September 2026

Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, today announced the winners of the Red Hat APAC Innovation Awards 2026 for India. This year, Red Hat recognises Adani Airport Holdings Limited, Bharti Airtel Ltd, Department of Information Technology & Communication (DoIT&C), Government of Rajasthan, and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Ministry Of Railways for their leadership through open source, demonstrating how open source technologies help organisations navigate complexity, modernise operations, and deliver sustainable growth.   Red Hat Summit Connect As organisations across Asia Pacific embrace AI, hybrid cloud, automation, and cloud-native technologies, managing complexity has become just as important as driving innovation. With AI strategies increasingly spanning different models, accelerators, and cloud environments, enterprises are looking to open source because openness brings choice, and choice brings greater flexibility. That flexibility enables them to adopt the technologies best suited to their business needs while building the agility needed to respond to change. Reflecting this year’s theme, “Unlock what’s next,” the Red Hat APAC Innovation Awards 2026 celebrate organisations that are leading the way with open source. This year’s awards recognise 32 winners across the region whose innovative use of Red Hat solutions is helping solve complex business challenges and deliver meaningful outcomes for customers, employees, and communities. The winners were recognised for demonstrating how open source can help organisations turn complexity into opportunity. By modernising technology foundations, streamlining operations, and accelerating innovation, each organisation has delivered measurable outcomes that strengthen business resilience and create lasting value. Their achievements reflect Red Hat’s continued collaboration with enterprises across 13 APAC countries to solve real-world challenges through open source.  The awards comprise six categories: Digital Transformation, Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud-Native Development, Automation, Virtualisation, and AI. Category: Cloud-Native Development Winner: Department of Information Technology & Communication, Government of Rajasthan The Department of Information Technology & Communication (DoIT&C), Government of Rajasthan, leads the use of technology across Rajasthan government departments and autonomous bodies to improve administration and public service delivery. Its responsibilities include IT consultancy, e-governance implementation, technical guidance, capacity building, and the delivery of IT infrastructure and software solutions across the Rajasthan government. To modernise its digital governance ecosystem, DoIT&C needed to address legacy systems, siloed applications, manual provisioning, limited scalability and slow deployment cycles across platforms such as e-Mitra and Raj Kaaj. The organisation adopted Red Hat OpenShift Platform Plus, Red Hat Application Foundation, Red Hat Trusted Application Pipeline and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, supported by Red Hat Consulting and Red Hat Training and Certification, to move from virtualised environments to a standardised, container-based platform with greater automation and DevOps capabilities. The transformation reduced service rollout time by 30-40%, improved system availability and performance by 25-35%, automated 50-60% of infrastructure and operations, and accelerated application development and deployment cycles by around two times. This has helped DoIT&C shift from a reactive, maintenance-heavy IT model to a more agile, innovation-focused ecosystem, improving governance efficiency and delivering faster, more reliable services to citizens. Category: Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure and Cloud-Native Development Winner: Adani Airport Holdings Limited Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), India’s largest airport infrastructure company, manages, operates and develops eight airports across the country. Its network accounts for 24 per cent of passenger footfalls and 33 per cent of air cargo traffic in India, serving passengers, airlines, logistics companies, retailers and other airport stakeholders.  As Adani Airports expanded its digital capabilities, it needed a more scalable and flexible integration platform to connect more than 20 diverse airport systems, accelerate the onboarding of new applications and support operations across on-premise and cloud environments. Using Red Hat OpenShift, Red Hat Application Foundation and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Adani Airports built a hybrid cloud integration platform to deliver real-time data across its airport ecosystem. The platform has improved system performance, reducing response times from a few seconds to microseconds, while providing travellers with more transparent and accurate information on wait times, baggage and flight status. Faster detection of bottlenecks and operational issues is helping airports improve efficiency, reduce congestion at checkpoints