Thursday, November 2, 2017

Rimini Street Named IT Company of the Year

Seven recent awards highlight Company’s industry leadership, community involvement and continued dedication to customer service



LAS VEGAS -Tuesday, October 31st 2017 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rimini Street, Inc. (Nasdaq:RMNI), a global provider of enterprise software products and services, and the leading third-party support provider for Oracle and SAP software products, today announced that it won seven Golden Bridge Awards for 2017, including gold awards for Company of the Year and Customer Service Department of the Year, both in the IT Services category. In addition, Rimini Street earned awards for Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, Fastest Growing Company of the Year, Customer Service Team of the Year and Brand Awareness Video. Rimini Street was also one of only five companies to win the Grand Trophy award for outstanding performance in three or more award categories.

The annual Golden Bridge Awards program encompasses the world’s best in organizational performance, innovations, products and services, customer satisfaction programs, and more, from every major industry in the world. Winners were announced in San Francisco on September 18, 2017.

Rimini Street Maintains Position as Leader and Innovator in Software Support Market

Since the Company was founded over 12 years ago, Rimini Street has focused on delivering a breadth of innovative, premium-level enterprise software support services beyond those generally available in standard vendor support programs, and provided at a 50 percent savings compared to the vendor’s annual fees for standard support.

The Company of the Year Award confirms Rimini Street’s position as a leader and innovator in the software support market, as measured by the Company’s growth and expansion in 2016. This included the addition of support services for SAP HANA Database and Oracle ATG Web Commerce and the increase of its global footprint with the opening of offices in Osaka, Seoul, Melbourne and Stockholm. Rimini Street was also named Fastest Growing Company of the Year based on its reported full fiscal year 2016 financial results. Earlier this year, Rimini Street also won the Stevie Award for Most Innovative Tech Company of the Year in the 2017 American Business AwardsSM.

Rimini Street was also awarded Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year for demonstrating commitment and support to the communities where its employees live and work around the world. Since 2015, through the Rimini Street Foundation, which is funded exclusively by Rimini Street, the Company has donated to dozens of charities in many countries and its employees have performed significant volunteer activities around the world.

Multiple Customer Service Award Wins

Rimini Street’s Global Service Delivery and Global Siebel Service Delivery teams were once again recognized for their continued customer service excellence. To earn the gold award for Customer Service Department of the Year, Rimini Street’s Global Service Delivery team achieved an overall client satisfaction rating of 4.8 out of 5.0 (with 5.0 being “excellent”) in 2016, while keeping initial average response times for critical cases (P1) under five minutes and resolving more than 19,000 very complex Tier 3 cases.

In addition, Rimini Street’s Global Siebel Delivery team won the Customer Service Team of the Year award for their efforts in delivering ultra-responsive, premium-level services to clients worldwide. This earned the team the highest client satisfaction scores in the Company, a near-perfect 4.96 out of 5.0, and helped it achieve average response times of less than five minutes for critical issues.

Rimini Street was also recognized for its marketing efforts with a gold award in the Video – Brand Awareness category.

“Focused, relentless commitment to our clients’ success has been Rimini Street’s core mission since our founding 12 years ago, and we are honored to once again be recognized for these efforts, including being named Company of the Year,” said Seth A. Ravin, Rimini Street CEO. “Rimini Street helps clients maximize the value from their existing IT investments, providing a competitive advantage and additional leverage to grow their businesses.”

About the Golden Bridge Awards

Golden Bridge Awards are an annual industry and peers recognition program honoring best companies in every major industry from large to small and new start-ups in North America, Europe, Middle-East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin-America, Best New Products and Services, Best Innovations, Management and Teams, Women in Business and the Professions, Case Studies, Customer Satisfaction, and PR and Marketing Campaigns from all over the world. Learn more about Golden Bridge Awards at www.goldenbridgeawards.com

About Rimini Street, Inc.

