People, places and products

Carol Stephenson
Carol's Passage to India

She is on the Board of post-bankruptcy General Motors, but at the top of her mind is also an opportunity called India. Carol Stephenson, 59, Dean of Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, sees huge potential in India's business and executive education market. The former CEO of Lucent Technologies Canada was in India in May to sign an MoU with IIM Bangalore to develop India-specific case materials for use in business education around the world.

Next on the cards is a pact with the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, for an initiative on case-based business education. Says Stephenson: "As the second-largest producer of case studies (after Harvard Business School) in the world, we are looking at replicating the case-based business education model in India with our partners." Stephenson was also on the board of Vancouver Winter Paralympics 2010. With the Commonwealth Games in Delhi only four months away, does she have any advice for India? "My advice will be to hurry up," she says.

— Saumya Bhattacharya

Anmol Jaggi
Carbon Smart

At first glance, you wouldn't sense that Anmol Jaggi, 24, has the makings of a visionary. However, the entrepreneurial path chosen by this graduate of the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (Dehradun) could soon anoint him as one. Gensol Consulting, the carbon consultancy started by Jaggi in 2007, today manages 18 million carbon credits on behalf of more than 300 clients. Jaggi not only helps clients design projects to earn carbon credits, but also helps manage the credits and trade them afterwards.

"While there is awareness about the opportunity in carbon credits in India, not everyone knows how to go about it. That is why there is a 30 per cent rejection rate for projects from India seeking eligibility for carbon credits. Fortunately, none of the projects shepherded by us has been rejected so far," says Jaggi. Gensol has just come up with a report titled Carbon Market Outlook 2010 to help the industry understand the subject.

— Suman Layak

Abhisheck Lodha
Real Estate Prince

Abhisheck Lodha, 31, is not your usual developer. He topped his class at the Georgia Institute of Technology, US, in 2001, winning the President's medal. And now, he is MD, Lodha Group, among India's better known builders of luxury apartments. Recently, his company bagged a 25,000 sq. m plot in Wadala (central Mumbai) for a whopping Rs 4,053 crore, beating rivals like Indiabulls Real Estate and Sunteck Realty.

"In terms of location, it could not get better for us with the upcoming monorail and metro rail both converging at Wadala and the new freeway being built along the harbour also joining here," explains Lodha, adding: "This site will be by far the most well-connected site in the city."

— T.V. Mahalingam

NOKIA C1, C2
Nokia's Dual Attack

Not the most expensive Nokia handset ever but possibly among the most important releases for the Finnish company, as these are its first "dual-SIM" handsets. And while still a few months away from launch, they seem to tick all the boxes that India's mass of mobile consumers have while buying a phone—memory card slot, camera and radio.

The C1 is expected to cost around Rs 1,800, with the more expensive C2 priced upwards of Rs 2,700 and featuring chat, an Internet browser as well as Ovi Mail capability. Not the typical product you might see on this page, but possibly one that shows Nokia's first determined attempt to claw back market share lost to the tens of Indian brands selling Chinese-made dual-SIM devices.

— Kushan Mitra

South Africa
A Treat for Football Fanatics

South Africa is the place to be this fortnight as the FIFA World Cup kicks off across nine cities, starting June 11. And with matches being held across the length and breadth of the nation, you are spoilt for choice. But wherever you are based, do not forget to taste the wine. South African wines are highly rated.

DURBAN
Match to Watch: Brazil vs Portugal on June 25; also the first semi final. Off the Field: Visit the caves at Drakensberg and Mahatma Gandhi's home at Pietermaritzburg.

CAPE TOWN
Match to Watch: France vs Uruguay on June 11; also the second semi final. Off the Field: Visit the table mountain, laze on the beaches where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.

JOHANNESBURG
Match to Watch: Netherlands vs Denmark on June 14; also the final. Off the Field: Take a quick flight to visit the Kruger National Park from here.

PORT ELIZABETH
Match to Watch: England vs Slovenia on June 23; also the 3rd place match. Off the Field: Snorkel and scuba dive on the waterfront at the brand new Nelson Mandela Bay Area.

— Dhiman Chattopadhyay