Focus Kerala Stresses on Investor Friendly Atmosphere

The Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi on Saturday stressed the need to create an investor friendly environment in Kerala to ensure that more investment projects come to the state. Addressing the valedictory function of the two-day Focus Kerala World Investors Meet, Ravi said: "Every effort should be made to ensure that the projects for which MoUs were signed becomes a reality." Focus Kerala organised by the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the support of Kerala Government showcased about Rs 3,978 crore projects .Sixteen MoUs worth Rs 1,927 crore were signed during the event and 10 more would be signed soon, he said. This includes a Rs 1,200-crore LNG project at Puthuvypeen. A central marketing system is needed for marketing products of small and medium enterprises, he said.

Kerala Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem said private investments would be encouraged and opportunities would be given to medium and small enterprises. Lack of land availability and the state's location was a disadvantage, while the advantages are the state's skilled human resources and infrastructure. Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry Director N A Mohammed Kutty said 411 investors participated in the two-day event, which saw participation from 127 panchayats. Enquiries for taking over sick units or developing them as joint ventures also came in. The Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry will provide all support to investors till the projects are implemented, the chamber said.

DP World to Open New Terminal in Vietnam October 1, 2009

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 21 July 2009 (ME Newswire): Global marine terminal operator DP World has set October 1st, 2009 as the date of the official inauguration of its state-of-the-art Saigon Premier Container Terminal (SPCT). A joint venture between DP World and Vietnam's IPC, SPCT is located on the Soai Rap River 15 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City. SPCT will further establish Ho Chi Minh City as the country's main commercial hub.

The region's second fastest growing economy, Vietnam has seen an average annual growth of 7.1 percent since 2000. While Ho Chi Minh City is currently served by various port facilities along the Dong Nai and Saigon rivers, several terminals on the Saigon River are slated for progressive closure over the next several years. Proximate to Ho Chi Minh City's industrial hinterland, SPCT will handle cargo that currently moves through these ports, while attracting new volumes.

Peter Wong, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Asia Region, said: "SPCT is strategically placed to service not only Ho Chi Minh City but also the surrounding industrial zone."

Glen Hilton, Vice President & Managing Director, DP World SE Asia Region, said: "With 500 metres of wharf and five cranes in Phase I, SPCT can easily handle the largest vessels currently calling at Ho Chi Minh City. Dredging of the Soai Rap River to 9.5 metres, completed by the end of 2010, will cut two hours off current steaming time and double the size of alongside vessels to 5,000 TEU."

Unicorn private equity fund sells stake in regional energy holding company

Bahrain, 22 July 2009: Unicorn Investment Bank B.S.C. (c) (Unicorn) announced the sale of a 10% stake in Regional Energy Services Holding W.L.L. (RESH), a subsidiary of the Unicorn Global Private Equity Fund I, to Eastern Industrial & Oilfield Services Holding B.S.C. (c) (EIOS), a Bahraini holding company specialising in the oil & gas services sector. The sale has generated a Return on Investment (ROI) of 124% to unit holders of the Unicorn Global Private Equity Fund I.

RESH was established by Unicorn in January 2009 to serve as a platform for acquisitions, joint ventures and potential collaborations in the regional oil and gas sector. The company currently holds majority stakes in Gulf Strategic Partners, a Bahrain-based company operating throughout the GCC and India and specialising in pre-operational chemical cleaning services for petrochemical, power, oil and gas and process facilities; and Bahrain Maintenance and Diving Services, a leading Bahrain oil and gas services company specializing in commercial diving, rigging, marine construction and fabrication.

EIOS, established in 2008, provides consultancy, maintenance and engineering solutions and services to the energy sector and is active throughout the GCC region. EIOS is the major shareholder in Middle East Process Automation which specializes in the installation, repair and maintenance of instrumentation and control equipment to customers in the oil and gas, petrochemical and power generation industries; and Corner Stone, a multi-divisional organization providing engineering, inspection and maintenance services to the oil and gas and industrial sectors in the GCC region.

