LEADING UAE BANKER MOVES TO STANDARD CHARTERED
David Stewart takes Bank’s top Abu Dhabi role
DUBAI - One of the UAE’s top bankers has joined Standard Chartered Bank to head of the Bank’s Abu Dhabi operations. David Stewart has 26 years of banking experience in London, Philadelphia and Abu Dhabi, and has been resident in the latter since 1990. A well-known and respected member of the industry, David Stewart will head Standard Chartered’s Abu Dhabi operations, which includes a large corporate banking portfolio, and a growing retail business.
“I am excited to be joining Standard Chartered Bank,” said Mr. Stewart. “It’s a great international bank with a leading franchise in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. It is passionate about its customers’ success, a strong business, and a clear strategy in the UAE. These all appeal to me as a winning combination.”
The Bank recently reported its Group 2003 annual results, highlighting its UAE operations with separate reporting for the first time. The fourth largest market for Standard Chartered globally, the UAE continues to be a major contributor and a focus for the Bank.
“David is an expert banker with a deep understanding of the market,” noted Ray Ferguson, Chief Executive Officer for Standard Chartered Bank UAE. “In the UAE, we have a leading position in our main Wholesale Banking products, and are building on these. In Consumer Banking, we are focusing on credit cards and wealth management.
“Abu Dhabi is a key part of our business, and David’s leadership and experience will be a strong additional impetus to our business strategy here.”
Standard Chartered opened its first branch in Abu Dhabi in 1961, and now has two branches in the emirate; and a further three branches in Dubai, one in Sharjah, and one branch in Al Ain. The Bank is a market leader in its chosen segments, including global markets, trade, transactional sales, cash management and lending for Wholesale Banking, and in credit cards and personal loans for Consumer Banking. The Bank is also expanding the success of new product offerings; in particular, its project finance and debt capital markets capabilities.
Standard Chartered employs 30,000 people in over 500 locations in more than 50 countries in the Asia Pacific Region, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the United Kingdom and the Americas. It is one of the world’s most international banks, with a management team comprising 70 nationalities.
Standard Chartered is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and is in the top 25 FTSE-100 companies, by market capitalisation.
It serves both Consumer and Wholesale Banking customers. Consumer Banking provides credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, deposit taking and wealth management services to individuals and small to medium sized enterprises. Wholesale Banking provides corporate and institutional clients with services in trade finance, cash management, lending, security services, foreign exchange, debt capital markets and corporate finance.
Standard Chartered is well established in growth markets and aims to be the right partner for its customers. The Bank combines deep local knowledge with global capability.
The Bank is trusted across its network for its standard of governance and its commitment to making a difference in the communities in which it operates. Standard Chartered in the Middle East and South Asia
One of the leading international banks in the region, Standard Chartered has a branch network of 76 branches in 12 countries.
The UAE is the Bank’s fourth largest market globally, and Standard Chartered has a commanding share in its chosen market segments. In the UAE, Standard Chartered has a network comprising eight branches and 22 automated teller machines (ATMs). A leader in investment services, credit cards, and personal loans, Standard Chartered is also the leading provider of cash management trade finance, and treasury products and services in the UAE.
Overall, the Middle East and South Asia region contributed over 11% of the Group’s revenues in 2003, clearly demonstrating the Bank’s strong network and expertise in the region.
Dubai eGovernment drops participation fee for popular DSS events, eChamp and eStar
Saeed Al Nabouda, CEO, Dubai Summer Surprises and
Marwan Al Naqi, Head of Dubai eGovernment Committee for DSS.
Enthusiastic response drives Dubai eGovernment to dispense with the fee
charged for each participantJuly 27, 2004 Participants in eChamp and eStar, two popular IT-based fun competitions organised by Dubai eGovernment as part of Dubai Summer Surprises 2004, can now compete in the programmes free of charge, following a decision by Dubai eGovernment to cancel the participation fee.
