Connect with us

Buzz

West Midlands announces ‘A mission to seize the moment’ to India during the Year of the Free Trade Agreement

The UK’s Mayoral-led mission to India – the first of 2026 – to strengthen economic and cultural ties between West Midlands and Indian subregions. Trade mission to Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru from 23rd to 27th February follows recent signing of UK-India Free Trade Agreement.Official trade mission partners include Aston University, Birmingham City University (BCU), energy provider E.ON, GEDU Global Education, University of Birmingham and University of Warwick. BIRMINGHAM, England, Feb. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — From 23rd to 27th February 2026, Richard Parker, Mayor of the UK’s West Midlands region is set to lead a strategic trade mission to Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru, building on the historic UK-India Free Trade Agreement signed in July 2025.  

The mayoral-led mission to India – the first from the UK in 2026 – aims to strengthen economic and cultural ties between the two markets and forge valuable partnerships for the benefit of the region’s universities, businesses and communities. It will also deepen political engagement with key national and state-level leaders, reinforcing the West Midlands’ role as a trusted long-term partner for India. As well as promoting new job creation the mission aims to affirm the region – including the flagship West Midlands Investment Zone – as an advantageous location for innovative Indian businesses looking to expand. It will also facilitate strategic engagement with Indian travel trade agents and tour operators, cement cultural ties and celebrate cultural exchange, as India gears up to host the 2030 centenary Commonwealth Games.  Led by Mayor Richard Parker, the delegation of West Midlands business, academic and political leaders will also include Dr Julie Nugent, CEO at Coventry City Council, Prof. David Mba, Vice-Chancellor at Birmingham City University and Greg Clark, Executive Chair of University of Warwick Innovation District, alongside senior representatives from the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) – the official investment promotion agency for the UK’s West Midlands region. The official trade mission partners include Aston University, Birmingham City University (BCU), energy provider E.ON, GEDU Global Education, University of Birmingham and University of Warwick. The West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) – in collaboration with the India Global Forum and Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce - has organised a series of events and meetings with senior figures from Indian businesses and institutions. These include multinational manufacturer Tata Motors, multinational technology company Infosys, motorcycle manufacturer TVS Motors and energy company Atri Energy Transition. The West Midlands delegation will also host an event in Ahmedabad focused on ”The Commonwealth Legacy”, with the city set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and will host a number of roundtable events bringing together key industry bodies and intermediaries. These include visitor economy-focused roundtables with VisitBritain in Mumbai and Bengaluru; a roundtable with India technology trade association NASSCOM, following its Technology and Leadership Forum; a roundtable on Urban Transformation and Smart Cities with the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority and an event on AI Skilling & the Future of Work, with the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.   The West Midlands has a uniquely strong cultural relationship with India, through its ‘living bridge’ of 276,000 ethnic Indians that live and work in the region. The two markets have strong economic links, with India representing the UK’s second largest source of investment projects for six consecutive years and the West Midlands representing the UK’s largest recipient of FDI projects from India outside London.  The number of visits from Indian tourists to the region has grown by more than 20 per cent over the last decade and Indian visitors also spend more in the West Midlands than any English region outside of London, valuing experiences such as world-class cricket at Edgbaston and Birmingham’s premium retail and dining scenes.  The region is already home to some of India’s biggest companies, including Tata Group, TVS, Infosys, Hexaware Technologies, Enzen Global, Suprajit Group, State Bank of India, Microland, and more recently, Firstsource and Mahindra.  Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The West Midlands and India already share real strengths in manufacturing and automotive, in digital tech and in clean energy. That gives us a solid foundation to turn last year’s trade deal into something that delivers here at home. “We’ve built a strong trading relationship with India over many years, rooted in trust and deep cultural ties across our communities. This mission is about taking that further – growing exports from West Midlands firms, attracting new investment into our towns and cities, and bringing more visitors to our region. “If we get this right, it means good jobs for local people, stronger businesses and more money going back into people’s pockets across the West Midlands.” Harjinder Kang, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner to South Asia & Deputy High Commissioner to Western India, said:  “The economic partnership between the UK and India is at an all-time high following the signing of the landmark trade deal last year. The Mayor of West Midlands’ visit to India is another strong testament to our ever-strengthening collaboration. Besides reinforcing the growing contribution of the West Midlands to the UK-India partnership, this visit will help businesses from both sides to gear-up to take advantage of the deal which will boost growth by adding billions of pounds across both economies.” Further commentary from the delegation: Professor Aleks Subic, Aston University Vice-Chancellor and CEO, said:     “Aston University has a long-term commitment to education, skills, and research partnerships with India, spanning UK study pathways, high-quality transnational education in India, and collaboration with our partner universities and research institutes.    “As a central partner in the Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, Aston is also helping attract significant international investment into Birmingham and the wider West Midlands.   ”This mission is a timely opportunity to showcase Birmingham as a global innovation city and to deepen collaboration with Indian industry, researchers, and policymakers on shared global challenges.”  Professor David Mba, Vice-Chancellor of BCU, said:  “For Birmingham City University this mission is about strengthening mutually beneficial economic, cultural and educational links between India and the West Midlands.   “We are proud of our Birmingham roots but are always striving to reach beyond, including the deep ties we have in South Asia – thousands of our students are either from India or part of the local Indian diaspora.  “This visit will give BCU new opportunities to advance the implementation of our ambitious 2030 Strategy, including the chance to deepen collaborative research on sustainable cities and cultural exchanges through our Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.”  Vijay Tank, Chief Commercial Officer at E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions, said:  “Local energy systems are vital in delivering the benefits of the energy transition where they are most needed. Tailoring solutions to specific areas can drive economic growth, create local jobs and skills, and attract investment and innovation where needed.  “Whether it’s our Net Zero Training Academy equipping apprentices with sustainable tech skills; providing batteries that cut bills for vulnerable customers, or our strategic partnership to accelerate Coventry’s clean energy future, at E.ON we are already delivering some of those very real benefits and we’re well placed to champion the Mayor’s ambitions for the West Midlands as well as supporting investors in the region when it comes to navigating any energy challenges.”  Kevin McCole, Managing Director at GEDU Global Education, said:  “This delegation is important as India matters to the West Midlands and the West Midlands matters to India. There are strong people to people links, strong economic ties across a range of innovation-rich sectors, and deep education partnerships. We’re proud to support the Mayor’s mission which will bring more investment to the West Midlands, increase two-way trade, and strengthen our education partnerships.”  The Rt Hon Greg Clark, Executive Chair of the University of Warwick’s Innovation District, said:  ”The University of Warwick has a long history of strong ties with India – from the students on campus, to our business partnerships, to our research collaborations.   “As we deepen the cultural, economic, and educational ties between Warwick, the West Midlands, and India, we will accelerate innovation, develop talent, and drive growth that will benefit us all.  ”Working with the West Midlands Growth Company and our partners in India, Warwick looks forward to creating a better world together.”  Notes to editors: West Midlands Growth Company The West Midlands Growth Company helps the region make its mark nationally and internationally. Its primary purpose is to attract investment, jobs, visitors and businesses to the West Midlands. The West Midlands Growth Company focuses on the WMCA geography of Greater Birmingham and Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire, and the Black Country. Once the powerhouse of the industrial revolution, the West Midlands has evolved into a world-class and highly sought-after international business destination, with an economy worth £117bn. Situated at the heart of the UK, the region is home to three major cities (Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton) and four thriving boroughs, which come together to form one of Europe’s most dynamic and diverse metropolitan clusters.   Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2902991/West_Midlands.jpgLogo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2702236/5793849/WMGC_Logo.jpg  

