Emirates Week

Falcon Private Bank launches MENASA Fixed Income Fund

schneider-pr — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:34:45 +0000

Zurich, Switzerland, January 26, 2012 – Falcon Private Bank, the Swiss wealth management boutique, launches the FALCON MENASA FOCUSED FIXED INCOME FUND for qualified investors to capture investment opportunities in the emerging markets.

Falcon Private Bank continues its ambitious growth story in the MENA region, building on its emerging markets expertise and strong shareholder setting. The Falcon MENASA Fixed Income Fund focuses on strong emerging economies in the Middle East, North Africa and South-East Asia.

Emerging markets are expected to increasingly decouple from developed markets and as such offer a diversified investment opportunity. Investments in these fast-growing, underserved markets and industries offer access to a quality deal flow through a network of established and emerging investors in a low competition environment.

The MENASA Fixed Income Fund ─ domiciled in Luxembourg and investable for qualified investors ─ captures investment opportunities in the emerging markets fixed income space and aims to achieve higher risk adjusted returns with a well positioned, experienced manager.

# # #

FALCON PRIVATE BANK LTD. is an experienced Swiss private bank specialized in asset management for high net worth private clients and families. Its clients all over the world enjoy the benefits of over 40 years of experience in Swiss private banking and the financial strength and solidity of its owner Aabar Investments PJS. Falcon Private Bank has branches and representative offices in Geneva, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore. Falcon Private Bank Ltd. also holds 42.5% of bank zweiplus; the other 57.5% is owned by controlling shareholder Bank Sarasin & Cie AG.

AABAR INVESTMENTS PJS is a global investment company investing across industry sectors in attractive opportunities with significant long-term growth potential. International Petroleum Investment Company, an investment company wholly owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi, owns 95.3% of the shares in Aabar.

Media contact:

SCHNEIDER PR
Sandra Schneider
Managing Director
Phone: +971 4 321 9033
Mobile: +971 50 5240120
sandra@schneider-pr.net

Global Survey Reveals Most Companies Naive When it Comes to Energy Management

orientplanet — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:13:11 +0000

Dubai, January 26, 2012 — Epicor Software Corporation, a global leader in business software solutions for manufacturing, distribution, retail and services organizations, today announced the results of its first ever global carbon accounting survey, which offers insight into the fact that despite forthcoming legislation mandating carbon accounting, most companies are still lagging in their comprehension of carbon accounting as a whole, and in the execution of said carbon accounting initiatives.
With Australia introducing the new tax legislation on carbon emissions, and new regulations soon being introduced in California, the momentum behind requiring corporate energy management is well under way. The survey, which was conducted by Epicor during August and September 2011, was designed to investigate the ability and willingness of companies to identify their greenhouse gas emissions; to find out how they technically capture emissions; and to clarify the extent to which companies have to meet not only legal requirements for sustainability, but also what demands they meet from partners and customers.
The survey compiled responses from nearly 1,000 companies worldwide. The majority (48%) of respondents were from organizations in the manufacturing industry. Most (42%) respondents were from organizations with 100 to 1,000 employees and organizations with $50 million in annual revenue, or less (43%).
The survey revealed that 58% of companies surveyed had not heard of the term “carbon accounting”, that less than a quarter could accurately describe what the term means, and that a full 80% of companies surveyed don’t monitor their company’s carbon footprint.
“It’s quite worrying to think that a third of all companies don’t know whether they are under legal obligation to report emissions and we want to take this opportunity to urge the industry as a whole to take responsibility and help educate businesses about energy management,” said Chris Purcell, product marketing manager for Epicor. “Businesses should prepare now for carbon accounting.”
He explained, “Carbon reporting will happen irrespective of any personal opinions about global warming; those businesses that prepare now for the reporting that will be legally required of them in the near future will have a clear competitive advantage over laggards. Energy management is not a distraction to a company’s core business. Businesses can gain cost and energy savings from sustainability investments and the growth of emission trading schemes will only increase the need for companies to understand how carbon accounting will impact their bottom line.
The survey also revealed that although the CEO is the most likely person to be responsible for a company’s green strategy, 50% of companies surveyed don’t have any C-level involvement at all in their carbon accounting initiatives. 85% cannot report the level of carbon their company has consumed in each of the last six months, and nearly 70% believe that they accurately account for less than 25% of their company’s carbon consumption.
But not all companies are in the dark. Epicor customer HARBEC Inc., a contract injection molder and precision manufacturer located in upstate New York, recently decided the company needed to implement a more accurate and credible solution than its manual system to reach its goal of being carbon neutral by 2013.
“Ultimately we needed a monthly report of how we’re doing in terms of sustainability metrics,” said Bob Bechtold, president and founder of HARBEC. “Those metrics are as serious to us as other common business metrics like financial reporting.”
HARBEC is also in the process of pursuing certification to the newly released ISO 50001 energy management systems standard, which requires systematic documentation of carbon emissions using solutions such as Epicor Carbon Connect. Bechtold added that many companies claim to be environmentally friendly with little or no substantiation, but this new certification and solution will give HARBEC the competitive advantage of actually proving that we are a leader in sustainability.
“Having credible documentation that comes from a robust ERP solution will allow us to quantify what we’re doing,” Bechtold said, “Any company can compensate for its carbon emissions by purchasing offsets, but this solution will enable HARBEC to efficiently and accurately track our carbon footprint, helping us to manage it toward zero through efficiencies and smarter power generation.”
“Pursuing a green agenda and increasing operational cost savings are not mutually exclusive tasks,” said Purcell. “We urge all companies to move the green agenda higher up on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) priorities. By being prepared in advance, companies can avoid potential penalties for not adhering to legislation, and also realize the strategic advantages that include operational cost savings and additional revenue streams.”
A Summary of Key Survey Results
• An overwhelming majority (58%) had not heard of the term “carbon accounting”
• Less than a quarter could accurately describe what carbon accounting means
• 80% do not monitor their carbon footprint regularly
• A third don’t know if their company is under legal obligation to report emissions
• While the CEO is the most likely person to be responsible for a company’s carbon strategy, 50% don’t have any C-level involvement at all
• The majority (85%) can’t tell the level of carbon their company has consumed in each of the last six months
• More than half think carbon accounting has impacted their business positively
• Nearly 70% believe they accurately account for less than 25% of their carbon consumption
Purcell concluded, “Epicor is committed to the global emerging green market and we support forward looking businesses who embrace technology to get ahead of the curve of regulatory compliance, while providing efficiencies that will ultimately reduce costs and drive business performance.”
To obtain a copy of the full results report or to find out more about Epicor Carbon Connect, please contact Lisa Preuss, lpreuss@epicor.com.
About Epicor Software Corporation
Epicor Software Corporation is a global leader delivering business software solutions to the manufacturing, distribution, retail and services industries. With nearly 40 years of experience serving midmarket organizations and divisions of Global 1000 companies, Epicor has more than 20,000 customers in over 150 countries. Epicor enterprise resource planning (ERP), point of sale (POS), supply chain management (SCM), and human capital management (HCM) enable companies to drive increased efficiency and improve profitability. With a history of innovation, industry expertise and passion for excellence, Epicor inspires customers to build lasting competitive advantage. Epicor provides the single point of accountability that local, regional and global businesses demand. The Company’s headquarters are located in Livermore, California, with offices and affiliates worldwide. For more information, visit www.epicor.com.
Follow Epicor on Twitter @Epicor, @EpicorUK, @EpicorEMEA, @EpicorAU, @Epicor_Retail, @Epicor_DIST and Facebook.

