LG
Following weeks of massive flooding in Pakistan resulting in catastrophic devastation across Pakistan involving death and destruction, LG Electronics employees in Korea have raised $33,800 by donating a percentage of their salaries. LG has also partnered with registered NGOs in the country to provide those affected with food, shelter, medicine, clothes and other basic necessities. Going forward, LG Electronics Pakistan is also raising an additional sum of $50,000 toward life-saving relief efforts. The check toward flood relief efforts was presented to Pakistan’s Sindh Province Gov. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khanby by South Korean Ambassador in Pakistan Shin Un, Korean Consul General in Karachi Lee In Ki, Suyoung Ryu, GM, LG Pakistan, and Imran Zaki, senior manager corporate marketing, LG Pakistan.
Giordano says its new range of Lion Polo t-shirts is proving to be a real hit with the region’s fashion conscious consumers. Made of 95 percent cotton and five percent lycra to give a richer look and feel, the polos emblazoned with a bold rampant lion logo have been grabbing attention since they hit the stores in early summer. Giordano’s Lion Polo is available in a variety of colors for both men and women. Available in a slim fit with sizes ranging from small to double extra large, these t-shirts are flying off the shelves across all Giordano stores worldwide. Ishwar Chugani, executive director, Giordano ME, says: “We knew the Lion Polo was going to be big, but we didn’t realize quite how big — you could say it’s been a roaring success.” As the temperatures continue to remain warm, Giordano’s casual range of linen and cotton shirts are a must for the season. Designed for flexibility, they provide 101 easy mix-and-match dressing options. Also, newly arrived in stores is Giordano’s latest line in seasonal graphic tees, with designs inspired by artistic, musical and sporty slogans. Fun and witty, they are perfect for those customers who really want to make a statement with their outfit. The t-shirts are available for men and for women with a special slim-fit, cut to flatter.
Gulf Air’s First Photo and Video Contest launched recently at its Facebook website has become “hugely popular.” The 10-week contest, the first of its kind in the region, launched by Bahrain’s national carrier on July 10 has already won over 3,200 fans and received more than 2,000 photo and video entries from Saudi Arabia, the UK, the UAE, India, Qatar, the United States, Pakistan, Philippines, Oman, Malaysia, Germany, Kuwait, Italy, Jordan, Canada, France, Greece, Sudan and Thailand, aside from Bahrain. The contest invites people to enter photos and videos of any of Gulf Air’s destination cities and the entries are judged by a team of professional photographers to select the best photograph and video every week. The winners will be rewarded with a free ticket to fly to one of Gulf Air’s destinations. “We are amazed by the enthusiasm and keenness people have shown in taking part in the contest,” says Gulf Air Director Sales and Distribution Lars Denlew. The winners for the best photograph entries for the first three weeks are Helminadia Ranford of Indonesia, Debi Henshaw of Spain and Sudipto Das of India, respectively. Best Video entries were from Isabel Amber Ewen of the UK, and Mazlina Muhamad and Munir Muhamad, both of Malaysia.
Alhamrani United Company, dealer of Infiniti cars in Saudi Arabia, launched the second generation of the totally new Infiniti QX56 at a Ramadan event in Jeddah on Tuesday. The luxury SUV model is available at Infiniti showrooms across the Kingdom. This launch coincides with the delivery of the first batch of cars to those who booked them prior to their arrival in Saudi Arabia, a testament of the success of Alhamrani’s new marketing strategy, which was launched recently and mainly focuses on test-driving the car before buying it. Hesham Elmogy, GM, Nissan Infiniti Gulf and Saudi Arabia, said: “The second generation of Infiniti QX posted success beyond expectations due to our strategic marketing plans. “The 2011 Infiniti QX gives us an incredible presence in full-size luxury SUV segment and is perfect for buyers seeking style, comfort, roominess and driving exhilaration,” Elmogy added. The QX offers a full range of innovative technology, including Blind Spot Warning and the advanced Hydraulic Body Motion Control system.
