Maiden Global Business Forum ASEAN beginning Dec 8 eyes Southeast Asian economic potential

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 -- The huge economic potential of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the wealth of opportunities that the region offers businesses and investors in the UAE will be in the spotlight at the first ever Global Business Forum (GBF) ASEAN from Dec 8-9 at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo 2020 Dubai.

Organised by Dubai Chamber in partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai under the theme ‘The New Frontiers’, GBF ASEAN 2021 is the first event in the GBF series to focus on the ASEAN region.

Based on a statement, the high-level forum brings together government and business leaders from ASEAN markets and the UAE to explore new avenues of economic cooperation and emerging investment opportunities.

The forum will examine the changing dynamics of ASEAN region in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as new opportunities being created by digital transformation and trade partnerships.

Other topics on the agenda include plans among ASEAN members and their counterparts to create the world’s largest free trade area, based on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement that will add an estimated US$186 billion to global GDP by 2030. (US$1 = RM4.180)

Public and private sector stakeholders attending the forum will also discuss new ways that ASEAN countries can develop a low-carbon economy to build a more resilient and sustainable future, with Southeast Asia one of the world’s regions most at risk from climate change.

GBF ASEAN forms part of Dubai Chamber’s Global Business Forum series that was launched in 2012 as a platform to drive trade and explore opportunities between the UAE and some of the world’s fastest growing markets.

Established in 1965, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a non-profit public entity, whose mission is to represent, support and protect the interests of the business community in Dubai by creating a favourable business environment, supporting the development of business, and by promoting Dubai as an international business hub.

For more information, visit www.dubaichamber.com.

-- BERNAMA

Walking the talk: Talkwalker hastens brands to actionable consumer intelligence

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 -- Talkwalker, the #1 consumer intelligence company has announced the launch of two products.

These will strengthen its Consumer Intelligence Acceleration Platform(TM) alongside the growth of its social listening capabilities and deliver brands actionable consumer intelligence to drive business impact.

“Our new products and platform expand our deep listening capabilities into new areas, arming brands with insights that they can benefit from immediately,” said Talkwalker Chief Executive Officer, Tod Nielsen in a statement.

Talkwalker's platform, powered by Blue Silk(TM) technology, now includes three industry-leading products namely Market Intelligence; Customer Intelligence; and, Social Intelligence.

Market Intelligence provides consumer trends analysis and real-time industry datasets, with an app per category, to fast-track innovation. Covering a variety of industries including consumer goods, entertainment, health & wellness.

Meanwhile, Customer Intelligence creates a unique single customer view by combining customer and consumer data, social, ratings, and reviews, while Social Intelligence is an expansion of its deep social listening capabilities at scale, to help companies protect, measure, and promote their brands.

Talkwalker also introduced its professional services Talkwalker Activate team, offering a broad range of customer services, including training, onboarding and insights, to help clients accelerate their time to value with Talkwalker technologies, from investment to real-world results.

Talkwalker was also announced as a Twitter Official Partner, recognised as a vetted, best-in-class solution to help brands innovate and scale their business.

The new offerings were announced live at Talkwalker's Dare to accelerate, a customer event in Paris that brought together industry leaders to inspire the next generation of consumer intelligence.

At the event, Talkwalker demonstrated how the platform can be used across all aspects of the business for social listening, market research, customer intelligence, and product development.

More details at www.talkwalker.com.

-- BERNAMA

WE Communications study reveals consumers want brands to rectify fractured world

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 -- WE Communications has released results from its latest Brands in Motion report, ‘The Bravery Mandate’, with the data exposed escalating tension between expectations for brands to drive stability in a fast-changing, fractured world and heightened skepticism about purpose-washing.

“We’ve reached an inflection point where people are craving businesses to fill the leadership void. To be the driving force of positive societal impact, brands should ask themselves, ‘If not us, who?’ and take bold, brave action,” said WE Communications Global Chief Executive Officer, Melissa Waggener Zorkin.

According to a statement, the number of global study respondents saying they expect brands to create stability in uncertain times rose 30 per cent since 2019 — with brands now viewed as important a pillar of society as educators and friend-and-family networks.