and enhance the passenger experience, while supporting faster turnaround times and on-time performance for airlines. Category: Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure and Cloud-Native Development Winner: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Ministry Of Railways Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, is the digital, catering, tourism and hospitality arm of Indian Railways. It operates India’s largest online railway ticketing platform, alongside catering, tourism, hospitality and premium train services, supporting millions of passengers across the country every day. With nearly 89% of reserved railway tickets booked online, IRCTC’s next-generation e-ticketing platform (NGeT) had become business-critical but capacity-constrained, especially during Tatkal and peak booking periods. With Indian Railways serving approximately 2-2.5 crore passengers daily and more than 8 billion annually, scalability, uptime and transaction performance are critical to IRCTC’s digital services. To strengthen these capabilities, IRCTC adopted a containerised, microservices-based platform built on Red Hat OpenShift Platform Plus, supported by Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform for end-to-end orchestration. The modernisation enabled the platform to auto-scale during periods of intense demand, helping to address the system failures and booking disruptions during peak periods. It has also improved infrastructure efficiency and accelerated application boot times, enabling teams to release new versions faster and with less friction. By replacing manual, error-prone operational tasks with automated workflows, IRCTC is also strengthening its security posture, reducing operational effort and freeing developer resources for higher-value work. Category: Virtualization Winner: Bharti Airtel Ltd Headquartered in India, Bharti Airtel is a global communications solutions provider with over 650 million customers in 15 countries across India and Africa. The company also has its presence in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka through its associate entities. The company is ranked second amongst mobile operators globally, and its networks cover over two billion people. To deliver on its customer-first promise at massive scale, Airtel has been reengineering its infrastructure and moving from legacy, manual systems to open, flexible, cloud-native platforms. This future-ready foundation has helped Airtel innovate new technology solutions

Esri India, the market leader in Geographic Information System (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping solutions in India, today announced the launch of GeoSARAL, a Linux-based desktop GIS software.   Agendra Kumar, MD, Esri India Launches GeoSARAL, an Indigenous GIS Software   With sustained investments in technology, talent, and innovation over the years, localization has been a key focus for Esri India. The intent is to develop solutions that address the requirements arising from the rapid adoption of geospatial technologies in India. GeoSARAL is a result of this continued focus and efforts by the Esri India team.   Professional GIS users in organizations use ArcGIS Pro for advanced analysis, 3D, network analysis, and complex cartography. At the same time, there are users who need a desktop GIS for simple tasks like mapping, visualization, querying and editing. GeoSARAL is the product for them. It was conceptualized in response to the growing demand from Esri India’s large ArcGIS user base across enterprise and government sectors for a lightweight, Linux-based desktop GIS. GeoSARAL is also supported on Windows, with Android support coming soon.   Agendra Kumar, Managing Director, Esri India, said, “Innovation with customer needs in mind has been at the heart of our technology journey. The launch of GeoSARAL is a significant milestone. Initial users of GeoSARAL are very appreciative to have a cost-effective Linux-based desktop GIS software for mapping, visualization, editing, and querying. It works effectively within ArcGIS environments for these tasks, addressing the simple GIS needs of some users, while others work with more advanced ArcGIS Pro capabilities. GeoSARAL is supported on both Linux and Windows, with support for Android on its way.”   GeoSARAL co-exists with users’ current ArcGIS infrastructure and can leverage the rich content from Indo ArcGIS Living Atlas. It lets users view, manage, and analyze GIS data and basemaps stored locally, even without an internet connection. It is designed to seamlessly integrate with the existing ArcGIS ecosystems and provides enterprise grade security.   As geospatial technology becomes increasingly important in governance, infrastructure, agriculture, defence, utilities, urban development, natural resource management, disaster management, and other critical sectors, local development will play an important role in addressing the country’s unique requirements while strengthening domestic technology capabilities. GeoSARAL is a step in this direction, contributing to India’s journey towards greater technological self-reliance.