Rimini Street, Inc. (Nasdaq: RMNI) is a global provider of enterprise software products and services, and the leading third-party support provider for Oracle and SAP software products. The company has redefined enterprise software support services since 2005 with an innovative, award-winning program that enables licensees of IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and other enterprise software vendors to save up to 90 percent on total support costs. Clients can remain on their current software release without any required upgrades for a minimum of 15 years. Over 1,330 global Fortune 500, midmarket, public sector and other organizations from a broad range of industries currently rely on Rimini Street as their trusted, third-party support provider. To learn more, please visit http://www.riministreet.com follow @riministreet on Twitter and find Rimini Street on Facebook and LinkedIn. (C-RMNI)

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this communication are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “may,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “continue,” “future,” “will,” “expect,” “outlook” or other similar words, phrases or expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our industry, future events, as well as expected management, the estimated or anticipated future results and benefits of Rimini Street following the transaction, including the expected post-transaction ownership and cash and debt balances, future opportunities, estimates of Rimini Street’s total addressable market, and projections of customer savings. These statements are based on various assumptions and on the current expectations of management and are not predictions of actual performance, nor are these statements of historical facts. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties regarding Rimini Street’s business, and actual results may differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, changes in the business environment in which Rimini Street operates, including inflation and interest rates, and general financial, economic, regulatory and political conditions affecting the industry in which Rimini Street operates; adverse litigation developments; inability to refinance existing debt on favorable terms; changes in taxes, governmental laws, and regulations; competitive product and pricing activity; difficulties of managing growth profitably; the loss of one or more members of GPIAC’s or Rimini Street’s management team; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction, including difficulty in integrating the businesses of GPIAC and Rimini Street; uncertainty as to the long-term value of RMNI common stock; the inability to realize the expected amount and timing of cost savings and operating synergies; those discussed in GPIAC’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 under the heading “Risk Factors,” as updated from time to time by GPIAC’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents of GPIAC on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or in the joint proxy statement/prospectus filed with the SEC by GPIAC. There may be additional risks that Rimini Street presently knows or that Rimini Street currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements provide Rimini Street’s expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this communication. Rimini Street anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause Rimini Street’s assessments to change. However, while Rimini Street may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Rimini Street specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Rimini Street's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this communication.

© 2017 Rimini Street, Inc. All rights reserved. “Rimini Street” is a registered trademark of Rimini Street, Inc. in the United States and other countries, and Rimini Street, the Rimini Street logo, and combinations thereof, and other marks marked by TM are trademarks of Rimini Street, Inc. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners, and unless otherwise specified, Rimini Street claims no affiliation, endorsement, or association with any such trademark holder or other companies referenced herein.

Contacts

Rimini Street, Inc.
Michelle McGlocklin, +1 925-264-6579
mmcglocklin@riministreet.com

Boehringer Ingelheim and Dicerna Announce Collaboration to Develop Novel Treatments for Chronic Liver Diseases including Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)



INGELHEIM, Germany & CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -Thursday, November 2nd 2017 [ AETOS Wire ]

    Dicerna to receive up to $201 million in upfront and success-based development and commercialization milestones, excluding royalties, for an undisclosed target
    The collaboration will investigate a new therapeutic approach that enables addressing previously inaccessible drug targets to protect and restore liver functionality in NASH



(BUSINESS WIRE)--Boehringer Ingelheim and Dicerna Pharmaceuticals (NASDQ: DRNA), a leading developer of investigational RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics, today announced a research collaboration and license agreement to discover and develop novel GalXC™ RNAi therapeutics for the treatment of chronic liver diseases. The partnership will initially focus on nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a devastating, chronic liver disease for which there is no approved treatment option.

NASH is caused by the buildup of fat in the liver, potentially leading to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. It has an especially high prevalence among obese and diabetic patients, and is an area of high unmet medical need. NASH is expected to soon become the most common cause of advanced liver disorders, and it often necessitates liver transplantation.

Dicerna’s GalXC technology platform uses RNAi to inhibit the expression of disease-causing genes by destroying the messenger RNAs (mRNAs) of those genes. This new approach has the potential to treat diseases by silencing previously inaccessible drug targets. It adds a further breakthrough therapy opportunity to Boehringer Ingelheim’s cardiometabolic pipeline and provides additional combination options.

