud to win this honoured title of Hot100,” said Clyde Vassou, Marketing Manager of DineDesk. “It showcases our excellence in innovation in restaurant technology and it recognizes our hard work in building a scalable company.”

DineDesk offers an Online Reservations, Marketing, Guest and Table Management solution for restaurants. Using DineDesk, a restaurant can receive reservations from Facebook, its own Website, and partner websites. The built-in CRM, Table Management and Guest Management systems assist in seating guests, managing wait lists, and tracking guest preferences and other information, such as allergies.

“Our team has put a tremendous amount of work into creating the DineDesk suite of tools,” said Bob Lawson, CEO of Dine Desk. “It is an honour to have an outside authority validate the quality of this work.” 

DineDesk also offers restaurants online marketing tools that can be used to promote a restaurant, including special offers and seasonal menus. Marketing options include social media, email marketing and SMS marketing. Restaurants can use DineDesk on a tablet, mobile phone, laptop, desktop, or any other Internet enabled device. No special hardware or software is required to use the cloud-based system.

DineDesk received the award at an event that showcased leading technology companies developing solutions for the “Internet of things,” such as wearable technologies, and software as a service solutions that leverage cloud computing for various business verticals.

Anoop Mathur, President of CORE, said: “I congratulate DineDesk on winning the elite tag of being Hot100. We had 60 days of campaigning with 26 Jury members to select the winners, who truly deserve the badge of honour. Selection was made based on a company’s technological innovation, team strength, opportunity size, and product value proposition. The Hot100 Awards measures business achievement across the board, championing innovation, enterprise and the people behind the company.” 
 

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Zoho Announces Zoho.in for India

Zoho Announces Zoho.in for India

At Zoholics: India, company launches a free software package for businesses in India; Announces future plans on hosting in India

Zoho Corp., the leading IT product company from India, today announced the launch of Zoho.in, a suite of applications for companies to run their entire business on Zoho. Zoho is offering this package free exclusively for Indian businesses.

Included in the package is an offer for Indian businesses to register a free .in or .co.in domain, a flexible website creation application in Zoho Sites, Email Hosting application in Zoho Mail and Document Management and Office suite apps in Zoho Docs, as well as several mobile applications that accompany these web applications.

Additionally, Zoho also announced plans to open a data center in India to serve Indian businesses.

The Zoho.in package is free for the first 25 users in a business. Up to 25 users can get free business-class email accounts in Zoho Mail. Businesses can create unlimited websites using Zoho Sites' drag-and-drop interface. Zoho Docs, the document management application which allows businesses to share and collaborate on documents is available for free for unlimited users in a business. The mobile applications in the package include Zoho Mail, Zoho Docs, Zoho Writer and Taskz, and these are available on both iOS and Android.

Zoholics: India
Zoho is organising its first Zoholics event in India on Nov 20-21, in Bengaluru. Spread across two days, the event will focus on Zoho sharing its journey on becoming the largest IT product company from India. The company will also talk about how India is moving towards the next-gen product development hub and how a product company can be built from scratch in India.

Zoholics: India will cover several interesting sessions, challenging the startup community to think out-of-the-box, to make a difference. Delivering the keynote session will be Sridhar Vembu, CEO and Founder, Zoho Corp., who will talk about breaking all rules to drive exceptional innovation.

Sridhar Vembu, CEO & Founder, Zoho Corp. said, “Innovation happens through exception. Rules codify normal behaviour. Thus, being exceptional entails that rules be broken. Something that cannot be ignored are India's micro, small and medium size businesses which have seen unprecedented growth over the last decade. Additionally, starting tomorrow, we will be giving .in and .co.in domains for free to Zoho customers along with several essential applications to run your business, giving emerging companies the much-required introduction to the cloud.”

Raju Vegesna, Chief Evangelist Zoho Corp. said, “Zoholics: India is all about us sharing our journey through the years. The road wasn't without bumps, resilience and reinvention are the enduring values that outlive others. Then, the world became flat and provided global access to all. Now it's tilting in our favour. Indian companies are at an inflection point and have access to a large pools of young talent with the creativity, flexibility, and experience that is unmatched. At the event, we plan to highlight the upcoming opportunity in India.”

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Mom's Favourite online fashion stop Fashionandyou.com is now all set to be Kid's favourite too

Mom's Favourite online fashion stop Fashionandyou.com is now all set to be Kid's favourite too

Fashionandyou.com, India’s leading online flash website, has added a new category for kids to its repertoire. You can now shop for all your needs as well as those of your kids on the one-stop-shop of high fashion and premium brands.

The kids’ category will include the best of brands & offering across categories like ethnic and western apparel, footwear, home furnishings and skin care items.

FashionAndYou CEO AasheeshMediratta said, “At FashionAndYou, we have the privilege of serving a large and loyal customer base. With the addition of Kids category, our valued customers will be able to shop for themselves and their children from a single destination.

The category will showcase curated offerings across branded fashion, footwear and home accessories for kids at great prices"

In tune with FashionAndYou’s core value proposition, the offering is discounted and is mostly in branded space for children. For now, aspecialised international offering of niche global brands is available in the Infant-to-12 year old category.

