Thursday, September 21, 2023

KAL Releases a Full Acquiring Host System for Banks


 EDINBURGH, Scotland

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- The latest version of KTH (Kalignite Terminal Host), from world-leading ATM software company KAL, provides banks with a highly scalable solution for processing transactions.


As part of the Kalignite software suite, KTH is best known as a host terminal handler that drives ATMs, kiosks and POS devices. It is also a robust and future-ready alternative to conventional host systems, suitable for networks of all sizes and complexities.


With the key release of version 3, KTH has evolved into a fully integrated acquiring host. As the demand for resilient and innovative banking grows, today’s financial institutions can now leverage KAL’s solution to deliver a whole ‘host’ of additional capabilities - including end-to-end transaction processing, card scheme gateway support and advanced security. At a business level, KTH delivers cost reductions along with a superior transaction set. It also increases banks’ abilities to differentiate in the market and enhance the customer experience.


Highly scalable host software that’s built to last and designed to evolve


KTH runs in a low-cost hardware environment on virtual servers in the cloud or OnPrem – helping banks reduce total cost of ownership. It is tightly integrated with KAL’s K3A application and KTC management system. The user-friendly KTH Design Studio is included as standard and is similar to K3A’s development environment. Banks already using K3A have the added benefit of being able to apply their existing skills to KTH and tightly integrate the ATM with the host.


Consistent with its original release, the new version of KTH comes with pre-built components, configurable core code and virtualization support that accelerates software development timelines. It is engineered for versatility – making it quicker and easier for banks to support new ATM transaction types when needed.


In the words of KAL CEO Aravinda Korala:


“As banks grow more reliant on ATMs to deliver services, there is a greater demand for streamlined software development and support for new transaction types. KTH thrives in this context as a fully integrated acquiring host. It has a superior transaction set and an architecture that is engineered to scale as needed. As an alternative to conventional host systems, the KTH of today is more competitive than ever before – unlocking mission-critical support and new possibilities for bank delivery channels.”


About KAL


KAL ATM Software (est. 1989) is a world-leading ATM software company and the preferred supplier for global megabanks. The company specializes in software solutions for ATM networks of all sizes and complexities – allowing banks to gain control, reduce costs, increase functionality, and improve competitiveness.


 


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Contacts

Marylin Bell, Head of Marketing, KAL ATM Software

Email: Marylin.Bell@kal.com

FEELM and Aroma King Continue European Expansion with Trendsetting Innovations

 DORTMUND, Germany - Wednesday, 20. September 2023


(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Aroma King, a leading vape brand renowned from Poland, has unveiled its latest disposable product: The Cosmic Max, further expanding its presence in Europe.


Since 2020, Aroma King has rapidly made its mark on the European vaping scene. Its product, the Cosmic Max, has gained traction across the European markets, including Spain, France, Belgium, and Austria. The brand's other flagship product, the Cosmic Box, is poised for upcoming release in Germany, Spain, and Italy.


The groundbreaking Cosmic Max integrates FEELM Max, the world-first ceramic coil disposable technology. It distinguishes itself by delivering over 800 puffs with 2mL of e-liquid, while most of the disposable products in the market only offer up to 600 puffs, thus creating a new industry standard in TPD regions. This technological development presents a superior alternative to many disposables that are backed by cotton coil technology.


With a 30% increase in puff count from 2mL e-liquid compared to its competitors, Cosmic Max sets a new industry benchmark. Another advantage of ceramic coil is it offers a flavour consistency rate exceeding 95%. These features, combined with the device's signature transparent e-liquid tank, not only alleviate e-juice related concerns but also enhance its visual appeal. Reflecting their industry impact, Aroma King proudly received the "Industry Leader" title at the 2023 Vapouround Awards.


Crafted in a sleek cylindrical design, Cosmic Max tantalizes with an array of 15 distinct flavours, offering a rich variety to the European market. Consumer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, frequently highlighting its "smooth", "consistent", and "high-level of flavour reproduction".


Furthermore, the eagerly anticipated Cosmic Box, featuring a unique box design, is set to hit markets including Germany, Spain, Italy, in the coming months.


Aroma King


AROMA KING was founded in 2020 and is most recognised for its disposable vape devices, which have been painstakingly crafted with affection for adults who want to vape smarter. As more adult vapers discover that disposables give a pleasant vape experience, we want to present them with a great-tasting, practical, easy-to-use, and budget-friendly vape that is unequalled among the competition.


About FEELM


As a flagship tech brand belonging to SMOORE, FEELM is the world’s leading closed vape system solution provider. Based on the world's leading Ceramic Coil Heating Technology, FEELM combines authentic Flavor Reproduction Technology with innovative electronics technology, bringing ultimate sensation and premium vaping experience.


 


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Contacts

PR Manager: Ruiqi Wang

Phone/WhatsApp: +44 7502009458

Email: ruiqi.wang@smooretech.com

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

BAT Outlines Five-Step Plan Towards Better Regulation of Vapour Sector

 SEOUL, Republic of Korea - Wednesday, 20. September 2023 AETOSWire Print 



Kingsley Wheaton, BAT’s Chief Strategy & Growth Officer offered the following remarks as the Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum 2023 (GTNF) kicked off today.

Mr Wheaton called for a smarter regulatory framework for vapour products to help governments worldwide deliver on their aims for a Smokefree 2030.

 


(BUSINESS WIRE)--A blueprint for how regulators and governments could better regulate vapour products and help smokers switch to less risky*† products has been outlined today by Kingsley Wheaton, BAT’s Chief Strategy & Growth Officer as the Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum (GTNF) opened in South Korea.


Mr Wheaton explained how BAT’s five-step plan for regulation could support achieving the right balance between harm reduction and the mitigating unintended consequences, including underage access to products.


The BAT leader further added that reckless players in the market need to be penalised when they do not abide by the rules.


Kingsley Wheaton, BAT’s Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, said:


“There are five areas where more could be considered in terms of regulation. These are the areas that regulators should explore and establish smart regulation that is right for their market.


“First, on-device technology and functionality: vapour products should be accessible only to adults. Both underage prevention and restriction is crucial. On-device technology, when applied and enforced across entire markets, could help in this regard.


“Second, more recognition is needed that flavours are an important driver of adoption for smokers seeking alternatives. However, flavours in vapour products should not particularly appeal to anyone underage.


“Third is at the manufacturing and import level: ensuring that non-compliant products cannot reach the market in the first place.


“Fourth, where no restrictions exist already, regulators may want to look at who should be able to sell vapour products and where. Reasonable safeguards at the point-of-sale would help ensure these products are sold only to adult consumers. Solutions such as retail licensing and facial recognition technologies should be seriously considered.


“Lastly, enforcement and penalties: governments must wield their power and ensure consumers are purchasing legitimate products. Such measures should be rigorously enforced and those who fail to comply should face meaningful sanctions.”


Mr Wheaton added: “Let there be no doubt about what BAT stands for – a future where reduced-risk*† alternatives to smoking are embraced. A future where innovation thrives, and where millions of consumers are free to choose from a range of alternatives. We call upon governments, regulators, and industry peers to rally towards a sustainable and progressive environment in which these products are sold and marketed responsibly.”


ENDS


NOTES TO EDITORS


GTNF is the world’s leading conference discussing the future of tobacco and nicotine, running from 19 to 21 September in Seoul, South Korea.


Due to unforeseen circumstances, Kingsley Wheaton’s speech was delivered on his behalf by BAT’s Global Head of Business Communications, Jonathan Atwood.


About BAT


BAT is a leading, multi-category consumer goods business with a purpose to build A Better Tomorrow™ by reducing the health impact of its business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable and less risky products for adult consumers.


