MAM
Unilever signs seven year contract with IBM
MUMBAI: Unilever has signed a contract to outsource significant parts of its financial transactional services to IBM. This agreement covers more than 20 European countries including India, and is part of the One Unilever programme, which aims to streamline the organisation in order to increase competitiveness in the marketplace and step up growth.
IBM will provide financial services including Purchase to Pay, General Accounting and Bill to Cash and will be delivered from IBM centres in Portugal, Poland and India.
The deal is expected to deliver significant cost savings to Unilever throughout the seven years of the contract. These anticipated cost savings will contribute to the overall targeted €700 million annual savings of the One Unilever programme.
“IBM brings strong business process knowledge, deep technical expertise and a flexible, responsive business model to finance shared services. As a specialist in this area, IBM will be able to help us optimise our business process performance, and deliver additional savings in support of our core business; offering consumers excellent brands and products,” says Unilever Europe president Kees van der Graaf.
“This change will affect quite a number of our employees in Europe. We are committed to treat all of them responsibly and will follow all appropriate consultation processes. When jobs are affected we will do our best to find alternative employment,” he added.
IBM general manager, business transformation outsourcing Tony Cronin said, “IBM will apply business insight within our global network of operations to optimise business performance. The agreement will create long-term economic benefits for Unilever. This relationship is a strong example of the new on-demand business IBM is targeting in the marketplace for Business Performance Transformation Services.”
Unilever will follow a phased approach in implementation over approximately two years, starting in the first quarter of 2006.
MAM
Manappuram Finance appoints Sreekanth P V as group head – operations
22-year veteran from Bajaj Finance to drive efficiency and customer experience.
MUMBAI: Manappuram Finance just upgraded its operations engine because when customer delight needs turbocharging, even the gold loans get a smoother ride. Manappuram Finance Ltd has appointed industry veteran Sreekanth P V as group head for operations & customer experience at the grade of president. In his new role, Sreekanth will lead efforts to strengthen operational efficiency, enhance customer experience, streamline processes, drive service innovation and scale the company’s digital ecosystems across all business verticals.
Sreekanth brings over 22 years of experience in operations management, digital platforms, product innovation and customer experience within the financial services sector. Most recently he served as deputy executive vice president for digital platforms at Bajaj Finance Ltd, where he led the development of a unified app and web platform strategy and built a cohesive digital ecosystem.
Manappuram Finance, chairman and managing director V. P. Nandakumar said, “We are pleased to welcome Mr Sreekanth P V to the leadership team. He brings extensive experience in operations management, digital platforms and customer experience. As we continue to strengthen our operational capabilities and enhance customer engagement, his expertise will play an important role in driving efficiency, innovation and service excellence across the organisation.”
The appointment reflects Manappuram Finance’s ongoing focus on building a stronger leadership bench and elevating operational standards as the company scales its lending and customer engagement capabilities.
In a sector where every rupee counts twice, Sreekanth isn’t just joining the team, he’s the new conductor making sure the entire orchestra of loans, digital flows and customer smiles stays perfectly in tune.
