Enthuse

Issue November 2011

Welcome to the November issue of our internal newsletter

Events & Announcements New Mumbai office Invest road show, Chennai Technology Conclave 2011 Diwali celebrations Annual party celebrations - Bengaluru Employee connect Contributions from our employees on their experiences Formula One AS15 Employee benefits Navigating complexities
Wild fire prevention and wildlife conservation Birthday wishes and list of new joiners

In-house Talent

Capturing experiences of colleagues who have pursued their passion beyond work Know your brand New animated Grant Thornton logo

Go Green Wishes

BrandSpace

Thank you for downloading the newsletter. Read further for this month's highlights

Monthly newsletter produced by the Marketing Communications team. Strictly confidential and for internal use only.

Living our CLEARR Events & Announcements values

New Mumbai office

The Mumbai practice has had an eventful journey over the past seven years. The office has moved from a 1500 sq. ft. facility in Andheri to the present 5500 sq. ft. office in Opera House. We are now in the process of moving to a much larger space of nearly 25,000 sq. ft. located at India Bulls Finance Center, Elphinstone. On this auspicious occasion on the 21 October everyone came together to pray for a great start at the new premises and blessings for positivity and success.

The first time I came to Mumbai was in 1989. It makes me proud that we have been able to progress from a 1500 sq. ft. centre to a 25000 sq .ft. centre in just 10 years, this shows the potential of the employees in Mumbai and the potential of the city as a financial hub. I would like to thank Khushroo Panthaky, Dhanraj Bhagat, Nidhi Maheshwari and Benoy George for their efforts in making this possible. Wishing the entire Mumbai practice all the very best. Vishesh Chandiok

Living our CLEARR Events & Announcements values

Invest Road Show South India 2011

The Invest Roadshow South India 2011 was a multi-city event jointly organised with Flanders Investment & Trade. The event was held in Chennai, Coimbatore and Kochi in September 2011. Flanders Investment & Trade, is a Flemish public agency responsible for promoting Flemish products and services and also to attract investments into Flanders Belgium. The objective of the road show was to bring to the dynamic Indian industry, the value proposition to invest in Flanders Belgium. The road show had officials/ experts specialising in areas of making investment in Flanders, taxation, immigration issues etc. They highlighted the advantages of setting up a business in Flanders Belgium from various perspectives. A team from Belgium and India addressed the road show in an interactive format and also presented opportunities for networking in each city. The event was covered by The Hindu Business Line, a leading business publication in the south.

HINDU BUSINESS LINE

Partnering with CII lent great credence to the event's success and garnered great media turnout. We effectively showcased GTI and GT India at all the centres for visibility. Thanks to the marketing communications team and the Chennai admin team for furnishing marketing materials for the event. We look forward and are processing possible assignments from intending investors into Flanders, Belgium and other contacts largely developed at the events. The event was led by Mohan Ramakrishna and Harish HV..

Harish HV, Grant Thornton at the podium

Events & Announcements

Technology Conclave 2011

PE insight Technology investment conclave was held on the 20 October 2011 in Bangalore with us as the knowledge partners for the event. The event focused on PE investment and M&A trends in the Tech sector; trends in E-commerce, internet and mobile; and fund raising and valuations. The audience comprised representatives from CII, HSBC and Funds, as well as entrepreneurs, lawyers and investment bankers. We released a report on the sector Technology Sector Insights, covering M&A and PE deal trends and expert views from the industry (PEs/ Corporates/ Entrepreneurs).

(L-R) Suresh Shanmugham Managing Director - SVB Financial Group , T C Meenakshisundaram Founder, Managing Director - IDG Ventures India , Raja Lahiri Grant Thornton, Kumar Shiralagi Managing Director - IndoUS Venture Partners, Nitin Nayar Warburg Pincus, Sachin Maheshwari , Director - Zephyr Peacock, India

CG Srividya moderating the panel discussion

Events & Announcements

Zestful Diwali Celebrations

Delhi and Gurgaon team at PVR BluO, Ambience Mall, Gurgaon

Enjoying the diwali decorations in Mumbai office

Events & Announcements

Fun and frolic at Bengaluru's annual party

Annual Office party was organised for Bengaluru employees on 30 September at Zero G. Employees came dressed in various themes and were awarded for different categories. Employees sung on Karaoke beats and the fun grew into a night to remember.

