CONTENTS ME TEAM 2 COVER STORY ASSOCIATE EDITORS COME HOME TO HAPPINEST ZARINA HODIWALLA Happinest is a new business vertical focused on making quality housing at affordable DARIUS LAM prices accessible to a wider cross-section of people. AUTOMOTIVE DIVISION Bonita Fernandes, Rajeev Malik, Nandita Sarkar, Pavithra Kamdadai, 8 SPECIAL FEATURE KVN Prasad, Venecia Paulose, Neha Dalal and Anita Beri AMBITIOUS STRATEGIES FOR GROWTH FARM DIVISION Ashok Sharma, Chief Executive, Auto & Farm Strategy, Rujuta Nadkarni, Shruti Chhabra and Agri and Allied Business, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., Phiruzi Kasad discusses the company’s roadmap to evolve as a complete agri solutions provider. TWO WHEELER Priyanka Koijam FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY Charandeep Chawla, Sheetal Choksey, NEWS 11 28 SPOTLIGHT Amit Agarwal and Ritesh Gaind Updates from across sectors, including A focus on the Information Technology AFTER-MARKET launches, initiatives, awards and Services space and Tech Mahindra’s Geethu Menon and Mayank Maini recognition. position in it. SYSTECH Swapnil Soudagar 30 FOREIGN DESPATCH MAHINDRA PARTNERS Desiree D’Cunha RISING TO MEET THE AMERICAN CHALLENGE INFRASTRUCTURE & REALTY Mani Iyer, President - Mahindra USA, shares his Rishika Mehrotra, Subrata Sengupta and experience about his association with MUSA Inc. Anurag Vijay HOSPITALITY Deepali Naair 32 RISE FOR GOOD 37 SOCIAL STATUS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Vrinda Pisharody Proud Fathers for Daughters Campaign Tweets featuring the Mahindra Group and Retrofitting Mahindra Towers from around the world wide web DEFENCE SYSTEMS Sanjit Tiwari SUSTAINABILITY 38 AFTER HOURS Poonam Bagwe Prakash Wakankar, newly-appointed CEO of CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Mahindra Retail, shares his experience as a cricket GOOD Gilroy Correia and Santanu Bhattacharya commentator INNINGS Edited and Published by Mahindra Group Communications for Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, Gateway Building, Apollo Bunder, Mumbai 400 001. 40 FANBOOST Editorial and Design Consultants: AICL Communications Limited ([email protected]) Cheering on Team Mahindra Racing For employees of the Mahindra Group and for private external circulation only, through the Mahindra Group. EDITORIAL Dear Readers, We live in an age of information overload. Mahindra in the areas of Community, Ever-expanding Twitter feeds compete with People, Governance and Environment. In Facebook timelines that are updated by the this issue, we meet Rajeev Dubey, President ZARINA HODIWALLA second and WhatsApp messages that never (Group HR, Corporate Services & After- Associate Editor seem to stop. How do we make sense of Market) & Member of the Group Executive this never ending deluge? Is there a way to Board Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., to simplify the way we decode data? understand how this movement seeks to drive engagement both within and outside These were some of the questions we asked Mahindra. ourselves when we decided to give ME – our Group newsletter – a brand new look. Over Our Cover Story takes a behind-the-scenes the past few months, we reached out to look at the launch of Mahindra Lifespaces’ many of you across the Group to understand new affordable housing brand, Happinest. what you would like to see in the new ME. The timing is particularly apt considering the What you hold in your hands is the result of new government’s goal of ‘a house for every that survey. We have tried to make it more Indian by 2022’. innovative, fresh, vibrant and contemporary. You will see greater accent on the visual Mahindra’s agri business vertical achieved element and several new columns, articles sixfold growth in three years and has had and features. a positive impact on the lives of 5,00,000 farmers. Turn to the Special Feature We have introduced several new sections section on page 8 to read our interview of like Foreign Despatch which chronicles Ashok Sharma, Chief Executive - Auto & the experiences of expatriates working Farm Strategy, Agri and Allied Business and for the Group in India and abroad, After his plans to deliver farm tech prosperity to Hours which takes a lighthearted look at 22 million farmers across India. the hobbies and passions of our colleagues outside office hours and Industry Spotlight We’ve enjoyed putting this new issue which uses infographics to show emerging together and hope you find it engaging, trends in the industries where the Group entertaining and informative. Do send us competes. your feedback which will help make ME even better in the future. ME now includes a special Rise For Good section which feature articles and Zarina Hodiwalla interviews on the work being done by COVER STORY COME HOME TO HAPPINEST HAPPINEST IS A NEW BUSINESS VERTICAL FOCUSED ON MAKING QUALITY HOUSING AT AFFORDABLE PRICES ACCESSIBLE TO A WIDER CROSS-SECTION OF PEOPLE. IT IS AIMED AT FAMILIES WITH A CURRENT COMBINED MONTHLY INCOME OF RS. 20,000 TO RS. 50,000 PER MONTH. AVADI, CHENNAI, AND BOISAR, IN THE MUMBAI METROPOLITAN REGION, HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR THE FIRST TWO LOCATIONS WITH HOMES IN BOTH LOCATIONS AVAILABLE AT AFFORDABLE PRICES OF RS. 9.1 – 20 LAKHS. 