The Islamic Bank of Asia Announces Two Strategic Appointments – Harish Parameswar as Head of Investment Banking & Saleh Al Nashwan as Chief Representative of Bahrain Representative Office

ME NewsWire — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:26:25 +0000

Appointments underscore bank’s commitment to strengthen its merchant banking business and promote greater capital flows between the Middle East and Asia

SINGAPORE & MANAMA, Bahrain – Thursday, January 26th 2012 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)– The Islamic Bank of Asia (IB Asia) today announced two key senior appointments to drive the bank’s focus on investment banking and establish greater connectivity between the Middle East and Asia. Mr. Harish Parameswar is appointed Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking and will be based in IB Asia’s head office in Singapore. Mr. Saleh Al Nashwan joined IB Asia as the Chief Representative for its Bahrain Representative Office.

Mr. Toby O’Connor, CEO of IB Asia, said: “The addition of Harish and Saleh to our senior management reflects IB Asia’s commitment to deliver a first class Shariah compliant merchant banking platform servicing Asia and the Middle East. Harish brings a wealth of investment banking, private equity and relationships within Asia while Saleh has extensive business experience and connectivity in the Middle East. Strong client coverage across the Middle East and Asia with high quality transaction origination and execution are essential for us to fully capture our business opportunity.”

Mr. Parameswar will oversee the expansion of IB Asia’s investment banking business which includes private equity, advisory, private placement and capital markets activities, which is in line with the Bank’s strategic priorities.

Before joining IB Asia, Mr. Parameswar was most recently the Founder and Managing Director of Beacon Advisory International, a corporate finance advisory and private equity investment firm focused on emerging markets. Prior to this, he was Managing Director at Lazard Asia Limited from 2006 to 2010, serving as Head of South East Asia with additional responsibility for the Technology and Media sectors in Asia. He also worked at Deutsche Bank and Jardine Fleming in various corporate finance roles in Singapore and India.

Mr. Parameswar holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Management from IMT Ghaziabad, and a Bachelor of Commerce from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University.

As chief representative of Bahrain Representative Office, Mr. Al Nashwan will lead IB Asia’s regional office and coverage of IB Asia’s shareholder and client base across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. In line with the Bank’s objective of bridging capital flows and business between Middle East and Asia, he will work in close cooperation with IB Asia’s head office in Singapore to strengthen business activity with its Middle East client base.

Prior to joining IB Asia, Mr. Al Nashwan was most recently the Chairman of MECAP Consultancy, and founder and CEO of Maalem Holding, an investment holding company, from its inception in 2008 to May 2011. He is currently a non-executive director of Nass Corporation BSC, a Bahraini Public Joint Stock Company.

A Saudi national, Mr. Al Nashwan has over a decade of extensive experience in investment, placements and corporate banking with an in-depth knowledge of regional business and financial markets. He has served several senior management positions in leading banks and financial institutions in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, including Addax Investment Bank, Gulf Finance House and Saudi American Bank (SAMBA). He has played key roles in several major real estate projects and investment deals in the region.