Despite those rising expectations, brands’ perceived impact for societal good remains flat, with 52 per cent saying that attempts to impact societal issues are anchored in trying to sell more products or services. 

Consumers and B2B decision-makers are voting with their wallets to measure brand support. Two out of three respondents say they are more likely to purchase or recommend products or services from brands that address societal issues that matter to them.

Although two-thirds of survey respondents are open to brands speaking and acting on societal issues, one third are not. Navigating this divide requires active engagement with key stakeholders, including employees, shareholders, customers and community members, to illuminate long-term goals and values.

In addition, the Brands in Motion report dug into expectations when it comes to defining and demonstrating brand purpose. It’s clear that expectations are high and at times nuanced — taking a stance on social issues requires agility and long-term commitment.

Over the past five years, Brands in Motion global studies have surveyed more than 90,000 consumers and B2B decision-makers worldwide to understand the impact of how perceptions shift over time.

-- BERNAMA

GTJAI bags 9 awards from Hong Kong Investor Relations Association

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 -- Guotai Junan International Holdings Limited (Guotai Junan International, the Company or Group) has won nine awards, including the ‘Best IR Company’ at the 7th Investor Relations Awards organised by the Hong Kong Investor Relations Association (HKIRA), a renown industry organisation.

This follows the awards granted by Institutional Investor in June 2021, demonstrating Guotai Junan International's leading capabilities in investor relations management, corporate governance and information disclosure in Hong Kong and international capital markets.

Awards include Best IR by Chairman / CEO – Dr Yim Fung; Best IR by CFO – Mr Li Guangjie; Best IR Team – Ms Feng Zhengyao, Mr Yan Yili, Ms Wu Weiyi; Best ESG (E); Best ESG (S); Best ESG (G); Best Investor Presentation Material; and, Best Annual Report.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Guotai Junan International, Dr Yim Fung said: “I would like to thank the HKIRA for recognising GTJAI and myself for our efforts in Company’s investor relations activities.”

“As a listed company, we have always insisted on maintaining good communications with investors, carefully listening to every investor and shareholder's suggestions and opinions, prioritising the overall interests of shareholders and maximising shareholders' interests through prudent and stable operation.

“In the future, we will continue to maintain high quality communications and interaction with the capital market and reward our shareholders for their trust and support with growing results,” he added.

The HKIRA Investor Relations Awards are prestigious investor relations awards granted to recognise the outstanding performance of Hong Kong listed companies and their professional management members in investor relations practices.

According to a statement, companies must be nominated by the public and then voted on by fund managers and sell-side analysts in mainland China, Hong Kong and worldwide.

Based in Hong Kong, GTJAI provides diversified integrated financial services. More details at http://www.gtjai.com.

-- BERNAMA

ITT ISSUES 2021 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT SUPPLEMENT; CONTINUES PROGRESS ON ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE PRIORITIES

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Sept 10 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- September 9, 2021-- ITT Inc. (NYSE: ITT) has released Sustainability ITT – 2021 Supplement, its second supplement to Sustainability ITT 2019, the Company’s comprehensive report on its progress toward environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments. This supplement details ITT’s 2020 advances toward integrating environmental stewardship and positive social impact across all operations, teams, and communities. Priorities include health and safety, diversity, equality and inclusiveness of its workforce, and environmental footprint, among others. Key highlights from 2020 include:

• 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
• 23 percent less waste sent to landfills
• 25 percent fewer workplace incidents
• Divestiture of all pending and future legacy asbestos liabilities

“We continue to integrate ESG practices into our day-to-day operations, while maintaining our focus on the health of our people, our business and our financials,” said Luca Savi, Chief Executive Officer and President. “In what was an extraordinarily challenging year for everyone, our team demonstrated its commitment to having ITT make the world a better place for all stakeholders. While I am pleased with our progress thus far, it is clear we have much more to do on our journey to becoming a more sustainable ITT.”

The report, Sustainability ITT – 2021 Supplement, covers initiatives and other information over three years with a focus on 2020 results. It incorporates 2020 metrics for all global ITT locations. Several guidelines and measurement frameworks, including those provided by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), informed the scope of this report. To learn more about ITT’s commitments to creating a more sustainable and equitable environment, please see Sustainability ITT 2019.

