iWorld
Changa onboards Kenny Shin as its global advisor
Mumbai: Homegrown short video app Changa has brought on board Kenny Shin as its global advisor. He will play an instrumental role in helping the application grow and reach its maximum potential.
Shin is an international market leader with deep expertise in the Indian consumer market. Previously, he has served the pharmaceutical company Kyungbang Nature as president. Oh-Max and Shop CJ as CEO, and has advised overseas business for CJ O shopping. He is also a co-founder of C&S Nature.
“I am thrilled to be a part of the Changa Team with a focus on building a strong community,” said Shin. “It’s an exciting time to be a part of one of the rapidly growing short format video apps in India. Changa’s enthusiasm in the industry and the will to attract the right talent to provide them a supportive platform really made me join this great team.”
Shin is an author of ‘Riding on Indian Elephant’, which has spoken about ‘Indian Economy and Business Perspectives’ on more than one occasion. He is known to have a massive interest in the Indian marketing industry. A combination of all of which would help boosts Changa’s upcoming social commerce venture.
“Having previously worked with Shin, he is one of the best international market leaders out there with vast knowledge of heading business of $ four billion sizes in commerce (television and Web, and many more industries),” said Changa CEO and co-founder Abhay Ojha. “With Changa stepping into the social commerce industry, his expertise would help us a lot to reach our goals at the global level.”
“This is a really significant addition to the team, given the fact that we are currently building products which would change the dynamics of the creator economy in the social commerce space. We are thrilled to have Kenny on board as our global advisor and mentor,” added Changa co-founder Shubham Agarwal.
Changa boasts 15 million active users and three million creating content every day, with 150 million videos as part of the content library. The creator economy at an all-time high in India, Changa is likely to keep growing to make pace with the upcoming trends, the platform said.
iWorld
Tech firms tweak office operations amid LPG shortage concerns
Infosys, HCLTech and Cognizant adjust cafeteria services and work policies.
MUMBAI: When geopolitics turns up the heat, even office cafeterias start feeling the burn. Several technology companies in India are adjusting workplace operations and food services as concerns over a nationwide shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) grow following escalating tensions in West Asia. Major IT firms including Cognizant, Infosys and HCLTech have begun rolling out contingency measures to reduce dependence on office cafeterias that rely heavily on commercial LPG.
The disruption stems from rising geopolitical tensions involving Iran after military action by the United States and Israel reportedly led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route for oil and gas supplies. The closure has disrupted the movement of LPG and liquefied natural gas across international markets, triggering concerns about supply constraints and price volatility.
According to a report by The Times of India, Cognizant has advised employees to bring their own meals to office where possible to reduce reliance on office cafeterias dependent on LPG based cooking.
The company has reportedly told staff that it is preparing for potential disruptions driven by supply prioritisation, price fluctuations and pressure on vendor networks.
As part of contingency planning, Cognizant is identifying alternative food vendors that do not rely on LPG. These include kitchens using induction based or solar powered cooking systems.
The company is also exploring partnerships with cloud kitchens that operate on electric or solar power to ensure uninterrupted food supply in case conventional cooking gas availability worsens.
Additionally, Cognizant is evaluating the possibility of expanding work from home or hybrid arrangements for non critical roles, partly to reduce commuting exposure if fuel prices rise sharply due to global energy disruptions.
Meanwhile, HCLTech allowed employees at its Chennai office to work from home on March 12 and March 13 after cafeteria vendors were unable to operate because of the LPG shortage.
Several food service vendors at the campus reportedly suspended operations as they struggled to secure cooking gas supplies, prompting the company to permit staff to work remotely for the two days.
Infosys has also issued internal advisories across multiple locations, including its campuses in Bengaluru and Chennai.
The company informed employees in Bengaluru that cafeteria services would continue but with reduced menu options due to concerns around commercial LPG availability.
As part of the temporary adjustments, live food counters have been suspended, and employees have been encouraged to bring home cooked food while the situation evolves.
While LPG shortages in India remain a developing situation, the measures taken by these technology firms highlight how global geopolitical disruptions can ripple through unexpected corners of the economy, even the humble office lunch.
For companies with large campuses and thousands of employees relying on daily cafeteria services, cooking fuel shortages can quickly turn into an operational challenge. Until global supply chains stabilise, many workplaces may find themselves rethinking everything from food sourcing to flexible work policies.
