Ashish P Dhakan, India’s renowned security technology leader and the MD & CEO of Prama Hikvision has been named as IFSEC Global Influencer 2018 in the Security Tech Leaders category. He was the only Indian entry among the top ten security technology leaders list. The IFSEC Global influencer recognition is an honour that reaffirms the faith in our vision, and inspires us to develop more India specific products and solutions. We remain committed to bring in our globally acclaimed technology like deep learning, AI, AI Cloud, big data and IoT to ensure that our country and fellow countrymen remain safe. – Ashish P Dhakan MD & CEO, Prama Hikvision Mr. Dhakan has been working relentlessly to raise the bar of the security industry in India through innovation, technology, training, awareness and advocacy. He has been instrumental in the success of Prama Hikvision – the first joint venture company formed by Hikvision beyond China – through a pan-India network of dealers, distributors and system integrators. His ability to elevate the industry globally gave him this recognition. According to the IFSEC Global nomination, “His involvement with the relevant bodies in our industry, complemented by his blogs and contributions to industry media channels, has helped shape the shift from traditional people-based deployment to technology-led solution deployment. He has set up an exclusive forum for current and potential clients to debate and discuss the future of the security industry, challenging the norm and constantly assessing emerging technologies.” IFSEC Global defines an influencer as someone who plays a key role in driving technological innovations, has been a driving force in changing regulation and standards, an opinion leader, a turnaround business leader, and someone who has been an influential voice in the national media for the overall security and surveillance industry. Mr. Dhakan has played a key role in setting up a state-of-the-art training centre in India to train system integrators, partners and end-users. He is also a driving force behind Hikvision’s ‘Make-in–India’ plan supporting the government’s ambitious ‘Makein-India’ programme. With this initiative Hikvision will be setting up a world-class manufacturing plant to cater to India and the overseas market.

FICCI has recently organised a conference on ‘Make in India for UAS’ at Federation House, New Delhi, in association with Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, Government of India said in his keynote address that integrating UAVs in civilian space is a challenging job, and therefore, requires an appropriate regulatory framework, however, Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) has the potential to transform many sectors and modernize India rapidly. India must aspire to become a global manufacturing hub of Unmanned Aircraft System.   – Amitabh Kant CEO, NITI Aayog, Govt. of India   “It is important for India to facilitate and promote the development of UAS industry, strive towards global leadership, and also aspire to become a global manufacturing hub in times to come. Widespread adoption of UAS through a facilitative framework would be a transformation step in ease of doing business,” Mr. Kant said. He reiterated that drones are going to replace 80% of the operations presently carried out by the manned aircrafts. Indian market for UAS will be US $50 billion over the next 15 years. India must realize the full potential of this technology and leverage it as a powerful tool not only for the security and safety, good governance, increased productivity, but also to encourage consumer in commercial applications to develop a sophisticated UAS industry sector and make a new India by 2022.” He also recommended that: The sector must aggregate the demand and push for make in India, India should aspire to be a global hub for design, development and manufacture for all types of UAS, and The regulatory framework for opening up UAS operations for civil and commercial services be promulgated early in line with the global best practices. Anil Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, DIPP, Govt. of India said that the Civil Aviation Ministry is likely to begin the registration process of drones soon, “We need regulations for usage of drones in terms of altitude, endurance and categorization. UAS industry is at the cusp now. As per the estimates, by 2023, UAS industry has US$1 billion opportunity in India.” He added that the policy is going to be comprehensive, and we must have the capabilities of designing and manufacturing in India so that the IP stays with us. Rahul Chaudhary, Chair, FICCI Homeland Security Committee and Former CEO, Tata Power SED said that if the regulations are right, UAS industry can be a growth driver for the Indian economy in times to come. He added that the Indian UAV market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 18%. Vaibhav Gupta, Member, FICCI Homeland Security Committee and Director, MKU Pvt. Ltd. said that better policy framework will ensure safety and also an online portal for application and approval would make the process efficient and transparent thereby generating more interest and encouraging more usage. Rammohan Thygarajan, Partner, Advisory Services – Digital, EY, in his theme address said that there is a need to leverage synergies between UAS and emerging technologies to draw insights across industries. India should create an environment for various players in this ecosystem of companies and start-ups to collaborate and create value for each other.

Axis Communications have appointed Sujith Sebastian as the Business Development Manager, India & SAARC to strengthen its market outreach in retail and hospitality. Based out of Bangalore, Sujith will be reporting to Sudhindra Holla, Sales Director, who is responsible for developing the retail and hospitality portfolio, a key focus for Axis this year. The newly created role reflects a strategic decision by the company to tap the prolific Indian retail and hospitality industry across the country. It will provide a direction to the sales team and gives an opportunity to increase visibility among end users, and overall profitability in network cameras and video analytics portfolio. Since there is an increased need for an intelligent technology solution in retail space, the focus is on video analytics, foot traffic counting, demographic mapping and queue monitoring solutions. At Axis, we have always attempted to provide value and the best in class support to our partners and to better understand end users in order to provide the right solutions to retailers and hoteliers. – Sudhindra Holla Sales Director, Axis Communications, India & SAARC Announcing the appointment, Sudhindra Holla, Sales Director – India and SAARC said, “We are delighted to welcome Sujith, an extremely experienced hospitality professional to the team. With his strong track record, I am confident that he will be able to develop and grow the team and strengthen these verticals.” Retail and hospitality are the two of the most dynamic sectors. I am excited to embark on the journey with Axis, the most innovative pioneers of end to end solutions. I look forward to supporting the partners, growing our customer base and looking to make the most of this high-end quality to drive business growth. – Sujith Sebastian Business Development Manager – India and SAARC Prior to joining Axis, Sujith was working with the Royal Caribbean Cruises in US with a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Symbiosis Institute, Pune. His background in the hospitality industry, having worked with the Taj Group and Godrej’s Nature’s Basket, has made him gain valuable insights into the sector and drive growth in revenues.