Category: News

Energy management specialist TEAM has strengthened its software portfolio with the launch of its next generation Sigma Tenant Billing solution. The application enables organisations to accurately and efficiently apportion utility costs between tenants, cost centres or departments delivering transparent accountable billing.

The flexible and reliable solution seamlessly integrates with existing energy management systems, delivering effective measurement and sophisticated bill calculation. Users have the added advantage of integrating the data into their accounting system through the Accounts Link interface, speeding-up the billing process.

To ensure the software suits the specific needs of its users to deliver on their efficiency targets and economise the tenant billing process, TEAM worked in partnership with its customers on the design and functionality.

Tom Anderton, Product and Service Development Manager, TEAM said:

“Tenant billing is the natural next step on the journey to ensuring we can meet the evolving needs of organisations across a wide range of industries. By working closely with our customers, we understand the unique challenges that can come with tenant billing.

“This collaboration has led to the inclusion of enhanced functionality to address these issues, such as flexible charging methodologies, allowing users to define their own utility tariffs and use data from a variety of sources. As well as the ability to charge against multiple commodities and calorific value conversion, which ensures greater transparency when billing volumetric consumption.”

Developed as part of its flagship energy management software, Sigma, users can manage, monitor and gain insights into their tenant’s energy consumption through one system. By tackling two energy management needs in one, the application offers more functionality than proprietary systems.

The approach aligns with the organisation’s first-class ethos, to deliver solutions and services that exceed in addressing the challenges of modern energy management. In adopting Sigma Tenant Billing, customers will receive a dedicated deployment designed to meet their specific requirements, along with continued on-going support.

Simon Miles, Chief Executive Officer, TEAM added:

“At a time when organisations are feeling the pressures of economic and political uncertainty, we want to help businesses in using technology to support sustainable and efficient operations.

“With Sigma Tenant Billing, businesses will see operational benefits and cash savings from day one, and with the built-in option to scale-up as the business grows, customers can expect to achieve added return on their investment.”

The launch of Sigma Tenant Billing marks another milestone achievement in TEAM’s product and service roadmap, demonstrating its commitment to delivering innovative and robust solutions that meet the evolving needs of the energy industry.

For more information visit our Sigma Tenant Billing section on our website, get in touch on 01908 889 859 or email us at [email protected].

Since its inception, PPRO has been one of the fastest-growing fintech companies in Europe – no small feat in a sector that has always been notoriously competitive. As a cross-border e-payment specialist, PPRO plays a fundamental role in the increasingly inter-connected modern business landscape. In November, Simon Black, CEO of PPRO, was recognised by CEO Monthly Magazine as the Finance CEO of the Year for 2018. Naturally, we were eager to speak to Simon to find out more about the firm’s innovative approach to e-payment.

PPRO is very much a service provider of the time. It’s a company that realises that success in this digital age requires no small amount of client-centricity, and a drive to continuously adapt – especially in the current fintech environment, which has, over the last couple of years, been defined by disruption and change. Yet, PPRO has thrived through an understanding that their clients, more than
anything, crave simplicity, as Simon explains further.

“As a cross-border e-payment specialist, we offer access to local payment methods (LPMs) worldwide as well as valueadded services to Payment Service Providers (PSPs), financial institutions and other merchant aggregators. Our goal is to make our partners’ and their merchants’ lives easier by removing the complexity of international e-commerce payments. Therefore, PPRO
manages the acquiring, processing and collecting, settlement and reconciliation process for an extensive range of LPMs, all available under one contract, one platform and one single integration.

“As a company, we have over twelve years of experience in the payment’s environment, in which we have identified a niche opportunity in this market as an indirect wholesaler that works with our partners, never competing with them over their merchants. We’ve worked with some of the top merchant acquirers worldwide, including a long-time relationship with Ant Financial (Alibaba’s finance arm). Through an investment round in 2018 led by PayPal, Citi Ventures and HPE, we are now able to continue our fast-paced growth and are looking forward to becoming even more successful in the next years.”

Like all companies on the rise, Simon credits PPRO’s team with helping to attain the firm’s enviable reputation in the payment sector. “Our people are an extremely important asset
to the business. We have a highly motivated and specialised team of 220 talents, expanding across 35 nationalities, who are fundamentally crucial to the great successes that we have achieved. Our talented staff are imperative to spotting the relevant changes in the payments industry, as well as building relationships with the various players in the market.

