Category Archives: Business & Economy

First Indian to be appointed Global CEO of Worldwide Italian Confectionery Giant . August 2013 .

Sameer Suneja has been promoted to the top job as global CEO of the 2,245 million Italian sugar confectionery making – Perfetti Group. He will take over the role on October 01st, thus making him the first ever Indian Global head and perhaps the first non-Italian global CEO of the privately held firm.

Perfetti Van Melle Spa (PVM)is the world’s 3rd largest confectionery group after Kraft-Cadbury and Mars-Wrigley. Perfetti makes Alpenliebe and Mentos candies, Chlormint toffee, Center Fresh, Hanny Dent and Big Babool gum.

Sameer Suneja will report to the Board of Directors of the Netherlands based holding of the Group.

His promotion comes barely a year after he was promoted as Executive Vice President (EVP), Innovation & Business Development based in the Netherlands reporting to the global CEO of Perfetti, Ubalto Traldi. Suneja’s mandate included exchanging successful experiences in marketing and commercial fields across the group.

Previous to moving to the global role based out of Netherlands, Suneja was the Managing Director, Perfetti Van Melle India for 4 years. In India Suneja also launched Alpenliebe candy, now the country’s single-largest confectionery. He has been with PVM India, a subsidiary of the global conglomerate for over 16 years. He joined Perfetti as brand manager in 1997 when it was only 3 years old in India.

Sameer Suneja, 41 years, an IIM-Bangalore alumnus 1994 batch, started his career at Colgate-Palmolive toothpaste maker as management trainee. He then moved on and became product manager handling Colgate toothbrush portfolio. Subsequently he joined Pepsico’s snacks arm Frito Lay as brand manager, handling both the chips and traditional snacks categories before joining Perfetti Van Melle India as brand manager in its early days in the country in 1997.

Note: There are other individuals who have made it to the top heading Global multi-nationals. You may use the ‘Search’ feature to access the information.

First Woman Managing Director & CFO for India’s Largest Bank – SBI . August 2013 .

India’s Prime Minister’s Office has paved the way for the first woman head at a Public Bank. Arundhati Bhattarcharya has been appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of the Country’s largest bank – The State Bank of India (SBI). August 02nd, 2013.

Arundhati Bhattarcharya breaks the glass ceiling and will be the first woman Mangaging Director of the Country’s largest bank – State Bank of India (SBI). She has been promoted from her previous position of Managing Director and Chief Executive Offier of SBI Capital Markets, the merchant banking arm. She replaces Diwakar Gupta who retired just a few days ago.

Prior to her role at SBI Capital Markets, Bhattacharya was also the Corporate Development Officer. She has been instrumental in setting up various initiatives of SBI General Insurance, SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Fund and SBI SG Global Securities Services. She has over 3 decades of experience at SBI and has undertaken various assignments spanning credit, forex, treasury and retail operations.

The SBI has 4 Managing Directors, 5 Deputy Managing Directors and 18 Chief General Managers apart from the Chairman Pratip Chaudhuri. The other 3 Managing Directors are A. Krishna Kumar, Hemant G. Contractor and S. Visvanathan.

Note: There are other women who made it to the top in the domestic Banking and Financial Services industry . You may use the ‘Search’ feature to access the information.

British Mission in India, gets its First Indian-Origin Diplomat. July 2013 .

In a first Kumar Iyer, a Diplomat of Indian-origin is appointed as the British Deputy High Commissioner for Western Region. He will have responsibility of all aspects of diplomatic engagement in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa.

He will also simultaneously be Director General India for UK Trade & Investment (UKTI),for the whole of India – a new top-level post that has been created to reflect the increasing importance of the UK-India business ties.

He will be take up both positions based in Mumbai at the British Mission on August 05th, 2013.

Kumar Iyer has a MPhil in Economics from Cambridge University, where he was a Bank of England scholar. He was an undergraduate tutor in Microeconomics. He was also a Kennedy Scholar and Teaching Fellow in International Capital Markets at Harvard University.

He joined the British Government in 2008 as Deputy Director, Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit. In 2010 he moved to the Treasury, first as Deputy Director, Strategy Plannig & Budget and then as Head of Financial Sector Intervention. Prior to that he was at the Boston Consulting Group where he worked mainly in the Financial Services Practice.

Kumar Iyer was born in London to parents of Indian origin. He spent his formative years in India, including time in Mumbai. He is married to Kathryn, a barrister practicing criminal law and they have 2 children a son and a daughter. He is a keen cricketer and chess player.

U.S. based Food Chain ‘ Pollo Tropical ‘ opens First Restaurant in India . June 2013 .

The Miami – U.S. based Carribean-Inspired ‘ Pollo Tropical ‘ fast-casual restaurant chain formally opened its first restaurant outlet in the Capital located in DLF Place Shopping Plaza, one of the most prestigious shopping and dining centres in New Delhi.

The Pollo Tropical restaurant in New Delhi is the first restaurant of the Company, outside the Americas and marks the brand’s first opening outside the Western Hemisphere.

Their entry into India is associated with the Delhi based Paramount Group headed by their C.E.O.& Executive Director, Manjit Singh Saini. Paramount Group’s associate company Paramount Cuisines Pvt. Ltd is the master franchisee for Pollo Tropical in India.

Paramount Cuisines has plans to open at least ten Carribean themed Pollo Tropical restaurants in the NCR, Punjab, Chandigarh and Haryana in the next 4 years.

Hyatt in India Appoints its First Female GM at Hyatt Regency Kolkata . July 2013 .

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Southwest Asia has appointed its first Female General Manager – Ms. Britta Leick-Milde who has taken charge recently of the Hyatt Regency Kolkata.

