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Tag: Sunil Bharti Mittal

  • Sunil Bharti Mittal, Prathap C Reddy & Amitabh Kant honoured at the Business Today MindRush & Best CEO Awards

    Sunil Bharti Mittal, Prathap C Reddy & Amitabh Kant honoured at the Business Today MindRush & Best CEO Awards

    Mumbai: Like every year, the Business Today MindRush and Best CEO Awards, a much-awaited event for India, recently concluded with much pomp and fervour, with the who’s who of India Inc. in attendance. Hosted by the India Today Group, the event serves as a pivotal platform for industry stalwarts, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders to converge, exchange ideas, and recognise outstanding achievements in business leadership.

    The annual event, known for its robust discussions on emerging trends and challenges in the business landscape, witnessed the captains of India Inc. across sectors coming together to share insights and experiences. This year’s BT MindRush was no exception. There were several thought-provoking sessions at the event. Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas, said that the time had come for the Indian private sector to shed some of its inhibitions and to accept global challenges, which were “low-hanging fruit for them”.

    In another session, India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said that the country could not only grow on the back of services. “It has to grow in manufacturing, services, sustainable urbanisation, and also agricultural productivity,” he said. Apollo Hospitals Enterprise executive vice chairperson Preetha Reddy said there was an urgent need to transform healthcare into a fundamental right, aligning it with education, while Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, in a message for young Indian entrepreneurs, said that India was a country of possibilities and opportunities. Federal Bank MD & CEO Shyam Srinivasan said that India was witnessing a Cinderella moment in terms of banking and economy, while ITC Ltd chairman & MD Sanjiv Puri, highlighted the resilience of India, adding that consumer demand should be back in a couple of quarters.

    The highlight of the event was the felicitation of this year’s awardees of the prestigious BT-PwC India’s Best CEOs ranking, where a distinguished panel of industry experts picked the winners awards after a rigorous process.

    This year, telecom tycoon Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, was honoured as the “Business Icon of the Year”, symbolising resilience and visionary leadership in the face of challenges. The jury also picked India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant as the “Impact Leader of the Year”, a special award underscoring his significant contributions to the country’s economic growth and global stature. Another distinguished awardee was healthcare pioneer Dr Prathap C Reddy. The visionary founder chairman of Apollo Hospitals was honoured with the “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his unparalleled dedication to healthcare and innovation.

    Winners were recognised across diverse sectors of Indian business, including infrastructure, healthcare, consumer goods, IT, energy, and more. The awardees included Kushal N Desai, CMD of APAR Industries, Satyanarayana Chava, founder & CEO of Laurus Labs, and Sunil Vachani, executive chairman of Dixon Technologies (India), among others. Meanwhile, Satish Pai, MD of Hindalco Industries, won in the category of super large companies; Sanjiv Puri, CMD of ITC Ltd for large companies; and Abhyuday Jindal, MD of Jindal Stainless, in the mid-sized category.

    The event also celebrated emerging companies and leaders who are shaping the future of the Indian business landscape. Naresh Jalan, MD of Ramkrishna Forgings, and Pradeep Gaur, CMD of RVNL, were among the distinguished awardees. Business leaders were also recognised for demonstrating exceptional leadership qualities and resilience. Patanjali G. Keswani, CMD of Lemon Tree Hotels, won the “Resilient CEO” award, while K.P. Ramasamy, Chairman of KPR Mill, received the award for “Glocal CEO”.

    Exemplary achievements in deal-making and disruptive innovation were recognised, with LTIMindtree CEO & MD Debashis Chatterjee, receiving the “Best Deal” award, while OfBusiness co-founder & CEO Asish Mohapatra won in the “Unicorn” category.

    India Today group chairman and editor-in-chief Aroon Purie also spoke on the occasion, outlining that while India had made progress on many fronts, there was more work to be done in moving from a regulatory mindset to that of facilitation. He lauded the efforts of the winners in creating enterprises that India can be proud of.