The eChamp and eStar competitions, being held at the Modhesh Fun City,
have generated an overwhelming response from residents as well as visitors,
prompting Dubai eGovernment to do away with the participation fee, with
the objective of allowing more people to participate and gain new insights
into IT.Commenting on the move, Marwan Al Naqi, Head of Dubai eGovernment Committee for DSS, said: "The eChamp and eStar competitions have generated immense interest among participants of all ages. Of the 60 percent Arab contestants, 40 per cent were visitors from Saudi Arabia, 45 per cent from UAE and 15 per cent from the rest of GCC. The remaining 40 percent of the total participants belonged to various other nationalities. Our long-term strategy is to make the entire community computer literate, and to achieve our goal we keep adding new facilities to our portfolio of electronic services. As a result of removing the participation fee, we expect more people to enhance their computer skills and thus be better prepared to take full advantage of our eServices."
Saeed Al Nabouda, CEO, Dubai Summer Surprises, said: "We welcome the decision by Dubai eGovernment to make these events free to all participants. This will boost the DSS Organising Committee's efforts to make DSS events attractive and accessible to all. This move by Dubai eGovernment will help the programme achieve bigger success through increased participation and raise the bar on the quality of events being conducted as part of DSS."
eChamp, which targets youngsters aged between 7 and 18, tests the participants' skills in Word, Excel and Internet browsing. Dubai eGovernment runs testing centres at Modhesh Fun City where participants sit for an exam. Each week, the participant with the highest grade will be selected. At the end of DSS ten top contestants will vie for the title of eChamp. eStar follows
a similar format but targets older participants who have to be above 18.Other key IT events hosted by Dubai eGovernment as part of DSS are Bayt Al Khobra and eFamily. Bayt Al Khobra provides government departments and private sector participants a chance to come together and demonstrate Dubai eGovernment's capabilities in eServices, Marketing Facilities, Human Resources and Training.
Photocaption: Luc Delafosse, General Manager, Burj Al Arab and Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, Chairman and Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd at the hand over ceremony of the first Rolls-Royce Phantom to the Burj Al Arab.
BURJ AL ARAB ADDS TWO NEW ELEGANT ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOMS TO ITS EXCLUSIVE FLEET OF LIMOUSINES
Luc Delafosse, General Manager, Burj Al Arab and Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, Chairman and Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd at the hand over ceremony of the first Rolls-Royce Phantom to the Burj Al Arab.
Click Image for detailed view
Dubai 27/07/04 Burj Al Arab, the world’s most luxurious hotel, has added two new supremely elegant Rolls-Royce Phantoms to its exclusive fleet of limousines, supplied by AGMC, the authorised dealer for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates.
The first Phantom, was presented to Luc Delafosse, General Manager of Burj Al Arab by Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, Chairman and Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd in a hand over ceremony recently at Burj Al Arab.
In priding itself on being a leader in the industry, Burj Al Arab was the first in the world to place an order for the brilliant ‘Arctic White’ coloured Rolls-Royce Phantom. The second Phantom is scheduled to be delivered by the end of this year, taking the Burj Al Arab Rolls-Royce limousine fleet to a total of twelve.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom is not about a single superlative – the biggest, the fastest, the most powerful – but is about an optimum balance of all attributes. True to its heritage, yet contemporary, it is a distinctive new expression of Rolls-Royce tradition. The Rolls-Royce Phantom is a pleasure to be driven in. Raised “stadium” seating in the rear means passengers sit higher than those in the front for an excellent forward view whilst enjoying the generous legroom.
Speaking after the handover Luc Delafosse said: “With unprecedented high occupancy over the past year, and in keeping with our positioning of the world’s most luxurious hotel, the Rolls-Royce Phantom will cater for the needs of our discerning guests, and we are delighted to take possession.”
Stathis I Stathis, General Manager, AGMC said: “The Rolls-Royce Phantom offers the ultimate in luxury, comfort, performance and style. It also combines the best of modern design, engineering and technology, creating a level of quality unique in 100 years of Rolls-Royce history. Discerning Middle Eastern market customers are attracted by the uncompromising design and engineering principles of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars that are as true and relevant today as they were when the company was founded.”
