Business Enquirer Magazine | Issue 108 | Nov'22

PIP INTERNATIONAL CEO CHRISTINE LEWINGTON

MEDIA

Jamie Waite

Partner & Creative Director jamie.waite@busenq.com

John Wilson

Partner & President john.wilson@busenq.com

Caroline Whiteley

Senior Project Director caroline.whiteley@busenq.com

Malvern Kandemwa

Senior Director malvern.kandemwa@busenq.com

Lee Phoenix

Senior Project Director lee.phoenix@busenq.com

Glen Newton

Senior Project Director glen.newton@busenq.com

Gary Smith

Senior Project Director gary.smith@busenq.com

Chiara Salter

Senior Project Director chiara.salter@busenq.com

Charlotte Billig

Project Director charlotte.billig@busenq.com

Heavenli Hewitt Project Director heavenli.hewitt@busenq.com

David Calaz

Project Director david.calaz@busenq.com

Chrissy Jones

Project Director chrissy.jones@busenq.com

Matthew Ward Project Director matthew.ward@busenq.com

EDITORIAL

Carol Gibson Lead Editor carol.gibson@busenq.com

Frew Murdoch Senior Editor frew.murdoch@busenq.com

Laura Watling Senior Editor laura.watling@busenq.com

Sophie Spence Senior Editor sophie.spence@busenq.com

Rebecca Matthews Senior Journalist rebecca.matthews@busenq.com

PRODUCTION

Roisin Reynolds

Head of Production roisin.reynolds@busenq.com

Cheraleigh Van Zanten

Production Manager cheraleigh.vanzanten@busenq.com

DESIGN

Jamie Bolton

Head of Design jamie.bolton@busenq.com

Hannah Watkins

Junior Designer hannah.watkins@busenq.com

Adam Fulwood

Head of Video & Content Creation adam.fulwood@busenq.com

WEBSITE

Matt Hardwick

Online Website Manager matt.hardwick@busenq.com

FINANCE

Claire Dunn

Global Credit Controller claire.dunn@busenq.com

Bethany Waite

Credit Controller bethany.waite@busenq.com

Tanya Rudd

Head of Finance tanya.rudd@busenq.com

Kim Pearson Global Head of Accounts kim.pearson@busenq.com

DATA ANALYSIS

Kumar Nil-Khan

Senior Data Strategy kumar.nilkhan@busenq.com

Simon Ferrening Production Manager Commercial Performance Analysis

A word from our Editor

It’s been my pleasure to write the Editor’s introduction for Business Enquirer since July this year.

However, every time I sit down to reflect on the previous few months, I can’t quite seem to get my head around them. September was no different. Since our last issue, the societal landscape of the UK has changed quite dramatically.

The 8th of September saw the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

Having reigned over the country for 70 years, Her Majesty had a significant impact on British culture, history and tourism. The matriarch of the British Royal Family was also notable in business. Our article in memoriam to the Queen (page 6), delves deeper into Queen Elizabeth II impact on British business and international trade.

September also saw Liz Truss become the new Conservative Party leader, assuming the post of Prime Minister on 5th September.

Truss received 57% of votes in the leadership contest against Rishi Sunak, the smallest share of any of her predecessors as conservative leader (as reported by the Evening Standard).

Despite winning the contest, Truss became the UK’s shortest serving PM, resigning on the 20th October after a 45 day tenure (succeeded by Rishi Sunak).

Anita Terrell Social Media Manager anita.terrell@busenq.com

Lee Dixon Social Media Manager lee.dixon@busenq.com

SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM HR

Susan Tumelty

HR Partnered Company info@hrdept.co.uk

LEGAL

Chloe Bird Birketts LLP Norwich

In this edition of Business Enquirer, we have had the opportunity to speak to women in business who are making an impact in their industries and countries.

Dr Dorothee Becker, CEO of Becker, discusses taking her family business into the future with its Best of Three World’s strategy.

Meanwhile, Roselyne Chambrier of Arise speaks with us about how she is driving the business in Côte d’Ivoire, enabling Africa’s economic transformation. This edition’s headline feature is with visionary business woman Christine Lewington, who is launching an innovative new protein product to the food industry. We also had the opportunity to take a closer look at two stalwart businesses in Paris, France: Paris SaintGermain Football Club and InterContinental Paris Le Grand.

It’s an exciting time for business, tourism and economy in France, and we look forward to featuring more businesses from The Republic. We hope that you can gain insight and find inspiration from the global businesses we have shared with you in this edition.

Laura Watling Senior Editor

Queen Elizabeth II

21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022

“I believe that, young or old, we have as much to look forward to with confidence and hope as we have to look back on with pride.”

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II was crowned Queen on 2nd June 1953 at the age of 27, succeeding her beloved father, King George VI.

Her Majesty The Queen reigned for 70 years, with her country joining her in celebrating several milestones, including the Golden Jubilee (2002), Diamond Jubilee (2012) and most recently, the Platinum Jubilee (2022).

In September 2015 The Queen was titled the Longest Reigning British Monarch, surpassing the achievement of her Great-great Grandmother, Queen Victoria.

During her time on the throne The Queen was served by 15 Prime Ministers, and has been praised for her apolitical stance.

Whilst Head of State, The Queen championed gender equality and equal opportunities. In her later years she supported the passing of the Crown Act (2013), meaning throne succession was dissociated from gender.

“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

Queen Elizabeth II Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II helped to build a global brand out of the monarchy, fit to meet the demands of the 20th and 21st century. Amongst

The team at Business Enquirer would like to express its deepest condolences to the Royal Family in the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II

the royal family’s brand is the institution (The Crown), the Commonwealth realms, the Royal Family and it’s individual members.

The Queen also built significant assets through private property such as the Duchy of Lancaster and the Royal Stud.

A brand in herself, Queen Elizabeth II has always been praised for her servitude to the British and Commonwealth people, considering herself the people’s queen, rather than “a queen with people”. By way of example, her jubilee letter was signed “Your Servant, Elizabeth R”.

WRITTEN BY

Laura Watling

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

“It’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.

Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen as an icon has also helped to generate a considerable amount of money for the British economy through tourism. According to the 2019-2020 annual report, tourist visitors of the official Royal residencies generated near to £50 million. It was estimated in 2017 that the capital value of the monarchy as a business was around £67.5 billion.

As well as shaping the Royal Family’s brands, Her Majesty also supported the growth of other businesses.

On over 800 brands, including Cadbury UK, Boots UK, Jaguar Landrover, HP Foods (acquired by H.J Heinz Foods UK) and Unilever, you will find the stamp of the Royal Warrant. The Royal Warrant signifies a mark of recognition granted to a company or tradesperson who regularly supplies goods or services to the British Royal Family. During her reign the Queen granted 686 Royal Warrants. On her passing, these will now be reviewed, with new warrants being granted by King Charles III.

The Royal Warrant is an advantageous seal of approval, particularly in the export market. Research undertaken by Warwick Business School showed 57% of Chinese shoppers found products marked with the Royal Warrant to be important or very important in increasing desirability.1

The same research showed that The Queen influenced Chinese shoppers, from what she wore to what she ate and where she visited. 46.7% of those asked said if a dress was worn by Her Majesty, it would increase the chance of them buying it.

“Though we each lead different lives, the experience of growing older, and the joys and emotions which it brings, are familiar to us all.”

Keen to support UK businesses, The Queen also awarded businesses The Queen’s Award For Enterprise. The award is considered the highest official UK awards for British Business. Instituted by Royal Warrant in 1965, recent years have seen businesses awarded for outstanding contribution in categories of International Trade (Export), Innovation (Technology), Sustainable Development (Environmental Achievement) and Promoting Opportunity (Through Social Mobility).

Similar to the Royal Warrant, winning businesses are able to fly the Queen’s Award flag and use the emblem on marketing material, boosting its value. Previous winners include The Co-operative Group (Sustainable Development, 2022), Lovehoney (International Trade, 2021) and Bambino Mio (International Trade, 2020).

“The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference.”

Queen Elizabeth II

Since her passing, Queen Elizabeth II has been praised for her servitude to her country, with more than 250,000 mourners queuing to witness Her Majesty Lying-In-State. A further 28 million viewers (at its peak) watched Her Majesty’s funeral, which took place on the 19th September 2022, on television.

https://www.wbs.ac.uk/news/five-reasons-why-the-queen-is-good-for-uk-business/

Green cities

Paris, France

Paris takes the crown as Europe’s ‘greenest’ capital, with the highest number of green spaces per 100,000 people Luxembourg City and Dublin take second and third respectively

Green cities

The greenest European capitals

New research has revealed the greenest European capitals, with Paris coming out on top.

The study by straw specialists Drinking Straw analysed the number of parks, gardens, wildlife areas, forests, playgrounds and bodies of water compared to the size of the population to see which areas have the most green spaces per 100,000 people.

It found that France’s capital of Paris is the greenest of any capital, with 325 total green spaces made up of 171 parks, 127 gardens, one wildlife area, 16 playgrounds and ten bodies of water. When accounting for population, it has 7.62 parks and 5.66 gardens per 100,000 people.

Luxembourg City comes in second place with an impressive total of 13 green spaces despite its smaller population, comprised of 8 parks, one garden and four playgrounds. There were 8.51 parks per 100,000 people, the highest of any city in the study.

Ireland’s capital of Dublin takes third on the list, with 66 green spaces comprised of 34

parks, 15 gardens, seven nature and wildlife areas, three playgrounds, one forest and six bodies of water. The study found it to have 6.47 parks and 2.86 gardens per 100,000 people when population was accounted for.

Cardiff comes in fourth place, with the Welsh capital being home to 37 green spaces, made up of 18 parks, three gardens, five wildlife areas, three playgrounds, three forests and three bodies of water. When comparing against the population, it has 5.54 parks per 100,000 people.

With a total of 61 green spaces, Portugal’s capital Lisbon rounds out the top five. The 61 green spaces comprise of 25 parks, 26 gardens, one wildlife area, seven playgrounds and two forests. There are 4.59 parks and 4.77 gardens per 100,000 people in the city.

London comes in 24th place of all the capitals studied, which has the most green spaces with 356 in total, but when taking into account the city’s population it falls out of the top ten. Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, with a total of 31 green spaces, comes in 17th place when adjusting for population.

Green cities

Green cities

No. of gardens per 100k Population

No. of play grounds per 100k

No. of green spaces per 100k people City

Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson from Drinking Straw said:

“While it might be the case that Europe’s most populated capitals have the most infrastructure, this data shows that those at the top of the list also manage to combine that with a strong balance of people to green spaces as well. In the case of cities like Luxembourg and Paris, there are many green spaces compared to the number of people, meaning you won’t be far from a park or garden in most areas.”

The study was conducted by Drinking Straw, a distributor, wholesaler, and sup plier of drinking straws in all of Europe, offering flexible, eco-friendly and plas tic-free wholesale stock.

The Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland

Housing

How the new interest rates affect house prices and rent across the UK

The Office for National Statistics announced on August 17th that UK inflation rose to 10.1%, from 9.4% two months earlier. The Bank of England expects it to further increase, peaking at 13.3% in October. The accompanying higher interest rates, currently at 1.75%, and bleak two-year economic outlook generally means bad news for homebuyers, landlords and renters across the UK.

Top market analysts at CMC Markets expect interest rates to further rise to 2.25% in September. This directly impacts mortgages on variable rates – around 1 in 5 households in the UK – and another 3.1 million whose fixedrate periods expire in 2022-2023, according to UK Finance estimates. Borrowers whose repayments are directly linked to the base rate, as set by the Bank of England, will now face

mortgage repayments at rates between 3% and 4%, up from 1.75% and 2.75% only five months earlier. This will inevitably spill into rent prices.

CMC Markets analysed the latest data for June 2022 from HM Land Registry, published on August 17th, and concluded that the likely tendency for house prices is in a temporary slowdown, which is good news for those waiting a little longer to buy a home.

Michael Hewson, Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets comments: “Houses sold in June 2022 only increased in price by 1% compared to May, whereas, last year, this constituted a much more generous 5.7% surge. This is only the first month this year for prices to slow down at such a fast rate, so some caution before jumping to conclusions is advised. Remember, house prices may be slowing down, but they

hurry if you’re selling, halt if you’re buying, stay if you’ve borrowed, finance experts advise.

Housing market:

Inflation and interest rates will keep rising, but house prices are already slowing down.

Landlords will likely increase rent prices or sell to cope with increased mortgage repayments.

Housing

are not decreasing. Importantly, since this is transactions data processed at the time, it does not take into account the big leap in interest rates that the Bank of England announced later that month, let alone the even bigger hike in August.

“Therefore, despite the soaring inflation and rising consumer prices across the board, UK house prices appear to be trailing behind because demand for homes has generally come to a screeching halt. Most buyers are weathering the storm for a few more months at least, while some are also working out how the cost of living crisis will pan out in the medium term so that the new mortgage is not squeezing their pockets beyond their comfort zone

“For those still keen to get on the property ladder, there are plenty of fixed-rate banking products that can insulate them from the current spiralling interest rates on mortgages. They should, however, prepare

for the possibility of being faced with higher-thanexpected repayments once the fixed rate period expires, as the new variable rates are at the lender’s discretion. Fixed rates are not a cure-all either, as they may now be set to a higher level to start with.

“The buy-to-let market is equally volatile. Landlords will either pass the increased mortgage repayments onto tenants by increasing their rent or simply sell fast to lock in a better price. Right now though, those already on the property ladder are generally better off staying put rather than moving or re-mortgaging. They would not get a good deal on their old house in this market and may likely end up losing more money overall.”

What did the Bank of England do earlier in August?

The Bank of England explained that the rise in interest rates was necessary due to external pressures which are expected to persist. This means that British firms and residents will continue to feel this weight reflected on rising domestic prices, wages outpaced by soaring inflation, and even higher mortgage repayments, despite the Bank’s attempt to widen the borrowing pool through less restrictive mortgage rules.

Although historic, the Bank’s decision was not a surprise for trading analysts at CMC Markets, a London-headquartered financial services company, who believe the Bank was expected to raise interest rates higher than 1.25% during the June meeting, as a means to keep import inflation in check. This is on the backdrop of a 10% year-to-date depreciation of the British pound sterling against the US dollar and an indication from the Federal Reserve, the US central bank, of a further interest rate increase by 0.5% or 0.75% in September.

Michael Hewson comments: “The UK currently fares worse than both the EU and the US. This is due to its closer dependence on energy shocks than the States and less government intervention to soften the blow compared to its European counterparts.”

What’s next and when will things calm down?

Other than adjusting the interest rates to the accurate level to keep abreast of import inflation, the economic projections for the UK paint a bleak outlook for the next two years.

The UK is projected to enter a recession in the final quarter of this year, the Bank of England announced. The country’s economy will contract by 1.25% in 2023 and 0.25% in 2024, however, inflation is becoming a much bigger long-term threat, with unrealistic chances of falling back to the desired 2% much before 2024.

The current political race for the Conservative Party leadership and the consequent fiscal policies promoted by the new British government is a major factor to take into account for any inflation, GDP, and unemployment projections and investment decisions.

As it stands with the current measures, inflation is expected to peak at 13.3% in October – a sharper increase than the Bank anticipated in June, originally estimated at 11%. It will continue to rise throughout 2023 only to decline in 2024.

Meanwhile, forecasts for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) are less optimistic now, expected to decrease only to 9.5% in the third quarter of 2023, although the Bank anticipates a sharp fall in prices immediately thereafter.

Selling prices are set to increase to reflect rising costs while real household post-tax income is expected to plunge in 2022 and 2023. The Bank predicted that core prices will peak at 6.5% this year, meaning that, in the following six months, food and energy will constitute more than half of the headline CPI.

The next meeting for the Monetary Policy Committee, where the Bank of England will decide what the new base interest rates might be, is set for September 15th.

Coppered- Colored Dawn

Mopani Copper Mines Plc’s new lease on life affords a renewed opportunity to meet future demand for copper, cobalt, and foreign investment in the mining industry.

Zambia is Africa’s second-largest copper producer and has a long history of mining with spells of both privatization and nationalization, with a genesis that dates back to the 1920s.

According to the Zambia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative 2020 report, mining is Zambia’s dominant industry, accounting for approximately 11% of the country’s gross domestic product, over 75% of exports, 31% of government revenue, and 2% of national employment.

This African nation is home to some of the world’s largest copper deposits and several copper production giants such as Mopani Copper Mines Plc, the country’s second-largest copper mine and among the largest employers outside the government, with over 15 000 jobs.

Needless to say, it is a major player in the sector and a lifeblood of the economy.

Mopani Copper Mines Plc is located in the town of Kitwe in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia and produces around 100 000 tonnes of copper per year, with plans underway to increase this to 225 000 tonnes in the next five years. Leadership has made some necessary strategic changes in order to actualize this goal.

Mopani is considered one of the most advanced underground mines with over 129 million tonnes of copper reserves. The organization was voted the mining company of the year a record five times by member organizations under the Kitwe district and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, due to its $1.5 billion investment in ultramodern infrastructure to extend the lifespan of the mine beyond 25 years.

The company has been in operation since 2000 and began its life as a joint venture between Glencore International AG, First Quantum Minerals Ltd, and Zambian state-owned mining company ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc.

PROJECT DIRECTED BY WRITTEN BY Malvern Kandemwa Frew Murdoch

Mopani Copper Mines PLC

Recently, ZCCM acquired 90% shares in the mine from Glencore and First Quantum Minerals, taking complete ownership of Mopani in a bid to effect an immediate turnaround. This came after Glencore tried to suspend operations at Mopani due to low copper prices and COVID-19 disruptions.

In a digital asset released by the mining company, Mopani Chief Executive Officer Charles Sakanya said:

“...Once we learned we were granted a lease of life to continue to operate, we embarked on a cost reduction drive. We’ve controlled our purchases very strictly. We got rid of expensive labor and then we increased production. We produced as much as we could under the circumstances.

“We dropped the production cost from 6.85 cents per pound down to 4.35 and still going. We would like to be around the 3.50 mark.

“The potential for Mopani is huge. We are now talking of mining at two kilometers deep at Ndola mine, we’re at 1.5 kilometers at Mufulira with an extension over the shaft of two kilometers as well. At these levels, we still have copper. So, copper is here for a long time.”

‘New Dawn’ mining policy for Zambia

This year, Zambia’s mining sector and economy have been given hope in the form of a new mining policy. In a keynote speech entitled “A New Dawn for Zambia’s Mining Sector” presented at the Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, President Hakainde Hichilema set out the government’s vision for a robust and sustainable mining industry.

Key takeaways from his speech included plans to establish a sovereign wealth fund to safeguard future generations’ ability to benefit from the country’s natural resources and intentions to improve infrastructure and power supply to better attract investors into the mining sector.

In addition, the government aims to create

more jobs and improve their citizens’ social welfare. These initiatives and steps are being rolled out in a bid to achieve the government’s ambitious objective of taking annual copper production levels to three million tonnes in the next decade.

Mopani believes the mining policies being put in place by the Government will ensure that the three million tonnes of copper per annum is achieved through sustainable growth.

“ZCCM-IH is committed to seeing that MCM [Mopani] delivers to its optimal production levels in order to contribute to the national production target of 3 million metric tonnes of copper by 2030,” said ZCCM in a statement. In alignment with this, the state-owned company has recruited investment

Mopani Copper Mines PLC

bank Rothschild & Co for a strategic review of Mopani “to ensure its sustainability and continued development”.

Recently, the mining organization has invested in three new shafts: Synclinorium, Mindolo Deeps, and Mufulira Deeps. At its projected depth of 2km, Mufulira will be the world’s second deepest, single-shaft underground copper mine, just 100 meters short of the 2.1km-deep Resolution Copper Mine in Arizona, USA.

Zambia as an investment destination

Zambia is a stable democracy with a probusiness environment and a growing economy. The country has recently been upgraded to ‘investment grade’ status by international credit rating agencies and is seen as an increasingly attractive destination for foreign direct investment.

The country has a steady political environment and offers a number of advantages to investors. Zambia offers a low cost of doing business and a number of favorable fiscal and non-fiscal investment incentives. In addition, the local workforce is extremely skilled thanks to a rich shared experience in copper mining.

The country also boasts a wealth of natural resources besides copper. While it is true that historically Zambia is associated with the warm allure of its rust-toned copper, the country’s offerings have evolved as a result of its economic policies and diversified into other precious metals and minerals.

Mopani for example also yields 700 kilograms of silver, approximately 114 kilograms of gold, and when running at full capacity, 1 800 tonnes of sulfuric acid, which is used in the treatment of oxide ores and in fertilizer plants. The mining organization also produces 4 000 tonnes of cobalt concentrates.

It is important to note that approximately 90% of current cobalt production comes as a

by-product of large-scale nickel and copper mining operations. Cobalt is a key commodity in this green energy era, with over 50% of the mineral’s global production serving as raw materials for rechargeable batteries.

Curiously, Zambia’s cobalt reserves remain for the most part unexplored and unexploited, mainly due to past investor uncertainty. As the demand for electric vehicles increases, so too does the demand for lithium-ion and cobalt, so it is likely that investors will come around.

Mopani has been hit by a number of challenges in recent years, including low copper prices, power shortages, and labor unrest. However, with the green energy transition fueling copper demand and the mine’s investments and expansion projects, Mopani is positioned effectively to ride the tide and swell with foreign investment.

www.zccm-ih.com.zm/investments/ mining-assets/mopani-copper-mines-plc

Processing Digital Sustainability

According to Science Focus, sending 65 emails is the equivalent of driving one kilometre in a car. In the UK, if each email user sent one less email a day, the country could reduce its carbon emissions by 16,433 tonnes of CO2.

With that staggering data, it’s vital that businesses pay attention to its digital carbon footprint.

When it comes to sustainability, Iceland is an undisputed world leader. Currently, 90% of Iceland’s primary energy needs are met with sustainable energy (as of September 2021). The Icelandic government has goals to reach carbon neutrality by 2040, and to be fossil fuel free by 2050.

It is no surprise, then, that one of the World’s most sustainable data centre organisations, atNorth, is headquartered in Iceland.

Nordic expansion

Established in 2009, atNorth is a leading PanNordic data centre services company.

The business, which currently has two sites in Iceland and one in Sweden, offers environmentally responsible, power-efficient and cost-optimised data centre hosting facilities and high-performance computing services.

“We’re currently experiencing a growth phase and will be looking to open further centres in the coming years,” shared atNorth’s CEO, Eyjólfur Magnús Kristinsson, “our goal is

to have data centres in all Nordic countries by 2025”.

The organisation is currently constructing its third Icelandic base (and fourth Nordic data centre), due to open in 2023. Meanwhile, the existing data centres are also expanding.

The business is currently looking to secure at least 50 megawatts of power capacity and land to build another hyperscale colocation data centre.

Its aim is to serve the strong demand from both hyperscale and HPC customers that now look towards the Nordics to increase efficiency and sustainability of their workloads.

The planned new data centre will use 100% renewable energy, making it one of the most sustainable and cost-efficient wholesale data centres ever built.

On leadership

Mr Kristinsson has been leading atNorth since its inception as a standalone business in 2018.

“As a leader, I think it’s crucial to trust your colleagues, be a good listener and have transparent dialogues,” he said, “I think I should attend the office every day as the best version of myself, so I can have a positive impact,”.

Mr Kristinsson’s opinions on leadership are shared throughout the business, which has a strong culture and a transparent management

PROJECT DIRECTED BY

Laura Watling Malvern Kandemwa

E. Magnús Kristinsson CEO, atNorth

AtNorth

SWE01Heat Recovery and Cooling System - Sweden

team. “Our culture of transparency is reflected even down to the layout of our workspace, with all open space and no closed doors,” he shared.

What goes around, comes around

By leveraging innovative data centre design, power efficiency and intelligent cluster operations, atNorth considers itself the data centre company of choice. It can enable businesses to reduce overall TCO, increase efficiency, and secure the future of longerterm infrastructure deployments.

“Our mission is to decarbonise IT platforms, with a vision to offer more compute for a better world,” said Mr Kristinsson.

atNorth is proudly driven by sustainability. Only using hydropower and geothermal from Iceland’s grid, customers can rest assured that atNorth’s centres in Iceland are powered purely by renewable energy. Similarly, Sweden’s energy is driven by green.

“We have also made developments to optimise our machine cooling process. Our equipment uses less speed and less moving parts, which

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AtNorth

lowers its carbon footprint, with no effect on our output,” explained Mr Kristinsson.

Air temperatures range from 0 °C to 13.3 °C, creating perfect conditions to enable significant reductions in the amount of electricity used to keep the data centre servers cool.

To meet its goals within the circular economy, atNorth has partnered with Swedish energy provider, Stockholm Exergi, for the construction of a new data centre in Stockholm.

The aim for the data centre will be to harness the waste heat generated by the computing equipment. The heat generated will be redistributed to heat local homes in the capital.

Sustainable computing in action

Recently, atNorth worked in partnership with Dell Technologies to provide BNP Paribas with a state-of-the-art infrastructure as a service solution.

As part of BNP Paribas exponential and responsible infrastructure growth, the business moved 30% of its data centre requirements to atNorth’s facilities in Iceland. By doing so, it has future-proofed BNP’s HPC infrastructure.

The infrastructure, which includes Dell’s PowerEdge servers, utilises atNorth’s ultrapower-efficient data centre, run purely from renewable energy.

The move has enabled BNP Paribas to:

• Reduce energy usage by 50%;

• Decrease CO2 output by 85%;

• Transition to 100% renewable energy;

• Increase power efficiency at higher compute density;

• Lower TCO;

• And adopt future-proof, environmentally responsible HPC.