    The special issue of Business Today on India’s Best CEOs was also unveiled at the event.

  • Business Today MindRush & BT Best CEOs Awards: Building resilient & sustainable businesses in a changing world

    Business Today MindRush & BT Best CEOs Awards: Building resilient & sustainable businesses in a changing world

    Mumbai: Business Today MindRush, the flagship annual business event of the India Today Group, is set to be held in Mumbai on Saturday, 9 March, 2024. Renowned as one of India’s most esteemed thought-exchange platforms, MindRush brings together top business executives, entrepreneurs, thinkers, and experts to share insights, strategies, and successful leadership traits in an era of dynamic change.

    In keeping with tradition, Business Today MindRush will also feature the winners of the BT-PwC India’s Best CEO Awards, which honours the exceptional leadership of some of India’s top business executives. The awardees are selected by a distinguished group of business professionals to recognise India Inc.’s innovative leadership. A special edition of Business Today that includes in-depth stories about the winners, highlighting their creative approaches and significant contributions to the business world, will be released on the occasion.

    The Business Today MindRush platform will play host to some of the most influential voices in business, offering invaluable insights into entrepreneurship, innovation, and excellence that define India’s economic landscape. A stellar line-up of speakers, including luminaries such as Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa; Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises; Sanjiv Puri, CMD of ITC Ltd; Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise; and Jinal Mehta, MD of Torrent Power promises to keep attendees immersed in thought-provoking discussions on changing paradigms in business and economy.  Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas, will also be in attendance and highlight the government’s vision for economic growth and urban development. 

  • NDTV Profit Launches with dynamic ‘We All Love Money’campaign

    NDTV Profit Launches with dynamic ‘We All Love Money’campaign

    Mumbai: The NDTV network has announced the launch of the new NDTV Profit (TV channel + digital platforms) with a bang last Friday. Ahigh-impact campaign titled: ‘We All Love Money,’conceptualised around how no one disagrees on whether they like money, and how NDTV Profit is all about helping Indians profit from their investments, announced the launch to the world.

    The campaign was splashed on the front pages of the top financial newspapers as well as hoardings in major cities, and on digital.

    The launch featured a star-studded line-up, including prominent celebrities and top leaders from the financial industry and markets. The day commenced with the sounding of the BSE bell at NDTV Profit’s swanky new Mumbai office, by actor and entrepreneur Kriti Sanon—symbolising the beginning of the day’s trading activities.

    Speaking to NDTV Profit’s Executive Editors Niraj Shah and Tamanna Inamdar, Sanon delved into her skincare venture, Hyphen, underscoring her mission to simplify skincare routines. She emphasised Hyphen’s dedication to affordability, advocating the notion that effective products need not come with a hefty price tag.

    Drawing a parallel between skincare and stock choices, the narrative pointed out that, just as expensive stocks may not be the best, NDTV Profit aims to furnish insights supported by research and data to assist users in finding real value in their financial decisions. The channel’s launch campaign tagline, “We All Love Money,” thus aligns with its editorial philosophy centred around prosperity, growth, and abundance, recognising wealth creation as a primary objective for the new India.

    Vedanta chairman and founder Anil Agarwal was also seen attending the launch activities at the NDTV Profit offices. Speaking on the channel, he expressed optimism that NDTV Profit would become the voice of a billion people, emphasising the strong aspiration for investing even in rural India—another pointer to why ‘We All Love Money,’ works across India, and across economic and urban-rural divides. He envisioned NDTV Profit as a platform to help people create additional income through investment returns, once again aligning with the channel’s tagline.

    Later that afternoon, NDTV Profit hosted the India Unlimited Summit in a gathering of the Who’s Who of India Inc., with captains of Indian industry part of the launch.Stalwarts like Uday Kotak, founder of Kotak Mahindra Bank;Ramesh Damani, veteran investor and chairman of Avenue Supermarts; Ashish Chauhan, MD & CEO, NSE, and Raamdeo Agrawal, chairman of Motilal Oswal, participated in the ceremonial lamp lighting and marked the beginning of the official launch by ringing the NSE bell that marked the close of trading for the day.