In his closing comments, Simon takes a moment to reflect on the future of PPRO. “For us, ‘Grow with PPRO’ is much more than just a slogan that we use for marketing purposes at trade shows. We’ve seen unprecedented expansion in recent years as we look to accelerate our presence in new markets. We’ve opened our US Atlanta office in 2017, our Singapore office in 2018, and have plans to open operations in Latin America later this year. It’s important we are able to connect with our customers across the globe, to ensure we maintain our international status”.

Company: PPRO

Website: www.ppro.com

By all considerations, the Charisma Group is a regional powerhouse in the Middle East, leading the development of dynamic and relevant Arabic media content permeated with cultural resonance. Earlier this year, Aiman Al Ziyoud, the company’s Founder and CEO, was recognised as one of CEO Monthly’s ‘CEO Top 100’ – a programme created to recognise the truly extraordinary leadership across a plethora of industries around the world. Al Ziyoud took some time out of his busy schedule to talk us through the remarkable achievements of Charisma as they look set to expand into new markets.

Far from being a dying media, Charisma Group believes television as an ever-evolving tool, utilising the digital revolution to better connect with consumers in ways that few industries can. This has been the absolute crux of the group’s enduring success, as they look to truly reflect their viewer’s interests, change in the face of constant change, and create content that makes – simply – for essential watching.  

Despite its expansive reach, Charisma also understand that, to best realise their founding ethos, they need to anchor themselves in locality: to demographics and to individual markets. This is where Charisma truly differentiates itself, embracing the personalisation offered by today’s technology with accessibility, interactivity and mobility. Today’s media is both reactive and incredibly social – Charisma are the first to truly realise what that means in terms of the media sector as a whole. It would be no overstatement to say that Charisma’s position as a trendsetter in the industry was built on the back of Al Ziyoud’s innovative An Innovative CEO Driving the Future of the Middle East’s Media Market
mindset, guiding the company towards a future defined by the viewer and their behaviours.
“It’s about now. I wake up each day with this powerful sense of urgency, understanding that today will help define the future of Arab storytelling locally – and on a global scale.” Al Ziyoud says.

As Al Ziyoud is keen to discuss, Charisma Group has always driven to be a paragon in a world that always seems a couple of steps behind. “Charisma is a production powerhouse that delivers 1,500 hours of premium, tailored content a year across highly-rated Arab TV channels around the world. Since the company’s inception in 2005, Charisma has been a key partner and enabler for some of the most successful TV channel brands. At the moment, we work closely with MBC Group, Rotana TV Group, Abu Dhabi Media and Dubai Media, serving as a matchmaker between the right content and the right platform, brining dynamic and relevant programming to millions of Arabic speakers across the world.”

“Arabs have been telling stories longer than anyone.”

 Al Ziyoud is a believer in telling stories that matter, regardless of if they are controversial, or rock the boat. “Audiences care about what speaks to them. What they can relate to – we need to build shows and tell stories that do the same. This can mean controversy, but we have to be willing to get in there. Otherwise we risk irrelevance. Good content – content that stands out – is powerful and resonates. It needs to be talked about, whether it’s light entertainment news, or heavy drama. We must not be afraid to tell these stories. Fear kills creativity. Creativity needs time, space and most of all, accepting the possibility of failure. This is exciting and important work, and why get out of bed every day to do it.”

“The Arab world is full of talent: we have the technique, we have the technology. The stories are right here. We have that, and we’ve always had that.”

Innovation lies at the very heart of Charisma – evident in their out-ofthe-box thinking, and willingness to try new things, reach for new markets, new audiences. From talks shows, to game
shows, to reality TV and drama, Charisma seek to pinpoint what international content will succeed locally. It’s an entirely new perspective in a sector that has, perhaps, been unwilling to evolve to the latest developments, as Al Ziyoud explains. “The regional multimedia entertainment landscape is experiencing fast-paced and dynamic growth, with an increase in demand for localised, digitally friendly content. This creates an environment where timely and tailored content is king. Charisma’s focus is on the viewer and, although we work primarily on a B2B basis, our success is measured through the audience, making them the real customers and the group’s focus.”

