Brands
McDonald’s India launches multi-millet bun with Chef Sanjeev Kapoor
Mumbai: McDonald’s India (West & South), operated by Westlife Foodworld has introduced its first multi-millet bun in collaboration with CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) during national nutrition week. McDonald’s also partnered with Chef Sanjeev Kapoor to highlight the brand’s focus on nutritious menu options.
The multi-millet bun, made with Bajra, Ragi, Jowar, Proso, and Kodo, allows customers to enjoy their favorite burgers like McAloo Tikki and McSpicy Paneer with added nutritional value. These millets, sourced from states across India, reinforce McDonald’s commitment to local and sustainable sourcing.
The launch is supported by a brand film, conceptualised by DDB Mudra, featuring Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, an advocate of millet-based cuisine. The film features Chef Sanjeev Kapoor surprising customers by suggesting improvements to their burgers. He introduces the multi-millet bun, highlighting its benefits and the collaboration with CSIR-CFTRI, supported by the ministry of science and technology. Kapoor’s advocacy for millets further strengthens the campaign’s message of healthier eating.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor said, “I am excited to be a part of this unique and thoughtful initiative by McDonald’s India to launch the Multi-Millet Bun. As someone who has been passionate about promoting the goodness of millets, I was captivated to see McDonald’s India embarked on a journey to provide more nutritional and mindful eating choices to its customers.”
McDonald’s India (W&S) CMO Arvind R.P. said, “The introduction of the Multi-Millet Bun, developed in collaboration with the esteemed CSIR-CFTRI, is a testament to our constant endeavour towards offering mindful choices through various menu innovations. We are also pleased to extend our collaboration with Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, whose trusted culinary expertise and unwavering advocacy for millets in India make him the perfect fit to endorse our new Multi-Millet Bun. This strategic combination of traditional superfoods with modern food sciences results in a delicious and nutritious addition to our customers’ favourite burgers. We believe that our fans will relish and appreciate this innovative menu item.”
DDB Mudra Group group creative directors Gagandeep Bindra and Rahul Arcot said, “Millet buns is one of McDonald’s tastiest and most nutritious addition to an ever-growing menu packed with goodness. But something about Millet Buns doesn’t scream excitement for Gen-Z. Because most of them don’t even realize that they’ve been devouring Millets in various forms for years. Thanks to a certain Mr. Kapoor, who besides being one of India’s most trusted culinary voices, also runs an entire channel dedicated to creating wholesome Millet Cuisines with MilletKhazana. We believe he’s the perfect spokesperson for our latest offering, connecting with our audience across India in his inimitable style.”
The new multi-millet bun offers essential vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber while maintaining McDonald’s signature taste and quality. Customers can now enjoy these nutritious buns at McDonald’s outlets in West and South India, through Drive-Thru, or via the McDelivery App.
Brands
Tessolve lands a semiconductor veteran to drive its next big push
Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, who started his career at ISRO and has spent 35 years building chips and companies, joins the Bengaluru-based firm as president and chief operating officer
BENGALURU: Tessolve has never been shy about its ambitions. The Bengaluru-based engineering services firm already counts 18 of the world’s top 20 semiconductor companies among its clients, employs more than 3,500 engineers across 12 countries, and last year pocketed a $150m investment from TPG. Now it has hired the executive it believes can turn those assets into something bigger. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, a 35-year semiconductor veteran who once built satellite payloads for ISRO and has since scaled engineering organisations across three continents, joins as president and chief operating officer, effective immediately.
THE MAN AND THE MANDATE
The appointment is, by any measure, a serious hire. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu comes to Tessolve after senior leadership stints at HCL Technologies, Altran and Wipro, where he managed large profit-and-loss portfolios and oversaw cross-regional teams. Over the course of his career, he has been instrumental in bringing more than 1,000 new products to market across the high-tech, energy and manufacturing verticals. Before the private sector claimed him, he began his working life as a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation, contributing to research and development in charge-coupled device technology and satellite payloads, a foundation that shaped everything that followed.
In his new role, he will lead Tessolve’s global growth strategy: expanding its engineering capabilities, deepening customer relationships and accelerating innovation across semiconductor and high-performance computing domains. The brief is broad, but the context is specific. Tessolve operates in the $550 billion global semiconductor market, and its recent moves, the acquisition of Germany’s Dream Chip Technologies and the TPG funding round, have sharpened both its reach and its expectations.
Srini Chinamilli, co-founder and chief executive of Tessolve, is characteristically direct about why Ravi Kumar Chirugudu was the choice:
“As we scale our global semiconductor and system engineering capabilities, Ravi’s appointment marks an important step forward. As global semiconductor demand continues to accelerate across industries, it is creating significant opportunities across the semiconductor lifecycle, from design, packaging, validation and systems integration. Ravi’s deep knowledge and leadership in this ecosystem brings the right mix of industry expertise, customer connect and execution capability, which will play a key role in strengthening our position as a trusted global engineering partner and reinforcing our market leadership.”
THE NEW ARRIVAL SPEAKS
Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, for his part, frames the move in terms of timing and culture, two factors that veteran executives tend to weigh as heavily as title or compensation:
“I am happy to join Tessolve at a time when the industry is rapidly evolving towards more complex, AI-driven systems. What stands out to me is its strong people-first culture and its commitment to bringing value to its customers. The strength of its global team, combined with its deep expertise in semiconductor innovation and next-generation product engineering, creates a solid foundation to build differentiated, scalable solutions. I look forward to working closely with the team to drive strategic growth and strengthen its role in shaping the global semiconductor ecosystem.”
The reference to AI-driven systems is not incidental. The semiconductor industry is in the midst of a structural reshaping, driven by the insatiable compute demands of artificial intelligence. For engineering services firms like Tessolve, which offers end-to-end capabilities from silicon design to packaged parts and invests in high-performance computing, high-speed interfaces, photonics and 5G, the moment is both an opportunity and a test. The company says it is well positioned to capture the next wave of industry growth. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu is now the person who has to prove it.
He came in from outer space, literally, and spent three decades learning how the semiconductor industry works from the inside out. Now Tessolve is betting that accumulated knowledge can help it cross the next frontier. In the $550 billion global chip market, the gap between ambition and execution is measured in engineering hours and leadership quality. Tessolve has just gone shopping for both.
