Latest news with #ManishGupta
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Speed, Security, and Stakeholders: What CIOs Must Get Right in 2025
At the 7th edition of the ETCIO Annual Conclave 2025, held against the backdrop of surging technological momentum, India's top CIOs gathered not just to trade implementation strategies—but to redraw the contours of their own evolving Manish Gupta, Group CIO at Aditya Birla Group, reflects on the modern CIO's role, he's quick to move past the conventional definitions. 'The job of a CIO is not internal,' he says. 'It must reach out to all stakeholders. Start by mapping them out—a mammoth task to figure out the human dimension.' It's a sentiment that captures the deepening complexity—and pressure—facing technology leaders today. The CIO is no longer a back-office functionary; they are a visible, strategic actor in a landscape shaped by rising customer expectations, accelerating innovation cycles, and ever-tightening security requirements. Today's CIO navigates: Driving innovation at pace, safeguarding trust, and managing human dynamics that make change possible. It's no longer about mastering technology—it's about leading through it. The Three Arcs of Leadership Kirti Patil, Joint President–IT and CTO at Kotak Life Insurance, defines the evolution through 'the three arcs': The visible shift, the invisible layer, and the human thread. Each is necessary; together, they define whether a CIO merely implements change or drives transformation. The visible shift is the front-end—the customer apps, the chatbot, the digital touchpoints that users experience. The invisible layer is the backend—the architecture, APIs, and data integrations that support the experience. But the most challenging layer may be the last. 'Trust in a brand is trust in digital,' Patil explains, underscoring how technology decisions now have reputational stakes. A failed rollout or breach isn't just a technical error—it's a brand issue. This is why Gupta places so much emphasis on education, exposure, and experimentation. 'Experimentation helps multi-level co-creation in the organization involving all the stakeholders a CIO touches,' he notes. It's not enough to deploy a tool; CIOs must create the cultural and structural conditions that allow for innovation to be shared and scaled. From Tech Steward to Strategic Partner One of the most telling observations comes from Anand Srinivasan, Co-founder and CIO at Akasa Air, who captures the changing dynamic in blunt terms: 'Technology is given. In fact, customers expect you to have cutting-edge tech.' The challenge isn't adoption—it's orchestration. Srinivasan sees the mark of a great CIO in their ability to trust and delegate. 'Listen to the wizkids team, sign the cheques and get out of their way,' he says. His view reinforces a common refrain: The CIO as enabler. But that shift isn't just managerial—it's strategic. As customer-facing tech becomes table stakes, differentiation comes from how quickly and responsibly organizations can build and scale new capabilities. And that brings CIOs to a critical balancing act. Innovation Meets the Trust Imperative Few sectors feel the pressure of that balance more than financial services and insurance. Here, technology must do more than work—it must work without violating trust. Sarang Khewale, Deputy CTO and Head Digital Innovation at SBI, talks of the two-pronged approach he undertook, 'Deeply involved design thinking techniques that help protect data by empathizing,' he says. 'With innovation, trust shouldn't be compromised.' The emphasis on empathy is not rhetorical; it's a design principle, and in industries that manage personal information, it's also a regulatory and ethical necessity. For Rohit Kilam, CTO at HDFC Life Insurance, regulatory sandbox provides ground to land. 'We are building things within the regulatory sandboxes.' Innovation, in his view, must also serve those on the margins—'the bottom of the pyramid'—especially the unbanked and underserved segments. Scaling inclusively requires risk, but that risk must be responsibly managed. The Security Reckoning With every digital advancement comes a new frontier for attack. The cybersecurity conversation is no longer siloed—it now shapes every technology investment. 'There's an attack every day,' says Sunit Vakharia, CTO at Reliance Nippon. 'Need to understand the mind of the attacker, without which you'll never be able to defend.' His focus is not just on tools, but on mindset—building a defense that anticipates, not just reacts. At Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, Kanathil Vadakke Dipu, Senior President- Digital Transformation & Innovation, refers to the mock exercises undertaken as 'cyber mahayudh'. The company's effort focused on identifying vulnerabilities and reducing response time. The takeaway: Resilience is no longer a luxury, but a daily operational requirement. Sandeep Khanna, Director at UIDAI, adds a layer. 'The blind spots,' he notes, 'are shadow IT, supply chain risk, and third-party vulnerabilities.' These are threats embedded deep in the ecosystem, not easily visible, but devastating when breached. Looking Ahead The CIO agenda for 2025 is as expansive as it is urgent. Disruption is no longer a question of 'if'—it's a question of preparation and positioning. And as CIOs have been pointing out the writing on the wall for eons now: 'You can't afford to miss disruption.' The modern CIO stands at the intersection of agility and accountability, innovation and integrity. It's a demanding role—but one uniquely positioned to influence the future of business. As Gupta, Patil, and others suggest, the path forward lies not only in systems, but in stakeholders—and in the human capacity to collaborate at scale.