Prior to the Charisma Group, Al Ziyoud held important roles at the MBC Group, including the position of Executive Producer, responsible for creating and producing a variety of successful formats. This included the longest running hit game show in Arab Television history – “Huroof wa Aloof.” Charisma’s creation remains very much in the vein of Al Ziyoud’s previous work, utilising his keen eye for determining successful formats to drive audience engagement in ways that the region has rarely seen.

For their clients, Charisma remains a stable and reliable partner, combining its undeniable expertise with a deep local knowledge to deliver best in class content creation. “Charisma looks at what is missing from the market – what there is a demand for – and reaches out to its clients, comprised of some of the most prominent media groups in the Middle East. With our locally-tailored content across a range of genres, and a data-driven approach to content management, Charisma has established a firm track record of market leadership in production.”

We also know that the best content is content that travels. This is where TV producers and digital distributers collaborate. For us, that means breaking out of our old mindsets and formats, and delivering content that is just as accessible, insistent, and talkable, whether it’s on your phone or in your car. Maybe it’s building an online chat ecosystem, maybe it’s shorter (or longer!) episodes.

Yet, Al Ziyoud is quick to establish that Charisma’s success is the result of a collaborative effort, reinforced by a talented staff. “They are the core of our success. Without these gifted minds and eyes, we won’t be able to deliver what we deliver. Our staff is diverse and highly collaborative. Charisma believes in retaining highly talented people that are eager to grow themselves and grow the company along with the new blood we keep on injecting into the company. Indeed, a lot of the people who have high positions in the Arab media scene have passed through Charisma Group.”

As we come to the end of the interview, Al Ziyoud remarks on the key to Charisma’s future, as they look to capitalise on their remarkable market position. “Success will result from maintaining and expanding Charisma’s unique selling position as an unrivalled multimedia Arabic content provider that combines globally competitive technical know-how with unparalleled knowledge of the Arab world. Our scientific and locally-tailored approach guarantees locally relevant content across emerging platforms that engage audiences.

“As for Charisma – we plan to diversify beyond the region, and to intensify our efforts vertically in lines of production. There’s undoubtedly an appetite from the consumer to engage directly with our content, so we’re looking at digital transformation, since the customer is our core and we should move closer to approaching them in new ways.”

“Inspired by the audience” is our tagline and it is our ethos.

Company: Charisma Group

Address: Dubai Production Studio City, Dubai, UAE

Website: http://charismagroup.tv

Telephone: 971 4 240 6686

Based in Dubai, Absolute Communications Group is an integrated communications agency that offers boutique services across the PR, social media, creative design and visual communications sectors. We profile this innovative and versatile firm to find out more about how it is striving towards success.

Originally established as a public relations agency that focussed majorly on designing solutions for internal and external communications including product and service communications and advising on stakeholder relations, Absolute Communications ventured into the digital space in 2016.
At that time the company already had a highly experienced creative team onboard working on the digital content and creatives, so diving head first into the space of providing a complete range of Creative Services was a logical step ahead for them and their efforts began bearing fruits within a few weeks itself, when some local international brands assigned their creative retainers to them and started employing more of the agency’s services in order to streamline their marketing and PR activities.

Over the years the firm has adapted and established itself as a digital communications agency. By strategically combining the many learnings from its experiences in the PR sector with the latest digital and social media communication trends, the firm has been able to create a unique operational and communications model for its clients.
Operating with just a small, close-knit team, Absolute Communications has a collaborative internal culture that ensures success for its staff and excellence for clients. Each member of the family facilitates the growth of another, and together they are able to facilitate the growth of their valued clients and Absolute Communications itself.

Overall, Absolute Communications has achieved phenomenal success since its inception, and is anticipating a growth of 50- 60% in 2019. Riding the wave of this steady growth, the firm has plans in place to open two more offices in the MEA region by 2020, and it is also optimistic about adding a couple of more offices in India and West Africa by 2025. These two regions are the two key markets that Absolute Communications is keen on expanding into as that will help solidify its position as a key player in today’s PR and creative services markets and the years ahead of them.

As the marketing and communications space evolves and diversifies so will Absolute Communications, as the company looks to sustain its growth and better support its clients in this dynamic digital market.

Victor King

Founder and CEO

Absolute Communications Group

www.AbsoluteCG.net