Brands
‘Awsum’ idea: Immunity booster chocolate brand launches in India
Mumbai: Amid the Covid2019 pandemic, with people going gaga over immunity boosters, here’s a new one – now, chocolates made of Ayurvedic herbs and botanicals to boost your immunity.
Designed to help the urban working millennials deal with their modern-day lifestyle disorders, Pranav Sharma and Kritik Thakur have launched India’s first functional chocolate brand, Awsum – a first of its kind chocolate brand which uses Ayurvedic principles to make products healthier without compromising on taste. Awsum uses the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and combines it with premium dark and milk chocolate to create exciting products that come with functional benefits.
Functional chocolate as a category is very new and novel for the Indian markets with no similar brands available in the same space. These chocolates are packed with herbs and nutrients that help the body to deal with modern-day lifestyle health disorders and are very relevant for the current scenario where we are all dealing with a pandemic like Covid, the brand said in a press release. The chocolates have a rich and smooth texture and do not come at a compromise of taste.
Awsum has launched four variants to start off with: Daily Energy, Sleep, Goodbye Stress, and Active Immunity.
“The mission of the brand is to inspire lifelong healthy habits by bringing simplicity, inspiration and delight to the world of supplements and nutraceuticals. These functional chocolates immensely help you to fight and deal with modern-day lifestyle problems- from sleep deprivation to stress and anxiety,” said Awsum co-founders, Pranav Sharma and Kritik Thakur.
The idea of Awsum was conceived in the backdrop of nationwide lockdown declared by the government last year in 2020 when the co-founders themselves grappled with problems such as sleep deprivation, day time lethargy, and anxiety. And their own experience led to the creation of the brand that aims to help people deal with these problems in a more convenient and palatable way.
Brands
FSS names Anand Krishnamurthi head of global digital delivery
Tech veteran to drive AI-first, cloud-led transformation in payments globally
CHENNAI: Financial Software and Systems (FSS), an AI-first payment infrastructure company, has appointed Anand Krishnamurthi as head of global digital delivery.
In his new role, Anand Krishnamurthi will lead FSS’s global digital delivery capabilities, focusing on AI-first and cloud-led transformation while ensuring predictable, high-quality outcomes for customers worldwide. He will be based in Chennai and report to V. Balasubramanian, CEO of FSS.
Bringing 28 years of experience in technology and digital transformation across banking, capital markets, financial services, and insurance, Anand has held senior leadership positions at Cognizant and NuSummit. He is recognised for scaling multi-geography delivery teams, leading mission-critical platforms, and embedding AI-driven automation in complex, regulated environments.
“What drew me to FSS is its deep payments expertise, strong product DNA, and the scale at which its platforms power real-world financial ecosystems,” said Anand Krishnamurthi. “I aim to strengthen delivery predictability, execution rigor, and engineering quality, building empowered teams that deliver measurable customer outcomes. FSS has a unique opportunity to create real-time, AI-infused payments infrastructure that is resilient, secure, and globally scalable.”
V. Balasubramanian added, “Anand’s track record in leading multi-geography delivery programs and AI-first operating models makes him the ideal leader for FSS as we accelerate our AI-driven digital payments business. His leadership will help us raise the bar for outcomes globally.”
This appointment is part of FSS’s broader push to build an AI-powered, cloud-native delivery organisation capable of meeting the evolving needs of banks, fintechs, and financial institutions worldwide.
