Brands
Maxxis Tyres, Lets Ryde announce women-only riders training initiative
MUMBAI: Maxxis India, a sub-company of Maxxis Group, has announced a tie-up with Lets Ryde, a Delhi-based motorcycle rental and tour-adventure company that also organises theme based customised biking expedition for riders across India and overseas. The companies announced their association for a unique initiative – Women in Front – Riders Training Academy, for Wo/men, by Women, at the ongoing Riders’ Music Festival that celebrates the spirit of bikes and music.
Commenting on this initiative, Maxxis India marketing, and retail sales head Bing-Lin Wu said, “Women in Front is a one of its kind initiative that brings out the skill and thrill of riding. The programme aims to empower and encourage Indian women to experience the freedom of riding and challenge gender stereotypes. As a company with a strong biking DNA, we believe that superior performance and safety go hand in hand. Through this initiative, we want to equip the women with relevant training and safety practices that will help them take the front seat and pave their own journey without any fear or hesitation.”
Lets Ryde co-founders Amit and Kuldeep said, “A motorcycle is a powerful symbol of freedom and individuality. We are committed to empowering Indian women to break the stereotype by being self-sufficient in riding a motorbike. For women to pursue their passion for riding motorcycles makes us hopeful that our country could finally be on its way to gender equality across different realms – this one being ruling the roads safely. While promoting the biking fraternity, we are bringing a well thought-out and planned riding program which is By the Women, For the Women in every sense.”
The lead trainer at the academy will be Shahnawaz Karim, India’s only International Instructors Academy (IIA Germany) certified international adventure and enduro riding trainer based out of Delhi-NCR who has trained over 100+ riders from BMW Motorrad, Triumph, Royal Enfield, Kawasaki, Bajaj, KTM across India and Jaswinder Kaur, the associate trainer who is a solo and group rider. She has been riding for the past 12 years and has worked with brands like Ducati.
The first step of the training programme will entail a 4-day workshop, where the registered women will go through a host of training with a combination of theory and bike control briefings, track practice and lastly breakfast ride with the group. The women will also learn the process of changing tires, changing oil techniques, filter, and steps to be taken in an emergency situation.
As these riders clear basic levels of training, the academy will provide them the chance to go a notch higher with each level. The milestones in this journey will include – their first breakfast ride, biking expedition to Manali, training in advance biking techniques and the ultimate destination will be a trip to a biker’s dream destination, Leh Ladakh. The company also announced that it will fully sponsor the Leh Ladakh expedition for the top performers of each batch, post evaluation by the trainers.
Registrations for the program have already begun and training for the first batch will start from January. Maxxis and Lets Ryde will have a prominent presence at the ongoing Riders Music Festival at JLN Stadium, New Delhi and will offer discounts and add-ons for on-the-spot registrations.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