The company continues to be clear that combustible cigarettes pose serious health risks, and the only way to avoid these risks is not to start or to quit. BAT encourages those who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch completely to scientifically-substantiated, reduced-risk alternatives*†. In order to deliver this, BAT is transforming into a truly consumer-centric multi-category consumer products business.


BAT’s ambition is to have 50 million consumers of its non-combustible products by 2030 and to generate £5billion of New Categories revenue by 2025. BAT has set stretching ESG targets including achieving carbon neutrality for Scopes 1 & 2 by 2030 and eliminating unnecessary single-use plastic and making all packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.


BAT employs over 50,000 people. The BAT Group generated revenue of £27.65 billion in 2022 and profit from operations of £10.5 billion.


The company’s Strategic Portfolio is made up of its global cigarette brands and a growing range of reduced-risk*† New Category tobacco and nicotine products and traditional non-combustible tobacco products. These include vapour, tobacco heating products, modern oral products including tobacco-free nicotine pouches, as well as traditional oral products such as snus and moist snuff. In the first half of 2023, we had 24 million consumers of our non-combustible products, a rise of 1.5 million on full year 2022.


* Based on the weight of evidence and assuming a complete switch from cigarette smoking. These products are not risk free and are addictive.


† Our vapour product Vuse (including Alto, Solo, Ciro and Vibe), and certain products, including Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, and Camel Snus, which are sold in the U.S., are subject to FDA regulation and no reduced-risk claims will be made as to these products without agency clearance.


Forward-looking statements


This release contains certain forward-looking statements, including "forward-looking" statements made within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "believe," "anticipate," "could," "may," "would," "should," "intend," "plan," "potential," "predict," "will," "expect," "estimate," "project," "positioned," "strategy," "outlook", "target" and similar expressions. These include statements regarding our customer target ambition, New Categories revenue targets and our ESG targets.


All such forward-looking statements involve estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors. It is believed that the expectations reflected in this release are reasonable but they may be affected by a wide range of variables that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated. A review of the reasons why actual results and developments may differ materially from the expectations disclosed or implied within forward-looking statements can be found by referring to the information contained under the headings “Cautionary Statement” and "Group Principal Risks " in the 2022 Annual Report and Form 20-F of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT).


Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in BAT's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the Annual Report on Form 20-F and Current Reports on Form 6-K, which may be obtained free of charge at the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov and BAT’s Annual Reports, which may be obtained free of charge from the BAT website www.bat.com.


Past performance is no guide to future performance and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser. The forward-looking statements reflect knowledge and information available at the date of preparation of this release and BAT undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.


 


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Contacts

Media Centre

+44 (0) 20 7845 2888 (24 hours) | @BATplc


Investor Relations

Victoria Buxton: +44 (0)20 7845 2012

Amy Chamberlain +44 (0)20 7845 1124

John Harney: +44 (0)20 7845 1263

Jane Henderson +44 (0)207845 1117

Briclinks Africa Plc “BTEL” selects Tecnotree Switch MVNO platform, DiWa and Moments B2B2X Marketplace to go-to-market and revenue monetization capabilities

 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Tecnotree, a Finnish-based global provider of digital transformation solutions for Communication Service Providers (CSPs) and Digital Service Providers (DSPs), is proud to announce the signing of a new deal with Briclinks Africa Plc “BTEL” Nigeria, where Tecnotree will provide Tecnotree Switch, DiWa and Moments B2B2X marketplace enabling Briclinks Africa Plc “BTEL” to meet current and future market requirements as Green Field MVNO Operator in Nigeria.


Tecnotree’s Switch for MVNOs suite comprises a full range of business processes that support customer lifecycle and revenue management. Tecnotree Switch is agile and cloud-native, Open Digital Architecture (ODA) compliant, and platinum certified by TM Forum for real-world Open APIs that allows seamless integrations and interoperability. Tecnotree Switch provides an improved customer experience as well as advanced monetization opportunities. It meets the increasing need for new and futuristic services for both retail and enterprise customers. Tecnotree’s Switch BSS enables customers to create a market differentiator and provide tools and open-source technologies to gain maximum benefits in terms of scale, performance, flexibility, and Capex/Opex savings.


Tecnotree’s DiWa Intelligent Fintech Platform powers a Digital Intelligent Wallet that offers a full range of fintech and banking engagement-based wallet capabilities for consumers and enterprises. The platform enables operators with a range of offerings such as P2P, B2B, B2B2X Payments, Agent/Merchant Network Management, Remittance, B2C & B2B Micro-Lending collections, Virtual cards, Salary disbursements, Savings & Deposits etc.


Tecnotree Moments offers a B2B2X Super App, Marketplace to extend a specific set of services via APIs to enterprises and end users in a low-code/no-code platform to spearhead B2B2X monetization enabling social commerce across a range of verticalized experiences in healthcare, sports and gaming to media and entertainment. The platform offers different lifestyle bundling driven by microservices helping Telecom Service Providers grow their business over their current Telco framework and gain mutual revenue benefits from a 2-sided marketplace.


The deployment included products such as Customer Management, Product Catalogue, Order Management, Service Provisioning, Inventory Management, Workflow Management, Real Time Charging, Electronic Voucher Distribution, Dealer Distribution, Customer Self-care, Middleware, Policy Control, VAS Management, along with the DiWa Intelligent Fintech Platform and Moments B2B2X Platform.


The full digital stack deployment includes key differentiators of the solution such as, 360-degree view providing consolidated customer view, self-care capabilities with digital onboarding experience such as real-time charging in Intelligent Network, open-source technologies with configurable process reducing operational cost, and quick launch of digital services reducing time to market.


CEO Briclinks Africa Plc “BTEL” Mr. Mohammed Buhari said, “We are delighted to partner with Tecnotree on this transformative journey. Tecnotree MVNO suite, DiWa Intelligent Fintech Platform, Moments B2B2X enables us to enhance our operational efficiency and cater to the ever-evolving market requirements. It equips us with the necessary tools to drive maximum benefits in terms of scale, performance, and cost-effectiveness. We are confident that Tecnotree MVNO Suite capabilities such as digital customer onboarding, Intelligent customer 360-degree view, Real-time customer insights & recommendations, and Unified Catalog for bundled offerings will not only help Briclinks Africa Plc “BTEL” to deliver superior customer experience but will also complement our 5G offerings for the customers. Tecnotree DiWa Intelligent Fintech Platform shall enable Briclinks Africa Plc “BTEL” to take a big step forward for payments and financial services in Nigeria. In today’s modern era, communication and Telecom Services providers are aiming for the new revenue generation approaches towards B2C, B2B, and B2B2X segment by offering Bundled digital and Telco services which are part of daily lifestyle requirements. Moments offering from Tecnotree perfectly fits to enable different revenue streams for BTEL.”


Padma Ravichander, CEO Tecnotree OYJ, said, “We are excited to collaborate with Briclinks Africa Plc “BTEL” Nigeria and proud to play a critical role towards their move to digitization and advanced services. This partnership marks an important step forward in our commitment to provide superior digital transformation solutions that will allow them to gain maximum benefits in terms of an incremental transformation with new business models, operational efficiency, immersive user experience, and customer data-centric architecture. This collaboration demonstrates validation in our connected offerings BSS Switch, DiWa and Moments providing market differentiators and futuristic offerings that satisfy the increasing needs of telecom operators. This partnership not only improves access to financial services but also promises to create more job opportunities and drive economic growth in the region in line with our vision to empower digitally connected communities.


About Tecnotree


Tecnotree is a 5G-ready digital Business Support System (BSS) player, with AI/ML capabilities and multi-cloud extensibility. Tecnotree is among the first companies in the world to be Platinum Certified by TM Forum Open API standards, and our agile and open-source Digital BSS Stack comprises the full range (order-to-cash) of business processes and subscription management for telecom and other digital services industries creating opportunities beyond connectivity. Tecnotree also provides Fintech and B2B2X multi-experience marketplace to its subscriber base through the Tecnotree Moments platform to empower digitally connected communities across gaming, health, education, OTT, and other vertical ecosystems. Tecnotree is listed on Helsinki Nasdaq (TEM1V).


