Category: News

Prosperity

Independent Financial Consultants Helping to Secure Your Finance Future

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Prosperity are independent financial consultants that provide unbiased and comprehensive financial advice to both corporate and private clients. Following their win in the 2019 CEO Business Elite programme as the ‘UAE’s Leading Insurance Brokers’ we took a closer look at the firm to find out more about their particular brand of expertise.

On the whole, people are becoming vastly more aware of the plethora of options available to them when it comes to finance management. Moreover, over the last few years, the industry has taken great steps to make itself more accessible, as clients of all backgrounds understand that -regardless of their situation – anyone can take action to secure their financial future. By all considerations, like most industries in this day and age, financial consultancy is changing, and changing quickly.

In this new client-centric landscape, Prosperity has swiftly distinguished themselves through an ability to provide truly independent advice that serves the best interests of their clients and not to endorse a particular product. Indeed, in Prosperity’s own words: “As Independent Financial Advisors we work for our client’s needs not the product provider, so whatever market, we will do our very best to ensure your requirements are met.” Moreover, with a particular expertise in international financial planning, they have quickly become the ‘first choice’ for clients looking to capitalise on a broader, more comprehensive range of services and experience.

Working primarily with Expatriates of all nationalities, alongside UAE nationals, Prosperity offer investment and savings advice alongside life, health and general insurance products. On a more corporate front, Prosperity represent a number of major international blue-chip corporations as well as UAE-based companies, both in the traditional and Islamic marketplace. Of note is the company’s focus on insurance, with a history of providing the best coverage for those who want some peace of mind. In this, they once again work alongside the client to ensure that the coverage and terms fit the client in question, not to fill some quota on their side. This integrity has proven an early differentiator in what is becoming an increasingly competitive sphere and, furthermore, has allowed Prosperity to thrive in a market that is in constant flux.

Robert Gibson

Northacre Appoints Robert Gibson as New Construction Director

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Robert Gibson

Bringing a wealth of experience with more than 30 years in the construction industry.

Northacre, the leading London prime property developer, has recently appointed Robert Gibson as the company’s new Construction Director. With more than 30 years in the construction industry, Robert has previously worked for Berkeley Homes and Bouygues and will be managing the construction of both No. 1 Palace Street and The Broadway.

Having started his career as a site engineer, Robert quickly progressed into project management where he has worked with high profile contractors and developers on some of the capital’s most challenging developments over the last 15 years, including Battersea Power Station, Vista and Kensington Palace Gardens.

Robert Gibson: “I have always viewed Northacre as a true world-class developer on both heritage revival and new build projects. Their approach to delivering outstanding projects on challenging sites is second to none and I look forward to working on No. 1 Palace Street and The Broadway.”

For more than 30 years, Northacre has enjoyed a market-leading status for creating exceptional living experiences in the most sought-after locations in London.

Niccolò Barattieri di San Pietro, Chief Executive at Northacre commented: “Robert has spent over 30 years in the construction industry and brings extensive knowledge and expertise to both of our current projects. We’re delighted to have him on board as Northacre enters a milestone year with the completion of No. 1 Palace Street.”

No. 1 Palace Street is set to be completed towards the end of 2020 and The Broadway is expected to complete Q4 of 2021.

For more information please visit: www.northacre.com

Zenith

Zenith Bank : In Their Clients Best Interests

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Established in 1990, Zenith Bank made a swift impression on the Nigerian banking landscape. In the thirty years since, they have solidified an enviable position in Africa’s banking industry, growing to expand into subsidiaries in Ghana, South Africa, Gambia, and Sierra Leone. The Managing Director and CEO of Zenith Bank Ghana, Mr. Henry Oroh, was recently recognised as the CEO of the Year for Ghana. We spoke to Henry to find out more.

Zenith Bank is, in many ways, a company ahead of its time. Indeed, in an era where banking was solidifying itself in the physical realm, Zenith understood it needed to be different from the outset, emboldened by a customer demand for a new face in a market that was becoming defined by the usual stalwarts. In this, Zenith offered a refreshing tonic, combining an innovative ethos with a company culture that incorporated integrity, loyalty and corporate governance.

With all this in mind, it can be no surprise that Zenith Bank has grown like it has, moving across West Africa – and beyond- to become one of the giants in the market. Of particular note is its presence in Ghana: with its booming economy, the country has long been a promising location for some of the world’s largest brands looking to get a strong foothold on the continent.