International Union of Public Transport (UITP) meeting in Dubai.
Dubai, 26 July 2004
Efforts are on in full swing to establish the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional office of the Belgium-based International Union of Public Transport (UITP) in Dubai.
Abdul Aziz Malik, Director of Public Transport Department, who is also Chairman of the Organizing Committee for setting up the UITP MENA Regional Office, recently attended the meetings of the Executive Board and Policy Board of UITP in Geneva.
The Dubai Municipality delegation that attended the meetings also included Ahmed Mohammed Hammadi, Head of Abra Unit in the Public Transport Department.
Malik presented three work papers in the UITP meetings, in which he stressed the need for establishing a regional office for UITP in the MENA region.
In his work paper Malik, who is also a member of the Policy Board of UITP, outlined the history of the region and the requirements of the region regarding the UITP regional office. He also informed the members of these bodies the preparations done so far to establish the regional office.
The UITP bodies accepted the proposals of Dubai that included an offer from Dubai Municipality to function a temporary office for UITP at Dubai Municipality in co-ordination with the concerned departments in the Municipality.
Malik said the proposal also had the approval of Qassim Sultan, Director General of Dubai Municipality.
He said that in the meeting, Wolfgang Meyer, President of UITP praised the efforts of Dubai Municipality and the support of the Rulers of Dubai for setting up a regional office for UITP in the MENA region.
Malik said that Obeid Salem Al Shamsi, Assistant Director General of Dubai Municipality for Administrative and General Services Affairs also praised the support provided by Qassim Sultan, Director General of Dubai Municipality for facilitating the activities of the Organizing Committee for setting up the UITP regional office by arranging visits and meetings.
He said the next meeting of UITP Executive Board and Policy Board will be held in Moscow during 29 September - 1 October, where more details about establishing the UITP regional office will be presented.
Malik said that another meeting of the UITP Executive Board and Policy Board will be held in Berlin on 13th April, 2005, where the modalities of setting up the regional office will be finalised.
He said that the UITP MENA regional office will be officially announced in the 56th World Congress of UITP, which will be held in Rome during 6-9 June 2005.DUBAI AIR SHOW EXPANDS SALES NETWORK TO SOUTH EAST ASIAA
Zahara Mahpuz - taking Dubai 2005 to South East Asia
Dubai 26 July 2004 Fairs & Exhibitions (F&E), organisers of the Dubai air show, has expanded its sales agency network to South East Asia with the appointment of Singapore-headquartered Zara Asia Network (ZAN) to market Dubai 2005, the ninth international aerospace exhibition, throughout Singapore, Brunei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.
"ZAN was selected for its extensive contacts built up in South East Asia's aviation industry over 20 years," explained Clive Richardson, Chief Executive, Aerospace Group, F&E.
"We are very confident that this new partnership will now result in a much wider and larger South East Asian presence at the Dubai air show."
ZAN is headed up by Managing Director Zahara Mahpuz who says initial response to Dubai 2005 from both the South Asian private and public sector has been extremely encouraging.
"We are following up keen interest from the government sector in Malaysia and possible independent private sector participation, particularly from the manufacturing and maintenance segments, in Singapore and Indonesia," said Mahpuz.
Dubai 2005 will be held at the expanded Dubai Airport Expo from November 20-24, next year. The Airport Expo will feature a third hall - Central Hall - which has created an additional 10,000 square metres of facilities space.
"The expanded facilities will help meet increased demand for space at Dubai 2005, which is the fastest-growing air show in the world's fastest-growing aviation region," said Alison Weller, Project Manager, F&E.
"We are looking to introduce new blood to the show and South East Asia is a region which will be more keenly targeted to assist in meeting this aim."Dubai 2005 is organised by F&E in conjunction with the Department of Civil Aviation, Government of Dubai and in collaboration with the UAE Armed Forces.
