MAM
Hindustan Pencils takes a stand against scammers: Urges public awareness on fake job offers
Mumbai: Hindustan Pencils Pvt Ltd (HPPL), the renowned Indian manufacturer of writing materials and stationery items, established in 1958, is taking all the essential steps to safeguard innocent people from fake job scams. In recent times, the company has observed with concern the proliferation of fraudulent job offers falsely attributed to its iconic brands Nataraj and Apsara.
These scammers are fraudulently impersonating HPPL’s legitimate representatives. They misuse HPPL’s registered office address as well as images of their personnel to cheat innocent and unsuspecting individuals into supposed work-from-home pencil packaging job opportunities through various digital media including Google, LinkedIn, WhatsApp and other online platforms. These misleading offers have led to unfortunate instances where innocent job seekers fall victim to scams, losing money and trust.
Being the pioneers in manufacturing pencils & other stationery items since the year 1958 through advanced technology, HPPL has never authorised any such employment offers of work-from-home pencil packing jobs. HPPL would like to bring to the notice of all job aspirants and the general public that recruitment in HPPL is carried out through a well-established selection process. It is clarified that no websites or agencies have been authorized by HPPL either to show vacancy positions on its site or to accept any application for recruitment on behalf of HPPL. They also refrain from requesting any payment from job seekers under any circumstances. Therefore, any job postings that require money in exchange for a work-from-home pencil packing job are false, fake & bogus.
Furthermore, all Nataraj and Apsara pencils are manufactured and packaged with state-of-the-art automated machinery in robust manufacturing units across India.
The company is committed to maintaining transparency and protecting the interests of its consumers and the public at large.
In response to these alarming developments, Hindustan Pencils has undertaken the following vital initiatives:
Legal Action: Hindustan Pencils has taken a strong stance against these scammers and filed a First Information Report (FIR) to initiate legal proceedings against those responsible for propagating these fraudulent job offers.
Awareness Video: Dubbed & uploaded videos in 10 key Indian languages Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu and Maghai The company has circulated awareness videos through social media channels to educate the public about these fraudulent job scams. The video underscores the importance of verifying job offers through official channels to avoid falling prey to scams.
To date, HPPL is vigilant in tracking fake advertisements on Facebook and has successfully taken down 991 pages carrying fake pencils packing job work from home. They have also successfully taken down 11 pages carrying fake pencils packing job work from home on the IndiaMART portal.
Communication Outreach: Alongside law enforcement authorities, Hindustan Pencils is engaging with consumers across India through emails, telephone calls, 24 x 7 automated response on board line & consumer care number response through manually operated customer care executive to highlight the menace of the fraudulent packaging job scam to help protect public interests.
HPPL is also keeping a close eye on various advertisements published in print media under the classified column and communicating directly with publications disclaiming any such job offers and has also published cautionary notices in the newspaper where such fake job offer advertisements were published.
Over a span of time, even scammers have adapted and refined their methods of operation. Advertisements are now being disseminated without explicit mention of any particular brand name. On a regular basis, HPPL receives a multitude of inquiries, verification requests, and complaints via phone calls from individuals spanning the entire country. These calls come in through various contact points such as board numbers, consumer care lines, and toll-free numbers. HPPL representatives diligently caution each caller, emphasizing the importance of refraining from transferring any funds to these fraudulent entities under any circumstances. Callers are further advised to promptly report the incident to their local cybercrime authorities if they have, unfortunately, fallen victim to the scam and already made monetary transactions.
Hindustan Pencils president Pradip Ughade stated, “We take immense pride in our legacy of providing quality stationery products to our customers. It is disheartening to see the Nataraj and Apsara brand names being misused by scammers to exploit innocent job seekers. We are determined to put an end to these fraudulent activities and ensure that the public is well-informed and protected.”
Hindustan Pencils urges all individuals to exercise caution and diligence while seeking job opportunities online. The company advises job seekers to verify offers directly through the official website and authorized channels to avoid falling victim to scams.
Brands
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen to step down after 18 years in role
Board begins CEO search as Narayen prepares to move to chair role
SAN JOSE: After nearly two decades at the helm, Adobe’s long-serving chief executive Shantanu Narayen is preparing to pass the baton.
The company announced that Narayen will transition from his role as chief executive officer once a successor is appointed, ending an 18-year run that reshaped Adobe from a boxed software seller into a global cloud and AI powerhouse. He will remain chair of the board following the leadership transition.
Adobe’s board has formed a special committee to oversee the succession process, led by lead independent director Frank Calderoni. The committee will evaluate both internal and external candidates.
“Shantanu’s leadership has been instrumental in Adobe’s transformation and in positioning the company for the AI-driven era,” Calderoni said in a statement. “As we begin the next phase of succession planning, our focus is on identifying the right leader for the company’s next chapter while ensuring a smooth transition.”
In a note to employees, Narayen described the moment not as a farewell but as a pause for reflection after a long journey with the company.
“I love Adobe and the privilege of leading it has been the greatest honour of my career,” he wrote, adding that he will continue to work closely with the board over the coming months to ensure a seamless leadership change.
Tributes from the technology industry quickly followed the announcement. Microsoft chairman and chief executive officer Satya Nadella congratulated Narayen on what he described as a “legendary run” at Adobe.
“Congrats Shantanu, on a legendary run at Adobe! You’ve built one of the most important software companies in the world, and expanded what’s possible for creators, entrepreneurs, and brands everywhere,” Nadella wrote on LinkedIn.
“What has always stood out to me is the empathy you’ve brought to the creative process and the example you’ve set as a leader. Grateful for your friendship, mentorship, and for all you’ve done for Adobe and for our industry.”
Narayen’s career at Adobe spans nearly three decades. He joined the company in 1998 as vice president and rose steadily through the ranks before becoming chief executive officer in December 2007.
During that time, he orchestrated one of the most significant reinventions in the software industry. In 2013, Adobe made the bold decision to abandon traditional boxed software sales and move its flagship creative tools such as Photoshop to a subscription-based Creative Cloud model. The shift initially rattled investors but ultimately transformed Adobe into a predictable recurring revenue business and a case study in digital reinvention.
Narayen also pushed Adobe beyond creative tools into the world of marketing technology and data-driven customer experience, spearheading acquisitions such as Omniture and Marketo. Those moves helped build Adobe’s digital experience division and broaden its reach far beyond designers and photographers.
The numbers tell the story of that transformation. When Narayen took over in 2007, Adobe generated roughly $3 billion in annual revenue. Today the company reports more than $25 billion. Over the same period, its workforce expanded from around 3,000 employees to more than 30,000.
In recent years, Narayen has steered Adobe into the generative AI era with the launch of Adobe Firefly, aiming to keep the company ahead in a rapidly evolving creative technology landscape.
Born in Hyderabad in 1963, Narayen studied electronics and communication engineering at Osmania University before moving to the United States for a master’s degree in computer science from Bowling Green State University. He later earned an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Widely regarded as one of Silicon Valley’s most steady and effective leaders, Narayen has earned multiple honours during his career, including India’s Padma Shri in 2019.
For Adobe, the upcoming leadership change marks the end of a defining chapter. For Narayen, however, the story is far from finished. As he told employees, the company’s next era of creativity, powered by AI and new digital workflows, is only just beginning.