For Zenith Bank, which had seen great success in Nigeria, Ghana must have seemed like the next logical step. Indeed, as Henry explains, the bank has only seen incredible success upon entering the Ghanaian market. “Zenith Bank Ghana has followed sturdily in the footprints of its parent and is currently one of the strongest and most profitable banking brands in Ghana. It is also one of the largest banks by asset size in Ghana. The Bank’s branding has been anchored on continuous investment in people, technology and excellent customer service. Zenith Bank (Ghana) Limited is an epitome of a stable and strong organization with a brand and customer service which is the envy of its peers

“Ultimately, Our vision is “to be a reference point in the provision of prompt, flawless and innovative banking products and services in the Ghanaian banking industry”. With this as our backing, we stay ahead of competition by outperforming our peers to be a market leader.” Henry adds.

In everything else, Zenith Bank operates much like a hybrid entity, combining top-tier expertise and cutting-edge technology with a client-centric approach that truly puts the customer at the centre of their operations. Of particular note, is the company’s dedication to constant improvement as they look to distance themselves from any potential competition. Tying into this is Zenith’s commitment to substantial investment in its digital infrastructure, which has seen recent developments in the form of online banking integration and mobile payment options. Throughout it all, the client’s best interest remains the vital cornerstone to the bank’s philosophy – everything they do is to improve the client experience.

Here, Henry speaks for a moment on the bank’s efforts to ensure that the client remains, always, beyond satisfied with their service at Zenith Bank. “The Bank’s mission is to invest in the best people, technology and the environment, only then can we truly satisfy our customers. As a Bank, we have set up various channels -manned by knowledgeable and highly skilled staff who have a good understanding and appreciation of exceptional customer service- to communicate with our customers. Our customer-centred innovations such as our wellresourced and service-attuned 24hour customer contact centre, social media platforms and inbranch feedback mechanisms provide avenues for the Bank to engage its customers to evaluate the level of service being enjoyed and to assist with customer enquiries and complaints in order to ensure total customer satisfaction at all times.”

This, ultimately, colours Zenith’s future, as they look to adaptation, proactivity and innovation as the keys to securing their enduring success in an industry which is trying desperately to keep pace. For Henry, the bank’s focus remains on reinforcing the things that makes them different. “Our focus will mainly be on Customer Service, Financial Performance, Digital Banking, a Robust Retail Banking Structure and Brand amplification. Of course, we will be taking advantage of any and all opportunities as they reveal themselves in the greater marketplace.” For the time being at least, they have made their mark, becoming one of Africa’s true banking goliaths.

RAK Ceramics

RAK Ceramics : In Pursuit of Excellence

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RAK Ceramics
 

Serving clients across more than 150 countries, RAK Ceramics is one of the largest ceramics’ brands in the world. Following Abdallah Massaad, Group CEO of RAK Ceramics, being named as the 2019 CEO of the Year for the United Arab Emirates, we took a closer look at the firm to find out more about their expertise and services.

What is most impressive about RAK Ceramics’ success is its adaptability, thriving against the odds of two economic recessions to become a goliath in their industry. In this, it is hard to overestimate Abdallah’s influence as he works to define and refine the core ethos of his company, subsequently driving it toward ever greater heights. There’s a sort of restlessness to Abdallah, a need to innovate and proactively seek out new avenues for growth at every turn.

This need to be the most innovative, the most forwardthinking and the most futureproof is evident when looking at their ever-expanding product line, which looks to meet any requirement and satisfy any taste. All in all, RAK Ceramics has set a relentless pace which has allowed it to outpace potential competitors and secure their position at the very top of the market. From creating illuminating glow-in-the-dark tiles in 2004, and a rimless ceramic in 2016, to a sustainable green building alternative in 2006 and an ability to produce supersized slabs in 2014. Creativity, evolution and innovation.

 

“We pride ourselves on having higher than average employee retention rates and believe in fostering a culture of learning and development to encourage excellence.” – Abdallah Massaad, Group CEO of RAK Ceramics.

Perhaps, in some ways, 30 years since its formation, all of this is to be expected. As a business in the United Arab Emirates there is a certain demand for excellence – after all, the region is a hub of business excellence, advocating for the highest of standards across the global professional landscape. RAK Ceramics very much fits this mould. Since 1989, they have sought to redefine best practices in their industry and beyond, thriving in an environment where countless others have failed.

Establishing themselves in 1989 their first tile plant began production in Ras Al Khaimah in 1991 with an annual output of 1,825,000 square metres of tiles. In 2000, they opened their first overseas plant in Bangladesh, which could achieve an annual output of 3,650,000 square metres of tiles. Ten years later, they became the world’s number one ceramics manufacturer producing 115 million square metres of tiles per year globally. Ultimately, this has never been a company to rest on its laurels or expect success to come naturally. They’ve worked hard for every inch of success they’ve achieved -and continue to achieve – to this day.

Outside of pure business pursuits, RAK Ceramics also has a comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility programme that focuses on supporting humanity, inspiring creativity, empowering education, and celebrating excellence. Creativity and innovation are at the heart of RAK Ceramics’ philosophy. Through their creative partnerships with schools and other local community groups they encourage people to create and innovate on a variety of projects. Moreover, they sponsor educational festivals and host educational tours for students with visits to our showroom and manufacturing plants.