For more information, please visit www.tecnotree.com


 


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Contacts

Padma Ravichander, Tecnotree CEO

Email: marketing@tecnotree.com

Rimini Street Presenting at Gartner® IT Symposium/Xpo™ Events Across the Globe

 LAS VEGAS - Wednesday, 20. September 2023 AETOSWire  



Executives will discuss strategies for driving innovation in IT and ERP at events in Orlando, Barcelona and Tokyo


 


(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rimini Street, Inc. (Nasdaq: RMNI), a global provider of end-to-end enterprise software support, products and services, the leading third-party support provider for Oracle and SAP software, and a Salesforce and AWS partner, today announced that the company will participate in three global Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo events this fall, following the exhibition and presentation at IT Symposium Gold Coast earlier this month.


Rimini Street will lead sessions and host insightful discussions around how to rebalance innovation and execution, understand and activate best practices to transform IT into a profit center, develop strategies for uncovering hidden resources to fuel business projects, and more - across the IT Symposia at Orlando, Barcelona, and Tokyo.


“For years, Rimini Street has been exhibiting and presenting at the Gartner IT Symposia, connecting with leading CIOs and IT executives across the world to share fresh perspectives and actions they can take to create measurable business value,” said Eric Helmer, EVP and chief technology officer, Rimini Street. “We look forward to empowering the community with timely, high-value information on how to improve innovation, profitability, and agility today and into the future.”


Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo Orlando


In October, Rimini Street will visit the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo in Orlando, Florida from October 16-19. CEO of Rimini Street, Seth Ravin, will be in attendance providing further insights into balancing operations and innovations.


Join the Rimini Street executives in the following sessions:


“From Cost Center to Profit Center: How to Evolve IT Systems into Engines,” Eric Helmer SVP and Chief Technology Officer, Rimini Street. Monday, October 16 at 3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

“Proven Strategies for Protecting Profitability and Growth,” Eric Helmer. Tuesday, October 17 at 10:00 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.

Turn IT into a Profit Center and Innovation Driver,” Michael Perica, EVP & Chief Financial Officer, Rimini Street. Tuesday, October 17 at 1:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

“Striking the Right Balance Between ERP Operations and Innovation,” Seth Ravin, CEO, President and Chairman of the Board, Rimini Street. Tuesday, October 17 at 3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Attend Rimini Street’s executive networking dinner at Il Mulino at Garden Grove on Monday, October 16 from 7:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Rimini Street will be available at booth #915. Visit Rimini Street’s website to learn more about the presentations and the executive networking dinner, and to schedule 1:1 meetings with Rimini Street executives at the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo Orlando.


Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo Barcelona


Next, Rimini Street will be present at the Gartner IT Symposium in Barcelona, Spain from November 6-9. Speaking sessions to include:


“From Cost Centre to Profit Centre: How to Evolve IT Systems into Engines,” Eric Helmer.

“Turn IT into a Profit Centre and Innovation Driver,” Emmanuelle Hose, GVP & Theatre GM, EMEA, Rimini Street.

Visit Rimini Street’s website to learn more about the presentations and to schedule 1:1 meetings with Rimini Street executives at the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo Barcelona.


Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo Tokyo


Finally, Rimini Street will attend the Gartner IT Symposium in Tokyo, Japan from November 13-15. Speaking sessions to include:


“From Cost Center to Profit Center: How to Evolve IT Systems into Engines,” Eric Helmer.

“Turn IT into a Profit Center and Innovation Driver,” Nobutake Gohdo, Chief Technology Officer – Japan, Rimini Street.

“Proven Strategies for Protecting Profitability and Growth,” Yorio Wakisaka, GVP & Regional GM, Japan, Rimini Street.

Visit Rimini Street’s website to learn more about the presentations and to schedule 1:1 meetings with Rimini Street executives at the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo Tokyo.


Visitors to Gartner Symposium/Xpo can stay updated and join Rimini Street’s executives and peers to share and learn how to drive growth and profitability through their IT strategy by visiting this page. RSVPs for 1:1 conversations with Rimini Street executives will be scheduled on a first come, first serve basis.


About Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo


Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2023 is the world's most important gathering for CIOs and other IT executives. IT executives rely on these conferences to learn how to meet the moment and make a difference by providing the vision and results needed to lift their organizations to the next level. For more information, please visit https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/na/symposium-us.


GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.


About Rimini Street, Inc.


Rimini Street, Inc. (Nasdaq: RMNI), a Russell 2000® Company, is a global provider of end-to-end enterprise software support, products and services, the leading third-party support provider for Oracle and SAP software and a Salesforce and AWS partner. The Company has operations globally and offers a comprehensive family of unified solutions to run, manage, support, customize, configure, connect, protect, monitor, and optimize enterprise application, database, and technology software, and enables clients to achieve better business outcomes, significantly reduce costs and reallocate resources for innovation. To date, over 5,200 Fortune 500, Fortune Global 100, midmarket, public sector, and other organizations from a broad range of industries have relied on Rimini Street as their trusted enterprise software solutions provider. To learn more, please visit riministreet.com, and connect with Rimini Street on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. (IR-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 “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “currently,” “estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “outlook,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seem,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would” or other similar words, phrases or expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our expectations of future events, future opportunities, global expansion and other growth initiatives and our investments in such initiatives. 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, adverse developments in and costs associated with defending pending litigation or any new litigation, including the disposition of pending motions to appeal; additional expenses to be incurred in order to comply with injunctions against certain of our business practices and the impact on future period costs; changes in the business environment in which Rimini Street operates, including the impact of any recessionary economic trends and changes in foreign exchange rates, as well as general financial, economic, regulatory and political conditions affecting the industry in which we operate and the industries in which our clients operate; the evolution of the enterprise software management and support landscape and our ability to attract and retain clients and further penetrate our client base; significant competition in the software support services industry; customer adoption of our expanded portfolio of products and services and products and services we expect to introduce; our ability to sustain or achieve revenue growth or profitability and manage our cost of revenue; estimates of our total addressable market and expectations of client savings relative to use of other providers; variability of timing in our sales cycle, and risks relating to retention rates; the loss of one or more members of our management team; our ability to attract and retain qualified employees and key personnel; challenges of managing growth profitably; our need and ability to raise additional equity or debt financing on favorable terms and our ability to generate cash flows from operations to help fund increased investment in our growth; the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters; risks associated with global operations; our ability to prevent unauthorized access to our information technology systems and other cybersecurity threats, protect the confidential information of our employees and clients and comply with privacy regulations; our ability to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting; our ability to maintain, protect and enhance our brand and intellectual property; changes in laws and regulations, including changes in tax laws or unfavorable outcomes of tax positions we take, or a failure by us to establish adequate tax reserves; our credit facility’s ongoing debt service obligations and financial and operational covenants on our business and related interest rate risk, including uncertainty from the transition to SOFR or other interest rate benchmarks; the sufficiency of our cash and cash equivalents to meet our liquidity requirements; the amount and timing of repurchases, if any, under our stock repurchase program and our ability to enhance stockholder value through such program; uncertainty as to the long-term value of Rimini Street’s equity securities; catastrophic events that disrupt our business or that of our clients; and those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Rimini Street’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 2, 2023, and as updated from time to time by Rimini Street’s future Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other filings by Rimini Street with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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, except as required by law. 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.


# # #


© 2023 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.


 


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Contacts

Janet Ravin

VP, Global Communications

Rimini Street, Inc.

