Tata Starbucks, a joint venture between Starbucks Coffee and Tata Global Beverages, opened its first store at Elphinstone Building at Horniman Circle in south Bombay on October 19, 2012. It also announced that two more stores were to follow shortly — at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower at Apollo Bunder (now functioning, with the entrance opposite Hotel Diplomat) and the Oberoi Mall in the suburbs. Delhi would be on the list early next year, the company stated. Believing India to be a complicated market, Starbucks president and chief executive officer Howard Schultz stated that it has been "a lot easier when we came together with the Tatas.”He added that the core product of espresso would be sourced and roasted locally.
Behroze Singh, owner of the Jaipur-based company Cottons, has opened a new store (franchise) off Colaba Causeway, opposite Café Basilico in Bombay in addition to her Bandra store. Cottons’ cool and colorful clothing comprising skirts, tops, kurtas, kurtis, churidars, capris, etc, are sold as separates.
Garments and accessories are now available at outlets in Jaipur, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Madras and Bombay.
Poona’s Forbes Marshall Private Limited has been awarded a Grade 1 CRIS IL-BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) rating, as per a press release from the company. "Forbes Marshall has been recognized as an energy service company (ESCO) by BEE, Ministry of Power, Government of India… the grading is based on a very intensive scrutiny and is in the range of one to five, with one being very high and five being poor. Forbes Marshall is one of the 10 companies that have got ‘very high’ grade out of about 100 organizations enlisted by BEE,” states the release. BEE promotes energy efficiency measures in the country under the Energy Conservation Act 2001. Three parameters broadly determine the rating — the company’s track record and market position, organizational and financial risks. The Grade 1 rating endorses the company’s "very high ability to carry out energy audits and implement energy saving projects,” the release notes.
Ronnie Screwvala and Zarina Mehta, founders of the Swades Foundation, unveiled the new logo of their NGO (non governmental organization) earlier known as SHARE (Society to Heal, Aid, Restore and Educate) in Bombay on October 14, 2012 in the presence of film celebrities Farah Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Ashutosh Gowariker. Swades focuses on improvements in rural India through the empowerment of women’s self help groups, in the fields of water, sanitation, agriculture, livelihood, health and education. Mehta, one of the co-founders of UTV (United Television) along with Screwvala (to whom she is married) and Deven Khote, has moved after a 27-year career in communications to a new vocation – driving the NGO. In her 27-year career, Mehta contributed immensely to growing UTV into a media powerhouse and was personally involved with creative content, as well as the launch of channels like UTV Bindass, UTV Stars and the children’s channel Hungama.
Hoshang Billimoria has been elected president for the ensuing year by the Council for Fair Business Practices at their annual general meeting on September 15, 2012. Billimoria is presently the chief executive officer of Next Gen Publishing Limited, a Shapoorji Pallonji and HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation) enterprise.
A chartered accountant from England and Wales, Billimoria is an independent director on the board of HDFC Asset Management Company Limited, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, Fenner Conveyor Belting Private Limited, etc, as per a press note from the Council.
Dr Kaizad Bomi Heerjee has been appointed the chief operating officer of Aircel Limited from August 2012. Aircel is India’s fifth largest mobile phone company. Heerjee was earlier the chief executive officer of Malaysian telecom company U Mobile. Heerjee has a Masters degree in Information Technology from the University of Nottingham, UK and a doctorate in computer science from the Dundee Institute of Technology, UK. Vastly experienced, Heerjee has held responsible positions in different parts of the world.