PPA S.A.: CFO Ms. Li Jin hands over award to Maria Michalakakou for achieving 1st place in the Kick Boxing World Cup
PPA S.A.’s CFO Ms. Li Jin held a meeting at the Company’s premises with kick boxing champion and number one in the world ranking Maria Michalakakou, awarding her for achieving the highest ranking in the world championship, held in October 2022, in Italy.
PPA S.A. actively supports the efforts of the Greek champion, while it is worth mentioning that the Company supported financially the participation of the athlete in the world cup in Hungary, where she achieved the first place.
During the meeting, PPA CFO Ms. Li Jin stated the following: “Maria deserves many congratulations and we are all proud, that through hard work, self-discipline and above all high ethics, she could achieve her goal and won the first place in the kick boxing world championship. Winning the world championship is just the beginning, as I’m sure many more similar, great athletic achievements will follow. PPA will continue steadily supporting the young generation and Greek sports also in the future”.
It should be noted that world champion Maria Michalakakou, is seen as an extended PPA family member as a daughter of Michalis Michalakakou, an employee of the Company.
Ahlibank wins ‘Best Bank in Oman’ Award for the Year 2022
In recognition of its continuous endeavor to adopt a culture of innovation and excellence across all operations that cater to individual and corporate customers, ahlibank received the coveted ‘Best Bank in Oman’ Award at the recently concluded Arab Banks Awards and Commendations of Excellence 2022. The event was organized by the World Union of Arab Bankers (WUAB), at a high-profile award ceremony held in Istanbul, Turkey, recently.
On behalf of the bank, the award was received by Ms. Jumana Aflah Al-Hashmi, Deputy Head -Marketing & Corporate Communications. The prestigious award was bestowed on ahlibank in acknowledgment of its exceptional performance and substantial contribution to the local and regional banking industry. Where the Bank achieved growth in the total revenues of retail banking services, doubled the size of its assets, also expanded its branch network, and recorded an increased financial performance throughout the year. Furthermore, it has also made significant progress in building its retail and corporate business lines through funding small and large-scale projects; and ramping up efforts to develop the potential of young Omanis and provide them with a platform for accelerated growth.
Conveying appreciation to WUAB for the top recognition and expressing the Bank’s delight in the impressive win, Ms. Al-Hashmi of ahlibank said, “This is, indeed, a momentous occasion for ahlibank. We are pleased to be recognized by the top banking organization in the Arab world; it is a validation of our growing credentials as a highly preferred bank in the country. We have found our niche in the local market in a concise period, reaping benefits from our assiduously crafted growth strategy. Our vital financial metrics and performance indicators are proof of our consistent growth and overwhelming success in meeting and exceeding our customer needs. Today, our customers are guaranteed enhanced banking experiences with our suite of innovative products and services and our strategic digital transformation drive”.
“The ‘Best Bank in Oman’ Award, on a major Arab platform, is a testament to our customer-centric approach to banking, which has helped us push the envelope, so to say, in presenting products and services that are on par with global banking standards. Our sustained growth is thanks, in no small measure, to the trust reposed by our customers in our products; we have, in turn, honored this trust and loyalty by increasingly offering personalized banking solutions to different segments of society, including young adults, ladies, and retirees. We will continue to deliver exceptional banking experiences to our customers and achieve more awards that recognize our service-oriented approach to business.” She added.
ahlibank has recently won several local and regional awards; however, this new achievement attests to its impressive first and second-quarter performance this year. The second quarter results, in particular, saw the bank netting a profit of RO 15.8 million, an increase of 18.6 percent over the same period last year. Whether Net Loans, Advances, Financing, or Total Assets were recorded, the Bank witnessed growth in all its performance metrics, demonstrating its robust growth throughout the year.
The WUAB, a sister organization of the Union of Arab Banks, is a nonprofit Arab forum of more than 500 bankers in the Arab region and around the world. One of its key aims is to facilitate a platform for networking among Arab bankers and finance professionals along with their foreign counterparts, thereby strengthening relations with international markets and enhancing the position of the Arab banking and financial industries worldwide.
Santander and IBM to award 1,000 Digital Experience scholarships in AI and cybersecurity
Banco Santander has launched a new scholarship programme with IBM to boost the employability of job seekers and those looking to make a career change.