“Although this is a fantastic example of what our service can do, this case study is not unique for us. We are fulfilling this for

our customers time and time again,” said Mr Kristinsson.

Focussing on HPC and AI

atNorth’s primary focus is on its HPC (High Performance Computing) and AI services, an area in which Mr Kristinsson foresees considerable opportunity.

In this arena, the business’s solutions range from performance optimised and secure bare metal clusters that are ready to be deployed, to tailor made clusters designed to meet its customer’s specific requirements.

“Our centres are purpose built to hold the highdensity racks required, which have a variety of redundancy levels,” shared Mr Kristinsson, “we have a dedicated, in-house HPC and AI

AtNorth

engineering team to manage the customer’s cluster, constantly collaborating and finetuning to ensure optimal performance”.

This allows customers to focus on its HPC and AI results, rather than worry about capacity requirements.

“Technology is moving more to HPC and AI, and so our strategy is underpinned by this focus,” said Mr Kristinsson.

atNorth: the trusted partner

Like most businesses, atNorth has faced its challenges by an amalgamation of global events causing supply chain disruption.

“We are receiving new technology every day and want to reassure customers that we can

stay equipped whilst keeping the costs stable. It’s a challenge, but we need to overcome this to become the trusted partner for businesses' most valuable asset,” shared Mr Kristinsson.

Mr Kristinsson expects both the industry and atNorth to see significant growth in the next five years.

“Cloud technology is growing and developing at an extreme rate and will continue to do,” he shared, “we also see the challenges and opportunities of hybrid workloads and specific data such as data sovereignty”.

To meet the demands, atNorth are continuing to scale up, by scouting for both the centres and the people of the future.

www.atnorth.com

atNorth’s ICE02 DC colocation data center

The Planes of West Africa

PROJECT DIRECTED BY WRITTEN BY

Gary Smith

Laura Watling

Blaise Diagne

The airport, which launched in 2016, replaced the Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport, as demand had outgrown the airport’s size. This airport now caters to international freight and charter.

Initially scheduled to take 30 months to build, the construction phase was a decade in the making. This was due to a financial dispute between the construction contractor, Saudi Binladin Group and the Senegalese government.

The initial operation contract was won by German transport company, Fraport, in collaboration with an international consortium. However, due to the construction hold up, the agreement was withdrawn.

A new partnership between Turkish construction firms Limak and Summa saw the completion of building works, as a subcontractor of the Saudi Binladen Group. The businesses also agreed to a 25-year operation contract. Also involved in the project was design firm Dar Al-Handasah Turner-CDE, who were selected alongside the Saudi Binladen Group to design and build the airport facility. Areen Design, of the UK, were brought on board for interior design.

DP World won a contract to build a logisticsfree zone at the airport whilst Burns & McDonnell were appointed to implement IT infrastructure.

The international airport boasts a 42,000 m2 passenger terminal with six gates. Further to that, it offers a 12,800m2 cargo terminal which can handle 50,000 tonnes of freight. It was designed for an initial capacity of 3 million passengers a year – almost double the 1.7 million annual traffic handled by Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport. It is the aim that by 2035, the airport will extend its capacity to 10 million passengers per year. To accommodate, a second passenger terminal and runway is planned.

For those travelling to and from Senegal, the Blaise Diagne International Airport is now the country’s main hub for worldwide travel.

Blaise Diagne

Blaise Diagne International Airport is the result of 10 years of development and an estimated €566 million investment.

Location, Location, Location

Senegal, which has an estimated population of 17.5 million (2022), is situated in West Africa.

Not only does the country have one of the most developed tourism industries in the continent, it also has much to offer in terms of business. Key industries include mining, construction and banking. This makes the airport a fantastic hub.

Based in Diass, a town 43 kilometres east of the country’s capital, Dakar, the airport has plenty of travel links. This includes the Train Express Regional, taking travellers directly to the capital.

Flights from the airport are available to many popular international destinations, including Dubai, New York, Milan and Lisbon. World renowned airlines including Tui, Turkish Airlines and Airfrance all operate from Blaise Diagne International Airport.

Blaise Diagne

An Odyssey

As you would expect with an international airport of such investment, it has much to offer its visitors. Coffee shops, bars and duty free can all be found at the airport, with the latter being provided by Lagardère Travel Retail.

The main attraction, however, is the three VIP lounges - The Odysee Lounge, Salon Infinite and Top Kapi Lounge.

The Odysee Lounge has been designed with business travellers in mind. Workstations, computers, scanners and printers can all be found here. To offer a bit of balance, loungegoers also have access to refreshments and massage chairs. Needed for modern travel, there is free wifi available.

What’s in a name?

Senegal’s international airport is named after the country’s historical political figure of the same name.

Blaise Diagne (1872-1934) was the first person of West African origin to be elected into the French Chamber of Deputies.

Diagne was elected to the Chamber of Deputies of France in 1914 as the representative for the Four Communes - the four oldest colonial towns in French West Africa: Dakar, Gorée, Saint-Louis and Rufisque.

The political pioneer’s legacy includes the approval of a law granting full citizenship to all residents of the Four Communes.

PROJECT DIRECTED BY WRITTEN BY Chiara Salter Frew Murdoch

Interior Design: Businesses’ Secret Weapon

Interior design can often be relegated to the domain of fashionistas, high-net-worth celebrities, and the centerfolds of glossy, upmarket home decor magazines. Yet, interior design plays a crucial, often underrated role in the business world. A well-designed organizational interior can make a substantial difference to employee productivity, customer attraction, company culture, and the shaping of an individual’s moods, attitudes, and drive within that designated space.

Effective interior design uplifts employees, leadership, customers, and clients. It offers the opportunity to communicate the company’s brand across various touchpoints, from offices, boardrooms, and staffrooms to shops, galleries, airport lounges, hotel receptions, and so forth.

Hell’s Kitchen, Marie Claire, and British Airways are three companies that, although vastly different in industry, have enlisted the services of high-end interior fit-out company Bond Interiors to leverage interior design, and improve customer and employee satisfaction.

Bond Interiors began life as a small interior maintenance company in 1986 in the United Arab Emirates. The company completed its first five-star hotel project, JW’s Steakhouse, in 1995 and in 1999, Bond moved into its own purpose-built head office and factory in Sharjah. Throughout the 2000s, the organization expanded, opening several new

Bond Interiors designs flexible, functional, and beautiful spaces that appeal to conscience-led generations

company divisions and factories for metal, glass, and solid surface processes.

As the company expanded so did its recognition and accomplishments. Bond Interiors received the Dubai Chamber CSR Label three times consecutively - the prestigious framework and development tool that awards companies for their Corporate Social Responsibility strategies. In addition, the organization received multiple honors including the Dubai Industrial City Advanced Machinery Award 2019, the Middle East Design Awards 2019, and the Surge title of the Most Sustainable Contractor in 2019, among others.

The company operates in seven international locations: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, the Philippines, India, China, and Italy, across eight sectors, including food, hospitality, healthcare, banking, and aviation. Bond Interiors has completed a diversity of design projects; over 4000 in its 30 years of existence. Some notable examples are the Five Palm Dubai hotel, Palazzo Versace, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Nike’s flagship store, Almas Tower, and Sharjah Islamic Bank Headquarters.

The multiformity of Bond’s design projects showcases how integral interior design is

Bond Interiors

across different industries, yet, it remains a well-kept secret. Over the years, the company has grown courtesy of its team’s quality work and portfolio of projects, which range in value, size, and complexity. This could only be made possible through the Bond Interior’s leadership team and workforce.

Pillar of the community

“Bond is not just a company, it is a community,” said Saad Moaswes, Managing Director at Bond Interiors. The cohesion of a company’s people directly influences the customer experience, shaping the services,

Bond Interiors

product quality, customer support, and so much more. Bond’s leadership team comprises long-standing employees who have led the transformation from a small interior fitout company with only 20 employees to an award-winning organization with thousands of successful projects and over 2800 employeessome of who are second-generation.

The driving force behind Bond’s unity and teamwork is the company’s values. Bond demonstrates the value of leadership by challenging industry standards in terms of quality, time frames, and sustainability. Through empowerment, the workforce is motivated to mobilize towards common goals as a community.

Transparency within their organizational teams leads to constructive group feedback that helps to achieve better results. Lastly, Bond prizes the value of agility by focusing on getting things done, on time, every time.

Delivering the best fit, responsibly

If a company does not have a grasp of the importance of sustainability, it simply will not make it long-term. As environmental degradation is becoming more evident, going green is a necessity for survival. However, survival is the bare minimum that sustainable practices afford. Organizations also have the opportunity to thrive, as these practices can lead to reduced business costs and a better reputation. In addition, by embracing sustainability, businesses can also lead by

Bond Interiors

example and inspire their employees and clients to improve their lifestyle habits.

In 2016, Bond established their sustainability division, led by an expert team of certified energy managers, and measurement and verification professionals. As a registered Energy Service Company (ESCO), the business assists organizations to become more efficient by providing energy audits, monitoring, and management; renewable energy/solar solutions; and the implementation of solutions across engineering, procurement, and project management. In this way, Bond aids companies to adopt greener practices and interiors.

Sustainable interiors are not solely attractive from a productivity or responsibility perspective. These can also act as a magnet for talent and consumers. Baby Boomers are no longer the largest generation or the one that wields the bulk of purchasing power. Generation Z and the Millennials now hold the cards, which means companies need to adapt to meet their unique demands, especially considering that these two generations are the most likely to make buying decisions based on social and environmental values. Sustainable interior design is one way that brands can resonate with these conscience-led consumers.

Bond Interiors produces flexible, imaginative, and functional environments that deliver on the client’s brief, from full fit-outs and project management to design, development, and build. Any organization can benefit from an optimized interior design and sustainability update. This is a way to stand out and positively shape the perceptions of every individual and stakeholder who enters the brand space.

“Our vision at Bond is to be the industryleading interior fit-out company in the MENA region. To evolve with time, delivering distinctive, durable spaces in a sustainable manner that surpass our clients’ expectations,” states Bond Interiors www.bondinteriors.com

Prolec An Electric Offering

Prolec offers services which can meet the electrical needs of clients across the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors.

“For domestic clients we offer services ranging from new build re-wires and fuse board installation, to repairs, maintenance, inspection and testing,” explained Ryan, “we also undertake security projects, such as CCTV and security system installation as well as security lighting”.

Increasingly popular, Prolec can also fit electric car charging outlets for both domestic and commercial clients.

“Our commercial projects cover fire alarm inspections and data systems, as well as installation and design of electrics and lighting. Important for our commercial clients is economic energy saving lighting, which we are, of course, experienced in,” said Ryan.

For its industrial clients, Prolec regularly fits safety solutions such as high bay lighting systems, emergency stops, magnetic door stops, and fire alarm & emergency lighting installation and design.

Prolec is licensed for all domestic, commercial and industrial services it provides, which comes with a six year guarantee. “We’re committed to providing all of our customers

an excellent service, from our free quote through to our after care” explained Ryan, “Our consistently high standard of work is key to ensuring repeat custom and business growth”

Based in Norfolk, Prolec is proud to be a Norwich business.

“We are partners of Norwich City Football Club and its Community Sports Foundation,” explained Ryan, “the foundation is an incredible charity

Starting as an apprentice electrician, Ryan McCune has grown a successful and established electrical services business in Prolec

Prolec

“Excellent service throughout. Came at a convenient time to ensure no disruption was caused to our business, thorough job and very friendly and professional throughout. Completed numerous pieces of work for our business including some complex electrics for our CT scanner. Very fair pricing. Would highly recommend.”

Faye Bethell

“Used this company 3 times now. They are a cut above the rest. They turn up exactly on time every morning, work hard all day (not sit about like our last contractors). I would recommend these to anyone who wants a professional job doing.”

“Recently helped friends out selling their home post survey. Were reliable and did exactly what they said they would. Would happily recommend them to others without hesitation.”

which helps thousands of people every year to achieve their goals through sport”.

The foundation supports some of the most disadvantaged and disabled people across Norfolk.

As well as implementing lighting for Norwich City Football Club’s 27,000 seater stadium, Carrow Road, Prolec have also partnered with the Royal Norfolk Golf Club.

Since its establishment, Prolec has seen impressive growth. “Initially I took on my colleague Louis, after six months of working as a two-man-band we grew to four. Two years later we grew to 15 and now we have a team of 30, with the capacity to support clients nationwide in the UK,” said Ryan.

“We will always seek to expand our team and our offering, ensuring we can provide the best in electrical services to our clients. What’s important to us is that we always maintain our high service levels,” Ryan shared.

Mark Bowgen

Samuel Le Good

Prolec is proud to be a Norwich business

WRITTEN BY Laura Watling

PROJECT DIRECTED BY Gary Smith

Putting Madagascar on the Mining Map

Two thirds of the world’s primary nickel ore is used in stainless steel production. It’s also becoming a key component in the production of electric vehicles, due to its use in heavy duty batteries.

Investing News stated that in 2021 Russia was the third largest producer of nickel. Of course, analysts had their concerns regarding the nickel market due to the sanctions on Russia, and trading of nickel was even halted on the London Metal Exchange in March 2022.

It is imperative then, that other reserves for this metal be found.

Ambatovy team posing for a photograph

Ambatovy Ambatovy

Ajoint venture between Sumitomo Corpo ration and KOMIR, Ambatovy is a major industrial operation, mining and refin ing nickel and cobalt in Madagascar.

The largest foreign investment in Madagascar

of Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo. The ore body of the mine consists of two large, weath ered lateritic nickel deposits - the Ambatovy de posit and the Analamay depost.

the world’s largest lateritic nickel reserves, spanning around 1600 ha.

Sumitomo, headquartered in Japan, is a leading For tune 500 trading and investment business. Mean while, KOMIR (formerly known as KORES) is a fully integrated mining rehabilitation organisation.

A joint venture between Sumitomo Corporation and KOMIR, Ambatovy is a major industrial operation, mining and refining nickel and cobalt in Madagascar.

Together, the businesses produce high-quality nickel and cobalt from the Ambatovy mine, with a focus on sustainability.

Thus far, the project has seen investment of (US) $8 billion, making it the largest-ever foreign in vestment in the country – and one of the biggest in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sumitomo, headquartered in Japan, is a leading Fortune 500 trading and investment business. Meanwhile, KOMIR (formerly known as KORES) is a fully integrated mining rehabilitation organisation. Together, the businesses produce high-quality nickel and cobalt from the Ambatovy mine, with a focus on sustainability. Thus far, the project has seen investment of (US) $8 billion, making it the largest-ever foreign investment in the country – and one of the biggest in sub-Saharan Africa.

With an early production capacity of 60,000 tons of nickel and 5,600 tons of cobalt, it ranks among the largest lateritic nickel mining com panies in the world.

With an early production capacity of 60,000 tons of nickel and 5,600 tons of cobalt, it ranks among the largest lateritic nickel mining companies in the world. Ambatovy strives to be a leader in operational efficiency, health and safety, environmental management, and social engagement – all whilst contributing to the long-term prosperity of Madagascar.

Achieving Top 5 Status

Ambatovy strives to be a leader in operation al efficiency, health and safety, environmen tal management, and social engagement – all whilst contributing to the long-term prosperity of Madagascar.

Achieving Top 5 Status

The mine site of Ambatovy is located 80km east of Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo. The ore body of the mine consists of two large, weathered lateritic nickel deposits - the Ambatovy deposit and the Analamay depost. Combined, the two deposits constitute one of

The mine site of Ambatovy is located 80km east

Combined, the two deposits constitute one of the world’s largest lateritic nickel reserves, spanning around 1600 ha.

Despite a history dating back to the 1960’s, Ambatovy started its operations in 2012, accomplishing its first commercial production in January 2014.

Despite a history dating back to the 1960’s, Am batovy started its operations in 2012, accomplish ing its first commercial production in January 2014. Operations at the mine have been designed to produce around 60,000 tonnes of refined nickel and 5,600 tonnes of refined cobalt annually.

Operations at the mine have been designed to produce around 60,000 tonnes of refined nickel and 5,600 tonnes of refined cobalt annually. In 2021, however, the partnership exceeded its yearly projection, making them one of the top five producers of nickel and cobalt in the industry.

In 2021, however, the partnership exceeded its yearly projection, making them one of the top five producers of nickel and cobalt in the industry.

“We owe our 2021 achievements to a strong and fully committed team,” said newly appointed CEO, Gus Gomes, “They succeeded in achieving a major turnaround, in very difficult and challenging conditions, including the Covid-19 pandemic, which had led to stopping production between March 2020 and March 2021”.

“We owe our 2021 achievements to a strong and fully committed team,” said newly appointed CEO, Gus Gomes, “They succeeded in achieving a major turnaround, in very difficult and challeng ing conditions, including the Covid-19 pandem ic, which had led to stopping production between March 2020 and March 2021”.

In addition to its outputs, Ambatovy can proudly say its briquettes contain 99.9% pure metal. On top of its nickel and cobalt supply, the project also produces 120,000 tonnes of ammonium, created as a by-product of the refining process.

Contributing to community, country and economy

Central to Ambatovy’s mission is supporting Madagascar’s input into the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

In addition to its outputs, Ambatovy can proud ly say its briquettes contain 99.9% pure metal. On top of its nickel and cobalt supply, the proj ect also produces 120,000 tonnes of ammonium, created as a by-product of the refining process.

P e t c h e m S u p p l y C o L t d

Ambatovy sees its support for Madagascar’s achievement of the SDG’s in three pillars: Business Approach; Community and Environmental Approach; And Supporting Local Growth.

P e t c h e m S u p p l y i s p r o u d t o b e o n e o f p i o n e e r p a r t n e r s w i t h A m b a t o v y P r o j e c t s f r o m e s t a b l i s h i n g s t a g e , e v e r s i n c e s i t e c o n s t r u c t i o n 2 0 0 7 w h e n P e t c h e m S u p p l y s e r v i n g t o S h e r r i t t S N C L a v a l i n O u r c o n t i n u i n g s u p p l y s e r v i c e i s f o r A m b a t o v y & a m p ; D y n a t e c i n M R O a c t i v i t y w i t h S t e e l s t r u c t u r e s , P i p i n g & a m p ; c o m p o n e n t s i . e . , F i t t i n g s , F l a n g e s , F a s t e n e r s , G a s k e t s i n v a r i o u s s t e e l g r a d e s f r o m C ar b o n s t e e l , S t a i n l e s s s t e e l s e r i e s , N i c k e l a l l o y a n d T i t a n i u m m a t e r i a l s . H i s t o r y P E T C H E M S U P P L Y s t a r t e d o u r b u s i n e s s j o u r n e y i n T h a i l a n d s i n c e 1 9 9 6 , 2 6 y e a r s ’ e x p e r i e n c e e n a b l e u s b e i n g o n e o f t h e m o s t r e l i a b l e s o u r c i n g p r o v i d e r o f s p e c i a l a n d e x o t i c m a t e r i a l s w o r l d w i d e f o r s u p p l y i n g t o M i n i n g , R e f i n e r y , E n e r g y , P e t r o c h e m i c a l a n d C h e m i c a l i n d u s t r i e s f o r d o m e s t i c s a n d o v e r s e a s c u s t o m e r s .

By processing its raw ore in-country, Ambatovy contributes to Madagascar’s economic development. By doing so, it increases Madagascar’s foreign earnings through export of nickel and cobalt.

Ambatovy has also made significant investment into local, social infrastructure. This includes creating roads and rehabilitating schools and medical centres.

P h i l o s o p h y & M i s s io n : O u r i n t e r n a t i o n a l s t a n d a r d i z a t i o n t h r o u g h I S O 9 0 0 1 : 2 0 1 5 L R Q A s p e a k s w e l l o f o u r h i g h s t a n d a r d . I t d e m o n s t r a t e s o u r s t r o n g c o m m i t m e n t o f b u s i n e s s m i s s i o n t o m a x i m i z e o u r c u s t o m e r s ’ s a t i s f a c t i o n f i r s t .

In addition, it has focussed on creating environmental programmes to educate the local community on the importance of Madagascar’s rich biodiversity, and its role in the country’s future.

At the heart of Ambatovy’s procurement practices is its “buy locally, hire locally” policy, reflecting the organisation's commitment to

O t h e r t h a n t h e b e s t q u a l i t y o f m a t e r i a l s w e p r o v i d e , o u r s e r v i c e d e d i c a t i o n a n d f l e x i b i l i t y i s a l s o r e c o g n i z e d s t r e n g t h a n d m a k e u s w e l l a c c e p t e d b y c u s t o m e r s e i t h e r d o m e s t i c o r o v e r s e a s .

A l l m a t e r i a l s s u p p l i e d t o c a p p r o v e d a n d i n c o m p l i a S h e l l a p p r o v e d m a n u f a c t w e a r e a b l e t o m a i n t a i n a s t o c k o f m a t e r i a l s t o r e s p n e e d o f c u s t o m e r s O u r r i s b a s e d o n t h e f a s t p e r f o s h i p p i n g a n d c u s t o m s c l e o u r w o r l d w i d e n e t w o r k : A E u r o p e F u r t h e r , o u r f a c i l s t o c k h o l d i n g i n T h a i l a n d e p r o v i d e o u r c u s t o m e r s w i M a n a g e m e n t s y s t e m f r o m I n c o t e r m

support the growth of the Malagasy industry and small business.

“We are proud of our diverse and international workforce, with over 90% Malagasy employees, and 65% of leadership roles held by Malagasy professionals,” said Mr Gomes. From providing training and capacity building, to assisting in the development of local

O u r p h i l o s o p h y i s to “ s u p p l y t h e r i g h t t h i n g a t t h e r i g h t t i m e w i t h t h e b e s t s o l u t i o n . ” T h e r e f o r e , w e i n t e n s i v e l y p a y d e d i c a t e d a t t e n t i o n i n e v e r y s t e p f r o m i n i t i a l d i s c u s s i o n w i t h o u r c u s t o m e r s t h r o u g h

O u r m a n y y e a r s o f e x p e r i i n t h e b u s i n e s s s i n c e 1 9 9 6 w e l l a f f i r m e d b y l e a d i n g v a r i o u s i n d u s t r i e s t h r o u g h o v e r s e a s . T h e h i g h q u a l i t s e r v i c e t h a t w e p r o v i d e a s u c c e s s o f t h o s e o r g a n i z a h e l p s t r e n g t h e n t h e n a t i o a n d i n d u s t r i e s .

V i s i o n M a d a g a s c a r ( V i M a ) w a s f o u n d e d i n 2 0 0 0 b y Z o u z a r B o u k a , w i t h s o m e o f M a d a g a s c a r ’ s m o s t i c o n i c s t r u c t u r e s t o i t s c r e d i t , i n c l u d i n g t h e 2 0 0 7 S o u t h A f r i c a n E m b a s s y a n d t h e 2 0 1 0

A n t a n a n a r i v o C i t y H a l l S i n c e i t s c r e a t i o n , V i M a h a s a i m e d t o b e a m a j o r p l a y e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f a " n e w M a d a g a s c a r " , n a m e l y t h e v i s i o n o f a c o u n t r y w h e r e p r i v a t e c o m p a n i e s c o n t r i b u t e t o i m p r o v i n g t h e q u a l i t y l i f e o f t h e M a l a g a s y p o p u l a t i o n T h e r e f o r e , V i M a i s r e p r e s e n t e d b y s e v e r a l s u b s i d i a r i e s w o r k i n g i n d i f f e r e n t s e c t o r s s u c h a s :

R e a l E s t a t e D i v i s i o n

R e p r e s e n t e d b y V i M a R e a l E s t a t e , M a j u n g a s a u r u s M a l l a n d A g u l h a s , V i M a i s a p i o n e e r i n t h e B u s i n e s s P a r k c o n c e p t i n M a d a g a s c a r w i t h a p r e s t i g i o u s l e s s e e p o r t f o l i o : E m b a s s i e s , I n t e r n a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t i o n s , B a n k s , “ F o r t u n e 5 0 0 ” C o m p a n i e s

P r o c u r e m e n t p i o n e e r

V i M a S e r v ’ o b s e r v e s t h r e e k e y c r i t e r i a : p e r f o r m a n c e , p r o f i t a b i l i t y a n d c u s t o m e r s a t i s f a c t i o n I t s o f f e r s c u s t o m i z e d s o l u t i o n s t o i t s c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e m a i n a m b i t i o n t o m e e t t h e i r e x p e c t a t i o n s i n t e r m s o f q u a l i t y , c o s t , t i m e a n d s p e c i f i c t e n d e r s

N e w t e c h n o l o g i e s

N e w t e c h n o l o g i e s i n c u b a t o r f o r M a d a g a s c a r w i t h V i M a T e k .

W o o d i n d u s t r y

V i M a W o o d s i s a l e a d i n g p l a y e r w i t h i n t h e f o r e s t a n d w o o d i n d u s t r y i n M a d a g a s c a r . T h e v e n t u r e w a s c r e a t e d i n 2 0 1 0 a n d a s s u r e s a n o p t i m i z e d e x p l o i t a t i o n o f t h e f o r e s t f o r t h e s u s t a i n a b l e d e v e l o p m e n t o f M a d a g a s c a r

T s i n g y B a y

T i m e l e s s p l a c e i n M a d a g a s c a r , i n M a r o v a s a b e t o e s c a p e t o w a r d s a r t , h i s t o r y , t h e p r e s e r v a t i o n o f t h e e n v i r o n m e n t a n d w e l l b e i n g

H e a l t h y l i f e

I n o r d e r t o i m p r o v e p e r s o n a l w e l l b e i n g , Z Y o g a p r o m o t e s a n A y u r v e d i c c e n t e r a n d y o g a t r a i n i n g i n a c u l t u r a l c e n t e r d e d i c a t e d t o t h e v i r t u e s o f c o s m o p o l i t a n i s m .