A girl stains her clothes during her period. In that moment, a joke can deepen her embarrassment, while a simple, empathetic response can make her feel supported. How people around her respond can shape whether menstruation becomes a source of shame or something she can navigate with dignity.   Let’s Talk RED – Youth in Action   For years, menstrual health efforts have focused largely on helping girls access menstrual products, information and hygiene. But creating a stigma-free experience requires changing the environment around them too — including the attitudes and behaviours of the boys growing up alongside them as classmates, friends, brothers and, eventually, partners and colleagues.   Ujaas, an initiative of the Aditya Birla Education Trust founded by Advaitesha Birla, has been working to bring boys into this conversation. Its impact assessment of 2,402 boys in Maharashtra points to measurable shifts in how they understand and engage with menstruation. Following the intervention, understanding of puberty increased by 83.6%, comfort discussing menstruation rose by 59.8%, and confidence to support female peers increased by 51.7%. The proportion of boys who believed they should understand menstruation rose from 50% to 72%, signalling a growing recognition that menstrual health is not only a girls’ issue, but a shared responsibility.   At the same time, the findings reveal an important gap between changing attitudes and everyday behaviour. While confidence in supporting female classmates increased from 54% to 82%, the proportion of boys demonstrating an appropriate response when a classmate had stained her clothes moved from 43% to 40%.   For Ujaas, this gap is significant. It shows that changing what boys know and believe is only the first step; the real test is how that understanding translates into behaviour when a girl is in a moment of vulnerability. The next step is therefore to move from awareness and intention towards empathy, sensitivity and the confidence to respond appropriately.   Speaking on the insights, Ms Advaitesha Birla, Founder Ujaas an initiative of Aditya Birla Education Trust said, “Menstrual health is not exclusively a women’s issue. It is a shared social responsibility. Involving boys in this movement transforms period awareness from a passive topic into active, everyday allyship. At Ujaas, our mission goes beyond imparting knowledge; it’s about inspiring empathetic behavior so that dignity, safety, and respect become the default culture across our institutions and communities.”   It is this understanding that Ujaas launched Let’s Talk RED – Youth in Action, its youth-led menstrual health platform, which brought together students from four Mumbai colleges on 24 August. The initiative moved the conversation beyond the biology of menstruation to explore how stigma, myths, language and everyday responses can affect girls, and what young men can do differently as friends, classmates and family members. Students reflected on the Menstrual Rights Charter and examined how changes in language, behaviour and institutional culture can contribute to more respectful and menstrual-friendly campuses.   The initiative builds on the first edition of Let’s Talk RED, which provided girls with a platform to share the challenges they face around menstruation. Their experiences and perspectives culminated in a Charter of Demands for creating menstrual-health-friendly schools, colleges and enabling environments. This year, Ujaas is taking that conversation forward from sharing challenges to driving action, and from identifying what needs to change to enabling young people to become part of that change.   The discussion also brought forward a strong view among students that creating menstrual health friendly environments must begin with changing attitudes at an early age. The Period Ally Stats Board, which captured responses from 56 female and 31 male participants across 10 statements, highlighted an opportunity to move from awareness towards active allyship. Among male respondents, 50% said they already speak up when they hear jokes, teasing or comments that reinforce period stigma, while 38.9% said they would like to start doing so. Similarly, 44.4% said they already advocate for better menstrual facilities or support in their college or community, while another 44.4% said they would like to start. The findings reinforced the students’ view that while systemic improvements such as better facilities and access to menstrual products remain important, sustainable change also requires addressing stigma, misinformation and social attitudes. The participating colleges will take these conversations forward through student-led awareness and peer engagement during the academic year.   A student panellist representing the participating colleges across Mumbai and Kalyan – Bhavan’s College (Andheri), Thakur College (Kandivali), KJ Somaiya College and BK Birla College (Kalyan) – said, “Once you understand what girls experience, you realise that menstruation is not something boys can simply stay out of. Being an ally can be as simple as knowing how to respond when someone needs help, not making a joke out of something that can already feel uncomfortable, and being able to talk about periods without making them a taboo. Even small changes in how we respond can make someone feel more comfortable, respected and supported.”   