Businessmen in the News Business India u the magazine of the corporate world

he honchos at Godrej amateur golfers saw winners TProperties had no idea of both handicap categories, that its annual Golf Chal- 0-12 and 13-24, qualify for lenge would be so popular the finals, this season has and go this far, according had one final spot on offer to Girish Shah, executive to competitors in each of the vice president, marketing seven club rounds, he says. and sales. “We have always An estimated 1,200 golfers believed in engaging with participated in these rounds, customers on a personal with seven men from Mum- level, which goes a long way bai, Pune, Kolkata, Banga- in cementing the bond of lore, Delhi and Chennai trust we have built over the qualified to play on the Nick years with our customers,” Faldo-designed course at says Shah, who announced Bangkok’s Summit Windmill that the international finals Golf Club. The tournament of the fourth season will be is in continuation of Godrej held in Thailand on 23 Jan- Properties’ philosophy that uary. While the previous collaboration is the essence of two seasons of this event for excellence. u

esc Limited, the power tenders for design and build ecently, Sula Vineyards’ Cutility major of rp-Sanjiv the tower which is expected RDindori Reserve Shiraz Goenka group is now devel- to be ready by 2017. c e sc will featured on Wine Enthusiast’s oping a residential cum com- keep 100 flats for its officials Top 100 Wines of the Year. mercial complex at Haldia in working in the recently com- “After some difficult years, the West Bengal with an invest- missioned power plant in industry is once again expe- ment of `150 crore. “We Haldia and the balance would riencing strong growth of would build about 500,000 be sold to the market. This 15-20 per cent annually with sq ft on a three-acre plot at would be c e sc ’s first venture exports growing even faster to Haldia. There would be 330 into residential complex. A markets like the UK and Japan, high and medium end resi- year back, Goenka had set up delivering a boon to the fast- dential tower and 120,000 sq Quest, the first luxury mall developing wine regions of ft commercial shopping com- of Kolkata, spread over three the world’s latest wine power, plex.” says Sanjiv Goenka, acres of land. “We are in the India. This year, we will crush chairman of the group. The process of identifying unpro- close to 10,000 tonnes of property will be developed ductive land of our group grapes, up 20 per cent from by c e sc Properties, a wholly companies for more such 2014. Total farmer payments owned subsidiary of c e sc . commercial developments,” will cross `40 crore,” explains The company will soon float Goenka adds. u Rajeev Samant, c e o, Sula Wines. Sula works with over 300 grape growers in Maha- rashtra and Karnataka with hen Paranjape a quality product as per cus- 10-year assured buyback con- WSchemes started the tomer requirements.” Ascen- tracts. “In the 15 years since construction of its special das is paying about `640 crore we began operations, we have economic zone (sez), the to the special-purpose vehi- built very strong relations commercial space market cle Flagship Developers Pvt. with our growers whose ranks was gloomy with little signs Ltd for the 1.5 million square are growing every day. We of early recovery, company feet development, with a first haven’t had a single contract chairman Shrikant Paran- instalment via listed non- dispute since we began, surely jape points out. “Moreover, convertible debentures an an amazing fact to celebrate it was the time when sezs amount of `260 crore. The today, our first day of harvest,” were getting de-notified and first phase of the Paranjape adds Samant, and he is all set the developers were hesi- sez is ready and leased out, to launch SulaFest 2015 on 7 tant to enter this field despite while the second is expected & 8 February. From March, the government’s efforts to be completely occupied by India is likely to export the to encourage it,” says 2016 with big Indian as well fruit to the US market. Cur- Paranjape, who announced as international names. “We rently, EU, Russia and the a deal with Singapore-based are planning to come up with UAE are the biggest markets Ascendas Property Fund pride in having been among a third phase adjacent to the for Indian grapes. Total grape Trustee to sell the second the few developers across existing development,” he exports from India in 2013-14 phase of the sez his com- the nation to successfully says, adding that prospects stood at 192,000 tonnes, pany is developing. “We take deliver value by constructing seem ‘really promising’. u valued at $279.50 million. u

u 24 u January 19-February 1, 2015 Business India u the magazine of the corporate world Businessmen in the News

