Latest news with #Sarker
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Patra Announces Pratap Sarker as New CEO
Seasoned executive to accelerate innovation and growth and strengthen company's leading position as next-generation platform for insurance operations EL DORADO HILLS, Calif., June 18, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Patra, a trusted leader in technology-enabled insurance workflow optimization, announced today the appointment of Pratap Sarker as its chief executive officer. Sarker brings more than 30 years of experience leading and transforming technology-driven services companies. He will also join the company's board of directors. John Simpson, who has served as CEO of Patra since he founded the company in 2005, will assume the role of chairman of the board, where he will work alongside Sarker to guide Patra's long-term vision and strategy. "I am incredibly honored and excited to join the Patra team as CEO. Under John's 20 years of leadership, Patra has transformed the insurance industry by consistently innovating, leveraging seasoned insurance professionals, and focusing on the customer experience. Patra's AI and automation tools have already brought performance optimization and value to its clients across the industry," said Sarker. "I am committed to building on that foundation as we enhance Patra's best-in-class services with a platform built on Patra's next-generation AI-driven workflow automation tools designed to deliver operational excellence across the insurance value chain. I look forward to working with the talented team at Patra to build upon John's remarkable legacy." A seasoned technology executive, Sarker's vast experience spans the financial services, insurance, healthcare and professional services industries. Prior to Patra, Sarker served in executive leadership roles at companies such as Accenture, Infosys, and IBM. Most recently, he was CEO of Greenway Health, where he led a multi-year transformation to modernize the product platform leveraging GenAI and Agentic AI, improve customer satisfaction, and position the company for long-term growth. Previously, he was the president and group CEO of Conduent's $2.5 billion commercial sector business, where he championed strategic transformation across the sector. "Pratap is an extraordinary leader whose cross-functional and cross-industry knowledge and vast experience leading and transforming technology-driven services companies will be vital assets for Patra's continued growth," said Simpson. "As a people-first leader, Pratap is passionate about aligning teams with purpose, fostering a culture of execution and learning, and delivering value to clients with integrity and impact. I am incredibly pleased to welcome Pratap to the Patra team." "Pratap joins us at a pivotal time in the insurance industry as brokers and wholesalers look to drive growth and expand margins through the use of high-quality, cost-effective outsourced technology solutions allowing them to best capture the benefits of AI at scale across their businesses," said Mike Vostrizansky, partner at FTV Capital and member of Patra's board. "With his deep technology and business process experience, Pratap is well-positioned to lead Patra and the industry more broadly through what we see as an exciting, yet critical, era of digital transformation. Under John's leadership, Patra has always been an innovator and today is in a great position to accelerate growth, with a strong financial footing and growing client base, as a result of Patra's best-in-class, customer-centric solutions. We're excited to work with Pratap and the Patra team to build on that success and continue to press the insurance industry into the future." About Patra Patra is a leading provider of technology-enabled insurance workflow optimization and AI-powered software solutions. Patra powers insurance processes by optimizing the application of technology with insurance professionals and seasoned process executives, supporting insurance organizations as they sell, deliver, and manage policies and customers through our PatraOne platform. Patra AI, Patra's recently launched suite of advanced AI-powered solutions, powers workflow optimization that allows agencies, MGAs, wholesalers, and carriers to capture the Patra Advantage – profitable growth and organizational value. View source version on Contacts Patra Contact Simon DavisChief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officersdavis@ (925) 381-9230
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers make critical discovery that could change the future of seafood: 'Working relentlessly to find solutions'
Delicious and a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, fish is a wonderful dietary option for the health-conscious diner, but keeping up with rising demand is a major challenge that comes with a high ecological cost. Promising new research could fix the core issue standing in the way of sustainable seafood, however. A team of researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz has created a new aquaculture feed made from microalgae called Nannochloropsis sp. that promotes the same growth and nutritional value as fish reared with traditional feed. The breakthrough came after previously unsuccessful experiments to create alternatives. It turns out that popular fish such as trout and salmon are picky eaters. Explaining that about half the fish we consume comes from fish farms, assistant professor Pallab Sarker, the lead author of the research, explained to "Aquaculture can help to feed our growing population, but right now, it too often comes at a surprising cost to wild fish. So we and others across the industry have been working relentlessly to find solutions that don't put further stress on ocean ecosystems." Fish meal, essentially ground-up wild fish, is used to raise livestock on fish farms. So aquaculture is still tied to the problems caused by commercial fishing. These include overfishing and habitat destruction. The process