L&T Infotech:

FirstRand Bank, a large financial services group based in South Africa, in its first CSR (Corporate Social responsibility) initiative with India, teamed up with L&T Infotech,to launch the 'KhulaSangam' programme here last night. This is an International Internship Programme that aims to expose the unemployed, South African youth graduates to Indian business,community development and society through a six-month internship. 'Khula' is an Nguni word meaning 'to grow,' whilst 'Sangam' is a Hindi word which refers to the confluence of things. Under this programme, ten young unemployed South African graduates are selected for a six -month paid internship and training programme with L&T Infotech in India. Ms Elizabeth Maepa, Group HR Head, FirstRand and Trustee, FirstRand Foundation, speaking on the occasion, said 'There are many common areas between India and South Africa, and apart from the BRICKS aggrement, For L&T to partner with us is an example of the 'Spirit of giving'. This humble i nitiative will train our young people to sustain the business, she said. The 'KhulaSangam' programme began in January and through the last round of selection, in 'The Finishing touch week', we selected 10 participants with the aim to attain the shortage of critical skills', she said, Mr V.K Magapu, Managing Director, L&T Infotech, said 'Training runs in the company's DNA structure. W e deploy trained people and merge them with the work force. W e are happy to partner with First Rand group for the Indo -African skills development program . W e recognize the need of sharing our global experience and what we do in India for the skills development of young people.' Mr Mahendren Moodley, on whose vision the Kula Sangam programme was initated and also the C.E.O and cou ntry manager, FirstRand Bank India, said 'Only India can assist South Africa in such areas of Skills development as India offers values of Stratigic Value ethics .' Speaking to UNI, he said "L&T offers this programme free to us but as we bear the cost, it comes up to 20,000 US Dollars per student, 7 males and 3 females, and the main stress is on Information technology and Skill development such as Human values and interpersonal skills. After South Africa attained democracy in 1994, we have a wider vision of Freedom. W e want our students to give back to society at the same time. W e want them to be wholistic,developing and caring citizens.' UNI RM OBB SM1247

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The company is also actively looking at acquisitions, he said. L&T Infotech is betting big on business from the BFSI segment in markets such as South Africa and the Middle-East. "In South Africa, we have tied-up with some financial service providers we will be expanding and adding up more financial services customers," he said. Asked about pricing, Banerjee said that it (pricing) has stabilised to some extent.

FirstRand partners with L&T Infotech for Indo-Africa skills development initiative

The challenge of unemployment is one of the key issues facing South Africa. With this in mind, FirstRand and L&T Infotech have teamed up with the University of Pretorias Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) to launch the KhulaSangam program. Khula is an Nguni word meaning to grow, whilst Sangam is a Hindi word which refers to the confluence of things. Under this program, ten young, unemployed South African graduates were selected for a six-month paid internship and training program with L&T Infotech in India. In addition to this internship, participants will also be exposed to like-minded peers, community development activities and Indian models of excellence. This will ensure that the program moves beyond a simple internship and instead serves as a leadership development initiative, unlocking a sense of community and social responsibility in the candidates. The program also entails exposing participants to Indian entrepreneurs on the ground and getting first-hand experience of their drive and passion. These interactions will be facilitated by FirstRand Indias management team. Further to this, the FirstRand India Corporate Social Responsibility team will be scheduling various site visits for participants and exposing them to the community projects that Indian youth are involved in terms of nation building in India. The aim of this is to highlight to the South African youth the importance of giving back to their community and inculcating the culture of serving the society. We are happy to partner with First Rand group for the Indo-African skills development program. We recognize the need of sharing our global experience and what we do in India for the skills development of young people. We have recently invested in a skills development academy in Johannesburg. At L&T Infotech, we believe that giving back to society is extremely important while doing business and we are committed to South Africa for the long term, said Mr. V. K. Magapu, Managing Director, L&T Infotech. Commenting on FirstRands involvement in the program, Mr Mahendren Moodley, CEO -FirstRand India, said, This project, although small in scale, represents an important first step in making progress to strengthen the skills base amongst the youth of South Africa and creating well rounded citizens of South Africa. FirstRand, through the FirstRand Foundation, is highly committed to addressing some of the challenges faced in South Africa and hopes that this project will eventually grow to a scale which will make a meaningful impact on the socio-economic front in South Africa. FirstRand would also like to express its immense gratitude to its partner and valued client L&T Infotech for coming on-board this program and investing significant expertise and money to make this program a success. Commenting on GIBS involvement in the program, Mr Abdullah Verachia, Head of the GIBS India-Africa Business Network, said, The KhulaSangam program is a unique initiative aimed at addressing the challenge of unemployment in South Africa by leveraging the special and growing relationship between India and South Africa.