Mr. Al Nashwan holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Management / Marketing from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

About The Islamic Bank of Asia

Incorporated in May 2007 with DBS Bank and prominent investors from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as shareholders, The Islamic Bank of Asia (IB Asia) combines banking expertise and insights of Asia with strong Islamic banking credentials to tap into opportunities within Asia and the Middle East. Headquartered in Singapore, IB Asia focuses on Shariah compliant capital markets, direct investment and corporate banking services To find out more about IB Asia, log on to www.islamicbankasia.com.

About DBS

DBS – Living, Breathing Asia

DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia, with over 200 branches across 15 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS is a market leader in Singapore with over four million customers and also has a growing presence in the three key Asian axes of growth, namely, Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The bank’s strong capital position, as well as “AA-” and “Aa1″ credit ratings that are among the highest in the Asia-Pacific region, earned it Global Finance’s “Safest Bank in Asia” accolade for three consecutive years, in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

DBS provides the full range of services in consumer, SME and corporate banking activities across Asia and the Middle East. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS also understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets. This market insight and regional connectivity have helped to drive the bank’s growth as it sets out to be the Asian bank of choice. The bank believes that building lasting relationships with its customers is an integral part of banking the Asian way.

With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. The bank acknowledges the passion, commitment and can-do spirit in all of our 18,000 staff, representing over 30 nationalities. For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.

Contacts

DBS Bank

Fen Peh

Group Strategic Marketing and Communications

Email: fenpeh@dbs.com

Tel: (65) 6878 6519

Fax: (65) 6222 4478

Mobile: (65) 92780089

67 Percent Fear That Malware is on the Rise and 61 Percent Feel User Error is the Biggest Threat on the Internet

oakconsulting — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:03:28 +0000

Sophos Reveals Assessment on Threat Landscape in Security Threat Report 2012

IT security and data protection company Sophos today unveiled its latest Security Threat report 2012, a detailed assessment of the threat landscape—from hacktivism and online threats to mobile malware, cloud computing and social network security, as well as IT security trends for this coming year. The full, ungated report is available for download from the Sophos website.

A Sophos poll, conducted online at the end of 2011, surveyed more than 4,300 global respondents about today’s biggest threats on the internet. Key findings from the research include:
• 61 percent feel that the biggest threat on the internet is users not doing enough to protect themselves
• Nearly 20 percent believe social networking scams are the top threat
• 67 percent think that malware is on the rise compared to in 2010

Year in Review: Under Attack
2011 was characterized by a rise in cybercrime. The availability of commercial tools designed by and for cybercriminals made mass generation of new malicious code campaigns and exploits trivial and scalable. The net result was significant growth in the volume of malware and infections. Cybercriminals also diversified their targets to include new platforms, as business use of mobile devices accelerated. Politically motivated “hacktivist” groups took the media spotlight, even as the more common threats to cyber security grew.

Hype over Hacktivism
In 2011, the emergence of LulzSec and Anonymous marked a shift from hacking for financial gain to hacking as a form of protest. Hacktivists sowed chaos by leaking documents and attacking websites of high-profile organizations and even defense contractors. LulzSec dominated headlines in the first half of the year with attacks on Sony, PBS, the U.S. Senate, the CIA, FBI affiliate InfraGard and others, and then disbanded after 50 days.

Risky Business
Increasingly, corporate users weren’t just at home or at work, but somewhere else on the “everywhere network.” And the consumerization of IT, sometimes called “bring your own device” or BYOD, became one of the newer causes of data vulnerability. Employees accessed sensitive corporate information from their home computers, smartphones and tablets. Moreover, corporate-issued mobile devices increased risk, as did the rise of cloud services and the use of social media.

According to the Sophos online poll, which asked users if their company allows personal laptops, desktops or phones for work, nearly 50 percent of respondents said yes. Another 10 percent who said their company doesn’t allow personal devices for work preferred they did.

Changing Web Threats and Drive-by Downloads
Cybercriminals constantly launched attacks designed to penetrate digital defenses and steal sensitive data. Almost no online portal proved immune from threat or harm. SophosLabs identifies an average of 30,000 newly-infected web pages each day. More than 80 percent of these web pages are on innocent web servers, which have been hacked by cybercriminals to make them part of the problem.

Additionally, 85 percent of all malware, including viruses, worms, spyware, adware and Trojans, comes from the web, according to the Ponemon Institute. Today, drive-by downloads have become the top web threat, and in 2011, one crimeware kit, known as “Blackhole,” rose to the number one on that list.

In the Sophos online poll, users were asked about the prevalence of malware compared to 2010; 67 percent of respondents felt it was on the rise.

OS Oh My! And the Emergence of Mac Malware
Microsoft Windows may be the most attacked operating system (OS), but the primary vectors for hacking Windows have been through PDF or Flash. Despite Microsoft’s regular updates to patch Windows OS vulnerabilities, the content delivery systems remained the largest vulnerability on any OS. In 2011, the emergence of malware for the Mac upstaged Windows malware. There’s no doubt that the Windows malware problem is much larger than the Mac threat, but the events of 2011 show Mac users that the malware threat is genuine.

Top Trends
There are many factors that will impact the IT security landscape this year and into the future. These include new attacks using social media platforms and integrated apps, more targeted attacks on non-Windows platforms, and mobile payment technologies under threat, among others which are highlighted within the report.

