IB Magazine November 2022

Olivia Maponya

Dr. Shalini Mohan

THE BRAZILIAN VISIONAIRE, IN DUBAI, THAT WALKS ALONGSIDE THE FUTURE

When the subject is te chnology, the United Arab Emirates is one of the first names that come to mind. Dubai, for example, is a pioneer when it comes to innova tion. Fertile land for people who have the rush and walk alongside the future, such as the 39 year old Brazilian, from Rio, who is

at the head of a company that operates in more than 82 countries and that is creating the biggest ecosystem in the world for the WEB 3.0. His name is Luiz Goés, the CEO of LYO PAY. Luiz Goés is a business executive with post-graduation in Public Management and has specialization in leadership and

business implementation. He has been acting in the management of Fintechs and has promoted several consultancies of digital businesses. In 2020, he founded LGbank in Brazil, a CryptoBank oriented towards tokenization projects through Crowdfunding and is currently leading a team of more than two hundred em

ployees in Dubai, as the CEO of a company that provides services for more than 220.000 users in the world. “When I graduated in 2018, as a financial consultant, soon I started in a big group ba sed in the Burj Khalifa, the heart of Dubai, where many companies created their own digital assets for attracting foreign investments and it fostered a great revolution of a more liberal and conscious market in relation to the economic applicability of cryptocoins. Today it is possible to buy real estate from many construction companies here using Bitcoin, for example”, Luiz points out.

LYOPAY is a mega company that has in its structure a group of companies that carry the LYO brand and operate in different fields, and together compose an ecosystem that aims on providing their users with all the facilities available while using service pla tforms 100% linked to digital assets. Luiz Goés mentions that the digital world isn’t new arou nd here. “The very history of the internet is still recent. In the 90’s the first internet providers started to exist and to shape a period of infrastructure of the World Wide Web (www), the global network of interconnected computers. This period of infrastructure was established to be called WEB 1.0, when the internet was a simple door of information”, he affirms. Still according to Luiz, “currently we are living in the WEB 2.0, which is marked by the presen ce of a more interactive and sha red view, like the social medias, where the users share informa tion and applications like UBER and Airbnb, in which these users are connected to a service”.

LYOPAY is focused on the WEB 3.0, where the users will have a

tendency to relate socially and economically through decen tralized access applications, and amongst these, for example, we can find the Metaverse, which made Facebook giant change its group name to Meta. In Luiz Goés’ opinion, this will be a cul minating moment that LYOPAY is constructing. “When the te chnology starts to be implemen

ted in the social and economic contexts, the utilization of digi tal assets by the users of appli cations and WEB 3.0 platforms will be usual. Besides that, there will be the necessity of a socie ty that absorbs these assets and this was one of the motivations for creating one of the biggest ecosystems in the crypto world, LYOPAY”, he emphasizes.

How the LYO Ecosystem works

LYOPAY holds in its company pool several technological pla tforms of different activities and applicabilities, such as a travel agency, a private bank, a cryp tocurrency exchange and many other applications with different usabilities. With LYOPAY’s cryptocurrency payments appli cation you can store, exchange, buy and sell cryptocurrencies. LYOWALLET is a non-custodial wallet that once downloaded on the smartphone, it offers services to buy cryptocurrencies and trade digital assets sharing no informa tion with the app. Any sensitive data is 100% protected and sto red only on the smartphone. This also means that the owner of the wallet is the only one responsi ble for their private keys. LYO BANQ is a neobank powered by LYOPAY. It provides B2B and B2C digital banking services in 190 countries, supporting 38 currencies all in the same accou nt with Forex trading features. LYOTRADE is a cryptocurrency exchange. It is a regulated and licensed exchange that follows anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) procedures. It serves as a tool for companies to easily accept crypto currencies as a form of payment. One of the main highlights is LYOPAY Pro, which will be a payment application with crypto currencies and fiat money, avai lable in 150 countries. It can be considered the powered up edi tion of LYOPAY app: the pur pose of its creation is to provide a crypto app with integrated fiat currencies which, in enhance ment to LYOPAY, will be avai lable to multiple countries arou nd the globe beyond Europe.

Compatible currencies will be USD, EUR, GBP, CNY, JPY. Moreover, there is also a cryp to travel platform, LYOTRA VEL, for buying flight tickets with bitcoin and altcoins for affordable prices, compared to the most famous online tra vel providers. It’s exclusive only to LYOPAY customers.

LYOPAY and its powerful solution to global data storage

Currently, most people on the planet possess a smartphone. It is estimated that from the almost 8 billion people in the world, at least 50% have a smartpho ne. For each of these billions of users, there are hundreds of videos, photos and other files. “These billions of people need more and more storage space every day. However, not only individuals need to store data, but also private companies and governmental institutions. Only in Brazil, all of the direct and indirect public administrations need to store, for a minimum time of 5 years, all of their fi les”, as highlighted by Luiz. Centralized and private data center platforms are becoming less protected from hacker atta cks and cyber invasions. To sol ve this infinite demand of storing data and providing privacy and cryptography, some cutting edge technological projects are using the Blockchain technology that has been massively introduced since 2014 into the most serious and advanced business orga nizations in the world. That is because, differently from a cen tralized private storage provider, the decentralized Blockchain-le vel storage projects do not suffer from cyber attacks and invasions.

