Category: 3. Business

Baker McKenzie Switzerland advised Gétaz-Miauton SA, a Blackstone Group company, on the sale of the Usiniers Site in Bulle (FR) to Orllati Real Estate SA in a sale-and-leaseback transaction.

This strategic site will support the development of a major residential project, contributing to the region’s urban transformation while securing operational continuity for Gétaz-Miauton.

Baker McKenzie advised Gétaz-Miauton on all legal and tax aspects of the transaction.

The team was led by Partner Charles Gschwind and included Associates Kim Jean Dachtler and Alexandra Rayroux, all from the Real Estate Practice in Geneva.

New partnership to tackle a range of societal challenges starting with elderly healthcare, followed by energy, mobility and smart and secure communities, leveraging AI and GenAI for social good

PRESS RELEASE

OSLO | MUMBAI, November, 11, 2025: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, announced a partnership with Norwegian research and development company SINTEF—one of Europe’s largest, independent research foundations. Drawing on TCS’s extensive experience in deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital solutions for clients in industries such as healthcare, energy, and smart cities, and SINTEF’s strong research capabilities, the partnership aims to create scalable, real-world innovations.

Together, they will focus on using Social AI to improve elderly care, building on SINTEF’s successful eHealth initiative, SMILE (Smart Inclusive Living Environments). SMILE is a platform designed to help senior citizens live independently and safely in their own homes. It acts as both a communication tool and a support system, connecting seniors with family members, caregivers, and even peers in their community. By enabling easy communication, reminders and access to health services, SMILE fosters active living and social engagement.

With multidisciplinary expertise within technology, natural sciences and social sciences, SINTEF works to create innovation through development and research assignments for business and the public sector in Norway and abroad.

Alexandra Bech Gjørv, President and CEO of SINTEF, said, “Rooted in the heritage of the world-renowned Tata Group, we recognize TCS’ ambition in creating long term value for its clients, employees, and the community at large. SINTEF shares similar values, and I believe that together, we can improve the quality of life and help the elderly in Norway to be able to stay healthy, in the comfort of their homes much longer. We are looking forward to collaborating with TCS.”

What makes this initiative innovative is the use of Social AI to understand the unique needs of each individual and personalize their care. By combining advanced research and with digital technology, the platform not only improves elderly care but also sets the stage for smarter more inclusive healthcare solutions in the future.

Sapthagiri Chapalapalli, Head of Europe at Tata Consultancy Services, said, “The most impactful ideas are often generated in collaboration with external partners, startups, and academia. We are excited to begin our collaboration with SINTEF. Combining the academia research, TCS’ deep domain expertise and experience of implementing AI strategies will be turning ideas into action. Together with SINTEF, the identification of specific, practical AI use cases that address real business challenges focusing into usability and human-centric approach will become to full circle. Our digital technologies will add scale and speed to SINTEF’s research and innovation activities, enabling these projects to have an even greater reach and impact for society.”

TCS has been operating in the Nordic region since 1991. A total of around 20,000 experts serve the company’s Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish, and Danish customers. For the past 15 years, TCS has been consistently ranked as one of the best IT consulting service providers in the Nordic region by its customers. TCS has also received the Top Employer recognition in Norway for eleven consecutive years.

Following a prolonged period of historically low exit volumes and extended holding periods, private equity activity is regaining momentum, with 215 significant deals announced in the first half of 2025, totaling more than US$300 billion in enterprise value.

As private equity firms consider exiting their investments, it is important that they remain vigilant and focus on identifying and addressing potential risks early in the process to safeguard value and optimize returns. Human capital considerations, tailored insurance solutions, and innovative transactional risk insurance solutions are helping firms navigate challenges in an evolving risk landscape.

In this episode of Risk in Context, Paul Knowles, the Global Head of Marsh’s Private Equity and M&A Practice, speaks with Katie Gensheimer, Chief Client Officer for Marsh’s North American Private Equity and Mergers and Acquisitions business, Dhruv Mehra, who leads Mercer’s Global Private Equity client teams, and Philipp Giessen, who leads Marsh’s Private Equity and M&A Practice in Germany. They discuss the current private equity landscape and its impact on exit strategies, the people-related issues that funds should consider in their exit strategy, and the insurance solutions that can help firms mitigate risks.

Present yesterday, 10 November 2025, at the Florence School of Regulation (FSR), the President of the International Gas Union (IGU), Mr Andrea Stegher, took part in a debate on Europe’s energy security of supply with representatives from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG) and the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies (OIES).

The debate on “Security of Supply” formed part of FSR’s 3-day specialised training on the Regulation of Gas Markets, targeted at leading Gas industry experts and practitioners.

As global Gas markets undergo profound transformation, driven by geopolitical shifts, decarbonisation imperatives, and rapidly evolving regulatory landscapes, the need for informed and strategic decision-making has never been greater.