However, by the start of next year the flash website is planning to host sales for teens as well, making them an ultimate stop-shop for all the lifestyle needs of customers and their families.

FashionAndYou has brought on board only the most well-known brands in kids category to be showcased through daily events / sales. The brands showcased include discounted offering from Benetton, Crocs, Disney, Puma, Levi’s, Aveeno, Spiderman and Barbie. Like the other flash sales on the site, the kids’ category events will also last for 3-5 days and will offer discounts of up to 80%.

Style your little divas and rockstars with the carefully-curatededits of cool and stylish apparel from eclectic brands. Pickstylish additions for your child’s wardrobes while you shop for your own. Shopping for the whole family has never been this fun and easy as it is now with FashionAndYou!

About fashionandyou.com

As India’s leading online flash website fashionandyou.com is a leader in Fashion & Lifestyle space. fashionandyou.com has partnered with high fashion and premium brands across fashion apparel, designer wear, handbags, footwear, watches, jewelry, fragrances and home décor. It holds 20+ new sale events per day on www.fashionandyou.com.

Fashionandyou.com boasts of one of the biggest social media footprints for e-retailers in India with a million plus fan base on Facebook. It is the first e-commerce website to achieve this milestone in the fashion and lifestyle segment worldwide.

Since its inception, fashionandyou.com has grown at a remarkable pace with almost 5.5 million members and growing in its more than 4 years of operation. It delivers to over 10000 pin codes pan India and distribution centers in north and west India. The goal of the campaign is to highlight the fact that fashionandyou.com has over 20 new sales every day, enabling their customers to choose from a large variety of fashion and lifestyle products at up to 80% off.

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Light it up with FabFurnish.com

Light it up with FabFurnish.com

Let the festivities pour into your home with pomp and show. How about lighting up your nooks and corners with some smart state-of-the-art DIY ideas?

Besides adding a personal touch, these frolic creativities are full-proof ways that ensure not to bother your pocket at all.

Take some inspirations here and get ready to render your home an all new glam and glitzy look, that too without going overboard.

Jar chandeliers, rustic beauties: Now this sounds a little tricky. Fret not, here’s how you can easily make it at home. Take a mason jar; fill in with sand to keep the candle intact and to avoid the jar from turning black from heat.

Tie a rope around the neck, lit the candle & go hang them all over your backyard.

Floating candles, mesmerizing effects: Trust, this one never fades! Fill a crystal bowl with water and stick some yellow floating candles in it. Throw in some daisy flowers to give it a fresh feel.

Bottle lamps, sparkling wonders: Enchanting as ever! Get the glass drilled – a small (half an inch) hole near the base of the bottle.

Once done, just put in some strands of lights. Add some pearls in the bottom to enhance. Switch on the power and spark the town.

Decked up candles, classic detailing: Candle, glue and simple waste leaves! You just need these three to get these winsome candles.

Rollover the glue on candle and paste leaves on it. Press it to fix it hard with the help of a spoon or simply tie a bamboo rope to give it a rustic appeal.

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ShopClues.com unveils new logo & website user interface to strengthen foothold

ShopClues.com, India’s largest horizontal player in non standard categories, has unveiled a new logo to reflect its strong position in the market, as a preferred online shopping brand.

The ShopClues website and mobile app have also been revamped to offer a more visually-appealing interface and enhanced user experience (UI/UX), while accommodating the rapidly growing scale of business in terms of category expansion, merchant expansion and optimization.

The new logo continues to hold the two strongholds of the brand- comprehensiveness and trust, while bringing a contemporary, simpler and stronger vibe to the brand.

The improved UI/UX of the website and the mobile app makes it easier to navigate through the growing scale of the marketplace in terms of categories, merchandize, partner merchants and optimizations.

Gearing up for the mobile revolution, even the mobile version of the site, m.shopclues.com, has undergone a facelift in terms of design and functionality.

Radhika Aggarwal, Co-Founder of Shopclues.com, said, “We recently undertook end-to-end advertising and branding initiatives to further entrench ourselves as a brand of mass consumption.

The new logo ably demonstrates our commitment to be accessible across demographics and geographies.

It’s bolder, catchier and more vibrant thus increasing top-of-the-mind recall and spelling out our core value of being the preferred online partner for Indian shoppers and providing them with value and great selection.” The marketplace has more than 75000 merchants, 7500 national, regional and local brands, over 9 million SKUs across 3300 categories.

The leading marketplace nurtured the brand by first establishing a formidable presence in India before unveiling its market position. In a bid to firmly foster its value proposition, it has now launched its revamped logo and website/mobile app design to perpetuate its image as the most accessible online shopping partner for all Indians.

About ShopClues.com:

Founded in July 2011 in Silicon Valley, ShopClues.com is India's first and the largest managed marketplace that connects buyers and sellers online and offers a trusted and safe online shopping experience.

