Indian-origin entrepreneur Payal Kadakia, 32, figures among the 10 most promising women entrepreneurs of 2015 in the list released by Fortune magazine. Payal is the CEO and co-founder of ClassPass, a two-year-old start-up that gives customers access to thousands of boutique fitness classes in their area.
IndiGo is now stomping its dominance on Indian skies. According to data compiled by Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the first seven months (January-July) of 2015, the airline carried 17 million passengers during this period with a market share of 37.3 per cent. During the corresponding period of 2014, it had carried 11.48 million passengers with a market share of 30.5 per cent.
According to an Assocham-PricewaterhouseCoopers study, India is at the cusp of an e-commerce revolution. Accelerating internet access, staggering penetration of mobile phones and robust investment have driven the growth of this industry, and if current projections are anything to go by, India is on route to becoming the world’s fastest growing e-commerce market.
The 2014 Catalyst Census Report painted a rather poor picture of India in regard to the number of women directors on board of its companies. Among the BSE 200 index companies, there were only 9.5% women directors. Data in the report pertained to October 2014.
US crude oil prices broke the $40 barrier on August 21, 2015 for the first time since 2009. Latest data indicate a further rise in US drilling rigs and a drop in Chinese manufacturing.
Ashwani Lohani will be the next chief of Air India. An Indian Railway Service officer of 1980 batch, Lohani would succeed Rohit Nandan whose three-year term ended last year.
Banking, finance and technology professionals have reason to be upbeat. The next two years are going to see tremendous job opportunities in the banking sector in India.
Two new banks are ready to roll out. Bandhan Bank is commencing operations on August 23, 2015. It would start operations with 600 branches, of which 200 would be in metro and urban areas. IDFC Bank is slated to start operations from October 1, 2015 with 20 branches, of which 5 would be in metropolitan cities.
The Tatas is clearly betting big on the cab-hailing market. After Ratan Tata announced an investment in Ola last month, Tata Capital today announced it had made a “significant investment” into Uber. This move ensures that the company has a finger in all pies in the super-competitive cab hailing market in India.
India’s two largest banks have announced new tech measures to enhance banking experience. While State Bank of India has launched a mobile wallet app, SBI Buddy in collaboration with Accenture and Mastercard, ICICI Bank Ltd has introduced ‘Smart Vault’, a fully automated locker facility with high-end robotic technology.