Arianna Huffington and the Times Group of India set to launch leading enterprise training and media platform in India.
New Delhi: Arianna Huffington and Times Bridge, a division of the Times Group, formally launched Thrive Global in India today. Thrive Global, a well-being and productivity platform that offers corporate services, a media platform and technology was launched in New York in November 2016 and is now launching its first international partnership in India. Thrive Global will begin assembling its team in India, beginning with a Country General Manager.
Thrive Global’s mission is to end the global stress and epidemic burnout by offering businesses and individuals sustainable, science-based solutions to enhance well-being and performance. By partnering with The Times Group, India’s largest media company, Thrive Global will dramatically scale its business and advance its mission. As the latest science conclusively demonstrates, when businesses and individuals prioritize well-being, productivity and performance are increased.
“I’m thrilled to be partnering with the Times Group to expand Thrive Global’s presence to India,” said Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO of Thrive Global. “India has long held a special place in my heart, from the time I went to study comparative religion at Visva-Bharati University, outside of Calcutta. I’ve been in love with the country ever since. India faces many challenges with stress and burnout. But it also has many of its own solutions. India’s ancient spiritual traditions, in addition to traditional Indian practices like yoga and meditation, have been validated by modern science, and form the basis for many of Thrive Global’s tools and strategies. I’m looking forward to the opportunity for Thrive Global, along with Times Bridge, to bring them to India.”
Times Bridge, the global partnerships arm of The Times Group, with investments in Airbnb, Coursera, Uber, Vice, HuffPost and others, is excited to bring Thrive to India. Speaking at the launch of this partnership, Rishi Jaitly, CEO of Times Bridge said, “In an increasingly connected world, leadership, creativity and personal well-being matter more than ever. Times Bridge mission is to bring the world’s best ideas to India, and share India’s best insights with the world, by leveraging the unmatched assets of the Times Group. Thrive Global is a cutting-edge idea whose time has come and we’re thrilled to be able to help advance Thrive’s mission, services and products across the length and breadth of India.”
The core elements of Thrive Global’s program include: corporate trainings with leading business partners; a media platform designed to be the global hub for the conversation about well-being and productivity and feature new role models of success; and a suite of technology products that helps individuals make sustainable behavior change in their lives, including in their relationship with technology. All of the components work together to create sustainable transformation.
Stress and burnout are a global epidemic and India is no exception. Many employees report multiple physical and psychological disorders due to work stress. Studies show that 30% of employees have developed insomnia, and 40% of employee’s report depression as a main consequence of workplace stress. Indian employers rank stress as the number one lifestyle risk factor, and their employees complain that their companies don’t have a stress management program in place. Thrive Global’s programs are designed to address the whole human – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual – and improve both well-being and performance across all dimensions.
Thrive Global is working with companies including Accenture, JPMorgan Chase, Safaricom, SAP and Uber to improve employee well-being and bring Thrive Global’s methodology into corporate cultures around the world. Thrive has already conducted trainings with Accenture leadership in Bangalore.
“At Accenture, we are committed to the well-being of the whole person, and are constantly identifying ways to help our people be their best. We have committed ourselves to becoming the most truly human organization in the digital age, and we see Thrive Global as a valuable partner in this journey,” said Rekha M. Menon, Chairman and Sr. Managing Director, Accenture in India.
Presently, Thrive Global is setting up its offices, hiring leadership and a Country GM, who will run expansion, partnerships and the advancement of Thrive’s mission in India. The Thrive India team will establish the product, create content and lead workshops, which aim to revolutionize work culture, accelerating the shift that allows people to reclaim their lives and move from merely surviving to thriving.