V i M a D i s o f f e r s c o n s u m e r s t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o a c c e s s q u a l i t y p r o d u c t s V i M a D i s i s h e l p i n g t o c r e a t e a n e w M a d a g a s c a r b y p r o m o t i n g t h e e n t r y o f n e w r a n g e s o f q u a l i t y p r o d u c t s o n M a l a g a s y s o i l

N e w p a t h t o t r a d i n g H y b r i d E n e r g y

V i M a H y d r o a n d V i M a H y b r i d E n e r g y a c c e n t u a t e t h e m a i n v i s i o n o f C r e a t i n g a n e w M a d a g a s c a r b y s e t t i n g u p r e n e w a b l e e n e r g y p r o j e c t s a c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y .

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A m a j o r p l a y e r i n M a d a g a s c a r a n d a n e c o n o m i c p a r t n e r a t n a t i o n a l a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l e v e l !

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P e t c h e m S u p p l y C o L t d

P e t c h e m S u p p l y i s p r o u d t o b e o n e o f p i o n e e r p a r t n e r s w i t h A m b a t o v y P r o j e c t s f r o m e s t a b l i s h i n g s t a g e , e v e r s i n c e s i t e c o n s t r u c t i o n 2 0 0 7 w h e n P e t c h e m S u p p l y s e r v i n g t o S h e r r i t t S N C L a v a l i n . O u r c o n t i n u i n g s u p p l y s e r v i c e i s f o r A m b a t o v y D y n a t e c i n M R O a c t i v i t y w i t h S t e e l s t r u c t u r e s , P i p i n g c o m p o n e n t s i e , F i t t i n g s , F l a n g e s , F a s t e n e r s , G a s k e t s i n v a r i o u s s t e e l g r a d e s f r o m C a r b o n s t e e l , S t a i n l e s s s t e e l s e r i e s , N i c k e l a l l o y a n d T i t a n i u m m a t e r i a l s . H i s t o r y P E T C H E M S U P P L Y s t a r t e d o u r b u s i n e s s j o u r n e y i n T h a i l a n d s i n c e 1 9 9 6 , 2 6 y e a r s ’ e x p e r i e n c e e n a b l e u s b e i n g o n e o f t h e m o s t r e l i a b l e s o u r c i n g p r o v i d e r o f s p e c i a l a n d e x o t i c m a t e r i a l s w o r l d w i d e f o r s u p p l y i n g t o M i n i n g , R e f i n e r y , E n e r g y , P e t r o c h e m i c a l a n d C h e m i c a l i n d u s t r i e s f o r d o m e s t i c s a n d o v e r s e a s c u s t o m e r s .

P h i l o s o p h y & M i s s i o n : O u r i n t e r n at i o n a l s t a n d a r d i z a t i o n t h r o u g h I S O 9 0 0 1 : 2 0 1 5 L R Q A s p e a k s w e l l o f o u r h i g h s t a n d a r d . I t d e m o n s t r a t e s o u r s t r o n g c o m m i t m e n t o f b u s i n e s s m i s s i o n t o m a x i m i z e o u r c u s t o m e r s ’ s a t i s f a c t i o n f i r s t O t h e r t h a n t h e b e s t q u a l i t y o f m a t e r i a l s w e p r o v i d e o u r s e r v i c e d e d i c a t i o n a n d f l e x i b i l i t y i s a l s o r e c o g n i z e d s t r e n g t h a n d m a k e u s w e l l a c c e p t e d b y c u s t o m e r s e i t h e r d o m e s t i c o r o v e r s e a s

A l l i a n c e s

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O u r m a n y y e ar s o f e x p e r i e n c e a n d e x p e r t i s e i n t h e b u s i n e s s s i n c e 1 9 9 6 h a s b e e n w e l l a f f i r m e d b y l e a d i n g o r g a n i z a t i o n s i n v a r i o u s i n d u s t r i e s t h r o u g h o u t T h a i l a n d a n d o v e r s e a s . T h e h i g h q u a l i t y m a t e r i a l s a n d s e r v i c e t h a t w e p r o v i d e a r e n o t o n l y f o r t h e s u c c e s s o f t h o s e o r g a n i z a t i o n s , b u t t h e y a l s o h e l p s t r e n g t h e n t h e n a t i o n s ’ e c o n o m y a n d i n d u s t r i e s

AmbatovyContributing to community, country and economy

Central to Ambatovy’s mission is supporting Madagascar’s input into the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

suppliers, Ambatovy appreciates the importance of its role in driving the local economy forward in its development.

In addition, it has focussed on creating environ mental programmes to educate the local com munity on the importance of Madagascar’s rich biodiversity, and its role in the country’s future.

Ambatovy sees its support for Madagascar’s achievement of the SDG’s in three pillars: Busi ness Approach; Community and Environmental Approach; And Supporting Local Growth.

Ensuring a future for the next generation

Ambatovy considers its sustainability programme to be second to none, worldwide

As part of the awareness campaign, Ambatovy gave colleagues and their families an opportunity to learn more about the business’s environmental activities, including its unique breeding program for the golden mantella.

At the heart of Ambatovy’s procurement practices is its “buy locally, hire locally” policy, reflecting the organisation’s commitment to support the growth of the Malagasy industry and small business.

Its continual efforts include having a strong safety culture and demonstrating responsible environmental stewardship, both elements of which Ambatovy strives to meet the highest standards.

By processing its raw ore in-country, Ambatovy contributes to Madagascar’s economic develop ment. By doing so, it increases Madagascar’s for eign earnings through export of nickel and cobalt.

In June 2022 the organisation celebrated Sustainability Month. The theme it followed this year was “Ensuring a future for the next generation”, something Ambatovy considers part of its culture.

Ambatovy has also made significant investment into local, social infrastructure. This includes creating roads and rehabilitating schools and medical centres.

“We are proud of our diverse and international workforce, with over 90% Malagasy employees, and 65% of leadership roles held by Malagasy pro fessionals,” said Mr Gomes.

An exhibition was held at the mine site and plant site, where visitors were able to learn about Ambatovy’s activities in the fields of biodiversity, livelihoods, community engagement, reforestation and environmental monitoring.

“Our biodiversity commitment includes protecting large conservation areas,” said Mr Gomes, “We have an orchidarium and orchid parks with over 283 orchid species, including 28 new species we discovered and some that are critically endangered. The orchids are protected and transferred to our rehabilitation

From providing training and capacity building, to assisting in the development of local suppli ers, Ambatovy appreciates the importance of its role in driving the local economy forward in its development.

Vivo Energy Madagascar’s main activity is the importation, marketing and distribution of Shell fuels and lubricants both in service stations and to its commercial customers. The company is one of the main energy distributors in the country.

WORLD CLASS TECHNOLOGY WORKING FOR MINING SHELL LUBRICANTS TOGETHER ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

UNLOCKING VALUE

Lubrication can unlock significant value, particularly when you consider the costs related to lost production from equipment downtime.

We also believe that selecting the right oils and greases, and adopting effective lubrication manage ment strategies can help to reduce maintenance budgets by up to 30%², primarily through lower maintenance costs, reduced equipment downtime and productivity improvements.

Shell has one of the world’s largest lubricant expert teams (260 lubricant specialists) and a team of distributor partners, all passionate about their industry knowledge, and having strong industry relationships built on trust, who work with mining companies to achieve TCO savings and more equipment uptime.

REDUCING COSTS

Ambatovy was seeking to reduce maintenance, operating cost and downtime without decreasing generator reliability and performance.

The Vivo Energy lubricants technical team recommended using Rimula R4X 15W40 oil for all the generators to increase the oil-drain interval from 250hrs to 500hrs.

Since switching to Shell Rimula R4X, Ambatovy has extended the oil-drain interval of its generator by 100%. As a result, the company has benefited from increased equipment availability, reduced con sumption of lubricant and spare parts, and lower maintenance costs.

www.vivoenergy.com

Ambatovy

areas. We also protect a large number of fauna, including unique Lemurs which only exist in Madagascar”.

Ambatovy continues to make specific investments in education and social infrastructure. Its aim is to ensure that its presence in Madagascar is providing the maximum benefit to its host communities now and for future generations.

A new era

In November 2021, Ambatovy appointed Gus Gomes to head up the business, which stands at 10,000 employees and contractors.

Mr Gomes has more than 35 years experience in the mining industry, with appointments spanning the globe.

Having completed a degree in Engineering and Geology and an MBA in Finance, Mr Gomes first embarked on his mining career for Broken Hill Proprietary. He went on to work as Director of Operations and Technical Services for the second largest metals and mining organisation Rio Tinto.

Prior to working for Ambatovy, Mr Gomes took on senior managerial roles at MPX Energia and MMG, as well as ArcelorMittal and Vale.

On his appointment, Mr Gomes said, “We are committed to continuing our activities in a sustainable, responsible and effective manner, following good governance, in order to generate tangible benefits for the country. I assure you that Ambatovy will continue to live up to its commitments”. www.ambatovy.com

Ambatovy

Euroasia Philippines, Inc. (EPI) is a POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) licensed and leading Manpower Service Provider with more than 35 years of excellence in manpower recruitment and management expertise. We specialize in providing Qualified Filipino Manpower to major industries around the globe like Mining, Oil & Gas, construction, and services management. With a sterling track record, we have developed strong professional relationships with our clients in several regions of the world. More than 2/3 of EPI’s engagements come from existing clients - a testament to our unmatched capability to find the best candidates to meet our client’s needs. As a Service contractor, EPI offers various packages to meet all your manpower and management needs - ranging from standard recruitment services to more complex

business solutions that facilitate camp management for major projects (workers, camp boss, camp coordination, salary payments, etc.).

Our database is composed of over 10,000 skilled candidates in our various core disciplines. Candidates are carefully selected by our expert team of recruiters based on your needs and requirements. Our service is unparalleled in the industry. Our candidates benefit from our NO PLACEMENT FEE POLICY, cultivating excellent relationships with our hired workers, clients, and government authorities.

EPI ensures that the worker’s personal and professional welfare is fully covered, leading to an excellent record with the Department of migrant workers (ex POEA, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration), which we are proud of. www.euroasia.com.ph

Ward & Charlotte Billig

Investing in Africa’s future

PROJECT DIRECTED BY

Matthew

Laura Watling

The Industrial New Deal

Taking the helm in Côte d’Ivoire is Country Head and Managing Director of Arise IIP Roselyne Chambrier Chalobah, inspiring women in Africa to succeed in leadership. Roselyne speaks with Business Enquirer about one of Africa’s biggest, its big opportunities, her journey to success and the responsibilities of the stakeholders for the future.

Why should industrial development be a priority in Africa?

“Africa’s new deal is the one that Africa will do with itself. It implies to rely on three main pillars –competitiveness, social cohesion as well as innovation – to seize the opportunities towards excellence and the best partnerships.” Alternatives, 2022.

Roselyne Chambrier Chalobah

Roselyne Chambrier Chalobah

The Industrial New Deal

Enabling Africa’s Economic Transformation

For many years now, private players have been driven by the goal to enable the economic transformation of African countries.

“The findings are clear: Africa has an abundance of arable land, natural resources, energy,” Roselyne said.

Africa’s industrial base being limited there is a significant potential to add value. Africa benefits from 3 key advantages that represent critical boons, especially when it comes to agro-industry. The first one resides in having arable land (West Africa region only is the 1 st reserve for the ACFTA (African Continental Free Trade Agreement, the 5 th in the world), which allows it to position as a strong agriculture power with a production level sufficient to meet local demands and generate value added exports. The second main advantage resides in the fact that most of the main crops and commodities which

processing would give access to international markers are produced in Africa, like cashew, cocoa or cotton. Lastly, Africa’s demography could become a reservoir for labour intensive agro-industrial activities (West Africa region is the 1 st market of the ACFTA and the 4 th global market after China, India and the European Union).

To allow this Africa’s new deal the first pillar is the enabling of a competitive environment. The economic transformation is dependent on the facilitation of new economic initiatives, in which stakeholders and strategic projects are supported and funded throughout synergies within African countries at a national, regional and continental level.

“Another key factor today is the ability to rely on innovation to improve the well being of populations and the capacity to enable innovative funding solutions within Africa itself which is always the most critical factor, due to the perception of the risk” Roselyne shared.

The Industrial New Deal

The Industrial New Deal

Arise IIP has developed tailor-made special economic zones to boost competitiveness of exports, enable the local transformation of raw materials as well as substitution of imports and promoting sustainable trade.

“Successive global crisis and growing pressure for greener industries triggered structural change of value chains worldwide. This needs to be reshaped with Africa playing a key role,” explained Managing Director of Cote D’Ivoire, Roselyne, “Industrialisation is a long term strategy. The aim is to industrialise key sectors by creating local transformation, maximising production, efficiency and cost, in turn generating jobs and local value addition”.

“With our projects we bring an innovative and integrated approach,” explained Roselyne,

“Arise IIP goes the extra mile with an ambitious business model across the value chain such as digitalisation, decarbonation, ancillary infrastructure, and marketing. Our aim is to become the developer of choice within Africa and in Côte d’Ivoire in particular, identifying and implementing carbon-reducing initiatives across all its business units and activities, working towards its carbonneutral goal.”.

Creating Her Own Path

Challenging the status quo doesn’t stop at a project level for Roselyne, who is an advocate for women in leadership.

Throughout her education and career, Roselyne has had the opportunity to travel the world, including Paris, London, Johannesburg,

Africa Finance Corporation

Established in 2007 as a joint venture between public and private investors, Africa Finance Corpo ration (AFC) is a 360 solutions provider. Built on the foundations of innovation and agility, AFC provides end-to-end solutions across project lifecycles and capital structure. AFC’s objective is to foster economic growth and the industrial development of African countries. In the last 15 years, it has identified, executed, and delivered transformational projects across 36 African countries.

The business has cemented a proven track record in de-risking and distributing capital to deliv er well-structured and bankable infrastructure projects. As well as its investment capability, the business offers project preparation services, de velopment and relevant advisory services. The investor and its 150 employees focusses on key priority sectors including natural resources, power, transport & logistics, telecoms and heavy industry.

Transport and logistics are a critical part of Africa’s infrastructure requirements and hold the key to unlocking Africa’s potential for economic growth through intracontinental and global trade, be lieves AFC.

Similarly, the Heavy industry, telecommunications and technology (HITT) sector provides capital and expertise for the development, expansion and op eration of projects and companies that deliver di versification, industrialisation and modernisation benefits for Africa. It is believed that this will drive sustainable long-term growth for the continent. Regarding power, the World Bank estimates that electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa is 47% on average as opposed to close to 100% in most of the world. AFC is working to better this for the improvement of the continent, whilst utilising low carbon initiatives.

The infrastructure financing business generates funding through four key strands: Investments Advisory Treasury Syndication and Trade Finance

In turn, it has disbursed $10.3 billion across Africa, including projects in Nigeria, Gabon, Angola and Ghana.

AFC understands the importance of driving growth responsibly, and ensures it employs sustainable stewardship and ESG practices.

Sustainability for AFC is about ensuring that neg ative socio-environmental impacts are avoided. This enables it to make continuous strides on the path towards achieving financial dividends, social dividends as well as environmental dividends,

known as the “triple D”. The business recently released its Roadmap to Africa’s COP: A Pragmatic Path to Net Zero white paper, in which it identifies three key areas of change it believes Africa should focus on to meet net-zero goals. These are: Localise - “The most significant area in which Afri ca can effect change in reversing global warming is by offsetting wasteful journeys across our oceans,” the paper states, “The first step to reducing wasteful shipping is to build circular local economies(…) We need the half of Africa’s population that are without access to en ergy to be switched on. While renewable sources are the ultimate goal, Africa must also exploit its abundant reserves of natural gas as an essential transitional source of energy to support indus trialisation – a position backed by the European Commission’s recent decision to classify natural gas as a form of green energy and a vital transition fuel in the path towards decarbonisation”. Rebuild - “In order to develop sustainable mining and the circular economies that will drive economic growth and job creation, Africa first needs foundational building blocks: strong and resilient infrastructure in transport, construction, electricity grids and off-grid energy,” the white paper highlights.

Finnovate - AFC’s white paper discusses the impor tance of Africa having access to “essential climate funds through financial innovation(...) In order to develop sustainable mining and the circular economies that will drive economic growth and job creation,Africa first needs foundational build ing blocks: strong and resilient infrastructure in transport, construction, electricity grids and offgrid energy”.

AFC strives to fulfil these areas through its invest ment and support, driving Africa’s growth whilst also creating a plan of action to achieve COP27 goals.

In 2016, AFC invested $140 million for a 21% stake in Arise IIP project - Gabon Special Economic Zone (GSEZ), alongside Olam International (40.5%) and Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations du Gabon (CDC Gabon), the Republic of Gabon’s (RoG) investment vehicle (38.5%).

Since AFC’s investment, several global investors have invested in the platform through debt/equity including AfreximBank, African Development Bank, GuarantCo, Investec, Bollore, Meridiam, Stoa and most recently AP Moller Capital.

In 2020, AFC invested 150MM convertible debt to ARISE IIP for expansion into Benin and Togo, follow ing execution of binding concession agreements with the respective governments, with continued developments in Cote d’Ivoire, Chad and Gabon. Most recently the business closed a $389 million dual currency Samurai term loan facility, split into $382 million and ¥1 billion, its second investment into the Japanese capital market.

Arise IIP The Industrial New Deal

Frankfurt, and New York. After completing a Masters in International Management at a top French ESCP Business school, Roselyne worked in investment banking. She returned to her home country of Gabon in 2009 to take on a role at BGFI Bank Group to help build its regional investment bank department, before joining Arise IIP in January 2012.

“I’m very committed to my home continent of Africa and wanted to join the business to be part of a bigger impact,” Roselyne shared, “The completion and launch of a €173 million greenfield bulk port in San Pedro, Côte d’Ivoire, this year, is the most telling example of the exposition I have to be able to change national economic ecosystems for the better, alongside a team of dedicated colleagues. I started as the single employee, with no office,

and this project employed 1,000 people during the construction phase, creating 1000s of direct and indirect jobs for the next 35 years”

Roselyne believes her experience of worldwide travel has helped to form her multiculturalidentity and ultimately shape her interpersonal and negotiation skills. Roselyne has been laureate of Choiseul Africa 100 in 2020, 2021 and 2022, which identifies and ranks young African leaders aged 40 and under who will play a major role in the continent’s economic development.

“I thrive on building strong partnerships and want to make a difference in everything I do,” she said, “I believe in creating value for and from

the continent, which is why I became a founding member of the A New ROAD think tank,”.

A New ROAD: A new Round-Table On African Debts is the first think tank dedicated to African public debts and aims to bring together experts in their fields to work on the treatment of debts and the financing of African economies.

“Constantly educating myself to be ahead of the curve, I also believe in transmission and supporting the younger generation. I aspire to create and support platforms and incubators dedicated to the youth and especially females who want to make a difference on the continent,” said Roselyne.

This includes projects such as Je M’Engage Pour l’Afrique – JMA (“I commit for Africa”) an

Arise IIP

The Industrial New Deal

incubator of young talents, of which two of her protégées, co-founders Ileana and Amina have recently been included in the Forbes Africa “30 Under 30” list.. Having herself been a woman of the field, her objective is to aggregate a community of women that have confidence in themselves to not let their gender be a limiting factor to taking risks and pursuing their dreams.

Roselyne plans to continue setting new benchmarks for African industrial champions supporting achievements of sustainable development goals.

Rising Industrialisation

Roselyne currently sees three key opportunities for Africa. “The current, unstable geo-political climate has highlighted a shift towards

BUILDING THE FOUNDATION FOR THE NEXT 160 YEARS

Standard Bank Group, now in 20 African markets, is operating as Stanbic Bank in Côte d’Ivoire and serves multi-national companies, many of whom already have a relationship with the Group in other parts of the continent or internationally. The key drivers behind Côte d’Ivoire’s well-diversified economic growth are public investment-led initiatives in power and infrastructure in conjunction with successful public-private partnerships, natural resources (oil, gas and mining), agriculture, telecommunications, and the country’s consumer market – all linked to core sectors of activity for Standard Bank.

The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), of which Côte d’Ivoire is a member, also offers Standard Bank substantial business advantages stemming from its stable single currency, shared central bank and stock exchange, as well as its harmonised business legal structures. The country is ideally positioned as a hub for the region which also includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. We focus on understanding our client’s needs and delivering excellent service and superior value to our clients, stakeholders and our people.

We believe in being a responsible corporate citizen and actively participate in uplifting and positively contributing to our country and the communities we operate in.

As a bank rooted in Africa with a 160-year history, Standard Bank is committed to broadening and deepening its footprint on a continent we call home and to being Africa’s leading financial services organisation.

Standard Bank

The Industrial New Deal

multipolar supply chains and every country’s needs to be more independent, this goes for African countries too. As a continent we need to strive to be less dependent, for example process our agricultural outputs locally. This is bolstered by the African Trade Agreement,” she said.

The development of the industry in Africa implies the development of infrastructure to help the collection, processing, storage and transport of the products of the various fields. There is an emergence of agro-parks dedicated to specific production, like special economic zones, often developed as part of PPP model to support vision from governments to build industrial ecosystems.

Secondly, there is a clear economic shift towards Africa, with seven out of ten of the fastest growing economies coming out of the continent.

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“With the growth of our economies, population and purchasing power there is a demand to create more jobs as well as to locally process for the national and regional markets. As shown in countries like Gabon or Benin, industrialization developments bring 1000s of opportunities. This also offers a fantastic platform to the young people in Africa who can be upskilled in the relevant sectors,” Roselyne shared

“Some PPPs are developed with partner governments to build skills for the long-term through vocational training centres, but also to allow fairer allocation of revenues for resource owners. This helps them mechanise, increase their yields and the possibility of future opportunities to be shareholders of processing industrial assets one day.” Roselyne shared.

Finally, Africa is becoming more popular

The Industrial New Deal

logistically, being more advantageous than Asian exporters as well as upping its game in traceability and certification.

There is also ambition from African governments to drive creation of national and regional champions green investment and green growth. Governments don’t want to act on behalf of the private sector, but the objective is that part of the execution of the sustainable transformation is done by local champions and African industrials.

“ You now have models where the capital is split between producing countries as well as private investors that will allow them to have some influence on one hand and on the other hand to bring the expertise and funding capabilities. For me local and regional entrepreneurs should be supported to take part in a larger inclusive

development, allowing the growth of the local SMEs. If there is no correlation then what is the whole point?” Said Roselyne

Selection of the profiles for local and regional champions would be based on the efforts made in specific clusters. The criteria taking into account social aspects (job creation, social standards, reduction of inequalities, inclusion), environmental aspects (sustainability, conservation) and of course economical aspects (size of the market, leading positions on the global market, adequation with local needs, returns and protection from external shocks).

“Maybe a pact of responsibility between governments, private partners as well as financial institution could be a solution to making it an increasing reality” Roselyne said.

the garment training center of the GDIZ (Benin) industrial park

Lifestyle

Visit Paris presented by Business Enquirer Lifestyle

PROJECT DIRECTED BY Jamie Waite

The City of Love. The City of Lights. And the city which offers a wealth of history, culture and economy. Paris is known for being loved by tourists and business travelers alike.

A hub for fashion, Paris has born major brands such as Cartier and Chloé and of course hosts the infamous bi-annual Paris Fashion week. Paris’ history in luxury goods actually dates back to the Middle Ages!

Considered the most important luxury goods business in Paris, LVMH is also headquartered in Paris. Owners of 75 brands, including Louis Vuitton, Bulgari and Moet Hennesey, the group reported a turnover of €64.2 billion in 2021.

The capital city of France, Paris is not only the home of many fashion houses. It is believed that 75% of multinational companies with

over 500 employees chose Paris as their European headquarters. Of its enterprises, it is thought that 80.6% are engaged in commerce, transportation and diverse services.

In 2021, the Paris metropolitan area was responsible for a third of France’s GDP, accounting for around $1 trillion. In addition, the capital produced $984 billion at market exchange rates, again around a third of the French economy.

For 2021, Paris was ranked 6th in a list of major metropolitan areas contributing at least 2.5% of world GDP, sitting above Shanghai and beneath London.

The next few years are likely to have a positive impact on the French economy.

As well as Paris’ well-known attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Louvre, 2023 will see the capital host some of

Shining a Light on

WRITTEN BY Laura Watling

Lifestyle

the Rugby World Cup at the Stade de France (more specifically in Saint-Denis, just north of the capital), including the major finals.

In addition, Paris will host the 2024 Summer Olympics. “The sporting celebration will flow along the Seine, from the new Olympic Village, just 15 minutes from Paris city centre, to such city centre landmarks as the Eiffel Tower and the Grand Palais”, says the Olympics website (olympics. com).

On sport, Paris is home to high-flying, worldfamous football club, Paris Saint-Germain. According to Forbes, PSG’s brand value is the highest growing of any football club, increasing by nearly 300% in the last 5 years. Currently, PSG is valued at $3.2 billion. Find out more about the French football club’s business on page XX

In 2018, prior to Covid travel restrictions, Paris

received 17.95 million international, overnight tourists. That figure is estimated to be double if including domestic overnight tourists.

Popular for shopping as well as sightseeing, the Avenue Champs Élysées known for its shopping and real-estate, is visited by around seven million people per year.

With around 1500 officially recognised hotels in the city, there are plenty of places to stay for international and domestic tourists.

Offering fantastic views of the city, the InterContinental Paris Le Grand offers “Paris in a five star” as well as a five star in Paris, says the hotels general manager, Christope Laure. Business Enquirer speaks to the experienced general manager about the ultra-luxurious five-star hotel on page 76.