“We believe that Dicerna’s GalXC technology platform is ideally suited for the development of novel RNAi therapies for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and other chronic liver diseases,” said Douglas M. Fambrough, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dicerna. “With strong capabilities in drug discovery, deep expertise in the cardiometabolic space, and proven commercial experience, Boehringer Ingelheim is a natural partner to speed the development of the first GalXC RNAi program targeting chronic liver disease. The collaboration combines the strong capabilities of both companies to pursue the full potential of Dicerna’s GalXC technology to bring valuable and differentiated RNAi therapies to patients with liver diseases and their healthcare teams, and reflects both the promise of the GalXC technology and the strength of its underlying intellectual property.”

“At Boehringer Ingelheim, our research team is diligently working to discover effective new therapies for NASH and other chronic liver diseases, which is a priority area for us,” said Clive R. Wood, Ph.D., Corporate Senior Vice President Discovery Research at Boehringer Ingelheim. “This partnership complements our existing research efforts and expertise and offers distinct advantages in developing exciting new therapy options,” added Wood.

Boehringer Ingelheim has a long history of excellence in the discovery and development of medicines for cardiometabolic disease patients. It has established a broad portfolio of marketed products for thromboembolic diseases, type 2 diabetes, acute myocardial infarction, hypertension, and cardio-renal risk reduction. The cardiometabolic diseases pipeline extends beyond type 2 diabetes and anticoagulation with a focus on innovative drugs for the treatment of the devastating consequences of diabetes as well as contributing factors like obesity.

Dicerna is building a portfolio of research and development programs to advance the treatment of diseases involving the liver, including chronic liver diseases, viral infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases and rare diseases. The company aims to leverage its proprietary GalXC technology to develop innovative RNAi therapeutics to positively transform the lives of individuals living with these diseases.

Under the terms of the agreement, Dicerna may receive more than $200 million from Boehringer Ingelheim, including an upfront payment, development and commercial milestone payments, and research and development reimbursement for a GalXC candidate product addressing an undisclosed NASH target. Dicerna is also eligible to receive royalties staggered up to double-digits on worldwide net sales.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding: (i) the therapeutic and commercial potential of GalXC™; (ii) research and development plans related to GalXC; and (iii) the potential of our technology and drug candidates in our research and development pipeline. The process by which an early stage platform such as GalXC could potentially lead to an approved product is long and subject to highly significant risks, particularly with respect to a pre-clinical research collaboration. Applicable risks and uncertainties include those relating to our preclinical research and other risks identified under the heading "Risk Factors" included in our most recent Form 10-Q filing and in other future filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release reflect Dicerna's current views with respect to future events, and Dicerna does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Please click on the link below for ‘Notes to Editors’:

http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/press-release/collaboration-dicerna-develop-nash-treatments




Contacts

Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Center GmbH
Dr. Reinhard Malin
Head of Communications Innovation Unit
Media + PR
reinhard.malin@boehringeringelheim.com
P: +49 6132 77-90815 :: M: + 49 151 150 20 690
www.boehringeringelheim.com
or
Linda Ruckel
Associate Director, Media and Corporate Reputation
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Ridgefield, Connecticut
linda.ruckel@boehringeringelheim.com
P: 203-791-6672 :: C: 203-957-5114
www.boehringeringelheim.com
or
For Dicerna Pharmaceuticals
Paula Schwartz
Managing Director
Rx Communications Group
pschwartz@rxir.com
P: 917-322-2216
www.rxir.com
or
Alex Van Rees
Account Director
SmithSolve Communications
alex.vanrees@smithsolve.com
P: 973-442-1555 ext. 111
www.smithsolve.com



Permalink : http://aetoswire.com/news/4921/en

Members of European Parliament Visit UAE-Jordanian Camp Mrajeeb Al Fhood for Syrian Refugees

Amman, Jordan-Wednesday, November 1st 2017 [ AETOS Wire ]

The UAE Federal National Council (FNC), the consultative council and UAE parliamentary body, in cooperation with the Emirates Red Crescent, organized a field visit for a delegation of members from the European Parliament (MEPs) of the "EU-UAE Parliamentary Friendship Group" to the UAE-Jordanian Mrajeeb Al Fhood camp for Syrian refugees.

The visit marks the first of its kind by a European parliamentary delegation since the opening of the camp in April 2013 to support the hapless refugees of the Syrian civil war.  Funded by the UAE, the camp currently provides high-quality health care, shelter and education to 9,700 Syrian refugees.