About ITT

ITT is a diversified leading manufacturer of highly engineered critical components and customized technology solutions for the energy, transportation, and industrial markets. Building on its heritage of innovation, ITT partners with its customers to deliver enduring solutions to the key industries that underpin our modern way of life. ITT is headquartered in White Plains, NY, with employees in more than 35 countries and sales in approximately 125 countries. The company generated 2020 revenues of $2.5 billion. For more information, visit www.itt.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

In this report, “ITT,” “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to ITT Inc., an Indiana corporation and its wholly owned subsidiaries, except as otherwise indicated or as the context otherwise requires. In addition, this report contains “forward-looking statements,” intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but rather represent only a belief regarding future events based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions, and projections about our business, future financial results, and the industry in which we operate, and other legal, regulatory, and economic developments. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, references to guidance, future strategic plans, and other statements that describe the company’s business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals, and any discussion of future operating or financial performance.

We use words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “target,” “future,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “potential,” “continue,” “guidance,” and other similar expressions to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are uncertain and to some extent unpredictable and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in, or reasonably inferred from, such forward-looking statements.

Where in any forward-looking statement we express an expectation or belief as to future results or events, such expectation or belief is based on current plans and expectations of our management, expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. However, there can be no assurance that the expectation or belief will occur or that anticipated results will be achieved or accomplished. More information on factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated is included in the Risk Factors section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other documents filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The forward-looking statements included in this report speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation (and expressly disclaim any obligation) to update any forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210909005090/en/

Contact

Mark Macaluso
+1 914-641-2064
mark.macaluso@itt.com

Source : ITT Inc.

--BERNAMA

HKSTP INVITES THE WORLD'S BRIGHTEST INNOVATORS TO JOIN HONG KONG'S FIRST HYBRID ELEVATOR PITCH COMPETITION 2021

Global EPiC pitch event in HK returns to SKY100 and offers US$200,000 in cash prizes plus exclusive cross-border business and investment opportunities to entrepreneurs 

HONG KONG, Sept 6 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) has formally kickoff the Elevator Pitch Competition 2021 (EPiC 2021) by inviting applications from tech ventures in Hong Kong around the world. Taking place from 5 to 12 November, 2021, participating entrepreneurs can join their peers, investors and innovation eco-system leaders in an international week-long fest of pitching, investment and business matching as well as learning from icons in the startup landscape.

Companies and individuals are invited to EPiC 2021, which is in its sixth year and taking place for the first time as a hybrid event – a dynamic physical and virtual platform to meet the diverse needs of overseas and local innovators. To celebrate HKSTP’s 20 years of leading Hong Kong innovation, the event will return to its iconic SKY100 venue at the top of International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon to re-create a genuine elevator pitch experience.

Over 100 contestants will be shortlisted for the opportunity of competing in the hybrid event where physical attendees deliver a signature 60-second elevator pitch for their world-changing ideas, while virtual participants will make their pitch to our judges via video call. A further ten finalists will be selected to compete for the winning cash prize of US$100,000 as well as unique opportunities for cross-border investment, business collaboration and technology development and adoption.

The international week-long festival of investment and innovation will focus on high-potential ideas in FinTech, Health Technology, Smart City, and the emerging area of Green Tech & Construction Tech.

Robert Luo, CEO and Co-founder of 2020 champion winner MiTerro from the US, said: “Winning EPiC was a validation of our business and vision. We not only met investors but also other entrepreneurs who are finding innovative solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems.”

HKSTP is committed to acting as a bridge between innovators and investors, with HKSTP nurturing over 500 start-up companies and connected them to more than 1000 active investors. All winners from the competition can proceed to leverage the full resources of the HKSTP ecosystem for investment, incubation, market access, technology, and partnership opportunities.

The competition attracted a record number of 476 entries from 37 countries around the globe in 2020. Over 70% of the 170 contestants reaching the semi-final round were from 31 international markets. The event brought more than 1,000 entrepreneurs, venture capital firms, angel investors, industry players, incubators, accelerators and tech disruptors together, to showcase the growing strength of the I&T ecosystem in Hong Kong.