Vive La France!

on the City of Love

PROJECT DIRECTED BY Jamie Waite

Ici, c’est Paris!

First formed in 1970 through a merger between Paris FC and Stade Saint Germain, the club saw an increase in finances in 2011, when it was purchased by Qatar Sports Investments (QSi).

Paris’ premier football club’s team currently boasts some of the most talented players in the game, including Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and Sergio Ramos. Having just won Ligue 1, France’s top flight, for the 10th time and with 47 titles under its belt, PSG is considered France’s most successful football club.

According to Forbes, PSG’s brand value is the highest growing of any club, increasing by nearly 300% in the last 5 years.

Les Rouge-et-Bleu

The club’s success can, in part, be attributed to its acquisition by QSi. Founded in 2005 and based in Doha, Qatar, QSi is chaired by Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

As well as being President of PSG, Mr AlKhelaifi is also President of the Qatar Tennis Federation and Vice President of the Asian Tennis Federation for West Asia, having been a professional tennis player himself. The acquisition of PSG by QSi has seen significant investment and sponsorship opportunities for the club.

Laura Watling

Currently valued at $3.2 billion (Forbes, May 2022), Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (PSG) is the 7th highest valued football club in the world (with Manchester City above it at $4.25 billion and Chelsea below at $3.1 billion.

With its links to Qatar, in June 2022 PSG announced Qatar Airways would be its front of shirt sponsor. The airline has been a sponsor of the club since 2020, spending between $5.2 million and $10.4 million per year.

Taking over the sponsorship of the club’s front of shirt from Accor could see Qatar Airways investing a further $72 million (with Accor having previously spent between $62.7 million and $72 million for the sponsorship). The shirt sponsorship is inclusive of PSG’s mens, womens and youth teams. In addition to the front of the shirt, the partnership will see more innovative content offerings, aimed to engage fans worldwide. It’s likely the club will make use of PSG’s TikTok, which is now the most followed sports franchise on the platform, with 30 million followers. In just one year, the Club has tripled its TikTok community.

American business Goat have also on-boarded as a PSG shirt sponsor, in a deal worth $50 million over the next three years. Goat, which succeeds Qatar National Bank’s sponsorship role, are an American based sneaker, apparel and accessory retailer. Goat Group has a global community of over 40 million members across 170 countries.

PSG also has sponsorship agreements with Nike, EA Sports, Orange and Gorillas. Experiencing Les Parisiens Despite no longer being one of PSG’s jersey sponsors, Accor’s

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Paris Saint-Germain

loyalty program, Accor Live Limitless (ALL), still remains in partnership with the club.

In an updated deal established in June 2022, ALL embarked on a four-year agreement designed to push the program using PSG’s assets to establish experiences for its members. The sponsorship agreement has enabled ALL to be established as a global brand.

Over the last three years, members have benefited from exclusive opportunities to meet PSG’s high-profile players.

A similar strategy is being built with Qatar Airways. As well as utilising PSG’s assets to promote its brand, Qatar Airways will, in collaboration with the football club, provide unique experiences to reward its Privilege Club members, the Official Frequent Flyer Programme of PSG.

Qatar Airways Holidays will be offering official Paris Saint-Germain fan travel packages, including return flights, accommodation and match tickets.

The Jewel in the Crown

As iconic as the club is its home, the Parc des Princes, found in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Despite it originally being built in 1897, the Parc des Princes stadium as it’s known today was established in 1973. In 2013 the football ground underwent significant investment, renovating and modernising the stadium in order to achieve the best in visitor experience.

The stadium has capacity for nearly 48,000, with 35,000 of those seats used by season ticket holders. PSG’s ticket offering is considered to be one of the most diverse in European football, with 17 ticket types. In addition, PSG has developed its own resale platform, Ticketplace.

PSG’s brand value is the highest growing of any club, increasing by nearly 300% in the last 5 years

As well as being home to PSG Football Club, the Parc des Princes has played host to many other sporting and entertainment events. The ground hosted several of the games during the 1998 Football World Cup, as well as matches during the 2007 Rugby World Cup and 2019 Women’s Football World Cup. The Rolling Stones, Prince, Muse and Coldplay have all performed in the stadium.

A stadium steeped in history and success, visitors can embark on the stadium tour, stepping on to the four stands (Borelli, Auteuil, Paris, and Bologne), seeing inside the locker room, and taking a look at the all-important wall of trophies.

Paris Saint-Germain

The Game for Good

In 2000, Paris Saint-Germain became the first football club in France to establish a corporate foundation, the Paris Saint-Germain Foundation.

The foundation aims to support disadvantaged and sick children, as well as young people and communities in difficulty. The foundation develops educational and sports programmes in France and other countries, using sport and its values as a lever for learning, self-development and solidarity. By 2020, the foundation had supported more than 250,000 children.

Paris, Je T’aime!

Nestled amongst Paris’ most opulent offerings, the InterContinental Paris Le Grand provides an ultraluxurious stay for its guests.

Although the hotel’s history is still at its heart, it has evolved to match the times, facing the challenges of the 2020’s head on. Business Enquirer speaks with the hotel’s experienced and well-traveled General Manager, Christophe Laure.

A Historical Landmark in the City of Lights

When discussing the InterContinental Paris Le Grand, it’s important to note its magnificent history.

Built in 1862, the hotel was commissioned by Napoleon III to receive dignitaries. Designed by Alfred Armand and built by Isaac and Emile Pereire, the hotel formed part of the wider reconstruction of Paris. Marking the significance of its heritage, the hotel’s facade is listed.

PROJECT DIRECTED BY WRITTEN BY Laura Watling Jamie Waite

Lifestyle

IHG Paris

Christophe Laure, IHG - General Manager InterContinental Paris Le Grand, Area General Manager Southern Europe

Lifestyle

Armand and the Perieres certainly fulfilled Napoleon III brief, with the hotel hosting the Shogun Dynasty in Japan’s first diplomatic mission in the year of its inception. To this day, the InterContinental is still one of Paris’ hotels of choice for official visits.

At the time of its build, the hotel boasted 800 beds, this has now been reduced to 450 to accommodate en-suites for every room, as well as combining smaller rooms transforming them into larger ones.

In its most recent, significant renovation, the hotel saw the addition of its Presidential Suite.

“Continuing in its history, the hotel is still favoured by diplomats,” Christoph shared, “in 2020 we launched our Presidential Suite, which features bullet proof windows, a panic room, and an adjoining security detail bedroom which is fitted with high-tech equipment”.

The addition of the fit-for-purpose Presidential Suite formed part of a wider renovation which Christophe described as “marking a new era for both Parisian and international guests”.

Suites Magnifiques

As you would expect from an InterContinental hotel, the InterContinental Paris Le Grand offers a beautiful setting.

“Of course, all of our rooms and suites offer an exceptional level of design, but I have two personal favourites, the Charles Garnier and La Parisienne,” shared Christophe.

The Charles Garnier suite offers unique views of the Palais Garnier opera house with design nods to Swan Lake throughout. “It’s an elegant and romantic suite, truly remarkable,” described Christophe.

La Parisienne is a newly created suite, launched as part of the recent refurbishment in partnership with interior designer Pierre-

IHG Paris

Yves Rochon. Designed in the style of a typical Parisian apartment, this suite offers a walk-in closet, a breathtaking view on the Eiffel tower and features tailor-made furniture.

As well as its suites and its Club Lounge, the InterContinental Paris Le Grand boasts a Parisian institution within the hotel: the Café de la Paix.

The Club Lounge is an end-to-end, heightened guest experience, combining personal service with exclusive privileges, designed to make a guest’s stay extra special.

“There are many 5-star hotels in Paris, but we are Paris in a 5-star,” Chrisophe said.

The Soul of the InterContinental Paris Le Grand

There is no doubt that the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand offers a luxurious stay. Its real uniqueness, Christophe believes, comes from the hotel’s team.

“It is our aim to touch the soul of the guest,” explained Christophe, “I believe people remember experiences and emotions rather than things, and so it’s imperative that every interaction a guest has with the team is exceptional.”

To ensure the InterContinental standard is met, employees have the opportunity to undergo a wealth of training. “We want to enable our staff to bring their personality to the hotel, whilst subtly sharing our story to the guests,” said Christophe.

Recruitment is a challenge met by the hospitality industry since the Covid pandemic, with many leaving the industry when it was forced to close.

“The tourism industry is looking very positive at the moment, but whilst we’re seeing the guests returning, we’re not seeing the same with staff,” explained Christophe, “I am passionate about this beautiful industry, and I

IHG Paris

think there is a fantastic opportunity for young people to join our world”.

Paris 2024

Since the Covid pandemic there has naturally been a positive shift in the tourism sector.

The coming years offer a fantastic opportunity, with the capital hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2023 and the Olympics in 2024.

However, with the geo-political climate affecting inflation across the world, Christophe is aware some adaptations will need to be made too.

“We need to consider how we can offer more in relation to cost, as well as enabling our future guests to be confident in travel again”.

7 Cities in 11 years

During his 30-year career at IHG (the mother company of InterContinental and its sister chains including Hualuxe, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza), Christophe has had the opportunity to explore the world.

“I’ve had a fantastic journey at IHG, working in places such as Jordan, Egypt and Oman. I’ve also worked in hotels in Barcelona, Cannes, and

Madrid, prior to coming back to Paris,” he shared, “in fact, my son had lived in seven cities by the time he was 11!”.

During his career, Christophe states that he has had the opportunity to get out of his comfort zone and learn a lot, which he believes has helped his leadership style.

“I was born to serve and I like to please people,” he shared, “I’ve learnt a lot about myself during my leadership journey and taken the opportunity to learn about others too. I think that’s paramount in leadership”.

The next challenge for Christophe and his colleagues at InterContinental Paris Le Grand is recruiting and developing talent. “We have an opportunity here to not only add value for our owners, but also enable young people to have career progression and become part of a wider vision”.

With 6000 hotels under the 18 different brands of IHG Hotels and Resorts, there is plenty of opportunity for people looking to join the industry.

“Every hotel in our group has an essence which you’re able to add your personality to. We offer fantastic training along with the opportunity to travel the world,” shared Christophe.

Inaugurated under Napoleon III, the InterContinental Paris le Grand is located in the heart of Paris, offering guests a magnificent view of the Opera Garnier.

This 5-star hotel boasts rooms and suites decorated in a Second Empire style infused with contemporary touches and unique reception venues. The Café de la Paix, Parisian institution within the hotel, serves the great classics of French gastronomy.

Barny Holmes

Photos: dnimagery

Lifestyle

Iter Itineris: The Journey of Barny Holmes

From singing in a local church choir at 5 years old to playing at Wembley on national TV (via Reading Festival at 16), Barny Holmes’ rise to the stratosphere has been bubbling.

With most musicians finding the covid pandemic one of the most challenging periods of their career, Barny used this time to bolster his success.

The eclectic musician speaks to Business Enquirer about his career journey, how social media is changing the game, and his philosophy on life and music.

From Suffolk to Sri Lanka

During his career, Barny has forged a reputation for himself in the East of England performing at popular city venues, clubs and bars, as well as being a recommended wedding musician.

His reputation and popularity has also taken him to Sri Lanka, Tuscany, Lake Como and Sardinia, performing at events for his clients.

“I’ve worked hard throughout my life so far to

perfect my skills. Now, I get to travel the world doing what I love,” Barny shared.

Dear Diary,

Barny, whose musical style is largely folk and rock, considers writing and performing music to be therapeutic for him.

“I often wondered why people used journals, but as I’ve grown older I’ve realised that’s exactly what song writing is for me,” said Barny, “whether it’s to share happiness, regrets, heartbreak or guilt, it’s a way for me to express my emotions and keep my mental health in check. I recommend it to everyone”.

Barny’s emotional release can be heard in songs such as acoustic folk song, Montagues and Capulets, an ode to a relationship that wasn’t meant to be.

“We were parallel opposites, like fire and ice. In the end, we drowned in frustration and disappointment,” explained Barny.

Ballad Capri Sun discusses today’s obsession with social media and its effect it can have on relationships.

“It’s a personal song to me as it references my

Barny Holmes

routine at that time. Each night I would have a Capri Sun before bed. The song is about the very last night I spent with my girlfriend at that time. I drank that last Capri Sun and the next day I never saw her again,” reflects Barny.

Musical Foundations

Barny’s singer/songwriting skills are limitless, and that, in part, is due to the diverse artists where he has taken inspiration from throughout his career.

Growing up in the early 1990s, Michael Jackson was a key influence. “I noticed I had similar vocals so tried to adopt his style,” explained Barny.

Keenan and his rock band, A Perfect Circle has also had an influence on Barny’s music, as well as the likes of John Mayer and Jessie J.

“I love listening to a range of music to suit my mood, anything from RnB, motown and heavy metal,” he shared.

Hailing from Ipswich, an inspiration close to home is Ed Sheeran, who Barny spent some time with as a teenager. “What’s inspiring about Ed isn’t just his undeniable talent. It’s the amount of graft he’s put in over the last 10 plus years,” said Barny, “he also has this incredible ability to criss-cross between genres, something which I love to do too”.

Sweet Sixteen

The most inspirational moment for Barny, however, took place on his 16th birthday, when he was taken to Reading Festival.

“I’d heard that the day before Green Day were pulling audience members on stage to perform with them, so I went to Reading prepared. I found the tallest guy I could and asked to sit on his shoulders, and held a shirt with “GUITAR” written in biro above my head. Billie Joe shouted out for me, “hey, the guy with the shirt!”” shared Barny.

On his 16th birthday, Barny performed on stage with Green Day, playing the opening to Basket Case on lead singer Billie Joe’s guitar.

“In the end, 80,000 people in the crowd were chanting my name. Feeling that euphoria was when I realised this was what I wanted to do,” he said.

American singer-songwriter Maynard James

“In the end, 80,000 people in the crowd were chanting my name. Feeling that euphoria was when I realised this was what I wanted to do,”

Barny Holmes

In the aftermath of his impromptu Reading Festival performance, Barny was able to go backstage, meeting the likes of Supergrass and being interviewed by Kerrang, giving him a taste of the glamorous side of music.

Green Day and the Reading stage isn’t the only brush with fame the musician has experienced.

Barny also featured on BBC talent show The Voice as part of band De’Vide, joining Jessie J’s team.

“Jessie was a fantastic mentor, very humble and forthcoming with advice,” shared Barny.

De’Vide also made it through to the bootcamp round of ITV’s The X Factor, performing to Tulisa, Gary Barlow and Louis Walsh at Wembley Stadium.

“These opportunities certainly opened my eyes to the world of TV, and how it differs from more organic live performance,” said Barny.

A Growing Brand

Whilst many performers took a step back from their industries during the covid pandemic when live, in-person performances were halted, Barny took the opportunity to develop his online brand.

“It’s not in my personality to sit back, and I thought I had to do something to keep my career thriving,” explained Barny, “so I used Instagram to grow my online presence,”.

His method was to join other artists’ Instagram Live videos, asking his existing followers to encourage a duet.

Starting with friend Samantha Harvey,

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Barny performed with acts and influencers including Dan Spragg, Affion Crockett and Wayna Morris.

In three months, Barny’s instagram following grew from 3,000 to 13,000.

“That experience helped me to realise how crucial social media and online content can be to drive my career to the next level. The marketing side of the industry is something I am continually learning, honing and growing,” he said.

Growing “Barny as a brand” is something Holmes will be taking from strength to strength in the next 12-18 months.

A musician through and through

Whilst music is Barny’s heart and soul, his backbone is driven by his philosophy towards the industry.

“I believe that you are the controller of your own destiny, and can take the future into your own hands,” Barny explained, “I’m inspired by people who do that, like Ed Sheeran and Luke Gittins. And whilst money and appreciation is an important by-product of being a musician, what makes me a musician is doing it. Living and breathing music. It’s part of my personality and my routine”.

Over the next 12 months Barny will continue to write and create music and keep performing whilst continually aiming to raise his prestige and presence.

“I want my music to reach more people. I believe as a brand you can still have an important, human connection. I want to share my struggles and allow people to share theirs in return,” said Barny.

PROJECT DIRECTED BY WRITTEN BY Chiara Salter Laura Watling

The Island of Freedom

The summer of 2022 was all about the joy of reunion and celebrating togetherness.

Known for its unbeatable joyful atmosphere, unique location and hosting the world’s top artists and creators, Sziget Festival has been on the up and up for the last 30 years.

With unwavering values, Sziget is leading the way with its sustainable measures securing the success of future festivals. Sziget Festival CEO, Tamás Kádár, shares with Business Enquirer why the festival is one of Europe’s biggest parties.

A Week of a Lifetime

Looking at the lineup, you can quickly see why Sziget is a popular choice for festival goers. In 2022 the stage was shared by international heavyweights such as Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris and Justin Bieber. Recent years have seen 450,000 people through the turnstiles.

“Sziget is one of the longest festivals, with six days of superstars,” shared Tamás, “it’s such a diverse line-up, featuring music from across the genres. Even our smaller stages are bigger than some of the major UK main stages”.

With previous years featuring headliners like Foo Fighters, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran, Rihanna and The Prodigy, who has been the most memorable act for Tamás?

“It has to be Prince, who we hosted in 2011,”

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he said. “It was awe-inspiring to watch him perform a two-and-a-half-hour set, and felt like a huge milestone for the festival”.

The festival, which only has downtime between the hours of 5am and 10am, isn’t exclusively a music festival. Sziget is a 360-degree art festival, circus and theatre, and even features a museum quarter. It has earned the moniker of the “European Coachella”.

“What’s unique about Sziget is its location,” explained Tamás. Based on an island (the literal meaning of sziget in Hungarian) in the middle of Budapest, visitors to the festival also have the opportunity to explore the rest of what Hungary’s capital has to offer.

“We consider Sziget to be a festival holiday,” he said.

Imagine All The People

As part of Sziget Festival’s partnership

Sziget Festival

with the Superar program, 2022 also saw the performance of John Lennon’s Imagine by 200 children.

“Superar integrates children from underprivileged backgrounds through music. It’s an important initiative to us as we believe music and the arts is a powerful tool. It was very emotional to watch the performance this year as we made a comeback from Covid,” shared Tamás. Of course, the live performance sector saw a huge impact during the Covid pandemic, with Tamás saying that 2022 was considered “the last festival during Covid” rather than the first post-pandemic. That will be next year, when the festival will celebrate 30 years since its launch.

Having overcome the issues caused by Covid, the festival has been met with new challenges.

“Our subcontractors are struggling to find workforce after a lot of people exited the industry during the pandemic,” he explained, “like the rest of the world we’re also facing the increasing costs of

energy, so we’re implementing some sustainable initiatives to combat that”.

The Next Step

Sziget is working with its sponsors to encourage them to think innovatively when it comes to sustainability.

“Wizzair offers our festival goers a plane ticket which includes the option to bring a tent for free. This encourages our guests to take their tents home - waste caused by tents is usually a big problem for the industry. This year we also collected any discarded tents and delivered them to those in need in Ukraine,” explained Tamás.

The festival uses green power from Budapest’s grid, and plans to implement renewable technology, with the aim of becoming a leading carbon neutral festival.

Join the Love Revolution

As well as being the umbrella brand for its many initiatives, Love Revolution encompasses

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Wizz Air

We at Wizz Air, Europe’s fastest growing and greenest airline were thrilled to partner with Sziget, one of Europe’s largest and most environmentally conscious festivals. The aim of the partnership was to further promote sustainable festival participation, while festivalgoers produce as little waste as possible during their stay.

Thanks to Wizz Air’s campaign between, participants joining from foreign countries could transport their tents free of charge on some of the airline’s flights to and from Budapest. With this solution, they were not forced to buy single-use camping equipment that ends up as waste on Sziget. Sustainability is in the focus at Wizz Air, which is reflected not only in the particularly young fleet with an average age of just under five years.

Wizz Air also thinks about those young people, who are not only interested in sustainability as tourists, but they are also welcomed as employees of the dynamically developing airline. More information about how to apply at careers.wizzair.com.

Wizz Air offers its employees various benefits. For example, crew members are provided with unlimited number of discounted and a great number of free and confirmed tickets, free uniforms and are offered free training and even a training allowance, among other benefits. Last year, the airline also launched the Cabin Crew to Captain program, which inspires Wizz Air cabin crew and helps them realize their career dreams of becoming a pilot through comprehensive financial support, travel and accommodation opportunities, and a tailored work and study plan.

Festivals were organised again and after a two-year hiatus Samsung welcomed visitors at three different creative venues at Sziget Festival. The biggest festival of Hungary, which was attended by 450 000 people this year, presented 14 music stages filled with worldclass performers, 40+ program venues and more than 500 artists through 6 days. Moreover, the tech giant revealed its new devices on the opening day of the Sziget Festival.

Unfolding new possibilities with ground-breaking devices

Samsung Electronics is known for taking consistent and impactful actions led by the vision of sustainabil ity and innovation. The South Korean company con sistently pushes the boundaries and provides original solutions. The tech-giant acted the same way when announced the next generation of ground-breaking foldable smartphones: Galaxy Z Flip4 and Galaxy Z Fold4 on 10th of August 2022. The fourth generation of Galaxy Z series continues to break from convention to deliver interactions that enhance everyday life. Focusing and shaping everyday health and wellness habits, the foldable smartphones were accompanied by Galaxy Watch5. The new smartwatch brings person alized design options, comprehensive fitness func tions and insightful sleep tracking. The disclosure of the new versatile devices, called Unpacked, happened to take place on the first day of the Sziget Festival, one of the most anticipated music events of Hungary. Located on an iconic island of Bu dapest, the festival is also called the Island of Free dom. It is truly a place to be cheerful and light-heart ed with the new smartphones and smartwatches which complement the feeling of freedom in many ways.

The Galaxy Z Flip4 builds on the success of Samsung’s iconic form factor, adding key features which come handy at a festival, including an upgraded camera experience, powerful battery and expanded cus tomization. The Galaxy Z Flip4 not only maintains its ultra-compact design, but also crafted to go truly hands-free: make calls, reply to texts, or take photos all from the Cover Screen which is extremely helpful during the best concert of your life. The Galaxy Z Fold4 opens new possibilities to facilitate a day in the life at a festival, users can maximize their multitasking skills. Samsung puts emphasis on delivering a truly optimized experience to ensure that every consumer has a device to fit their needs.

Feeling the beat in Samsung Colosseum

Samsung Colosseum is considered as the epicentre of underground electronic music at Sziget Festival. Stepping into one of Europe’s most unique electronic venues, one can enjoy the beats every day from noon until 5AM. The impressive dimensions of the venue with a capacity of almost 3000 people were comple

mented by exciting design elements: the setting is modelled after the Roman Colosseum but instead of massive stones this amphitheatre is made of wood and the DJ booth in the central dance floor resembled a giant gladiator. The experience was enhanced by outstanding sound and lighting technology. Colos seum grants exclusive opportunity for brand design elements and being one of the most popular stages at the Island of Freedom, approximately 180.000 festi val-goers joined the party altogether.

Connecting in cool tents

Samsung’s presence at Sziget Festival is not only about design, logo and venue named after the com pany. It is also a chance to showcase the product synergy and the benefits of connected living to the visitors. Samsung grabbed the opportunity to commu nicate this message to Millennials and GenZ effec tively from a closer point of view in GamingDome and ConnecTent.

A huge tent, named GamingDome was set up at the centre of the festival prepared especially for visitors who love gaming. In the cool hemisphere visitors –also called Szitizens at this festival – could test the NEO QLED gaming experience, through the Motion Xcelerator Turbo Pro 144Hz refresh rate. GamingDome ensured multiple game on a selection of Samsung devices, quizzes, raffles, and festival photos. Gaming Dome served an opportunity to improve brand prefer ence among gamers through their passion point, the popularity was outstanding, the tent counted 1000 visitors daily.

Perhaps the most special of all was the ConnecTent, that felt like a luxury apartment in the middle of the festival. Here, after pre-registration, attendees could enjoy an hour and a half of the comfort of the finest Samsung products. During the 1.5 hours session a group of 5-6 people were given the experience of the full Samsung ecosystem that gave a premium touch to the festival spirit. All time slots were booked in credibly fast, within 3 hours on the opening day.

The venue was perceived by over 1000+ visitors per day and the ConnecTent feeling was experienced by 144 visitors, since all 24 slots were fully booked through a unique Microsite. Visitors could leave some messages on the Guestbook TAB, such as: “We loved the vibes, very chill and cozy, also pretty! The new Flip phones are really awesome!” or “A wonderful lounge with many impressive products! Glad to have Samsung phone!”

These special places helped Samsung to communicate about the festival presence in which influencers were also involved.

They shared a lot of social media content showing the special Samsung experience of the festival and cre ating a buzz and boast visibility of the ConnecTent on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok.

Unique Samsung experience at the Island of Freedom

Jana

Jana- Feel the power of the minerals with natural mineral water of the highest quality

Natural mineral water Jana has a stable mineral composition: it contains silicon and has an ideal ratio of calcium and magnesium 2:1 which is optimal for their utilization in the body.

Minerals are elements that the body needs in small amounts and that we must ingest because the body cannot create them, so we consider them essential nutrients. Minerals take part in the structure of the body and are components of body fluids and tissues and are necessary for overall normal functioning.

The human body consists of 60% water.

By consuming a sufficient amount of water, we ensure that our body functions properly on a daily basis. Without proper hydration, our body reaches the limits of endurance, headaches and irritability occur. Drink water even when you are not thirsty, because when you feel thirsty, you are already slightly dehydrated. Thanks to the unique depth of its source and the mineral composition of the layers of earth through which it passes, Jana has a special purity and impeccable mineral composition.