“As cybercriminals expand their focus, organizations are challenged to keep their security capabilities from backsliding as they adopt new technologies,” said Mark Harris, vice president of SophosLabs, Sophos. “And as we continue to access information in different ways, from different devices in different locations, security tools must be able to ‘protect everywhere’—from desktops to mobile and smart devices and the cloud. But more importantly and oft-disregarded, cybercriminals will continue to stalk the easiest prey — security basics like patching and password management will remain a significant challenge.”

The full Security Threat Report 2012 contains more information and statistics on cybercrime in 2011, as well as top tips and predictions for emerging trends.

About Sophos
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry’s lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, mobile and network security solutions backed by SophosLabs – a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.

Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.

Middle East Media Contact:
Michelle Silva, OAK Consulting FZC
Mob: +971507818568

CommVault Expands the Power of Industry-Leading Snapshot Technology with New IntelliSnap™ Connect Program

procre8 — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:00:05 +0000

CommVault (NASDAQ: CVLT) –DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—January 26, 2012

The explosion of data coupled with data center modernization, virtualization and cloud computing have overwhelmed traditional backup methods and led to poor recovery times, potential data loss and higher costs and business risk. The only way to bridge this data protection gap requires a radical new approach to protecting applications, systems and data through tight integration of data management software with hardware snapshot and replication technologies. CommVault is making this modern data protection approach available to more customers than ever by expanding its support for array-based snapshots through the new CommVault® IntelliSnap™ Connect Program.

News Facts
CommVault today introduced the IntelliSnap™ Connect Program, an open development program that enables disk array vendors to integrate their array-based snapshot solutions with the SnapProtect® module in CommVault Simpana® software.

With Simpana® software and Qualified IntelliSnap™ Connect Arrays, customers can further consolidate and extend their SAN investments for greater efficiency and accelerated backup and recovery performance while reducing recovery costs and minimizing the risk of data loss.

IntelliSnap™ Connect Partners gain exclusive access to technology and resources that help them create innovative solutions, differentiate their storage platforms and gain competitive advantage in the data and information management marketplace by harnessing the power of application-aware snapshot management to provide customers with the most scalable and reliable data protection technologies.

Working with CommVault’s IntelliSnap™ program, prospective partners are provided a Software Development Kit that allows them to rapidly and reliably integrate their storage systems with Simpana software and, upon completion of the program, achieve Qualified IntelliSnap™ Connect Array status.

Qualified IntelliSnap™ Connect Arrays are fully supported with Simpana software to allow users to harness the full power of rapid-fire, persistent, hardware-based snapshots with leading data management capabilities to protect the largest, most demanding virtual and physical server environments.

The IntelliSnap™ Connect Program bolsters CommVault’s standing as having the industry’s most comprehensive compatibility matrix for hardware snapshot management without custom scripting or solution modifications helping customers unlock and optimize their existing and future SAN investments. Since the beginning of 2011, Simpana software’s SnapProtect technology has supported nine of the top 10 best-selling storage arrays in the industry and, when the IBM DS8000 is used with the IBM SVC (SAN Volume Controller), SnapProtect technology supports all 10.

Companies like Dell, HDS, and NetApp are foundational members of the program while emerging players like Nimble Storage and XIO are working toward full integration within the program parameters.

CommVault’s support for disk-based snapshot management is unmatched in the industry and includes integration with Dell’s Compellent, EqualLogic, and MD arrays, the EMC DMX, VMAX and VNX platforms, Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform (VSP), Hitachi Universal Storage Platform® V (USP V) and Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage (AMS) from Hitachi Data Systems, HP’s EVA and 3PAR arrays, IBM XIV and SVC, and storage arrays and replication technology from NetApp including their LSI storage arrays.

The Power of Modern Data Protection with Array-Based Snapshots

Redefining traditional backup, Simpana software quickly captures the application consistent copies without impacting the performance of production applications, allowing customers to fully leverage investments made in high performance storage arrays to tackle the 24×7 uptime and accessibility challenges surrounding mission and business critical data.

With a rapid-fire, persistent, hardware-based snapshot capability fully integrated, Simpana SnapProtect technology delivers the performance capability to protect the largest, most demanding virtual and physical server environments and recover them in minutes.

By creating snapshot copies using the storage array, backup time can be slashed to approximately five minutes or less and production server impact can be minimized.

CommVault’s integrated approach to snapshot management eliminates the need to create and maintain scripts and manage numerous storage array tools and consoles independently. The centralized management, protection and recovery of application data across tiers of disk and tape storage becomes fast and simple and occurs without impacting production systems.

With SnapProtect technology, customers can recover individual objects, files, whole volumes or entire applications, including Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, SQL Server, Oracle, DB2 and SAP.

Supporting Quotes

David Ngo, Director of Engineering Alliances, CommVault:

“The IntelliSnap Connect Program ensures that more customers than ever will have access to advanced, comprehensive data protection solutions. This program is essential for our partners to rapidly develop complete, modern data protection solutions that set them apart in highly competitive and rapidly changing technology markets.”

Dave Russell, Research Vice President, Storage Technologies and Strategies, Gartner, Inc.:

“Many of today’s backup applications were designed and optimized for environments that are now outdated, resulting in a greater willingness on the part of organizations to modernize and consider new technologies and vendors for data protection. We continue to see a growing number of organizations turn to snapshot and replication technologies as a method for augmenting or replacing traditional backup software and believe that vendors in consideration should be pushed for their current and committed road maps for new data protection capabilities, such as snapshot and replication file sharing, and potentially cloud capabilities.”