    Uday Kotak expressed hope that NDTV Profit would catalyse the nation’s transformation from a country of savers to investors, while Amitabh Chaudhary, MD & CEO of Axis Bank encouraged NDTV Profit to build on India’s growing aspirations.

    Digital infrastructure’s role in facilitating growth and profits was underscored by Bharti Enterprises founder Sunil Bharti Mittal who also highlighted the significant contribution of digital activities to the GDP and predicted further growth, and a great future.

    Market veterans also predicted a bullish outlook for Indian markets at the event, with Raamdeo Agrawal anticipating the Nifty 50 would surpass 50,000 by 2031. Madhusudan Kela echoed this optimism, attributing it to a stable government, a progressive election mandate, and keen foreign investor interest.

    Following the close of market activities, a grand launch party cheered NDTV Profit’s launch, featuring live music and the presence of media agency leaders and industry CMOs, all joining in the celebration of the brand’s commitment to helping audiences make informed financial decisions.
     

  • Satellite remains an essential element of video distribution: AVIA

    Satellite remains an essential element of video distribution: AVIA

    Mumbai: The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) hosted its annual satellite industry forum on 18 November as a virtual conference.

    The forum opened with a look at satellite trends and forecasts post-Covid with Quilty Analytics senior analyst Caleb Henry. The traditional satcom industry continues to be in a state of rapid change, and still in a state of turmoil. While the industry is currently dominated by a handful of major players, this could also change dramatically over the next five years as new technologies and standards reset the competitive landscape. And despite the impact of Covid-19, there has been no let-up of interest in investment into the space industry with $5.5 billion in collective proceeds from all 13 space SPACs.

    AVIA was also privileged to host Stephen Spengler for his final keynote before he steps down as CEO of Intelsat. Spengler had spoken at the satellite industry forum for his first keynote as CEO in 2015, hence it was fitting the forum was his final address as well.

    While the industry continues to innovate and push the boundaries of what is possible, it has yet to reach its full potential in fulfilling its essential role in the global telecommunications landscape. With digital video making up 70 per cent of internet traffic, satellite remains the essential and enabling technology, with the ubiquity, reach, and economics to serve the networks.

    Spengler’s outlook on industry trends for Asia remains positive, with linear and pay-TV distribution still a driving application for the Asia Pacific region, with a growth rate of 2.5 per cent per year. Spengler was also excited about 5G being a huge enabler and game-changer. With satellite fully integrated into the 5G world, it will make solutions and services more seamless, interconnected, and economical.

    Wrapping up his keynote address, Spengler shared Intelsat’s mission to unify the global telecoms ecosystem of the future. The vision requires all satellite and terrestrial technologies, networks and providers, and solutions and services to be unified as one global ecosystem. “If we focus on our customers, the people who benefit from a more connected world, that is success for the next year and beyond,” said Spengler.

    Asia Pacific’s leading satellite operators also shared similar positive sentiments despite the move from broadcast to streaming. MEASAT COO Yau Chyong believes that satellite will still be the main platform to deliver video services nationwide in Malaysia, and it is the platforms themselves who are transforming their services to include streaming. Hence broadcast and streaming will complement each other, with linear still having a role to play, and streaming alongside it. Similarly in Australia, despite a plethora of streaming services available, Optus head of satellite and space systems Nick Leake still sees the same requirements for satellite to go out for at least another ten years. The greatest issue for Asia Pacific remains one of scale, in order to provide reliable networks to serve the customers, added AsiaSat CEO Roger Tong. Tong believes that moving forward, creating more partnerships between competing satellite operators is important, especially when regulatory restrictions on consolidation remains a key challenge in the region.