ASPIRE: International Athletic Standards for the Champions of Tomorrow
Doha, Qatar, July 25 2004 - ASPIRE, the Qatar-based academy of sports excellence, remains a topic of conversation in athletic and social circles across the region following the launch of its name and emblem in May 2004. The only academy of its kind worldwide, ASPIRE has as its goal the discovery of talented young athletes and their transformation into world-class champions.
Such an initiative reflects the foresight of Qatar's sports leaders and their ability to develop and create ASPIRE, Academy for Sports Excellence, which integrates sports training into its academic curriculum. This will result in graduates wining sports trophies, benefiting society and becoming role models - inspiring the next generation.
The departments in ASPIRE work together to create the perfect environment for the students. These departments include the Sports, Quality Management, Education and Social Affairs (QESA), Finance and Administrative, IT and Marketing.ASPIRE's goal is to identify young sports talents and turn them into champions. The Sports Department offers the highest international standards of sports sciences, training and support; and engages the athletes in multinational competitions ensuring continuous growth of their skills.
Led by Dr. Andreas Bleicher, the sports department is outfitted with state-of-the-art sports training facilities and the most innovative equipment, abiding by international standards, to ensure an elite sports institute.
"Every aspect of the academy adheres to the highest standards. In order to produce the best athletes, we make use of the latest medical research and advanced training equipment," Dr. Bleicher said.
Dr. Bleicher earned a PhD with honors in sports science from the German Sports University. He began his career as a lecturer at his alma mater, and then became director of the Olympic Training Centers in Koln, Bonn and Leverkusen. From there he became director of the German Coach Academy, the most important training institute in Germany.
He also was a member of the Advisory Council for the Development of Elite Sport in the German Sports Confederation. Coming now to the ASPIRE academy; Bleicher brings with him the ideal mix of experiences necessary to help prepare excellent players.
The Sports department discovers the sports talents through a four stage intensive process, known as 'Talent Identification'. This innovative mechanism begins with a general test of athletic potential which is conducted at all national school, for students 12 - 14.
This year over 8,000 students participated from whom 100 gifted athletes were chosen through physical, medical and endurance tests.
Through medical and physical analysis, the sports department designs specific and personalized programs identifying the appropriate training level, diet and endurance capacity for each student, guaranteeing the effective development of the talents.
With ASPIRE and its superior over all services, young athletes can now realize their aspirations of achieving great athletic success.
eSys Technologies launches eCube, its own brand of IT accessories
Targets the growing Flash Memory market in the Middle East and Africa
July 28, 2004 eCube, a new brand of IT accessories, has just been launched in the Middle East markets by eSys Technologies, Middle East, the wholly owned subsidiary of eSys Distribution PTE Singapore, the leading IT component distribution network in the world.
According to Devki Nandan Dhar, eCube Business Manager, eSys Technologies, "The importance of IT is growing exponentially in our daily lives. From usability in highly specific PC applications, IT applications have diversified to include segments such as imaging and home entertainment, as well as the networked homes of the future. There is also an increased blurring
of lines between mobile phones and computers with advanced PDAs entering the markets. With increasingly complex requirements for storage, security and availability of data, the market has evolved towards sophisticated, technologically superior accessories. This is the market that eCube will target."The eCube portfolio includes a USB Flash disk with options ranging from 128 MB to 2 GB. Besides its exceptional performance, the Flash Disk is housed in an elegant casing, giving it the look and feel of a lifestyle accessory for the mobile professional. Besides the USB Flash Disk, the eCube portfolio also includes a USB Data link Cable, a USB External 2.5" HDD Enclosure, a Multimedia Card with options ranging from 64 MB to 512 MB, a Secure Digital Card also with options ranging from 64 MB to 512 MB and a Compact Flash Card with 64 MB to 2 GB options.