also damages the ocean's biodiversity because of bycatch — the unintended capture of marine animals such as dolphins and turtles. Disputes over fishing rights can also lead to geopolitical tensions between countries. The United Kingdom and Iceland "fought" multiple conflicts in the 20th century over fishing rights in the North Atlantic. The research could eventually lead to the decoupling of aquaculture and commercial fishing, but there is some way to go before Nannochloropsis sp. can be produced at scale. It's still too expensive to make from scratch, but Sarker hopes this latest breakthrough can pave the way for further innovations to make seafood more sustainable: "We hope that this type of research, showing the promises of microalgae, can lend further motivation to help the industry solve that problem of cost," he said. Which of these groups has the biggest role to play in reducing food waste? Grocery stores Restaurants Individuals The government Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
The Guardian
07-03-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Migrants and refugee families in the UK denied childcare funding, report finds
Tens of thousands of children in migrant and refugee families in the UK are being denied access to government-funded childcare because of benefit restrictions linked to their parents' immigration status, a report says. Having 'no recourse to public funds' (NRPF) means parents are not entitled to 30 hours of free childcare and are having to stay home to look after their young children instead of working. This is pushing families into poverty and denying their children the benefits of the early years education available to their peers, the report finds. About 4 million people in the UK are affected by NRPF restrictions, according to the report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in conjunction with the human rights organisation Praxis, which works with migrants and refugees. They include about 71,000 families who would otherwise qualify for 30 hours of free childcare a week – provided they met the income threshold – were it not for NRPF restrictions, which ban access to the social security system. The report argues that the system of childcare entitlements excludes families facing greatest disadvantage, despite the government's manifesto commitment to break down barriers to opportunity for every child. Families affected by NRPF are entitled to a halved offer of 15 funded hours of care for their three- and four-year-olds, and some low-income families may be entitled to care for their two-year-olds, but they cannot access any other support with childcare costs, including the extended entitlement for working parents, and universal credit support with childcare costs and tax-free childcare. Shams Sarker came to London three years ago from Bangladesh under a skilled migrant work visa, but his two-year-old daughter – who was born in the UK – is not entitled to the same government-funded childcare as other children. As a result, he and his wife take it in turns to stay at home to look after her, reducing working hours and income. His daughter, meanwhile, loses out on the opportunity to mix and learn with other children in an early years setting. 'We don't get access to certain things and have to pay extra for healthcare, fine,' said Sarker. 'But at least let children have equal rights. I expected the rules to be the same for all children. My baby is growing up and she's not getting the same benefit that any other baby born here will have.' IPPR and Praxis surveyed 159 parents who had at least one child below school age and were affected by NRPF restrictions. They found 55% used some sort of childcare, compared with 72% of the general population. More than a third (36%) of those that used childcare relied on unofficial childcare from relatives and friends, and 41% of those who did not use childcare said the lack of a free entitlement had stopped them or their partner from getting a job. Dr Lucy Mort, a senior research fellow at IPPR, said: 'Restricting access to childcare forces parents out of work, pushes families deeper into poverty, and holds children back from vital early education. Lifting these unfair barriers would not only support working parents but also give every child the best start in life.' Josephine Whitaker-Yilmaz, a policy and public affairs manager at Praxis and co-author of the report, added: 'If this government is serious about ensuring that more children are ready for school, lifting these restrictions on support with childcare costs is a commonsense solution that will benefit some of the most disadvantaged children in our communities.' A separate report by the IPPR found almost half of children in families with non-UK born parents lived in poverty, compared with 25% of other children. It predicted that the child poverty strategy, expected to be published in spring, would fail unless it addressed growing hardship among children with parents born outside the UK. Hafsa, a mother of two who is on a skilled worker visa, told researchers: 'I can't even buy clothes for my children. I can't buy them shoes; I can't buy them a single toy. In the last 10 days of the month, I struggle to buy food for the children.' A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Giving every child the best start in life is central to our mission to break the unfair link between background and success and, through our Plan for Change, we'll get tens of thousands more children – a record proportion – school-ready by age five. 'That's why, despite having to take tough decisions to fix the foundations of the economy, we have prioritised investing £15m to kickstart our rollout of thousands of places in school-based nurseries to meet local need. 'Parents with no recourse to public funds can access 15 hours of funded childcare per week from when their child turns two, subject to wider eligibility, and we will continue to work to make sure government-funded hours are fair and accessible to parents.'
