Brands
Maruti ropes in Sidharta Mahadevan for ‘Breathless’ type anthem
BENGALURU: Indian car major Maruti Suzuki India launched the new Alto K10 in Bengaluru on 4 November. The announcement was made by Maruti marketing and sales executive director RS Kalsi in the city while it has already been launched in the NCR region and Mumbai.
The company has planned a month long 360 degree media campaign created by Lowe Partners. Television, print, outdoor and digital are the mediums on which the campaign will play out on. The theme of the campaign is ‘Chase your dream’.
The new Alto K10 TVC has started playing out across major HSM, English and regional GEC’s and news channels since the car is targeted at the young among the masses. The TVC has been produced by Chrome Pitctures and directed by Manoj S Pillai.
The company is also toying with the idea of utilising a ‘Breathless’ type ‘New Alto K10 Anthem’ that has been rendered by Shankar Mahadevan’s son Sidharth.
The Alto brand has been one of the most successful of Maruti’s brands in terms of number of units of sold and has won a number of awards for the company. Since the launch of the first Alto K10 in 2010, the company has sold around 430,000 units. The new Alto K10 has CNG and auto gear shift models. The company expects these variants to increase volumes by around 10 to 15 per cent.
Having won millions of customers, Maruti decided to upgrade an already successful car with a full model change that makes the Alto K10 taller, wider and roomier and about 15 per cent more efficient says the company. The car comes in six colours with Tango Orange its signature colour.
Brands
33 per cent of women believe the salary scale is rigged: Naukri report
Voices @ Work study finds rising calls for equal pay audits and lingering bias
MUMBAI: Progress may be visible in India’s workplaces, but many women still feel the need to tread carefully. A new report by Naukri reveals that one in two women hesitate to disclose marriage or maternity plans during job interviews, worried that such information could influence hiring decisions.
The findings come from the second edition of Naukri’s annual Voices @ Work International Women’s Day report, titled “What Women Professionals Want.” Drawing insights from more than 50,000 women across over 50 industries, the survey sheds light on evolving workplace aspirations alongside the biases that continue to hold women back.
One of the report’s most striking insights is the growing demand for equal pay audits. The share of women calling for regular pay parity checks has climbed to 27 per cent this year, up from 19 per cent a year ago. The demand now stands alongside menstrual leave as the most sought after workplace policy.
Interestingly, the call for pay transparency grows louder higher up the income ladder. Nearly half of women earning between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore annually say equal pay audits are a priority, suggesting that pay gaps become more visible as women move up the career ladder.
At the same time, confidence and ambition appear to be rising. About 83 per cent of women say they feel encouraged to pursue leadership roles, a significant jump from 66 per cent last year. Cities in southern India appear particularly supportive, with Hyderabad leading the way as 86 per cent of respondents there reported encouragement to step into leadership positions. The education sector recorded the highest sense of encouragement at 87 per cent.
Yet the report also highlights a growing trust deficit around pay equity. Nearly one in three women, or 33 per cent, say they do not believe men and women are paid equally at their workplace. That figure has risen from 25 per cent last year, pointing to widening perceptions of disparity as careers progress.
Bias in hiring and promotions continues to be the biggest hurdle. About 42 per cent of respondents say workplace bias is the main challenge for women from diverse backgrounds. The concern is consistent across major metros, with Chennai and Delhi NCR reporting similar levels.
Reluctance to discuss personal milestones during hiring processes is also widespread. While 34 per cent overall said they hesitate to share marriage or maternity plans in interviews, the anxiety increases with experience. Among professionals with 10 to 15 years of work experience, the figure rises to 40 per cent.
Info Edge group CMO Sumeet Singh, said the data reflects both progress and unfinished work. “Behind every data point in this report is a woman who is ambitious. The fact that 83 per cent feel encouraged to lead is something to celebrate. However, the fact that one in two still hide their marriage or maternity plans in interviews tells us the work is far from done. As India’s leading career platform, it felt not just important but necessary for us to shine a light on these gaps through the second edition of our report,” he said.
The report suggests that while ambition among women professionals is growing, structural changes around pay transparency, fair hiring and supportive policies will be key if workplaces hope to keep pace.