The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) shows that, in 2019, the percentage of people that had at least basic digital skills reached 58%. A large part of the EU population, however, still lacks basic digital skills, even though most jobs require such skills. According to the European Commission, 70% of businesses said a dearth of staff with adequate digital skills hinders investment. Europe also faces a shortage of digital experts to develop cutting-edge technologies for the benefit of everyone.
The 1,000 Santander Technology Scholarships | Digital Experience IBM participants will receive training that bolsters digital capabilities and knowledge of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, which are in high demand with organizations ramping up their AI investments in 20211 (three in four have explored or implemented AI2).
“I’m very proud to launch the first round of this scholarship programme with IBM; an unrivalled partner and leader in technology with whom we share a commitment to education. With this initiative, we’re looking to reskill and upskill to boost participants’ employability, regardless of experience”, explained Susana García Espinel, director of Santander SmartBank, Santander Universities and Universia España.
“IBM has a strong commitment and constantly invests in skilling and reskilling programmes to make the digital era more inclusive. These programmes open a new avenue for job seekers entering the IT field requiring digital capabilities that are now in high demand in all industries. We are proud that Santander will now use our Open P-TECH platform”, says Horacio Morell Gálvez, president of IBM Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel.
The programme is open to students and workers resident in Spain and to anyone older than 18 who has completed the online evaluation and registration test at https://www.becas-santander.com/es/program/becas-santander-tecnologia-digital-experience-ibm.
The course, designed by the Universia España and IBM, will be on IBM’s Open P-TECH platform from 14 to 25 June. Its syllabus, which will require a 23-hour commitment, will focus on the most relevant basic digital subjects in the digital transformation, including design thinking, blockchain, cybersecurity and Watson.
CSM Wins Crewconnect Global’s Welfare And Corporate Social Responsibility Award
Industry leading initiatives designed by Columbia Shipmanagement to look after the mental and physical wellbeing of its seafarers, have been recognised as best in class by CrewConnect Global which presented the company with its Welfare and Corporate Social Responsibility Award today.
Addressing an online virtual awards ceremony, Mark O’Neil, CEO of Columbia Shipmanagement, said: “We’re pleased that our ColumbiaCareCrew benefits package and ColumbiaFit initiative have been recognised by the industry.
“Columbia takes a holistic approach to the wellbeing and health of our seafarers so we’re incredibly grateful to accept this award. Seafarers are the heart of our business, so their wellbeing is paramount to us. We’re delighted that our efforts to wholeheartedly support our crews’ wellbeing has been recognised. Thank you.”
CSM’s ColumbiaCrewCare benefit package offers Columbia’s pool of seafarers’ life insurance and an investment plan for medical costs, disability provision, and pension planning or house/car purchase.
CSM has also initiated ColumbiaFit which allows and encourages employees at sea and on shore to get fit and healthy. There’s been a big investment in upgrading gym equipment onboard vessels too, alongside employees receiving packages and other initiatives which incentivise and promote a healthy lifestyle.
These initiatives sit alongside CSM’s mental health programme which is provided by Mental Health Support Solutions (MHSS) with professional psychologists available on a 24/7 mental health hotline. Mental health can be influenced through diet too, which is why CSM uses catering partner, MCTC, an international catering management and training provider, to ensure healthy nutrition onboard vessels. CSM has taken a full 360 degree view in its approach to putting seafarers at the top of its agenda.
ING awarded three times by Euromoney
NG has won three Excellence 2020 awards announced by Euromoney magazine including Western Europe’s Best Bank for Transaction Services. ING was also named the Netherlands’ Best Bank as well as Poland’s Best Bank for the third year in a row.
“As you’d expect from ING, western Europe’s best bank for transaction services, technological innovation plays a central role in its wholesale banking offering. This year, ING’s digital-first approach made a number of advances, with services developed in-house and through fintech partnerships,” said Dominic O’Neil, editor at Euromoney.The jury mentioned that ING in the Netherlands showed robust financial results in 2019 as well as in the first quarter of 2020, and praised the bank for its efforts in sustainability and digitalisation.A combination of outstanding digital innovation, balanced growth, and profitability earned ING the award for the best bank in Poland, according to O’Neil.Euromoney’s Awards for Excellence, the first of their kind in the global banking industry, were established in 1992. The full report on the Regional and Country Awards for Excellence are published on Euromoney.com.