Who can apply:

· Tech startups that are less than five years old and have received less than US$10 million in funding by 31 March 2021 OR individuals who have not yet established any companies
· Ideas should focus on one of the four technology areas: FinTech, Health Technology, Smart City, and Green Tech & Construction Tech. 

Applications will close on 10 September 2021, at 23:59 hrs, Hong Kong time. 

Please visit https://epic.hkstp.org/ for more detailed information on EPiC 2021. 

List of awards and prizes

 

Award	Cash Prize (for each winner)
Champion	US$100,000
4 Tech Winners (FinTech, Health Technology, Smart City and Green Tech & Construction Tech)	US$10,000
Top 10 Finalists	US$6,000

About Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation

Comprising Science Park, InnoCentre and Industrial Estates, Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is a statutory body dedicated to building a vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem to connect stakeholders, nurture technology talents, facilitate collaboration, and catalyse innovations to deliver social and economic benefits to Hong Kong and the region.

Established in May 2001, HKSTP has been driving the development of Hong Kong into a regional hub for innovation and growth in several focused clusters including Electronics, Information & Communications Technology, Green Technology, Biomedical Technology, Materials and Precision Engineering. We enable science and technology companies to nurture ideas, innovate and grow, supported by our R&D facilities, infrastructure, and market-led laboratories and technical centres with professional support services. We also offer value added services and comprehensive incubation programmes for technology start-ups to accelerate their growth.

Technology businesses benefit from our specialised services and infrastructure at Science Park for applied research and product development; enterprises can find creative design support at InnoCentre; while skill-intensive businesses are served by our three industrial estates at Tai Po, Tseung Kwan O and Yuen Long. More information about HKSTP is available at www.hkstp.org

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210906005047/en/ 

Contact

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Karmen Cheung
Tel: +852 2629 2339
Email: karmen.cheung@hkstp.org

Edelman Public Relations
Claudia Yau
Tel: +852 2837 4769
Email: Claudia.Yau@edelman.com/ Edelmanhkstppr@edelman.com

Source : Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation

--BERNAMA

Cradlepoint unveils industry’s first 5G Enterprise Router for wireless WAN era

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 -- Cradlepoint, the global leader in cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network edge solutions, is continuing its mission to enable businesses to connect beyond the limits of wired networks through the expansion of its second-generation 5G product portfolio.

The Cradlepoint E3000 Series 5G Enterprise Router, orderable now, is the industry’s first enterprise-class router that provides businesses with fast, agile, secure, and resilient 5G connectivity for primary, failover, or SD-WAN use cases without traditional performance compromises.

“The pandemic has drastically altered the business climate, forcing companies to embrace technology like 5G to enable their WANs to become more agile and resilient,” said Cradlepoint VP of Product Marketing, Donna Johnson in a statement.

“Cradlepoint is making the Wireless WAN a reality with products like the E3000 5G Series Enterprise Router, giving customers 5G branch connectivity without compromising enterprise-class management, features or performance.”

The Cradlepoint E3000 Series 5G Enterprise Router supports the features and capabilities including choice of 5G, high-speed fiber and 2.5 Gbps Ethernet WAN ports; the most LTE and 5G connectivity options; nine downstream switched Ethernet ports (4 with PoE) plus Wi-Fi 6 and optional Bluetooth 5.1; and, Private Cellular Networking support for CBRS in both 5G and LTE modes.

While LTE has been enabling businesses to leverage wireless and ‘cut-the-cord’ solutions for a while, the speed, intelligence, and resiliency of next-generation 5G services is becoming a catalyst to Wireless WAN adoption.

Not only does it make today’s applications better, but will also enable a new generation of immersive customer experiences at the network edge, as well as more cost-effective SD-WAN 5G architectures, anywhere connectivity, and high-speed wireless failover for larger sites.

While other vendors are trying to get their first 5G products to market, Cradlepoint is already shipping its second-generation of purpose-built 5G for Business solutions, giving customers the most pathways to all flavours of 5G.

More details at www.cradlepoint.com.

-- BERNAMA