    Bharti Enterprises founder and chairman and OneWeb executive chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal also joined the forum this year for a keynote conversation on the space business in India. With the holy grail of low latency, high speed, and sufficient capacity resolved by NGSOs, it has become a solution that works for the new world and into the future. 5G, too, is seen as a game-changing technology for Mittal, with its extremely low latency a boom for industry applications. However, Mittal also noted that while NGSOs will have an important role to play in the 5G ecosystem, it will only be at the periphery of supporting 5G ambitions. Mittal also shared OneWeb’s vision to connect all areas of the world, from oceans to aviation. “In 5 years’ time. . . there should not be anybody in the world that is not connected,” said Mittal.

    The satellite industry forum is generously sponsored by AsiaSat, Eutelsat, Hughes, Intelsat, Marsh and Maxar.

  • Bharti Airtel to acquire Millicom’s Rwanda operations

    Bharti Airtel to acquire Millicom’s Rwanda operations

    MUMBAI: Telecommunications services provider Bharti Airtel Limited, through its subsidiary Airtel Rwanda, has entered into a definitive  agreement with Millicom  International  Cellular S.A. to acquire 100 per cent equity interest in Tigo Rwanda.

    The acquisition will consolidate the Rwandan telecom market and position  Airtel as a strong operator  in Rwanda.  The acquisition cost is approximately six times EBITDA multiple payable  over  two years.

    Bharti  Airtel  chairman Sunil  Bharti  Mittal said, “Airtel   has  taken  proactive   steps  in  Africa  to consolidate and  realign  the market  structure in the last few remaining  countries where  its operations are lagging on account of lower market share and presence of too many operators. Airtel and Tigo have already merged their operations to create a strong viable entity in Ghana. Today, it has taken yet another  important step to acquire  Tigo Rwanda  to become a profitable and a strong challenger in a two-player market.”

    Mittal added that Airtel Africa was committed to the long-term viability of the operations in Kenya  and Tanzania to ensure that in 2018 all its 15 operations in Africa started contributing positive  margins and cash flows towards a healthy and profitable Airtel Africa.

    The agreement aims to bring together the strengths of Airtel and Millicom in Rwanda and offer benefits to customers in the form of a wider network and affordable voice and data services. The existing customers of Tigo Rwanda will join Airtel’s global network, which currently serves over 370 million customers across 17 countries.

    Airtel Africa MD and CEO Raghunath Mandava said, “The acquisition reinforces our commitment to the Rwanda market and is a significant step towards creating a stronger presence in the country. It will create synergies with  our  existing  business and  help  boost  operational efficiencies in the  market.  The Rwandan  telecom  market  will significantly benefit  from this acquisition, further  reiterating our stand that in-market  consolidations do  not just  help  achieve better  market  positions  but  benefit  customers and  the industry  as a whole.”

    Also read:

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    Airtel Digital TV revenues, op profits rise in Q2 FY 2018

  • Airtel forges partnership with Korean mobile broadband co SK Telecom

    Airtel forges partnership with Korean mobile broadband co SK Telecom

    MUMBAI: India’s largest telecommunications services provider Airtel will partner Korea’s SK Telecom to potentially create the country’s finest telecom network and leapfrog into being a next-gen future-ready telco.

    The partnership will work across several areas including developing bespoke software to dramatically improve network experience, leveraging advanced digital tools including machine learning, big data and building customised tools to improve network planning based on every customer’s device experience. The capacity to identify, monitor and deliver improvements to the network experience on an individual device basis will be a first in India, helped by SK Telecom’s global leadership in this area.

    The two companies will also collaborate on an on-going basis to evolve standards for 5G, Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), Software-defined Networking (SDN) and Internet of Things (loT), and jointly work towards building an enabling ecosystem for the introduction of these technologies in the Indian context.

    Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said, “This partnership will bring an improved experience to Airtel customers in India by leveraging the expertise of a company that has built one of the best mobile broadband networks in the world.”

    “We will work closely with Bharti to achieve new network innovations so as to deliver a greater value to Bharti’s customers,” SK Telecom president and CEO Park Jung-ho.