2 COVER STORY When Satish Chandran and his wife, Pattammal, booked their brand new home at Avadi near Chennai, it was the culmination of a lifelong dream. The young videographer and his teacher wife always longed for a home of their own but with a combined monthly income of Rs. 25,000 it seemed to be well out of their reach. Till Happinest entered their lives. Satish and Pattammal will soon be proud owners of their very first home at Happinest, Avadi, the first project from Mahindra Lifespaces in the affordable housing space. So what motivated Mahindra Lifespaces to enter this space? Satish Chandran and his family at their new home at Happinest in Avadi, Chennai “Urban India has an estimated 19 million families either living in slums or in low income neighbourhoods on rent and this and both the Government and private housing deficit is likely to rise to 38 million by developers must join hands to make this 2030. Targeted at the large, under-served a reality. The latter cannot ignore this home ownership market in India, Happinest space in the long term as it represents an is built on the three pillars of Trust, Better incredible opportunity from the business Living and Affordability,” says Sriram S. point of view but would surely need an Mahadevan, Business Head, Happinest. enabling environment and policies to make a difference in this space,” says Sriram. “India is also urbanising at a very rapid rate with 33% of the population living in urban Happinest is thus, also a manifestation of areas. It has been estimated that by 2030, the Mahindra Group’s focus on shared over 500 million Indians will live in cities, value, which involves creating economic with 70% of new employment opportunities value in a way that also creates value generated here. This will necessitate an for society by addressing its needs and increase in affordable housing solutions as MR. ARUN challenges. It essentially advocates equating unplanned development and slums will lead NANDA economic progress with social progress. to congestion and a marked deterioration in Chairman, Mahindra the quality of life,” he continues. Lifespace Developers Ltd. THE GOODNESS OF HAPPINEST Spurred on by the lack of supply in the “Happinest is the next Happinest homes are focused on affordable housing space, the company big thing for Mahindra offering its customers safe and secure began considering this segment as a Lifespaces. A strong neighbourhoods with good transport serious business opportunity about three understanding of connectivity in well planned developments. years ago. “If you look at the real estate manufacturing processes Addressing the cultural and social nuances industry, the top 5% of the population makes the Mahindra of the target customer’s lifestyle have been by income – or the premium to luxury Group best-placed to bring important elements of the design process, segment – is where most developers are affordable housing to a like the provision of balconies, community present, resulting in excess inventory. There large number of Indians. spaces, and so on. Design has also looked is little or no focus on the balance 95%, What excites me the most at energy conservation, while ensuring that which comprises the middle and bottom of about this business is that these homes are equipped to address the the urban pyramid. This is the segment we Anita, Sriram and the Team future lifestyle needs of the homeowners. are trying to address with Happinest. have found ways to make a business with a great social Units at Happinest also make provision for Coincidentally, our focus on affordable objective economically viable appliances like air conditioners and washing housing is also aligned with the and profitable.” machines. The developments will have Government’s vision to ensure housing 24x7 power back-up for common areas, for all Indians by 2022. If fulfilled, this will elevators, adequate two and four-wheeler result in the creation of 25 million homes parking areas, walking tracks 3 COVER STORY and open spaces. A dedicated Community Hall / Space is aimed at fostering community living within this safe and secure environment. All Happinest projects will be environment- friendly and continue to exemplify the green development philosophy of Mahindra Lifespaces. In fact, both projects at Avadi and Boisar are pre-IGBC certified. Despite the relatively low price tag, Mahindra Lifespaces was very conscious of not compromising on quality. This required a great deal of innovation both 1 2 at the planning and implementation stage. “Necessity is the mother of invention,” quips Amit Pal, Project Head, Happinest, who burnt the proverbial midnight oil in his 4 quest for cost-efficient quality. “We had to incorporate value engineering at the design stage itself, resulting in 13 innovations.” A fast turnaround will help the company keep costs down as slow construction is subject to the risk of cost inflation during execution.