Brands
Uber to leverage its platform for VAS
KOLKATA: San Francisco-based taxi aggregator, Uber, is planning to leverage its platform and provide value-added services (VAS) such as courier facilities, food-delivery options or even doorstep delivery of groceries.
In India, Kolkata has become the fastest growing market for taxi-hailing service Uber, after the US, a top official of the company said.
“India has a huge potential for value-added services and that might help the company tap the possibility of such services,” said Uber head expansion – India and the subcontinent Neeraj Singhal.
He, however, declined to confirm the time frame on bringing in such services in the country.
“Kolkata is the fastest market for us globally after America. The volume of business growth is unprecedented for us. It is the most important market for us,” he said, adding that the business in terms of the number of trips has been growing at a phenomenal rate ever since the service was launched here in last September.
“This means that the Kolkata market is growing faster than even London,” he said.
When being asked to comment on the growth from the country, he said that the India market for Uber had been growing by over 40 per cent, and Kolkata market has been doing better than the national average.
Reiterating that it is not merely a transport provider, Singhal further said that there is a need to get the “right kind” of regulatory framework under which it can operate as a technology-based company in India.
“The regulations to govern a taxi company should be very different to govern a technology company… If we can work together (with the government) to get the right sort of regulatory framework to operate as a technology company, then the scope is endless. Fundamentally, if the government restricts us to be a taxi company, then the scope is limited to provide technology,” he added.
Founded in 2009, Uber operates in over 200 cities across the globe.
Brands
Hiili names Sanjay Hemady as country manager India
Media veteran to drive digital decarbonisation push
MUMBAI: Climate tech firm Hiili has announced its entry into India, appointing industry veteran Sanjay Hemady as India country manager to steer its growth in one of the world’s fastest-expanding digital markets.
Hemady, a familiar name across India’s media and consulting circles, will lead Hiili’s India operations from Mumbai. His mandate is clear: help Indian companies measure, manage and reduce the carbon emissions generated by their digital services.
Hiili offers a scientifically validated platform, certified by the UC3M-Santander Big Data Institute, that enables businesses to improve the efficiency of their digital infrastructure while cutting emissions. As organisations race to meet ESG targets, the company positions itself as a practical bridge between climate pledges and measurable action.
“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as country manager, India at Hiili,” Hemady said in a LinkedIn post, adding that the company aims to move beyond broad sustainability promises towards precise, science-based decarbonisation.
Hemady brings more than three decades of experience spanning print, television, radio and digital media. He has previously served as chief executive officer at HIT 95 FM, assistant general manager at CNBC TV18, and held leadership roles at MTV India and The Indian Express, among others. Most recently, he worked as an independent business consultant advising firms across media and technology.
With India’s digital economy expanding at pace, the environmental cost of data, streaming and online services is climbing quietly in the background. Hiili’s bet is that carbon efficiency will soon sit alongside cost efficiency in boardroom conversations.
For Hemady, the move marks a shift from selling airtime and ad inventory to championing climate accountability. If successful, Hiili’s India play could make digital growth not just faster, but cleaner too.