With approximately 15,000 employees from all around the world, RAK Ceramics can truly be considered a global powerhouse with a future that looks set to only reinforce their enviable position on the market. Abdallah’s influence can be seen across the entire company, making him a worthy recipient of the CEO of the Year accolade.

MBC

The Leading Media Group in the MENA Region

Posted on | by root
 

MBC Group is the largest and leading media company in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region. Following the success of the Group’s CEO, Sam Barnett, in the 2019 CEO of the Year programme, we take a closer look to find out more about the meteoric rise of this media leviathan.

Though MBC Group was originally established in London, in 1991, it has seen extraordinary growth since relocating to Dubai in 2002. Indeed, since then and over the last seventeen years, the group has become an undisputed leader, both in the MENA region and the Media industry, inspired by the media visionary Chairman Waleed Al Ibrahim and spurred on by CEO Sam Barnett.

Today, MBC Group spans 18 top-rated TV channels, including MBC1 and MBC4 – which offer general family entertainment; the English-language, film-focused MBC2 and MBC MAX; children’s network MBC3; MBC MASR and MBC MASR2, which offer general family entertainment geared towards Egyptian families and MBC Iraq serving Iraqi families, among other channels and offerings. Original content is also at the core of operations, with MBC Studios producing the region’s most compelling premium content for cinema, television and on-demand platforms.

Perhaps this explains how MBC Group has grown to become an undisputed media conglomerate – with an intense dedication to diversity and cultural variety. Barnett echoes this most fundamental of ethos, describing the Group’s company culture as a deeply “enriching atmosphere”, driven by people who are ambitious, passionate, talented and resilient.

Diversity too can be seen in the organisation’s efforts to expand into other outlets and applications; this is a company eager to push boundaries and to innovate. MBC has launched the largest Arabic Video-On-Demand (VOD) platforms, SHAHID and SHAHID PLUS, now capturing 27 million monthly users. MBC’s events division has brought international brands like “Cirque du Soleil” to Saudi Arabia. And soon, the Group will launch a local channel targeting North African audiences.

There’s no doubt that MBC Group is a tour de force in MENA, seeking to constantly adapt to consumer needs and aspirations. As a result of all this, the Group has become a fully-fledged and diversified media power house that touches the lives of 150 million people each day. An impressive feat by any measure.

Today, MBC Group finds itself focusing on expansion, as they look to action a comprehensive five-year plan, based around amplifying their organic and inorganic growth.

Working for Chairman Waleed Al Ibrahim, Sam Barnett joined MBC Group in 2002 as it moved from London to Dubai. Barnett comes from a management consulting background and is proud of the strong commercial organisation that has become a pillar of MBC’s growth. Growing up in New Zealand and the UK, Barnett is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, and holds an MBA from INSEAD. Prior to joining MBC, Barnett worked in East Africa, India and the UK.

Sam Barnett is pictured in the featured image.

board of directors

Creating your Board: The CEO

Posted on | by root
 

By Sam Smith, Chief Executive Officer on the finnCap Board

CEO of the finnCap Board, Sam Smith, discusses the importance of having a strong company board, and shares her experience of how to choose the right board. 

How do I choose my board? Well, I start with what, and who, I value.

I think it’s fair to say we all have our favoured support networks. Whether we consciously chose them or not, everybody has their most trusted advisers, those certain people in our family, friends or social groups who we inadvertently always turn to for an opinion or guidance. Let’s say you were thinking of moving house to a new part of town with your family – is there a cabal of people you would naturally consult in this big decision making scenario? Your significant other that’s doing it with you? Your parents that have done it before? Your best friend? Your other friend who works as an estate agent?

That group of people would be best candidates as your personal ‘board’.

In many ways a board is no different. Sure, it’s a committee that meets to make important decisions on strategy. But in other ways it can be a bit like a family. It’s not a groupthink and we don’t always agree; we might not think the same, we might not even have similar ideas about where we’re headed next, but what is important is we value the same things. We can and should challenge each others’ thoughts and decisions, safe in the knowledge that we can all trust each other to make decisions that are in the interests of the company in the long term. We’re not trying to make short term gains; we want peace, harmony, excitement and growth, and we plan for the long run.

One thing I will say about the family analogy is that while it’s probably fairly accurate in terms of a good board’s dynamics, it does conjure up that old image of a stuffy board made up of the CEO’s actual family members, which is just not true of a good, progressive company. A family dynamic it might have, but its operations are more akin to a council of elders – a group with a wide knowledge base and experiencing in making big, long term decisions.

I was lucky enough to have people like Jon Moulton and Vin Murria in my close circle and as longstanding mentors. We already had both the family dynamic and real-world experience.