During the visit, MEP Antonio López-Istúriz, President of the EU-UAE Parliamentary Friendship Group, Secretary-General of the European People’s Party and Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, emphasized that the EU appreciates the UAE’s continued commitment to supporting regional and global efforts to provide protection and assistance to refugees and displaced persons throughout the world and in the Middle East in particular.

Antonio López-Istúriz added that the UAE's approach in supporting Syrian refugees aligns with the country’s values ​​and its firm belief in human dignity and human rights. Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, the UAE has granted residence permits to more than 127,000 Syrians. It has also agreed to receive over 15,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years to join the UAE’s Syrian community of 242,000. The UAE is home to more than 200 nationalities.

Antonio López-Istúriz said: "It is important for us as Europeans, because this proves how the EU and the UAE share common values and concerns, especially with regard to the support of Syrian refugees. We were very impressed with the overall services and assistance provided for the Syrians here at the Mrajeeb Al Fhood refugee camp.

Dr Amal Al Qubaisi, President of FNC, stated: “The UAE has a solid track record in implementing charitable, relief and humanitarian initiatives. The UAE is among the largest international donors per capita and was ranked the world's top donor in 2016. Over the past two years, the UAE has provided humanitarian aid exceeding US$854 million to Syrian refugees.”

Contacts
UAE Federal National Council

Mohammed Al Sawafi, Media Director, +971506183874

 m.alsawwafi@almajles.gov.ae

Permalink : http://aetoswire.com/news/4905/en

Velodyne LiDAR Partners with YellowScan for Integrated LiDAR for UAVs

 YellowScan to leverage Velodyne’s lightweight VLP-16 Puck LiDAR sensors for its advanced aerial Surveyor LiDAR system



SAN JOSE, Calif. -Wednesday, November 1st 2017 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Velodyne LiDAR Inc., the world leader in 3D vision systems for autonomous vehicles, today announced that it is partnering with YellowScan to integrate its VLP-16 Puck and VLP-16 Puck LITE LiDAR sensors into YellowScan’s Surveyor for a turn-key and reliable LiDAR system for demanding UAV applications.

Real-time LiDAR systems for UAVs are leveraged around the world for industrial and scientific applications, including surveying, civil engineering, archeology, and environmental science, requiring YellowScan’s ultra-compact 3D laser mapping solutions. By combining its LiveStation app with the unbeatable real-time 3D data capture capabilities of Velodyne’s VLP-16 Puck and VLP-16 Puck LITE sensors – both of which feature a 360° horizontal field-of-view (FoV), 100-meter range, and weighing in at just 830 grams and 590 grams, respectively – YellowScan delivers a turn-key Surveyor system that can be mounted to any drone for short-time data processing needs. The result is a real-time in-flight LiDAR monitoring platform, with users able to see how the final map is being generated in real-time during the drone mission, and the basic map datasets available immediately after the mission.

“YellowScan is known for its commitment to providing reliable and easy to use sensing solutions for the UAV industry, which make the VLP-16 Puck sensors an easy choice for the Surveyor system,” said Erich Smidt, Executive Director Europe, Velodyne LiDAR. “The VLP-16 Pucks are some of our newest offerings, with significant effort put into reducing weight while maintaining the resolution and reliability expected of Velodyne’s industry-leading LiDAR sensors.”

“YellowScan Surveyor, the turn-key LiDAR solution integrating Velodyne’s advanced VLP-16 sensor, enables mapping professionals to do more in less time thanks to tremendously high density and accurate measurements acquired from UAVs,” said Tristan Allouis, CTO, YellowScan.

YellowScan will showcase the Surveyor LiDAR system at the Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas on October 24-26. The company will also host a standalone demo on October 27 from 10 am to 2 pm at the College of Southern Nevada in Henderson, Nevada, where participants will see what it’s like to launch and recover a UAV equipped with a YellowScan Surveyor. In addition, participants will see how the sensor covers the Area of Interest (AOI) via LiveStation and how to process the files post flight into a point cloud.