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/west-midlands-announces-a-mission-to-seize-the-moment-to-india-during-the-year-of-the-free-trade-agreement-302687904.html

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Buzz

Firstsource Partners with Typeface to Launch Agentic Marketing Services

New full-stack offering turns content operations into an agentic growth engineNEW YORK and MUMBAI, India, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Firstsource Solutions Limited (NSE: FSL) (BSE: 532809), an RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group company, today announced the launch of a new offering — Agentic Marketing Services — in partnership with Typeface, the marketing orchestration engine for the world’s leading enterprises. The offering is designed to help enterprises move from marketing ambition to scale by transforming, implementing, and operating AI-native marketing systems. It transforms marketing operations into a scalable growth engine and delivers measurable top-line revenue growth beyond operational efficiency alone.
  Agentic AI is redefining how enterprises think about the customer lifecycle, and marketing content sits at the center of that transformation. Enterprises deploying AI-driven personalization are seeing up to 40% higher revenue compared to their peers. Content operations is both a growth lever and an efficiency play for CMOs: roughly 30% of CMO budgets go to content; approximately 55% of content work is manual — resizing, localization, brand compliance — while 90% of those manual workflows can be AI-enabled.”At Firstsource, our approach has been about moving beyond traditional boundaries to build adaptive, intelligence-led ecosystems that deliver measurable outcomes. Content operations is now the most disrupted layer of the modern marketing stack, with Large Language Models reshaping the entire value chain — from ideation and production to governance and distribution — making it both the biggest near-term efficiency opportunity and the most exposed surface area in enterprise marketing,” said Ritesh Idnani, MD and Chief Executive Officer of Firstsource.”CEOs and CMOs are not looking for a consultancy that hands off a roadmap or an agency that operates in silos — they want a partner who can transform, implement, and operate marketing systems end-to-end. By combining micro-segmentation, personalization, and deep industry context, we help clients build acquisition, engagement, and retention engines that are intelligent, compliant, and scalable. Typeface brings the AI technology to generate personalized, on-brand, compliant content at scale, and Firstsource brings deep experience in customer operations, especially in regulated industries like banking, financial services, healthcare, and retail. Together, we enable enterprises to plan, build, and run modern marketing — turning content operations into a compounding growth engine and delivering outcomes, not just effort.”The partnership extends the capabilities announced with Typeface’s recent Marketing Orchestration Engine launch — bringing governed AI systems into full-stack marketing operations for regulated enterprises.”AI only transforms marketing when it’s embedded into the workflows that drive real customer outcomes,” said Abhay Parasnis, Founder & CEO of Typeface. “Firstsource brings deep industry expertise and operational rigor in highly regulated environments. Together, we’re helping enterprises turn AI ambition into operational reality, embedding governed intelligence into the systems that power durable growth.” While Typeface provides the orchestration layer that unifies brand intelligence, AI agents, and enterprise systems, Firstsource brings the operational expertise and insights to enable effective decision making and implement and run these systems in complex, regulated environments. Together, they redesign how growth is driven — focusing on the moments, segments, and mechanisms that truly move the needle — enabling enterprises to shift from fragmented activity to scalable, revenue-led execution.Industry view”In retail, seasonality and micro-segmentation are where revenue is won or lost. Every peak moment demands thousands of personalized variants across marketing, service, and customer operations — and the retailers who get this right see real movement on acquisition, conversion, and retention, not just efficiency. What makes the Firstsource–Typeface offering different is that it is not another tool — it is an operating capability. Pairing agentic AI with embedded marketing operations is exactly what retailers need to move from broad campaigns to true lifecycle-driven engagement. For the industry, this is a meaningful step-change in how growth gets engineered.” – Dave Kimbell, Ex-CEO Ulta Beauty; Firstsource Advisory Board Member”Healthcare payers sit on a real paradox: a huge share of member communication is locked inside PHI and claims workflows where the rules are clear and rightly strict — but the biggest lever on affordability lives outside that envelope, in how payers engage members on wellness, prevention, plan literacy, and proactive disease management. That is a white-space opportunity the industry has barely touched. This is where marketing AI services can genuinely move the needle. With micro-segmentation and agentic content, payers can reach the right member with the right nudge at the right moment — entirely within compliant, non-PHI pathways — and shift the engagement model from acquisition and retention to lifelong wellness. That is how you make healthcare more affordable, improve member experience, and strengthen the economics of the plan at the same time. The Firstsource–Typeface offering is one of the few capabilities purpose-built to operate at that intersection of compliance, personalization, and outcomes.”- Paul Sanford, Ex-EVP Operations, Cigna Group; Firstsource Advisory Board MemberAbout FirstsourceFirstsource Solutions Limited, an RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group company (NSE: FSL) (BSE: 532809), is a global intelligence partner to enterprises across healthcare, banking and financial services, communications, media, technology, retail, and utilities. Its inch-wide, mile-deep practitioners work collaboratively to reimagine business process management.With operations across the US, UK, India, Philippines, Mexico, Romania, Trinidad & Tobago, South Africa, and Australia, Firstsource combines over twenty-five years of domain expertise with an agent-first delivery model to design, build, and operate intelligent enterprise operations. Through its Intelligence That Operates promise—powered by Kairos, the operating system that makes it real—the company unifies consulting, implementation, and operations into a single full-stack engagement and underwrites outcomes, not effort, turning deep domain intelligence into a compounding operational advantage for firms in the world’s most regulated industries. (www.firstsource.com)About TypefaceTypeface is a marketing orchestration engine for the world’s leading enterprises, coordinating brand intelligence, AI agents, and enterprise systems across cross-channel marketing operations. Built for large organizations, Typeface combines shared brand intelligence, governed agent workflows, and deep enterprise integration at scale — connecting seamlessly with platforms like Salesforce, Microsoft, and Google — to help teams scale what works without sacrificing quality or control. Trusted by Fortune 500 companies, Typeface enables organizations to operationalize AI inside real marketing workflows, turning brand standards, approvals, and performance signals into coordinated systems that improve over time. Typeface is backed by Lightspeed, GV, Salesforce Ventures, Madrona, Menlo, and M12, and has been recognized by Fast Company, Gartner, TIME, LinkedIn, and Adweek as a leader in AI for marketing. Learn more at www.typeface.ai.Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2515360/Firstsource_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/firstsource-partners-with-typeface-to-launch-agentic-marketing-services-302759005.html