In-house Talent

Talent inside Madhu Verma, IT services, Gurgaon

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.- William Shakespeare I paint my canvas as a hobby. Colors always elevate my mood. I started painting in elementary school and received appreciation and prizes for my work. I love to do abstract paintings with oil pastels, water colors and oil paints. Now I paint over the weekends. I get so engrossed in painting that I lose track of time. I feel painting is something you need to be in the mood for, although if you are stressed it can be quite soothing.

Employee connect

Crazy for Formula One

The F1 temptation took many to the final race on 30 October, 2011. Among them were some of our own, including Rajesh Jain, Vishesh Chandiok, Vinamra Shastri, Harish HV, Aasheesh Arjun Singh, Triven Gupta, Gaurav Chaubey, Mohit Agarwal, Suruchi Kataria, Utsav Prakash, Chandra Shekar Rao and Mallika Sadh. Here are some of the shots taken at the event and contributed by them.

DID YOU KNOW? We have done a diligence for the UB Group along with GTUK, 4 years ago when they acquired the Spyker team and renamed it as Force India. Continuing our relationship we were appointed auditors for some of the entities. We have also done valuations for them which includes the recent Sahara group investment.

Employee connect

AS15 Employee Benefits

Mohamed Fahim Haniffa , Senior, Audit (South) contributed an article on AS15 to caclubindia.com which was published recently on their website.
The link to the article is as below: http://www.caclubindia.com/articles/hawk-eye-as-15-employee-benefits--11611.asp

Navigating complexities - An insight from a home grown

I begin by asking myself, how has the firm changed over the past couple of years? Revenues are up, realisation on jobs are better, clients are pouring in, offices are bigger, laptops run faster, theres good coffee in the machines and YES the market has learnt to pronounce our name (not Grantan Thonton or Grand Thorn). We obviously didnt get here overnight. We navigated through the complexities of a growing firm and this is how we did it: Audit Tools Of all the sleepless nights working/ reworking through explorer files and audit care, I prayed that the very concept of an audit tool was done away with. I finished up my files but hours later I had no IDEA as to what I did or how I did it! Fortunately, prayers were answered, GTI in its endeavor to brighten the very Horizon that we survive on, introduced VOYAGER, a state-of-the-art tool bringing logic, quality, speed and colors to the slightly boring audit process. Yes, I whined about it while it was being implemented, whine about it when I need to finish one but needless to say its a GREAT TOOL!! IQCR I still recollect the time when our practice went through the first of the quality reviews and Nabeel in an open forum (specifically held to announce the results) gave us an F for Failed. It felt like school, felt like I was handed out my report card and I had to repeat an entire year for reasons I didnt quite understand. We still go through a quality review every year, its inconvenient, painful, stressful etc etc but nevertheless I think people are trying to do a better job. As far as I am concerned - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!! Quality begins and ends with a continuous effort aimed at improvement. As long as people strive to do a better job (either carrot or the stick approach), there will always be better quality. Time Management System Personnel Management System (PMS) is what was used for filling time sheets. The ERP was slow, obsolete and didnt really add value to a lot of people. So one fine day we stopped PMSing (no pun intended) and moved to WCGT 360. The ERP works great its got a great interface, its quick, billings are integrated, expense claims and approvals are online and the ERP has the option of running some useful reports. This was a huge jump as far as administration was concerned. I did notice one glitch move the cursor over forgot password on the login screen and read the prompt!! LOL!! Someone needs to fix that.

Employee connect

Navigating complexities - An insight from a home grown

Helpdesk Another commendable development over the years. In a firm where one is expected to multitask through every second of the day, resolving administrative problems always took a back seat. In my personal experience I recollect not receiving my stipend for 6 months during my article ship or when I finally received my stipend I had no idea as to how it was calculated. HELPDESK fixes all of that and so much more. The response time is quick and issues are resolved by priority. KUDOS to the guys and/ or girls who suggested the idea of having a dedicated HELP DESK!! Trainings In a profession where the pieces of the puzzle are constantly moved around, I understand the importance of being updated at any point of time. The burden of expectation in terms of possessing the right knowledge is unparalleled. The firms internal news bulletins and regional/ office specific trainings address a majority of such challenges. As always, the firm has given a lot of importance to trainings and the trend seems to continue. Considering that there are more trainings in a year as compared to the previous thats definitely a good sign! Managing change is inevitable for any growing organisation. The challenges are innumerous and are always known to have a bitter flipside. I quite like the attitude the firm portrays for managing change. Getting there definitely sounds more fun than been there done that. In conclusion (having been in the audit profession for long enough) Id say Subject to my comments in para 4 above, in my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, Grant Thorntons ability to manage change has been true and fair. To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often - Winston Churchill