With our customer centric approach we provide the best online shopping experience to our customers - starting from the great selection, low price, ease of use, fast delivery, and ending with the best customer service you have ever experienced. ShopClues ships in over 12k cities across India and has thousands of online stores.

ShopClues is funded by leading institutional investors, is an Indian subsidiary of Clues Network Inc., a US Corporation and is based out of Gurgaon.

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Fabfurnish.com evolves the boring banners to daring banners!

We all know the 3 steps to make a consumer friendly website: ease in finding the product, showcasing the product, easy check out! But these days, it is equally important to have an interactive home page.

FabFurnish.com, India’s largest home décor portal became the first Indian e-commerce company to launch banners with products to click from banners.

Great ecommerce websites successfully connect a user to a product with a system that is efficient, easy and fun. While there are many aspects that go into creating conversions, this one is specifically important for user experience design.

Large visuals have a deeper impact on customers and further enabling the customer to enlarge every product on the banner increases engagement.

Keeping the online shopping experience fresh does not require a complex and costly tear-down every year, what it requires is good ideation.

The company has been paying close attention to the website details to make the website more and more interactive.

The banners no more only have picturesque beauty but every product in it can be looked at with specification. Also, it is keeping in harmony with the overall feel of the website.

While it is important to keep the website simple, the simplicity can be played around in many ways and FabFurnish has exactly shown how.

Interestingly, in a span of just 3 days, the traffic of the website increased by 11%.

With great attention being paid on marketing strategies, creating effective creative content is just another step in the direction.

About FabFurnish.com:

FabFurnish.com is India’s largest online home store with the widest range of assorted home furniture, furnishings, décor and kitchenware from over 500+ local and international brands.

Founded by Vikram Chopra and Mehul Agrawal, the company was brought to India by well-known German incubator Rocket Internet.

Catering to the young, urban and aspirational consumers who seek to flaunt their cultivated taste for home & lifestyle within their budget, it envisions itself as a brand retailer by achieving a five-fold annual growth rate.

It stands apart from other players through its grand assortment of more than 60,000 products that define modern trends in home design, affordable prices, pan India shipment, varied payment options and excellent customer service.

Poised to become the biggest offline and online player in the market, the company has a retail presence in Delhi NCR, Bangalore, and plans to expand countrywide.

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ShopClues launches ‘Style My Catalog’ as a value-added service for merchant partners

ShopClues.com,  an ecommerce portal in India, has launched a new service for the benefit of its merchant partners called ‘Style My Catalog’.

As a part of this service, sellers can avail of professional styling assistance for showcasing their merchandise online in the best possible fashion and improve sales. ‘Style My Catalog’ is the first of a suite of value-added services that ShopClues is introducing for the merchants who sell through the platform.

Radhika Ghai Aggarwal, Co-Founder & CMO, ShopClues said, “ShopClues has over 70,000 registered merchants – the largest seller community for an ecommerce portal in India.

Nearly 65% of these are small and medium businesses, many of who don’t have the merchandising expertise or access to marketing tools. Our value-added services are meant to aid such merchants so that they can do better business on our platform.”

“After carefully understanding the shopping propensities of online customers, we have introduced the ‘Style My Catalog’ service to help merchants develop the best-looking catalog for their products. It encompasses a bouquet of professional styling services to create, enhance and enrich the catalog for online sales.

Our styling experts will pay attention to every small detail regarding the portrayal of merchandise online and will make necessary alterations to help attract more customers and get higher conversions,” she added.

The stylists will focus on aspects such as model shoots, photo shoots of the product, image editing, tech specs and catalog content writing. All the services have been developed after studying what it is that makes shoppers buy a product online. Attractive pictures, high quality shots, variety of angles and clear descriptions convince customers to make a purchase faster hence styling the catalog is an investment and not a cost for the sellers.

Well-designed catalogs get more clicks in the online space and improve the ranking in search results as well. Since the online shopper can’t touch or feel the product, the way the offerings appear in pictures and the aesthetic appeal of the catalog are the only factors that impact the buying decision. ShopClues has devised the ‘Style My Catalog’ service keeping these points in mind.

Merchants can avail of this service at prices as low as Rs. 25 that go up to Rs. 375 only.

About ShopClues.com:

Founded in July 2011 in Silicon Valley, ShopClues.com is India's first and largest managed marketplace that connects buyers and sellers online and offers a trusted and safe online shopping experience.

With our customer centric approach we provide the best online shopping experience to our customers - starting from the great selection, low price, ease of use, fast delivery, and ending with the best customer service you have ever experienced.

ShopClues ships in over 12k cities across India and has thousands of online stores.

ShopClues, ecommerce portal in India,  is funded by leading institutional investors, is an Indian subsidiary of Clues Network Inc., a US Corporation and is based out of Gurgaon.

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EduKart Launches PGDM Course

New Delhi: It is said, "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure."

EduKart has become one of the leading providers of distance education in India. Conceived in April 2011, the company has grown with leaps and bounds.

EduKart continues its efforts to provide the best correspondence education to aspirants in the comforts of their home. There are tie-ups with a number of universities and also foreign universities.

