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Valley Insurance Agency Alliance Hires Brett Weis

Weis brings nearly 10 years of insurance industry experience to the company.

(St. Louis, Mo., March 10, 2023) Valley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA), a cohesive family of more than 160 independent insurance agencies in Missouri and Illinois, recently hired Brett Weis as Personal Lines Coach.

In this position, Weis will work with the alliance’s development team to achieve technology and revenue goals. He will coach new and existing team members on best practices for all property and casualty insurance issues including coverages, claims, carriers, and processes.

Weis has worked in the insurance industry for nearly 10 years. Prior to joining VIAA, he served as a personal lines department manager at an independent insurance group that served doctors nationwide. Weis earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo. He holds licenses in Property & Casualty Insurance, as well as Life & Accident and Health or Sickness Insurance. Weis also has a Personal Lines Coverage Specialist (PLCS) designation.

“Brett brings the industry knowledge and experience our alliance members need to increase their revenue,” said VIAA’s co-founder Henry Powers. “His customer service background, along with the working relationships he builds with clients and carriers, make him an excellent addition to our growing team.”

Founded in 1991, Powers Insurance & Risk Management provides personal and business insurance, surety, risk management, and employee benefits. Founded in 2006, sister company Valley Insurance Agency Alliance generates more than $600 million in written premium and is the regional founding member for the Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance (SIAA), a $11 billion national alliance. The companies are headquartered at 6825 Clayton Ave. For more information, call (314) 725-1414 or visit www.powersinsurance.com or www.viaa4u.com.

YES BANK and Aadhar Housing Finance enter into co-lending partnership

New Delhi, March 09, 2023: YES BANK announced that it has partnered with Aadhar Housing Finance Ltd to offer home loans at competitive interest rates.

Aadhar Housing Finance is one of India’s largest affordable housing finance companies. With this partnership, both entities aim to provide, convenient home finance solutions such as Home Loan for Salaried Employees, Loan for Plot Purchase and Construction, Home Improvement Loan, Loan Against Residential Commercial Property, Balance Transfer and Top Up, among others, to customers from lower and middle-income groups.

This partnership is in accordance with the co-lending framework of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that enables banks and non-banking companies to jointly bring forth financial solutions that cater to the requirements of the unserved and underserved sections of the society.

Speaking on the partnership, Mr. Lavesh Sardana, Country Head – Retail Assets, YES BANK said, “Home loan penetration in India is relatively lower as compared to the most developed economies of the world. This offers an opportunity for lenders to bridge this gap with their product offerings. We are happy to partner with Aadhar Housing Finance, to bring forth a slew of affordable home finance solutions that will largely benefit individuals from lower-and middle-income groups by helping them fulfill their dream of building their own home. Given our vast network of banking relationships, we aim to cater to the financial requirements of customers across a wide socio-economic spectrum, in line with the Government’s vision of encouraging inclusive growth within the country.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rishi Anand, CEO and MD, Aadhar Housing Finance said, “YES BANK’s wide reach and trust in the market, coupled by our own network and digital, state-of-the-art IT infrastructure, improved control, underwriting functions, and increasing customer reach and distribution capability, will help provide efficient and economical home loan solutions to a wide gamut of customers across geographies, socio-economic groups and yield spectrum, to enable optimum growth.”

Hy-Vee Opens its FIRST GCC in India

This is in context of ANSR collaborating with Hy-Vee, a $14 billion US Retail chain to set up it’s first ever offshore capability centre in Bangalore, India. The Hy-Vee team inaugurated the one-of-its kind GCC today, with the grace of BV Naidu, Chairman of Karnataka Digital Economy Mission. Please find attached the press release for the same, which includes statements from Mr Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee’s Executive Chairman of the Board and Executive Director, Mr BV Naidu and Mr Lalit Ahuja, CEO of ANSR.

redRail by redBus launches ‘Window Seat’- a tête-à-tête with those who inspire; Beginning with Asia’s first woman loco pilot, Surekha Yadav

India March 9th, 2023: redRail – the rail ticketing platform by redBus, has launched a content property for its social media platforms, that takes audiences through the inspirational journeys of unique travellers in an interview series, known as ‘Window Seat’. redRail by redBus has interviewed Surekha Yadav, who is Asia’s first loco pilot, in the launch episode of the series and has released a 10- minute interview with Surekha, that captures her journey from her childhood to her education, the challenges faced and her role at present. The conversations are intended at inspiring hundreds of thousands of people who seek motivation and advice from those who have made a difference.

redRail by redBus roped in Juhi Sharma, a filmmaker working in documentaries, fiction films, music videos and branded content, to interview Surekha. Below are excerpts from their informal conversation.

On being asked about how Surekha came by her profession and why she chose trains- She never thought or dreamed about becoming a motor woman or a loco pilot, though she was fascinated by trains since childhood, but after completing her education, she applied for the job and the criteria was to have a diploma in any stream and be over 18 years of age. She cleared the 3 steps- the written test, the viva and the psycho test. And from there, her journey began. Before the selection she didn’t believe she had the calibre for it, but once selected, she was determined to be a train pilot.