Mike Davis, Director of Marketing for Dell NAS and Backup Solutions, Dell Enterprise Storage:

“Dell and CommVault work closely together to help provide integrated, automated and scalable solutions designed to manage and protect our customers’ vital information assets. With SnapProtect integration, Dell’s customers can more seamlessly leverage our products’ high performance array-based snapshots, to better protect their data and quickly adapt to changing demands in physical and virtual environments.”
Sean Moser, Vice President, Software Products, Hitachi Data Systems:

“The combination of our industry leading data protection platform and CommVault’s SnapProtect technology offers an innovative, high performance and cost-effective solution to help enterprise customers solve their most pressing data management challenges. As part of the IntelliSnap™ Connect Program, Hitachi Data Systems continues to build upon the success of our long-standing partnership to deliver a unified solution to our customers.”

Mark Welke, Sr. Director of Product and Solutions Marketing, NetApp:

“Customers gain proven performance and efficiency to minimize risk of downtime or data loss by leveraging NetApp’s innovative portfolio of integrated data protection solutions with CommVault Simpana. NetApp is focused on continuing its longstanding collaboration with CommVault as a founding member of the IntelliSnap Connect Program to provide our mutual customers with efficient, high-speed backup and recovery and enable our mutual customers to manage both NetApp® Snapshot™ copies and SnapVault® and SnapMirror® replication from Simpana.”

Suresh Vasudevan, CEO, Nimble Storage:

“The Nimble Storage CS-Series makes high performance affordable, simplifies and enhances disaster recovery and backup, and delivers pain-free operations. Nimble snapshots offer industry leading efficiency and can scale to many thousands of snapshots, enabling frequent recovery points. Integrating with CommVault’s Simpana SnapProtect technology will provide seamless data protection for enterprises, eliminating the need for copy-based backups, and simplifying data recovery. ”

Steve Sicola, CTO, XIO Storage:

“XIO Storage provides performance-driven storage systems that deliver industry leading price, performance and capacity ratios. The integration of XIO’s SSD-based Hyper ISE and HDD-based ISE Storage Blade with SnapProtect as a part of the CommVault IntelliSnap Connect Program will simplify data management for our joint customers by automating their application data protection and recovery solutions without impacting the performance of production systems.”

Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC wins MENA “Commercial Lines Broker of the Year” for third consecutive time

ME NewsWire — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:44:26 +0000

MENA Insurance Awards cites BWS Group member for best business strategy and success in a competitive market

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Thursday, January 26th 2012 [ME NewsWire]

Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC, a member of end-to-end insurance solutions provider Brokerage World Solutions (BWS), has won the “Commercial Lines Broker” of the Year Award 2012 for the third consecutive year at the annual MENA Insurance Awards.

Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC was cited for its consistently best business strategy and for maintaining the integrity and strength of its client base.

The prestigious regional insurance sector award was received by Kenneth Maw, President and Group CEO, BWS, on January 16 at a gala luncheon ceremony in the presence of hundreds of top industry leaders, insurance professionals and other invitees from the region.

Kenneth Maw, President and Group CEO, Brokerage World Solutions, said:

“We are pleased and proud to be voted the best Commercial Lines Broker by MENA Insurance Awards for the third successive year. Under the BWS Group umbrella, Insure Direct has successfully competed against the world’s largest brokers for some of the most prestigious businesses in the Middle East & North Africa region to maintain its top position.We thank MENA Insurance Awards for the recognition.”

Since its establishment in 2010 following the merger of Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC and Independent Risk Solutions BV (IRS) of Rotterdam, BWS has been strategically pacing its expansion moves to deliver competitive and quality services in the insurance and reinsurance sectors, both within the region and in the bigger markets of Asia and Europe.

BWS Group specialises in delivering end-to-end insurance solutions to key industrial sectors including marine, oil & gas, on- and off-shore construction projects, aviation, financial institutions, professional and specialist risks and individual personal protection.

Leveraging its strong fundamentals in the Marine Insurance sector, BWS has enlarged its global footprint in partnership with Worldwide Broker Network (WBN), the world’s leading organisation of privately held insurance brokers.

IRS BV, the group’s Rotterdam-based specialists, is a recognised partner of choice in high net worth areas like marine, energy and construction insurance, as well as a wide variety of liability and contingency related risks.

Mr Mawsaid: “The MENA Insurance Award celebrates the dedication and hard work put in by the entire Insure Direct team year after year. It reflects highly on the calibre and commitment of our professionals and their consistent performance excellence in what is certainly a difficult and highly competitive market. This honour will encourage us to continue to build on our successful market-sensitive development strategy and deliver innovative, cost-effective services and economies of scale to our clients.”

BWS brings under one roof more than 200 years of combined insurance experience and expertise honed in markets as diverse as Europe and the Middle East. By working in partnership with reputed global networks and specialist reinsurance providers, BWS enables clients to benefit from competitive premium levels, with the assurance of appropriate international support where required.

Contacts

Yasir Saeed Zubairi

+971 50 640 7897

yasir@yasir.com

Boehringer Ingelheim Moves into Phase III for its Head and Neck Cancer Trial Programme for Afatinib*

ME NewsWire — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:59:18 +0000

Two studies investigating afatinib* in patients with locally advanced or recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer are open for recruitment.

INGELHEIM, Germany – Thursday, January 26th 2012 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)– FOR NON-US MEDIA ONLY

Boehringer Ingelheim announced today the initiation of two phase III clinical trials, LUX-Head & Neck 1 and LUX-Head & Neck 2. These trials evaluate afatinib* in patients with metastatic and recurrent head and neck cancer, and in patients with locally advanced disease, respectively.

