Should Air India Continue to use the MAHARAJAH?

SOON AS THE ACQUISITION of Air India by the Tatas was officially confirmed, I sent out a short questionnaire to about 100 of my frequent flyer friends. Almost all seasoned travelers, mostly C-suite occupants. I personally also called a few of them just for a better understanding. The feedback was intriguing, if not surprising.

“I PRIORITISE TWO THINGS, INFRASTRUCTURE AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT”

IN an interaction with Annurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld Group, the Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant speaks about the 60th year of Goa’s independence, massive strides the state is making in the start-up space, inclusive development and self-dependency.

IT'S TIME TO TUNE INTO INDIA!

SENSATIONALISM SELLS in the news media. The negative narratives bring eyeballs and attention and good revenues subsequently. If you are a news TV organisation or a news TV editor, you know that if you do a story where you show a subject (even if it’s a country and its citizens) whose inadequacies you amplify in negative light, you can use it to terrorise your audience and get everyone else to fall in line.

“THE EXTRA ‘Y' IN ‘MYY' STANDS FOR THE YOUTH”

In an interaction with BW Businessworld’s Urvi Shrivastav, MyyTake’s MD & Founder Saurav Banerjee talks about the growing interface between media and technology, the importance of ESG in the next normal, the need to democratise sports in India and the company’s future plans in India and beyond, keeping the new generation of consumers in mind. Excerpts:

“INDIA IS A STRATEGIC MARKET FOR ERICSSON”

Ericsson India is ready to roll out 5G in the country. Investment in 5G is critical to unlock the next level of growth for the country, NITIN BANSAL, Head, Ericsson India & Head of Network Solutions, Ericsson South East Asia, Oceania & India tells ASHISH SINHA of BW Businessworld in a chat. Excerpts:

“MEDIA FUTURE IS IN MARRYING CREATORS WITH COMMUNITIES AND COMMERCE”

Mobile and data access led democratisation is the foundation on which a plethora of disruptive ideas are being built and here lies tremendous opportunity for media to emerge as a massive industry, in a new avatar. Sai Kumar, Founder, Arré cites the example of how going regional in the past needed to have a linear market wise approach, but today technology enables language adoption at a pace and cost that is disruptive in itself. “Layer this with millions of new creators, sticky digital communities led by technology and avenues of monetisation beyond advertising and this could actually be media’s finest hour,” he tells BW Businessworld. Excerpts:

“WE ARE TRANSFORMING THE MEDIA ECOSYSTEM WITH BLOCKCHAIN”

Media innovations drive the economy, shape culture and define our world view. Media tech companies that show the promise of democratising entertainment and increase digital adoption are slated to grow the fastest, shares Vikram Tanna, COO, Mzaalo, in this conversation with BW Businessworld. Excerpts:

Building The Future Of Audio

Relevance, familiarity and popularity promise a high growth trajectory and a shining future for audio ventures

Long Live The Maharajah!

Air India is set to return to the Tata group after 68 years. How does that impact the legacy airline? And what does it mean for the competition and Tata’s own existing aviation business?

Air India: Will it Finally Find its Wings?

THE AIR INDIA PRIVATISATION was one of the most keenly awaited events on India’s economic calendar, as will be BPCL for a host of reasons which are fundamental to the India story.

OF PRIDE, PRUDENCE, PANACHE

Brand Air India created for itself the identity of an airline of high repute, offering the experience of a palace in the sky really. Harish Bijoor, brand guru & founder, Harish Bijoor Consults discusses Air India’s brand journey

Tata's Air India Challenge

OCTOBER 15, 1932, was a typically warm, muggy day in Karachi in undivided India. JRD Tata, the 28-year-old heir to the Tata business empire and the first licensed pilot in India, strapped himself into Imperial Airways’ single-engine de Havilland Puss Moth aircraft.