Contributed by - Vinod Kumar, Assurance, Bengaluru

BrandSpace

NEW!! The animated Grant Thornton logo

An animated version of the logo is now available for you to use for your videos, conferences and PowerPoint presentations. The versions available on ishare include those mentioned below: PowerPoint slide featuring animated logo Flash version 512x288 Flash version 720x576 Window Media Player version 512x288 Window Media Player version 720x576 High res movie file (large file 50mb+) PAL movie file 512x288 PAL movie file 1024x576

. Please choose the appropriate file for your needs.

The ishare path to download the logo is as below: Location: Home Markets MARKETS Branding Grant Thornton Logos Animated Logos

Go Green

Go Green- symbol of wild fire prevention and wildlife conservation

Smokey the Bear
Smokey the Bear or simply Smokey is a mascot of the United States Forest Service that was created in 1944 to educate the public about the dangers of forest fires. It started as an advertising campaign featuring Smokey with the slogan "Smokey Says Care Will Prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires." According to the Ad Council, Smokey Bear and his message are recognised by 95% of adults and 77% of children in the US. In the 1950s Smokey the Bear became popular. There was a successful song, a book series, doll and encyclopedia entry. He also appeared on radio programs, in comic strips and in cartoons. The Smokey Bear Act of 1952 was enacted in the US to protect the name and image. The living symbol of Smokey the Bear was an American black bear cub who in the spring of 1950 was caught in a wildfire that burned 17,000 acres in the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico. Smokey before it was rescued had climbed a tree to escape the blaze. Smokey the Bear lived in the US at the National Zoo for 26 years. Smokey died in November 1976 and buried at what is now the Smokey Bear Historical Park. The plaque at his grave reads, "This is the resting place of the first living Smokey Bear...the living symbol of wildfire prevention and wildlife conservation." Smokey's name and image has been loaned to the Smokey Bear Awards, which are awarded by the United States Forest Service: "To recognise outstanding service in the prevention of wild land fires and to increase public recognition and awareness of the need for continuing fire prevention efforts." The anecdote is a an example of environmentalism. Environmentalism is a social movement for conserving, rebuilding and enriching the environment. The movement includes supporting practices such as informed consumption, conservation initiatives, investment in renewable energy, improved efficiencies and is centered around ecology, health and human rights.

Contributed by Kenneth Khalkho

Wishes

Birthdays
Employee Name Sarthak Jain Neeti Khurana Ronak Mukesh Khandwala Anand Jose Ankita Jhawar Gaurav Gupta Narra Ajay Kumar Manpreet Bhayana Soniya Phartyal Sandeep Mehta Gaurav Shekhawat Sushant Behl Tarun Baijnath Bhargav N Sarvesh Shyam Sunder Bansal K M Thammiah Simy Idiculla J.C. Vishwanath Ankit Anup Rathi Vishal Udeshi Nidhi M. Bharathi Devanshi Deepak Sanghvi Kalpna Yadav Rohit Shamsundar Rathi Anmol Garg Bhanu Prakash Kalmath Location GUR DEL MUM MUM HYD DEL BAN DEL DEL GUR MUM DEL DEL CHE MUM BAN BAN BAN MUM MUM DEL DEL MUM GUR PUN DEL BAN Day 1 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 9 10 10 10 10 11 12 12 12 12 12 Month Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Employee Name Ekta Virendra Agarwal Felicia Francis Parmar Abhishek Kiritkumar Dattani Kishnani Nikhil Prakash Suruchi Kataria Vishesh C Chandiok Kumar Amarendra Narayan Singh Priya Gupta Sunil Vermani Jigar Gudka Rhea Amar Sandesh Salankey Piyush Patnaik Monish Sharma Krishna Vipin Gujarathi Pragneshkumar Manubhai Shah Karan Kataria Sonali Batra Dhaval Atul Salot Ankush Jain Praveen Kashyap Nishant Mehra Anirudh Gupta Ismail Rangwala Pruthvi B.S. Santosh Sharma Location MUM MUM MUM MUM GUR DEL DEL DEL DEL MUM PUN BAN BAN GUR PUN MUM CHE DEL MUM CHD CHD MUM GUR MUM BAN GUR Day 13 13 13 13 13 14 14 14 15 15 15 15 15 15 16 16 16 16 17 17 17 18 18 19 20 20 Month Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov

Wishes

Birthdays
Employee Name Antim Patni Aashish Kapur Lalit Singh Bisht Bhavesh Gupta Nachiket Chandrashekhar Gadgil Raja Lahiri Ankit Marwaha Ashish Agarwal Sai Venkateshwaran Shetty Harshini Sunder Shashank Karhade Ishtpal Singh Kumaran C Sreejith Kuniyil Shubham Jain Richa Jain Anjali Sapra Megha Rathi Rupali Arun Lad Vinod Chander Chandiok Prachi Mundra Arvinder Kaur Vikas Gambhir Sonu Sharma Muhammed Vasil M Location MUM DEL DEL MUM PUN BAN CHD MUM MUM MUM HYD DEL HYD BAN DEL DEL DEL HYD MUM DEL MUM DEL DEL GUR CHE Day 21 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 25 25 25 26 26 26 26 26 27 28 28 29 29 29 29 30 10 Month Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Dec Employee Name Preeti Arora Pratik Mahendra Chheda Sachin Gupta Jadav Dharmesh Manjibhai Saurabh Bhattacharya Stuti Shrivastava Hitesh Purswani Ritika Gupta Puja Agarwal Kirti P Sawant Sharanya Venkateshwaran Manali Varun Khandelwal J N Sreya Keyur S. Vaidya Melody Fernandes Abhishek Jain S. Swathi Alice Singh Kingsly Jebas S Vipin Kumar Vikas Arora Shilpa S. Sharma Nagashree Krishnamurthy David Jones Manas Chadha Prashanth VS Location DEL MUM DEL MUM BAN DEL DEL DEL DEL MUM MUM MUM CHE MUM MUM DEL CHE MUM BAN DEL DEL MUM BAN GUR DEL BAN Day 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 8 8 10 10 10 Month Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec

Wishes

New Joiners
Employee Name Location Sub Profit Centre Employee Name Siddharth Hukumchand Parakah J.C. Vishwanath Srishti Gupta Vibhor Bairathi Sagar Vikram Kothari R Nandhini Ritika Gupta Shiv Shankar Rai Bhatt Varun Khunteta Abhinav Narendrabhai Shingala G. Nithya Vedika Choudhary Rounak Chawla Ananya Sharma Location PUN BAN DEL DEL MUM CHE DEL KOL MUM MUM CHE HYD DEL DEL Sub Profit Centre AUD-W GIA AUD-N AUD-N BRS-W AUD-S DT BRS-S AUD-W BRS-W TAS AUD-S AUD-N AUD-N

Ronak Mukesh Khandwala Anirudh Tapuriah Misbah Hussain Sanjana Shankar Kumar Amarendra Narayan Singh Deepak Davra Mayank Gaur Sunit Ambadi Dorothy Joseph Sahil Viren Kothari Dhaval Atul Salot Raksha Agarwal Purva Ravindra Mallaya Mohit Gupta Sravanthi Durga Naga Velagaleti Ankur Kumar Hisaria Prateek Garg Shekhar Bhatter Arpit Jain Anchit Kapoor Karishma Vashishth Neha Parasher Nikhil Choudhary Suchitha Kuipers Karishma Jagdish Gandhi

MUM CHE GUR GUR DEL GUR DEL MUM DEL MUM MUM MUM MUM DEL HYD PUN DEL DEL DEL DEL DEL DEL DEL BAN BAN

AUD-W TAS MAR HLA GIA BRS-N AUD-N BRS-W ADMIN IDT IDT AUD-W AUD-W AUD-N BRS-S DT AUD-N BRS-N AUD-N AUD-N AUD-N AUD-N AUD-N DT DT

Thank You

ENTHUSE

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