Rule number one of forming a board is having people that you not only trust, but that have been there, done that and have the T-shirt. People like Jon and Vin are experienced at giving a wealth of guidance at the highest level, but also, crucially, as former CEOs and C-level managers, have skillsets that complement my own. We are a natural team.

What we also had form the start which really drives decision making is a clear vision for our strategy – our way forward – and clearly set out rules on decisions the board should make, versus those that are the remit of senior management.

But are the dynamics of boards changing? I think there’s quiet change going on at the top of companies, sure.

I’d say data probably plays a big part in this – more and more the board is required to act and make decisions based on bigger and bigger datasets, because there are so many more variable factors we can access at our fingertips. We will probably be reliant more and more on the experiences of, say, data scientists and statisticians at the highest level, so it will be interesting if that becomes a strategic point of competition. I do think a key decision-making factor for the company boards of the future will lie in how we interpret and process bigger and bigger datasets, how we better feed and educate our board members on what the data is telling us, which may mean meeting or communicating far more often, and how the numbers shape the wider strategy.

Ultimately how you structure a board of directors depends on your company needs. If you make it too small, you don’t get that breadth of thinking. If you make it too big, then too many opinions become unmanageable. The key thing is you have a strong group of knowledgeable, trustworthy individuals who can help drive the company forward and they’re all in one room for a relatively short amount of time. Ensuring you get the most out of that time is the board’s most important job.

Roxanne

ChargePoint Appoints Former PowerTeam Services CEO Roxanne Bowman to Board of Directors

Posted on | by root
 

Energy Industry Leader Brings Nearly Three Decades of Expertise to the ChargePoint Board.

ChargePoint, the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) charging network, has announced the appointment of Roxanne Bowman to its Board of Directors. Bowman brings more than 27 years of utility experience, currently serving as an Operating Executive at NMS Capital and a member of the Board of Directors of CLEAResult, a company working to transform energy challenges into energy efficiency solutions for utilities, businesses and consumers.

Bowman brings deep energy industry knowledge to the ChargePoint board. Over nearly three decades, Bowman has held various leadership positions including Chief Executive Officer at PowerTeam Services, where she oversaw a more than $900M business providing services to natural gas and electric utility customers including repair, maintenance, replacement and installation. Prior, Bowman amassed broad executive leadership experience managing teams at some of the most influential companies in the industry including Cooper Power Systems, ABB, and Siemens.

“Roxanne’s deep expertise in energy and extensive work with utilities make her a valuable member of the ChargePoint board,” said Pasquale Romano, President and CEO, ChargePoint, Inc. “Her time as an executive leader at some of the world’s most influential energy industry players gives her a unique perspective that will help ChargePoint enable the mass adoption of electric vehicles as the company continues to scale.”

“Stakeholders across industries are preparing to support the transition to electric mobility, and collaboration is key to ensuring the success of the market,” said Bowman. “As market forces converge, there is a significant opportunity for utilities to partner with mobility stakeholders to help businesses and drivers make the switch to electric. ChargePoint continues to lead the way in EV charging and its efforts to support cross-industry collaboration are vital to ensuring that the transition is as seamless as possible.”

Bowman’s experience spans several areas of the business including executive leadership, general management, sales, marketing, and strategic planning. Bowman holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Clemson University and received an MBA from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech.

For more information about ChargePoint’s Board of Directors, visit: https://www.chargepoint.com/about/board/.

Renewtrak

Renewtrak brings its white label SaaS to vendors, distributors and resellers, finally enabling capture of the notorious renewals long tail

Posted on | by root
 

Renewtrak, a Palo Alto-based software-as-a-Service renewals enterprise business has come up with a solution that automates the famously hard nut to crack: the long tail. Historically the long tail – those renewals that are not worth pursuing individually, but can add up to a significant share of any software business – has been notoriously complex. Put simply, below a certain cost the renewal opportunity is not worth the phone call. Here we talk to Renewtrak CEO, Nick McMenemy.

 

Tell us more about about Renewtrak, what does the company do?

Renewtrak is a customer success Business-to-Business white-label service provider that automates the entire renewals process for technology organizations, utilizing a success-based commercial model. Working with technology vendors, distributors and resellers in a channel-friendly model.

Our white label solution dynamically builds renewal quotes and pricing, ensures delivery to the correct channel participant, whilst providing a simple means to collect payment and complete the renewal.

Provided with access to real-time performance monitoring dashboard, Renewtrak delivers a services to enable active review of renewal rates, closure rates, revenue capture and upsell revenue generation.

 

How are CEOs and CFOs likely to create more revenue using this service?