About Velodyne LiDAR

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Silicon Valley, Velodyne is a technology company known worldwide for its real-time 3D LiDAR sensors. The company evolved after founder/inventor David Hall developed the HDL-64 Solid-State Hybrid LiDAR sensor in 2005. Since then, Velodyne LiDAR Inc. emerged as the unmatched market leader of real-time 3D vision systems used in a variety of commercial applications including autonomous vehicles, vehicle safety systems, mobile mapping, aerial mapping, and security. Its products range from the high-performance, surround view Ultra-Puck™ VLP-32, classic HDL-32/64 and cost-effective VLP-16, to the upcoming, hidden Velarray™. Velodyne’s rich suite of perception software and algorithms are the key enablers of its perception systems. Velodyne supports customers from offices in San Jose, Detroit, Frankfurt, and Beijing. For more information, visit http://www.velodynelidar.com.

About YellowScan

YellowScan designs, develops, and produces UAV Mapping solutions for professional applications. Fully integrated, ultra-light and easy to use, these highly automated data collection tools are used by customers around the world in fields such as surveying, forestry, environmental research, archeology, corridor mapping, civil engineering and mining. With more than 10 years of field experience, YellowScan is committed to delivering the highest level of performance, reliability and robustness for its solutions. Our platforms are field tested all over the world in multiple environments (tropical forest, bare soil, mountains, rivers, coast lines, open-pit mine, power lines). For more information please navigate to www.yellowscan.fr or contact us atcontact@yellowscan.fr.

Contacts

Velodyne LiDAR Inc.
Andrew Hussey, 408-966-5078
Communications Director
ahussey@velodyne.com


Permalink : http://aetoswire.com/news/4893/en

Hilton Named a Top 10 World’s Best Workplace

 Highest ranked Hospitality company on Great Place to Work’s® annual list of 25 World’s Best Workplaces



MCLEAN, Va. -Wednesday, November 1st 2017 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hilton (NYSE: HLT) was today named the highest ranked hospitality company on the list of the World’s Best Workplaces by Great Place to Work®, joining a group of 25 elite global companies recognized for high-trust, high-performing workplace cultures in 2017.

This is the second consecutive year that Hilton’s employees have placed the company’s workplace culture among the world’s best, increasing the ranking to 9 from 17 last year.

“Together with our more than 360,000 Team Members across the globe, we’ve built a truly special culture at Hilton that’s all about exceptional hospitality,” said Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton. “We know that our people are our greatest asset, and we are committed to showing them this same hospitality by creating an environment where they can thrive and be at their best every day. From back-of-house, to front desk, to our corporate offices – our Team Members are the heart of our success, and I’m incredibly proud of each and every one of them.”

Each year, Great Place to Work compiles the list based on global assessments, asking employees about their jobs, managers, coworkers, culture, opportunities for training and support for work/life balance. Hilton also ranked on 14 of Great Place to Work’s country lists in the past year, including number one rankings in Italy, Peru, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Hilton consistently seeks opportunities to invest in its Team Members to help them feel more resilient, focused and optimistic about their work. Several of its leading career opportunities, benefits and rewards include:

    Thrive@Hilton, a new value proposition introduced in 2017 that helps Team Members evolve by creating space for inspiration, creativity and meaningful connections. Through new initiatives like building in time to recharge during the workday, sabbaticals, and modern tools for increasing recognition, Hilton enables Team Members to grow and flourish in body, mind and spirit.
    Industry-leading benefits for all hourly and salaried Team Members, such as parental leave, adoption assistance and GED assistance programs.
    Exclusive travel discounts and perks for Team Members, families and friends through the company's Go Hilton Travel Programs.
    Ongoing and annual appreciation programs that enable guests, peers and managers to recognize Team Members at all levels.
    Time and monetary resources that empower Team Members to support their environments and local communities.
    Ongoing learning and development resources that help Team Members plan and manage their careers and develop new skills.

To learn more about working at Hilton and current open positions, visit our career site here. To see behind the scenes and meet our Team Members, follow us at Hilton Careers on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. Visit us on Glassdoor for our Team Member’s perspective on working for Hilton.