Afatinib* is an irreversible ErbB Family Blocker which inhibits signal transduction of all kinase receptors from the ErbB Family, and is known to play a critical role in the growth and spread of the most pervasive cancers and cancers associated with high mortality (lung, breast, and head & neck cancers). Over-expression of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR, also referred to as ErbB1)1 is found in at least 90% of head and neck cancers and strongly correlates with poor prognosis and overall survival.2

Positive results from a recently presented phase II study show that afatinib* is the first targeted therapy with at least comparable anti-tumour activity to cetuximab in patients with metastatic head and neck cancer whose cancer has returned (recurrent disease) after treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy.3

Each year, approximately 560,000 cases of head and neck cancer are diagnosed worldwide, and 300,000 patients die annually.4

For patients with recurrent/metastatic disease, treatment options include systemic chemotherapy. Despite the introduction of chemotherapy in this setting approximately 30 years ago, patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer still have a poor prognosis, with a median survival of only 6-10 months.5 In locally advanced head and neck cancer, chemoradiotherapy is an important option. However, due to high recurrence rates, patients with locally advanced disease tend to also have a poor prognosis.

“Currently, approximately 50% of patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer will have a recurrence and there is an urgent need for more treatment options” said Dr Ezra Cohen, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center “We hope potential new treatments such as afatinib will increase the effective options for patients with head and neck cancer.”

LUX-Head & Neck 1 will evaluate, if afatinib* can prolong progression-free survival (primary endpoint) and improve overall survival in patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer who progress after platinum-based treatment.

LUX-Head & Neck 2 will evaluate, if afatinib* can prevent the recurrence of the disease and improve overall survival in patients with locally advanced disease after chemoradiotherapy.

The initiation of these phase III clinical trials represents yet another important milestone for Boehringer Ingelheim to broaden and further develop its oncology pipeline across a range of different cancers.

This expands the phase III clinical trial programme for Boehringer Ingelheim Oncology which currently includes trials with afatinib* in NSCLC and breast cancer and nintedanib* (BIBF 1120) in NSCLC and ovarian cancer.

If investigators are interested in becoming involved in the study and have potentially eligible patients, they should contact Boehringer Ingelheim at:

clintriage.rdg@boehringer-ingelheim.com

Notes to editors

About Trial Nr. 1200.43 (LUX- Head & Neck 1) and Trial Nr 1200.131 (LUX -Head & Neck 2)

LUX- Head & Neck 1 (1200.43)

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT01345682

A randomised, open-label, phase III study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral afatinib* versus intravenous methotrexate in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who have progressed after platinum-based therapy

LUX-Head & Neck 2 (1200.131)

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01345669

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of afatinib* as adjuvant therapy after chemoradiotherapy in primary unresected HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) negative patients with stage III, IVa, or IVb loco-regionally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

About Head and Neck Cancer

Head and neck cancer is the term used to describe malignant tumours originating in the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT), including the oral cavity, larynx, pharynx and nasopharynx. The vast majority (90%) of head and neck cancers are squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) arising from the epithelial membranes (mucus linings) of these regions,6 and as such they have many common features relating to their aetiology and classification. Additionally, the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR/ErbB1), which is critical for tumour growth,7 is over-expressed in at least 90% of head and neck cancers.2

Radiotherapy in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy (most often cisplatin) – administered either as a definitive treatment or after surgery – plays a role in the management of locally advanced and/or inoperable head and neck cancers; this is known as ‘chemoradiotherapy’. Chemoradiotherapy, however, is associated with significant side effects and toxicities. In addition, locally advanced head and neck cancer is associated with a poor prognosis due to high recurrence rates.8

About Boehringer Ingelheim in Oncology

Building on scientific expertise and excellence in the fields of pulmonary and cardiovascular medicine, metabolic disease, neurology, virology and immunology, Boehringer Ingelheim has embarked on a major research programme to develop innovative cancer drugs. Working in close collaboration with the international scientific community and a number of the world’s leading cancer centres, Boehringer Ingelheim’s commitment to oncology is underpinned by using advances in science to develop a range of targeted therapies for various solid tumours and haematological cancers.

The current focus of research includes compounds in three areas: angiogenesis inhibition, signal transduction inhibition and cell-cycle kinase inhibition. Nintedanib* (BIBF 1120) is currently in phase III clinical development in NSCLC and Ovarian cancer. Afatinib* is currently in phase III clinical development in NSCLC and breast cancer. In the area of cell-cycle kinase inhibition, Boehringer Ingelheim is developing an inhibitor of polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), volasertib*, a protein that is involved in the processes of cell division.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s oncology pipeline is evolving and demonstrates the company’s continued commitment to the disease area.

Boehringer Ingelheim

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 145 affiliates and more than 42,000 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

As a central element of its culture, Boehringer Ingelheim pledges to act socially responsible. Involvement in social projects, caring for employees and their families, and providing equal opportunities for all employees form the foundation of the global operations. Mutual cooperation and respect, as well as environmental protection and sustainability are intrinsic factors in all of Boehringer Ingelheim’s endeavours.

In 2010, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of about 12.6 billion Euro while spending almost 24% of net sales in its largest business segment Prescription Medicines on research and development.