A bit about her family background and childhood- Surekha’s father was a farmer and they lived in Satara. She received good encouragement on the education front since childhood as her parents and relatives were supportive of her yearning to learn. That gave her the confidence and the foundation to make it to her position.

What people say and about being judged for making her way into a male bastion- Surekha states that people judge and comment, no matter who you are and what you do, that’s how society is, but what we need is a mindset that allows us to focus on what we do. Then people are compelled to change their mindset about you. She believes there is no job or area that is male dominated, it is just that women have not entered that field yet and once they do, there is no question of dominance. At the beginning of her career, there was certainly a mindset that women could not manage or drive trains, but all it took was a bit of determination and confidence, especially since the criteria for the job did not require the candidate to be a man or woman in particular. Surekha did not look at her job or role through the lens of gender, but only through competence or the aptitude for it. There is enough and more encouragement that comes once the person is successful in his or her endeavour. She thanks Indian Railways for giving her the opportunity of a lifetime to pursue her dream job.

Turning points in her career as a loco pilot- The first train that she operated was a goods train and as an assistant driver. She worked under the observation of the driver and after about 5-6 years, she herself became the driver. In 1999, she was appointed to operate one of the Mumbai local trains, which is the lifeline of the city. She has been extra careful not to let her seniors and peers down as she is the centre of attention and more so because she is responsible for the safety and punctuality of so many people.

Surekha’s favourite route to operate trains – She loves all the routes she drives on, especially the ghat sections and Kasara to Igatpuri is her favourite, for its greenery. She takes trains on those routes even now, where they couple a banker engine from behind to take the help of two engines to climb the gradient, once they reach the peak the banker engine is uncoupled, while the train keeps moving. She remembers piloting the Deccan Queen train and when she set up the engine on the 8th of March in 2011 at Pune, there was a grand ceremony organized, which included taking her arthi, and welcoming her with a dhol and a massive crowd had gathered. Surekha was overwhelmed and there were tears in her eyes. She also has fond memories of piloting the Ladies Special Express from CST to Kalyan in Mumbai

The interaction culminates with Juhi asking Surekha if she uses online booking on her phone to book train tickets and Surekha asserting that online booking has made things extremely easy for people as it saves time, with bookings now possible in seconds and on the go.

Clarapath Acquires Crosscope and Combines Tissue Processing Robotics with AI Powered Digital Pathology for Building the Lab of the Future

Clarapath, a robotics company aimed at catalyzing change in the way pathology laboratories process human and animal tissue, today announced the acquisition of Mountain View, CA-based Crosscope. Crosscope is a digital pathology company with a turnkey imaging solution providing best-in-class workflow tools and slide management along with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology to assist pathologists with better and faster decision-making.The enhanced and integrated technologies add a new dimension for laboratory leaders and clinicians. The acquisition combines Clarapath’s SectionStar, the first, fully automated, all-in-one tissue sectioning and transfer system with Crosscope’s workflow and computational pathology tools enabling labs to deliver care faster, more cost-effectively, and at higher quality.

“Clarapath is thrilled to welcome Crosscope to the Clarapath team. We believe that the combination of SectionStar’s exceptional automated robotics with Crosscope’s advanced workflow and computational pathology tools provide an end-to-end platform for more patient-centric care in human and animal health,” said Eric Feinstein, CEO of Clarapath. “Our combined offering will solve some of the most pressing issues in the lab such as labor shortages, quality control challenges, and the rapidly increasing volume of samples needing review. We are equally excited about the global expansion of our engineering team in Mumbai, India.”

The Crosscope Dx software platform has been designed by pathologists and aims to streamline the pathology process by enabling interoperability, storage, image management, and collaboration. The software provides end-to-end digital pathology, and advanced, integrated, and highly flexible workflow features with an open and scalable architecture.

It has been an incredible journey and we are grateful to have done it alongside our amazing co-founders Jayendra Shinde, Ph.D., Ketan Bacchuwar, Ph.D. and Puneet Pantane, and importantly the entire Crosscope team (throughout many phases) with the support of our advisors, investors, partners, customers, and family. Thank you for building Crosscope alongside us.

Demand for call center and remote customer service jobs grew by 400% since pre-pandemic

Bangalore, 9 March 2023: Data from Indeed, the world’s no. 1 job site reveals an exponential surge in demand from jobseekers for call center and remote customer service jobs over the past 4 years. While job postings too have witnessed a moderate rise of 16.2%, a dramatic increase of 432.80% in clicks per million has been observed since 2019.

The data reveals that there was an elevated demand for call center and remote customer service jobs in the period from Jan 2020 – Jan 2021, with a 498.40% increase in job postings and a tremendous increase in jobseeker interest (1405% increase in clicks per million). This can be attributed to the pandemic necessitating more virtual customer service representatives, an exponentially rising demand for quick-commerce platforms and growth of the app economy.

Gig work also grew during this time frame owing to the emergence of work-from-home as a predominant model of work. However, job trends over the past year reveal a moderate drop in both job postings (by 73.50%) and jobseeker interest (by 64.50% clicks per million) as the economy opens up and on-site jobs resume.