The Renewtrak service is 66% faster at onboarding, for example it takes around 180 days for a client to hire new people to perform renewals, versus a 60 day one time only Renewtrak set up period. Added to this, no renewal is too small for the service, the lowest value renewal opportunity closed using our service is $9.41. Companies often ignore the low value renewals due to the time and resources required. We have automated the process and are able to mine this long tail that is often left on the table, added to this we can do it at scale. This has the specific advantage of all the best automation solutions: by taking care of those laborious “long tail” renewals, it frees up sales staff to really build better relationships with higher value customers.

 

What is the average revenue saving for a Renewtrak customer?

The average Renewtrak customer saves the client an annual revenue of 45.4% and increases average client profit by 62.9%.

 

Where is the service available?

The service is multi-lingual, multi-currency and multi-tax, it supports 32 currencies, and 24 languages. We are growing quickly and adding more language options and payment types, so it is basically available worldwide.

 

What have companies been doing until now for renewals management?

Until recently the business model has generally been to outsource all renewals to lower cost call centre bases. Our customers and their clients have had to ignore low value renewals due to the time and resources required to secure the renewal. What they needed is a simplified experience, backed by accurate data and automation that can run at scale.

Many technology organisations adopt a “divide and conquer” approach to closing their renewals. Organisations take the available renewals due in a given period, across all customers, and rank them on the basis of revenue size – where the most important renewal is typically determined on the basis of the revenue contribution that deal will make to the organisation, rather than perhaps being considered on the basis of profitability or other criteria that might even include elements like their overall strategic fit.

Those renewals that are perceived to be ‘too small’ are then either left or handed to a limited team of inside sales professionals to pursue and close, where these renewals are themselves ranked by revenue contribution and chased again. This differential approach to pursuing renewals seems logical, but even for the inside sales team, there will be renewals that even they consider too small to chase – the Long Tail.

 

How does this approach impact existing sales channels? Do the resellers feel threatened by it?

Our service is channel–friendly and always will be. The top reason customers don’t renew is because they don’t know renewals are available, may want to discuss adding or removing user numbers and generally our approach makes sure that not only do they customers get to know that their renewals are due, but their reseller/ partner also gets to find out. We generate more revenue and higher margins for partners, distributors, resellers and vendors.  Renewals drive profitability, rebates and customer satisfaction which is the glue that connects you to the customer. It’s a no brainer. So far, the evidence is that distributors and resellers love it: they see a significant increase in those long tail sales, bringing in better rates of closure without demanding additional work. Smaller customers appreciate a simple, automated renewal process, while major customers benefit from greater attention and building closer relationships. The Renewtrak service also begins to learn on the job, refining its renewal strategy and developing real world sales intelligence.

 

How about customers, can you talk about a case study?

Kelly Eyerman, GM Software at Ingram Micro says of our product “Renewtrak have automated a notoriously complex part of our business. All our specific software vendor renewals are issued, more efficiently, to more partners which generates more revenue and thus more margin for us. Their professional and automated approach to this part of the business has been a welcomed improvement on our sales of renewals. Our vendors and partners are seeing a difference and we are leveraging the ability to proactively upsell and cross sell solutions

 

What is the market size of the opportunity here?

We see it as very fertile. SaaS in general is one of the fastest growing segments of the enterprise market.  Approximately 18 % of technology vendor revenue is centred on renewing support, maintenance or licensing contracts. Current Software Cloud/XaaS US sector size in the US is $ 463.7bn p/a, with a renewals opportunity of $129.6bn p/a and projected sector growth at 11.9% p/a. (Ref Gartner and others).

 

You have recently opened your HQ in Palo Alto, California, why that location?

We are growing fast and need to be near our main customer base, and also near the top talent that is available here on the West Coast, as well as supporting our other international offices in Sydney, UK and Singapore.

 

Are you using AI in your business?

Renewtrak is machine learning and automation centric, I would say we are a machine learning company that is working in renewals, we want the machine to learn. We want to run things for a while so we can accrue some data against which we can apply the AI tools, and derive an engine for the artificial intelligence to apply itself.  There is currently no demand for AI in our business model and using AI would make no appreciable difference at the moment. Once we have further built up our datasets, the machine will be able to learn and start to predict renewal behavior. However, I don’t see this as true AI. True intelligence requires prior learning and experience, and the application of that against the data set.  Without machine learning, and data in place, it’s not artificial intelligence, artificial dumbness.

Nick McMenemy is the CEO and Founder of Renewtrak, a pioneering channel-friendly renewals SaaS solution. Launched in 2014, Renewtrak is a white label service provider that delivers a portfolio of Intelligent Customer Management services to maximise revenues and margins from existing client relationships.

OXIS

The World Leaders of the Next Technological Age

Posted on | by root
OXIS
 

OXIS Energy is developing safe, high-energy Lithium-Sulfur technology for use in rechargeable batteries for a variety of sectors, though utilised primarily in aviation, defence and security and heavy electric vehicles (HEV) applications. In late March, the company was recognised by CEO Monthly in the ‘2019 Ones to Watch’ programme, which is dedicated to showcasing the leading lights across a plethora of emerging or thriving industries. We took a closer look at the company and spoke to its CEO, Huw Hampson-Jones, to find out more.