  • Airtel makes roaming data & incoming free

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel, India’s largest telecommunications services provider, today announced radical changes that redefine the value proposition for domestic and international roaming. With this, Airtel mobile customers will be able to carry their numbers across India and the world and stay connected all the time without having to worry about high call/data charges. Bill shocks will now be a thing of the past.

    National Roaming – Free Incoming Calls
    No Premium on Outgoing Calls
    No Data Roaming Charges

    Starting 1 April, 2017, Airtel customers roaming within India will enjoy free incoming calls/SMS and there will be no premium on outgoing calls allowing them to speak freely wherever they are within the country. Also, there will be no additional data charges on national roaming. Home data packs for customers will apply even while they roam across India.

    Bharti Airtel MD & CEO (India & South Asia) Gopal Vittal said, “This marks the death of national roaming and the whole country will now be like a local network for our customers, who will not have to think twice before making or receiving calls or using data while traveling outside their home base. Airtel has again set the benchmark in delivering best in class value backed by a great network experience.”

    No bill shocks on international roaming

    Airtel has already launched innovative and affordable International Roaming packs for all major countries across the world. These packs come with convenient validity options of 1 day, 10 days, and 30 days and offer loads of benefits including free incoming calls/SMS, calling minutes and texts both to India and the local country as well as generous dollops of data to stay online. These packs have received an overwhelming response from customers, shielding them from any bill shock and eliminating the need for a local country SIM. However, there are still several cases of customers inadvertently failing to choose these packs and suffering bill shocks due to thesteep roaming charges on international networks.

    Starting April 1, 2017, even customers on international roaming Without a Pack will be fully protected from bill shocks through an automatic adjustment that is equal to the daily pack for that particular country. This means that the moment a customer’s billing reaches the price of a one day pack for the country, he/she will be automatically moved to that pack. This will allow our customers to use their devices abroad without any fear. Even post the exhaustion of pack benefits, customers will continue to enjoy extremely attractive rates for calling and data usage. Call Charges have been reduced by up to 90% to as low as Rs. 3/min and data charges by upto 99% to Rs 3/ MB across popular roaming destinations. 

    Here is an example of how Airtel’s new international roaming pricing works. When a customer traveling to the USA without a pack hits the threshold of Rs 649 (the price of the one day pack for USA), he/she will automatically move to the one day pack with free incoming calls/SMS, 100 India and local country outgoing minutes, 300 MB data and a host of other benefits. Similarly, a customer traveling to Singapore will move to the one day pack the moment his/her usage hits the Rs 499 mark.

    Bharti Airtel and GSMA chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said, “At Airtel, we are changing the international roaming paradigm, which will allow our customers to take their number to every corner of the world. As an industry, operators across the world must collaborate to remove the cost barrier to roaming and offer customers the convenience of staying connected without the fear of exorbitant bill charges.”

  • Business Today honours ZEEL MD & CEO Punit Goenka with ‘Best CEO’ award

    Business Today honours ZEEL MD & CEO Punit Goenka with ‘Best CEO’ award

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) MD & CEO Punit Goenka has received the coveted Business Today ‘Best CEO’ award in the Media and Entertainment category for 2016. The award was presented by the minister of law & justice and electronics & information technology Ravi Shankar Prasad, India Today group chairman & editor-in-chief Aroon Purie & Wave group vice chairman Manpreet Chadha, at the BT Best CEO Awards ceremony in New Delhi.

    Acknowledging the award, Goenka said, “I accept this award with pride on behalf of our visionary chairman, Dr. Subhash Chandra, and my team at ZEE, whose dedication, hard work and support have enabled the organisation to reach greater heights. We have consistently grown ahead of market, expanded our network viewership share and experienced growth of our product bouquet, both in India and internationally.”