Jana springs at a depth of 800 meters, and with the most modern filling technology, it is filled directly into the bottle from a depth of 800 meters, without any external influences. Jana’s first encounter with the outside world, after 7000 years, takes place the moment we open it and taste it. Jana’s top quality has been recognized and awarded with the world’s highest award for product quality - the Grand Gold Award at the Monde Selection global competition.

Jana is available in a more environmentally friendly, 100% recycled 0.5l bottle.

the brand’s core values - respect, acceptance, and tolerance. Amongst its initiatives, Tamás is proud of the work it does to support the LGBTQIA+ community in Hungary.

“Since its beginning, our community has been based on the idea of creating a “dream nation”, celebrating and sharing the best from cultures and people across the world. Sziget gives people the opportunity to share experiences with others they may not have had the opportunity to,” explained Tamás, “Magic Mirror is our LGBTQIA+ venue, and as well as offering programs to educate on the LGBTQIA+ communities, it also hosts the best parties!”

Sziget is praised for being one of the most peaceful festivals, with 2022 seeing just five disturbances across the six days.

“I believe this is thanks to the atmosphere and culture we and our community have created,” said Tamás.

Clearly a good fit to be the CEO of the

Sziget Festival

festival, Tamás’ leadership style reflects the Love Revolution ethos. Tamás considers himself a Sziget “veteran” having visited the event since 1995. He joined the team in 2011. “I previously worked in media and advertising and went on to found two radio stations. Joining Sziget was one of the best decisions I’ve made,” he shared.

Tamás’ leadership values centre on the respect of others and teamwork. “Our team is made up of 35 people who are all really knowledgeable in their field. They challenge me, which I think is important to the creative focus,” he said.

The Big 3-0

Despite 2023 marking the festival’s 30th year, due to the covid restrictions it won’t be the 30th festival.

“We will of course mark our 30th birthday, but the real celebration will be for our 30th festival, which will be in 2025. This will be our biggest party yet!” Tamás explained.

New Technology Levels UP.Ptm Plant Proteins

Thanks to PIP (Protein Isolate Plant) International’s disruptive technology, its pea protein is set to be the market leader.

The technology has finally cracked the code on pea protein’s poor taste, colour, texture and compromised performance. It aims to drive industry standards and has the potential to shift consumers’ enjoyment of plant-based foods to the next level.

The Visionary and 10 Lessons… So Far...

With 20 years of experience in the Agriprocessing and renewable energy industries, PIP International CEO, Christine, has worked for the likes of Pepsico and Belectric Canada Solar.

“I cut my teeth working as a project manager at PepsiCo. Many of the projects were using innovative and unproven technologies that needed to be further developed for full commercial roll-outs. This gave me valuable and diverse experience from business justification, technical due diligence, project planning and execution through to final close outs,” shared Christine when speaking exclusively to Business Enquirer.

Prior to founding PIP, Christine was headhunted to be the Managing Director of Belectric Canada Solar. During her time there, Christine managed the design, build and commissioning of the two largest tracking

Christine Lewington is a visionary. It is no wonder then that she is helming the delivery of an innovative new pea protein isolate product to the food industry.

utility scale solar farms - throughout Canadian winter, no less. Roles like these helped develop Christine’s business and risk mitigation skills.

“Your business edge is your offensive weapon, your risk management is your defensive weapon and your emotional management is your ability to balance these weapons.”

Christine

An entrepreneur and visionary, Christine is always one step ahead of the game evidenced easily by the fact that PIP has just commissioned the fourth continuous, fully automated yellow pea wet fractionation facility less than a year after the building was purchased.

“I procured equipment for PIP’s phase one processing facility before the purchase was completed. There’s always a method in my madness - despite the global supply chain challenges, by taking this calculated risk PIP kept momentum and was able to introduce our Ultimate Pea Protein in 2022 instead of much later in 2023,” Christine said.

CEO and founder of PIP International Christine Lewington

At Christine’s heart, she is driven by values and love of family”. At the start of her conversation with Business Enquirer, she told the publication that she is a grandmother. Why? “Because why do we do anything? To make things hopefully better for our future generations,” she explained.

That underpinning ethos is what has pushed Christine to found PIP and fuels her daily navigation of a new start-up, with a complex project while holding onto a simple vision.

“In 2006, when on a trip in Panama, I was told to keep my eyes forward while driving on some side roads and of course, I did not. I witnessed children playing and drinking water out of the sewer. That day, I vowed that as part of my journey in life I would not only find the technology to clean water but make it accessible to anywhere in the world. One of PIP’s exciting technologies, at our wet pea processing facility is that technology. Eventually, we will give away this technology to enable free accessible clean drinking water,” shared Christine.

The Protein Crisis

It is estimated that by 2030 there will be a 40% global protein increase requirement, straining the global supply and nearing capacity limits. The pea protein market is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 12% and achieve sales revenue of $1.4B USD globally by 2025.

It begs the question of why hasn’t the globally grown abundant supply of yellow peas, with its high protein content and near perfect amino acid profile come to the rescue yet?

“That’s easy,” said Christine, “Products made with current pea protein options do not pass The Second Moment of Truth. They simply taste terrible. Almost every time I tell someone what I am doing, they scrunch their nose up and tell me how awful pea protein is and that they have bought it once.”

The “Second Moment of Truth”

In product development, much is written about the “first moment of truth”, which is when the consumer decides to buy the product for the first time. But the true measure of a product’s success is determined by the “second moment of truth”, which is when consumers actually consume it. If they have a positive experience, they are likely to buy your product again. This leads to a high repeat rate and ultimately a successful product.

“Don’t be afraid to take a loss. Fear of losing is worse than losing.”

Christine

In terms of food and drink products, taste is central to the second moment of truth and is the most important re-purchase driver. Jason Cohen of Analytical Flavour Systems agrees, stating that “when you see a new product that claims to be organic, all natural, without additives, et cetera, you might buy it because of these claims. That is marketing. But you will only buy it again if you like the taste of the product.”

“By holding fast to our “must do better” and strategically combining several disruptive technologies across diverse industries, we believe we are set far apart from the industry. Our pea protein is the best tasting, most affordable,

PIP International

healthiest and environmentally responsible pea protein isolate on the planet!” claimed Christine.

The Technology Level UP.P’d

Since Christine established PIP International in January 2020, her focus has been to ensure the extraction technology chosen would consistently deliver a protein beyond anything the industry hoped for but never thought possible.

“Not good enough… I’m out,” Christine firmly stated on Dec 10th, 2019, just outside of Paris. Christine and her team had just spent 7 days working with a team of expert scientists that knew the best way to extract protein from yellow peas. When the protein results came in, it was as good as the best.

Christine continued to explain, “and it all comes back to the quality of the pea protein available on the market.. despite the best efforts of some highly capable formulators, its not feasible to overcome a terrible tasting key ingredient’. We MUST do better and find what seems to be a technology unicorn that will solve the mystery to the bitter taste, yellow color and low performance of pea proteins to become the solution to the protein crisis!”

The room was now pin drop quiet. After a few prolonged minutes of deafening silence, nervous shuffling of papers broke through and the head scientist cleared his throat and asked, “Christine, would you consider going for dinner tonight to have further discussions on your vision of finding a technology unicorn? I have an idea.” This was the beginning of a highly challenging yet very exciting journey for PIP!

PIP International

When Christine researched where to best start the technology unicorn search, she discovered and chose IMPROVE SAS in France. Positioned as a cutting-edge R&D platform for the endto-end valorization of alternative proteins, with an international visibility, she knew this was the best place to go.

Denis Chereau, CEO of IMPROVE recalled, “We partnered with PIP since December 2019. PIP hired us to help develop a new process to produce pea protein isolate at the time. When IMPROVE presented it’s recently patented technology to Christine Lewington, she immediately picked-up the potential of this disruptive technology. This was the get-go for the teams from PIP and IMPROVE to work jointly to develop an industrial project. Weekly meetings and multiple visits on both sides of the ocean developed an agile, resilient and accountable team which are key elements of success.”

“Christine’s tenacity throughout 2020 proves she is not just talk, she is a woman of action and perseverance. As Covid locked down the world and created unprecedented times, she was still able to successfully lead her teams through building and connecting the two largest utility scale tracking solar farms in Canada. In addition, Christine chose to take advantage of the world slowing down and speed up instead. Using ZOOM and across many time zones, she was able to comfortably validate the potential of the extraction technology unicorn. “

“Pivot to solutions versus sitting on problems.”

Christine

On December 15, 2020, PIP signed an Exclusive Master License Agreement to further develop, commercialize and globally expand this novel extraction technology.

“IMPROVE SAS has been working with PIP International closely for over two years to commercialize a significant advancement in plant protein extraction technology. PIP owns an Exclusive Master License Agreement for IMPROVE’s innovative, patent pending, sustainable extraction technology that will bring the cleanest tasting, highest functioning, most sustainable pea protein to the market!”

Denis Chereau, CEO IMPROVE SAS, France

“Our novel method of extraction significantly reduces harmful exposure to the proteins by providing a gentle environment for separation and preservation,” explained Christine, “it is like a Medi-spa for proteins! The process results in an unparalleled great tasting and high functioning pea protein.”

On January 1, 2021, with rare technology rights in hand, Christine’s expert team rolled up their sleeves and dug deep into the science, engineering and energy consumption demands a large processing facility would require. Long hours and the ongoing difficult world restrictions did not deter the “must be better” vision of the team. “We pivoted more times than I can count, as we capitalized on the world slowdown as it presented fewer distractions. Our team focused our full attention on the development and design of the most innovative and sustainable Agri-processing facility the industry has ever seen,” said Christine. With an engineering background and serial entrepreneur spirit, the challenge was exuberating and gut wrenching.

“History is written by entrepreneurs who never give up.”Christine

PIP International

As PIP’s team focused on designing the facility, Christine searched for a key piece of the puzzle to further secure manufacturers’ confidence. Food safety, traceability and food security is a top concern to food manufacturers and consumers, but it is not easy to do.Finding a streamlined digitized food safety and reporting system to remove the complexity was a must do from day one. Christine feels lucky that she found a unique and innovative food safety and quality reporting data collecting and

digitization company called Provision Analytics, from Calgary Alberta to do exactly what PIP was looking for and more.

Progressing steadily, PIP started to get noticed and by the summer of 2021, challengers attempted to deter Christine from her path, but it only strengthened her resolve. As her confidence in the innovative technology exponentially grew, it was time for her to step outside her comfort zone, make some serious

Purchased land in Lethbridge Alberta Canada

PIP International

investments and raise further capital to take PIP to the next level.

Christine boldly stepped forward and finalized the purchase of 20 acres of fully permitted and serviced land in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Construction commenced shortly after to prepare the land for the large facility. PIP’s phase one, pilot facility, commissioned four weeks ago and is processing over 5000MT of yellow peas annually.

Scaling with the larger facility, to processing over 130,000MT of peas annually, PIP will be the largest pea protein isolate manufacturer in the world. Positioning itself in the heart of Canada’s Premier Food Corridor (CPFC) which is home to 4.2 million total acres of some of the most fertile land in the world. With nearly 5,000 farms and over 11,000 businesses located within the corridor it’s no wonder this region has an annual GDP of 8 billon dollars.

“Businesses make their systems too complex. In business, simplicity always wins.”

Christine

Provision

Provision is a cloud software platform used to capture and manage all food safety and quality assurance data.

The company was founded by Erik Westblom in 2018 after his proposal was named a winner of the FoodTrack competition run by Maersk. Through their exclusive program in Denmark, Erik learned that the world’s largest food shipping company had all the data it needed for traceability in its existing food safety records, but the data was stuck on paper. Soon, he realized that issue wasn’t unique to Maersk – paper records were endemic in food safety and quality assurance, preventing the real-time alerts, linkages, and reporting needed to easily identify and correct issues before food reaches consumers.

This lack of modern systems is one reason why the World Health Organization estimates that foodborne illness affects 600 million people annually.

For most food companies, the block to modern food safety and quality assurance systems was usability. Many tech companies were far removed from the gritty realities of food processing, so while many of their software platforms had advanced functionality, few were intuitive enough to be used on the production floor. Because non-technical staff struggled to capture clean data, the systems were ineffective.

Through Provision, Erik set out to change this market dynamic, applying his experience as a farm operator. His founding vision came to life with an intuitive user interface that has garnered global design press such as the World Brand Design Society and Mindsparkle Magazine. Combined with a flexible process builder, Provision allows food companies to create and manage totally

custom food safety and quality assurance programs.

In practice, this usability has allowed Provision clients to save an average 64% of the time tracked by the FDA for a typical food safety record. Such efficiency was key for PIP. Christine said, “Businesses make their systems too complex. In business, simplicity always wins.”

With clean data flowing from its operations, the real benefit has proven to be insight and process control making PIP not only simpler, but also safer. PIP has been able to elevate its record-keeping with automatic rules, instructions, and reports in Provision. Its use of the software is now extending beyond PIP’s own walls, and will soon streamline data sharing across its supply chain. At scale, this allows PIP to have complete visibility for food safety and quality assurance at every stage leading to the consumer.

The results make PIP a banner client for Provision. Erik, now CEO of the company, said, “PIP is operating a decade ahead of similar companies in its industry. By investing in compliance technology before it faced problems, PIP is rightfully winning an unparalleled brand reputation for its quality. We’re happy to see Provision in use as one piece of their smart supply chain.”

Christine said, “By having Provision on PIP’s journey from day one, setting up required certifications with the regulatory and quality reporting have taken 1/3 the time. Provision has removed cumbersome paperwork and provided an easily maintainable and upgradeable system. When our first large multi-national company cautiously asked about our food safety and certification program, they were blown away how a new start-up could seamlessly integrate and operate within their complex systems.”

Collaboration, Innovation, Determination… more than wind water and sunshine!

For some residents of southern Alberta, the 50 kilometre stretch of Highway 3 between Lethbridge and Taber is just that a road to get you where you need to go. For those involved in agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, or logistics, however, that same 50 kilometres is the lifeline to their business and a gateway to the rest of the world.

Canada’s Premier Food Corridor (CPFC) is home to 4.2 million total acres of some of the most fertile land in the world. With nearly 5,000 farms and over 11,000 businesses located within the corridor it’s no wonder this region has an annual GDP of 8 billon dollars. Names you’ll find every day in your grocery store and that are produced locally include global brands such as Cavendish Farms, PepsiCo Foods, McCain, Bonduelle and Richardson working along side small businesses and farms that have been in the area for generations.

Where Climate and Investment Come Together

Lethbridge, the largest city in southern Alberta, is the hub for the region which experiences some of the best growing conditions in the world. With over 300 days of sunshine per year and some of the mildest winters in Canada, it’s no wonder so many agriculture and Agri-Food businesses are choosing the region for their investment or expansion.

The City of Lethbridge will soon have a stateof-the-art Agri-food hub as construction on Exhibition Park is expected to be completed in 2023. The new 268,000 square foot facility will help highlight the work being done in the area and showcase southern Alberta on a global scale.

Government of all levels have recognized the potential of Canada’s Premier Food Corridor and have made investments

in the Lethbridge Airport, local roads, and highways as well as committed nearly a billion dollars over the past 2 years to upgrade the region’s irrigation system. This priority capital project allows for more storage of water and leverages new irrigation technologies for area producers.

A Workforce for Today and The Future

If optimum growing conditions, strategic government investment, ideal location, and easy access to world markets isn’t enough the region is also home to two world class post-secondary institutions in Lethbridge College and the University of Lethbridge. Each facility understands the importance of preparing graduates (over 3,700 combined in 2021) for entering the work world as soon as they leave campus. These award-winning institutions have evolved their curriculums to suit the needs of business and work collaboratively with industry to overcome barriers. Many sector specific opportunities are now being offered in the form of micro-credential courses for individuals looking for a particular set of skills and applied research linked to solving industry challenges.

For more information on Canada’s Premier Food Corridor and why if you’re in the business of food, you should be visit canadaspremierfoodcorrdor.ca

“I am thrilled that PIP has chosen Lethbridge to call home for both their pilot plant and future large scale production facility. This will further strengthen Canada’s Premier Food Corridor as these projects build on the existing strength of the value-added processing sector in our region. PIP’s investment will not only position but anchor Lethbridge on the world stage for being a top choice to deliver the best plant-based ingredients and food products from. The strength of our region can be found in innovative market leaders like PIP who challenge the status quo to create new opportunities while giving back to the community for a better future.”

Mayor Blaine Hyggen, City of Lethbridge

PIP International

“But how would ‘I’ convince the bank that you can do what you say you can?” questioned Christine’s top business advisor and lawyer, Scott McLeman. Her mind raced as this question had no answer. “Investors will demand evidence of your new technology, customers will demand large scale pea protein volumes for trials and banks will demand proof of pre-market sales before they will finance you,” he continued.

“Listen and pivot to sound advice or choose to let adversity be your teacher.”

Christine

“I have had the good fortune to work with Christine and PIP for over two years now and it has been anything but a dull journey. Christine and her team have seemingly limitless energy and are despite all the obstacles and naysayers over the years, they remain laser focused on the success of PIP. Now that Phase 1 is complete and producing the first batches of protein, Christine can turn her attention to Phase 2, the first of the three large PIP plants. It has been an honour to work closely with Christine and watch her sacrifice so much to complete this massive undertaking while, importantly, her moral compass has never wavered.”

Scott Mcleman, Partner, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

PIP International

It was painful but glaringly obvious. In a flash, there was only one way forward, Christine must find a way to first build small and then scale. This would not be easy to pivot as PIP had just started construction on the large facility’s 20 acres.

PIP was told of a mid-sized craft brewery under bank foreclosure only minutes away. To transition a brewery to a small scale, fully continuous wet fractionation facility as fast as possible was a significant pivot but Christine’s team was up for the challenge. Six weeks later, Christine’s purchase negotiations had stalled.

Communicating her frustrations, her advisor cautiously offered that she handover the deal to him and his team to negotiate and close. “It’s what we do. Trust me” he said. Less than

a week later, Christine was accepting a deal that had cut 7 figures and un-locked the path forward for PIP.

“Most entrepreneurs don’t lack talent; they lack emotional IQ, self-awareness and the humility to let go of control.”

Christine

When I asked Christine what was the supporting backbone of PIP’s vision? She did not hesitate,

“I believe risk mitigation will be the reason why we are or aren’t successful in our vision. A disruptor must master risk-mitigation to gain investor, bank and board confidence or ultimately be forced to do things the way they have always been done,” she explained.

“I have come to know Christine Lewington, the Founder and CEO of PIP, through my involvement on the Company’s Advisory Board. She possesses an unmatched ability to solve complex engineering problems with innovative and often ground breaking solutions. Through her vision and tenacity Christine has created a radical new pea protein that has the potential to reshape the global food industry. “

Ian MacDonald was the Founder and designer of Liquidity Wines an Okanagan winery producing some of world’s finest Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. He started Moving Products which was the Official Outfitting Services provider to the Olympic Games for 24 years. Ian was awarded the Canadian Government Award of Excellence for Marketing.

Ian MacDonald 778-846-5010 Ianbm778@gmail.com

Christine

PIP International

Monette Farms Group

We are a Canadian farm company that is head quartered in Swift Current, Saskatchewan Canada. Our group of companies operate in three Canadian provinces, and two states in America. Monette Farms’ principal focus is sustainable dry land farming, and regenerative cattle ranching. Combined, we manage nearly 2,000,000 acres. “I am fervent about the communities we operate in, my employees’ wellbeing, and using leading edge technology and science that improve efficiencies while simultaneously striving to reduce our eco-footprint,” said Darrel Monette, CEO of Monette Farms.

Monette Farms’ story is rooted in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada, and it remains steadfastly planted there today. The last 20 years, however, have been a period of significant growth for Monette Farms, who now operate in the United States (Montana & Arizona), and in three Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Saskatchewan, & Manitoba). Each of the locations are strategically procured to maximize productivity and help defend from weather variability. By the conclusion of 2023, Monette Farms will actively farm nearly 400,000 acres.

Efficiency (one of its core values) is in the group’s DNA. There is a relentless pursuit of betterment in all facets of the operation, including vertical integration. Recent acquisitions like seed cleaning, storage, and shipping facilities tactically improve the stages of production. The team distinctly proud of this, but never loses sight of their farming history, family, and employees that make this achievement possible.

The commodities grown are conventional cereals and pulses. Recent diversification in the group has seen the addition of cattle ranching. Nearly 7000 head of cattle naturally graze across 1,200,000 pristine acres in British Columbia, Canada. Carbon capture is an avenue being explored in these forested areas as well. Arguably in its infancy still, it nevertheless shows Monette Farms’ desire to be ecological alongside profitable.

Monette Farms Group Darrel Monette Owner & Chief Executive Officer Contact: ben@monettefarms.ca

Being close to an abundant supply of yellow peas is of critical importance. “While researching yellow pea supply options, I was introduced to a likeminded CEO, who farms over 300,000 acres of farmland. His vision to further process the crops he grows was a perfect fit and he was willing to invest to make that happen!”

“I was immediately impressed with Christine and her team at our first meeting. It was clear from the beginning that her vision, drive, and core values aligned with ours. PIP is a predictive company that sees Agriculture as a dynamic space long due for innovation, and she surrounds herself with experts that mirror her energy and passion. This is why we are excited to be an integral partner and advance agriculture together,” said owner and CEO, Darrel Monette of Monette Farms.

Our Mission is to produce agricultural products Efficiently, Sustainably and Profitably in an enjoyable work environment.

PIP International

When Christine started to work closely with product developers and struggled to answer product development questions from a potential customer, she reached out to Mesh Food Labs, from Boulder, Colorado that specializes in new product development. “Kerin and her team at Mesh Foods have been fantastic! Mesh took PIP’s pea protein, UP.P™, and created incredible, smooth tasting protein shakes and the most delicious ice cream. It has been invaluable to learn from Mesh what our customers will require to make new products to win the hearts of consumers,” explained Christine.

“Mesh Food Labs has been working with PIP’s new pea protein isolate. This novel new protein has a smoother texture and a milder flavor making it ideal for use in beverages, ice cream, novelties, bars, and baking,”

Kerin Kennedy, CEO of Mesh Food Labs.

MESH Food Labs We Know Food

Mesh is a fully-integrated food lab and innovation center located in Bentonville, Arkansas. Established 2001, we are dedi cated to innovation, specializing in food, beverage, and supplement/nutrition prod uct development. Mesh Food Labs offers a broad range of concept-through-com mercialization services to help our clients launch innovative, relevant, and delicious products supporting brand growth. We consider ourselves an integral part of each client’s business, conforming to your pro cesses, style, culture, and goals. We fit your needs, whether as a dedicated R&D unit, an extension of your existing R&D team or as a strategic innovation partner.

201 SW 14th Street Suite 107 Bentonville, AR 72712 (479) 254-8987 Meshfoodlabs.com

Jonathan Wagenaar, PIP ambassador, Christine Lewington CEO, Blaine Hyggen Mayor of Lethbridge

PIP International

On May 30, 2022, PIP hosted over 180 guests from industry, government and the community to the launch of PIP’s Phase One and publicly unveil plans for the large facility.

Guests were provided guided tours of the facility, amazed with great tasting product samples made from PIP’s pea protein and presented PIP Phase Two, the large facility.

At the launch event, the Government of Alberta announced support funding and the Invest Alberta attraction branch has been an ongoing support by connecting, collaborating and communicating PIP’s vision across the globe.

“PIP International knows first-hand that Alberta is the ideal place for agri-tech development. Invest Alberta played an instrumental role in helping us navigate funding opportunities and introductions to investors and decision-makers. With their support, it was an easy decision to open a new $150 million facility bringing 100 new jobs to southern Alberta.”

Christine

PIP Phase 2, Front Entrance

Former Minister of Alberta Transportation and the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Calgary Northeast, Rajan Sawhney, Christine Lewington, CEO PIP International, His Worship, Mayor of the City of Lethbridge, Blaine Hyggen

With over 50 million acres of farmland, Alberta offers endless opportunities in agriculture. Alongside Canada's leaders in agricultural innovation, our province is home to global agribusinesses who lead the way in the transformation of sustainable and environmental stewardship in the sector To learn more,

PIP International

As Phase One was in progress, strategic discussions on the best way to fund the large project were reopened. As PIP was growing, Christine knew she needed to find a new and different way to raise the capital required to build the large facility specifically.

“Searching for the best partnerships, has also opened up many new friendships along the way. Troy and his team have helped PIP with many highly technical and business-related issues. That’s why when Troy suggested we partner to launch a new investment platform his team had been working on for over a year, I could only see it as win/win,” said Christine.

On June 29th, 2022 HyFi announced the execution of multiple agreements with PIP focused initially on raising funds for PIP’s large scale yellow pea wet fractionation processing facility. PIP will have conditional exclusive rights and renewal options to the agriculture sector. HyFi understands that the lack of

HYFI: AN IMPACT INVESTMENT PLATFORM FOR ISSUING SECURITIES

Innovative Funding Solutions for Projects Focused on Sustainability

HyFi is a Florida-based public fintech compa ny that has developed and owns innovative blockchain technology, namely an impact in vestment project funding platform for green initiatives. HyFi’s core purpose is to solve the problem of access to funding for securities issuers who have focused their business on sustainability and the betterment of the planet or humanity, owners who do not want to give up control of their companies while raising capital.

HyFi provides solutions to those facing pro ject funding challenges by building, operat ing and licensing DeFi and CeDeFi funding marketplaces (centralized membership with

investment in the agriculture sector specifically prevents plant-based market growth. HyFi and PIP have therefore teamed up to bring solutions to this funding problem. Solving this problem is a key factor to successfully drive the growth of the pea protein market worldwide.