About Hilton

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company, with a portfolio of 14 world-class brands comprising more than 5,100 properties with nearly 838,000 rooms in 103 countries and territories. Hilton is dedicated to fulfilling its mission to be the world’s most hospitable company by delivering exceptional experiences – every hotel, every guest, every time. The company's portfolio includes Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages an award-winning customer loyalty program, Hilton Honors. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose exactly how many Points to combine with money, an exclusive member discount that can’t be found anywhere else and free standard Wi-Fi. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

About Great Place to Work

Great Place to Work is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through its certification programs, Great Place to Work recognizes outstanding workplace cultures and produces the annual FORTUNE "100 Best Companies to Work For®" and Great Place to Work Best Workplaces lists for Millennials, women, diversity, small & medium companies, industries and, internationally, countries and regions. Through its culture consulting services, Great Place to Work helps its clients create great workplaces that outpace peers on key business metrics like revenue growth, profitability, retention and stock performance. Follow Great Place to Work at greatplacetowork.net and @GPTW_Global.

Contacts

Hilton
Lana Petruzzo
+1 703 883 6065
lana.petruzzo@hilton.com

Permalink : http://aetoswire.com/news/4909/en

New GSMA Study Finds That Mobile Industry Accounts for 5 Per Cent of Latin American GDP

Rising 4G and Smartphone Adoption Growing Latin America’s Mobile Economy

BOGOTÁ, Colombia -Thursday, November 2nd 2017 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Latin America’s mobile ecosystem generated 5 per cent of GDP last year, according to a new GSMA study. The 2017 Latin America and Caribbean edition of the GSMA’s Mobile Economy series, published today at the GSMA Mobile 360 Series – Latin America event in Bogotá, calculates that mobile technologies and services contributed $260 billion in economic value to the region in 2016 (5 per cent of GDP1). The report noted that mobile’s contribution to the regional economies has been driven by rapidly rising 4G and smartphone adoption.

“Latin America’s mobile ecosystem is a key contributor to economic growth and social development across this diverse region, building a platform for innovation, investment and entrepreneurism,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer at the GSMA. “Local operators are set to invest nearly $70 billion in their networks by the end of the decade to expand 4G coverage across the region, which will allow greater mobile data usage as consumers migrate to next-generation networks.”

4G Networks Reach Critical Mass

At the end of 2016, there were 451 million unique mobile subscribers2 across Latin America, concentrated in markets such as Brazil (33 per cent of total), Mexico, (20 per cent), Argentina (9 per cent), and Colombia (7 per cent). Around 60 million new subscribers are due to be added by the end of the decade, by which point more than three-quarters of the region’s population will be mobile subscribers, up from 70 per cent in 2016.

The region’s subscribers are migrating rapidly to smart devices and networks. Smartphones accounted for 59 per cent of Latin American connections3 in the first half of 2017 and are forecast to make up 71 per cent of the total by 2020. Meanwhile, after a slow start, 4G networks have now reached critical mass in the region, providing coverage to 70 per cent of the population. As of June 2017, Latin American mobile operators had launched 108 4G networks in 45 markets; 4G is on track to account for 42 per cent of connections by 2020, bringing it on par with the global average. The first commercial 5G networks in the region are expected to be switched on in 2020 and are forecast to provide coverage to 50 per cent of the population by 2025.

Building A Platform For Innovation And Growth

Latin America’s mobile ecosystem is expected to be a growing contributor to the region’s economy over the next few years, forecast to contribute $320 billion in economic value in 2020, equivalent to 5.6 per cent of GDP, up from 5 per cent in 2016. The sector also supported 1.7 million jobs last year, directly and indirectly, and makes an important contribution to the funding of the public sector, with almost $34 billion raised in 2016 in the form of general taxation, including VAT, corporate taxes and employment taxes.

As a result of rising smartphone adoption and 4G usage, the mobile ecosystem in Latin America provides a large, scalable platform for entrepreneurs and innovators. Venture capital and private equity funding has been especially strong in 2017, with more transactions in the first half of 2017 than in all of 2016, which itself was a record year.

With nearly 350 million mobile internet subscribers, the Latin American market is larger than the US and contains some of the world’s most advanced and engaged mobile internet users. However, around 300 million people remain digitally excluded and are currently unable to take advantage of the socioeconomic benefits made possible by access to the mobile internet. These citizens are predominantly in rural and remote areas, with lower income and require special government policies that can stimulate a collaborative approach between the public and private sector to effectively address them.