Howden awarded Retail Broking Team of the Year for Cyber Risk
Leading international insurance broker, Howden Broking Group (‘Howden’), has been named Risk Retail Broking Team of the Year at Advisen’s seventh annual Cyber Risk Awards.
The Awards recognise prominent professionals and organisations across the global cyber risk landscape, and are voted on by people’s choice. This year’s Quarantine Edition was broadcast virtually from New York.
Cyber is considered the fastest-growing product in the insurance industry, and Howden, as a leading international broker with an absolute dedication to specialism, has combined its in-depth local knowledge and global platform, to position itself as the broker of choice for clients navigating the cyber market.
Shay Simkin, Head of Howden’s Global Cyber Practice, picked up the award remotely, saying: “Howden has long put Cyber at the top of the agenda, having anticipated that this risk would be fundamental to clients. The award is a fantastic endorsement of Howden’s leading expertise worldwide in the field of cyber, particularly as it is clients and industry peers that voted for us. Our global team of cyber specialists remains focused on providing innovative solutions for our clients in the anticipation of the next cyber event, which is always just a matter of time. At Howden, we have the freedom and flexibility to deliver what is best for clients, and to seize the opportunity posed by wider digital trends in today’s fast-moving world.”
The award-winning Howden Cyber Academy was relaunched earlier this year for the benefit of Howden employees, so they can learn from the Group’s experience and expertise, enabling them to better service and advise their clients.
BNP Paribas awarded Most ESG Responsible International Bank Global 2019
BNP Paribas has won Most ESG Responsible International Bank Global 2019 in the Capital Finance International (CFI) Awards. The award recognises the bank’s commitment to the energy transition, and accelerating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In the judges’ report, CFI noted: “This leading European bank, with an international presence in 72 countries, is well positioned to move the needle on the global energy transition” continuing, “BNP Paribas has a decades-long history of supporting energy producers, and the climate change strategy it has implemented will spur the industry’s sustainable transformation”.
Acknowledging the award, BNP Paribas Head of Company Engagement Antoine Sire commented: “Banks have a vital role to play in tackling the climate crisis and accelerating sustainable development. Bold ambition and creating coalitions with organisations – in the finance sector and beyond – fosters positive impact. We are honoured that our effort to be a leader in sustainable finance is recognised by CFI”.
The CFI awards process was extensive, with sources for nominations including subscribers and readers, intergovernmental organisations, a pitching call and senior judging panel from CFI. Capital Finance International is a UK publication reporting on business, economics and finance.
“Nomos-Nomizo-Nomisma”: Corporate Responsibility Award for the innovative program of Alpha Bank
Alpha Bank’s program “Nomos-Nomizo-Nomisma” that gives to primary and secondary school students the opportunity to get acquainted with the history of ancient Greek coins, their iconography, their diffusion and their use as a medium of exchange, received a distinction in Corporate Responsibility 2019 Awards. In specific, the innovative educational program which has been designed by the Bank’s Numismatic Collection was distinguished in the section “Society, Culture and Sports” and category “Large Corporates”, at the 8th competition of Corporate Responsibility Awards organized by the Hellenic Advertisers Association. Since January 2017, the specially designed “suitcase” of the program “travels” to schools all over Greece, offering experiential learning to the students and innovative and interactive educational material to the teachers, for the efficient and creative delivery of the course inside the classroom. In total, 13,136 students from 271 kindergartens, primary schools, high schools, music and special schools across Greece have learned about the history of the ancient Greek coins and how their use modified society. Regarding the Program’s Award, the Curator of Alpha Bank’s Numismatic Collection, Dr Dimitra Tsangari stated: “The distinction of the program ‘Nomos-Nomizo-Nomisma’ demonstrates the corporate responsibility of Alpha Bank which provides ongoing support to the education and culture with a number of initiatives and programs. At the same time, the keen reception of the Program from the students and the teachers all over the country, highlights the strong interest for the history and the use of coinage throughout the centuries as well as for the cult
BNP Paribas: ClimateSeed wins gold ‘Social, Sustainable & Responsible Banking’ award
BNP Paribas ClimateSeed has won a gold ‘Social, Sustainable & Responsible Banking’ award in the Customer Insight and Growth Banking Innovation Awards 2019, run by EFMA and Accenture. Created as BNP Paribas’ first climate action social enterprise, ClimateSeed is a digital voluntary carbon offsetting platform that helps connect investors with tangible projects to cut carbon emissions and support the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
ClimateSeed is a simple, secure, and user-friendly digital platform designed to allow organizations to offset their unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions by contributing to sustainable projects around the world. These projects support the UN SDGs, as they include programmes to educate on decarbonisation and technological solutions to counter climate change through collaboration with start-ups. The platform was launched by BNP Paribas Securities Services during the Global Social Business Summit in November 2018 with Nobel Peace prize laureate Prof Yunus, in collaboration with his consultancy firm- the Grameen Creative Lab.