    The methodology of Business Today’s Best CEO Awards focused on the operational performance of companies and their shareholders returns which was conducted by BT’s Knowledge support partner for the process PwC India. To arrive at the BT Best CEO Award winners for 2016, Business Today first used the BT500 list of Most Valuable Indian Companies as a base and then analysed three-year data, using parameters such as growth in total income, total shareholder returns and PBIT. Based on this analysis, an independent jury comprising renowned business leaders — JM Financial Group chairman Nimesh Kampani, JP Morgan India CEO Kalpana Morparia, Khaitan & Co. senior partner Haigreve Khaitan, and Bain & Co. India chairman Sri Rajan chose the final winners.

    Other recipients of the BT Best CEO Awards 2016 include Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, Tech Mahindra CEO & MD C P Gurnani, and Dabur India CEO Sunil Duggal, among other.

  • Business Today honours ZEEL MD & CEO Punit Goenka with ‘Best CEO’ award

    Business Today honours ZEEL MD & CEO Punit Goenka with ‘Best CEO’ award

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) MD & CEO Punit Goenka has received the coveted Business Today ‘Best CEO’ award in the Media and Entertainment category for 2016. The award was presented by the minister of law & justice and electronics & information technology Ravi Shankar Prasad, India Today group chairman & editor-in-chief Aroon Purie & Wave group vice chairman Manpreet Chadha, at the BT Best CEO Awards ceremony in New Delhi.

    Acknowledging the award, Goenka said, “I accept this award with pride on behalf of our visionary chairman, Dr. Subhash Chandra, and my team at ZEE, whose dedication, hard work and support have enabled the organisation to reach greater heights. We have consistently grown ahead of market, expanded our network viewership share and experienced growth of our product bouquet, both in India and internationally.”

    The methodology of Business Today’s Best CEO Awards focused on the operational performance of companies and their shareholders returns which was conducted by BT’s Knowledge support partner for the process PwC India. To arrive at the BT Best CEO Award winners for 2016, Business Today first used the BT500 list of Most Valuable Indian Companies as a base and then analysed three-year data, using parameters such as growth in total income, total shareholder returns and PBIT. Based on this analysis, an independent jury comprising renowned business leaders — JM Financial Group chairman Nimesh Kampani, JP Morgan India CEO Kalpana Morparia, Khaitan & Co. senior partner Haigreve Khaitan, and Bain & Co. India chairman Sri Rajan chose the final winners.

    Other recipients of the BT Best CEO Awards 2016 include Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, Tech Mahindra CEO & MD C P Gurnani, and Dabur India CEO Sunil Duggal, among other.

  • Bharti launches 3G services in Seychelles

    Bharti launches 3G services in Seychelles

    MUMBAI: Bharti has become the first Indian telecom service provider to launch 3G services. Telecom Seychelles, a subsidiary of Bharti Global, has launched 3G operations in Seychelles.

    The company, which has been providing telecom services in Seychelles since 1998 under the Airtel brand, has made significant investments for rolling out state-of-the-art 3G services. Telecom Seychelles is also the first telecom operator to launch 3G services in the island nation.

    Bharti Enterprises chairman and group MD Sunil Bharti Mittal says, “This is a proud moment for Bharti and the Indian telecom industry. This launch demonstrates that Indian telecom industry is ready to introduce world-class 3G services. Our 3G operations in Seychelles will provide us with valuable experience, which will be extremely beneficial for rollout of our 3G services in India.”

    Customers in Seychelles will get access to a host of 3G services on the Airtel network. High speed web navigation – both on mobile through WAP and on laptop through Airtel 3G data card, Video calls – see and talk to each other on 3G handsets that have two cameras, sending and receiving large MMS messages are some of the many benefits customer will get.

    A programme was initiated to upgrade the existing Airtel network in Seychelles. The upgrade included commissioning of Ericsson’s new MSC/Media gateway/BSC/RNC /IN and new 3G Node B’s. All existing RBS 200 base stations with the latest 2206 BTSs have been enabled with EDGE to give the island nation a robust and futuristic telecom infrastructure.