The IGU President remarked: ”While some may perceive that European security of supply is less of an issue three years after the 2022 crisis, we have to continue investing in Gas resources and infrastructure to promote resilience of energy supplies both for the already well developed markets – where Gas plays an increasingly essential flexibility role to balance the power systems while continuing to heat homes and providing essential molecules to industries – and in developing countries where Gas will play an essential role in eradicating energy poverty”.

European businesses certainly haven’t had it all their own way over the past five years, and the ever-changing global environment facing them is definitely here to stay for the near future. Ultimately, though, it’s about turning the prevailing uncertainty into opportunities. One shared attitude among our customers has become abundantly clear: Now is not the time to lament the cards we’ve been dealt – now is the time to take action and grow. More and more European businesses are refusing to sit back and wait for volatility to ease. Instead, they are looking to build smarter, more resilient networks that support their ambitions for growth.

The pace of grocery inflation in Britain slowed last month as retailers ramped up promotions before Christmas, providing a little relief for consumers bracing for further tax rises in this month’s budget.

Grocery inflation stood at 4.7% in the four weeks to 2 November, easing from 5.2% in the previous four weeks, according to figures from Worldpanel by Numerator, formerly known as Kantar.

Official data published last month showed overall UK inflation held steady at 3.8% in September, with food inflation slowing. The next official figures are due on 19 November, shortly before the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, presents her budget on 26 November.

Worldpanel said prices were rising fastest in markets such as chocolate confectionery, fresh meat and coffee and were falling fastest in household paper, sugar confectionery and dog food.

It said grocery sales grew 3.2% year on year over the four-week period – with spending on deals rising 9.4% compared with an increase of 1.8% on full priced goods.

Fraser McKevitt, the head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel, said: “Christmas ads are hitting our screens and the race to the big day is on in the supermarket sector. Retailers are very alive to the financial struggles that some households are facing, not least ahead of this year’s budget.

“They’re eager to show how they’re offering shoppers value for money, putting the emphasis on price cuts rather than multibuy offers.

“It’s not just the Grinch who’s looking for savings, with just shy of 30% of consumer spending at the grocers on promoted items in October, a figure that we expect to go even higher as we get closer to Christmas.”

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The Worldpanel data showed strong sales at Ocado – which registered a 15.9% jump in sales compared with a year earlier – Lidl and Tesco, which has made significant gains on rivals so far this year. Asda continued to struggle, with sales down 3.9%.

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Wessex Water has been ordered to pay £11m over wastewater failures and told to spend it on improvements to reduce sewage spills and other measures.

Ofwat, the industry regulator for England and Wales, said that Wessex Water and its shareholders would fund a total enforcement package of £11m, none of which will be paid for by customers through bills.

The watchdog found that Wessex Water failed to operate, maintain and upgrade its wastewater network adequately to ensure that it could cope with the flows of sewage and wastewater.

The company, which this year increased its bills by an average of 20%, or £113, serves households across Bristol, Dorset and Somerset, as well as most of Wiltshire and parts of Gloucestershire and Hampshire.

The measures Wessex Water has been ordered to take include helping private landowners to seal their sewer pipes, reducing spills at specific storm overflows by bringing forward investment, installing additional monitoring equipment and helping customers to sustainably manage rainwater at their properties.

It is the sixth case in Ofwat’s “largest and most complex set of investigations” into all companies in the sector and their management of water treatment works and networks. The regulator has already this year imposed total penalties of more than £240m on Yorkshire Water, Thames Water, Northumbrian Water, Anglian Water and South West Water.

Lynn Parker, the senior director for enforcement at Ofwat, said: “Our investigation has found that Wessex Water failed to effectively operate, maintain and upgrade its wastewater assets, which meant there were spills from storm overflows when there should not have been.

“To their credit, the company has been one of the more proactive in investigating and rectifying the problems identified. However, there remain breaches which must be accounted for and corrected.

“We understand that the public wants to see transformative change. That is why we are prioritising this sector-wide investigation which has so far held five wastewater companies to account.”

Wessex Water has invested more than £150m since 2020 on upgrading storm overflows in its region, and has plans for the next five years to address many of the wastewater issues. However, Ofwat said there remained further measures that the company needed to take, and which the watchdog would continue to closely monitor.

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In June, the government banned bonuses for water companies that failed to protect the environment from the worst pollution incidents, after widespread public outrage over the extent of sewage in Britain’s rivers and seas. The chief executive of Wessex Water, Ruth Jefferson, was among those blocked. She was in line to receive £4m in total bonuses for the last financial year.

Water companies in England could face more, and automatic, fines for sewage dumping under new Environment Agency powers. Investigations into pollution can take years and fewer than 1% have resulted in a prosecution.

Wessex Water has been contacted for comment.