EduKart has now tied up with two leading AICTE recognised institutions called the National Institute of Management and Technology and Graduate School of Business and Management for providing Post Graduate Diploma in Management. These institutions are based in Ghaziabad and Greater Noida respectively. Candidates can now enrol in the PGDM course offered by these institutions through EduKart and get added benefits.

Distance education has become the face of new India and its prospects are increasing each day. With the advent of e-learning, getting quality education has become easier. EduKart helps those who have a passion for making it big in life.

Post Graduate Diploma in Management has become a very popular course in India; it offers great opportunities for those who want to make a career in management. Management has been a top favourite among students as it can guarantee a successful career and also a well-paying job. Coping with management studies can be tough but very beneficial.

"Doing MBA gave me advantage and also better appraisals. I got practical knowledge as well" says Pritika Bansal, head of counselling team at EduKart.

Post Graduate Diploma in Management is a course, which equips the candidates with essential leadership skills so that he/she can run the organization efficiently.

With the changing times, the needs and demands of the market have changed too. New managers have to be equipped with these new skills to work efficiently.

Courses like PGDM have been introduced by various institutes, which cater to the demand of the market. This course can be pursued through distance learning, which offers online study content as well.

Post Graduate Diploma in Management is a 2 year course which will transform candidates into bright business professionals. They are trained in business economics, market structure, investment, retailing, entrepreneurship, stock markets, interviewing skills, human behaviour etc.

The course is divided into semesters and it is equivalent to a MBA programme.

PGDM is a course, which can transform the candidate's career graph and make him/her reach the zenith of success. For more information visit http://www.edukart.com/mba-univ.php.

CONTACT DETAILS: Isha Rastogi, Online Community Manager, EduKart.com,rastogi.isha@edukart.com

Source: Business Wire India

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Record-Breaking 96 Percent of Indian IT Leaders See a Greater Need for DevOps

DevOps is more than an IT methodology, it's a business driver, according to a new global study commissioned by CA Technologies (NASDAQ:CA). The study, TechInsights Report: What Smart Businesses Know About DevOps, reveals that IT leaders in India feel a greater need for DevOps strategies to achieve faster business benefits for enterprises.

DevOps is a methodology which helps foster collaboration between the teams that develop applications with those that maintain them in production environments i.e., Operations. According to the study, 85 percent of IT leaders expect DevOps methodology to drive greater investments in training for development and operational personnel to cater to the growing need of DevOps challenges, while 76 percent of IT leaders are likely to invest in new tools.

Vanson Bourne conducted the survey of 1,300 senior IT decision-makers worldwide, including 450 in APJ, on behalf of CA Technologies to learn about the global awareness and adoption of DevOps.

Ninety one percent of the respondents in India have or are planning to adopt a DevOps approach which is one of the highest in the world, against Asia Pacific and Japan at 70 percent and 66 percent worldwide. As part of their implementation methodology, over the next year, 55 percent of the respondents feel that knowledge of the overall priorities, strategies and metrics of the businesses is extremely critical to implement a DevOps strategy.

"The proliferation of mobile devices and BYOD are compelling CIOs to adopt solutions which can be easily accessed on mobile platforms round the clock, with relevant contents and are of superior quality. A well implemented DevOps strategy will help CIOs drive faster output of applications by compressing rudimentary testing and creating significantly better quality applications. As a result, CA Technologies enables the development function to be more business centric, to provide applications which allow businesses to drive innovation and competitive differentiation," said Sunil Manglore, managing director, India, CA Technologies.

The report further highlights the strong optimism amongst Indian IT leaders, with regards to the benefits associated with the overall DevOps implementation. More than 60 percent of respondents mentioned increase in software deployments and better collaboration across departments while 56 percent expect improved quality in applications deployment.

"DevOps is an organizational approach to break down the silos that have built up between development and operational teams. For IT leaders looking to deliver greater value to the business, it's time to look at DevOps," said Sumal Karunanayake, vice president, Application Delivery, CA Technologies. "The report offers a deeper insight on the rapidly changing IT adoption scenario and DevOps being an answer to enable faster solution deployments and optimized IT investments."

Survey Methodology

Vanson Bourne conducted the CA Technologies-sponsored study of 1300 senior IT decision-makers in financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, public sector and telecommunications in 21 countries around the world in May through July 2013. The study's respondents assume IT executive, management, project lead or enterprise architect positions at enterprises with revenues of $100 million or more.

About CA Technologies

CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) provides IT management solutions that help customers manage and secure complex IT environments to support agile business services. Organisations leverage CA Technologies software and SaaS solutions to accelerate innovation, transform infrastructure and secure data and identities, from the data centre to the cloud. Learn more about CA Technologies at www.ca.com.

Source:Business Wire India

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Eisai Begins Free Supply of Diethylcarbamazine in Line with its Global Commitment to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis

Eisai Pharmatechnology & Manufacturing Pvt. Ltd. (Headquarters: Visakhapatnam, President and Managing Director: Sanjit Singh Lamba) announced here today that it has begun the free supply of Diethylcarbamazine Citrate (DEC) 100 mg tablets produced at its Visakhapatnam Plant in India to the World Health Organization (WHO). This is in line with Eisai's commitment to help WHO in its global effort to eliminate lymphatic filariasis in targeted developing and emerging countries.

