Business Bureau

Allied Blenders and Distillers Limited (ABD), India’s largest domestic spirits company by volume, has appointed globally renowned Scotch whisky expert Dr. Martin Leonard as Consultant to advise on the commissioning of its malt distillery and the company’s foray into single malt whisky. Leonard brings over three decades of experience across distillation, maturation, blending, bottling and supply chain operations in the global Scotch whisky industry. He most recently served as Managing Director of Inver House Distillers, where he oversaw five single malt distilleries in Scotland and managed inventories exceeding 600,000 casks. He has also chaired the Scotch Whisky Research Institute and…

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has announced the launch of a Certificate in Generative AI, aimed at equipping professionals with hands-on skills to design and deploy real-world GenAI applications. The five-month, online certificate programme will be offered by the Technocraft Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with Great Learning as the edtech partner, with registrations now open for the 2026 intake. Designed and delivered by IIT Bombay faculty, the programme follows a practical, LLM-first approach across five modules. It covers fundamentals of artificial intelligence, large language models, prompt engineering, model adaptation using proprietary data, and the development of copilots…

Groww Mutual Fund has announced the launch of the Groww Small Cap Fund, an open-ended equity scheme predominantly investing in small cap stocks. The New Fund Offer (NFO) will be open from January 08 to January 22, 2026. The scheme seeks to generate long-term capital appreciation by investing in high-quality, scalable small cap companies through a disciplined bottom-up investment approach, guided by Groww Mutual Fund’s QGaRP framework—Quality and Growth at a Reasonable Price. India’s economy is undergoing a broad-based transformation, with strengthening physical, financial, and technological capacity reshaping the opportunity set for businesses across the size spectrum. Rising infrastructure spending,…

Ai+ Smartphone on Tuesday unveiled NovaWatch, a new smartwatch lineup aimed at strengthening its connected devices portfolio across health, safety and personal style. Scheduled to launch nationwide in Q1 2026, the series reflects the brand’s push to blend practical utility with fashion-forward design for a connected generation. The NovaWatch range includes Active, Wearbuds, Kids Geo Fencing 4G Watch, and an industry-first Rotatecam 4G LTE Watch with a rotating camera. Each model is designed for a specific use case, spanning everyday health tracking, family safety and style-led personal expression. While Active focuses on essential wellness metrics in an easy-to-use format, Wearbuds…

Hindustan Zinc Limited and Silox India have strengthened their long-term partnership as Silox India adopts Hindustan Zinc’s low-carbon zinc brand, EcoZen, across its manufacturing operations, marking a key step toward industrial decarbonisation in India. Under the collaboration, Silox India will integrate EcoZen into its zinc-based chemical production, helping lower embedded carbon emissions while maintaining global performance and quality standards. EcoZen is Asia’s first low-carbon zinc produced entirely using renewable energy, with a verified carbon footprint of under one tonne of CO₂ per tonne of zinc—around 75 per cent lower than the global industry average. In downstream applications such as galvanising,…

A large majority of professionals in India are feeling unprepared to search for a new job in 2026, even as most are actively looking for one, according to new research released by LinkedIn. The study found that 84 per cent of Indian professionals feel unready for the job market, while 72 per cent say they are planning to change roles this year. The report highlights growing anxiety caused by intense competition, fast-changing skill demands and the increasing use of artificial intelligence in hiring. Around 76 per cent of job seekers said finding a new role has become tougher in the…

Arudha SIF, by Bandhan Mutual Fund, has announced the launch of its maiden SIF strategy, - Arudha Hybrid Long-Short Fund, an interval investment strategy aims to deliver optimal returns with a focus on risk management and post-tax efficiency. The strategy intends to allocate up to 65% in short to medium term debt and money market instruments while maintaining a minimum 35% allocation to fully hedged, market-neutral equity positions. Commenting on the launch, Vishal Kapoor, CEO, Bandhan AMC Limited, said, “Arudha Hybrid Long-Short Fund has been designed for sophisticated investors such as HNIs, institutional investors, family offices, etc., looking for optimal…

Marwadi University will host the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conferences (VGRC) from January 11 to 12, 2026, as part of the Government of Gujarat’s efforts to boost global engagement and investments across the state. The conference will focus on strengthening the education ecosystem and supporting economic growth in Gujarat. The university has proposed a ₹1,000 crore investment MoU to the state Education Department. The plan includes new academic infrastructure, advanced laboratories, modern sports facilities, upgraded hostels, and a 10,000 sq ft innovation centre for start-ups. A separate academic block will also support continuing education for working professionals and entrepreneurs. VGRC…

Thirteen national shooters from Bhutan have begun a two-week high-performance training camp in Siliguri, West Bengal, under the India–Bhutan cooperation framework. The programme, scheduled from January 7 to 20 at Olympian Jitu Rai’s Shooting Academy, is being seen as a strategic investment in sporting excellence, aimed at improving Bhutan’s competitive standing at the international level. The initiative is funded through the Indo-Bhutan Partnership Programme, reinforcing New Delhi’s Neighbourhood First policy, which extends support across infrastructure, education, health, and sports. The Indian Embassy in Bhutan said the collaboration reflects strong bilateral engagement in youth and sports development. The Bhutan Shooting Federation…

Renault India has announced that the upcoming new Renault Duster SUV has completed over 1 million kilometres of testing across three continents, covering temperatures from –23°C to 55°C. The company said the SUV was tested in a wide range of difficult environments to ensure strength, safety and long-term durability for real-world road conditions. The Duster also proved its capability in high-altitude terrain, including Leh-Ladakh, where it completed a test run at Khardung La at 18,379 feet, one of the world’s highest motorable passes. Renault said the vehicle went through dust tunnel testing, water-wading, steep climbs, city traffic drives and highway…