Brands
Fire-Boltt ropes in Kiara Advani as brand ambassador
Mumbai: Homegrown wearable and audio brand, Fire-Boltt, announced the appointment of Bollywood actor Kiara Advani as its new brand ambassador. Kiara will be part of the marketing campaigns of the brand alongside cricketer Virat Kohli and actor Vicky Kaushal. The actress will participate in different marketing, advertising, and endorsement campaigns for the homegrown brand.
The collaboration is a reflection of Fire-Boltt’s aggressive expansion plans for the Indian market to provide its consumers with stylish yet affordable smart wearable options. The association with Kiara will help the brand to engage with the younger generation, and the company aims to tap into this pool.
Talking about her association with the brand, Kiara Advani, said, “I’m delighted to be associated with Fire-Boltt which is at the helm of fitness, style, and aesthetic. Fitness for me is imperative and I religiously follow it. Even on dull days, it’s a mood lifter. Given the fact that the brand is ‘Made in India’ and has made its mark in the market in such a short period of time, it is remarkable.”
Fire-Boltt founder & CEO Arnav Kishore asserted, “We are ecstatic to collaborate with Kiara Advani. Her personality resonates well with Fire-Boltt’s brand positioning. Kiara’s social and cheerful personality coupled with her fitness and style quotient is in sync with our vision of an evolved lifestyle for all countrymen ushered in by lifestyle devices such as a smartwatch. Just like a cell phone in every hand is a reality today, we want a smartwatch on every wrist in the wake of the new normal. Our association with Kiara, coupled with our existing associations with Virat Kohli and Vicky Kaushal, is a step towards that.”
Fire-Boltt co-founder Aayushi Kishore added, “We are firm believers in creating an ecosystem that addresses consumer demands with uniquely crafted products that are innovative yet stylish. Kiara will play a pivotal role in establishing us as one of the biggest and most trusted brands in the smart wearable category. Therefore, we are full steam ahead to capitalise on this opportunity and further penetrate the market with utmost dominance. With brand associations, special offers, social media contests, and many other ATL & BTL activations, we aim to build bridges for an active communication channel with the consumers.”
Fire-Boltt has recently launched over 30 smartwatches in the past six months and has also announced its expansion plans to newer markets beyond India, including the Middle East and Europe.
Brands
Air Canada ceo to quit over “English-only” message after New York plane crash
English-only condolence video after fatal LaGuardia crash triggers outrage in Quebec and hastens succession
MONTREAL: Air Canada’s boss is heading for the exit after a linguistic misstep collided with a national faultline.
Michael Rousseau will retire by October, the airline said on Monday, days after a backlash over his English-only video tribute following a deadly crash involving an Air Canada Express jet in New York. The March 22 collision with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport killed two pilots and injured dozens, but Rousseau’s message, bookended only by “bonjour” and “merci”, ignited fury in French-speaking Quebec.
Mark Carney welcomed the departure, calling the video a “lack of judgment and lack of compassion”. “It is absolutely essential that his successor is completely bilingual,” he said in Toronto. “He did a good job technically as CEO but as the leader of an organisation you have broader responsibilities. It’s the right decision at the right time.”
The row quickly metastasised. Quebec’s National Assembly voted 92–0 for Rousseau to quit. More than 1,800 complaints flooded the federal languages watchdog. Even Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, a major shareholder, weighed in. “There is no doubt that the video should have been in both official languages.”
The symbolism cut deep. One of the dead pilots, Antoine Forest, was from Quebec. Language, long a live wire in the province, remains entwined with identity and politics, fuelling the separatist Parti Québécois ahead of an election due by October.
Rousseau, 68, had form. In 2021, soon after taking charge, he drew fire for delivering a Montreal speech largely in English and boasting he had lived there for years without speaking French. He apologised then and again last week, saying he was “deeply saddened” his limitations had “diverted attention from the profound grief of the families and the great resilience of Air Canada’s employees.” He had logged more than 300 hours of French lessons since taking the helm in February 2021.
Operationally, his tenure was steadier. He steered Air Canada through the pandemic and its messy aftermath, though labour tensions, most notably a four-day cabin crew strike, dogged the recovery. Shares slipped more than 2 per cent after the news before trimming losses to about 1.2 per cent on the Toronto exchange.
The airline, bound by the Official Languages Act to serve customers in both English and French, said it is accelerating a succession plan already under way, with candidates to be judged in part on their French. Analysts say the next chief must pair operational discipline with strategic clarity amid fuel volatility, labour costs and fierce competition.
A dual crisis—metal on tarmac in New York and politics at home—has now claimed its most senior scalp. In Canada’s flag carrier, competence got Rousseau far. In the end, fluency finished the job.