Continue Reading

Buzz

Shaping Future-Ready School Leaders: Woxsen University Leads Design Thinking Initiative for Principals

HYDERABAD, India, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The School of Arts and Design at Woxsen University, in collaboration with the Public-School Principals’ Association (PSPA), conducted a Principal Leadership Programme on April 27, bringing together 30 principals from leading schools across Hyderabad for an immersive, design-led learning experience focused on rethinking leadership in contemporary education.

Participating institutions included Delhi Public School, Sloka International School (Tukkuguda), Jain Heritage Cambridge School, AVN Vida International School, CMR School (Medchal), and Gitanjali High School, among others. Designed as a hands-on, studio-based workshop, the programme moved beyond traditional formats, enabling participants to engage in collaborative problem-solving, systems thinking, and real-world leadership challenges.The programme was delivered by Woxsen’s Centre for Learning Design (CLD) and the David Dunne Design Thinking Lab, and was guided by the university’s ERS (Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability) framework, reflecting an integrated and purpose-driven approach to leadership development.Through guided design thinking exercises, principals explored new approaches to decision-making, innovation in school ecosystems, and building student-centric learning environments. The interactive format encouraged peer exchange and practical application, making the experience directly relevant to institutional leadership.Rajendra Prasad, President of the PSPA, said, “The School Principals’ Leadership Workshop at Woxsen University was well organized and delivered with great impact. The sessions were highly engaging and insightful, and the programme received overwhelming positive feedback from participants for both its content and overall experience.”Dr. Ashok Pandey, Member of the PSPA Leadership Team, shared, “An inspiring day at the picturesque Woxsen University campus, engaging with exceptional school leaders committed to designing the schools of tomorrow.” Dr. Adity Saxena, Dean, School of Arts & Design, said, “This programme is aligned with Woxsen’s core pillar of Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability, reinforcing our commitment to purpose-driven education. We see our role as bridging ideas, institutions, and impact in education, and we are grateful to PSPA and Rajendra Prasad for this meaningful collaboration.”The initiative reflects Woxsen University’s commitment to strengthening the school education ecosystem in Telangana by building leadership capacity and fostering future-ready thinking among educators. Following the workshop, the PSPA leadership team engaged in a strategic discussion with Dr. Adity Saxena to explore future collaboration opportunities.Building on the momentum of the programme, Woxsen University and PSPA are exploring the launch of a structured Principal Leadership Certificate Programme. The proposed initiative aims to institutionalize leadership development for school heads and further strengthen the region’s education ecosystem through sustained, practice-oriented engagement.About Woxsen University, HyderabadWoxsen University, located in Hyderabad, is one of the first private universities in the state of Telangana, India. Renowned for its 200-acre state-of-the-art campus and infrastructure, Woxsen University offers new-age, disruptive programs in the fields of Business, Technology, Arts & Design, Architecture, Law, and Liberal Arts & Humanities. Woxsen also houses Asia’s largest Sports Infrastructure, spread over 60 acres. With 175 Global Partner Universities and a strong industry connect, Woxsen is recognized as one of the top universities for Academic Excellence and Global Edge. Woxsen has also secured the QS Business Masters World Ranking 2025, Rank #9 All India, Top 100 B-Schools by Times B-School Ranking 2025, Rank #6, Asia Pacific, Bloomberg Best B-School, and features in India’s Best B-Schools beyond IIMs by Dalal Street Investment Journal 2025, in 4th consecutive year. Woxsen is ranked as one of the Top Professional Colleges in India by Outlook I-CARE for its undergraduate programs, securing All India Rank 12 among the Top 130 BBA Private Institutes, All India Rank 20 among the Top 160 B.Tech Private Institutes, All India Rank 3 among the Top 25 Design Private Institutes, and All India Rank 3 among the Top 30 B. Arch Private Institutes.Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2969917/Woxsen_PSPA_1.jpgPhoto: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2969918/Woxsen_PSPA_2.jpgLogo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1771070/5365059/Woxsen_University_Logo.jpg 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/shaping-future-ready-school-leaders-woxsen-university-leads-design-thinking-initiative-for-principals-302758443.html