Commenting on the acquisition, Aamir Khan, Managing Director of Global Private Equity at Unicorn, said: "We are delighted to welcome a strong, value-added partner into RESH and are confident that RESH and the Global Private Equity Fund I will benefit from EIOS's extensive relationship base as well as the experience, expertise and proven track record of EIOS's exceptional management team. We look forward to working with EIOS to add value to the RESH portfolio companies as well as any future investments by the Global Private Equity Fund I into the regional oil and gas sector."

Ahmed Abdul Rahman, Private Equity Director at Unicorn, added: "We are seeing tremendous growth in infrastructure within the regional oil and gas sector, and with that, exponential growth in maintenance and service businesses. Through RESH, we hope to provide unique and integrated solutions to an industry that lacks regional capabilities, and we are confident that EIOS is well-placed to help us achieve this."

Majdi Khalaf, CEO and Managing Director of EIOS and former Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) senior engineer, commented: "We are pleased to partner with RESH to realise the enormous growth potential of both Bahrain Maintenance and Diving Services and Gulf Strategic Partners, and we look forward to leveraging the synergies between RESH and the EIOS portfolio companies."

Study Highlights Women Power in Silicon Valley Companies

New research released today by Orange in Silicon Valley documents the growing role of women in leadership positions in some of the technology and communication industry's largest and most innovative companies plus their growing influence in the technology sector as a whole.

The study, Her Code: Engendering Change in Silicon Valley, was conducted as a series of interviews in the first half of 2009 with women aged between 12- 60 years-old who were entrepreneurs, directors, product managers, marketing and communications executives, and includes profiles of many diverse and prominent women, trends data, and a chronology of the most significant careers of Women in Tech. The study was undertaken as part of Orange Labs San Francisco’s research program and ecosystem outreach, reflecting the site's dual mission as an R&D center and a presence for the Group within the world's most innovative territory.

The results of this study highlight the growing presence of women in high-level positions inside big companies in the information and communications technology sector, as well as their growing influence in the technology field overall.

"Orange closely studies the conditions that favor the emergence of disruptive innovations, which has a major impact on the evolution of consumer behavior and the way companies operate," according to Georges Nahon, CEO of Orange Labs San Francisco. He adds, "Our study reveals, in particular, the powerful synergies, often overlooked, between the generations of inventors, entrepreneurs, and innovators, as well as women and men from diverse cultural origins who have made the Silicon Valley a uniquely creative terroir." The study also shows the open-mindedness of the high-tech sector and its remarkable propensity for the adoption of the growing contribution of Women in Tech.

Just in the past year, C-level placements at companies such as Cisco and Yahoo! – where Carol Bartz has acceded as CEO of the Internet giant – have created new energy behind the innovation of the growing ranks of Women in Tech.

key findings from Orange’s report show that:
Across the board, women are demonstrating new influence at the executive suites of all of the major technology companies in Silicon Valley, including Google, Intel, Cisco, Adobe, Yahoo! and Oracle.
The traditional under-representation of women in the technology sector is being reversed with the next generation of Girls in Tech, who are prolific users of and contributors to social media platforms invented in Silicon Valley and now in use all over the world.
This 'third generation' of Women in Tech – coinciding with the emergence of Generation Y as a profound influence on the workforce – is already demonstrating a complete lack of intimidation about being in the technology workforce.
More fundamentally, the content creation tools that come built into new devices and the social web, on sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and now the iPhone, are creating a new paradigm for producing computer 'code', making Girls in Tech a powerful source of world-changing innovation.Women in Silicon Valley are rethinking what Work/Life Balance means and redefining how companies approach the needs, of women in particular, at different stages of their careers and personal life.

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Toll Free Hotline for Indians Abroad

The Indian Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, has taken various measures for educating emigrants, particularly the vulnerable category, about emigration procedures, the risks involved in irregular migration and the precautions to be taken while seeking overseas employment. To this end the Ministry had established an Overseas Workers Resource Centre (OWRC) on 8th January, 2008 during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

The Centre provides need based information and assistance to emigrants. It operates a 24/7 toll free helpline (1800 11 3090). Now an International toll free No. 800 091 202 53 has been added by the OWRC for the benefit of Indian emigrant workers and other information seekers in the three countries in the Gulf namely UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. This international toll free number can be reached 24/7 from these three countries.