Lithium-Ion batteries are old news. The future of batteries lies, by all considerations, in the combination of lithiumsulfur. In this emerging market, only a handful of companies have distinguished themselves as pioneers and front-runners, helping to drive this sector to early success. There can be no denying that OXIS Energy is one of these innovators, helping to define the next step of technological development.

Notably, OXIS Energy is based at the Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire, where the original Lithium-Ion batteries were developed and prototyped. It seems fitting then that this is where that technologies’successor is created, continuing the story of the site. With over 43patent families, with 185 patents granted and 99 pending, the company is moving quickly to secure its lithium-sulfur product as the undeniable ‘next step’ in a notoriously competitive industry.

“Our strategy is to work with world class partners to develop the chemistry into a product that can be used in a range of applications and build cells on our pilot production line to prove its performance. OXIS will then licence this Li-S technology to its manufacturing partners for mass production to allow us to continue to develop the chemistry further and revolutionise the energy market.” – Huw Hampson Jones, CEO.

Today, OXIS Energy is swiftly solidifying plans to increase production of its patented technology. Following on the heels of the announcement of a new manufacturing plant in Brazil early last year, the company has just revealed plans to build a ‘sister plant’ in Kenfig Industrial Estate Port Talbot in Wales. Yet, this is only the early stages of OXIS’ short-term plans to establish sustainable growth in an industry that is only just coming to realise the impact of this new technology.

Here, Huw offers some vital insight into OXIS’ immediate and long-term goals: “The short-term aim is to bring both factories online by the second half of June 2022 – that is the target date for commissioning the plant in Brazil, with the Wales plant expected by early 2022. Now, essentially, the ‘secret sauce’ for the company is the electrolyte and the cathode: the chemistry behind the energy production in the cells. OXIS owns the intellectual property rights associated with the electrolytes and cathodes, and that is – above all else – the critical element of the company. The Port Talbot plant will produce this ‘secret sauce’ and will then ship it to Brazil to create the cells. The manufacturing plant in Brazil has come about as a direct collaboration between OXIS and the state government of Minas Gerais.

“There are many reasons for basing the plant in Brazil, but one of the main reasons is that Brazil has significant deposits of lithium. One of our long-term goals is to collaborate with the state government to exploit these deposits in a manner that produces what we call ‘very high-grade lithium metal’. Once we’ve established the production of this material neither OXIS or Minas Gerais will have to rely on importing lithium from America or China.

David Ainsworth with one of the machines

“Furthermore, Brazil has significant deposits of high-quality graphene, and we’re hoping that this collaboration will help us to utilise graphene in the makeup of the ‘secret sauce’. But, that’s all planned for at least five years from now. Ultimately, Brazil wanted to attract high skilled jobs. It wants to establish an independence from the United States and China in the lithium battery market, and last but not least, Brazil has a very good trading relationship with Europe. That’s not to mention the strategic element of a manufacturing plant in Brazil when it comes to the markets we want to infiltrate.”

These markets form the foundations of OXIS’ foreseeable future, as it looks to capitalise on industries that will most immediately benefit from the unique advantages of its product.

“Again, in the short-term, we are targeting aviation, defence and security, and heavy electric vehicles like trucks and buses. The reason we are focusing on those areas is because they reflect one of the greatest assets of the OXIS technology – the ability to harness four to five times the energy density of current technology. Lithium-ion is almost thirty years old, and was designed for mobile phones, laptops and the consumer market. It wasn’t designed to harness power and energy sufficient to power cars, trucks, trains, aviation. OXIS Energy, through our high gravimetric energy density pouch cell can harness in excess of 400Wh/ kg. That’s double current technology.”

“The work we are doing today means that within five years we will have tripled or quadrupled that capability. Once we meet
and exceed 400 Wh/kg, the aviation industry becomes very interested. Even here, we have short and long-term plans. In the short-term, we are targeting regional aircraft – those with flight times of maybe two to four hours. For example, we are collaborating with American aircraft manufacturers to produce a common Li-S advanced battery cell for the high voltage battery pack system to be considered for their future electric aircraft.”

This doesn’t even touch on a core advantage of OXIS lithium-sulfur technology, which is that it is fundamentally more environmentally friendly than alternatives on the market and, of course, traditional fossil fuelbased systems.