s India is becoming a tal- Aent pool for consultants globally, c g n & Associates, a business consulting firm which specialises in the field of supply chain design and improvement, with a specific focus on three industries in this region: engineering, automotive and consumer goods, looks to tap into the strong skill sets that are avail- able here to make the most of a significant shift in manu- facturing from West to East and from North to South, as markets and manufacturing bases in Asia expand. “Grow- that are establishing bases in ing in India, China and se A s i a India and with medium to is a strategic focus for c g n & large Indian companies has Associates,” says Alagu Bal- historically focused on mar- ike in any other sectors, raman, partner & managing kets in the North and the Ldigital marketing is also director, India Operations, South, both engineering and making its presence felt in c g n & Associates. “As such, automotive hubs, but it has the Indian real estate mar- India is considered a strategic now increased its attention ket in a big way. Leading market for us globally.” c g n to western Indian states – from the front, Pune-based India works with companies Maharashtra and Gujarat. u Amura Technologies is providing end-to-end solu- tions for real estate compa- nies which are showing keen interest in setting up effi- cient marketing platforms amsung Mobiles in an intensely competi- Sl au nc he d fo u r ne w m id - tive marketing place. Backed segment Android smart by its holistic approach, the phones – Galaxy A3 & A5 company is currently work- and Galaxy E5 & E7 for the ing with over 70 real estate Indian market. With the developers, ranging from Galaxy A3 & A5 phones, Lodha, Shapoorji Pallonji to which are the slimmest Oberoi Realty, Sobha and K Raheja Corp, and has helped made so far, Samsung sell over `5,000-crore worth has introduced full metal inventory for the calendar unibody design in its year 2014. “We are devised range. E5 various models of digital & E7 had a global launch marketing and sales for our in India, highlighting clients depending upon their Samsung’s focus on the clients. In most of the cases, Indian market. Quality we act as their partners who of the phone display and can help them put up an effi- t’s been a good year for to sweat the asset a lot more, selfie taking abilities have cient marketing channel. IRiyaaz Amlani, c e o & what with them being open become a significant In a short span of time, our m d, Impresario Entertain- all day,” he says. “We’re also feature. And Samsung efforts have generated tre- ment & Hospitality Pvt Ltd, able to juggle the table turn- is following the trend mendous response,” says who recently launched his around and Average (reve- here. “We are confident Vikram Kotnis, founder, latest brand, Social, in Ban- nue) per cover (apc) better.” that the launch of these Amura Technologies, which galore, Delhi and Mumbai. Amlani adds that they are new devices will further has offices in almost all Amlani is now busy chalk- looking at setting up some expand our presence major cities. The company ing out plans to grow the 20-25 stores (largely Smoke in the mid-segment of is currently on an expan- company further in what he House Deli and Social over market sion mode and looking to terms as an “exciting market, the next year or so. The com- in India,” says Asim expand its base to smaller with lots to look forward to”. pany is also looking at raising Warsi, vice-president, cities. It has grown at a c ag r “People are increasingly look- $20 million in a third round marketing, mobile & it, of about 150 per cent in ing for value now, and with of funding, which will be Samsung India. u the last two years. u concepts like these, we’re able used to scale up its brands. u

u 25 u January 19-February 1, 2015 Visiting Business India u the magazine of the corporate world

here are exciting developments the world’s best business school There. A homegrown new economy (ranked by Financial Times), lauded company like Flipkart is taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s . That is an exciting develop- Make in India campaign, saying ment to watch. Then there are com- if India could focus on advanced panies like Housing.com. But what manufacturing, it would be good. I am disappointed with is that India Lauding the efforts of the iits is really falling behind on data. We in the sphere of entrepreneur- need high bandwidth sources like 3G ship, Nohria said, “There is latent and 4G,” said Nitin Nohria, dean, entrepreneurship energy in India Harvard Business School. How- and I am a big booster of the cur- ever, he feels India is falling behind rent efforts by the iits.” Accord- on data and this could adversely affect ing to Nohria, entrepreneurs in the growth of new economy compa- India succeed despite the system nies. Nohria, who will be complet- and there is little being done to be ing five years in July as the dean of fundamentally supportive. u

Co plc to strengthen its posi- fa Institute of the US tion in India. Sigma offers a Cis witnessing signifi- whole range of products used cant increase in the number in the development and man- of participants registering ufacture of drug formulations for its exam globally, held and ingredients. Merck Milli- twice a year, in June and pore has a large customer base December, and its manag- including most top pharma- ing director, Paul Smith ceutical companies in India. In believes it’s on course to early 2014, in a $2.48 billion achieve record registration deal, Merck also purchased az this year. “We’re likely to Electronic Materials sa, which achieve record levels this makes high-purity specialtiy year,” says Smith. “How- chemicals for the electronics ever, it’s not clear why we’re market to expand its special- seeing this uptake.” The ity chemicals business. az reason, according to Smith erck KgaA, the German Electronic Materials also had could be economic growth Mdrugs and chemicals a sizable business and man- returning in western coun- group, which made a few acqui- ufacturing facility in India. tries and the growth of would be several times than sitions in the speciality chem- “The products available in Sig- financial services in emerg- that of US. Towards that, icals and pharma solutions ma’s portfolio is completely ing economies. Participants c fa Institute has already space in 2014, wants to consol- complimentary to the tech- from India are currently opened an Indian subsid- idate its position in India. The nology solutions and services third highest, after US and iary in Mumbai in Decem- group’s life sciences solutions currently provided by Merck China. But, given India’s ber 2014. The institute’s division Merck Millipore – a in India, a priority market size and population and Claritas Investment cer- leading provider of technology for us,” said Udit Batra, the increasing penetration of tificate programme, tar- solutions and services to drug new global president and chief education and rising aware- geted at 90 per cent of makers – will significantly ben- executive officer of Merck ness, Smith believes, at the staff of asset manage- efit from the $17 billion global Millipore, during his visit to some point in the future, ment companies has found acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich the country recently. u the candidate base in India great resonance in India.u

ailed as the ‘Father supporting the govern- is clear that the private sec- Hof the Internet’, and ment’s vision for a dig- tor is going to play a major co-designed with Robert ital India. “It is a very role, but it will not work Kahn the protocols and early stage of discus- unless basic infrastructure basic architecture of the sion. is inter- that the government pro- Internet, Vinton G. Cerf ested in being helpful poses to bring in, is put into is currently chief Internet (to the Digital India place,” he added. The gov- evangelist at Google. Last project). We have some ernment’s ambitious Digital fortnight Cerf met min- ideas. We want to share India project aims to con- ister for communications with them those ideas to nect all gram panchayats by and information technol- find out which of them broadband Internet, promote ogy Ravi Shankar Prasad to make sense. Maybe they e-governance and trans- discuss the role the search will have better ideas form India into a connected engine giant can play in than us,” said Cerf. “It knowledge economy. u

u 26 u January 19-February 1, 2015