Ujaas will continue to work with the participating colleges through the academic year to support and follow up on these action plans, with the aim of extending menstrual friendly practices beyond the campus and into the wider environments in which young people live including their peer groups, families and communities.   The larger lesson from the Ujaas findings is that ending menstrual stigma cannot be the responsibility of girls alone. If girls are to grow up without feeling ashamed of a normal biological process, the attitudes of the people around them must change too.   For Ujaas, menstrual health progress is therefore not only about whether girls have access to products or understand how to manage their periods. It is also about whether the people and institutions around them know how to respond with empathy, respect and dignity — so that a period stain becomes a moment of support, not a moment of shame.   About Ujaas Ujaas is an initiative of the Aditya Birla Education Trust, founded by Advaitesha Birla, working to normalise menstrual health across schools, communities and

Ralith Realty has launched Ralith Retreat, a 53.36-acre integrated luxury township in Sector 19A, Panipat, as the developer looks to tap into rising demand for premium plotted developments across the region. The township comprises a limited inventory of 352 premium plots, with Phase 1 already sold out and nearly 60% of the overall township inventory sold.   Ralith Realty Launches Ralith Retreat in Panipat; 60% Township Inventory Sold   Plot sizes at Ralith Retreat range from approximately 183 sq. yds. to 800 sq. yds., with around 70% of the residential plots comprising larger-sized plots. The development is also planned to include villas, independent floors and commercial spaces, offering a mix of residential and lifestyle options within an integrated community.   According to Vikas Goel, Founding Director, Ralith Realty, the company is releasing inventory in a calibrated manner as development progresses, with the developer expecting the project’s value proposition to strengthen further as infrastructure and fast-track development works advance.   “We have deliberately maintained a limited inventory at Ralith Retreat to preserve the low-density character of the development while creating a differentiated offering in the Panipat market. With Phase 1 sold out and the overall township nearing 60% sales, we are seeing encouraging demand from both end-users and investors. As construction and infrastructure works progress rapidly, we believe the development will become increasingly attractive to buyers looking for quality plotted communities with long-term value potential,” he said.   The project is targeted at both end-users and investors, with investor demand constituting a significant component of the Panipat residential market. Ralith Realty attributes the initial sales traction to a combination of factors including construction quality, design, workmanship, delivery focus and the experience of its leadership team.   Rakesh Kaul, CEO & Managing Director, Ralith Realty, said, “Ralith Retreat has been conceived around the changing aspirations of buyers seeking larger private spaces within professionally planned communities. We have focused on creating a low-density township with extensive greens, quality infrastructure and amenities designed for different age groups. The response to the project, with Phase 1 sold out and the overall township nearing 60% sales, reinforces our confidence in the demand for well-planned plotted developments in Panipat. We also intend to introduce built-up villas across various plot sizes to facilitate faster habitation and create a more active residential community.”   Located approximately 1.5 km from GT Road, Ralith Retreat offers connectivity to key regional destinations, with Delhi around 60 minutes away, Karnal approximately 20 minutes away and Chandigarh around 2.5 hours away. Panipat ISBT is approximately 12 minutes from the township, while Panipat Junction Railway Station is around 15 minutes away. The upcoming Panipat station of the proposed Delhi-Karnal RRTS Corridor is approximately three minutes from the development. The township is also located in proximity to educational institutions, healthcare facilities, shopping and entertainment destinations.   The master plan of Ralith Retreat follows a Roman-style linear grid structure, incorporating linear central greens and radial roads at 90-degree intersections to facilitate smoother and less congested internal movement. The development features landscaped pedestrian walkways, wide RCC internal roads, a grand artistic entrance gate and a Grand Central Avenue finished with granite cobblestone and complemented by artwork and sculptures.   The developer plans to plant more than 2 lakh plants and shrubs across the township, creating an extensive green landscape. The development has been planned around large private plots, open spaces and recreational areas, with the objective of creating a quieter, low-density residential environment.   