Reinforcing its commitment to diversity and inclusion, Ms.Britta Leick-Milde’s appointment reflects the unique and personal ways that Hyatt celebrates the strength of its co-workers.

Britta’s hospitality career began 20 years ago at the Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel in her native Germany. Subsequently she worked with the Hilton and Kempinski groups. Britta joined the Hyatt family in 2007 as Director of Rooms, Park Hyatt Dubai and was subsequently promoted as ‘ Executive Assistant Manager – Rooms’.

An enthusiastic Indophile she served as Hotel Manager, Grand Hyatt Mumbai for nearly a year before taking up her new assignment as General Manager of Hyatt Regency Kolkata.

www.kolkata.regency.hyatt.com  // www.hyatt.com

India’s First Private Shipyard to receive Warship Production Licence. October 2010 .

Pipavav Defence & Offshore Engineering Company Ltd. became the first Indian private shipyard in the country to receive a Warship production licence and contract to build warships and other naval assets for the Indian Navy from the Indian Government.It is promoted by the SKIL Group. Ocotber 2010.

Pipavav has India’s largest shipyard at the Gulf of Cambay, Pipavav, Rajula in Gujarat on the West Coast. It has India’s largest Dry Dock (662m x 65m) and the Worlds 2nd largest and is capable of accomodating ships of upto 400,000 DWT. Pipavav has India’s largest shipyard cranes. It is in the process of adding another Dry Dock adjacent to the existing facility on the South Western coast of Gujarat.

It is also the first Private company to form a joint-venture with the State owned naval defence major Mazagon Dock Limited. This joint-venture will bid for orders with other private companies from Indian Navy and the Coast Guard.

Pipavav has won many awards

http://www.pipavavshipyard.com

Diamler India exports first-batch of Fuso Trucks from Chennai. June 2013 .

Diamler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV)exported the first shipment of 64 Fuso trucks manufactured at its Oragadam plant. The trucks exported are in the 9-, 12- and 25 tonne range.

Marc Llistosella, Managing Director & CEO, DICV said ‘This is a realisation of our promise to export from Chennai”

The Fuso trucks are headed towards Sri Lanka as a part of Diamler India’s (DICV)commitment to export to various countries in Asia and Africa. Sri Lanka will be followed by Bangaldesh, Zambia, Kenya and Brunei later this year.

The Fuso brand of trucks, owned by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), is a member of the Diamler Trucks Division of Diamler AG, which owns 89.29% per cent stake in the Corporation.

Diamler India (DICV) is a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of German automotive giant Diamler AG. The Oragadam (Chennai) plant alongwith the Kawasaki plant in Japan will be Diamler’s two global competence centres. Although the new lineup will be branded Mitsubishi Fuso in export markets, in India they will be branded as Bharat Benz – Diamler’s India brand.

Oragadam is an industrial hub to the west, in the outskirts of Chennai where DICV in its plant spread over 400 acres ,produces the Bharat Benz range of trucks for the domestic market.

Clothing retailer Raymond opens first store in Pakistan . June 2013 .

Flagship Indian clothing retailer Raymond – the Suits and Fabrics Conglomerate opened its first store in Karachi on Friday, June 21st, 2013.

Raymond’s first outlet is located in Emerald Towers, Clifton, one of the most upscale neighbourhoods in the business capital Karachi.

Najmus Saquib, one of the Directors of NexSource Pakistan which acquired the rights to sell Raymond in Pakistan said ” The interest from our clientele has been very encouraging and it does not surprise us, because Raymond is also known internationally and has some 40 international outlets. I also see this opening as a small step toward more free trade between the two countries “.

NexSource has plans to open more Raymond outlets in Islamabad, Lahore and Faisalabad.

Amin Hashwani, President of the Pakistan India Business Forum said ” the opening of the Raymond outlet was a positive sign for business and trade between the two countries “.

Anmol Rajan appointed ‘ The Independent ‘s Editor and becomes first non-white Editorial head of a UK national newspaper . June 2013 .

In a bold move Evgeny Lebedev the Russian owner of The Independent named, Anmol Rajan, a  29-year old Indian-origin journalist,as the newest editor of  The Independent newspaper on June 17th, 2013. He was the editor of The Independent Voics section. Rajan takes over from Chris Blackhurst who became Group Content Director.

Anmol Rajan one of the youngest ever at 29, makes Fleet Street history by becoming first non-white newspaper editorial head of a UK national newspaper creating ripples in London’s all-white Oxbridge media elite. And also the first- ethnic minority editor, a first-British Asian editor of a British national newspaper.

Rajan was born in Calcutta (Kolkata)on July 04th, 1983 , before moving to London as a three year old. He grew up in Tooting, South London and went on to read English literature at Downing College, Cambridge University and edited the prestigious student magazine ‘Varsity’. He spent his gap year working at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

After graduating, Rajan worked briefly for the ‘Evening Standard’ and ‘Channel 5’ before moving to ‘The Independent’ in August 2007 where he rose through the ranks from being a news reporter , columnist, comment editor and editor of Independent Voices. He is also a devoted foodie, writing a restaurant column for The Independent on Sunday and appeared as a judge on BBC1’s Masterchef in April. Rajan was the secondary presenter on ‘The Wright Stuff’ the daytime talk show on the Five Network during its 2006-07 season. A former columnist of ‘The Salisbury Review’.

Anmol Rajan is also a volunteer youth worker with Prospex, a charity based in Islington.

Books: Anmol Rajan is a keen cricket fan and has even written a well regarded book ‘Twirlymen: Unlikely History of Cricket’s Greatest Spin Bowlers’ published by Random House in 2011.