For more information please visit: www.boehringer-ingelheim.comor www.thewhiteroom.info

*Afatinib, nintedanib (BIBF 1120) and volasertib are investigational compounds. Their safety and efficacy have not yet been fully established.

References

1BI data on file

2Ford, A.C. and Grandis, J.R., 2003. Targeting epidermal growth factor receptor in head and neck cancer. Head Neck, 25, 67-73

3Seiwert TY, et al. THNO 2011; Rome, abstract PP3.4

4Boyle P. et al. World Cancer Report 2008. International Agency for Research on Cancer.

5Coleman M.P et al. 2003 EUROCARE-3 summary: cancer survival in Europe at the end of the 20th century. Annals of Oncology, 14,S5, v128-v149.

6Viviana P. Lutzky. D. J. et al., 2008. Biomarkers for Cancers of the Head and Neck. Clinical Medicine: Ear, Nose and Throat, 1,5-15.

7Normanno N. et al., 2005. The ErbB receptors and their ligands in cancer: An overview. Current Drug Targets, May, 6(3), pp.243-247.

8Bernier, J. and Cooper, J.S. 2005. Chemoradiation after Surgery for High-Risk Head and Neck Cancer Patients: How Strong Is the Evidence? The Oncologist, 10(3), pp.215-224.

Contacts

Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH

Corporate / Global Media Contact

Julia Meyer-Kleinmann

Tel.: +49 (6132) 77-8271

PRESS@boehringer-ingelheim.com

More information

www.boehringer-ingelheim.com

MCC, Arab Telemedia Group sign strategic partnership agreement

amjadbaker — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:07:26 +0000

Mobile Channels Company (MCC), the leading company specialized in mobile applications development and content distribution, signed a strategic partnership agreement with Arab Telemedia Group (ATG) for the distribution of its drama series via all mobile operators in the Arab region.

Signed by Talal Awamleh, ATG’s CEO and MCC’s Business Development and Marketing Manager Mr. Anas Hijjawi, the agreement authorizes MCC to distribute and broadcast the group’s productions such as Ras Ghlais, Nimer Bin Odwan, Ors al Saqer, Al Ijtiah, Wadha and Bin Ajlan, among other drama productions.

“This agreement aims at providing the most popular drama clips which are still in high demand by a large Arab audience, even after being re-broadcasted by the most prominent satellite channels. We expect that they will receive the same demand on mobile devices,” said Talal Awamleh, noting ATG’s dedication to developing the media and broadcasting industry regionally and internationally.

“We welcome ATG to our list of clients in the content manufacturing industry, and we value their trust in us; allowing this partnership to broadcast more than 5000 hours of drama via all Arab telecommunication companies,” said Salem Al Enzi, CEO of MCC.

“Arab Telemedia’s productions and drama series will add exceptional value to our targeted and diversified mobile channels. It will also contribute to the enrichment of Arabic e-content in new ways which meet the aspirations and expectations of users,” he added.

As per the agreement, MCC will provide content via portals including: WAP, IVR, RBT, and WEB to the audience. In addition, MCC will provide the audience with the possibility of downloading and installing a mobile application which will include all categories and services that end-users can view or download on their mobile devices.

Notably, the Arab Telemedia Group has won numerous international and regional awards for its outstanding productions, namely an Emmy in 2008 for the series “Al Ijtiah”.

- Ends -

Mobile Channels Company (MCC)

Mobile Channels is a leading mobile solutions and services company specializing in mobile applications development, content distribution, mobile value-added services and mobile advertising. With experience dating back to the inception of the mobile industry in theMiddle East, the Saudi-Jordanian team of specialists finally joined forces in 2008 to found Mobile Channels Company (MCC).

MCC’s competitive edge lies in its extensive experience customizing branded applications for smart phones and in providing mobile solutions tailored to meet the needs and surpass the expectations of the growing Arab market demand.

www.mccarabia.com

Notably, the Arab Telemedia Group has won numerous international and regional awards for its outstanding productions, namely an Emmy in 2008 for the series “Al Ijtiah”.

- Ends -

Mobile Channels Company (MCC)

www.mccarabia.com

Pall Corp. to Supply Advanced Water Treatment Technology for Qatar Petroleum

ME NewsWire — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:54:39 +0000

Agreement with SEG Qatar Calls for Locally Supported, Complete Water Management Solution

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. – Thursday, January 26th 2012 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)– Pall Corporation (NYSE:PLL) has been selected by contractor SEG(Société d’Entreprise & de Gestion) Qatar to supply a state-of-the-art water treatment solution for Qatar Petroleum’s (QP) premier Ras Laffan Emergency and Safety College (RLESC). The complete Pall Aria™ AP-Seriespackaged membrane system will filter the facility’s treated sewage effluent and remove bacteria, viruses, turbidity and suspended matter. Pall is a global leader in filtration, separation and purification.

“Pall was selected for this project because it offers advanced membrane technology in a very small footprint,” says Steve Connor, technical project director at SEG. “Equally important was Pall’s ability to provide a complete custom water management solution and dedicated engineering support from a local office.”

The use of membrane filtration systems for removing contaminants from water sources across the globe continues to gain momentum. An alternative to practices such as coagulation and flocculation and sand filtration, membrane-based systems offer enhanced performance and operational efficiencies. Additionally, membrane systems typically require 50 – 70 percent less space than conventional technologies.