+1 702 285-3532

pr@riministreet.com

Intelsat Inflight Connectivity Expanded to All Airbus Aircraft

 

Intelsat’s multi-orbit service will be available for factory and retrofit-installed inflight connectivity systems


(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Intelsat, operator of one of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial networks and leading provider of inflight connectivity (IFC), today announced that its multi-orbit network offerings, relying on LEO and GEO satellites, will be available to airlines and aircraft lessors through Airbus’ Airspace Link (HBCplus) solution. Intelsat will be the largest service provider in the manufacturer’s flexible IFC service catalogue.


“Understanding that no airline is like any other, Intelsat has long offered flexibility and choice to its customers, including fit-for-purpose equipment options, and a variety of business models and passenger service offerings,” said Dave Bijur, Intelsat’s Senior Vice President of Commercial Aviation. “With Airbus, we are offering a new level of sophistication and flexibility that leverages the high throughput of GEO satellites with the low latency delivered by LEO satellites.”


Starting with aircraft deliveries targeting the first half of 2026, airlines may select Airbus’ Ku-band ESA terminal, which is designed for simultaneous connections to Intelsat’s GEO network and LEO networks, like OneWeb. This data routing plan will deliver premium IFC service with an unmatched global level of resilience, low-latency and high throughput that is unique to Intelsat. As part of the agreement, Airbus will manage the HBCplus system installation in line and retrofit, as well as the related in-service support.


“The new blended multi-orbit IFC service is testament to the successful cooperation between the Airbus and Intelsat teams to develop joint solutions in response to customer demands,” said Maximilian Ruecker, VP Cabin Procurement Seats, IFE and Electronics. “Intelsat’s innovative use of GEO and LEO satellites to seamlessly offer a blended multi-orbit solution fits the disruptive nature of the Airspace Link open ecosystem.”


About Intelsat

Intelsat’s global team of professionals is focused on providing seamless and secure, satellite-based communications to government, NGO and commercial customers through the company’s next-generation global network and managed services. Bridging the digital divide by operating one of the world’s largest and most advanced satellite fleet and connectivity infrastructures, Intelsat enables people and their tools to speak over oceans, see across continents and listen through the skies to communicate, cooperate and coexist. Since its founding six decades ago, the company has been synonymous with satellite-industry “firsts” in service to its customers and the planet. Leaning on a legacy of innovation and focusing on addressing a new generation of challenges Intelsat team members now have their sights on the “next firsts” in space as they disrupt the field and lead in the digital transformation of the industry.


Follow Us on Social Media:


https://twitter.com/INTELSAT

https://www.linkedin.com/company/intelsat

https://www.instagram.com/intelsat/?hl=en


 


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Contacts

Steve Lott

Steven.Lott@intelsat.com

+1 202 285-9590

AVEVA Announces Two New Non-executive Directors to Join Its Board

LONDON - Wednesday, 20. September 2023


Dr. Yanbing Li, a digital engineering expert, brings expertise as a tech entrepreneur and innovator in the US and China.

Carl Bass, former CEO of Autodesk, will support business strategy in the transition to Software-as-a-Service.

 


(BUSINESS WIRE) -- AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, today announced the appointment of two new non-executive directors to its board this September. The appointments come as the company further strengthens its focus on the transition to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and expands in key markets including the US and China.


Dr. Yanbing Li is a global business and technology leader with extensive experience building market leading products and hyper-growth businesses of over US$1 billion. Deeply rooted in technology and engineering, she has led large-scale international business operations. She brings expertise in cloud commerce and enterprise software, and the evolving digital SaaS marketplace.


Carl Bass is a former president and chief executive officer of industrial design software company Autodesk. He was credited with expanding Autodesk beyond its core software offerings through acquisitions and new product developments, leading the transition from 2D to 3D model-based design. Carl is co-founder of Flying Moose, Ithaca Software and buzzsaw.


Caspar Herzberg, CEO of AVEVA, said: “We are delighted that Yanbing Li and Carl Bass have joined AVEVA’s board. It is a critical point in our commercial and software evolution, and their expertise and insight will be vital to us as we plan our strategy. I look forward to working with them as we continue to pioneer software that enables industry to be at the forefront of digital innovation.”


AVEVA Chairperson Peter Herweck added: “The expansion of AVEVA’s board to include Yanbing Li and Carl Bass is an important step as we accelerate AVEVA’s SaaS strategy and drive deeper into high growth markets. Alongside our existing strong expertise and experience on the board, they bring expertise in engineering and design software, and seasoned experience of operating in global markets, particularly in Asia. I look forward to collaborating with them both to realize AVEVA’s next decade of growth.”


AVEVA’s strategic focus is on becoming the number one SaaS provider of industrial intelligence. The company is currently evolving into a subscription-led business model.


Since its foundation, AVEVA has grown from a niche design software developer to a leading global industrial software company. Today, AVEVA’s software drives efficiency and reduces costs for over 20,000 customers worldwide, including providing an end-to-end Digital Twin that spans the asset lifecycle from Engineering through to Operations and Maintenance across diverse industries worldwide.


-ends-


About AVEVA


AVEVA is a global leader in industrial software, sparking ingenuity to drive responsible use of the world’s resources. The company’s secure industrial cloud platform and applications enable businesses to harness the power of their information and improve collaboration with customers, suppliers and partners.


Over 20,000 enterprises in over 100 countries rely on AVEVA to help them deliver life’s essentials: safe and reliable energy, food, medicines, infrastructure and more. By connecting people with trusted information and AI-enriched insights, AVEVA enables teams to engineer efficiently and optimize operations, driving growth and sustainability.


 


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Contacts

External.Communications@aveva.com

07920086154


Yubico is Now Trading as YUBICO on Nasdaq in Stockholm

 (BUSINESS WIRE)--Yubico, the leading provider of hardware authentication security keys, announced today that it is now publicly traded under the ticker symbol YUBICO on Nasdaq First North Growth Market in Stockholm.


Yubico announced its intent to go public on April 19, 2023, through a merger with Swedish holding company, ACQ Bure. The merger increases Yubico’s resources globally and ensures more organizations and consumers can be protected against a fast-growing array of cyber threats including AI-powered phishing schemes and ransomware attacks. These attacks not only result in billions of dollars in yearly losses for businesses, but threaten the safe operation of critical infrastructure and services, from government agencies to financial institutions, factories, healthcare and human rights organizations.


“Today marks an exciting milestone for Yubico and our global customers and partners,” said Mattias Danielsson, CEO, Yubico. “We have been a pioneer of modern, hardware-based authentication, leading and setting cybersecurity standards over the past 16 years. As a publicly-traded company, we look forward to building upon this in the next stage of growth, creating even more value for our customers and shareholders, and inviting others to join our journey.”


Yubico’s unique solutions enable organizations to address the source of 90% of cyberattacks: phishing and stolen login credentials. Its flagship YubiKey series provides phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA), based on modern authentication protocols, including FIDO2 passwordless (passkeys) and smart card PIV support. The physical security keys work seamlessly with an organization's legacy and/or modern infrastructure. Yubico Enterprise Services deliver lower cost and value to entry, flexibility, faster rollout and seamless distribution of security keys, designed to meet an organization wherever they are on their authentication journey.


“We are proud and humbled to have built and established a global gold standard for strong authentication, and being publicly traded ensures our technology will be able to better protect millions of individuals around the world,” said Stina Ehrensvärd, co-founder and chief evangelist, Yubico. “This path allows Yubico to continue innovating and investing in our technology in order to meet growing demand for strong and frictionless authentication.”


For more information on this announcement see Yubico’s blog and visit our investor relations site.


