Sports Media Report
Ahead of this weekend’s Formula E London E-Prix at the city’s iconic Royal Docks and ExCel exhibition centre, Genpact (NYSE: G), a global professional services firm focused on delivering digital transformation, is enabling people around the world to join in on the fight against climate change with a new social media challenge, “Melting Point,” designed to draw attention to the realities of our warming planet and highlight the role of technology in overcoming critical global issues.
Melting Point will place a sustainably sourced three-ton ice replica of a Envision Virgin Racing Formula E car alongside the team’s race car at the Tower Bridge in Potters Field Park. The public can take part in a competition to predict the percentage of total ice melt of the replica car as it is exposed to London’s unpredictable weather over a 24-hour period.
Leveraging Genpact’s artificial intelligence-powered algorithms that have helped Envision Virgin Racing accurately predict the number of laps in a race, Genpact will provide real-time updates on the many factors that impact the melt of the ice car replica, including temperature, wind speed, rainfall, and local footfall.
“Digital innovation helps our clients around the world tackle their most complex business issues – but it doesn’t stop there. That same innovation can and must be applied to addressing the world’s most pressing social and environmental issues,” said Sanjay Srivastava, chief digital officer, Genpact. “Tackling climate change is fundamentally about large-scale transformation. And like other large transformation projects we take on, at its core this is a data and insights problem. We look to connect complex systems, work with vast amounts of data, and create insights that enable action. Whether in the boardroom, on the racetrack, or in the race against climate change, digital innovation is at the core of enabling meaningful progress.”
Informed by the algorithm’s insights, fans can race alongside Genpact’s prediction engine to make their own predictions on how quickly the ice will melt, earning chances to win grandstand tickets to a 2022 FIA Formula E World Championship race and exclusive Envision Virgin Racing merchandise. For every entry during this 24-hour period, Genpact will donate $1 to the Arctic Ice Project, a non-profit organisation that aims to slow climate change, restoring ice in the Arctic by leveraging its technical capabilities through collaborating with the world’s most prestigious laboratories and universities.
“It’s an honour to partner with Genpact on Melting Point, which will raise awareness of the detrimental impact of climate change,” said Tom Light, executive director, the Arctic Ice Project. “Our mission is to slow down the pace of climate change and buy time for our planet to transition away from a carbon economy to a more sustainable way of life. The health of the Arctic is vital to preserving the Earth’s environment.”
Genpact’s digital technology has also helped Envision Virgin Racing maintain the team’s status of being the first carbon-neutral Formula E team, making it the greenest team on the greenest grid.
“With our season heading to a nail-biting finish, where the difference between winning and losing is measured in milliseconds, the ability to drive innovation that leverages data, and turn real-time insights into action, is critical to our success. At the same time, the race against climate change is the one race we must all win,” said Sylvain Filippi, managing director and chief technology officer, Envision Virgin Racing. “Genpact has been integral to streamlining data collection to support the team’s carbon-neutral certification and together, we are taking yet another step in tackling climate change. The Melting Point challenge enables us to bring Formula E fans – who are among the most engaged, passionate, and socially conscious audiences – directly into the fight against climate change.”
The Melting Point event is certified as carbon neutral by the non-profit organization A Greener Festival, which is dedicated to improving the sustainability of events, tours, venues, and festivals. Team London Bridge will collect the melted ice water in its bowser, and it will be reused to water local community gardens.
Melting Point launches ahead of this weekend’s doubleheader races and the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, which is scheduled to be held in the city of Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November 2021 under the presidency of the United Kingdom.
The Melting Point competition opens at 5:00 p.m. BST on July 21 on Genpact’s Twitter handle (@genpact) using the hashtag #MeltingPoint. To track the progress of the ice car construction, stream the event live, and find out more about the competition, visit www.genpact.com/meltingpoint.