About FirstRand FirstRand Bank in India is a part of FirstRand Limited a large financial services group based in South Africa and the first African banking franchise to enter India. FirstRand is South Africas 2nd largest financial services group with over USD 115 billion of assets under management.

Through ownership of brands such as First National Bank (FNB), Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) and Wesbank, the Group operates in almost every segment of the financial services market.

About L&T Infotech L&T Infotech is wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), a USD 13.5 billion technology, engineering, construction, manufacturing and financial services conglomerate, with global operations. L&T Infotech provides end-to-end solutions and services in the following verticals: Banking & Financial Services; Insurance; Travel & Logistics, Media & Entertainment, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Energy & Process, Utilities, E&C , Hi-tech & Consumer Electronics, Consumer Packaged Goods, Retail & ;Pharmaceuticals, Auto & Aerospace, Industrial Products, and Product Engineering Services (PES).

L&T Infotech also delivers business solutions to its clients in: Testing, Mobility, Infrastructure Management System; Business Intelligence/Data Warehousing, SAP, Oracle and Microsoft, Enterprise Integration and Manufacturing Execution Systems, in addition to an innovative CIO-thought partnership program that provides a value-driven edge to clients. L&T Infotech is ranked by NASSCOM as the 9th largest software & services exporter from India and among the top 20 IT BPO employers. It is differentiated by its unique Business-to-IT Connect which emerges out of its rich corporate heritage. (www.Lntinfotech.com) L&T is one of the largest and most respected companies in Indias private sector. It is ranked the worlds 9th Most Innovative Company by Forbes International and 4th in the global list of Green Companies in the industrial sector by the reputed international magazine Newsweek. A strong, customerfocused approach and the constant quest for top-class quality have enabled L&T to attain and sustain leadership in its major lines of business over seven decades. About GIBS Founded in 2000, GIBS is an internationally accredited business school based in Johannesburg, South Africas economic hub. As the business school for business, GIBS purpose is to significantly improve the competitive performance of individuals and organisations through business education in dynamic markets. Consistently rated as one of the top business schools in South Africa, in May 2012 GIBS was again ranked as one of the top business schools globally by the Financial Times, the only African business school to be placed in the top 50 business schools worldwide for executive education programs. This is the ninth year running that GIBS has been ranked among the top business schools worldwide. In October 2012 the GIBS MBA was ranked among the top 100 business schools globally in the prestigious Financial Times Executive MBA Rankings 2012. GIBS is the only business school in Africa to appear in these rankings. GIBS is accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA), the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and is a member of the South African Business Schools Association (SABSA), the Association of African Business Schools (AABS) and the European Academy of Business in Society (EABIS).

KhulaSangam International Internship to India One of the key challenges facing South Africa is the challenge of unemployment. FirstRand having recognised this challenge has designed and conceptualised the KhulaSangam programme to help alleviate this challenge. The programme will see a group of 10 young South Africans be selected to go on an all expenses paid 6 month internship and training programme with two leading companies in India. Candidate Selection The programme is open to nominated individuals who fit the following criteria:

Be under the age of 30 years on 31 December 2012 Previously disadvantaged South African citizen Graduate of a South African tertiary education institution Unemployed/underemployed for a maximum of three years Qualified in ICT, engineering, science, commerce and maths sectors Potential candidates will conduct online assessments, gauging personality traits and views on their own future and the future of the country. From these assessments, 30 candidates will be selected for a shortlist. These 30 candidates will be invited to attend a week-long programme The Finishing Touch, in Johannesburg in January 2013. The Finishing Touch The Finishing Touch is a youth empowerment and life skills programme designed by The Collective Genius. The key objectives of The Finishing Touch are:

To build professional life skills for young men and women in South Africa; To provide a platform for young South Africans to express themselves in public forums; To build leadership skills amongst young South Africans; To equip youth with the skills required in the world of work; To allow for cross-cultural exchange between young South African adults in a dynamic, stimulating and constructive environment; and To engage young South Africans on global issues. The Finishing Touch Week will be hosted at the Gordon Institute for Business Science (GIBS) in Johannesburg. The programme curriculum, which will be customised to fit the objectives of the Initiative, include modules on personal introspection, business etiquette, financial management, international issues, goal-setting, responsible citizenship, and styling and grooming. The week will also coincide with India Week, hosted by the IABN (India-Africa Business Network). The programme will accommodate events from India Week; with candidates will be attending forum events with captains of industry, and other events within the India Week programme. An exciting Amazing Race around the Johannesburg CBD will also form part of the programme. During this week, candidates will also be evaluated by psychometric experts from GIBS and will be interviewed by a panel of representatives from the various project stakeholders. At the end of the week, 10 candidates will be selected for the ten internship places in India. Before India In addition to participating in The Finishing Touch, the 10 selected pilot participants will complete a week-long orientation just before departure for India. This orientation will include the following focus areas:

Indian culture and society Dos and donts of international travel (and travel in India specifically)

Programme rules and guidelines Emergencies Details of programme activities, responsibilities, etc. Six-month internship to India All participants will fly to India together, accompanied by The Collective Genius. Participants will spend six months in India enrolled in a formal internship with a leading Indian company. In addition to this internship, participants will also be exposed to community development activities, like-minded peers and Indian models of excellence. This will ensure that the programme moves beyond a simple internship, and instead serves as a leadership development initiative, unlocking a sense of community and social responsibility in the candidates. All the host companies that have expressed an interest to be involved in this initiative have the following key credentials in common:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

They are large listed Indian Groups in India. They have an impeccable track record in many industries across India and are highly regarded by both the private and public sector in India. They have brands that are globally known. These corporates have large scale training centres and are highly committed to developing the next generation of talent for Indian industry These groups in question have a big focus on growing their strategic footprint in South African and the rest of Africa. Due to their focus on growing their presence in the African continent, they are committed to the developmental goals for the African continent and are keen to contribute to skills development on the African continent.

One company in particular is L&T InfoTech, a global IT services and solutions provider. Clients nclude industry leaders like Chevron, Freescale, Hitachi, Sanyo and Lafarge, among others, whom they service by leveraging Business-to-IT Connect experience. Their parent company is Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (L&T), a technology, engineering, manufacturing and construction conglomerate, with global operations. The framework for the 6-month IT internship with Larsen includes experience in: Computer Architecture Networking Concepts Database specialisation OOP with C++ Programming Using C .Net and Java experience Software Ecosystem Management
The programme also entails exposing participants to Indian entrepreneurs on the ground and getting first-hand experience on the drive and passion of Indian entrepreneurs. These interactions will be facilitated by FirstRand Indias client coverage team. Further to this, the FirstRand India Corporate social responsibility team will be scheduling various site visits for participants and expose them to the community projects that Indian youth are involved in terms of nation building in India. The aim of this is to highlight to the South African youth the importance of giving back to their community and inculcating the culture of serving society and not only serving themselves. The FirstRand team believes that this exposure will be enriching and potentially life changing for many participants and will contribute to a more holistic and balanced internship programme. One weekend per month will be reserved for organised group activities to experience the tourist highlights of India. After India One of the initiatives key objectives is to help build South African leaders. Therefore, participants activities and responsibilities upon their return to South Africa are crucial. The after India component of the programme will consist of the following components. Upon their return to South Africa, participants will be debriefed and pre-and post-qualitative assessments of the 10 interns will be conducted. They will also be monitored for a period of 2 years, following their internship. Each participant will be assigned a mentor from FirstRand to guide the participants in shaping a chosen career path and as a life coach. Participants will be afforded the opportunity to participate in public discussions and presentations about their experiences in India. Should you know of suitable, interested candidates to participate in the internship, please could you forward their details (Names, Contact Details, Email Address) to info@thecollectivegenius.co.za .

2 Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Africa 2009 August 3-5, 2009 - Cape Town International Convention Center, South Africa Save as iCalender This year's GARTNER SYMPOSIUM/ITXPO will have four inter-related themes: Improving business processes Reducing IT cost Delivering projects that enable business growth Managing talent and improving workforce effectiveness

L&T Infotech is participating as a Bronze sponsor and is also sponsoring a Cocktail reception on Day 1 Monday, August 3rd, 2009 after 17:00 hrs at the IT Expo area. The Cocktail Reception will orchestrate Networking with the delegates alongside adding some excitement of surprise element. L&T Infotech is also participating in the Service Provider Session (SPS) on Day 2, August 4, 2009, between 8:00 am to 9:00 am in Auditorium 2. The details about the session are as below: SPS Title : Off-shoring (Offshore outsourcing) as a strategic initiative to augment and develop IT skills in South Africa Name of the Speaker : Thabo Ndlela Designation: CIO, Absa Africa SPS Presentation Summary : As the South African market has consistently grown over the last decade, the demand for Information Technology skills has grown faster than the availability to support the business growth. While the advance of new technology has focused most training and development of information technology skills on new technologies; large companies, such as financial institutions, still run mainframe sunset technology. The globalization of Information Technology and emergence of Off-shore outsourcing, however, has become a strategic initiative and a feasible solution to the South African skills shortage for software application development and maintenance. The complexity to manage outsourced IT projects across time, distance and cultures is however a real challenge, but Larsen & Toubro Infotech has successfully engaged the South African market to augment and develop information technology skills. This session will share how not only to augment but develop IT skills in South Africa through Off-shoring.