Tag: Sanjeev Bikhchandani

  • Grand Jury ready to mark new chapter for DNPA Conclave & Award 2024

    Grand Jury ready to mark new chapter for DNPA Conclave & Award 2024

    Mumbai: In the ever-evolving landscape of the media industry, the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) is set to host the DNPA Conclave & Awards 2024, exploring the profound impacts of digital transformation. The conclave, scheduled for 6 February 2024 at Shangri-La, New Delhi, promises to be a ground-breaking event, with a Grand Jury meeting on 15 January 2024, laying the foundation for an insightful and impactful gathering.

    Storyboard18 is the “Knowledge Partner” for the “DNPA Conclave & Awards 2024”.

    Jury Powerhouses: Steering the Course of Digital Transformation

    Distinguished leaders from across industries will be a part of the jury meet.

    The jury will be chaired by senior politician, and former senior parliamentarian of India, Suresh Prabhu.

    The Grand Jury includes Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder and executive vice chairman, Info Edge; Ajay Prakash Sawhney, former secretary, MEITY, Government of India, Shashi Sekhar Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati; Dr Aruna Sharma, former secretary, MEITY, Government of India and Practitioner Development Economist, Arvind Gupta, co-founder, Digital India Foundation; Robert Ravi, chief technology officer, Government of Tamil Nadu; Prasoon Joshi, chairman, McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific and CEO & CCO at McCann Worldgroup India; N.S. Nappinai, Supreme Court advocate and founder of Cyber Saathi Foundation; Vinit Goenka, author and former BJP spokesperson; and Vivan Sharan, founder and partner, of Koan Advisory Group.

    Their collective expertise will significantly enrich the deliberations of the DNPA Conclave & Awards 2024.

    The Grand Jury will focus on outstanding contributions in navigating India’s digital transformation and fostering innovation. The DNPA Awards serve as a platform to honour cutting-edge digital initiatives that have had a profound contribution to the nation’s progress. The awards recognise the extraordinary innovations made in various sectors including health, education, finance, and media, alongside pivotal areas like women empowerment, environmental protection, governance, and administrative reforms, acknowledging those who have been instrumental in India’s digital journey and inspiring continued innovation and excellence, while setting global standards.

    As the credibility, transparency, and excellence custodians, DNPA is committed to ensuring that the awards bestowed reflect a thorough and meticulous selection process.

    “DNPA Conclave and Awards bring together the best minds in India to select the country’s cutting-edge digital initiatives that are transforming the lives of millions of people and taking India to greater heights. It gives me immense pride to share that some of India’s most credible names are part of this year’s grand jury. I am certain that DNPA Conclave and Awards 2024 Jury Meet will be a great success” commented Tanmay Maheshwari, Chairman, DNPA.

    “As we gear up for the DNPA Conclave & Awards 2024 Grand Jury meet, there’s a buzz of anticipation in the air. It’s not just a meeting; it’s a deep dive into digital impact. With industry leaders coming together, these awards are all about celebrating excellence and fostering innovation as we navigate a brave new world driven by human intelligence and technology,” commented Sujata Gupta, Secretary General, DNPA, emphasizing on the importance of the Grand Jury meeting and awards.

    The DNPA Conclave Agenda: Navigating Digital Transformation in the Media Industry

    The conclave scheduled in February, will delve into critical facets of the ongoing revolution in media. Dialogues and discussions will dissect the role of online intermediaries in shaping public trust, the impact of misinformation on a diverse society like India, and the readiness of the Indian media industry to embrace technological disruptions. Equitable monetization models, advancements in generative AI, and the future of job prospects in the media and entertainment sector will be central to the discussions.

    It promises to be a day of engaging discussions and insightful keynotes by the most notable leaders from corporate and media spheres, and policymakers, culminating in the DNPA Digital Impact Awards (DDIA) ceremony. Tanmay Maheshwari, Chairman of DNPA and managing director of Amar Ujala, will set the stage for the awards’ proceedings, where the winners will be honoured, signifying their endorsement of outstanding contributions.