The Pacific island nations of Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Fiji have been confirmed as the first countries to receive the initial shipment. An estimated 6.25 million people1 living in at-risk communities will benefit from mass drug administration (MDA) programs.

Eisai is an active partner and signatory to the London Declaration, a global public-private partnership that aims to eliminate ten neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including lymphatic filariasis, by 2020. As part of its commitment to this global initiative, Eisai has agreed to supply 2.2 billion DEC tablets to WHO for use in national MDA programs, free of cost.

Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a parasitic disease that is transmitted to humans by the bite of a mosquito. Once transmitted, it can cause lymphatic dysfunction and lead to serious manifestations such as lymphoedema, causing painful and disfiguring manifestations of the disease. Currently, an estimated 120 million people are already affected and more than 1.4 billion people are at risk of this disease, globally. High-quality DEC (one of the drugs used to treat lymphatic filariasis) is in short supply worldwide and is not easily accessible to at-risk populations in lymphatic filariasis-endemic countries. This poses a major obstacle for eliminating the disease.

Having started the production of DEC at its Visakhapatnam Plant in India in August 2013, Eisai has now begun to provide a steady supply of DEC tablets over a seven-year period from 2013 to 2020 for distribution through WHO's MDA programs to some 250 million people living in at-risk communities in 26 targeted countries2.

Eisai believes that contributing to the improvement of global health and access to medicines in developing countries is a form of long-term investment that contributes to the economic growth of these countries. The company remains actively committed to addressing overall issues in global health, including NTDs, in order to further increase the benefits provided to patients and their families worldwide.

Eisai Knowledge Centre at Visakhapatnam, a part of Eisai´s global manufacturing and research network, is a global supply hub for increasing access to medicine at affordable prices. The integrated manufacturing facility at Visakhapatnam, supplies high quality Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Oral Solid Dosage products globally, including Japan. The facility has approvals from USFDA, MHRA, WHO Geneva, PMDA Japan, Korean FDA etc. The Research Centre has highly qualified and skilled research scientists who work on the most advanced research and analytical equipment, contributing to the development of the new chemical entities for meeting the unmet medical needs.

The Eisai site in Visakhapatnam was awarded by International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) as Facility of the Year award–2012 in the best project execution category. Eisai Visakhapatnam is the only facility in India to have won this prestigious international award from ISPE.

Notes to editors

1. About Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), NTDs blight the lives of more than 1 billion of the world’s poorest 2.4 billion people. There are 149 countries and territories where NTDs are endemic, at least 100 of which are endemic for 2 or more of these diseases, and 30 countries and territories of which are endemic for 6 or more. These diseases not only survive and spread in conditions of poverty but also anchor large populations in poverty.

(NTDs designated by WHO for control or elimination: Buruli ulcer, Chagas disease,cysticercosis/taeniasis, dengue/severe dengue, dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease), echinococcosis, food-borne trematodiases, human African trypanosomiasis, the leishmaniases, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, rabies, schistosomiasis, soil-transmittedhelminthiases, trachoma, and yaws)

2. About Lymphatic Filariasis

Lymphatic filariasis is a parasitic disease that is transmitted to humans by the bite of a mosquito. Once transmitted, it can cause lymphatic dysfunction. While infection is usually acquired during childhood, symptoms often gradually appear over several years, with the most serious manifestations of the disease occurring in adulthood. One of the most serious manifestations, known as elephantiasis, is a permanent physical disability in which a patient’s lower extremities swell to resemble those of an elephant. In addition to impacting on a patient’s ability to perform everyday tasks, it historically has led to many patients falling victim to social persecution due to biases against the disease. As such, patients and their families may also suffer much emotional distress. Today, lymphatic filariasis affects an estimated 120 million people in 73 countries worldwide, most of whom live in developing and emerging countries in Africa, Southeast Asia and other tropical regions. In Japan, the disease is confirmed to have existed since the Heian period (794-1184), but was successfully eliminated in the late 1970s as a result of initiatives begun roughly ten years earlier by the Japanese government in partnership with the public-private sector, with Japan subsequently becoming the first country in the world to successfully eliminate lymphatic filariasis.

3. About the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)

On January 30, 2012, the CEOs of 13 major global pharmaceutical companies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.K. Department for International Development, the World Bank, and officials from NTD-endemic countries gathered in London to pledge their support for a coordinated effort to combat ten NTDs* by 2020. In signing the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases, each of the partner companies and organizations also pledged new levels of commitment to defeating these diseases.

The London Declaration represents the largest coordinated effort to date, and unlike past approaches undertaken by an individual organization or for a single disease, the group has committed itself to working collaboratively in an effort to comprehensively tackle issues pertaining to drug supply, distribution, development, implementation programs, and other areas as it seeks to more effectively combat NTDs. For further information, please visit the website (http://www.unitingtocombatntds.org/).

*Dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease), lymphatic filariasis, blinding trachoma, human African trypanosomiasis, leprosy, soil-transmitted helminthiases, schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, Chagas disease, and visceral leishmaniasis.

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Second Mobile Marketing Association Forum in India Goes Beyond Basics to Deconstructing Mobile for Brands

New Delhi: Speakers to include brands, digital and advertising solution providers from Coca Cola, GroupM, HUL, United Breweries, Marico, Puma, Starcom MediaVest Group India, AdMarvel , Mobilewalla, MakeMyTrip.com and Vserv.mobi among others

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) announced the second iteration of the Mobile Marketing Association Forum India(MMAF India), which will bring together senior marketing executives from brands, mobile and digital agencies, operators, technology enablers and other stakeholders of the mobile marketing industry. The MMA Forum, an annual event, will run from September 4th - 5th 2013 at the Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon. This year's event themed 'Deconstructing Mobile' will focus on how marketers can harness the power of mobile to disrupt traditional approaches to marketing.

exchange4media is the India partner for MMA. They are India's leading special interest publishing company and leaders in the media, advertising & marketing space. They host multiple event platforms to bring together leading industry players to share their learning, experiences and insights to move forward in the industry. Exchange4media co-hosts MMAF India, which is the Indian edition of the MMA's renowned Forums held around the world, bringing together the best and brightest in the mobile marketing and advertising industry including Coca Cola, GroupM, HUL, United Breweries, Starcom MediaVest Group India, AdMarvel , Mobilewalla, Marico, makemytrip.com, Puma India, Vserv.mobi and many others. The event will draw to a close with the awards ceremony - THE SMARTIEST INDIA Awards recognizing the most innovative work in the mobile marketing field.

According to the first mobile ad spend report for India, released last year by the MMA in partnership with exchange4media, the estimated size of the spend was Rs 180 crore (US$33 million) in 2012, expected to increase by 40 per cent by the end of 2013. According to the report, industry leaders, including brands and agencies, indicated that mobile advertising was 10 per cent of the overall digital advertising spends in India. The MMA believes that there are more than 12 crore (120 million) mobile internet users in India. Many advertisers are still to explore mobile as a channel, with overall digital spends in India at five to seven per cent of the overall advertising pie in India, pegged at Rs 27,000 crore to Rs 28,000 crore (US$5 billion to US$5.1 billion), according to industry estimates.

Over the past few years the MMA Forum has established itself as the premier event for marketers in Asia who want to fully embrace, utilize and execute mobile marketing as an effective medium for consumer engagement. The delegates expected at the Forum will have the opportunity to understand best practices in mobile marketing, connect and learn from experts and peers in the industry, and hear first-hand future opportunities for marketing using the mobile media channel.

The forum will include a great mix of seasoned speakers like:

-- Tomi T Ahonen, Author, Consultant and Motivational Speaker

-- Wasim Basir, Director - Integrated Marketing Communications; Coca-Cola India

-- CVL Srinivas, Chief Executive Officer, GroupM

-- Rajiv Mehta, Managing Director, PUMA India

-- Anindya Datta, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman; Mobilewalla

-- Atit Mehta, Senior Media Services Manager; Hindustan Unilever Limited

-- Samar Singh Sheikhawat, Senior Vice President Marketing; United Breweries Limited

-- Mallika Shankarnarayan, Human Experience Strategy Director P&G Asia & SMG India; Starcom MediaVest Group India

-- Manoj Malhotra, CEO; AdMarvel, an Opera Mediaworks company

-- Manish Kalra, Marketing Head; MakeMyTrip

-- Aditya Save, Head, Digital Marketing and Media; Marico

-- Dippak Khurana, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Vserv.mobi

-- Phalgun Raju, Regional Director and General Manager; InMobi

-- Raghu Venkatraman, Head of Big Data and Digital; Nielsen India

-- Annurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, exchange4media

-- Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, Mobile Marketing Association Asia Pacific Limited

For more information about the MMA Forum India 2013, including the updated agenda and speaker bios, please visit mmaglobal.com/events/forums/india2013/agenda.

About the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is the premier global non-profit trade association representing all players in the mobile marketing value chain. With more than 700 member companies, the MMA is an action-oriented organization with global focus, regional actions and local relevance. The MMA's primary focus is to establish mobile as an indispensable part of the marketing mix. The MMA works to promote, educate, measure, guide and protect the mobile marketing industry worldwide. The MMA's global headquarters are located in the United States and it has regional chapters including North America (NA), Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Latin America (LATAM) and Asia Pacific (APAC) branches.

For more information, please visit  mmaglobal.com.
Source: (Business Wire India)

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HDFC's Financial Results for the Quarter Ended June 30, 2012

Press Release

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Wednesday, July 11, 2012 -- (Business Wire India) -- The Board of Directors of Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC) announced its results for the first quarter of the financial year 2011-12, following its meeting on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 in Mumbai. The accounts have been subject to limited review by the Corporation's statutory auditors in line with regulatory guidelines.