SAP has selected Sam Alkharrat to lead the next wave of its growth and development in the MENA region. Alkharrat joins SAP MENA after having spent 16 years with Cisco Systems, where he held several leadership roles building Cisco’s business in the MENA region. Most recently, Sam held the position of managing director of the company’s public sector business across the Emerging Markets, with responsibility for the segment’s strategy and operations in MENA, Russia, Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America. Sam will be located at SAP’s head office in Dubai. Following a transition period working alongside Sergio Maccotta, current MD, SAP MENA, Alkharrat will assume on Oct. 1 full responsibility for SAP’s business operations across the region. Maccotta will take over the role of VP, business transformation and development, as a member of the SAP EMEA Emerging Market Management Team and will remain based in Dubai. In this new challenge, Maccotta will continue to support the development of this larger region, MENA included, fostering innovation and exchanging initiatives and best practices among similar fast growing countries. Today, SAP MENA represents one of the fastest growing markets within SAP, largely due to the solid and progressive foundation established over the years.
A major Italian participation has been confirmed at furnidex arabia 2011 exhibition to be held in Jeddah from May 8-11. Furnidex 2010 was not only a success, according to participants, but also set a benchmark in terms of national and international participation, and attracted more than 15,000 high-profile trade visitors with multi-million dollar deals. A delegation comprising Alberto Drudi, president of Unioncamere of Marche, Antonella Zaccarelli, director general, Fiere di Pesaro, and Khaled Awamleh, advisor of Pesaro & Urbino Chamber of Commerce, recently signed their exhibition participation contract with the Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions in Jeddah. The Pesaro Region is known as the furniture capital of Europe and the heart of Italy’s finest workmanship. furnidex arabia — Saudi Arabia’s international exhibition for furniture, furnishings, hometex and decor has established itself as the Kingdom’s major event for the industry. “With the overwhelming success of the last Italian participation, where all companies received excellent response and major project orders, I am confident that furnidex arabia 2011 will see a more varied and larger Italian presence,” Drudi said. ACE’s Exhibitions Director Zahoor Siddique said the exhibition has already received major group participation from Egypt, Iran, China, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, and major European and Saudi participants.
Hashim A. Yamani and Mahmoud Abu-Zeid are confirmed to join the growing list of distinguished experts addressing the industry at the Annual Saudi Water & Power Forum (SWPF) taking place in Jeddah from Oct. 2-6. Yamani, former Minister of Commerce & Industry from 2003-2008, was appointed president of the newly established King Abdullah City for Atomic & Renewable Energy (KA-CARE) in April. KA-CARE has the mandate of tackling the growing energy demands of the Kingdom and Yamani will be giving delegates an insight into the transformation of the energy sector and Saudi Arabia’s long-term strategy for sustainable growth during a keynote presentation at the SWPF inauguration ceremony on Oct. 3. Mahmoud Abu-Zeid, president of the Arab Water Council, was the minister of water resources and irrigation of Egypt for 12 years from 1997-2009. As well as his role in the Arab Water Council he is also honorary president of World Water Council, a Member of UN Advisory Board on Water Supply and Sanitation and former president of International Water Resources Association. Abu-Zeid will be looking at Saudi power and water in a regional context as the forum focuses on the policies, projects and projects determining the future of the industry.
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., an award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, has launched a dozen customized Islamic apps for smartphones named ‘Noor’. The suite of applications includes a Prayer Time calculator that shows official prayer times in over 400 cities and the only mobile Qur’an that is certified by Al Azhar. The applications can be downloaded for free and can be used across a variety of mobile phone platforms including Android, and Samsung’s own Bada operating system. The new applications are available to users of Android, Bada and Java-based phones who can download them via shortcuts to the Samsung’s App Store. Bada smartphone users can also download the applications directly from the online App Store. Users with online access through Wi-Fi or 3G can also use the built-in RSS Readers on their Galaxy S and Wave handsets to update the Al Bayan application with the latest Islamic and regional news. “The smartphone has become a ubiquitous part of day-to-day life and it seems only fitting that it plays an important role during the month of Ramadan,” said Yongjoon Kim, head of Mobile Phones at Samsung Electronics MENA Headquarters. These applications allow users access to a large amount of practical content. Especially, Ramadaniat application will provide full descriptions of Ramadan activities like Seyamand Taraweeh.