The Print
5 days ago
- Business
- The Print
Insolation Energy posts over two-fold jump in net profit to Rs 126.19 cr in FY25
The company's consolidated turnover stood at Rs 1,333.76 crore, registering an 80.93 per cent year-on-year growth compared to Rs 737.17 crore in FY 2023-24. In the financial year ended March 31, 2024 the company had posted a net profit of Rs 55.47 crore. Jaipur, May 27 (PTI) Leading solar module manufacturer Insolation Energy Ltd on Tuesday reported over two-fold jump in net profit to Rs 126.19 crore in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 on the back of rise in revenues. The EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) of the company more than doubled to Rs 170.32 crore, while gross margins rose 86.44 per cent to Rs 231.79 crore, a company official said. Chairman Manish Gupta attributed the strong performance to the company's focus on innovation, scale, and quality. 'We have expanded from an 80 MW PV module capacity in 2017 to an expected 4 GW by July 2025,' Gupta told reporters here. Company's Managing Director Vikas Jain said that the company plans to scale further, targeting 8 GW module capacity, 3 GW of solar cell manufacturing, and 54,000 metric tonnes annually (MTA) of aluminium frame production by FY 2025-27. Reiterating its commitment to the 'Make-in-India' initiative, the company officials said it aims to contribute significantly to the vision of 500 GW of green energy capacity by 2030. PTI AG DRR This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Insolation Energy net profit more than doubles to ₹126 cr in FY25
Leading solar module manufacturer Insolation Energy Ltd on Tuesday reported over two-fold jump in net profit to Rs 126.19 crore in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 on the back of rise in revenues. In the financial year ended March 31, 2024 the company had posted a net profit of Rs 55.47 crore. The company's consolidated turnover stood at Rs 1,333.76 crore, registering an 80.93 per cent year-on-year growth compared to Rs 737.17 crore in FY 2023-24. The EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) of the company more than doubled to Rs 170.32 crore, while gross margins rose 86.44 per cent to Rs 231.79 crore, a company official said. Chairman Manish Gupta attributed the strong performance to the company's focus on innovation, scale, and quality. "We have expanded from an 80 MW PV module capacity in 2017 to an expected 4 GW by July 2025," Gupta told reporters here. Company's Managing Director Vikas Jain said that the company plans to scale further, targeting 8 GW module capacity, 3 GW of solar cell manufacturing, and 54,000 metric tonnes annually (MTA) of aluminium frame production by FY 2025-27. Reiterating its commitment to the 'Make-in-India' initiative, the company officials said it aims to contribute significantly to the vision of 500 GW of green energy capacity by 2030.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
INA Solar net surges 127%, at 126cr
Jaipur: The Pink City-headquartered Insolation Energy Ltd (INA Solar), one of India's leading solar panel manufacturers, reported a consolidated revenue growth of 81% to Rs 1,333.76 crore in 2024-25, compared to Rs 737.17 crore in 2023–24. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Net profit surged to Rs 126.19 crore in 2024-25, registering a127.50% increase from Rs 55.47 crore in the previous year. Gross margin rose by 86.44%, reaching Rs 231.79 crore, while EBITDA more than doubled to Rs 170.32 crore, up 102.35% year-on-year, the company said in a release. Commenting on the growth plans, Manish Gupta, chairman of INA, said, "INA Solar has laid out ambitious expansion plans to reach 8 GW of module capacity, 3 GW of solar cell manufacturing, and 54,000 tonne of aluminum frame production by FY 2025–27." The company manufactures technologically advanced modules, including TOPCon, Monofacial, and Bifacial variants, in its facilities equipped with AI and robotics to ensure high precision and productivity. Jaipur: The Pink City-headquartered Insolation Energy Ltd (INA Solar), one of India's leading solar panel manufacturers, reported a consolidated revenue growth of 81% to Rs 1,333.76 crore in 2024-25, compared to Rs 737.17 crore in 2023–24. Net profit surged to Rs 126.19 crore in 2024-25, registering a127.50% increase from Rs 55.47 crore in the previous year. Gross margin rose by 86.44%, reaching Rs 231.79 crore, while EBITDA more than doubled to Rs 170.32 crore, up 102.35% year-on-year, the company said in a release. Commenting on the growth plans, Manish Gupta, chairman of INA, said, "INA Solar has laid out ambitious expansion plans to reach 8 GW of module capacity, 3 GW of solar cell manufacturing, and 54,000 tonne of aluminum frame production by FY 2025–27." The company manufactures technologically advanced modules, including TOPCon, Monofacial, and Bifacial variants, in its facilities equipped with AI and robotics to ensure high precision and productivity.