    The DNPA Conclave & Awards 2024 promises to be a landmark event, bringing together the brightest minds and visionaries to navigate the digital transformation of the media industry which is foundational to India’s progress, and set the tone for a dynamic and innovative future.

     

  • Conviction comes from the society & your country, says Star India’s Uday Shankar, E&Y’s ‘Entrepreneurial CEO’ award-winner

    MUMBAI: “The conviction comes from the society, the world and the country you live in,” Star India chairman and CEO Uday Shankar said to a question on the conviction of taking billion-dollar bets on various major steps in the industry after winning the “Entrepreneurial CEO’ award of the year 2016 by EY, the consulting firm formerly known as Ernst & Young.

    The citation for the “Entrepreneirial CEO” stated: With a background in journalism, he seemed to be an unconventional choice to be a CEO of a global media corporation. But, his deep curiosity, disruptive thinking, and restless sense of pace sparked off a series of bold moves across digital platforms, regional entertainment, sports leagues and differentiated content which resonates with a varied audience, and all this has helped his organisation become an undisputed leader in India’s media and entertainment sector.

    On convincing STAR’s global shareholders, he said, “I have to do just one thing — to convince them about the possibilities and potential in India. The rest followed. I am very lucky to work for an entrepreneurial company where the promoters’ genes itself is about (the promoters believe) taking risks in a democracy with a billion people.” “It all boils down to the potential that my company sees in India, which we have been able to harness,” Shankar said.

    A distinguished independent jury led by Sun Pharmaceuticals MD Dilip Shanghvi had selected the finalists. Other members included Tata Communications chairman Subodh Bhargava, Info Edge (India) executive vice-chairman Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Max Financial Services chairman Naina Lal Kidwai, Kotak Mahindra Bank MD Uday Kotak, and JP Morgan Chase CEO – south Asia and India Kalpana Morparia.

    Motherson Sumi Systems chairman Vivek Chaand Sehgal has been named Indian entrepreneur. Sehgal will also be in the running for the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year award in Monte Carlo in June where he will contest with world business leaders.

    Infosys Ltd co-founder Nandan Nilekani was honoured with a lifetime achievement award for spearheading India’s Aadhaar project as head of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

    Force Motors chairman Abhay Firodia bagged EY’s business transformation award and Balaji Wafers whole-time director Chandubhai Virani won the award in the consumer products and retail category.

    Also Read: TED Talks to get Hindi version on Star with SRK as host

    Media distribution infra needs to change: Star India CEO Uday Shankar

  • Zomato raises $60 million from Vy Capital and existing investors

    Zomato raises $60 million from Vy Capital and existing investors

    MUMBAI: Zomato, the popular restaurant search and discovery service, has closed a fresh round of funding of $60 million at a post-money valuation of $660 million.

    These funds will be used to accelerate Zomato’s global expansion and new product development. This round of funding is being led jointly by Info Edge (India) and Vy Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital. This takes Zomato’s total funding to over $113 million. Zomato has earlier raised $53 million from Info Edge (India) and Sequoia Capital over multiple rounds of funding.

    Founded in 2008, Zomato provides up-to-date detailed information, menus and photos for over 300,000 restaurants across the 18 countries it is present in on both web and mobile.

    Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said, “Zomato is well on its way to becoming the world’s local expert in dining out. In the past year, we have added eight countries and millions of new users to our foodie truck. From just restaurant discovery and menus, Zomato has now become a vast global community driven by social interactions. This is an exciting point in our journey, as we accelerate our way across the globe, and build a product that will continue to redefine the way people dine.”

    Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani added, “Our first investment in Zomato was made almost 4 years ago, and the team has shown phenomenal progress since then to build the Zomato that we know and use. The company is growing very fast, and we are proud to back them up to further grow the business – both inside and outside of India.”

    Vy Capital founding partner Alexander Tamas said, “Zomato is one of the first internet companies out of India with a consumer product that is scaling on a global basis and a team that is executing extremely well against the opportunity. We look forward to being long-term partners of the company as it establishes itself among the global internet leaders.”