LYOPAY’s solution to the world

LYOPAY, through their platform LYOFY, has been investing in Blockchain data storage projects throughout the world. LYOFY works as a hardware acquisition platform and in each project it utilizes Blockchain cryptocurren cy to receive rewards for hardwa re allocation. This is how it works: LYOFY buys the hardware that will generate storage (“Proof of Work”), and in each board it allo cates the Blockchain cryptocur rency that is working as a partner (“Proof of Stake”), and the Blockchain generates rewards to LYO FY for having allowed their har dware to be used as storage. This process is called Proof of Space, which is the junction of hardware and the allocation of coins. As this process costs hundreds of thou sands of dollars for each hardwa re unit, LYOPAY has provided general individuals the opportu nity of participating in this new market through a smart contract for purchasing a fraction of these hardware units for 900 days. The most interesting part is that LYO PAY makes it possible that each investor can monitor the utiliza tion of these storage units in real time, with complete transparen cy within the same blockchains that these services are utilizing. Today, WEWE Global Commu nity has the exclusivity of offering these smart contracts (electronic contract) using LYOFY’s tech nology. It is possible to acquire in WEWE a fraction of data sto rage unity and thus participate in the rewards generated by the blockchain projects. WEWE Glo bal generates these cashbacks in LYO CREDIT which can be converted instantaneously into Bitcoin for the users that wish so.

Cirujano

Plástico, Reconstructivo y Estético, con más de 15 años de experiencia, premiado internacionalmente en Francia, México, Estados Unidos, Colombia y Ecuador por sus procesos de calidad y bioseguridad. Representante de las altas tecnologías en Cirugía Plástica como es Vaser Lipo ™, Microaire ® y Renuvion ™ donde sus resultados hablan por si solos.

Dr

SYED ASHIQ’S BRAIN CHILD: A A RASHAYAN SHILPA

Syed

Ashiq was born in June 22, 1962 in Manik gang, Bangladesh, a entre preneur who played a key role in the growth of the Chemical, Fertizlier, Electronics, Energy, and Heavy machineries industry as the founder and President of Syed Group Of Industries (SGI). Mr. Syed was only 20 years old when he first started his business career. He established his first business with just 26,000 taka which is now equivalent to 250 USD and in 1982 started the bu

siness as a small enterprise that was turned into a group of indus tries for the past 40 years with his sheer hard work and dedication. Mr. Syed’s main mission was to flourish the agriculture industry of Bangladesh, as he established his second business AL-Amin Che mical Industries Public Limited (AACIL), the first public limited company in the Faridpur BSCIC Industrial Estate. AACIL produ ces Zinc Sulphate, Magnesium Sulphate, and Aluminiam Sulpha te. The primary raw material for

these products is Sulphuric Acid, hazardous thus the idea of AAR SL comes along with this. Most of the machineries were built and designed with an in-house team guided by Mr. Syed for which the company was awarded as the Best Enterprise and Mr. Syed as Best Manager from EBA (Euro pe Business Assembly) in 2015 for his excellent managerial skills. AARSL started production in 2011 at Faridpur BSCIC Industrial Es tate. In early 2001, the company was registered with the name ‘A A Rashayan Shilpa Limited’, Rashayan meaning Chemical and Shilpa meaning Enterprise. In 2011, started its production and throughout the following years, the company was able to achie ve its goals and move forward to obtain their ultimate goal. Today, AARSL is one of the le ading Sulphuric Acid manufactu rers in Bangladesh. The company is increasing its capacity from 50 TPD to 100 TPDMetric Tone per day with the help of their very own technology and exper tise machines proudly made by themselves. The production of Sulphuric Acid has come to be accepted throughout the world as a reliable barometer of industrial activity. It is used in the Battery, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Tannery industries. It is also used in ETP and the production of fer tiliser. A A Rashayan Shilpa Li mited is renowned and one of the pioneer Sulphuric Acid and Linear Alkyl Benzene Sulphonic Acid (LABSA) plants in Bangladesh. With the help of Mr. Syed Ashiq, Syed Group of Industries (SGI) now consists of 5 renowned com panies, A A Rashayan Shilpa Li mited, Syed Machineries Limited, Syed Energy Limited, STATA IT Limited, and Syed International.

