Author: PIS Team
One has to ask what it takes to forgo a Silicon Valley career and put down roots in a market like India, where digital payments are only now being fully adopted. In Upasana Taku’s case, it has been a matter of persistence, of having to work around gender bias and steer a business through the many changes in the country’s payments sector. Taku made the move back from the United States in 2008 after her time at PayPal. The following year she and Bipin Preet Singh co-founded MobiKwik. It was an early day for India’s digital-payments market then. What they put…
Under the stewardship of CEO Lisa Su, AMD has made the unlikely leap from a hard-pressed chipmaker to a trillion-dollar enterprise. It is a transformation that speaks to a decade of leadership and an ever more prominent part in the contest to supply the hardware for artificial intelligence. The company put that on display on 21 September 2026 when its market valuation briefly topped $1 trillion, making it the first firm with a woman at the helm to do so. The value has since receded, but the episode was a fitting testament to how much has changed since Su assumed control…
One might wonder what transpires when a Hindi novel of some vintage is put before an international readership. In the case of Geetanjali Shree, it is simply the latest in a long line of efforts to carry her literature past its native tongue. The International Booker laureate has been longlisted for the 2026 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation with Our City That Year, an English version by Daisy Rockwell. It is a mark of the author’s increasing stature on the world stage since her landmark win in 2022. Geetanjali Shree’s Our City That Year Makes the 2026 Warwick Prize Longlist Tilted Axis…
Zeenah Vilcassim is set to head the global marketing charge for DailyObjects as the India-born, design-led lifestyle brand makes its way into new international markets. To that end, the company has named Vilcassim its Global Chief Marketing Officer. The move, which was made public on 24 September 2026, is part of an effort to put a stronger leadership team in place for what lies ahead. In this capacity, Vilcassim will be responsible for the strategy behind the DailyObjects brand and how it is communicated around the world, building on the ground the company has already covered in India. Zeenah Vilcassim to Lead…
Under the direction of Upasana Kamineni Konidela, Apollo is set to put its ₹8,600 crore expansion plan into action. The question of what that kind of capital means in terms of new hospitals and an improved experience for patients is answered by Apollo Hospitals’ most recent leadership decision. In a move announced on 24 September 2026, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited has made Upasana Kamineni Konidela its Director – Projects. She will have oversight of the group’s programme to expand across India, which is shaping up to be one of the largest capacity building efforts in private healthcare in the country. A Patient-Focused Mandate…
With Avarna Jain at the helm of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance (WBA) in 2026, one might ask what it is like when women’s economic role is elevated from a matter of policy to an actual growth strategy. Jain is well placed to provide some answers. In her capacity as Global Chairperson of the BRICS WBA for the duration of India’s presidency, she has made a point of putting women’s leadership and entrepreneurship front and centre on the bloc’s business agenda. This comes as BRICS countries seek to forge deeper ties in areas ranging from trade and technology to sustainable development. From…
With the signing of a new deal with TRIP, Kendall Jenner is expanding her business portfolio in a way that is more than just a matter of putting her name to a campaign. The model and entrepreneur has become an equity shareholder as well as the global ambassador for the London-based functional beverage company, taking an undisclosed minority stake in the firm. The move was announced in tandem with a worldwide campaign on September 8, 2026, and it is indicative of a change in the way celebrity-brand arrangements are put together these days. Rather than a conventional endorsement, Jenner now has a vested…
Why Karnataka Is Putting Mid-Life Women’s Health on the Public Health Agenda In a break from decades of discourse in India where women’s healthcare has been defined by pregnancy and reproductive health, Karnataka is turning the spotlight on a long-neglected chapter of a woman’s life: mid-life. The state has put forward what it touts as the first dedicated women’s health policy in India, if not all of Asia. Titled ‘Ruthu Thare’ (Rututhaare), the policy was unveiled in Bengaluru in early August 2026 by U.T. Khader, the Health and Family Welfare Minister, with perimenopause and menopause as its initial focus. From Menopause Myths to Medical Support: What…
In a new foray into the fashion world, Tamannaah Bhatia is putting her focus on what is on her wrist. The actor and entrepreneur has been tapped as the latest face of GUESS Watches in India. The Mumbai launch on September 2, 2026, served to put the official seal on this arrangement, with GUESS Watches formally designating her as its new Brand Ambassador for the region. But this is more than a standard celebrity endorsement. By having Tamannaah at the helm of its forthcoming FW26 (Fall/Winter 2026) collection, GUESS is making a play for a younger, style-aware Indian demographic through a mix of…
With the 2026 Whitley Award, Dr Barkha Subba has put a spotlight on a conservation story that is far larger than the small amphibian at its centre. The 41-year-old scientist from Darjeeling was honoured for her work in safeguarding the Himalayan newt, or salamander, an endangered creature of the Eastern Himalayas’ streams. Subba’s methods are as much about people as they are about the species. By enlisting local communities to look after the wetlands and forest habitats the newt needs, she has taken a grassroots approach that is vital for the animal’s future. The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) bestows its awards, which have earned…