The amenity offering spans multiple age groups and includes children’s play areas, a toddlers’ cycling track, skating rink, sports arenas, jogging and walking tracks, an outdoor gym, barbecue pit, bonfire area and dedicated senior citizens’ spaces. The township also includes a pet park and open-air theatre.   A range of landscaped recreational spaces further includes multipurpose lawns, a maze garden, palm court, herb garden, sensory garden, aroma garden and labyrinth. The development is planned as a gated community with round-the-clock CCTV surveillance and security personnel.   Construction is progressing in phases. The first phase, spread across approximately 30 acres, is targeted for completion within the next six to eight months. Development of the remaining 23.36 acres has also commenced and is expected to be completed in approximately one year. The entire township is targeted for completion by December 2027. The project is being completely self-funded by the developer.   Ralith Realty views Panipat as an emerging market within the broader NCR growth corridor, supported by its connectivity with Delhi, Karnal and Chandigarh and ongoing infrastructure development in the region. The developer expects the combination of improved connectivity, expanding urban infrastructure and demand for larger-format residential spaces to support the growth of premium plotted developments in the market.   About Ralith Realty Ralith Realty is focused on developing integrated communities that offer diverse options across lifestyles and budgets, with an emphasis on comfort, functionality, sustainability and modern living. The company’s founding patrons, led by Rakesh Kaul, bring complementary expertise across project acquisition, planning, approvals, design, execution, sales and marketing, and successful handover.   With more than 100 years of combined experience in real estate development, the leadership team brings extensive experience across the development lifecycle. Ralith Realty is guided by its core values of excellence, collaboration, sustainability and integrity, with a focus on building lasting relationships and creating communities that people are proud to call their address.

Karnataka Health Minister Sri U.T. Khader has unveiled an ambitious vision to position Karnataka as a global destination for health, immunity and holistic wellbeing, at the Global Wellbeing Confluence (GWC) – 2026 Leaders Talk, conducted in association with AYUSH TV, India’s dedicated health channel.   Health Minister U.T. Khader, A. Jayasimha, Ayush TV MD Hari Krishna and GWC VP Harish inaugurated GWC 2026, promoting holistic health and wellbeing In a powerful interaction with Harish R., Chairman, GWC – 2026, the Minister highlighted the importance of creating greater public awareness about what people eat, where they eat and how food and lifestyle influence long-term health. His recent enforcement initiatives covering five-star hotels, leading clubs, hospitals, bakeries, sweet outlets and pharmaceutical establishments have reinforced the need for stronger public vigilance and responsible health practices. A major highlight of the event was the announcement of a Women as Wellbeing Ambassadors initiative under GWC – 2026, aimed at empowering women to become champions of healthy families, communities and lifestyles. The Minister also inaugurated “AYUSH Life Immunity Prasadam – One Meal a Day,” promoting the use of seasonal vegetables, fruits and natural foods as part of an immunity-focused lifestyle. He further released 10 powerful principles for an immunity-enriched lifestyle, providing a simple roadmap for healthier living. GWC – 2026: A Global Platform for Integrated Wellbeing The previous edition of the Global Wellbeing Confluence, held in April 2025, created significant momentum, bringing together nearly 5,000 AYUSH doctors and around 45,000 visitors. The 2026 edition is scheduled for October 23–26, 2026, at Palace Grounds, Bengaluru, with expectations of participation from more than 15,000 AYUSH and modern medicine doctors, along with healthcare professionals, wellness experts, institutions and the public. The AYUSH Federation of India is the official partner, with associate partnerships from organisations including the Akhila Karnataka Rajya Sarkari Mahila Noukarara Sangha, Karnataka Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Association, and Indian Naturopathy & Yoga Graduates Medical Association, among others. The GWC – 2026 launch event was attended by Mr. Hari Krishna M., Managing Director, AYUSH TV; Sri A. Jayasimha, Chairman, Karnataka State Brahmin Development Board; and Mr. Pavan Ramesh of AYUSH TV, along with distinguished representatives from the healthcare and wellbeing sectors. Global Wellbeing Confluence – 2026 aims to bring AYUSH, modern medicine, nutrition, naturopathy, yoga and preventive healthcare onto one powerful platform creating a movement that can make Karnataka a model for healthy and sustainable living for India and the world.  