About Yubico


Yubico (Nasdaq First North Growth Market Stockholm: YUBICO), the inventor of the YubiKey, offers the gold standard for phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA), stopping account takeovers in their tracks and making secure login easy and available for everyone. Since the company was founded in 2007, it has been a leader in setting global standards for secure access to computers, mobile devices, servers, browsers, and internet accounts. Yubico is a creator and core contributor to the FIDO2, WebAuthn, and FIDO Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) open authentication standards, and is a pioneer in delivering modern, hardware-based passkey authentication security at scale to customers in over 160 countries.


Yubico’s solutions enable passwordless logins using the most secure form of passkey technology. YubiKeys work out-of-the-box across hundreds of consumer and enterprise applications and services, delivering strong security with a fast and easy experience.


As part of its mission to make the internet more secure for everyone, Yubico donates YubiKeys to organizations helping at-risk individuals through the philanthropic initiative, Secure it Forward. The company is headquartered in Stockholm and Santa Clara, CA. For more information on Yubico, visit us at www.yubico.com.


Forward-looking statements


This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and may be identified by words such as “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intends”, “estimate”, “will”, “may”, “continue”, “should” and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. Although Yubico believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond its control. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this release by such forward-looking statements. Yubico’s actual results of operations, including Yubico’s financial condition and liquidity and the development of the industry in which Yubico operates, may differ materially from and be more negative than those made in, or suggested by, the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Factors, including risks and uncertainties that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to risks associated with implementation of Yubico’s strategy, risks and uncertainties associated with Yubico’s ability to develop new services and enhance existing services, the impact of competition, changes in general economy and industry conditions, and legislative, regulatory and political factors. The information, opinions and forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as at its date and are subject to change without notice. Yubico does not undertake any obligation to review, update, confirm or release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that arise in relation to the content of this communication.


 


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press@yubico.com


 

Avaya to Demonstrate Transformative AI Capabilities on Operations and Experiences at GITEX Global 2023

 Avaya to showcase a range of use cases that highlight transformative AI capabilities in delivering outstanding customer and employee experiences across the customer journey


(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Avaya, a global leader in customer experience solutions, today announced its participation at the 2023 edition of GITEX Global, where the company will illustrate how organizations can choose their own journey to delivering AI-powered customer experiences.


Avaya’s major presence at GITEX Global will showcase a range of vertical-specific use cases that highlight the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in delivering outstanding experiences across the customer journey.


Throughout the week of the event, Avaya will demonstrate solutions that harness AI to reimagine the way customer and employee experiences are delivered. The solutions on display will also show how organizations can chart their own path to delivering these AI-enhanced experiences without disrupting existing operations.


“No two words capture the current business zeitgeist better than ‘artificial intelligence’. The capabilities being delivered by AI are super-charging organizations’ ability to innovate with their customer experiences. As we’re showing at GITEX, Avaya supports its global customers as they seek to bring these innovations, on a large scale, into their contact centers,” said Nidal Abou-Ltaif, Senior Vice President – Global Head of Sales, Avaya, and President, Avaya International. “As our global customers look to generative AI technologies, they are seeking a trusted partner to bring it all together without disrupting existing operations. Avaya plays that role both as the contact center incumbent and competitor.”


At GITEX Global 2023, Avaya will showcase how organizations – both public and private - can empower their teams with advanced AI tools to better serve customers, as well as empower customers to create their own preferred journeys across multiple touchpoints. The solutions, demonstrated through real-world scenarios, will also reveal how existing investments can be expanded with new capabilities to deliver an even better experience.


The use cases Avaya will demonstrate at its stand at GITEX include:


The Future of Experience, Powered by Generative AI:

Equating the creation of experiences to an art form, and mirroring generative AI’s disruptive effects on creative disciplines, Avaya will demonstrate how generative AI can sit at the heart of customer experience transformation, touching everything from agent experience to customer satisfaction to operations.


Hybrid AI:

Enabling organizations to build on top of what they already have, the Hybrid AI solutions being demonstrated by Avaya at GITEX use a combination of traditional chatbots and generative AI tools. These solutions highlight seamless handover between bots – and then onto the agent – as well as how generative AI “hallucinations” can be contained by placing them within the sandboxes of existing bot decision trees.


Next-generation employee experiences powered by AI:

Going beyond knowledge management, Avaya will demonstrate how advanced AI tools can help monitor and aid agent wellness, ensuring they stay in the best possible form to meet customer expectations. Avaya will also highlight how AI can help contact center managers easily create custom-made workflows, as well as produce advanced analytics quickly, enabling the entire organization to deliver outstanding CX regardless of changing customer preferences.


Avaya will host a number of their global technology partners and customers at GITEX, highlighting the breadth and depth of its ecosystem to elevate employee and customer experiences with AI. Avaya’s presence at GITEX Global comes in partnership with Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Imperium Software Technologies, Sestek among others.


Visit Avaya at its stand in Zabeel Hall, at Dubai World Trade Centre between October 16 and 20, 2023.


About Avaya


Businesses are built by the experiences they provide, and every day, millions of those experiences are delivered by Avaya. Organizations trust Avaya to provide innovative solutions for some of their most important ​ambitions and ​challenges,​ ​giving them the freedom to engage their customers and employees in ways that deliver the greatest business benefits. Avaya contact center and communications solutions power immersive, personalized, and unforgettable customer experiences that drive business momentum. With the freedom to choose their journey, there’s no limit to the experiences Avaya customers can create. Learn more at http://www.avaya.com.


Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements


Certain statements discussed in this release as well as in other reports, materials and oral statements that the Company releases from time to time to the public constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “PSLRA”). Generally, words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “could,” “intend,” “believe,” “plan,” “target,” “forecast” and similar expressions or the negative thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect management’s current expectations, strategic objectives, business prospects, anticipated economic performance and financial condition and other similar matters. Forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or expected by the management of the Company. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual events or results may differ significantly from these statements. Actual events or results are subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. It should be understood that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Given these risks, investors and analysts should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the document in which they are made. The Company disclaims any obligation or undertaking to provide any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. These statements constitute the Company’s cautionary statements under the PSLRA.


All trademarks identified by ®, TM, or SM are registered marks, trademarks, and service marks, respectively, of Avaya Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


Source: Avaya Newsroom


 


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Contacts

Avaya PR

corpcommsteam@avaya.com

Immerse Yourself in Luxury as Address Beach Resort in Dubai Announces its Latest Incredible Flash Sale this September

  Dubai offers the perfect escape and Address Beach Resort is giving you more reason to book your next trip with discounts on room rates, dining, and spa treatments


Address Beach Resort, the epitome of luxury and relaxation in the heart of Dubai, announces its exclusive flash sale, offering travellers an opportunity to experience vacation bliss. With extraordinary discounts of up to 35% off on room rates, free breakfast, and a remarkable 30% off spa and dining experiences, this is the gateway to creating unforgettable memories.

Address Beach Resort is located in the bustling heart of Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) near some of the best entertainment, dining, and nightlife hotspots. A truly iconic property in Dubai, it stands tall as a landmark of the city and holds two Guinness World Records, for the ‘Highest Outdoor Infinity Pool in a Building in the World’ and the ‘Highest Occupiable Skybridge Floor in the World’.

The spacious, stylishly appointed rooms offer breathtaking views of the Arabian Gulf while 8 unrivalled dining destinations will keep you occupied throughout your stay. Boasting the majestic infinity pool on the 77th floor, the rejuvenating Spa on the 75th floor and a state of the art gym, Address Beach Resort caters to every need.

Guests staying for two nights or more can also enjoy either a delightful Afternoon Tea in The Lounge, located in the elegant lobby, or revel in Happy Hour at Li’ Brasil, a lively fusion restaurant with Brazilian and Lebanese vibes.

This unbeatable flash sale showcases the very best of Dubai, so don’t miss out.