HyFi believes that PIP is an ideal ambassador to be the first issuer featured on the HyFi platform. HyFi has followed the PIP journey since inception and has gained a deeper understanding of PIPs business and the opportunity derived from the demand for high-quality pea protein isolate having increased dramatically in recent years with the popularization of plant-based diets and increasing consumer awareness and benefits offered by pea proteins. In September HyFi’s CEO Troy MacDonald visited the PIP Lethbridge factory and PIP’s CEO, Christine Lewington, and toured the current PIP facility for a boots on the ground understanding of the job to be done.

financial rewards architecture for communi ty members).

HyFI is built with a very modern Hybrid Fi nancing model, meaning HyFi offers issuers and investors both a tokenized/crypto and a fiat economy. HyFi has a reputable American trust company integrated into the center of its platform as the custodian of both fiat and digital currency. This integration increases the safety, trustability and flexibility of the HyFi platform and allows it to operate in a regulatory compliant way.

All issuers funding offers featured on HyFi are structured through an innovative new type of security, “ILO (SECURITY) TOKENS”, issued as units of ownership in an ILO “Initial License Offering” (trademark pending). The ILO is the issuers offer to potential investors in the market, the offer is coded as software, a “Smart Contract”. www.hyfi-corp.com

HyFi’s CEO Troy MacDonald visited the PIP Lethbridge factory and PIP’s CEO

Innovative Project Funding & NFT Marketplaces using Blockchain

HyFi is a Florida-based public fintech company that has developed and owns innovative blockchain technology, namely an impact investment project funding platform for green initiatives. The platform launches with strong support from a ready clientele. This initiative comes to market after 16 months of development by a large team of world-class developers. HyFi’s core purpose is to solve the problem of access to funding for issuers who have focused their business on sustainability and the betterment of the planet or humanity, owners who do not want to give up control of their companies.

General Email: contact@hyfi-corp.com

Investor Relations: investors@hyfi-corp.com

PIP International

Committed to sustainability, PIP commissioned a roof top solar system to offset the power required to operate Phase One facility with the help of a trusted partner in solar, Terralta. Terralta was able to design, permit, install and commission PIP’s roof top system in less than 90 days. Finding likeminded partners in sustainability is key to PIP’s vision and success.

How Peas Are Transforming the Agri-Processing Industry

PIP International is the start-up that discovered an innovative new way to extract protein from yellow peas. Their all-natural, sustainable, and affordable product is well-positioned to be an industry leader in the protein isolate industry.

But what makes the company stand out beyond their product is their commitment to sustainability. As CEO Christine Lewington put it, “We lead with sustainability, we don’t follow up with it.”

With two years as Managing Director of the two largest solar farms in Canada, Christine has the experience and passion to set a higher standard for manufacturing facilities. Her mission is to make PIP International’s facility fully self-sufficient. With the help of Terralta’s renewable energy experts, she’s proving that’s possible. Here’s how.

PIP’s Plan for Net Zero

Phase 1: Install standard roof-mounted solar that cares for roughly 30% of the building’s demand load. That’s 267MWh of rooftop solar.

Phase 2: Install Solar EV Carport charging stations with additional solar covers for their expansive patio adding an additional 295MWh generation capacity.

Phase 3: Install innovative solar siding all around the building that doubles as advertising space. The product not only collects energy in a discreet way, it can also be programmed to display their logo and other information, adding an additional 53MWh.

“I am truly impressed with the color, flavor and the functionality/versatility of PIP’s protein. The flavor is very neutral and the blueberry puff we made with this protein has intense natural berry flavors. This would be a top choice of vegan and allergen-free protein fortification for formulations.”

John

Zhang, PhD Chief Scientific Officer EnWave Corporation

PIP International

These three phases will cover PIP’s Phase One electrical demands. Additionally, solar energy creates carbon offsets that PIP will sell into the market. But it’s not just solar technology at use; Terralta is helping PIP look after their thermal energy and lower their carbon spending allowing PIP to take advantage of every opportunity to be carbon neutral. Solar is becoming the cheapest form of energy In Alberta, This may sound surprising or downright false, but Jason Atkinson, CEO and owner at Terralta, sees it proven through financial models on a daily basis.

“Right now, with solar in Alberta, if a solar system is financed over ten years, projects are cash positive right out of the gate,” Atkinson says. With the ability to sell solar energy and offsets, clients make money and gain a return from their systems instead of just paying for energy.

“This is why solar is really taking off in Alberta and all over the world. Right now, energy experts call it the cheapest generation, which is unbelievable

because five years ago it was far from that. The whole dynamic has changed.” Jason Atkinson continued.

With PIP’s, three phased solar- forward facility acting as a pilot project, Christine plans to expand operations using all the same technologies but at a much larger scale.

When two sustainability-driven companies come together across industries, they set a bold example. The partnership between PIP International and Terralta Inc. is proving that manufacturing can be net-zero. That’s powerful.

“Terralta is excited to be working with Christine and her team at PIP with many sustainability initiatives. Being highly committed to providing a sustainably produced product, PIP asked for our help to maximize the solar potential in three phases... Without a doubt, PIP takes sustainability and innovation very seriously, and we are pleased to be partnered with PIP on their journey.”

Jason Atkinson, CEO/Owner – Terralta Inc.

PIP Lethbridge, Phase Two, 20 ACRE, 200,000 Square Foot Processing facility

PIP International

“We are now ramping up our production of our ultimate pea protein, UP.P™ and fulfilling orders to clients. Large and small sized companies, such as Snacktivist Foods, have jumped in and are pivoting their product development plans around our protein. We are all excited to be able to present to consumers a great tasting pea protein based product line-ups that will pass ‘The Second Moment of Truth’ and have them coming back for more!” said Christine.

“Snacktivist Foods is thrilled to be working with PIP and grow alongside them. PIP’s protein is far superior than any other pea protein on the market at an affordable price. We are excited to see how well our customers respond to our new reformulations and are so happy we found PIP!”

Joni Kindwall-Moore, CEO / Founder of Snacktivist

Joni Kindwall-Moore, CEO Founder of Snacktivist Foods.

Foods.

Snacktivist is a women-owned, B-corp food brand, changing the world one bite at a time!

Snacktivist Inc creates delicious foods from regenerative ingredients that are allergyfriendly, soil, water and carbon focused, all while radically impacting human nutrition. Our mantra is “regen for the next gen”, and we are bringing this to life through the reimagining of staple foods using novel ingredients.

We believe that regenerative agriculture and underutilized grains, seeds and legumes are key to improving the quality of our food and the resiliency of agriculture. The Snacktivist journey began in the baking mix category. Snacktivist was founded by Joni Kindwall-Moore, mother, scientist, RN, and food activist; after she and her family experienced diet-related illnesses and food allergies. Snacktivist was launched between nursing shifts at the hospital and juggling the demands of a family.

Snacktivist has been selling award-winning baking mixes since 2015 and is expanding into frozen, ready to enjoy products this

year. Snacktivist also has plans to launch a snack line as well. Our products are glutenfree, vegan, simple to make and incredibly delicious.

Farmer connected, transparent sourcing is central to the Snacktivist ethos. We work with visionary farmers and processors in the US, Canada and soon Bangladesh and India to bring consumers the best regenerative, ancient grains and legumes in the world. Snacktivist uses a novel product design technique which we call “regenerative by design” in which we develop our products around what farmers need to transform their farms from input-dependent monocropping systems to biodiverse, resilient, regenerative agroecosystems.

Snacktivist is also developing novel technologies to help connect consumers from soil to plate using unique QR code storytelling.

Joni Kindwall-Moore, CEO / Founder Snacktivist Foods Location- Coeur d’Alene, Idaho USA Contact- joni@snacktivistfoods.com www.snacktivistfoods.com

A women-owned, B-corp food brand, changing the world one bite at a time!

PIP International

Christine’s passion and vision are contagious. The PIP team are getting more excited as they ready for Phase Two and signing agreements to set it in motion.

“We are excited to have executed the required commercial agreement with ATCO Gas, to supply PIP with the upgraded hi-pressure gas line by Q3, 2023. In addition, we are looking forward to further collaboration to bring green hydrogen fuel technologies, blending and storage to our cutting-edge energy disrupting food processing facility.” Christine said.

ATCO Supports PiP International With Their Natural Gas Needs

With a diverse portfolio of services and products that span across many industries, ATCO provides customers with innovative and sustainable solutions in the sectors that are fundamental to global growth and prosperity. From the delivery of reliable and efficient energy for homes and businesses to affordable temporary and permanent infrastructure, we are building communities, energizing industries and delivering customer-focused solutions like no other company in the world.

ATCO’s natural gas division offers fully integrated, cost-effective natural gas solutions. They build, maintain, and operate approximately 50,000 km of natural gas distribution and transmission pipelines that deliver natural gas to more than 1.2 million customers in 300 communities across Alberta.

Through one of those communities - the municipality of Lethbridge – ATCO was connected with PIP International (an agritech plant-based processing company) which requires large volumes of natural gas to operate a brand-new facility - the

PiP Pea Protein facility, intending to produce premium pea proteins for global markets. As always, ATCO is happy to play a part in PIP’s entrepreneurial story and the continued expansion of the agri-tech industry in Alberta.

Located in the Lethbridge Sherring Industrial park, PIP’s new facility will be the latest resident of an up-and-coming agricultural industry in southern Alberta.

As ATCO’s natural gas infrastructure grows by adding more distribution pipelines in the area, ATCO will be able to supply PiP International with its natural gas needs as well as the other businesses in the area. This stands to be a big opportunity for the local economy, Lethbridge, and Alberta.

ATCO has proudly served natural gas to its home province and residents for more than a century. Natural gas has been a foundational fuel that Albertans have come to rely upon for use in their homes, businesses, and industry. ATCO is excited to work with our industry partners, experts, and customers to shape how natural gas can continue to be a part of the future and looks forward to continuing to fulfill Albertan’s natural gas requirements going forward.

www.gas.atco.com

PROVIDING ALBERTANS SAFE AND RELIABLE NATURAL GAS

Natural gas is a foundational fuel that Albertans have relied upon in their homes and outdoor living spaces and businesses for decades. Natural gas is clean, affordable, safe, abundant, and reliable.

We’ve served this province for a century and we look forward to working with industry partners, experts and customers for another 100 years. We’re committed to providing natural gas solutions that will contribute to reducing Alberta’s emissions in the long-term focusing on creating and delivering solutions that provide a roadmap to the future role of natural gas in Alberta’s energy mix.

INCLUDINGAGRI-TECH

INDUSTRIAL

PRODUCTIONHYDROGEN

PIP International

Leading the ESG

PIP aims to be the first agri-processing business to use a hybrid energy system across the plant.

“We have designed any equipment in our facility that uses gas to have the ability to blend with hydrogen,” explained Christine, “As well as this, our extraction technology reduces heat demands and eliminates energy intensive boilers used in standard pH processes”.

Among its sustainable initiatives, PIP uses alternative technologies to remove water, unlike the standard practice in the pea protein extraction process. This helps to reduce the business’ Co2 output, as well as the related energy savings.

What’s particularly interesting about PIP’s ESG, is its circular approach towards the peas used.

“Between 20- 25% of the pea is protein, which we extract. The rest is starch and fibre. Working with new technologies, we can turn the by-product material into completely recyclable packaging,” explained Christine.

The Next Steps

Christine and PIP International’s lean team are on the precipice of a pea revolution.

“Since the Future Food-Tech New York show in July, the doors have blown open for us. There is an incredible demand for our revolutionary pea protein,” shared Christine.

Financially, PIP is in a positive position, with Christine using her business prowess to strengthen its position as they move into a positive revenue generating business.

“As well as our ESG initiatives helping to reduce costs, I’ve found a new building process that has cut $27 million from our initial $54 million building costs of the larger processing plant,” she explained.

Christine Lewington, CEO / Founder

1.403.393.0204 (cell)

ChristineL@PIP-International.com 4085 2nd Ave South Lethbridge, Alberta Canada T1J 1Z2

As PIP moves forward, Christine and her business are selecting partners who are interested in global product development, as well as finding the best financial partner to support PIP in scaling to meet global demand.

“I’m strategically choosing who is going to be my long-term dance partner,” Christine said.

As PIP’s clean profile protein sells out at their Phase One facility, Christine is excited to move to scaling up the process.

“We have a lot of work to do still, but as we have now proven the selection of synchronistic innovations to Level-Up the entire process, we are now needing to focus more intently on what is most important, and that’s our people. We have an innovative team platform, that will make PIP, “The Place to Enjoy Your Day”. You can have the best product, the lowest equipment costs, dramatic energy savings and the most amazing facility to operate, but without great people, you have nothing. People are what tie the synchronicities together, to truly become a market disruptor. We aim to have our team say, ‘PIP PIP HOORAY!’, every single day,” said Christine.

Exploring Sonora

Founded in 2018, Tocvan Ventures Corp (Tocvan) is currently exploring two exciting gold-silver mining projects in Sonora, Mexico.

PROJECT DIRECTED BY WRITTEN BY Gary Smith Laura Watling

Tocvan

CEO Brodie Sutherland speaks with Business Enquirer about the significant production opportunities in Sonora and the developments of Tocvan’s Pilar and El Picacho projects.

The Gold Belt of Mexico

Mexico is swiftly becoming one of America’s premier gold exploration regions, with $600 million dollars being invested annually into exploration projects.

Within Mexico, the northern jurisdiction of Sonora produces over a third of Mexico’s gold.

“Sonora is a historic mining region, and so it’s very accessible,” explained Tocvan’s CEO, Brodie Sutherland, “the jurisdiction is built around and for mining. It also means we have access to some fantastic personnel who know the land exceptionally well”.

Utilising local knowledge is important to Tocvan, working with a professor of the University of Sonora, Dr Raul Lugo.

“Dr Lugo is an experienced geologist teaching geology students. It offers a great opportunity for Tocvan as well as the local students. We can share our findings with them and have

Tocvan

supported dissertation research. It means we have access to up and coming talent in the field,” shared Brodie.

Tocvan is supported by a lean and effective team of seven technical staff and two support staff on site in Sonora, including a recent graduate from Dr Lugo’s class. Rodrigo Calles-Montijo, a geologist from Sonora with over 30-years of experience leads the technical team and operations.

“Rodrigo is a key part of our team. The relationships he has fostered in the industry are a big part of our success,” stated Brodie.

As well as gold, Sonora has a reputation for its silver, celestite and bismuth production, and is home to North America’s oldest copper mine.

Showcasing the Pilar Gold project

Found 130km south-east of Sonora, Tocvan’s Pilar Gold site is the most advanced project of its current offering.

With the site being in an area of historic drilling, with 15,000 metres of drilling having taken place in the past, it is fully accessible by road.

For Tocvan, exploration work at Pilar started

in September 2019, in which geochemical and geophysical studies were undertaken. Drilling started in December of the following year. To date, over 23,000 meters of drilling has been completed.

“We’re returning some really positive results at Pilar, some of the best drill results in the region, in fact,” said Brodie.

Earlier this year, Tocvan drilled 116.9metres of 1.2 g/t gold, including a highgrade zone of 10.2-metres of 12 g/t gold and 23 g/t silver. Immediately after, it stepped out 125-metres to the southeast and drilled 108.6-metres of 0.8 g/t gold, including a high-grade zone of 9.4-metres at 7.6 g/t gold.

“Both of these holes are some of the best ever drilled on the property and really showcase the potential,” Brodie shared. “What’s unique about our findings at Pilar is that the deposits in the oxide zone are proving amenable to heap leach, making it particularly cost effective to the producer,” he continued.

Moving forward at Pilar, Tocvan will be undertaking more exploration work to prove viability of the economic deposit through bulk sampling and continued drilling.

Introducing El Picacho

Whilst Pilar is well into its drilling phase, Tocvan’s El Picacho project is in a much younger stage.

Based on well-respected ranch land, El Picacho sits north of Pilar 250 kilometers, and spans 24 square kilometers.

Five primary zones of mineralisation have been identified across the property, with surface sampling and historic workings identifying high-grade gold and silver values.

“Early indications are showing an excellent opportunity for discovery of a multi-million

Map of Sonora, Mexico with the location of Tocvan’s Projects relative to other major projects in the region

Sunset

Sonora

COMPREHENSIVE BOREHOLE SERVICES

Tocvan

ounce district at El Picacho,” said Brodie.

The El Picacho project has numerous goldsilver occurrences with trace to small amounts of other metallic minerals (As-Sb-Te-Pb-Zn).

“Our next steps for El Picacho will be to begin drill testing on several key target areas. It’s an exciting and pivotal time for the business,” shared Brodie,

“what is important to us at this particular site is that we continue to develop our relationship with the family that owns the ranch”.

The Most Valuable Asset

Whether it is the family which owns the ranch at El Picacho, Brodie’s well-respected colleagues in Sonora or the local inhabitants,

Tocvan

people are of high priority to Tocvan.

“It’s important for us to be mindful and respectful of the local community, and so we invest a lot of time into our CSR and sustainability strategies,” said Brodie.

As Tocvan moves into a heavier drilling phase, it will ensure it manages disturbance. As well as utilising the existing infrastructure, it will also deliver water management where necessary.

“For example, if during our drilling exploration we come across a water course, we will work with the local community to ensure that we can turn this into an asset for them, such as establishing a usable well,” Brodie explained.

During a localised covid outbreak, Tocvan were able to showcase its heart for supporting the community, in collaboration with its drilling partner.

“Usual testing for the local community was taking place a three-hour drive away. We worked together with the community and our drilling partner to bring the tests directly to locals instead,” shared Brodie.

During its next drill campaign, as well as implementing a fuel management system, Tocvan hopes to utilise new technology to make the business more sustainable.

“Newly available technology will enable us to reduce our diesel use and in turn reduce our carbon emissions,” Brodie Said.

Stepping Up

Having been a Geologist for 16 years, CEO Brodie has witnessed the twists and turns of the mining industry.

“Of course, there are always challenges to this industry. Regional politics and permitting are continually changing, as is the sentiment towards gold and silver. However, I believe the outlook is

positive for Tocvan, our projects and the market in general,” he said.

“Within this industry, you always have to be open to opportunities, and in the coming 12-18 months Tocvan would be interested in exploring M and As to add strength to the business”.

Tocvan recently signed a $5 million dollar deal which Brodie described as “a big endorsement”, which has given the business the opportunity to advance its projects at a faster pace.

“We’re developing rapidly from both a business and project perspective, I’m really excited to step into Q3 and 4,” said Brodie.

www.tocvan.com

WHO ARE

WE? We are a Mexican Company of professionals certificates on the area of Earth sciences, with extensive experience National and International.

We are a Mexican company of certified professionals in different areas of mining that provide our clients in the mining sector with highlevel services and consulting, with extensive international and national experience. We develop, manage and control the database and in the same way we offer high consulting support.

have staff associated with companies of high international recognition in consulting and solving issues related to certifications and mining operations.

PROJECT DIRECTED BY WRITTEN BY

Lee Pheonix

Regenerating Britain

With its history dating back to 1964, United Living Group is lead ing the way in ‘essential services for critical assets.’

In the current financial climate, there could be no better time for United Living Group to showcase its abilities in Property Services, New Homes and Infrastructure.

Driven by its vision to deliver to customer and stakeholder expectations, whilst leaving behind a positive legacy, United Living is supporting the development of communities where people in the UK want to live, work and play.

Speaking to Business Enquirer, Chair and CEO Neil Armstrong discusses the business’s acquisition journey and how it is developing its portfolio to improve homes, and the infrastructure that underpins them, ensuring they are fit for the future.

The Growth Story

United Living Group’s significant growth began when Neil acquired Fastflow Pipeline Services in 2005 from Northumbrian Water, at which point, the business was supporting four million water users in the North East.

From there, in 2010, Fastflow Energy Services was acquired, adding transmission gas to its services.

Laura Watling

United Living Group

United Living Group

“From the utility space, we then strategically grew into property services. Although they are in different spheres, there are similarities in the assets and they work in synergy,” Neil shared.

The move into property services started in 2014, when the Group acquired DW Support Services and, along with it, its existing housing stock of half a million properties across the South East and Midlands.

“The next step in our development needed to complement our utilities and property services offering, which meant adding affordable housing construction to our portfolio,” said Neil.

To fulfil this, the business acquired Partner Construction in 2017. “This was a landled proposition, with the business sourcing brownfield sites to build on”.

Despite its vast history and expansion, the name United Living Group didn’t join the business until 2019, when it was acquired. Established in 1964, United Living is a property specialist.

“Now that the business was offering utility infrastructure, property services, and housing construction, the name United Living felt a much better fit, and so in 2019 we adopted the name and its branding,” explained Neil.

The business’s most recent acquisition in its growth story was Great British Communications (GBC), developing United Living’s utility proposition into the 4G and 5G telecommunication market.

“The acquisition of GBC is really exciting and has come at a time when demand for available and reliable networks is increasing,” shared Neil, “It’s set to be a transformative offering for our end users”.

Now, there are three clear pillars to United Living Group:

Infrastructure Services - covering energy, water and telecoms; Property Services - including regeneration, safety services and energy efficiency; New Homes - spanning high and low rise, build to rent and mixed-use developments.

“Each element of our business provides essential services for critical assets. We always aim to make life better for the end user whilst fulfilling the client’s requirements with the use of smart infrastructure solutions and sustainable practices,” Neil said.

Regenerating the UK’s Homes United Living currently has a secured order book of £2.2bn and, amongst the projects the business is currently delivering, most are critical to promoting sustainability and area regeneration.

One such project is Outward Wharf, in which United Living has been awarded a £50 million contract by Ridgeback to build phase two of new residential apartments in Salford, Manchester.

The project includes the delivery of 296 one and two-bedroom properties, including 275 residential apartments, 11 townhouses and ten duplexes across three connected blocks. The

United Living Group

development will also provide ground floor amenity space, parking facilities and podium level landscaping.

“The build will include vital low carbon infrastructure, with solar panels and electric vehicle charging points, contributing to sustainable development,” explained Neil. This also aims to support Salford City Council achieve its vision of becoming carbon-neutral by 2038.

Outward Wharf, which is set to complete in October 2024, forms part of a wider Build to Rent scheme, which Neil considers critical to the future of housing

“With the property ladder virtually impossible for young people to get on to in the current climate, the Build to Rent market is a very exciting opportunity,” Neil said, “We’re able to create not just a home but a lifestyle that really suits people’s wants and needs, for example, adding gyms, coffee shops and crèches into the designs”.

United Living Group’s Build to Rent order book currently sits at over £300 million, with builds planned across the UK, such as Dumballs Road in Cardiff.

Dumballs Road, much like Outward Wharf, is a multi-million-pound regeneration project which will implement sustainable measures such as solar panels and EV charging points. The contract, awarded by Angelo Gordon and Ridgeback, includes 432 one and two-bedroom residential apartments across two blocks, indoor and outdoor amenity space, a public square, commercial space to the ground floor and extensive landscaping.

“This regeneration project is crucial for the area, providing much needed homes for the local people, whilst offering a cool, modern environment,” said Neil.

Zero Carbon by 2050

“We take ESG very seriously at United Living. It’s part of what we implement for our clients, and we

have to reflect that in what we do as a business too,” shared Neil.

United Living Group aims to become a zerocarbon business by 2050, which Neil said, is well on its way to achieve. The business has recently removed 2000 tonnes of plastic from its operations, as well as implemented schemes for staff such as cycle to work and Lightfoot for driving efficiency.

They are committed to the emerging hydrogen and decarbonised energy sector too, providing expertise across the value chain and working with industry, academia, and energy utilities to shape the energy systems of the future.

“I see lots of exciting potential for the use of hydrogen. As a starter for ten, we’re currently working on the rollout of hydrogen boilers in our homes, and I think this energy stream will play a significant role in the future,” said Neil.

Making a statement, United Living Group are

the main sponsor for this year’s tve Global Sustainability Film Awards. Hosted at the BAFTA building, the event will include a keynote speech from Neil.

A Growing Business with a Growing Workforce A business with bettering the lives of the British people at its heart, it makes sense that sustainability of staff is also core to United Living.

“We are proudly part of the 5% club, with 5% of our employees being in earn and learn schemes such as apprenticeships,” shared Neil. As well as this, in 2020, United Living grew its workforce by 9% creating 89 new jobs.

“During and post Brexit, we are seeing a labour shortage in our industry. It’s important therefore that we recruit and attract staff, retain them and develop them, as well as offering our apprenticeship scheme,” explained Neil.

“We do challenge our staff, and I like to be challenged too, but we’ve also developed an

United Living Group

attractive recognition and reward scheme,” he said.

The scheme has cost the business £100,000 in the last year, but Neil considers it crucial to show staff that they are valued.

“We want staff to consider working for United Living Group as a partnership. We want to be a business that they can buy into, knowing they have the opportunity to progress,” shared Neil. Forming part of Neil’s leadership ethos, he considers transparency and accountability important. “People are allowed to make mistakes. They should make mistakes. After all, failure is the portal to discovery”.

With a secure order book and a wealth of services, there is plenty of opportunity for United Living as it continues with its organic and acquisition growth and its vision for a more sustainable future.

www.unitedliving.co.uk

Becker

Propelling Towards a Strong Future

The important role of a mid-sized family company

Becker has been supplying its customer-oriented air solutions since 1885. The business develops, designs and manufactures the products, ranging from vacuum pumps and pressure pumps, through to air centralised systems.

CEO Dorothee Becker has been part of the family business for 22 years, taking on the role of business leader in 2016. She has a clear vision for the future, which she discussed with Business Enquirer.