Entrepreneur
23-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Vi and Liferay: Powering a New Era of Commerce, From Consumer to Enterprise
"Vi's visionary approach to building a highly personalized and integrated digital services clearly demonstrates their unwavering focus on understanding and exceeding modern customer expectations," Manish Gupta, Director, Liferay India You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, telecommunications companies are no longer confined to providing just connectivity. Vi, a leading telecom operator in India, recognized this shift and has undergone a strategic transformation to become a comprehensive digital service provider. One of the initiatives under this transformation is the collaboration with Liferay, a global provider of digital commerce, to build Vi's experience platform. This partnership has, in the past, introduced innovative capabilities for Vi's consumer base, and is now expanding these services to enterprise clients. The initial phase of the Vi-TCS-Liferay collaboration has seen the rollout of features aimed at improving customer engagement and enabling new revenue models. A key outcome is the development of ViShop, a digital marketplace that acts as a central hub integrating a range of non-telecom offerings. For Vi subscribers and even non-subscribers, this offering introduces a world full of digital services and subscriptions within the Vi ecosystem. Users can access gift cards for shopping destinations, travel vouchers for planning trips, or discounts on groceries and food—all from a single platform. The partnership also allows Vi to deliver personalized digital experiences. Leveraging Liferay's commerce solution, Vi can tailor offers and discounts based on user behavior and preferences. These capabilities go beyond simple promotions, potentially offering access to financial products such as insurance, loans, and investment tools. Credit card application features are already live, while integrated subscription management for ViMTV—including OTT platforms, news, and infotainment—is being streamlined for user convenience. Another key feature is the ability to create customizable bundles across telecom and non-telecom categories. Users can now build their own service packages to match individual preferences. This increased flexibility offers customers more control over how they engage with Vi's digital ecosystem. "Liferay DXP provided the right set of features that enabled us to launch ViShop in under a year. Its agility to support bi-weekly enhancements has been instrumental in improving customer experience and onboarding new sellers. Through ViShop, we've grown our non-telco offerings by 30x, with the value of transactions seeing an even more impressive multiplier." Aneesh Kumar, EVP Digital, Vi Building on this foundation, Vi and Liferay are now aiming to address enterprise needs. The plan to extend Vi's commerce framework to business clients could offer integrated solutions that support operational efficiency, employee engagement, and digital growth. By adapting its consumer-facing tools, Vi can offer marketplaces for procurement, customized bundles of communication services, and access to industry-relevant software to enterprises. The framework could also help businesses manage employee subscriptions to learning platforms or access tailored deals on essential tools—all through a single platform. "Vi's visionary approach to building a highly personalized and integrated digital services clearly demonstrates their unwavering focus on understanding and exceeding modern customer expectations," Manish Gupta, Director, Liferay India. With its established telecom infrastructure and Liferay's digital experience platform, Vi is expanding its role to include digital services for both consumers and enterprises. This strategic shift diversifies Vi's offerings while reflecting a broader industry trend of combining connectivity with value-added digital services.