FINANCIAL RESULTS

For the quarter ended June 30, 2012, HDFC reported a profit after tax of ` 1,001.91 crores as compared to ` 844.53 crores in the corresponding quarter of the previous year - an increase of 19%.

TOTAL ASSETS

As at June 30, 2012, the total assets of HDFC stood at ` 1,74,676 crores as against ` 148,831 crores as at June 30, 2011 - an increase of 17%.

LENDING OPERATIONS

As at June 30, 2012, the loan book stood at ` 1,48,262 crores as against ` 1,24,168 crores as at June 30, 2011. Individual loans sold during the preceding 12 months amounted to ` 4,978 crores. The growth in the individual loan book, including loans sold is 29% (23% net of loans sold) whereas the non individual loan book grew by 14%. The growth in the total loan book inclusive of loans sold is 23% (19% net of loans sold).

During the quarter ended June 30, 2012 the loan book grew by ` 7,387.74 crores of which ` 6,635.07 crores - representing 90% of the increase was on account of the increase in the individual loan book.

For the quarter ended June 30, 2012, loan approvals grew by 17% and loan disbursements grew by 20% as compared to the corresponding quarter in the previous year.

Spread and Net Interest Margins

The spread on loans over the cost of borrowings for the quarter ended June 30, 2012 stood at 2.27%. Net Interest Margin for the quarter ended June 30, 2012 was 4%.

Investments

As at June 30, 2012, the unrealised gains on HDFC's listed investments amounted to ` 27,001 crores (previous year ` 23,206 crores). This excludes the appreciation in the value of unlisted investments.

Non-Performing Loans

Gross non-performing loans as at June 30, 2012 amounted to ` 1,190 crores. This is equivalent to 0.79% of the loan portfolio (previous year - 0.83%) This is the thirtieth consecutive quarter end at which the percentage of non-performing loans have been lower than the corresponding quarter in the previous year.

Based on a six months overdue basis, the non-performing loans as at June 30, 2012 stood at 0.49% of the loan portfolio as against 0.55% in the previous year.

The balance in the provision for contingencies account as at June 30, 2012 stood at ` 1,711 crores, of which only ` 344 crores is on account of regulatory provisioning for non-performing loans and the balance ` 1,367 crores mainly comprises general provisioning on standard loans, including Dual Rate Home Loans.

As against non-performing loans of ` 1,190 crores, the balance in the provision for contingencies account as at June 30, 2012 stood at ` 1,711 crores (inclusive of non-performing loans). This is equivalent to 1.14% of the portfolio.

CAPITAL ADEQUACY RATIO

HDFC's capital adequacy ratio stood at 14.6% of the risk weighted assets, as against the minimum requirement of 12%. Tier 1 capital was 11.8% against a minimum requirement of 6%.

DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

HDFC's distribution network spans 318 outlets that include 77 offices of HDFC's distribution company, HDFC Sales Private Limited (HSPL). In addition, HDFC covers over 90 locations through its outreach programmes. Distribution channels form an integral part of the distribution network with home loans being distributed through HSPL, HDFC Bank Limited and other third party direct selling associates.

To cater to non-resident Indians, HDFC has offices in London, Dubai and Singapore and service associates in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia - Al Khobar, Jeddah and Riyadh.

WARRANTS

In August 2009, the Corporation had issued 5,47,68,530 Warrants with a right exercisable by the Warrant holder to exchange each Warrant with one equity share of face value of ` 2 per share on or before August 24, 2012 at a Warrant exercise price of ` 600 per equity share. As at June 30, 2012, 16% of the Warrants have been exchanged for equity shares of the Corporation.

CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS

The Corporation intends to disclose the unaudited consolidated financial results on a quarterly basis. The consolidated financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2012 will be disclosed shortly.

CONTACT DETAILS
Mahesh Shah, Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited, +91(22) 66316410, maheshs@hdfc.com

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Dr. R. Seetharaman Conferred with Honorary Doctorate by European University

Press Release
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, July 03, 2012 -- (Business Wire India) -- The European University, one of the world's top business schools, has conferred 'Doctorate of Honoris Causa' on Dr. R. Seetharaman, Group Chief Executive Officer, Doha Bank. Dr. Seetharaman received the honorary doctorate recently in Geneva, Switzerland at the Graduation Ceremony of the students of European University. The honour has been bestowed on Dr. Seetharaman for his unique and valuable contributions to global governance and social responsibility.

Dr. Seetharaman received an honorary doctorate from the Washington College in United States on May 20, 2012.

Commenting on the 'Doctorate of Honoris Causa' received from the European University, Dr. Seetharaman said, "I'm extremely humbled to receive this honour and consider it as a huge privilege. It gives me great pride to be a part of this esteemed family and join my fellow honoraries. I would like to thank the European University management for considering me deserving enough for the doctorate title."

At the event, Dr. Seetharaman further provided insights on sustainable development and the aim towards it being undertaking issues such as poverty eradication, environmental sustainability, and sustainable consumption and production. The various dimensions towards sustainable development are: social foundation, low carbon economy, environmental sustainability and gender equality. The main key challenges of Sustainable development would be climatic change, energy security, increase in natural and manmade disasters and rising unemployment.