Booking Dates: September 25th to September 27th

Stay Dates: September 25th 2023 to March 31st 2024

Offer: Up to 35% off on Room Rates


Inclusions:

  • Breakfast
  • 30% Discount on Spa & Dining
  • Stay 2 nights and above & get either:

Afternoon Tea in The Lounge OR Happy Hour at Li’ Brasil


*For more details or bookings, visit https://www.addresshotels.com/en/resorts/address-beach-resort/ or call +971 (0)4 879 8899 or email StayAtBeachResort@addresshotels.com

 

Terms & Conditions: Guest can avail the Afternoon Tea or Happy Hour once per stay. Afternoon Tea is served daily from 3.00 pm to 8.00 pm in The Lounge only. Happy Hour available at Li’ Brasil daily from 5.00 pm to 9.00 pm. Other T&Cs may apply.


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Contacts

Natasha Norton


+971585197280


Email: Natashan@katchthis.com

NIQ Expands Data Sharing within the Connect Platform with Snowflake

CHICAGO - Tuesday, 19. September 2023

Availability through Snowflake Data Sharing Efficiently Enhances Real-Time Data Access

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- NIQ, the global leader in consumer intelligence, is pleased to announce the NIQ Connect platform capabilities have now expanded to use Snowflake Secure Data Sharing. This capability marks a significant milestone for NIQ's Connect platform, empowering customers in 84 global markets with enhanced data-sharing capabilities and seamless real-time data access. As a result, this can eliminate processing and loading wait times, delivering unparalleled efficiency and agility in a complex consumer landscape.

“By extending their ability to effortlessly access global, omnichannel data, we can empower clients to uncover new pathways to growth even within a very complex consumer landscape,” said Troy Treangen, Chief Product Officer at NIQ. “Innovation is our compass, and our commitment to reengineering the Connect platform has charted a new course. Our strategic investments have allowed us to unlock the power of modern data sharing capabilities, guiding our clients towards a brighter, data-driven future."

NIQ Connect is a crucial asset for enterprises, enabling them to harness their data across all facets of their organization. With integrated data assets, businesses can readily identify emerging trends, pinpoint performance gaps, and respond swiftly to growth opportunities. This global collaboration is poised to unveil novel insights, leading to a deeper understanding of customers' behavior and preferences.

Additional highlights of the NIQ’s Connect platform integration with Snowflake’s Retail Data Cloud include:

    Seamless Data Integration: Companies will benefit from the seamless integration of NIQ's rich consumer and market data into Snowflake’s environment. This integration simplifies access to vast data sources, and drives significant speed improvements for our clients when accessing data.

    Secure Data Sharing: Availability through Snowflake facilitates near real-time data sharing, enabling businesses to access and query NIQ's data instantaneously. This dynamic exchange of information empowers organizations to stay ahead in today's fast-paced business landscape.

    Scalability and Flexibility: NIQ’s Connect platform with Snowflake Secure Data Sharing is designed to scale effortlessly with the growing data needs of businesses. Whether a company is a startup or a Fortune 500 enterprise, this provides the flexibility to adapt and grow in a rapidly changing environment.

    Enhanced AI and Machine Learning Capabilities: Businesses can leverage advanced analytics and machine learning within Snowflake's platform to derive actionable insights from NIQ's data. This synergy fosters innovation, enabling companies to make data-driven decisions with precision.

    Data Security and Compliance: Both NIQ and Snowflake prioritize data security and compliance. The joint solution ensures that sensitive data is protected providing peace of mind to businesses and their customers while enabling them to meet evolving regulatory requirements.

“NIQ is committed to helping companies become more agile at a time when being able to move quickly based on accurate data is paramount,” Treangen added. “This innovative data-sharing approach will provide Connect customers a competitive advantage today and be better prepared for the future. We are modernizing every level of our Connect platform, and we are excited about the enhancements to help our clients thrive.”

“As an incumbent leader in retail and consumer insights, NIQ has been a staple in the retail industry for delivering data that give a competitive edge to retailers and consumer product companies,” said Rosemary DeAragon, Global Head of Retail and Consumer Goods at Snowflake. “We are so excited to bring together the full power of the Snowflake Retail Data Cloud and the NIQ Connect platform, allowing global frictionless access to critical data through Snowflake data sharing.”

NIQ is dedicated to fostering innovation and enabling organizations to thrive in a data-driven world. The collaboration between NIQ and Snowflake represents a transformative step in the world of data sharing and will shape the future of data analytics. As organizations increasingly recognize the value of data in their operations, allowing them to exchange insights seamlessly and efficiently will empower them to unlock new opportunities and navigate the data landscape with ease.

For more information about this NIQ Connect and its benefits, please visit https://nielseniq.com/global/en/solutions/nielseniq-connect/.

About NIQ

NIQ is the world’s leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. In 2023, NIQ combined with GfK, bringing together the two industry leaders with unparalleled global reach. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights—delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms—NIQ delivers the Full ViewTM.

NIQ, is an Advent International portfolio company with operations in 100+ markets, covering more than 90% of the world’s population. For more information, visit NIQ.com.

 

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Media
Gillian Mosher
Vice President, Communications
(gillian.mosher@nielseniq.com)

“Too Much Time Has Been Wasted”: PMI CEO Challenges Governments Across the Globe to Embrace Smoke-Free Alternatives to End Cigarettes Faster


 NEW YORK 

PMI presents hypothetical model that shows potential for a tenfold reduction in smoking-attributable deaths compared with historical tobacco control measures alone.

New international survey finds majority of respondents believe their government needs to consider the role better alternatives such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products can play in eradicating cigarette smoking in their country.

Nearly 9 in 10 adults agree that public health authorities should fully embrace and seek to learn from evidence and data from other countries.

 


(BUSINESS WIRE) -- A potential tenfold reduction in smoking-attributable deaths is possible if people who currently smoke were to switch to smoke-free products, Jacek Olczak, CEO of Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) will state in a speech today. He will explain the role smoke-free products can play in ending cigarette smoking globally and the human consequences of inaction.


“For over a decade, PMI has championed a smoke-free future. Having invested more than $10.5 billion to scientifically research, develop, and commercialize smoke-free products—which today account for more than a third of our total net revenues—we are living this future,” says Olczak. “Yet, inexplicably, there are countries stuck in the past where smokers can easily access cigarettes—the most harmful form of nicotine consumption—but not the better option of smoke-free alternatives.”


Using the World Health Organization’s data, estimates, and methodologies, along with other third-party data, PMI calculated the potential public health impact of the world’s smokers switching from cigarettes to less harmful, smoke-free products. The hypothetical model shows that if smoke-free products are assumed to be 80 percent less risky than cigarettes and if people who currently smoke were to switch to them completely, then over their lifetime, there’s a potential for a tenfold reduction in smoking-attributable deaths compared with historical tobacco control measures alone.


In a world that demands change, people are counting on their governments to keep up with technological advancements while ensuring innovations are appropriately regulated. According to a new international survey conducted by independent research firm Povaddo for PMI, more than half of global respondents (56 percent) believe their government needs to consider the role better alternatives such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products can play in eradicating cigarette use in their country.


Moreover, 8 in 10 global respondents (82 percent) agree they would be somewhat or very angry, frustrated, or upset to learn that a breakthrough that could help address a societal issue was not made available to the public due to government inaction, and 88 percent agree that public health authorities should fully embrace and seek to learn from evidence and data from other countries.


During a streamed broadcast via Reuters’ (@ReutersPlus) on X (formerly Twitter) today at 10am ET, Olczak explains that, while there are limitations to any hypothetical analysis, real-world examples from countries that accept tobacco harm reduction confirm its positive impact.