Continue Reading

Buzz

Ryan Group of Schools Hosts First In Math® — 24® Game National Tournament in Mumbai

MUMBAI, India, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ryan Group of Schools successfully hosted the first of three National First In Math® — 24® Game Tournaments in Mumbai on Friday, April 24, bringing together some of the brightest young mathematical minds from across Western and Central India.

A total of 124 top-performing students from the West Zone were selected to compete in the live tournament, representing Ryan schools from across the region. Their participation reflects the remarkable scale of Ryan Group’s commitment to numeracy and skill-based learning. Today, 92 Ryan schools across India actively participate in the First In Math® program, with students having collectively solved nearly 3.5 crore maths problems through year-round practice.The live tournaments are a high-energy numeracy initiative centered around the iconic 24® Game series, created in 1988 by engineer-inventor Robert Sun, who also developed the First In Math® program. Designed to make mathematics engaging, fast-paced, and rewarding, the competition sharpens students’ logical reasoning, focus, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.Students arrived with great enthusiasm and pride, ceremoniously collecting their MVP badges along with personalised score cards bearing their seating assignments. The event began on an inspiring note with a message and prayer, followed by spirited cheerleading performances that energized participants and audiences alike.The tournament format tested both speed and accuracy. In the first round, four students were seated at each table, where proctors issued challenge cards one at a time. Each card required students to use all four numbers shown, without repetition, to create a three-step solution equaling 24. The first student to solve the challenge within 15 seconds earned the card’s score value by stating the solution clearly and accurately.After an exciting opening round, students progressed to the semifinals, which featured two thrilling tiebreaker moments, before the final round saw the top four players in each grade group compete for top honours.Final Round Winners were:Champions of Champions (Tablet Winner): Mst. Gaurang Roy, Grade 7, Ryan International School, ICSE, Malad.Grade Group Level Champions: Mst. Nehaan Sethia, Grade 4, Ryan International School, Sanpada and Mst. Varad Gunjal, Grade 6, Ryan International School, SanpadaUnder the visionary leadership of Dr. Grace Pinto, Managing Director, Ryan Group of Institutions, Ryan schools across India adopted the First In Math® program with a clear goal: to ensure that every Ryanite experiences both the joy and the power of mathematics. The initiative continues to build lifelong skills in students, including logical reasoning, critical thinking, concentration, and strong analytical ability.Dr. Snehal Pinto, Director, Ryan Group of Schools, said: “At Ryan Group of Schools, we believe mathematics is not just a subject, but a powerful way to develop confidence, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills for life. The First In Math® — 24® Game Tournament beautifully brings together learning and excitement, inspiring students to enjoy the challenge of numbers in a dynamic and meaningful way. As Ryan Group proudly celebrates 50 years of nurturing young minds, initiatives like these reflect our continued commitment to innovation in education and to empowering every Ryanite to excel with skill, spirit, and determination.”Following the successful Mumbai tournament, the National First In Math® — 24® Game Tournaments will next travel to Delhi and Bangalore, continuing Ryan Group’s nationwide celebration of numeracy excellence and student achievement.About Ryan Group of Schools: Ryan Group of Schools is a premier educational institution in India with a widespread network of 150+ schools across 20+ states and 40+ cities, reaching learners across the country and abroad. Founded on the vision of fostering holistic development and academic excellence, the group is dedicated to nurturing lifelong learners who are equipped to face the challenges of a rapidly changing world.With a rich legacy spanning 50 years, Ryan Group of Schools has established itself as a beacon of educational excellence, combining academic rigor with character-building values.Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2968951/First_in_Math_2026_Ryan_Group_of_Schools.jpgLogo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1687598/5934106/Ryan_Group_Logo.jpg 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/ryan-group-of-schools-hosts-first-in-math–24-game-national-tournament-in-mumbai-302758318.html

Continue Reading

Trending