    Headquartered in New Delhi, Zomato plans to expand to 14 more countries across Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Americas.

     

  • IAMAI to kick off India Digital Summit on 18 January

    IAMAI to kick off India Digital Summit on 18 January

    MUMBAI: The Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), flagship event, the India Digital Summit is slated to kick off on 18 January in New Delhi. The summit will consist of a two day event.

    According to an official release, the first day will focus on Internet and will address issues such as “What will drive the growth of Internet in India?, How to leverage Internet to E-nable businesses?, Is youth the driving force behind Internet?”

    Meanwhile, day two will throw light on topics related to “Mobile Value Added Services (VAS) such as What makes a successful mobile marketing company in India?, How can mobile VAS be source of critical Information and Interactivity?, Will mobile payments change the rules of transaction?, Is the policy environment right for MVAS Industry?”

    Commenting on the need for a Digital Summit president Dr.Subho Ray said, “The Summit this year will focus on two distinct areas: internet and related issues of current and future policies, communications tools and commerce; and mobile devices and connected issues of mobile value added services over two days”.

    Much like last year, the Summit in 2007 would also have an array of speakers including:

    – People Group chairman Anupam Mittal
    – eBay India chairman Avnish Bajaj
    – Info Edge Ltd founder and CEO Sanjeev Bikhchandani
    – Makemytrip.com founder and CEO Deep Kalra
    – Google India head sales & operations Sundarraman Kalyanraman
    – Ministry of Communications and IT Joint Secretary Pankaj Agrawala
    – Connecturf managing director & CEO Neville Taraporewala,
    – Mouthshut.com founder Faisal Farooqui,
    – MSN and Windows Media Live CEO Jaspreet Bindra,
    – Zapak Digital Entertainment COO Rohit Sharma
    – Pinstorm Technologies founder and CEO Mahesh Murthy
    – Malayala Manorama COO Mariam Mathew

  • Sanjeev Bikhchandani appointed to MakeMyTrip.com board

    Sanjeev Bikhchandani appointed to MakeMyTrip.com board

    Bangalore, February 24, 2006: MakeMyTrip.com, India’s leading online
    travel company and among the most successful Internet companies in the country, today announced the appointment of Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani as an independent member of the board of directors of MakeMyTrip.com.

    Sanjeev Bhikchandani, CEO of Naukri.com is a veteran in the online industry and has established some of the most successful internet companies in India.

    Sanjeev holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College and is a management graduate from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Sanjeev has vast experience across industries having worked with companies like Lintas India Ltd. and SmithKline Beecham among others. He was the Editor of Avenues – the careers supplement of The Pioneer and has also co-authored two books on job hunting and careers.

     

    Mr Deep Kalra, Founder and CEO, MakeMyTrip.com, welcomed Sanjeev Bikhchandani recruitment to the board. He said, “MakeMyTrip has witnessed phenomenal growth since its launch in September 2005 and we are delighted to have Sanjeev on our board at this time. We are selling over 1000 tickets and 100 room nights daily and have more aggressive plans for 2006. With Sanjeev joining the board, we are confident his rich experience and understanding of the online industry will give strategic direction to our growth plans.”

     

    Commenting on his appointment to the board, Sanjeev Bikhchandani said,
    “When it comes to buying travel, MakeMyTrip has changed the way travel is bought today. Earlier, the travel agent was the one who was deciding for us whereas today we have all the information to plan on our own. This shift in decision making will revolutionise the way travel is bought in India and I am pleased to be a part of it.”

     

    About MMT
    MakeMyTrip was launched in 2000 as an online travel company catering to the USA to India market. The company registered sales of over Rs 100 crores in the fiscal year ending March 2005. For the current year, MakeMyTrip is on track to achieve sales of Rs 200 crores.

     

    Headquartered at New Delhi, MakeMyTrip has served over 40,000 Indian customers and about 45,000 customers for the US – India operations. With a registered database of 130,000 NRI’s the US market has witnessed an impressive year-on-year customer renewal rate of 30%.