“Heavy electric vehicles, such as buses and trucks, are one of the greatest pollutants in metropolitan cities. Current electric buses utilise a system that can weigh four tonnes, yet, by collaborating with OXIS, we can halve this weight down to two tonnes and quadruple the distance achieved on one charge. This brings me onto another advantage of having a plant in Brazil, and that is that Brazil is the world’s 3rd largest market for buses and, more importantly, these vehicles are on average over fifteen years old. You can imagine the pollution that is being emitted from these buses in major cities such as São Paulo. Plus, Brazil doesn’t have rail infrastructure, so all major transport around the country is by trucks. Now, we have a plant in Brazil that can immediately address this need without any devastating impact or theft of IP.”

“We don’t use any rare earth material in the production of our cells. We have no toxic materials such as nickel or manganese. We have no carcinogenic material such as cobalt, and everything is benign to the environment.” -Huw on OXIS’s environmentally friendly production of its Li-S technology.

The success that OXIS has achieved so far can be credited to its diligent and expert approach as it works to achieve international standards, particularly in regard to safety regulations. Unlike LithiumIon, OXIS’ Lithium-Sulfur cells can withstand extreme abuse, including nail and bullet penetrations, with no observable adverse reaction. This fact alone makes the new battery preferable over the old – after all, Lithiumion batteries can be both highly reactive and combustible. Huw touches on another benefit: “By utilising sulfur – a recycled material as a by-product of the oil industry- instead of heavy metals such as cobalt, the environmental cost is highly reduced, making it an eco-friendly alternative to Lithium-ion cells.”

“If I can prove to the world that OXIS can power an aircraft or a heavy electric vehicle such as a bus or a truck, then entering the car market will be much, much easier – I’m at the cusp of my breakthrough.”

All in all, OXIS Energy’s core product is, in almost every way, more efficient, more powerful, and safer than the current technology. Through the cells’ applications, both current and potential, it is clear that lithium-sulfur systems are a stepping stone to swift, comprehensive growth across a plethora of concurrent industries. In this, OXIS Energy is soon to become an essential element on the business landscape, as it looks to become the undisputed world-leader of the next technological age.

Harkness Screens

Projecting Excellence in the Technology Sphere

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Harkness Screens™ is the world’s leading screen technology company, specialising in the design and manufacture of projection screens and supporting technologies for cinema and live events. We spoke with CEO Mark Ashcroft, on the back of his recognition as the ‘2019 CEO of the Year for the UK’, to find out more about the company’s extraordinary success and peerless reputation.

The technology industry is, often, a rather unpredictable beast. It’s also one of the world’s most dominant sectors, fuelled by constant growth and truly relentless innovation. Partnering these challenges through a more consumer-centric lens, Harkness Screens’ success in screen technology becomes all the more impressive. Juggling an innovative ethos, creativity and best in class engineering to determine the next ‘big thing’ in their industry. As such, they have become the defining standard of excellence, setting the pace in an evercompetitive and demanding field.

“From single-screen independent theatres to large multiplexes to large format immersive theatre experiences or live events, Harkness supplies thousands of screens every year helping provide outstanding presentation experiences to audiences around the world.” Says Mark Ashcroft, CEO.

Moreover, as consumer demand grows for ‘next-generation’ technology, Harkness has had to position itself with a decidedly future-forward mindset: an ability to predict the next big change before it happens. This, as Mark explains, is how the company have secured their enduring growth over the years. “Harkness has remained consistently successful due to our ability to predict the ‘next step’ of what cinemagoers want to experience. For example, Harkness is currently developing laser projection technology that is set to revolutionise the cinematic experience in the coming years.”

Boasting a whole host of international clients, including the world’s biggest cinema conventions, CinemaCon and CineEurope just to name two, there can be no mistake that Harkness has forged an indelible reputation within their industry. Mark takes a moment to discuss this in more detail: “Harkness has screens in more cinemas worldwide than any other manufacturer. With our industry leading 2D and 3D screen brands (Perlux HiWhite, Clarus XC and Spectral) as well as an innovative range of presentation monitoring tools, digital surveying services and cinema design suite and specification apps, we continue to lead the way in screen technology for cinema.”

In his closing comments Mark reveals that 2019 is a special year for the company as they celebrate their 90th year of business. “As some will be aware, 2019 is Harkness Screens’ 90th Birthday, so from September onwards we will begin to celebrate this landmark occasion. Other than this, our main aim is to continue being the leading producer of screen technology for both cinemas and exhibitors.”

There can be no doubt, Harkness has a very bright future ahead as they look to capitalise further on their leading position in the global entertainment and technology markets.

Food Solutioners

Presenting the ‘Food Solutioners’

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An operating company of DMK, DP Supply specialises in producing core ingredients for the global food industry. Earlier in the year, CEO Monthly acknowledged DP Supply’s Sierk Weisser-Krepetin as the ‘2019 CEO of the Year for Germany’ in our annual recognition programme. Following that, we sought to find out more about this key player on the worldwide distribution landscape

By all regards, DP Supply can be considered experts when it comes to producing highquality, spray dried emulsions for the bakery, desserts, beverage and savoury industries. Since their establishment in 1992, where they mostly specialised in coffee whiteners, they have expanded almost continuously, finding new avenues to capitalise on as demand increased.