Public health data show1, for instance, that Sweden has one of the lowest smoking rates in the developed world, at just 5.8 percent. This is largely due to the availability of snus—a moist oral tobacco product—which Swedish men began switching to decades ago. Today, male mortality rates due to tobacco are much lower in Sweden2 compared with other European Union countries, where snus is banned. Putting that in perspective, the Swedish Snus Commission estimates that more than 350,000 smoking-attributable deaths among men could have been avoided each year if the other EU countries had matched Sweden’s tobacco-related mortality rate.


There is also compelling evidence from Japan. In 2019—five years after heated tobacco products were introduced in that country—independent studies3 showed an unprecedented decline in cigarette sales. The U.K., which has adopted smoke-free products to help adults abandon cigarettes, has also seen smoking rates fall significantly.4


“Innovations become advancements when they address existing issues and offer improvements. Decades ago, our industry was challenged to make cigarettes less harmful. We have delivered, creating science-based alternatives that remove combustion, the primary factor in smoking-related disease,” says Olczak. “It is no longer a case of if smoke-free alternatives are better than cigarette smoking; it is a case of by how much.”


A video of Olczak’s full speech will be accessible here from 10am ET and additional information on PMI’s hypothetical model is available at pmi.com/rethinkdisruption.


Survey Methodology


Povaddo conducted the online survey on behalf of PMI between March 30 and April 20, 2023. The survey was fielded among 30,591 general population adults aged 21 or older in 15 countries: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Tunisia, United Kingdom, and United States. Approximately 2,000 interviews were collected in each country. Data have been weighted by age, gender, and nicotine product use per market to match national statistics. Results are accurate to a margin of error of +/- 1 percent.


Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free Future


Philip Morris International (PMI) is a leading international tobacco company working to deliver a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company’s current product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products. Since 2008, PMI has invested more than USD 10.5 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate, and commercialize innovative smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of completely ending the sale of cigarettes. This includes the building of world-class scientific assessment capabilities, notably in the areas of pre-clinical systems toxicology, clinical and behavioral research, as well as post-market studies. In November 2022, PMI acquired Swedish Match—a leader in oral nicotine delivery—creating a global smoke-free champion led by the companies’ IQOS and ZYN brands. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized versions of PMI’s IQOS Platform 1 devices and consumables and Swedish Match’s General Snus as Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTPs). As of June 30, 2023, PMI’s smoke-free products were available for sale in 80 markets, and PMI estimates that approximately 19.4 million adults around the world had already switched to IQOS and stopped smoking. Smoke-free products accounted for approximately 35.4 percent of PMI’s total second-quarter 2023 net revenues. With a strong foundation and significant expertise in life sciences, PMI announced in February 2021 its ambition to expand into wellness and healthcare areas and, through its Vectura Fertin Pharma business, aims to enhance life through the delivery of seamless health experiences. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.


# # #


1 Swedish National Public Health Survey


2 Lars M. Ramström: National availability of snus is clearly associated with lower rates of mortality attributable to tobacco—while country-level implementation of WHO tobacco control measures is not, Global Forum on Nicotine 2022


3 National Health and Nutrition Survey, Japan


4 Smoking Habits in the UK and Constituent Countries, 2021 dataset edition


 


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Contacts

Philip Morris International

David Fraser

Philip Morris International

David.Fraser@pmi.com

+41 (0)58 242 4500

Julie Gerardi Joins Parse Biosciences as Vice President of Business Development


 SEATTLE 

Veteran biotech executive to head commercial partnerships to accelerate drug discovery


(BUSINESS WIRE)--Parse Biosciences, a leading provider of accessible and scalable single cell sequencing solutions, today announced that Julie Gerardi has joined the company as vice president of business development. Gerardi will lead commercial strategy for large scale applications of Parse's Evercode Whole Transcriptome, Evercode TCR, and CRISPR Detect platforms in pharmaceutical drug discovery and development.


“As demand increases for Parse’s single cell sequencing solution in the drug discovery space, we’ve been bringing on talent that can help lead us through this next phase of expansion,” noted Parse CEO and co-founder Alex Rosenberg, Ph.D. “Julie has an inherent understanding of this market and the experience and relationships to accelerate our already considerable growth. We’re thrilled to have her join us.”


A biochemist by training, Gerardi brings more than 25 years of experience in the drug discovery field to this new role and has led commercial operations in small and large scale organizations, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. She joins Parse from Tempus Labs, where she served as VP of business development, overseeing commercial operations and build up of their biological modeling and tumor organoid programs.


Previously, she was vice president of global sales and commercial operations - synthetic biology at Telesis Bio, and was also senior director of business development, strategic markets spatial protein analysis - oncology at Definiens, where she was a strategy partner in their integration into AstraZeneca. She studied biochemistry at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and holds a degree in biotechnology management from Menlo College.


Noted Gerardi, "Evercode enables single cell next-generation sequencing approaches to be applied to millions of cells from hundreds of specimens in a single study, providing the necessary scope and scale to overcome the limitations of traditional single cell sequencing. Parse is poised to usher in the next explosion in NGS and I’m honored and excited to be part of the talented team driving these advancements.”


About Parse Biosciences


Parse Biosciences is a global life sciences company whose mission is to accelerate progress in human health and scientific research. Empowering researchers to perform single cell sequencing with unprecedented scale and ease, its pioneering approach has enabled groundbreaking discoveries in cancer treatment, tissue repair, stem cell therapy, kidney and liver disease, brain development, and the immune system.


With technology developed at The University of Washington by co-founders Alex Rosenberg and Charles Roco, Parse has raised over $50 million in capital and is now used by over 1,000 customers across the world. Its growing portfolio of products includes Evercode Whole Transcriptome, Evercode TCR, Gene Capture, and a data analysis solution.


Parse Biosciences is based in Seattle’s vibrant South Lake Union district, where it recently expanded into a new headquarters and state-of-the-art laboratory. To learn more, please visit https://www.parsebiosciences.com/.


 


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Jay Roberts, SRPR

jay@shevrushpr.com | 917.696.2142


 

Bynder Acquires EMRAYS to Revolutionize DAM User Experience With AI-Powered Innovation

 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Bynder, the market-leading digital asset management (DAM) platform has today announced the acquisition of EMRAYS, a specialist provider of AI search solutions for DAM.


The acquisition further elevates Bynder’s widely recognised user experience and will improve asset findability for Bynder DAM users. It builds on Bynder’s existing investments in AI and reaffirms the company’s commitment to helping customers conquer the complexity and chaos of proliferating content with the most powerful, intuitive, and richly integrated DAM platform.


With these new capabilities, DAM admins can reduce or eliminate the time and effort needed to manage assets, reduce costs associated with management of their DAM, while improving the speed and relevancy associated with the discovery of assets. EMRAYS enables Bynder customers to further benefit from their market leading user experience, building on their market leading user adoption, especially in large enterprise deployments.


EMRAYS was an existing partner whose technology was built specifically for Bynder DAM. The technology is already adopted within a number of customer accounts and is helping these brands to deliver even better content experiences to their customers.


For brands grappling with the challenges of managing content at scale, EMRAYS similarity search, search by image, text in image search, and duplicate finder impacts the heart of their content operations, allowing teams to find, reuse and deliver more relevant content, quicker and more effectively.


Siemens Healthineers use the Bynder DAM platform across 30,000 users, and already benefit from EMRAYS capabilities. André Kögler, Head of Digital Strategy & Tools, Creative Services said: “EMRAYS AI search enables us to find images and content faster, improving efficiency in our processes. In addition, the enhanced organization features help ensure the content in our Bynder DAM is consistent and high quality.”


Bob Hickey, CEO of Bynder, said: “We are excited to be welcoming the EMRAYS team to Bynder. This announcement comes off the back of recent investments in bringing generative AI capabilities to market.


