CHENNAI PLUS

  Novotel Mumbai International Airport Marks Makar Sankranti with a Special Lunch Marking the joyous harvest festival of Makar Sankranti, Novotel Mumbai International Airport invites guests to indulge in a thoughtfully curated Special Lunch on 14th January 2026 at its chic all-day dining destination, Food Exchange. Designed to honour tradition while embracing contemporary elegance, the festive spread promises a warm, flavour-filled afternoon steeped in the spirit of togetherness.   Makar Sankranti, celebrated across India as a symbol of new beginnings, abundance, and gratitude, finds a delicious expression at Food Exchange through a menu that blends regional favourites with modern culinary finesse. The specially crafted lunch highlights the essence of the season -wholesome ingredients, nostalgic flavours, and celebratory indulgence - presented in a vibrant, interactive dining format.   Guests can look forward to an elaborate spread featuring Undhiyu, thoughtfully ...

               By Krishna Khatwani, Head of Sales - India, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd The Union Budget 2026 will arrive at a time when the FMCG sector would see the building blocks for a sustained consumption upcycle fall into place. GST rationalisation, income tax relief, benign inflation, and supportive rural schemes over the last year have created a foundation; the next Budget can determine whether this translates into broad-based, durable growth across both urban and rural India. From a household’s lens, three levers will matter most: how much additional disposable income is created, how evenly it is distributed across segments, and how predictably it flows into daily consumption rather than one ‑ time spending. Consolidating the GST and tax stimulus The first priority is to consolidate the gains from GST 2.0 and recent direct tax relief rather than introduce fresh complexity. GST reductions in October 2025 have already released subs...

Interio by Godrej, a home and office furniture brand of the Godrej Enterprises Group, announced its plans to grow its kitchen business at a 10% CAGR over the next five years. The brand has seen strong momentum across Tier 2-3 cities, driven by consumer demand for functional kitchen spaces in modern Indian homes. The Kitchen & Dining Furniture market in India is projected to reach US$251.32 million in 2025 , growing at a 2.28% CAGR through 2030. Interio is positioned to outpace this growth, backed by new product launches, expansion of Kitchen galleries to 250 locations across 120 cities and the advanced manufacturing facility at Khalapur, Maharashtra, which now produces up to 250 kitchens per day. Dev Narayan Sarkar, Senior Vice President and Head of Consumer Business, Interio by Godrej , said, “The Indian kitchen is no longer just a utility space, it's becoming a lifestyle statement. Consumers today want modular solutions that blend design, functionality and long-term dur...

Ayekart, India’s first full-stack, farm-to-fork digital infrastructure company, announced the appointment of Vikas Varma as Strategic Advisor – Mentor . This appointment further strengthens Ayekart’s leadership as it scales its technology-enabled agri-food supply chain solutions. In his advisory role, Vikas will work closely with the founding and leadership team to guide Ayekart’s technology-led growth agenda. His focus areas will include GTM strategy, commercialisation, alliances, talent and leadership development, business governance, and the development of resilient, future-ready technology architecture to support Ayekart’s long-term vision. Vikas Varma is a seasoned technology and fintech leader with over 30 years of experience across payments, cyber security, fintech, SaaS, and consumer technology. A Fortune 500 technology executive, he has played a pivotal role in building and scaling large digital ecosystems in India and across South Asia. During his tenure as Chief Oper...

ASCI Academy, the training arm of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), has launched an e-learning course titled ‘Ethical UI/UX Designs:Building Consumer Trust’ designed for digital marketers, e-commerce companies, product professionals, and designers. The course has been launched in collaboration with Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL). At a time when there is increasing focus on compliance, with the government cracking down on unethical practices like dark patterns, the course is especially significant because it deepens the understanding of how interface design influences user behaviour. It does this while reinforcing ethical standards, transparency and trust in digital experiences, in line with regulatory frameworks and ASCI’s codes. The launch comes at a time when dark patterns have come under increasing regulatory scrutiny globally and in India. An independent survey by Local Circles found that, of the 26 major digital platforms that had declared that their services w...

Schaeffler, the leading motion technology company, announced the appointment of Maximilian Fiedler (38) as Regional CEO, Asia/Pacific, and effective 1 January 2026. In this role, he will also be part of the Executive Board of Schaeffler Group, representing the region. Mr. Fiedler has been serving as the Chief Financial Officer, Region Asia/Pacific, since 2022. In June 2025, Maximilian Fiedler assumed the position as Regional CEO Asia/Pacific on a temporary basis in addition to his role as CFO Asia/Pacific. Mr. Fiedler has been with Schaeffler since 2012 and has held several senior leadership roles, including Head of External Reporting for Schaeffler Group and Chief Financial Officer for Schaeffler Mexico. Before joining Schaeffler, Mr. Fiedler was Treasury Manager for HeidelbergCement AG. Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler AG, said: “We are delighted to appoint Maximilian to drive our business in the Asia Pacific region. Maximilian has continuously demonstrated exceptional commit...