German Designed and Produced

Since the 1970’s Becker has seen considerable growth, and now employs around 1000 people worldwide.

Becker is driven by being customer-centric and as such has established 17 strategically placed sales and service centres , spanning mainland Europe and the UK, Northern America and Asia.

“Our 17 daughter companies are an asset to the business, managed by excellent local entrepreneurs,” explained Dorothee, “being close to our customers both technically and physically has strengthened our success”.

The air solution manufacturer prides itself on its customer-specific solutions making its products

CEO Dorothee Becker

Beckerthe perfect fit for its customer’s application.

The components which Becker deliver improve air supply, integrating seamlessly to optimise its client’s products and processes.

“Although our products are technically very good, what sets us apart from our competitors is the spirit of a medium sized family-owned business. Despite having customers worldwide, we offer the human touch which a lot of bigger corporate businesses can’t,” shared Dorothee,“We take time to understand pain points, are faster to react and can be more flexible. This seemingly small difference can make a huge impact in outcome, such as in better efficiency and total cost of ownership for our endusers”.

Becker’s vacuum pumps and compressors are available as single components, as well as complete system solutions.

Four Generations of History

Established by brothers Robert and Otto Becker, the business is now in its fourth generation of family directorship.

CEO Dr Dorothee Becker hadn’t always planned to embark on the family business, however. She was invited to join the company by her brother and Managing Director at the time, Martin Becker.

“Of course, I’d always grown up with the family business, where business was often the topic at the dinner table. I’d watched my father take it on as his responsibility and duty, I couldn’t say no. It was a humbling moment and I was happy to take the opportunity” she shared.

Starting off in an administration role in the early 2000s, Dorothee went on to work in the business finance department. In 2012 she joined the management team, reaching her position as CEO in 2016.

With Dorothee’s experience outside of the

business, she has brought a refreshed attitude towards leadership.

“I don’t believe you can be set in stone, and it’s important that our business is fluid with the changing times,” Dorothee explained, “we’ve worked hard to ensure we don’t have a top down approach and nurture our colleagues to grow. We like to coach our staff and remind them that a mistake is not a failure, it’s a learning opportunity. Even I need that!”.

Best of 3 Worlds

“Moving forward we aim to remain close to our customers and develop a long-term strategy for the future. Becker will remain an independent business leading in innovation and sustainability. As a middle-sized, family owned company, the role

Robert (top) and Otto Becker

we need, and wish, to play in society is a big one,” said Dorothee.

In order to achieve that, Dorothee and her team have devised the Best of Three Worlds strategic vision for 2030.

“Within the strategic vision we are combining our core values. The value of a family business, the spirit of a start-up and the execution of a top performer” Dorothee explained.

An element of this strategy will be to bring sustainability to the fore of Becker’s business and its clients.

“Pumps are one of the top energy consumers within our customer’s machines. Our customers can reduce the energy consumption of their products by optimising pipings and/or switching to our more efficient solutions, but we have a challenge to overcome here, to encourage our customers to take the leap and start this conversation” said Dorothee.

With this in mind, Becker is keen to work in partnership with its customers to understand pain points, develop its energy efficient products to suit customers’ needs and evidence its success.

Becker is also seeing opportunity in the metal additive manufacturing space. The business is setting standards for gas-tight blowers and heat exchangers in i nert gas recirculation of metal 3D printing machines. This creates the best build chamber atmosphere for superior 3D printing results.

In addition, Becker is committed to its involvement in the Circular Valley, to help the transformation towards a sustainable and carbon neutral economy.

The Circular Valley initiative focuses on closing material loops in relation to the European Green Deal, whilst its Accelerator programme supports international start-ups in

We develop customized solutions

motors from 0.06 kW up to 60 MW generators up to 90 MVA components for drive systems and power generation speed-controlled drive systems

Beckerimplementing their innovative business ideas and technologies.

“Over three intense months, Circular Valley offers opportunity to both start-ups and long established businesses, encouraging a growth mindset and an open knowledge sharing experience,” shared Dorothee.

Future-Proofing

With its 2030 strategy, Becker is in a good position to step into the future of manufacturing. However, the turbulence of the post-pandemic supply chain has taught Dorothee to always be “one step ahead” and use the flexibility of a mid-sized company to an advantage

“Given the current climate we have to consider the potential of a recession, so we will be keeping a close eye on the economy and will adapt accordingly,” said Dorothee, “despite that, my personal goal is to ensure our staff are happy and consider Becker to have good leadership. I want our colleagues to know that they are the creators of their own future”.

www.becker-international.com

PROJECT DIRECTED BY WRITTEN BY Gary Smith Laura Watling

Scott Hicks, VP Corporate Development & Communications, Luminex Resources

Striking Gold in Ecuador

Part of the Lumina Group, Luminex Resources is a Canadian based precious and base metals exploration and development company. Its current focus is the Condor Au-Cu project in Ecuador. With continual development of the project, it’s an exciting time for both Luminex and its investors. Vice President Corporate Development and Communications, Scott Hicks, discusses the project with Business Enquirer.

Lumina Group

The main mining and exploration project, Condor, managed by Luminex Resources, spans a large swath of the Zamora-Chinchipe province in Ecuador, South America. Luminex is exploring for additional gold and copper on the 10,000-hectare land package.

The project is drilling four priority targets this year - Los Cuyes high-grade, Shallow Camp high-grade, El Hito North and Prometedor to complement its existing 6.6-million-ounce gold resource.

In addition, it has two copper projects that are being earned-in on and six other concession packages around the Condor Cordillera belt.

“Luminex’s team is working with its third government administration since Ecuador opened up the mining industry in 2014. The sector has continued to expand and improve over the last 9 years,” explained Mr Hicks, “our business model is to de-risk early-stage projects such as Condor, so that larger mining companies can acquire and build them in the future”.

Across the Condor site, around 135,000 meters of drilling has been undertaken (as of Q2 2021). This has defined five deposits and has outlined various high priority target areas.

The current Condor resource has 2.3Moz of indicated gold resource, with a further 4.2Moz of inferred resource. In addition to gold, the area has a substantial amount of silver and copper by-products.

“The goal of the 2022 Condor North drilling is to enhance the existing PEA area,” said Mr Hicks, “our plans are to expand the mineable resource by stepping out on the shallow Camp high-grade and Los Cuyes high-grade underground targets”.

Discoveries in the Los Cuyes area are particularly meaningful for Luminex. High grade gold and silver mineralisation were

Lumina Group

found in a previously untested area in the middle of where the 2021 PEA was completed.

“The higher-grade Camp underground deposit depletes by year eight of the 12-year mine plan outlined in the 2021 PEA. The potential addition of a second higher grade underground deposit around Los Cuyes could maintain a higher rate of production and extend the overall mine life” said Mr Hicks, referencing CEO Marshall Koval.

World-class partners

Luminex’ business model relies on having strong relationships with its key mining partners.

“We have two, world-class partners operating across our two earn-in copper projectsPegasus and Orquideas,” shared Mr Hicks, “This partnership strategy has seen over $35 million invested by our partners since 2018”.

Mining heavyweight Anglo American has a $50 million work agreement on Pegasus A and B, over seven years. On completion, Anglo American will own 60% of the site, with the opportunity to increase its ownership if it invests more capital to take the project to a construction decision. This is an expansive project, with eight copper porphyry targets already developed on only half of the land package.

JOGMEC (the Japanese Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation) is drilling five holes for 2,500m at Orquideas. Upon completion of a $7 million work commitment, JOGMEC can earn 70% ownership of the site.

Developing communities

Luminex owns 98.7% of Condor, with the remaining 1.3% owned by the pension fund for Ecuador’s armed forces personnel.

“CSR is crucial within our sector, to ensure mining is a responsible industry,” said Mr

Hicks,

Luminex’ CSR is underpinned by four pillars - Employment, Sustainable Development, Health, and Education.

“In 2020-2021 we created over 130 local rotational jobs, and we have 44 permanent employees hired from local communities,” shared Mr Hicks.

In addition, Luminex keeps its supply chain local where possible. “We purchase goods and services from more than 150 local companies, including locally manufactured PPE during the pandemic,” said Mr Hicks.

Despite the challenges of COVID-19, it offered Luminex the opportunity to provide vital support within its health pillar, providing COVID-19 aid. “We also worked with the

“Luminex’ has numerous local access agreements, which provide benefits to the communities and provides us with the required social license to operate”.

Marshall Koval, CEO, Luminex Resources

Our Sectors

ENTRIX in Latin America provides an integrated solution focused on social environmental and engineering services for governments, donors and private clients in the region. Our local teams are supported by a global network of experts.

Environment and Natural Resource Management

Biodiversity conservation and monitoring

Ecological assessments

Environmental responsibility, audits, compliance and licensing

Environmental policy and economics

Habitat and ecosystem restoration

Marine and coastal conservation

Wildlife rescue and relocation

Environmental ecological services assessment

Archeological monitoring

Disaster/Risk Management

Climate change and adaptation

Contingency planning

GHG emission reduction and carbon sequestration

Incidence response and remediation

Energy > Electricity transmission and distribution

Hydroelectric power

Oil and gas

Renewable energy

Water Resource Management

Erosion and flood protection

Hydrology and infrastructure

Irrigation

Water quality monitoring

Environmental Health > Pollution management

Solid waste management

Wastewater treatment and disposal Infrastructure and Civil Engineering

Mining > Roads and transportation

Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE)

Urban planning and sustainable design

Social and Environmental Integrated Management > Strategic alliances and partnerships

Capacity building > Community development

Local content development

Workforce development

Trade and market development

Institutional strengthening

Indigenous people and cultural preservation

Community and government relations

Corporate responsibility

Sustainability

Excellence Social and environmental services since 1995.

Entrix

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Entrix Internacional INC. 11807 Westheimer Rd, Suite 550, PBP 844 Houston, TX, 77077 USA Whatspp: +593 999705645

Lumina Group

Ecuadorian Ministry of Health for the roll out of COVID-19 vaccinations for our workforce,” Mr Hicks continued.

As part of its project, Luminex has made significant investment into local infrastructure. “We’ve supported the local community by improving water supply and distribution systems as well as making improvements to access roads,” shared Mr Hicks.

The organisation also plays a role in education in the community, working in collaboration with Ecuador’s Ministry of Agriculture to provide technical training to local young people.

A dynamic team

Luminex has a lean Canadian operation, with eight employees over the three businesses of the Lumina Group: Luminex Resources, Lumina Gold and Strategic Resources.

“Within the Canadian operation, we have colleagues with a range of mostly corporate experience,” explained Mr Hicks, “for example, I have a banking background, so I see business

from a financial analysis and capital markets perspective. Founder Ross Beaty brings strategic thinking and substantial financial backing, whilst Marshall Koval (CEO) and Leo Hathaway (Senior Geologist) have years of technical project de-risking experience and geological experience, respectively. It’s an interesting daily dynamic”.

Operations on the ground, however, are led by President, Diego Benalcazar, whom Mr Hicks pays considerable mention to.

Mr Benalcazar has over 25 years’ experience in mineral exploration, mining property evaluation and acquisitions throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Previously, he held the position of President and member of the Board of Directors of the Ecuadorian Chamber of Mines, and has actively represented the mining industry in discussions with Government authorities.

“Not only is Diego incredibly experienced in the industry, as an Ecuadorian he understands the communities in which we work - both from a cultural and environmental perspective. His knowledge is invaluable,” explained Mr Hicks.

The team at Camp Condor

Lumina Group

Exciting opportunities on both sides

The exploration and development of Condor is an exciting time for Luminex; however, it doesn’t come without its challenges.

“Much like the rest of the world, Ecuador is facing a cost-of-living crisis. The government is working to improve the lives of all citizens by increasing investment in the country while supporting the most affected communities” shared Mr Hicks, “our challenge in the capital markets is to demonstrate that Ecuador is a country serious about bringing in business and investment that will support the country over the longer-term”.

Mr Hicks highlighted that the Ecuadorian

government’s relationship with the mining industry has improved dramatically over the last decade.

“With responsible mining now a vital part of the economy, the government is far more supportive and keen for investment”

Luminex continues to make interesting discoveries in the region, with potential for large-scale future mining projects.

“In the next few years we will undertake additional studies, look to de-risk key technical items and work on new discoveries. It really is an exciting time to invest,” concluded Mr Hicks.

Discovering Fiji

A Rising Mining Destination in the South Pacific

PROJECT DIRECTED BY WRITTEN BY

Gary Smith

Frew Murdoch

Lion One Metals

Lion One Metals Limited achieves roaring results as it explores the mining island paradise of Fiji’s alkaline gold system.

The gorgeous turquoise waters and white sandy beaches surrounding Fiji are not the only features that contribute to the country’s sparkle. The island nation has a history of mining, dating back to the 1860s when gold was first discovered there.

Located in the South Pacific Ocean, the archipelago is situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, also known as the Circum-Pacific Belt, a 40 000 km U-shaped network of incredible volcanic arcs, belts, and underwater trenches famed for its mineral deposits.

Fiji’s first recorded commercial gold mining operation began in 1868 on the island of Viti Levu. However, it was not until the 1930s that large-scale mining began with the birth of the Vatukoula gold mine, which even today could be considered the cornerstone of Fiji’s gold mining industry.

‘Vatukoula’, meaning ‘gold rock’ in Fijian, was one of the largest gold mines in the world at that time and by the 80s, it had been mining gold, silver, and tellurium from the Tavua basin in the Vatukoula region for 45 years. The mine remains a top player in the Fiji mining sector with over seven million ounces of gold produced.

In recent years, there has been increasing interest and investment in Fiji as a mining destination. The country’s rich resources have attracted the attention of companies from around the world.

Lion One Metals Limited (Lion One), a Canadian-based exploration and development company, has been collecting headlines in Fiji news media of late. The organization is developing the Tuvatu alkaline high-grade gold

project, which has the potential to make the company the highest-grade gold producer in the world.

“The Tuvatu project is absolutely fascinating. First of all, it’s in a unique location - the Fiji Islands in the middle of the Pacific. It is part of the Circum-Pacific Belt, which hosts many of the world’s largest gold and base metal deposits,” said Sergio Cattalani, Senior Vice President Exploration at Lion One.

“It’s what we call an alkaline gold system. It’s basically a gold system driven by magmas that came up in the ground about four and a half million years ago that were rich in alkaline metals,” followed up Dr. Quinton Hennigh, Technical Advisor at Lion One and renowned economic geologist.

“When people in our business hear about alkalines, they think about large, deep, and high grade. Much like real estate, not ‘location, location, location’ but ‘grade, grade, grade,’” added Walter Berukoff, Chief Executive Officer at Lion One Metals.

Despite the pandemic’s best and worst efforts, Lion One has weathered the storm and continued to grow during these tumultuous times. Certainly, there was a mass of relieved exhales when in August 2022, Lion One received news on its mining lease extension.

CEO Mr. Berukoff

Lion One Metals

Walter remarked to The Fiji Times: “I am proud to say that it is with great elation that the Government of Fiji has renewed our special mining lease for the Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project for another ten years.”

Walter believes that the extension demonstrates Fiji’s openness to public markets that can access the necessary capital to allow for sustainable mining projects to be built. “Responsible mining will enhance the local socioeconomic conditions for all Fijians,” said Walter. To date, Lion One has invested over $145 million into the country’s economy.

Another of Lion One’s leadership team, Chief Operating Officer Patrick Hickey, stated the extension of the lease also serves as a stamp of approval for the company’s economic and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) outlook.

Quoted by The Fiji Times, Patrick said: “We are very pleased to have been granted this extension after the rigorous assessment process that factored not only the geological and economic potential of Tuvatu, but our environmental risk management strategy, and local landowners and community relationships.

“This milestone demonstrates the tremendous

support the Fiji Government has for both Lion One and its mining industry as we continue our commitment to the communities that we operate in to provide direct employment opportunities and peripheral economic stimulus.”

Sharing in social responsibility

In September 2022, EY Global Mining & Metals Leader Paul Mitchell had an article published detailing the top business risks and opportunities for the mining sector in 2023.

Although supply chain disruption is a new addition to the top ten list (in comparison to EY’s 2022 version) and there has been some shuffling up the ranks for “geopolitics” - no surprise there - and “costs and productivity”thank you, inflation - the number one risk and opportunity remains stoic and unmoved; that of ESG.

When it comes to managing environmental, social, and governance risks and opportunities, many organizations are playing the laggard. The good news is that there is no time like the present for miners to get on board with ESG. As Paul Mitchell writes:

“In our conversations with investors, a consistent message has emerged: they want to see evidence

Aerial View of Tuvatu Processing Plant Site

Background

Elisha Engineering Company Pte Ltd is a wholly owned Fijian Company, which commenced operations in 1976 which operates Fiji’s leading Engineering and Fabrication workshop in Fiji.

The company built on an intrinsic value, personal reward and financial reward in producing tangible products and services that offer customers excellent value for money. We, meaning each employee of Elisha Engineering Company Pte Ltd, succeed because our customers succeed. We are part of a much larger community to which we are compelled to act responsibly. We act responsibly when we help protect our environment, provide economic opportunity fairly, work safely and consider the person in all of our business affairs. Our central focus is the production of steel fabrications and assemblies using structural steel components including beams, channels, angles and structural tubing. Our services include flexible lead times acceptable to customers, custom design by application, and design for low cost manufacturing, custom delivery schedules

and administrative support. We maintain our presence in a variety of markets including but not limited to; construction, mining, Timber & furniture making, hotels, agricultural equipment and mechanical. In short, we are a robust company that adapts to the ups and downs in individual industries to meet customer demands so our customers can depend on us to be there when they need us, in good or bad times.

From the start, the shareholders of the company had set out a goal to provide a high level of service in the construction, mining and sugar industries, Hotel, Timber that meets the demands of today’s quality conscious customers.

Location

Elisha Engineering Company Pte Ltd is situated at 36-38 Nabeka Street, Ba, Fiji Islands. At our workshop and engineering facilities, we operate a fully equipped general engineering workshop. We also mobilize for onsite work as required on a 24-hour basis during emergencies in support of customer requirements.

Islands Electric Wholesalers are wide range of stockiest of all range of domestic and industrial items.

Brands :

• Clipsal /HPM / PDL – Power points , Switches, Breakers , Main switches,Sub boards, Weatherproof GPO and Switches, etc.

• Allen Bradely/ Siemens/ Telemacanique : Contactors, Overloads, Motor circuit Breakers, Contact Blocks, DOL starters, SMC , Push button

• Switches.etc.

• Sprecher & Suhuh/ Moeller : Contactors, Overloads, Motor circuit Breakers, Contact Blocks, DOL starters, SMC , Push button Switches

• Omron: Timers , Limit Switches, Float less level switch ,Relays etc.

• Cabac : Cable ties, Lugs and links, Multimeters , Clamp Meters, Mega meter, Insulation testers, glands, crimping tools, pliers and cutters, Slicejoining kits, etc.

• Utilux: Cable ties, Lugs and Links.

• CRC: Contact cleaners, belt grip, WD 40, Zinc it, Tac 2 and All sorts Sprays.

• Rittal : Enclosures

• Burnbrite: Flameproof lights, and fiitings

• Fluke: Multimeters and clamp meters, insulation testers.

• Lamps and tubes in thorn, crompton, Philips, Sylvania, Energy savers etc.

• All Kinds of indication lamps in different voltage and watts.

• Fans: ceiling fans, wall fans, table fan, exhaust fans etc.

• Thorn / Crompton/ Sylvania: Floodlights fiitings and lamps, High bay lights, Street lights Metal halide and sodium lights and lamps , weatherproof Fittings etc

• Fuses: High voltage busman fuses, NS , NIT and many more types of fuses in all sizes etc

• Cables in all different types

• Revolving lights, Heat proof sleeve, and heat shrink sleeve, all sizes of motor Leads, Winding wire , slot sticks, paper wedges , Flameproof glands , flameproof switches and flameproof junction boxes, etc

• Omegalec: Transformers in all sizes and voltage.

• Heinemann: Circuit breakers and chassis.

• Amps meters, Voltage meters, Hz meters etc

• Cutler Hammer : Circuit breakers, Limit switches, selector switches, key operated switches, indication module, Plugs and sockets etc

• Tobin: Limit Switches, Sirens , Horns, Hoist etc.

• Terasaki: Cicuit breakers in different amps.

• Led Fllodlights and tubes and lamps

• Tesla AUD products such as switches. PowerPoint’s. Isolators and weatherproofs switches and GPO – ISO Australia We stock many more items

Purchasing/ Sales Email- isefj@yahoo.com

Mohini Lata Goundar Accounts/

Raymond Richard Managing Director.

that companies are committed to making a positive difference on society and the environment — not just because it’s the right thing to do but also because they believe it will lead to better long-term business results.”

It is no longer enough for companies to simply have an ESG program in place; rather, mines need to be able to show the material difference that initiatives are making.

Walter, who founded the Tuvatu Gold Project 17 years ago, has been actively involved in promoting responsible and sustainable mining for decades. In comments to the Fiji Sun, he shares that the island nation’s gold deposit is exceptional and that the island wields a wealth of skilled talent to match.

“The Tuvatu project is world-class in terms of its deposit, as well as the skill sets which have kept us here, and the work ethic of our local Fijian workforce...

There is an incredible talent pool in Fiji with diverse skill sets, and education directly applicable to our business, which makes our localization efforts of hiring very straightforward.

Lion One mining practices will be in alignment with both national law and international best practices. The people of Fiji are very keen and active to maximize the local benefits that responsible mining brings to the table.

We are confident that Tuvatu will become similar to million-ounce gold mines such as Vatukoula just north of here, and Porgera in Papua New Guinea,” said Walter.

Lion One Metals

The Tuvatu Gold Project is Fiji’s second largest gold mine after Vatukoula and employs approximately 200 locals. Patrick says that they have plans in place to boost this number to 300 by the middle of 2023.

“Job creation will have a direct supply chain multiplier effect in the communities, which will have an impact to help the Fijian economy continue to grow. Our mine will stimulate local commerce by purchasing local supplies and materials wherever possible. Our lease fee payments will directly compensate local landowners for the use of their lands,” Patrick shared with FBC News.

Lion One’s results and differentiators

In September 2022, Lion One Metals closed a $13.4 million bought deal to fund the company’s Tuvatu Gold Mine flagship project as a low-cost high-grade underground gold mining operation. At present, the project has full permits in place for underground mining operations and is in the drilling stage, with promising results.

“You look at our recent results, they’re spectacular. This is a really good one: 20.6 grams over 7.5 meters; including 89 grams over 1.5 meters; 227 grams over one third of a meter. This one recently reported ranks right up there at the top of the world. 379.6 grams over 1.8 meters, which included 1616 grams over 0.4 meters…That’s a lot of gold,” assured Walter.

Asides from its recent closed deal, renewed lease, and globally significant mineral intercepts, the Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project also has other hallmarks of investment. The mine is 25 km from the Nadi International Airport, has approximately $36 million in working capital, holds a 136 km2 exploration license area, operates eight rigs with a 30 000 meter drilling capacity, and features a 12 000 assay lab monthly sampling capacity.

“In 2018, Lion One commissioned its own lab, which

is an enormous asset for us in exploration. Typically, you would have to wait three to four months for results to come back from a commercial lab. We wait from our own lab no more than two weeks,” explained Sergio.

Walter believes that this is what distinguishes Lion One Metals from other companies: “Such a glorious thing to pull a core, see wire gold in it and have it assayed the next day. It’s absolutely incredible.”

“Lion One has made some really good decisions. By buying their own drill rigs they keep the cost of drilling low. They keep the access to the rigs - they’re not being pulled off on other contracts - and they bought their own lab. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve seen in the mining industry,” asserted Patrick.

Investment highlights

Lion One Metal’s largest investors include the Donald Smith Value Fund, Franklin Precious Metals, Invesco Gold Fund, and Walter Berukoff. Institutional investors feature the likes of RBC Global Precious Metals, Aegis Value Fund, CI Precious Metals, Gabelli Gold Fund, and Mackenzie Precious Metals.

As mentioned, but not yet fully illustrated, Fiji is a desirable mining jurisdiction for investors. There are several elements that work together in making this island nation paradise such a favorable climate for investment.

The mining sector is crucial to the national economy as gold constitutes one of Fiji’s key exports. Viti Levu’s expansive mining history, courtesy of companies such as Vatukoula Gold Mines PLC and Lion One, and the Fijian public, has helped to forge a skilled domestic workforce that provides a ready pool of talent for mining activities.

Another positive factor is the attitude of the country’s leadership to mining. Fiji is a democratic republic with a government that continually reiterates its openness to

Lion One Metals

investment from foreign companies and the job creation opportunities that mining affords.

In addition, the mining sector’s regulatory framework has British mining law at its foundations. This means companies can reap the benefits of a 20 percent corporate tax rate and a five percent gross profit royalty.

Infrastructure is also favorable to mining activities as a result of the fully operational hydroelectric dam and seaport that offers access to Asian growth markets.

These factors are all conducive to investment, but nothing more so than the prolificness of that precious metal gold itself. As the leadership team at Lion One Metals attests, there is gold to be had here.

“It’s very hard to walk on the project [Tuvatu] without finding gold. It’s just there,” remarked Walter.

Dr. Quinton elaborated: “These are exceptionally high-grade deposits that could end up being multimillion ounces.”

“I fully expect that this deposit will produce for at least a decade once we get going and it will be a significant money-maker for the company,” said Sergio.

Lion One Metal’s leadership has a clear understanding of Fiji and the Tuvatu Gold Project’s value. If they continue to make astute decisions, such as those demonstrated through the commissioning of their own assay lab and purchase of drilling equipment, the company will be in an excellent position to take up a lion’s share of gold production in Fiji and positively shape the country’s economic landscape for the next decade.