Casio Computer Co. Ltd., headquartered in Japan and the parent company of Casio India, brought together 145+ G-SHOCK fans, including collectors, enthusiasts, horologists, media and creators, at the G-SHOCK Fan Meet – Collector’s Edition in Mumbai. The gathering celebrated the brand’s legacy while providing a platform for the community to connect over its shared appreciation for G-SHOCK’s design, innovation and spirit of individuality.   G-SHOCK Fan Meet   Held at the G-SHOCK Exclusive Store, Linking Road, Santacruz West, the event brought the G-SHOCK community together through conversations, collection showcases and interactions centred around the brand’s heritage and timepieces. Among the highlights of the evening was a special showcase by four G-SHOCK collectors, who presented selections from their personal collections and shared the stories and significance behind their timepieces. The showcase offered attendees a closer look at the personal connections and stories behind some of the collections that have grown alongside the brand.   A key highlight of the evening was the presence of Junichi Izumi, creator of the GA-2100 series, who engaged with members of the G-SHOCK community and shared insights into the design journey behind the GA-2100, one of G-SHOCK’s most recognisable series. His participation offered collectors and enthusiasts an opportunity to hear directly from the creative mind behind the GA-2100 and gain a deeper understanding of the design thinking and philosophy that shaped the series.   Commenting on the occasion, Takuto Kimura, Managing Director, Casio India, said, “G-SHOCK has grown into a global community united by a shared appreciation for individuality, creativity and innovation. India has been an important part of that journey, with collectors and enthusiasts embracing the brand and making it their own. The Fan Meet is an opportunity for us to bring this community together, celebrate their passion for G-SHOCK and create meaningful interactions around the brand.”   Sharing his thoughts on the occasion, Junichi Izumi, Creator of the GA-2100 Series, said, “The GA-2100 was developed as a new expression of the G-SHOCK identity while staying true to the strength and character of the brand. It has been very rewarding to see how collectors and enthusiasts around the world have connected with the series and made it their own. Meeting the G-SHOCK community in India and hearing their stories and perspectives has been a very special experience, and I am happy to be part of this gathering.”   The evening featured interactions between Junichi Izumi and attendees, with conversations spanning collections, design and the evolution of the GA-2100 series. Horologists, media and creators also engaged with the brand and each other on G-SHOCK’s continued relevance across generations. The evening continued with an after-party at Gigi Bombay, Bandra West, where guests came together for music and informal conversations, extending the gathering into a more relaxed setting.   With the G-SHOCK Fan Meet – Collector’s Edition, Casio India continues to celebrate the collectors, enthusiasts and creators who have made G-SHOCK part of their own stories. By creating spaces for the community to come together, share their collections and connect with the people behind the brand, G-SHOCK continues to build on the culture and connections that have shaped its presence in India.   About Casio India Co. Pvt. Ltd. Casio India Co. Pvt. Ltd. (CIC) is the Indian subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions. Casio India has established a dynamic presence in the Indian market since 1996, emerging as a leading and cherished consumer goods manufacturer. Casio India’s range of products include sales and marketing of Timepieces, Electronic Musical Instruments, Desktop Calculators and Scientific Calculators.   Setting the benchmark for excellence, Casio India is dedicated to embodying the spirit of innovation and quality that defines the Casio legacy. With a strong commitment to its corporate creed of “creativity and contribution,” Casio has consistently translated this ethos into the creation of innovative products making a positive impact on society.   For more information, visit www.casio.com/in.