“Despite progress made to date, too many people across Latin America and the Caribbean are still digitally excluded, and the mobile ecosystem must address a range of challenges if it is to connect these people,” added O’Hara. “Mobile operators are playing a key role in reaching out to these citizens as well as tackling the barriers to mobile internet adoption such as a lack of digital skills and affordability challenges.”

The new report ‘The Mobile Economy: Latin America 2017’ is authored by GSMA Intelligence, the research arm of the GSMA. To access the full report and related infographics, please visit: www.gsma.com/mobileeconomy/latam.

-ENDS-

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

1 GDP contribution includes direct mobile ecosystem contribution (1.0% of GDP); indirect contribution (0.6%); and productivity improvements (1.8%).

2 A unique mobile subscriber represents an individual that can account for multiple SIM connections

3 There were 675 million connections (excluding M2M) in Latin America at the end of 2016, forecast to rise to 771 million in 2020

Contacts

For the GSMA
Clare Fenny
+44 20 7067 0749
CFenny@webershandwick.com
or
GSMA Press Office
pressoffice@gsma.com



Permalink : http://aetoswire.com/news/4914/en

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

P&G’s Citizenship Efforts – A Force For Good And A Force For Growth

P&G Highlights Contributions to Society, the Community and the Environment in the 2017 Citizenship Report


CINCINNATI-Wednesday, November 1st 2017 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) today released its 2017 Citizenship Report, detailing progress in improving social conditions for those in need, advancing Diversity & Inclusion, building a world free from gender bias inside and outside the Company and reducing its environmental footprint. As P&G operates in about 70 countries and serves nearly 5 billion people, the Company leverages its brands and people to make the world a better place through its Citizenship efforts.

“Our Citizenship efforts are a win-win opportunity for our business, for our communities, and, more broadly, for our society,” said David Taylor, P&G’s Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Consumers care about the company behind the brands they purchase and use. They want to know that the products they are buying come from a trusted source, and we’re working to build on that trust every single day.”

P&G published a sustainability report annually since 1999 but expanded it beginning in 2016 to include a more comprehensive overview of the Company’s citizenship priorities. From supporting more than 20 disasters with product donations and services, to sparking conversations about gender and racial bias, to pioneering the world’s first recyclable shampoo bottle made with beach plastic, the stories and examples in P&G’s 2017 Citizenship report demonstrate that innovative citizenship can have significant positive impact on the world and on its business.

Highlights of the P&G 2017 Citizenship Report include:

    Community Impact: P&G delivered its 12 billionth liter of clean drinking water in 2017 through the P&G’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, and aims to deliver 15 billion by 2020. P&G’s Pampers brand partnered with Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurses to design and introduce the first diaper for preemies – the Pampers Preemie Swaddlers Size P-3 diaper. In addition, P&G provided support in response to more than 20 natural disasters around the world.
    Diversity & Inclusion: P&G joined the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. P&G also sponsored the 37th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in its hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, to empower more than 550 veterans to live more active and healthy lives.
    Gender Equality: In conjunction with International Women’s Day 2017, P&G launched the #WeSeeEqual video, which has been viewed millions of times in 180 countries. P&G joined the ANA #SeeHer movement and the UN Women Unstereotype Alliance to focus on eliminating stereotypes and accurately portraying women and girls in advertising. Over the last fiscal year, P&G spent more than $1 billion with women-owned businesses in the United States through its Supplier Diversity program, expanding the program into all five global regions.
    Environmental Responsibility: P&G opened a biomass facility in Albany, Ga., that produces 100 percent of the steam and a significant portion of the total energy used to make Bounty and Charmin products at that manufacturing plant, an achievement that will help reach the Company’s goal of using 30 percent renewable energy by 2020. P&G scientists invented a technology that has the potential to revolutionize the plastics recycling industry allowing polypropylene plastics to be recycled into nearly new condition. As part of P&G’s commitment to send zero manufacturing waste to landfill from all its global manufacturing sites by 2020, more than 70 percent of its sites in 23 countries have now achieved this status.

The Executive Summary of the report, as well as a detailed version, can be viewed here.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://ww.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.

Contacts

Procter & Gamble
Damon Jones – 513-983-0190
Jones.dd@pg.com
Or
Julie deSylva – 513-780-0006
Desylva.j@pg.com


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