Even today, DP Supply continues to grow, spurred on by a need to innovate and to develop in line with their client’s needs. Imminently, their current production site in Beesten, Germany will be acquiring another drying facility to house the latest drier, as Sierk explains.

“Our new tower has of course been a risky investment for both DP Supply and our holding company, the DMK Deutsches Milchkontor GmbH. However, it was an absolute necessary step: We are not only concentrating on one product group but want to position ourselves even more broadly through additional products and show flexibility.

“The list of products rolling off the powder belt is long: It ranges from coffee whiteners and foamers for hot beverages, whipping agents for desserts and ice cream, emulsifiers for the bakery industry to fat powders for the preparation of soups and sauces. The new tower enables DP Supply to expand the current portfolio with a nutritional range.”

But this seems just the latest in a long line of changes under Sierk. Since he joined the company in 2015, he has been a driver of change, constantly seeking opportunities for DP Supply to broaden their market reach and regional expertise. Indeed, one of his first changes was to restructure several key departments, like Sales, R&D and Production.

Weisser-Krepetin

Yet, for now, Sierk’s focus remains firmly on Beesten. “The new production site is key to our goals to develop our presence in international markets, which has, in turn, come about as a result of a greater ‘mindset’ change for the business. In many ways, we were an introverted company, and we’ve made efforts to become an extroverted one, in which our customers become the centre of all of our daily operations. That’s why we are able to react quicker to our customer requests; no matter if they are sales or development based.”

Of course, as Sierk moves on to explain, “companies are made by people” – whether that be the core management team, their staff or the customers themselves. “In our company you can find pictures of staff members, customers and relations. The best thing is to see that besides all the pressure we experience from time to time, there is also space for joy within the job and a positive mind-set when going home at the end of the day. We have a great team; a big vision and our success speaks for itself.”

However, as you can imagine, Sierk remains committed to discovering new opportunities to help innovate the company. “We’re keen to keep an eye on trends like dairy free/ lactose free or the use of alternative fat sources as they become more and more important. During this year’s FIE, the biggest Food Ingredients show in Europe, we are going to present a range of innovative products especially
designed for our customer’s needs. Other than that, there is already a cooperation with a second site in Greece, with further countries in the pipeline.”

Finally, Sierk emphasises his optimism when it comes to DP Supply’s future: “We’re planning on reaching our goals by living a strong motto: ‘the food solutioners’. It’s a nice wordplay that gets to the heart of DP Supply’s main focus: combining proximity to our customer, market proactivity and utilising the best technology.”

WEC

Building a Brighter Future

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WEC Energy Group, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is one of America’s leading electric and natural gas holding companies, with $34 billion of assets and over 8,000 employees. Following WEC Energy’s distinguished CEO, Gale Klappa, being named as the 2019 CEO of the Year for the USA, we took a closer look at this true goliath of the industry to find out more.

Gale Klappa is one of those classic American stalwarts of the greater business landscape, succeeding through a peerless drive to evolve, to adapt, to improve and to guide industry standards into an altogether brighter future. Indeed, during his storied tenure, he has overseen WEC Energy as it transformed itself through innovation and no small amount of daring on its journey to become one of the Midwest’s premier businesses. Over the years, it has grown from strength to strength with a certainty that other businesses – of any or in any location – can only attempt to mimic.

Yet, throughout all of this, Gale has always set his sights on smaller goals, realizing that success requires a solid foundation. After all, there’s no point dreaming big if the basics are overlooked. “I believe that the core responsibility of a CEO is to define the company’s mission and to clearly articulate what success looks like – so that every employee understands their role in creating lasting value for the enterprise.

“Every successful leader has a set of core values. For me, that list of values starts with integrity, customer focus, a sense of urgency, financial discipline and taking personal responsibility for results.” Values, in Gale’s opinion, are the all essential building blocks for growth. It’s a refreshing outlook in a world that seems obsessed with ‘the big picture’ and the cutting-edge.

With this point in mind, it can be no surprise that Gale’s approach to leadership focuses very much on the front lines, looking at realworld results over intangible goals. “I make sure staff have clear goals, with open communication and teamwork. Everyone needs to take personal responsibility for results. Equally, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. We need to enjoy and celebrate the milestones along the way.”

Himself inspired by a strong work ethic, Gale inspires in turn. Perhaps, it is no surprise that he has forged an indelible reputation in the energy industry, marking himself as one of America’s true business leaders. Crucially, he also understands the importance of good old-fashioned hardwork, and its fundamental role in achieving enduring success in one of the world’s most competitive of sectors.