International investor Nicole Junkermann has said the rapid growth of women’s volleyball in Italy strengthens the investment case for women’s sport in India, after the digital ecosystem surrounding Italy’s leading women’s volleyball competitions passed 2 billion views during the 2025-26 season.   Nicole Junkermann The milestone was recorded across the digital ecosystem surrounding Lega Pallavolo Serie A Femminile, working with Gameday by NJF Holdings through their Spike Media partnership. Content generated approximately 61.5 million interactions across digital platforms as the league expanded its audience well beyond traditional television and match-going fans. For Nicole Junkermann, founder of NJF Holdings and the investor behind Gameday, the figures are significant beyond Italy. Junkermann has previously identified India as an important long-term market for sports investment, technology and digital media, including the infrastructure that can help professional leagues build larger audiences. “Two billion views changes the conversation,” said Nicole Junkermann. “When we first talked about what the Italian experience might mean for India, the season had already produced extraordinary numbers. The final result is stronger still. It shows that women’s volleyball can build a very large digital audience when the sport is given the right distribution, content and commercial infrastructure.” Earlier this year, Nicole Junkermann identified India as a market where lessons from the growth of Italian women’s volleyball could have wider relevance. At the time, Italy’s top women’s league had generated more than 1.4 billion digital views during the season, alongside more than 45 million social media interactions. The completed season has substantially exceeded those figures. From 1.4 billion to more than 2 billion views The growth reflects a strategy that treats digital distribution as part of the sporting product rather than simply as a way to promote matches. Gameday by NJF Holdings and Lega Volley Femminile created Spike Media to focus on media, distribution, audience development and the commercial infrastructure surrounding Italian women’s volleyball. The approach has expanded the volume and reach of content around matches, clubs and athletes, allowing fans to encounter the sport across a much wider range of digital channels. Gameday by NJF Holdings is the sports and media platform backed by international investor Nicole Junkermann. Its work combines professional sport with digital sports media, audience development, technology and commercial infrastructure. For Junkermann, the Italian experience challenges the assumption that women’s leagues need to wait for traditional broadcast audiences to develop before they can become significant media properties. “Women’s sport is still too often assessed using the economics and distribution models of the past,” said Nicole Junkermann. “Digital platforms give leagues the chance to build audiences differently. You can create interest around the athletes, the clubs and the competition every day, rather than relying on a few hours of television each week.” That distinction could be particularly relevant to the development of women’s sport in India, where sport and digital media already have an unusually close relationship. Why Nicole Junkermann sees an opportunity in Indian women’s sport India’s sporting economy remains dominated by cricket, but Nicole Junkermann believes its success demonstrates something broader: the country’s ability to turn sport into entertainment, media, technology and culture at enormous scale. The question is where that experience could travel next. Indian women’s sport offers one such opportunity. India has a large young digital audience and a sophisticated sports industry, while athletes and competitions outside men’s cricket have more opportunities than ever to reach supporters directly through digital platforms. Nicole Junkermann believes digital distribution, sports technology and better commercial infrastructure can play an important role in accelerating that development. “India is particularly interesting because many of the ingredients are already there: a young digital audience, a huge appetite for sport and increasingly ambitious female athletes,” said Nicole Junkermann. “Cricket has shown what India can build around a sport. I don’t think we should assume that only cricket can benefit from that imagination.” The Italian experience is relevant because it demonstrates how investment around a league can create value beyond the competition itself. Media distribution, short-form content, athlete channels, data, sponsorship and sports technology can all become part of the infrastructure supporting a modern sports property. For investors looking at women’s sport in India, that broadens the opportunity. Investment doesn’t have to mean buying a team or competing for a headline sponsorship. It can include the technology, media and digital infrastructure that helps leagues and athletes reach audiences, understand supporters and build sustainable revenue. Nicole Junkermann’s investment thesis for sports infrastructure in India Nicole Junkermann has previously argued that some of the most interesting sports investment opportunities in India will be found beneath the headline valuations, particularly in sports technology, media, digital distribution and