Enthuse Issue November 2011

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

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

In-house Talent Capturing experiences of colleagues who have

pursued their passion beyond work

BrandSpace Know your brand – New animated Grant

Thornton logo

Employee

connect

Contributions from our employees on their

experiences

• Formula One

• AS15 – Employee benefits

• Navigating complexities

Go Green Wild fire prevention and wildlife conservation

Wishes

Birthday wishes and list of new joiners

Thank you for

downloading

the newsletter.

Read further

for this month's

highlights

Living our CLEARR

values

Events &

Announcements

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

values

Events &

Announcements

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.

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

HINDU BUSINESS LINE

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.

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.

In-house Talent

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, there’s good coffee in the machines and YES the market has learnt to

pronounce our name (not Grantan Thonton or Grand Thorn). We obviously didn’t 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 it’s 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 didn’t quite understand. We still go through a quality review every year, it’s 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 didn’t

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 – it’s 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 firm’s 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 – that’s 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) I’d say – Subject to my comments in para 4 above, in my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, Grant Thornton’s

ability to manage change has been true and fair.

Contributed by - Vinod Kumar, Assurance, Bengaluru

“To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often” - Winston Churchill

BrandSpace

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

NEW!! The animated Grant Thornton logo

. 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- symbol of wild fire prevention and wildlife conservation