Sashi Kumar, Head of Sales, Indeed India said, “The overall rise in call center and customer support jobs over the past five years indicates that businesses are recognising the rising importance of improving customer experience. Especially in a post pandemic world, there is definitely a growing need for professionals who can manage customer interactions with empathy and efficiency, while also possessing the technical expertise to work with emerging technologies like AI and machine learning. It is also heartening to see that the country is a preferred destination for call centers and customer support outsourcing due to its large pool of skilled workers, lower operating costs, and proficiency in English.”

Bangalore leads job postings for call center executives and remote customer support roles

Bangalore leads job postings in this segment by a large margin, contributing to 19.14% of total jobs. This is followed by Delhi (9.33%), Mumbai (9.11%), Chennai (8.33%) and Hyderabad (6.31%).

Top 10 cities with highest job postings

Experience a week long Vegan Carnival with one8 Commune’s all-new “THE VEGAN GRUB” menu

Indulging in what you like without compromising on the taste is what everybody looks for! We believe that cutting out meat and dairy doesn’t mean you can’t have variety, it simply means there’s something for everyone. So, with the concept of serving innovation with flavor, one8 Commune in association with Blue Tribe Food has launched “The Vegan Grub”- a plant-based menu bringing an alternative approach to your everyday meals.

Blue Tribe Food has been a strong voice for the use of plant-based protein with Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma as their ambassadors, who had been following a meat-free lifestyle for years. Their association with Blue Tribe Food is a step towards raising awareness for a more conscious approach in which the food is consumed without impacting the environment. This approach is helping consumers find an alternative for their favourite meat products without missing out on the taste.

The Vegan Grub menu is so good even carnivores can find something to love, without having to compromise on their favorite food and flavours. Some of the specialty dishes include Chicken Katsu Bao, Paper Thin Pizza, Wok Tossed Sausage & Guntur Chili Rice, and Keema Pav amongst others.

Each dish involves ingredients / protein that is derived from plants, such as plant based pepperoni, plant based keema, plant based pork sausage and others. Each product is made of ingredients like soy, peas, vegetable protein, and more, which are an approachable alternative for everyday life!

Chef Pawan Bisht, who has designed the menu, commented, “There is a larger part of the consumer who is levitating towards vegan food but doesn’t want to bargain on the taste and aroma. Hence, vegan food made with plant-based protein is gaining popularity as it helps in targeting both the issues.”

Where: one8 Commune Aerocity, Punjabi Bagh, Civil Lines, and Juhu

When: 11th March ‘23 – 18th February ‘23

Instagram: @one8.commune

Indian telecom market saw 36% value growth in offline retail in 2022: GfK

Hyderabad/New Delhi, March 9, 2023 – For 2023, GfK forecasts a stabilization of the global market and takes a closer look on the Indian Telecom market.

“According to GfK Market Intelligence for Offline Retail Sales Tracking, while the global Telecom market closed 2022 with a 9.7 percent decline in revenue compared to the previous year, India was one of the silver linings in Telecom Industry with a double-digit revenue growth in the same period over the previous year including Smartphones, Core Wearables and TWS mobile headsets”, explains Kartik Vasudevan, GfK expert for the Telecom market.

Smartphones: Revenue Increase and shifting consumer habits

The smartphone category, including phablets, saw a 15% percent demand increase from January to December 2022 compared to the previous year.

This increase in revenue is also characterized by increasing ASP in the smartphone market in India. The ASP of Smartphones was INR 17,032 which was a 17% growth over 2021. This shift in the ASP was also due to a shift in the price band demand which was led by changing needs of the consumers. 37% of Smartphones sold in 2022 were INR15,000/- and above by units. This is a 9 basis points increase from in contribution over 2021.

Accordingly, demand for premium devices also increased, with the revenue contribution of 5G models moving to 44% in 2022. At the same time devices with a larger storage capacity of more than 256 GB grew 122% in revenue in 2022.

Wearables: New sensor innovations driving Revenue

Wearables as a segment continued its growth in India and grew by 127% in terms of value over the previous year in offline retail. Within wearables categories in 2022, smartwatches grew by 93% and wrist sports computers by 349% over the previous year.

These shifts have been driven by increasing consumer demand for more detailed control of their health, via smart features. Accordingly, wearables with a sleep tracking feature (plus 136 percent) or blood oxygen sensors (plus 208 percent) showed strong growth. This trend also led to developments in innovation, such as the new feature of stress level measuring (EDA) which accounts for 5% of revenue already.

In summary, the next generation of Health Tracking sensors, which will expand the scope of applications, will drive the market.

Indian Telecom Market Outlook 2023

GfK experts forecast 2023 to be stable with value-driven growth for the Indian Telecom market compared to 2022. “While the top-tier towns continue to have a significant share, the shift in consumer needs and changing lifestyles are pushing higher adoption of smart devices in Tier 3 and below towns which contributed to 50% of the smartphone sales unit in 2022 while for wearables it contributed to 21%. Overall, the next level of telecom market growth will be driven by premium handsets, 5G, and wearable devices.”, summarizes Kartik Vasudevan, GfK expert for the Telecom market.