Business Today 14 January 2018

As we get ready to welcome 2018, we are passing through an era of unprecedented disruption at every level – technology, business, society, politics and globalisation. We are also welcoming a new generation of future leaders in our workforce. What can this new generation do to better navigate the challenges of today and tomorrow. I believe that while we are going through unprecedented change, the essential leadership challenges have not changed. Leaders of this generation – and future generations – will still need to develop and articulate a clear vision, manage people in rough times, and build institutional systems and processes that pass the test of time. And while it is true that leadership cannot be taught in the classroom and that you have to be born with some qualities…

19 ALL DESIGNS WHAT: DESIGN 4 INDIA WHEN: 19 January, Bengaluru WHAT TO LOOK FOR: The Nasscom summit aims to connect design, innovation and entrepreneurship to provide a delightful experience to users. It involves expert-hosted keynote sessions, followed by design pitches by product startups and workshops that explore new ideas and methodologies around cultivating innovation, sustainable design and the importance of design. 7-8 TELECOM TALK WHAT: India Telecom 2018 WHEN: 7-8 February, Delhi WHAT TO LOOK FOR: The annual conference is the only ICT event co-hosted by the Ministry of Communications and FICCI. It is the event where CEOs of leading telecom companies rub shoulders with policymakers, the regulator, equipment manufacturers, internet professionals and international experts. 8-11 AUTO SHOW WHAT: AUTO EXPO WHEN: Feb 8-11, Delhi WHAT TO LOOK FOR: The Auto Expo…

ERIC SCHMIDT TO STEP DOWN Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google’s parent company Alphabet, will step down in January and serve only as a technical advisor. Schmidt, who joined Google in 2001 and served as its Chief Executive for a decade, will continue to be on the company’s board. EU DEADLINE FOR BREXIT TRANSITION EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the post-Brexit transition should logically end on December 31, 2020, the last day of the EU’s current seven- year budget. Britain will have to follow all EU rules during this period and will lose all voting rights when it officially leaves the EU in March 2019. Transition talks are expected to start in January 2018. DIDI RAISES $4 BILLION Uber’s Chinese counterpart Didi Chuxing is flying high with a new…

The CBI court’s ruling on 2G licences has people debating the issue hotly. Especially because it looks as if CBI judge Om Prakash Saini’s verdict contradicts the Supreme Court (SC) findings on the 2G case where it cancelled 122 licences and held that gross irregularities were committed in issuing them. The truth is that the two cases focussed on different things. There is enough evidence to show that regulations were flouted by the then telecom minister, A. Raja. Though Raja followed the first-come, first-served policy that had been formulated by the NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and then continued by the UPA government, he tweaked the cut-off date, and that gave some bidders who seemed to have an inside track on the decision an advantage over others. That was why…

THE UNIQUE Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has suspended the eKYC licence of Airtel Payments Bank alleging it routed LPG subsidy payments worth ₹190 crore to its payments bank accounts, where in some of the accounts were opened and forceseeded with Aadhaar without the informed consent of the customers. The UIDAI has also penalised the bank ₹2.5 crore. What Airtel has done seems like finding loopholes in the Aadhaar payments system and exploiting them. At the time of going to press, Airtel was given restricted relief for using its eKYC and authentication service only for reverification and issuance of SIM cards. The department of telecom mandates operators to verify each mobile number with Aadhaar. The problem with this process is that it is difficult for government agencies to differentiate the…

CAB AGGREGATOR Ola acquiring Foodpanda’s India business in exchange for stock is only a hint of more consolidation to come. As investors looked for exits and poorly run firms were forced out, the domestic food tech sector saw diminished interest because the unit economics of delivery didn’t add up. The Ola-Foodpanda combine will be a threat to both Zomato and Swiggy as Ola is present in 110 cities with over a million cabs and drivers, giving it the edge in inventory optimisation and product experience. Foodpanda, meanwhile, is present in 100 cities and has 15,000 restaurants on its platform. With Ola expected to pump in $200 million, Foodpanda's app experience and back-end technology will get much better.…