MAM
Ashish Deora lays the bricks for a Proptech powerhouse at Aurum
MUMBAI: Aurum Ventures’ founder and serial disruptor Ashish Deora is stepping into an expanded strategic role at Aurum Proptech, bringing his formidable track record in building tech-first businesses to supercharge the company’s ambition of becoming India’s largest PropTech player.
The move comes as India’s Proptech opportunity surges towards the USD 100 billion mark and Aurum is readying its blueprint for the boom. Deora’s focus will be on guiding the firm’s Rental, Distribution and Capital verticals, helping lay the foundation for a future where technology becomes the backbone of real estate.
An alumnus of Harvard Business School, Deora founded Aurum Ventures at just 21, and over the past 30 years, has built a portfolio spanning telecom, aviation, renewables, and real estate. He’s best known for co-founding Renew Power, creating one of India’s first optic fibre networks, and revitalising a branded low-cost airline. But real estate is where he’s currently making his deepest mark.
Over the last 15 years, Deora has developed Aurum Realestate, a full-stack platform offering everything from IT-SEZs and luxury housing to retail and integrated townships in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Complementing that is Aurum PropTech, launched in 2021, which now operates in 15 cities with 650 plus professionals and a tech portfolio including Nestaway, Sell.do and Aurum Analytica.
Commenting on the appointment, Aurum Proptech director on board Vasant Gujarathi said, “We are thrilled to welcome Ashish to the Board. His visionary leadership has been the cornerstone of Aurum’s success, and his strategic insights will be pivotal as we scale new heights. With his continued guidance to the management team, we are confident in accelerating our mission to lead India’s rapidly evolving PropTech sector and establish Aurum PropTech as the nation’s largest and most impactful Proptech company.”
Commenting on the appointment Ashish Deora said, “India PropTech sector represents a USD 100 billion opportunity across consumer tech, enterprise tech and fintech offerings. Since our inception in April 2021, we have strategically combined organic and inorganic growth to develop a clear vision and execution model, underpinned by operational excellence and strategic building blocks to cater to real estate consumers and enterprises. A 650 plus strong passionate team, who live and breathe PropTech is energized to demonstrate scale and depth with strong business fundamentals. As Aurum PropTech continues its journey toward achieving INR 1,000 crore in revenue, fuelled by our Rental, Distribution, and Capital offerings, I am excited to witness the technology-driven transformation of Real Estate, making it truly Future Ready.
Backed by a mix of organic growth and savvy acquisitions, Aurum PropTech’s 10-product ecosystem is positioned at the crossroads of consumer tech, enterprise tech and fintech, with a mission to disrupt traditional real estate at every touchpoint from rentals and distribution to capital solutions.
And Deora isn’t just shaping the future of business. Alongside his wife, he’s steering Aurum’s philanthropic initiatives, and serves on the board of Shriram Properties, extending his influence across India’s residential and affordable housing landscape.
As India’s property market gets a digital makeover, Ashish Deora’s comeback to active strategy might just be the keystone that cements Aurum’s place in the Proptech hall of fame.
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.