“We have a real jewel of a mine here. It’s dynamic, it’s happening, it’s just an amazing place to be,” finished Patrick.

www.liononemetals.com

Underground drilling

PROJECT

DIRECTED BY Charlotte Billig

Change Yourself, Change Your Business, Change the World

Starting a business is not for - excuse the colloquial term - sissies. Add being young and female into the picture and the barriers to entry rise even higher. However, the world is slowly changing; thanks to those determined individuals who doggedly pursue self-growth, furiously challenge the status quo, relentlessly chase their dreams, and pivot in response to perceived dead ends…

Catalina Valentino is a prime example of one of those described above. Catalina is a driven and dedicated entrepreneur who aims to lead change in politics, education, and leadership. Catalina has built her personal brand and achieved status as a person of high influence in her field, with a 90 000-strong following and 6 million monthly impressions. She has already attracted two investors who seek to invest in her brand and multiple businesses. This becomes even more astonishing upon learning that all these feats were accomplished before her 21st birthday this year.

Her personal branding agency, Pivot, specializes in maximizing the personal brand power of CEOs, celebrities, and politicians. The agency employs six people with plans in place to expand and more than double in the short term. Pivot’s ‘Year Three’ revenue projections see the agency reaching 7-figures by the end of 2023.

Pivot builds clients’ authority by positioning them as experts and people of influence within their industries. Catalina’s clients can connect and engage with a wider audience or generate high-quality leads and sales, depending on their marketing objectives.

Catalina swears by personal branding, saying that the return on investment is unbelievable: “I no longer do any outbound sales. I get three-five leads in my DMs per week, prequalified and ready to buy. Tell me that isn’t impactful.”

In addition to her role as CEO of Pivot, Catalina serves as a role model for many young women with entrepreneurial aspirations and delivers inspiring keynotes, working with the likes of big brands such as Business Insider, ITV, and SalesForce.

She actively promotes self-development and continuously improves her skillset and knowledge. At 16, she began a BA in Business Management & Languages and at 19, she started an MSc in Digital Marketing & Data Analytics. Yet, despite all these achievements and accolades, it has not all been smooth sailing for this young entrepreneur.

From being furloughed from her role in the tourism industry to a short yet intense affair with Amazon dropshipping, Catalina has encountered several challenges on her path to success. Fortunately, Catalina has used every twist in the road as a chance to develop herself, her team, her businesses, and her dreams for the future.

Eager to find out more about this ambitious and promising individual, Business Enquirer sat down for an interview with Catalina to discuss her journey in terms of selfdevelopment, personal branding, and the growth mindset.

Pivot

What inspired you to start your business?

“I started my journey in marketing when I was 16, fresh out of school. I started an apprenticeship the week that I left. I worked my way up across different sales, marketing, and account management roles up until my last job, which was a leadership position where I managed a team. I enjoyed that side of things… and then COVID happened. I was working in the travel and tourism industry at the time. Many of the teams were let go, including me,” began Catalina.

Catalina searched for a new job and found one that sounded promising. However, after four grueling interview process rounds, it resulted in a disappointing outcome. Refusing to feel dejected, Catalina remembered a “side hustle” she had seen on the social media platform, TikTok.

“It was about designing notebooks and dropshipping for Amazon. I immediately went and created a website and made sure the notebooks were on the Amazon listings. I worked a 17-hour day on it. But, I woke up the next day and realized I have no passion for notebooks!

“I just thought, what do I know best? I enjoy marketing so I started building a website and marketing agency. From there, I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. I started planning and making goals and tactics. We began as Everything Sales and as of January this year, we rebranded to Pivot, or “pivoted to Pivot”, as I like to say.

“Before, we were offering SEO services, personal branding, and social media - the done-for-you marketing package - and then we decided to solely focus on personal branding as it was our strongest offering. We’ve started to expand the team, we have a new hire starting in a couple of weeks, and we’re getting a new office, so we’re going in the right direction,” explained Catalina.

2021 was an interesting year to launch your business, Pivot. What challenges and opportunities did you encounter and how did you address them?

“It was a very interesting year! We were still uncertain about COVID and at that time, participation in networking events was minimal. Yet, these events are where I received a lot of my business and met new people. The opportunities

Catalina Valentino, Midlands Young Entrepeneur Of The Year award winner 2022.

Pivot

that presented themselves at these events were very high-quality leads because the people who attended really needed to be there rather than people who were just going for the sake of a networking event.

“I met some really strong people at these events. I always like to say that your network is your net worth. I connected with them on LinkedIn, interacted with them, and that’s how I started to grow my LinkedIn network through my actual personal network.

“There were weaknesses. [In times of financial strain], marketing is often the first to go. It was difficult to get people to understand how valuable marketing could have been to them at that point, but we did capitalize on that by helping the travel and tourism industry. We launched an initiative

called Project Rebuild where we offered free marketing services to everybody in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry to give back and support them with marketing,” shared Catalina.

What are your short, medium, and long-term goals for Pivot?

“Short term, I’d like to get to a nice point where we’ve got a thriving culture and where we’re innovating in the workplace. It’s more short-tomedium term as this is something we are already actively implementing.

“Long term, we want to expand overseas. Our legal name is actually Pivot Global Limited so we’re keeping one step ahead of the game. Long term on the leadership side, we are rolling out various

Pivot

employee benefits and making sure that they are benefits rather than just free tea and coffee or a few extra days of holiday.

“We want our employees to thrive. The biggest issue we’re facing at the moment, especially since the pandemic, is that people want to go freelance or start their own businesses. The main reason they want to do that is because of the flexibility and freedom that these bring…

“If we can offer that to employees, still giving them the freedom and flexibility in certain roles then we’ll have a happier culture within the business, and within the world in general too. If we can start to lead that change, our competitors will follow, and that’s where we want to start creating change,” assured Catalina.

What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

“Oh, definitely resilience. There are times when you have a bad day and everything just falls apart. Then, the next day, somehow, it’s all rebuilt. The resilience to remember that you can bounce back from it.

“Second, the ability to pivot. Some things will go wrong on a daily basis and you have to learn what you can do with them. You have to be able to look at different situations and say: ‘this isn’t working for us, let’s try this instead’ and just constantly be pivoting back and forward to move the business forward as well as the team.

“Thirdly, the growth mindset. The first step that I took into entrepreneurship was developing myself. I looked at my actions and how these affected the people around me. I asked people around me about my weaknesses. Here, I had to learn to listen properly, which is a difficult skill because most people feel attacked. But, if it’s coming from people you love, you know their intention is never to hurt you.

“When you make that shift in mindset and try to learn daily, it will not only grow yourself in your business but also the people around you, and that’s what makes a leader,” said Catalina.

What does the future hold for you, Catalina?

“Within and outside of Pivot, we’re exploring ways to shape the future of leadership and personal development. Outside, we have a couple of other brands that I’m working on. Young Accelerators is a program and app I’m designing to help young people get into entrepreneurship. It’s an all-inone space where aspiring entrepreneurs can go to meet people within that space, like mentors. They will also have access to all sorts of courses to foster learning.

“We want to get Young Accelerators into schools. They could promote it or add it into the curriculum to show there are other paths out there. We may, over the next couple of years, look to expand into building schools, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. In that way, we can demonstrate leadership and flexibility in schools. We can teach these pupils lessons that will allow them to evolve in a new way.

“Long term - this is the first time I have talked about it publicly - I’d like to enter into politics. There is so much we could be doing to change things that go on in the world in this society. There is a lot of politics in politics. I want to ensure real change is happening,” finished Catalina.

Catalina’s story showcases how the benefits of entrepreneurship extend far beyond business. Entrepreneurs who seek to better themselves and those around them improve the lives of individuals and communities, the health of the economy, and, in Catalina’s case, the political environment too.

It is safe to say, “Watch this space”. Catalina is blazing the trail to a positive future. Keep an eye out for Catalina; she will be speaking at EMC 2023, ExCel London 2023, Gals Who Gradfuel October 2022, and other notorious events. She will appear alongside some industry movers and shakers, including the famed Steven Bartlett and high-level influencers Grace Beverley and Brontë King.

www.pivotmarketing.co.uk

Fuelling an Inspiring Journey

Jude Nwaulune, Chief Operating Officer, Rainiul

Rainoil

Rainoil’s operations span across the downstream value chain, from retail sales to bulk storage, and logistics distribution. In 1997, the business also incorporated itself as a petroleum products marketing company.

With eight years’ experience across the business, Jude Nwaulune has developed his role within Rainoil as the business has grown. He discusses with Business Enquirer Rainoil’s business along with his own journey to success.

Always Moving

Despite its 25 years in industry, Rainoil is continually developing its offering to its customers, having launched its latest strand, liquified petroleum gas, in 2020.

Rainoil currently has over 150 retail outlets across Nigeria. “As part of our growth strategy, I envisage

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in June 2022, Rainoil Ltd is Nigeria’s fastest growing integrated down stream company.

we will open stations in other states across the country where we’re currently not present,” said COO Jude Nwaulune.

The Nigerian fuel giant also has considerable storage capacity - in excess of 150 million litres across its three depots.

In line with the Nigerian government’s strategy to make gas the preferred fuel in the country, in 2020, Rainoil launched its own LPG business - Rainoil Gas.

Adding to Rainoil’s repertoire is its logistics arm, operating a fleet of over 80 tank trucks and 40 LPG trucks.

Rainoil

Rainoil

“The logistics business provides product haulage services for efficient delivery of products to our network of stations and customers across the country,” explained Jude, “This is frequently renewed through a deliberate truck acquisition policy to ensure a healthy fleet”.

In its 25 years the business has seen considerable growth, now employing over 2000 people and with a fleet of 300 trucks on the road.

Humble Beginnings

If you’re looking for a story of inspirational career development, look no further than Jude Nwaulune.

Jude joined the business in 2014 as the personal assistant to Founder and Group Managing Director, Dr Gabriel Ogbechie, someone who Jude described as a “visionary leader and an encyclopaedia of knowledge”

“I would describe my start in the business as humble,” shared Jude, “I was brought into the business by Dr Gabriel to help organise the business, and I really believed in his vision”.

Over the next eight years, Jude took on a variety of roles, gaining a deep and diverse experience of the business. His first move was to manage one of Rainoil’s stations, which he helped to achieve the title of most profitable station of that year.

He continued into roles as an Area Manager (for the southwest region) and Regional Manager, gaining experience in business efficiency, expansion and profitability.

Following roles as Retail Sales Manager and then LPG Manager, Jude managed one of Rainoil’s depots.

“It’s in this role I employed my experience in efficiency as well as dedication to deliver value,” he said, “during my time, the depot became the fastest growing depot with a 24-hour turnaround from

order to delivery”.

Jude credits being promoted from PA to COO within a period of eight years to his commitment, dedication, and hard work.

“I think to succeed, particularly in our country, it’s important to go the extra mile,” Jude shared, a man who professes to working round the clock. Having said that, he understands the importance of a healthy work-life balance, valuing his wife and four children.

With an express love of reading, Jude is passionate about constantly developing his knowledge for the industry and business.

“I like to absorb as much as possible and I think

Rainoil

it’s important to have an open mind to both learn and relearn,” he said, “as a leader, one thing people want to gain from you is knowledge and wisdom. Fortunately for me, I am mentored by my boss, Dr Gabriel, while I like to mentor others - it’s important to share knowledge and solutions”.

Meeting the demands

A business which is clearly experienced in developing with the times, what’s next for Rainoil?

“Both a challenge and an opportunity for us is meeting the requirements of the energy transition,” Jude explained.

In the next 12-18 months, Rainoil and its management team will look to reinvent its business model to suit the demands of cleaner energy consumption.

“We have plans to aggressively expand into the LPG market, increasing the available capacity for our country. I think with the current geo-political climate, it’s important now more than ever to

become as self-reliant as possible,” said Jude.

Facing the Challenges

Migration has been steadily increasing over the last few decades, with recent data from the UN stating that international migrants comprised 3.5% of the globe’s population in 20191

A keen reader and learner, Jude is well aware of the data, sharing that Nigeria’s migration is under 2%, with a lot of millennials and Gen Z travelling to other countries for education.

“In my opinion, it’s important to be aware and abreast of information like this,” he explained, “recruitment can be a challenge due to the prevalence of migration. This is why we have developed a staff retention strategy, as well as giving employees training opportunities,”.

Currently, Rainoil is undergoing its ISO Certification in quality management, and taking steps to meet net zero goals.

www.rainoil.com.ng

Our Quality Services

Sea Transport group philosophy of beyond compliance is apparent in all our services. Our insistence on quality has been beneficial to build a strong rapport with our clients and preserve their goodwill. All marine assets, we manage for our clients and product and chemical tankers, are staffed, operated and maintained paying heed to quality.

Our long-standing bond with our clients has helped us upgrade their investment through all aspects of vessel operations and ship management. What we serve to our clients, are served with passion.

About SeaTransportGroup

As a dynamic enterprise focused on energy transportation, we have been amongst the leaders in developing solutions tailored to meet the changing needs of our customers.

A Leading Service Provider in Dredging and Reclamation Services

Our Experience

Nigergreen Dredging International Ltd was incorporated to provide dredging services to the Nigerian civil constructon industry and execute turnkey engineering and construction projects.

We operate from our head office in Abuja, with field offices in Lagos, warri and port harcourt. We own several dredging equipment with a full compliment of competent staff to support and deliver projects as required.

See What Clients Are Saying

We are very proud of the service we provide. Read our testimonials from our happy clients

“ I am always happy to leave my projects in the hands of Nigergreen Dredging. They don’t only make these work, they are also very satisfying. they always put us first. They listen and work with us. Their delivery is superb

Mr.

Joseph Nnaemeka

“ These guyes were recommended by a good friend and he speaks well of them. They know what they are doing and they are very good at it

Simisola Akangbe

“ They have all their workers well trained an they work with a high level of proffesionalism. It’s rare to have that in their line of work but these people do. Great work guys.

Anyawu Magaret

Collahuasi Mine: Much More Than Copper

With the tagline “Much more than copper”, one can expect there to be far more to the Doña Inés de Collahuasi Mining Company (Collahuasi) than meets the eye.

On the copper front, the Collahuasi mine is an open-pit mining operation located in the Tarapacá region of the Republic of Chile. Collahuasi is among the six main copper mines in the world - the second largest in the country - with one of the greatest copper deposits on the planet.

The shareholders are Anglo American plc (44%), Glencore (44%), and Japan Collahuasi Resources B.V. (12%), who are represented on its Board of Directors. Jorge Gomez is the Executive President.

Collahuasi has estimated reserves of 3.93 billion tons of ore grading 0.66% copper and, since the completion of its $584-million expansion program in 2004, has a long-term copper capacity of 500 000 tons per year.

PROJECT DIRECTED BY WRITTEN BY Frew Murdoch Gary Smith

Collahuasi

Collahuasi

This grand capacity is further complemented by a lengthy life. According to their latest Life of Mine plan, Collahuasi has a lifespan of approximately 50 years (as of 2020). However, as much as this bodes well for the economy, the long-term environmental and social impact that would arise from a halfcentury of mining production raises some concerns.

Fortunately, as the company slogan states, Collahuasi is much more than a source of copper. The mine operates with a conscience and acts as a major contributor to regional sustainability, local communities, environmental awareness, and education.

Sustainable mining…Seriously?

Although mining and the ‘green revolution’ may seem like somewhat of a paradox, metals and minerals, and the production thereof, can play a central role in the transition to a lowcarbon, sustainable economy.

More and more technological solutions are becoming available due to fast-paced innovations, with adoption lagging just behind. Fortunately, the adoption process is at least in motion and the impetus appears to originate from within the mining companies themselves, instead of pressure from external forces.

Collahuasi takes a comprehensive approach to sustainability, with programs in place to minimize environmental impact, protect natural resources, and engage local stakeholders. The mining company endeavors to merge commercial expectations with the ecological, social, and economic needs of the communities in the Tarapacá Region.

In terms of environmental responsibility, Collahuasi is the only Chilean mine that verifies its carbon footprint across its three emission scopes and provides monthly reporting, putting into action the company’s corporate values of honesty, responsibility, respect, and security. Collahuasi concentrates

Collahuasi

on water efficiency, biodiversity, industrial recycling, and the reuse of materials as environmental areas of focus.

Water is imperative for large-scale mining production. In Chile, mining activities are mostly situated in areas with water scarcity, which is why Collahuasi designed a strategy, in alignment with the National Water Resources Policy, to improve water efficiency and protect the supply for local communities.

As a result, in 2016, the mine saw an increase in the water recirculated, reaching 80.6% recirculation in the year. This means that less than 20% of the total water used by the mining process was new water extracted from the aquifers.

Looking out for the local community

Collahuasi also strives to create awareness and effect change in the surrounding communities through education initiatives. For example, in 2022, the mine’s "Let's take care of Tarapacá" environmental program created behavioral change in homes along the coastline by educating the residents about household waste recycling.

To date, the program has encouraged 297 families on the coast of Iquique to separate their recyclables and general household waste. In 2021, the program was successful in recycling eight tons of waste across the beautiful Iquique coves.

Recently, Collahuasi designed a fun

Experience, trust and rapport, the key elements to their client-commitment

Establishing relationships based on trust, rapport and longevity is the commitment that Alejandro Vega, Claudio Vega and Pedro González take on with their clients and one that, over the past 30 years, has become an added value of AVA Montajes, a company that delivers integral services of engineering, construction and industrial assembly for both the public and private mining sectors. As Alejandro Vega, general manager of AVA Montajes explains: “In mining projects, every hour is indispensable which is why it is absolutely vital to resolve every and any difficulty promptly and efficiently.”

“The market values the harmony that we have with our clients. One of Ava Montajes´associates is always in direct communication with the operation, which means that the client always has access to immediate contact with us. Should a problem arise which needs a swift solution, you can count on one of us 24/7. This is a distinguishing feature that is really appreciated and valued” assures the executive. In line with this, he adds that there exists an attitude of a permanent open ear so as to understand the necessities of the clients and can thereby deliver a rapid answer and fulfill their expectations. This closeness and proactive listening is also an attitude that the company´s associates have towards the 1,500 collaborators that work hand in hand with AVA Montajes, meaning that they are also very aware of their team members needs and concerns. Safety is another essential factor for AVA Montajes, so much so that it is imperative for them to conclude their projects without any incidents. In June, the Chilean Safety Association acknowledged their efforts

after having completed nearly 3.000.000 man-hours with no lost-time accidents, a period that spanned from June 2021 to June 2022. Another contributing factor in delivering the client a good experience is possessing one’s own machinery in order to carry out projects in their entirety, since – as the executive highlights – they don´t depend on third parties to meet deadlines and personal requirements in a demanding industry such as is mining. These traits are what have led AVA Montajes to render specialised services to the divisions of Andina, Salvador Chuquicamata de Codelco, Minera El Abra, BHP Billiton, Compañía Minera Doña Ines de Collahuasi, Minera Candelaria amongst others. Currently they are effectuating projects of varying magnitude in the mines of Compañía Minera Doña Ines de Collahuasi, Escondida, Spence and Chuquicamata.

RECOGNITION

AVA Montajes efforts have led them to be named in the programme of “Best Chilean Companies”, for a second year running, organised by Deloitte in conjunction with Santander Bank and the University Adolfo Ibáñez, which acknowledges companies of diverse sectors and industries for their good business practices within the corporate community. “We feel very proud that they ratify the hard work we have put in over so many years, because we´re speaking about a programme that Deloitte holds worldwide. That means that as a corporation we have good practices and we are also on the path to continuous improvement regarding innovation, corporate culture, commitment and finances” affirms Alejandro Vega. “This acknowledgement “obliges” us to continue looking for ways to improve in productivity, technology, innovation and new solutions for our clients. We are constantly looking for ways and areas to improve and grow and add value to our company.”

Central office Autopista Concepción Talcahuano 8696, Hualpén, Región del Bio Bio, Chile.

Email: avamontajes@ava.cl Phone: +56 41 2106950 Website: www.ava.cl

Collahausi

Rembre is the applied circular economy leader in LatAm, Pedro Bulnes, a chemical engineer, founded the company with one purpose: leaving a better planet. Through comprehensive waste management and the transformation of discarded materials into new products, Rembre aims to become a leader in the region.

Rembre is trusted by many organizations, from large industries to municipalities and even households through its “Rembre Home” recycling program, which is already recollecting in more than 76 thousand households. At the same time, the company is building one of the most powerful industrial recycling plants in South America the Eco-Campus, which can process more than 150 types of materials and give a new life to otherwise discarded residues.

In a constant effort to provide a triple impact (social, environmental and economic), today Rembre is developing the first APP that will connect consumers and recyclers to make it easier to save our planet.

REMBRE Group has been involved in developing the Chilean Law of Extended Producer Responsibility (LEY REP) obtaining the trust of mining companies for the recycling and correct management of their industrial tires.

Rembre Tires, a service specialized in recycling mining tires, has state of the art plants where tires arrive daily and through a zero emission and zero waste process are transformed into granules that later become products such as yoga mats, sports fields, industrial flooring, among others.

Collahausi

challenge to stimulate creativity and raise recycling awareness among the region’s learners. In May 2022, the mine, through its Collahuasi Educational Foundation, invited schoolchildren from Tarapacá to participate in the “Replica la Esmeralda” contest. As a tribute to the mighty Esmeralda ship that was sunk during the Iquique Naval Combat on 21 May 1879, students were asked to create a lifelike replica of the ship through the use of recycled materials.

The Collahuasi Educational Foundation comanages a number of bicentennial high schools and allows local learners to engage in cultural and sports activities. The mine also offers several upskilling initiatives.

On 29 August 2022, thirteen young people completed training as mine maintainers following their participation in the “Collahuasi Apprentice Program”. For the past decade, the program has granted high school graduates from Tarapacá opportunities for job development and placement in the mining industry.

A leading actor in Tarapacá

Collahuasi is working toward a better society on a social, environmental, and educational level. In a similar vein, the mine also has a profound economic impact.

In 2021, Collahuasi achieved historical results with the extraction of 630 000 tons of copper. The mine’s contribution equates to 2.52% of Chile’s GDP and 65.62% of the region’s GDP. Collahuasi employs approximately 5000 people and has invested in multiple infrastructure projects such as the building of schools, which have had a positive impact on the quality of life for Tarapacá’s residents

The mine is much more than a source of copper; it is also a major force for good in Chile. Through its sustainability initiatives, community programs, and investment in education, Collahuasi leaves a lasting positive impact on the country that will linger long after the last ounce of copper has been mined.

www.collahuasi.cl

Review Crazy in Love or just Crazy?

Our review of The Crazy Bear Beaconsfield

The second established Crazy Bear, The Crazy Bear Beaconsfield is known for its plush, eclectic style. When launched in 2008, it received spectacular reviews, but is that still reflected 14 years on?

The hotel offers a variety of rooms, including a range of suites, deluxe rooms and a compact room aptly named ‘Tiny’. The entire venue is a social media dream, featuring velvet walls and ceilings, unusual decor and vintage slipper baths in the suites. The venue in Beaconsfield features both an English and Thai restaurant, as well as a bar and a pool-side terrace. Like its counterpart in Stadhampton, the hotel offers traditional Thai massage. It’s also equipped to host unique weddings as well as meetings and conferences.

Style over substance?

There’s no denying that The Crazy Bear Beaconsfield offers style like no other, perfect for those looking to showcase their stay on social media. Listed as a five star hotel, with a price tag to match, is this reflected in experience?

Despite being listed as five star, Tripadvisor rates The Crazy Bear Beaconsfield as a 3.5. Cleanliness scores highest, whilst Value is given an average rating of three out five. Neither Service nor Location score the full five stars, either.

One business traveler, who stayed in August 2022, reviewed the hotel as an “odd hotel. Not 5 star”.

“Odd hotel. Not 5*. All very quirky to look at but not backed up by service.

Don’t like the fact that some rooms are in a separate building with doors to the outside (like a motel) or that the bath is in the bedroom or there is no window in the bedroom (other than the door to the public). Service in the bars so so and the Thai restaurant terrible with average food.

Car parking is on the main road or very limited

behind the hotel. Stay once but not again.”

Another reviewer who stayed in August titled their review “style over function” They continued that “the decor seems to achieve its goal; Instagram photos” but they found “the room difficult to settle into as there were no luggage racks, drawers, and an incredibly small closet”. Of course, with a 3.5 rating, as much as there are some negative reviews, some travelers have enjoyed their stay.

Another visitor in August described their stay as “Simply amazing”.

“The building and decor was amazing! And I can honestly say the whole place was just amazing and like something I have never seen before. Even the toilets were amazing! We had drinks and food by the pool which was so chilled and the food was amazing! Spaghetti bolognese toasted sandwich I mean sounds weird but tasted so nice!”

Did The Reviews Match Up?

Unfortunately, Business Enquirer’s experience of The Crazy Bear Beaconsfield reflects that of the negative reviews found on Trip Advisor. Whilst the decor is extravagant, the customer service our representative received was described as “below par”.

“The hotel is incredibly well designed and we cannot fault the design apart from the poor lighting,” they said. Having spent £500 on their stay, however, they felt that the service, lack of communication and lack of customer empathy was not acceptable for what is expected to be a luxury hotel.

Vouchers for stays at The Crazy Bear can be found on Groupon, as well as offering 50% off meals on its website. This implies that the chain is unable to generate traffic through its doors via organic recommendations. Business Enquirer reached out to The Crazy Bear Beaconsfield to rectify the issues our representative experienced but the business chose not to.