From Isha Ambani's ambitions at Reliance Retail to unlocking India's philanthropy potential, here are our most-read stories of the week

Zetwerk's attempts to expand beyond India, Titan Company MD CK Venkataraman's dreams, and threats of cyber-attacks are some of the stories that piqued the interest of our readers this week

By Forbes India

Published: Apr 7, 2023 03:52:43 PM IST

Updated: Apr 7, 2023 04:28:58 PM IST

Every week, catch up on the best long form stories from Forbes India. Often peppered with our binge-worthy podcasts, videos or infographics too. Image: Shutterstock

1) Her father's daughter

Isha Ambani followed in her father's footsteps when she was made a director of Reliance Jio in 2014, along with her twin brother Akash Ambani. The duo was crucial in securing RelianceJio's megadeals with Facebook, Google, Qualcomm, and Intel. Now, as the executive director of Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, Isha Ambani is one more time proving her savvy. RRVL is equally connected with Kirana owners as it is connected with luxury fashion brands such as Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, Manish Malhotra, Raghavendra Rathore or Ritu Kumar. Winner of the Gennext Entrepreneur trophy at Forbes India Leadership Awards 2023, the 31-year-old is only getting started. Read here

2) Titan is a woman's best friend...

...or at least that is the aim of CK Venkataraman, managing director of Titan Company. He will be retiring from his post at the Tata group's second-largest company by market capitalisation in 2025, by then he would like to see a world where Titan has become an integral part of a woman's day-to-day life—from Taneira saree to Titan+ sunglasses to Noura perfume to Tanishq jewellery. Under Venkataraman's leadership, since he took charge in 2019, the company’s revenues have grown from ₹19,000 crore to nearly ₹28,000 crore in 2022, and it is poised to better those numbers by the end of the current fiscal. Now the goal is to reach many parts of the world. Read here

3) Ready to go beyond India

Amrit Acharya, Srinath Ramakkrushnan, Rahul Sharma, Vishal Chaudhary and Ankit Fatehpuria share an interest in solving some of the imbalances in the largely unorganised manufacturing ecosystem. They came together and in 2018, started a marketplace for custom manufacturing to connect SMEs with mid-large original equipment manufacturers from a one-bedroom apartment in Bengaluru. Zetwerk has hit the bullseye when it comes to identifying gaps in the manufacturing chain. It’s got off to a good start, but it’s a long, winding road ahead, and execution is the litmus test of how sustainable it will be. Read here

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From Isha Ambani's ambitions at Reliance Retail to unlocking India's philanthropy potential, here are our most-read stories of the week

1) Targets on the backs

Every other op-ed is talking about the benefits of rapid digitalisation in India. The party doesn't stop. But not a lot of them are paying attention to the growing vulnerability when it comes to securing the respective data and IT assets. According to research by Group-IB, a Singapore-based cybersecurity firm, India ranks third globally and first in the Asia-Pacific region in the list of 111 countries affected by the worldwide activity of scam groups distributing info-stealing malware. Both businesses and government organisations are either spending less on cybersecurity or not overseeing the damage cyberwarfare can cause. The time to step up is now, or you could be the next target. Read here

2) Locked out loaded

SEBI has mandated different lock-in periods for existing shareholders in a company after it is listed on the stock exchanges via IPO. After these lock-in periods are over, companies sometimes face intense selling pressure. Last year, it happened to FSN E-Commerce Ventures, which runs Nykaa, and One97 Communications, which runs Paytm—the fintech company's shares fell over 20 percent in the same month because of this mayhem. In the next four months, starting April, stocks worth ₹61,338 crore stand the risk of sell-offs as the one-year lock-in period of 33 companies is set to expire. Will this create further volatility in the market? Read here

3) Vani Kola on Pathbreakers

The second part of Vani Kola's episode on Forbes India Pathbreakers continues the conversation. In this part, the veteran startup investor talks about the tricky relationship between founders and investors, and the pitfalls as they traverse the complex journey of value creation. She also decodes valuation and governance concerns and talks about why despite the current setbacks, the next decade is an exciting time for the startup ecosystem. Watch the interview to find out Kola's investment strategy for early-stage bets in new-age tech companies, and more. Watch here

4) Unlocking India's giving potential

It's a good time for philanthropy in India, with increased wealth creation and economic activity. Young people are coming into money and they are willing to donate. But the richest in the country are still giving just one percent of their wealth towards philanthropy. At Forbes India Leadership Awards 2023, Neera Nundy, cofounder and partner, Dasra moderated the panel on 'Unlocking India’s Philanthropic Potential', in which Amit Chandra of ATE Chandra Foundation, Luis Miranda of Indian School of Public Policy, Zarina Screwvala of Swades Foundation, and Upasana Kamineni Konidela of Apollo Hospitals talked about the emerging trends in Indian Philanthropy, insights and anecdotes from their personal experiences, and more. Watch here