‘Every Redeveloped Station has Unique Characteristics, Complexities and Scale'

THE Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) is a special purpose vehicle and a joint venture company of Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), RITES, and Ircon International. IRSDC has the authority to develop stations for the mandated purposes without requiring approvals from local authorities. Spearheading it is S.K. Lohia, MD & CEO, IRSDC who shares with Ashish Sinha of BW Businessworld an overview of the projects that have been completed, or are nearing completion and the overall vision of this mega project. Excerpts:

RETURNING TO THE TATAS

THE FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF AIR INDIA AND AUTHOR OF THE DESCENT OF AIR INDIA LOOKS BACK AT AIR INDIA’S MANAGEMENT POST-1978, AND DISCUSSES WHY THE TATA TAKEOVER IS A WIN-WIN FOR ALL

MEGA MONETISATION DRIVE

The redevelopment of Indian Railways’ stations as well as airports are among the lowest hanging fruits in the ambitious National Monetisation Pipeline provided it’s executed well — that is, attracting wellmeaning private investors

HOW BARNIK MAITRA STEERED ADL INDIA TOWARD ITS GROWTH

Arthur D. Little India is already the fifth largest tier-1 management consulting firm in India, a feat it has achieved starting from scratch just over a year ago

A Red Carpet for the Maharajah!

ON 8 OCTOBER, WHILE MOST of India was immersed in autumn festivals, an afternoon Press conference brought to an end media speculation about Tata Sons winning the bid for a 100 per cent stake in India’s national carrier.

TIME TO PLOT GROWTH

Two years of the Covid-19 pandemic has no doubt severely eroded India’s real GDP but there are some green shoots that are reinforcing faster recovery

Bridging The Gap Between Traditional And Digital

The digital world is not just about digital transformation, it impacts businesses, people and throws new challenges all the time, says Nitin Seth, CEO, Incedo Inc and author of ‘Winning in the Digital Age’

A Neo-Banking Sensation

At the end of a busy year for banking at the SME corner, Open Financial Technologies saw its customer base grow six times

FUELING INDIA'S ECOMMERCE GROWTH

Discovery commerce, innovations and the rapid digital adoption across smaller towns will further augment digital commerce’s success in India

MEET THE CHIEF FUTURE OFFICER

The Chinese proverb ‘May you live in interesting times’ finds new meaning in today’s uncertain world. Manning more than the traditional cost paradigms, a CFO is required to be future-ready and resilient

5th BW CFO Awards Honour 16 Exceptional Financial Wizards

The BW CFO Awards salute men and women in sectors like finance, fintech, healthcare and technology, who worked tirelessly to keep their corporations in the black and strategised to cope with the dynamics of a pandemic stricken marketplace

The making of a home-grown FMCG multinational

In an interaction with BW Businessworld, Harsh Mariwala, Chairman, Marico Industries shares the story behind his recently authored book Harsh Realities: The Making of Marico which chronicles the making of a homegrown FMCG multinational

Putting People First Cemented Team's Purpose

Max Life Insurance Deputy CFO says the trust of policyholders motivates his team to stay focused on their core purpose Team BW

A ROLLER-COASTER RIDE – FROM 1999 TO 2021

The ecommerce sector in India has undergone several changes from its early days to become the behemoth it is today, becoming core to all consumer facing businesses

BRANDS BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

The future focus for marketers must reside in striking the perfect balance between online and offline retail

‘We Truly Believe That Our People are Our Most Valuable Asset'

SAMIR ASHTA CFO, CLP India

“BRANDS MUST SOLVE”

Times have changed. In the past, a company could selectively choose the issues it wanted to engage in. This is no more the case, as per Christian Sarkar, co-author of Brand Activism (with Philip Kotler), and co-founder of Wicked 7 Project and Regenerative Marketing Institute

“IT WOULD BE GOOD TO BE IN A VUCA WORLD”

Sitting at the top spot of the Mahindra Group, Anish Shah, Managing Director & CEO, Mahindra & Mahindra took over the role when the company was braving some very tough times. Shah, however, is a man with a plan, and this has been more than evident in every step the company has taken ever since he transitioned to the role in April 2021. In this conversation with Anurag Batra, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld Group, Shah speaks about the challenges that leaders face today, the need to plan for anything, and also details some of his early experiences and the things that will take priority in his mandate ahead.