"The market for Flash Memory is evolving very rapidly. The trend of buying higher-density flash-cards reflects the higher capacities needed for increasing CCD/CMOS (digital technologies that control the pixel size of a digital image) resolutions. Similarly, with the digital cameras integrating more and more features, such as the built in MP3 format, storage becomes an important requirement for the end-user," explained Pavan Gupta, General Manager, eSys Technologies. "This is the reason why, in the current eCube accessories portfolio, eSys has focused on introducing technologically superior Flash Memory products."eSys Technologies has leveraged its global presence, to manufacture the eCube range in the Far East, while the quality assurance of the products is carried out by its parent company, eSys Distribution in Singapore. According to Dhar, with "Evolving Electronics Excellence" as the eCube brand's motto, great care has been taken to ensure the highest possible standards of technology, manufacturing process and quality testing.
With the new product range available across the Middle East and Africa markets, the company already has plans to extend the portfolio with new products. On the anvil are MP3 Players and a USB Photo Reader and a whole range of new products.
Incorporated in Singapore in 2000, eSys Distribution Ltd. is today one the leading IT component distributor in the world. It has 25 subsidiaries in Asia, Europe and the Americas and 65 other points of presence. Each subsidiary employs a knowledgeable sales team and has extensive local stocks. eSys is the largest Hard Disk Drive Distributor in the world. eSys is also
the largest Distributor of Hynix Memory Chips in Asia and Europe; and a leading global distributor of other IT components, including CPUs, Motherboards, Optical Storage Units, Floppy Disk Drives, Monitors, Casing, Mouse, Networking components and various other peripheral devices. eSys has also pioneered the concept of Low-Cost Linux-based Multimedia PCsIn 2002, eSys became one of the 9 companies to be awarded both the BHQ (Business Head Quarter) and FTC (Finance and Treasury Centre) status by the Singapore Government. The status entitle eSys to lower corporate taxation rates in Singapore. Structured as a Global Business, eSys has situated its world-wide back-office operations in cost-effective but highly-skilled IT pools, thus improving radically the profit-cost ratios, with country offices focusing their resources on sales and customer service. eSys passes on both these advantages to its clients in the form of highly competitive pricing of the products in its portfolio.Tanmia officials brief technical and business students on UAE labour market environment during a workshop at Ministry of Education
Tanmia's Career Guidance Centre highlights opportunities open to UAE Nationals
in the private sectorJuly 27, 2004 Tanmia, the National Human Resources and Employment Authority, presented insights into the UAE labour market at a Tanmia Day programme targeted at business and technical school students, and held at the Ministry of Education in Dubai recently.
Officials from Tanmia's Career Guidance and Planning Centre briefed the young participants on the qualifications, training and mindset required to adapt to the modern labour market needs and explained the role Tanmia was playing in preparing UAE Nationals to enter the job market with confidence.?The labour market has become complex and it is therefore ssential for young UAE Nationals about to take up their first job to understand the
dynamics of the market before making their decisions,? said Marwan Al-Sawaleh, Acting Director, Career Guidance and Planning Centre, Tanmia. ?Tanmia Day at the Ministry of Education was precisely meant to bridge the gap between young job-seekers and the market realities. We highlighted the importance of technical training with the objective of improving job prospects in the market. We used the occasion to project a realistic picture of the
job market.?Tanmia officials familiarized the students on what Tanmia has been doing to bring UAE Nationals into the job mainstream, including job-focused training for registered job seekers in association with leading training institutes and interactive sessions with private sector companies to open the recruitment doors to UAE Nationals. Students were also briefed on MOUs signed by Tanmia with different companies to firm up placements for UAE Nationals.
?Choosing the right career path is perhaps one of the most important steps in a student's life. A wrong move could lead to a bitter experience that could negatively impact their career growth,? said Al-Sawaleh. ?Tanmia is therefore pleased to take on the role of a mentor, having had the experience
of dealing with hundreds of UAE Nationals and guiding them to choose the right career path.?The interactive session helped the students get a larger view of the market.
Tanmia officials explained how Tanmia had compiled a database of National jobseekers with the aim of devising customized training programmes before releasing them into the job market. The officials urged the business and technical students to register with Tanmia in order to boost their chances of landing the right job.The participating students expressed satisfaction over the programme and thanked the Ministry of Education and Tanmia for creating a platform that familiarized them with the realities of the job market.