Go Green

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

Birthdays

Employee Name Location Day Month Employee Name Location Day Month

Sarthak Jain GUR 1 Nov

Neeti Khurana DEL 3 Nov

Ronak Mukesh Khandwala MUM 3 Nov

Anand Jose MUM 3 Nov

Ankita Jhawar HYD 3 Nov

Gaurav Gupta DEL 3 Nov

Narra Ajay Kumar BAN 4 Nov

Manpreet Bhayana DEL 4 Nov

Soniya Phartyal DEL 5 Nov

Sandeep Mehta GUR 5 Nov

Gaurav Shekhawat MUM 5 Nov

Sushant Behl DEL 6 Nov

Tarun Baijnath DEL 6 Nov

Bhargav N CHE 6 Nov

Sarvesh Shyam Sunder Bansal MUM 7 Nov

K M Thammiah BAN 7 Nov

Simy Idiculla BAN 9 Nov

J.C. Vishwanath BAN 10 Nov

Ankit Anup Rathi MUM 10 Nov

Vishal Udeshi MUM 10 Nov

Nidhi DEL 10 Nov

M. Bharathi DEL 11 Nov

Devanshi Deepak Sanghvi MUM 12 Nov

Kalpna Yadav GUR 12 Nov

Rohit Shamsundar Rathi PUN 12 Nov

Anmol Garg DEL 12 Nov

Bhanu Prakash Kalmath BAN 12 Nov

Ekta Virendra Agarwal MUM 13 Nov

Felicia Francis Parmar MUM 13 Nov

Abhishek Kiritkumar Dattani MUM 13 Nov

Kishnani Nikhil Prakash MUM 13 Nov

Suruchi Kataria GUR 13 Nov

Vishesh C Chandiok DEL 14 Nov

Kumar Amarendra Narayan

Singh DEL 14 Nov

Priya Gupta DEL 14 Nov

Sunil Vermani DEL 15 Nov

Jigar Gudka MUM 15 Nov

Rhea Amar PUN 15 Nov

Sandesh Salankey BAN 15 Nov

Piyush Patnaik BAN 15 Nov

Monish Sharma GUR 15 Nov

Krishna Vipin Gujarathi PUN 16 Nov

Pragneshkumar Manubhai Shah MUM 16 Nov

Karan Kataria CHE 16 Nov

Sonali Batra DEL 16 Nov

Dhaval Atul Salot MUM 17 Nov

Ankush Jain CHD 17 Nov

Praveen Kashyap CHD 17 Nov

Nishant Mehra MUM 18 Nov

Anirudh Gupta GUR 18 Nov

Ismail Rangwala MUM 19 Nov

Pruthvi B.S. BAN 20 Nov

Santosh Sharma GUR 20 Nov

Wishes

Birthdays

Employee Name Location Day Month Employee Name Location Day Month

Antim Patni MUM 21 Nov

Aashish Kapur DEL 21 Nov

Lalit Singh Bisht DEL 21 Nov

Bhavesh Gupta MUM 22 Nov

Nachiket Chandrashekhar

Gadgil PUN 22 Nov

Raja Lahiri BAN 23 Nov

Ankit Marwaha CHD 23 Nov

Ashish Agarwal MUM 24 Nov

Sai Venkateshwaran MUM 25 Nov

Shetty Harshini Sunder MUM 25 Nov

Shashank Karhade HYD 25 Nov

Ishtpal Singh DEL 26 Nov

Kumaran C HYD 26 Nov

Sreejith Kuniyil BAN 26 Nov

Shubham Jain DEL 26 Nov

Richa Jain DEL 26 Nov

Anjali Sapra DEL 27 Nov

Megha Rathi HYD 28 Nov

Rupali Arun Lad MUM 28 Nov

Vinod Chander Chandiok DEL 29 Nov

Prachi Mundra MUM 29 Nov

Arvinder Kaur DEL 29 Nov

Vikas Gambhir DEL 29 Nov

Sonu Sharma GUR 30 Nov

Muhammed Vasil M CHE 10 Dec

Preeti Arora DEL 1 Dec

Pratik Mahendra Chheda MUM 2 Dec

Sachin Gupta DEL 2 Dec

Jadav Dharmesh Manjibhai MUM 2 Dec

Saurabh Bhattacharya BAN 3 Dec

Stuti Shrivastava DEL 3 Dec

Hitesh Purswani DEL 3 Dec

Ritika Gupta DEL 4 Dec

Puja Agarwal DEL 4 Dec

Kirti P Sawant MUM 4 Dec

Sharanya Venkateshwaran MUM 4 Dec

Manali Varun Khandelwal MUM 5 Dec

J N Sreya CHE 5 Dec

Keyur S. Vaidya MUM 5 Dec

Melody Fernandes MUM 5 Dec

Abhishek Jain DEL 6 Dec

S. Swathi CHE 6 Dec

Alice Singh MUM 6 Dec

Kingsly Jebas S BAN 6 Dec

Vipin Kumar DEL 7 Dec

Vikas Arora DEL 7 Dec

Shilpa S. Sharma MUM 8 Dec

Nagashree Krishnamurthy BAN 8 Dec

David Jones GUR 10 Dec

Manas Chadha DEL 10 Dec

Prashanth VS BAN 10 Dec

Wishes Wishes

New Joiners

Employee Name Location Sub Profit Centre Employee Name Location Sub Profit Centre

Ronak Mukesh Khandwala MUM AUD-W

Anirudh Tapuriah CHE TAS

Misbah Hussain GUR MAR

Sanjana Shankar GUR HLA

Kumar Amarendra Narayan Singh DEL GIA

Deepak Davra GUR BRS-N

Mayank Gaur DEL AUD-N

Sunit Ambadi MUM BRS-W

Dorothy Joseph DEL ADMIN

Sahil Viren Kothari MUM IDT

Dhaval Atul Salot MUM IDT

Raksha Agarwal MUM AUD-W

Purva Ravindra Mallaya MUM AUD-W

Mohit Gupta DEL AUD-N

Sravanthi Durga Naga Velagaleti HYD BRS-S

Ankur Kumar Hisaria PUN DT

Prateek Garg DEL AUD-N

Shekhar Bhatter DEL BRS-N

Arpit Jain DEL AUD-N

Anchit Kapoor DEL AUD-N

Karishma Vashishth DEL AUD-N

Neha Parasher DEL AUD-N

Nikhil Choudhary DEL AUD-N

Suchitha Kuipers BAN DT

Karishma Jagdish Gandhi BAN DT

Siddharth Hukumchand Parakah PUN AUD-W

J.C. Vishwanath BAN GIA

Srishti Gupta DEL AUD-N

Vibhor Bairathi DEL AUD-N

Sagar Vikram Kothari MUM BRS-W

R Nandhini CHE AUD-S

Ritika Gupta DEL DT

Shiv Shankar Rai Bhatt KOL BRS-S

Varun Khunteta MUM AUD-W

Abhinav Narendrabhai Shingala MUM BRS-W

G. Nithya CHE TAS

Vedika Choudhary HYD AUD-S

Rounak Chawla DEL AUD-N

Ananya Sharma DEL AUD-N

Wishes Wishes Wishes

For feedback and contributions please write to

the editorial team: marcomm@in.gt .com

Thank You

ENTHUSE

Feedback / Contributions