Winners for the awards were selected through a committee judging and member voting process, which evaluated the originality, impact and universality of innovations. The award was collected at a ceremony hosted in Paris on 16th October.
Sébastien Nunes, CEO at BNP Paribas ClimateSeed, shared his insights about how innovation and sustainability together can accelerate positive impact: “Moving towards a more sustainable future requires solutions which encourage companies and investors to scale up their climate action efforts. As a social business, we are also engaged on supporting further social and economic co‐benefits for the community, and can play a connecting role bringing together stakeholders across the market to promote the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
When reflecting on the achievement of ClimateSeed to win the EFMA Award, Antoine Sire, Head of Company Engagement at BNP Paribas Group and Chairman of the ClimateSeed Advisory Board, said: “BNP Paribas has pioneered solutions to maximise positive impact and support sustainable growth. ClimateSeed – as BNP Paribas’ first social business orientated on climate action – is an example of this innovation that services to progress climate solutions towards a low carbon economy. New approaches to the energy transition require embracing collaborative business models, and we are proud to be recognised by EFMA for this award.”
«Turnaround Business Award» για τη HYUNDAI ΕΛΛΑΣ
Με το βραβείο «Turnaround Business award» τιμήθηκε η HYUNDAI ΕΛΛΑΣ ΑΒΕΕ, ως αναγνώριση του επιτεύγματός της να υπερκεράσει τις όποιες δυσκολίες γνώρισε και να επιστρέψει πολύ γρήγορα σε πορεία ανάπτυξης μετά την ένταξή της στις επιχειρήσεις του Ομίλου Θ. Βασιλάκη.
Οι εμπορικές επιδόσεις της Hyundai Ελλάς στη λιανική αγορά αυτοκινήτου το 2018 ανέβηκαν σε ιστορικά επίπεδα ρεκόρ, χάρη σε ένα ξεκάθαρο όραμα για την εικόνα της μάρκας, την ποιοτική ανέλιξη και τεχνολογική καινοτομία των μοντέλων της και στην αξιόπιστη, ποιοτική εφαρμογή μίας σειράς από στρατηγικές επιλογές σε όλα τα επίπεδα εμπειρίας του Πελάτη, από το Επίσημο Δίκτυο ως την Επικοινωνία. Το ιστορικό αυτό ρεκόρ επιδόσεων ήδη εκ νέου ξεπερνιέται στο 2019, καθώς η Hyundai ενισχύει περαιτέρω την εμπορική της δυναμική στις πλέον υποσχόμενες κατηγορίες, με την είσοδο νέων SUV Yβριδικών μοντέλων, όπως το Tucson 48V Hybrid και το ΚΟΝΑ Hybrid, που ενισχύουν την ήδη καταξιωμένη γκάμα που περιλαμβάνει τα δημοφιλή i10 και i20, την ποιοτική οικογένεια i30 με εντυπωσιακές Fastback και «Ν» εκτελέσεις, και τη νέα γκάμα των SUV KONA και Tucson που δίνουν ένα νέο premium στίγμα στη μάρκα.
Σε ειδική εκδήλωση η οποία πραγματοποιήθηκε τη Δευτέρα, 10 Ιουνίου, στο Μέγαρο Αθηνών, τιμήθηκαν και φέτος μέσω των βραβείων-θεσμός για το ελληνικό επιχειρείν, «Πρωταγωνιστές της Ελληνικής Οικονομίας» -που διοργάνωσε για πέμπτη φορά η Direction Business Network- οι επιχειρήσεις που με τα επιτεύγματά τους και τη σκληρή και μεθοδική τους προσπάθεια οδηγούν τη χώρα και την οικονομία μπροστά.
Τα βραβεία που απονεμήθηκαν βασίζονται στα επίσημα οικονομικά στοιχεία των εταιρειών.