league infrastructure. The latest results from Italian women’s volleyball strengthen that thesis. A digital audience measured in billions doesn’t mean that every view has the same commercial value, nor does it make Italy and India directly comparable. But the scale demonstrates how quickly the audience around a women’s competition can grow when distribution is designed around the way people now consume sport. For Gameday by NJF Holdings, India remains a market of long-term interest as the country’s professional sports economy develops beyond its established strengths. “India doesn’t need to copy the Italian model,” said Nicole Junkermann. “That would miss the point. The interesting question is what India can build for itself, using its own athletes, audiences and sporting culture. The numbers from Italy simply show how much can happen when a women’s league is given the infrastructure and ambition to grow.” For Nicole Junkermann, the 2 billion milestone is therefore less an end point than evidence of what can happen when investment follows changing audience behaviour. As women’s sport attracts greater attention from broadcasters, sponsors and investors around the world, Junkermann believes India has the audience, sporting culture and digital scale to develop a model distinctly its own. About Nicole Junkermann and NJF Holdings Nicole Junkermann is an international investor and the founder of NJF Holdings, a privately held international investment group operating across Europe, the United States, the

The Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI), the apex body of India’s private FM radio industry, has elected Mr. Vijay Garg, Chief Financial Officer of MY FM — the radio division of the Dainik Bhaskar Group (D B Corp Ltd.) — as its new President. Mr. Garg takes over from Ms. Anurradha Prasad, Chairperson and Managing Director of BAG Network (Radio Dhamaal), who led AROI through a defining period of policy advocacy for the sector for the last fifteen years and resigned at the AGM held on 10 August 2026.   Mr. Vijay Garg, Chief Financial Officer of MY FM   Mr. Garg assumes the Presidency at a pivotal moment for private radio. The industry, which reaches more than 200 million listeners every week as a free, trusted and deeply vernacular medium, is seeking decisive policy action on four fronts: parity with other media through permission to broadcast independent news and current affairs; extension of Phase III licences on the 4% Adjusted Gross Revenue model already approved by the Union Cabinet for new cities; rationalisation of GST on radio from 18% to 5%, at par with print; and conversion of the 2023 MEITY advisory into a mandatory directive activating FM receiver chips in every mobile phone sold in India.   A finance leader with three decades in media A cost and Management accountant (ICMA) by training and a graduate of the University of Delhi, Mr. Garg brings close to thirty years of financial and business leadership, of which more than two decades have been in radio. He began his career in corporate finance with Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, moved into broadcasting as Chief Financial Officer of Red FM, and joined the Dainik Bhaskar Group’s radio business in 2007. Today he serves as CFO for the Group’s radio and some other businesses and has been closely associated with MY FM’s expansion from a regional network into one of the country’s largest FM footprints, now moving towards 44 stations 3 across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh.   Within the industry, Mr. Garg is regarded as one of radio’s most respected voices on the economics of the business — licence fees, spectrum costs, tax structures and the unit economics of small-town broadcasting — and has contributed to AROI’s submissions to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.   On his election, Mr. Vijay Garg said, “I am deeply honoured by the confidence the industry has placed in me. Radio is India’s most local, most inclusive and most cost-efficient mass medium — it speaks to the country in its own languages, free of cost, and it stays on air when every other network goes down. Yet the sector today carries a cost structure built for a very different era. My focus as President will be simple and unrelenting: secure media parity for radio, make the economics of the licence sustainable, correct the tax anomaly, and get FM chips switched on in every phone sold in this country. If we get these right, radio will not merely survive — it will power the local economies of Tier 2 and Tier 3 India for the next decade.”   Appreciating his predecessor’s leadership, Mr. Garg said that Ms. Anurradha Prasad’s tenure had “given the industry a united voice and put radio’s case squarely before the Government,” and said the incoming leadership would build on that foundation.   About AROI The Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI) is the official body representing private commercial FM radio broadcasters across the country. Its members operate hundreds of stations spanning metros and Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, reaching over 200 million listeners every week in more than a dozen languages. AROI engages with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, TRAI and other authorities on policy, regulation and the long-term growth of the radio and audio industry in India.