The fully-automated Pall Aria packaged system for QP features hollow fiber ultrafiltration membranes. It is designed to filter 3,500 m3/day of treated sewage effluent that will be used for make-up water for firefighting training exercises.

“Pall is thrilled to be involved in this high-profile project,” said Hussein Barazi, director, Pall Middle East. “Our ability to effectively address the multi-faceted fluid management needs of organizations in the region with advanced solutions is one of the reasons Pall’s presence in the Middle East continues to grow.”

Pall provides fluid management solutions and high-quality products for the most demanding applications, from oil and gas and power generation to pharmaceuticals and water treatment. Pall Aria systems are used for a range of desalination and municipal and industrial water applications. The high-efficiency, low-waste systems are easy to install and operator-friendly, resulting in lower labor and operational costs.

RLESC, which is situated on approximately 250 acres, was created to serve emergency responders throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Managed by the Texas Engineering Extension Services (TEEX) under an agreement with state-owned Qatar Petroleum, the high-profile facility offers training equipment for industrial, HazMat, municipal, rescue and emergency medical services.

Pall is a leader in permanent and mobile membrane technology solutions for municipal and industrial water and emergency relief applications. The company provides water treatment systems for large and small municipalities and industrial customers around the world. In addition to serving the $13 billion municipal water market, Pall’s filtration technology is increasingly becoming a critical component in intake and process water for food, beverage, chemical, oil, gas, power, and semiconductor production, among others. Pall’s technology helps ensure a greener future by enabling businesses to conserve and reuse water, and to restore wastewater to environmentally safe levels before discharge. For more information, visit http://www.pall.com/water.asp.

About Pall Corporation

Pall Corporation (NYSE:PLL) is a filtration, separation and purification leader providing solutions to meet the critical fluid management needs of customers across the broad spectrum of life sciences and industry. Pall works with customers to advance health, safety and environmentally responsible technologies. The company’s engineered products enable process and product innovation and minimize emissions and waste. Pall Corporation, with total revenues of $2.7 billion for fiscal year 2011, is an S&P 500 company with almost 11,000 employees serving customers worldwide. Pall has been named a “top green company” by Newsweek magazine. To see how Pall is helping enable a greener, safer, more sustainable future, follow us on Twitter @PallCorporationor visit www.pall.com/green.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50145769&lang=en

Contacts

Doug Novarro

Pall Corporation

Corporate Public Relations

+15168019944

doug_novarro@pall.com

Americas Styrenics Announces New CEO, Bradley Crocker

ME NewsWire — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:34:19 +0000

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Thursday, January 26th 2012 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)– Americas Styrenics LLC (AmSty), the joint venture between Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP (Chevron Phillips Chemical) and Styron, today announced the appointment of Bradley Crocker as Chief Executive Officer, effective January 30, 2012.

Crocker served most recently as Chief Operating Officer of Lawter, Inc., following numerous assignments in the chemical industry at companies including Nalco Chemical Company, International Paper, and Momentive Specialty Chemicals.

“This is an exciting time for AmSty, as it transitions from a successful turnaround in its first three years, toward a focus on growth and profitability. On behalf of the AmSty Board of Directors, we are excited to have Brad join the AmSty team,” said Paul Moyer, Vice President and General Manager of Plastics for Styron.

“Brad’s appointment concludes a lengthy and careful selection process to find the right leader to bring AmSty to the next phase of its development as an industry-leading integrated producer of polystyrene and styrene monomer,” said David Smith, Vice President of Olefins & NGL for Chevron Phillips Chemical, and Chairman of the AmSty Board of Directors.

Crocker commented, “I’m excited to join such a dedicated and talented group of employees, with strong parent companies behind them, and a rich legacy of industry-leading performance.”

About Americas Styrenics LLC

Americas Styrenics is the largest integrated producer of polystyrene and styrene monomer in the Western Hemisphere, offering solutions and services to customers in a variety of markets throughout the Americas. Formed on May 1, 2008, it is a joint venture equally owned by Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP and Styron, and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas. For more information about Americas Styrenics, visit www.amsty.com.

About Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP

Chevron Phillips Chemical is one of the world’s top producers of olefins and polyolefins and a leading supplier of aromatics, alpha olefins, styrenics, specialty chemicals, plastic piping and polymer resins. The LLC and its affiliates own over $8 billion in assets and employ approximately 4,700 people at 40 manufacturing and research facilities in eight countries. Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC is equally owned by Chevron Corporation and ConocoPhillips, and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas. For more information about Chevron Phillips Chemical, visit www.cpchem.com.

About Styron

Styron is a leading global materials company, dedicated to innovate and deliver for its customers. Styron’s unique and balanced product portfolio brings together plastics, rubber and latex businesses that share feedstocks, operations, customers and end users. Styron has a leadership position in its two flagship products, polystyrene and latex. The company benefits from global scale, a long-standing tradition of unrivaled customer relationships and a robust innovation pipeline. Styron has approximately $5 billion in revenue (2010), with 20 manufacturing sites in all geographies. Styron’s 2,100 employees are committed to listen to customers’ needs and provide them with innovative and sustainable solutions in markets such as appliances, automotive, building & construction, carpet, commercial transportation, consumer electronics, consumer goods, electrical & lighting, medical, packaging, paper & paperboard, rubber goods and tires. More information about Styron can be found at www.styron.com.

Contacts

Americas Styrenics

Melanie Markowski, 1-281-203-5436

MMarkowski@amstyrenics.com