“Marketing teams across the globe continue to be challenged with the need to manage and distribute a growing volume of targeted content. The acquisition of EMRAYS will help our customers automate the management of this. Like many of our recent AI developments, this acquisition is further proof of Bynder’s commitment to continued innovation and market leadership in the DAM category. The combination of product and people will enable us to accelerate our AI roadmap and deliver additional value to our customers faster.”


Cliff Crosbie, CEO and Co-Founder of EMRAYS said: “AI within DAM has become a strategic ally for marketers seeking to streamline content operations and improve customer experiences. The interest and demand we’ve had from customers to implement our AI technology within the Bynder platform has fueled this partnership and subsequent acquisition. The value that customers receive from EMRAYS capabilities already is invaluable, as marketers overcome content creation challenges and achieve greater efficiency.


“We’re excited about this acquisition and look forward to innovating with Bynder on their AI roadmap.”


For more information on Bynder and its AI capabilities, please visit https://www.bynder.com/en/solutions/initiatives/ai-automation/


-ENDS-


 


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Contacts

Manisha Mehta

manisha.mehta@bynder.com


Tuesday, September 19, 2023

MRM Health Reports Positive Topline Results from Phase 2a Clinical Study with MH002 in Mild-to-Moderate Ulcerative Colitis

 

- Primary endpoint reached: safe and well tolerated, no evidence of adverse reactions related to MH002 when administered for 16 weeks

- Initial efficacy observed in clinically relevant parameters, including 17% significant improvement over placebo at week 8 in centrally-assessed Mayo Endoscopic Severity score (p=0.05) and significant improvement of stool consistency seen as from 2 weeks of treatment (p=0.006)

- At a mechanistic level, anti-inflammatory effects demonstrated by 42% decrease in median fecal calprotectin (a bowel inflammation marker) relative to placebo (18%)

- Full analysis and presentation of the data by end 2023; Progression to Phase 2/3 development initiated

- MH002 is currently the most advanced rationally-designed microbiome consortium therapy in the UC field

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- MRM Health NV, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing next-generation live microbiome consortia therapeutics, today reports positive topline results from its Phase 2a clinical trial with MH002 in mild-to-moderate Ulcerative Colitis (UC).

MRM Health’s MH002-UC-201 study was a multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 45 UC patients at multiple clinical sites in Belgium, Poland and Czech Republic. The study was designed to evaluate safety (primary endpoint), initial efficacy and mechanistic effects of MH002 over eight weeks, with a further eight-week extension period. More information about the trial is available at clinicaltrialsregister.eu.

The primary endpoint was met with an excellent safety profile and tolerance at a fixed dose of 400mg per day over 16 weeks administration. Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events (TEAE) were reported in 35% of patients allocated to MH002 treatment compared to 57% when treated with placebo and there was no evidence of adverse reactions related to MH002.

Initial efficacy on disease activity was evidenced in clinically relevant parameters, including a 12% improvement in Mayo Endoscopic Severity (MES) score (p=0.05, 1-sided Wilcoxon rank sum test), while placebo worsened by 5%. Stool consistency significantly improved in the MH002 treatment group as from week 2 (p=0.006; 1-sided Student t-test). At the end of the eight-week period, 18% of subjects achieved clinical remission compared to 0% of the placebo group (Per-protocol analysis). As opposed to previous trials with other live biotherapeutics in UC, this study was performed successfully without vancomycin preconditioning.

At a mechanistic level, anti-inflammatory effect was demonstrated with 42% decrease in median fecal calprotectin (a clinically relevant bowel inflammation marker) compared to 18% in placebo at week 8.

“These early results indicate that MH002 is safe and well tolerated by patients, and has potential efficacy in mild-to-moderate UC patients who have not responded sufficiently to first-line treatment,” commented Séverine Vermeire, coordinating investigator of study MH002-UC-201 and Professor of Medicine at the KU Leuven, Belgium. “There is a significant absence of treatments for UC patients, particularly in this population, so I look forward to conducting the full analysis of the data and following MH002’s progression through the clinic.”

Bruce Sands, Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York and paid consultant to MRM Health, added: “MH002’s mechanism of action and anti-inflammatory effect in UC look very promising, with the potential of a highly favorable benefit/risk balance, pending larger confirmatory studies. These topline results also suggest that this formulation could have applications across a wider range of other inflammatory bowel disorders, including pouchitis, in which MH002 is also being tested.”

Full analysis and presentation of the data is expected by the end of 2023. The Company has initiated to progress the program into Phase 2/3 development.

Ludo Haazen, Chief Medical Officer at MRM Health, added: “This first clinical study enables us to move forward with our clinical programme in UC. We are excited to see that MH002 differentiated in this early study significantly and consistently from placebo in clinically relevant parameters, including the centrally assessed MES, which was supported by the mechanistic parameters we have measured.”

MH002 is currently the most advanced rationally-designed consortium therapy in the UC field. It was developed through MRM Health’s proprietary CORAL® Technology and comprises six well-characterized commensal strains, selected and optimized to tackle key disease-driving mechanisms with enhanced potency, resiliency, and engraftment. Production is via MRM Health’s breakthrough scalable and standardized cGMP manufacturing platform, allowing the manufacturing of complete consortia as a single drug substance. The ability of CORAL® to enable scalable, cost-effective manufacturing of complete optimized consortia in a single process is expected to provide both key regulatory and patient compliance advantages.

In addition to the recently completed UC trial, MH002 is being tested in an ongoing multi-center, open label Phase 2 study enrolling patients with acute Pouchitis, a rare disease with high unmet medical need.

Sam Possemiers, Chief Executive Officer at MRM Health, said: “These early clinical data are very important for the Company, since they further validate our proprietary CORAL® technology which underlies our portfolio of live biotherapeutic products. The data enables us to take the next steps in our business strategy where we will be engaging with regulatory agencies in all territories and potential new partners as well as driving forward the rest of our development portfolio.”

-Ends-

About MRM Health

MRM Health is a clinical-stage biotech developing innovative therapeutics for inflammatory, CNS and metabolic diseases. The Company’s most advanced program MH002 is in preparation for pivotal clinical development in Ulcerative Colitis, upon obtaining positive clinical results in a phase 2a clinical trial, and is being evaluated in the orphan disease indication Pouchitis. MRM Health leverages its proprietary disruptive CORAL® technology platform to design microbiome-based biotherapeutics, based on disease-focused specific combinations of 5 to 10 live gut bacteria, and to optimize them for faster onset-of-action and increased potency and robustness. A significant differentiator is the ability to manufacture these consortia as single drug substance in a single standardized, scalable and highly cost-effective process. In addition to the program in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, MRM Health has ongoing preclinical programs in Parkinson’s Disease and Spondyloarthritis, and partnered programs with IFF in Type 2 Diabetes and NAFLD.

For more information, please visit the website at www.mrmhealth.com.

About IBD and UC

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, autoimmune, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterized by mucosal inflammation of the colon resulting in debilitating diarrhea, abdominal pain, and rectal bleeding with significant impact on quality of life of patients and an increased risk of colorectal cancer development. Whereas many treatments exist and are in development for moderate-to-severe UC, only very limited options are available for mild-to-moderate disease. Current therapies have a merely symptomatic anti-inflammatory and/or an immunosuppressant effect and in many cases fail to induce enduring remission and/or cause potentially severe adverse events. These treatments also do not tackle what is considered as one of the core problems of UC, the overall poverty of microorganisms present in the gut of UC patients, also termed gut dysbiosis. MH002 is designed to enrich the gut microbiome of UC patients and thereby tackle what is considered a root cause of the disease.


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Contacts
For further information please contact:

MRM Health
Dr Sam Possemiers – CEO
Christiane Verhaegen – CFO

Tel: +32.9.277.08.50
info@mrmhealth.com

Instinctif Partners (media)
Melanie Toyne-Sewell
Giulia Lasagni

Tel: +44 207 457 2020
MRMHealth@instinctif.com