Dr. Seetharaman said that sustainable development is now in the hands of the current generation, and they are the ones who will lead the world to a brighter future.

As one of the world's top business schools, European University is internationally accredited and recognized for the excellence of its students and faculty. Established in 1973, European University has developed a business education model that delivers high-quality instruction, a competitive learning environment and a network of international campuses. European University brings the American business education model to Europe by applying classroom theory to professional skills.

About Doha Bank

Doha Bank is the largest private commercial bank in the State of Qatar. It was incorporated in 1978 and commenced its banking business (including its International Banking services) in Doha, Qatar on March 15, 1979.

As one of Qatar's leading financial services company, Doha Bank is committed to making banking work for customers and clients like it never has before. Through innovative technologies and the ingenuity of its people, Doha Bank provides individuals and commercial, corporate and institutional clients across Qatar and even internationally, new and better ways to manage their financial lives. The company enables customers to do their banking and investing whenever, wherever and however they choose through an extensive network, and multiple access channels.

The Dubai branch of Doha Bank was opened in 2008.




CONTACT DETAILS
Ms. Priyanka Geriya, priyanka@watermelonme.com

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India Must Lead Global Sustainable Development Agenda Post Rio Plus 20 Summit

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Monday, July 02, 2012 -- (Business Wire India)
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) held a special media interaction on the challenges and opportunities in the context of global sustainable development agenda post the recently concluded Rio Plus 20 Summit today. Director General of TERI, Dr. R K Pachauri, Executive Director Dr. Leena Srivastava and Distinguished Fellows Nitin Desai, Ambassador Chandrashekhar Dasgupta & Dr. Prodipto Ghosh, reflected on the various issues raised at the Summit and underscored the need to tackle unsustainable means of production and consumption.

The recent culmination of the Rio Plus 20 Summit has once again fuelled socio-political debate on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead on the road to sustainable development. While a number of environmental activists and NGOs have expressed deep disappointment with the outcome of this major event, several governments view it as a victory and vindication of their own specific stands. TERI’s distinguished speakers said the need of the hour was to engage concerned stakeholders to arrive at a consensus on critical issues such as equity between developed and developing nations in achieving sustainable development.

Speakers felt there were two ways of following the outcome of Rio+20. One was to conclude that nothing of substance and certainly no agreements were produced by this conference. The second view would be to conclude that the ‘future we want’ as documented as the outcome of the conference clearly provided a wide canvas of concepts and directions that the world could possibly adopt towards the pursuit of sustainable development.

Speakers also pointed out that at the Summit, the developed countries had attempted to rollback principles of equity, which were an integral outcome of the Rio Conference held in 1992. However, lauding the strong and united stand taken by the developing nations at the Summit, Dr. R K Pachauri, Director General, TERI, said: “It is time India takes the lead and takes charge of the intellectual leadership of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) raised at the Summit.” Dr. Pachauri further added, “The final produced at the culmination of the Rio Summit had enough substance for each community and stakeholder to pick up elements to promote the discourse of global sustainable development.”

Speaking at the occasion, Executive Director, TERI, Dr. Leena Srivastava said: “The final document recognised the need of clean energy to achieve sustainable development. Emphasis of the Summit was also on boosting education and capacity building to meet sustainability targets.”

Ambassador C. Dasgupta, a Distinguished Fellow at TERI, said: “The road ahead would focus on the evolution and scope of sustainable development goals (SDGs) and their relation to the Millennium Development Goals.”

Nitin Desai, Distinguished Fellow, TERI, said: “The interest and participation of corporate entities and the scientific and academic communities at the Summit was far greater at the Rio Plus 20 Summit than ever before. This is so because the trend is no longer limited to green consumerism, but to green investors.”

Dr. Pradipto Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, TERI, opined: “The focus on sustainable production and consumption is the main point that has emerged from the Summit. Strong unity among the G-77 group to protect their individual development space has also come out strongly through the conference.”

Speakers also highlighted relevant opportunities to enhance the scope of the sustainable development agenda:

i) Profiling the elements of a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. The concept of green economy would need to take into account links between financing, technology, capacity building and national needs for sustainable development.

ii) Enunciating sustainable development goals and motivating of stakeholders, including business and industry to set in place a reporting system involving sustainability.

iii) Establishing regional, national, sub-national and local initiatives to implement the provisions of the Rio+20 document.

iv) Dealing effectively with the challenge of climate change and problems such as deforestation and loss of biodiversity as well as the problems of desertification, land degradation and drought.

v) Evaluating pathways to sustainable consumption and production.

About The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI):

From microbiology to global climate change, from smoke-filled rural kitchens to plush corporate boardrooms, from schoolchildren to heads of state—no sphere of human endeavor is unfamiliar to TERI. Headed by world-renowned economist and Nobel Prize winning climate scientist, Dr R K Pachauri, TERI is best described as an independent, not-for-profit research institute focused on energy, environment, and sustainable development and devoted to efficient and sustainable use of natural resources.

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