BRAZILIAN ENTREPRENEUR IN DUBAI ELEVATES THE CONCEPT OF MARKETING CREATIVITY

Thebrazilian executive, Márcio Serafim, 40 ye ars old, is the founder of the company Just One Media, that operates from Dubai’s Ma rina, in the United Arab Emira tes. From Montes Claros, Minas Gerais - Brazil, Márcio Serafim is a professional photographer, cinematographer and designer. He has in his luggage more than 15 years of international expe rience in the industry, and he has worked on many projects of large scale, like the Final World Swimming, FIFA World Cup Brazil, horse races in the United

Arab Emirates, architectural pho tography for many iconic buil dings in all of the United Arab Emirates, GITEX, amongst other huge events. “My creative appro ach is to capture the raw reality of our daily lives in a clean and elegant setting”, he highlights. Pioneer in Dubai, Just One Me dia offers incomparable professio nal services to all of their clients. Many marketing strategies have already been implemented in all kinds of industries, such as: me dical, fashion brands, hotels, be auty centers, spas, recruitment consultancies, publicity, insuran

ces, restaurants and many others. “The great difference of our work is the result of an effort in cap turing the true spirit of people’s personalities, creating a unique style, fresh and more human”, ex plains Serafim, who is also specia lized in lifestyle, weddings, event photography and videography. Be it for a scripted video cam paign or event coverage, with every video message, Just One Media reveals unexpected ways through which the videos make total difference in businesses of different fields. Which means that the company brings in its philosophy the idea of “aggre gating value to services”. And this is how it has been since its arrival in Dubai, a commitment with the client and the future. Márcio Serafim is married to the also entrepreneur, Cristina Leal, 34, born in Leiria, Portugal. Both manage the beauty salon, Just One Beauty. Leal is a hairdres ser and make-up artist speciali zed in image consultancy and is always aware of the tendencies and of the will of making a dif ference in every detail. She gra duated in the capillary field when she was 15, adding up 19 years of experience. She worked for 10 years in the city of Leiria, in one of the best beauty salons in the region, as well as for magazines, weddings and fashion tutorials. She moved to Dubai when she got married to Márcio Serafim. Currently, both companies are in expansion and consolidated in Dubai. With a recognition for the quality in every detail and also for the credibility acquired through the experience of someone who built their dream step by step. And now, even more, for also par ticipating in the accomplishment of their client’s dreams as well.

TheFounder Director Dr. Shalini Mohan of Brown and White Group of Com panies, is one of the most trusted names when it comes to personal -care solutions. She puts empha sis on keeping not just the outer body but also one’s soul healthy for a happy and prosperous life.

DEDICATED TO WELL -BEING a Ph.D. holder in Na turopathy, Dr. Shalini has extensively studied other disciplines & holds a Ph.D. in also Food Su pplements & Vitamins, Gem The rapy & Crystal Healing, Chinese Medicines, and Bach Flower Re medies. She is a world-renowned naturopath and a weight loss spe cialist and has been an eminent TEDx speaker too. Her journey

to being one of the most trusted names in the industry has been quite interesting. She started her medical career on YouTube in the year 2013, with the idea to share tips and tricks for attaining a healthy and happy lifestyle. To day, she has crossed more than 3.5 million subscribers there and manages five different channels, which she has been efficiently running on her own. She is also helping women residing in remo te areas of the country that don’t have access to or funds for big doctors. She teaches them a uni que way of keeping themselves fit and healthy with natural home -based, kitchen-based ingredients. She is also a Spiritual Guide. For Dr. Shalini, personal well

-being always remained a subject of great importance. She reckons that human form is a blessing that we have attained and it is not just our responsibility but also our duty to keep the best care of our beauty, mind, and soul. She started her career as a content creator on YouTube and eventually went on to set her own company Brown & White Group of Companies. The lady has been extending a supporting hand to millions of her followers and consumers of her brand in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She is one of the most prominent and trusted names in the growing and budding nutraceuticals indus try in India and has attained a number of laurels for the same.

SHALINI MOHAN OF BROWN AND WHITE GROUP OF COMPANIES, IS ONE OF THE MOST TRUSTED NAMES WHEN IT COMES TO PERSONAL-CARE SOLUTIONS

Achievements

Dr. Shalini Mohan has been honored with many National & International Awards. This are her achievements listed below:

• She has won International Innovation & Quality Crown Award in Gold Category at BID, London Convention in 2018, for the Innovation of Edible Sandalwood Oil - One Drop Magic & her other research.

• She has won International Star Award for Quality (ISAQ Award) Convention in Platinum Category in Geneva, Switzerland, in April 2019 from BID group for her commendable work & accomplishments.

• She has been honored for “Excellence in Naturopathy” from Global Leader Award, Enterprise Edition 2019 at JW Marriott in Deira (Dubai).

• She won an award “The Bizz Trophy”2019, Amsterdam.

• She won an award for “Excellence in Quality Management” by Europe Business Assembly, Oxford at Cannes 2019 in France.

• She has been awarded by The Times of India on 25th March 2020 as “Times Inspiring Entrepreneurs”.

• She has achieved “Best Advisor in Naturopathy” Award at the Business Awards & Summit 2019, Azerbaijan.

• She has won “Achievement Award in Medical and Healthcare” category by European Business Award Achievement Forum, Oxford on 17th April 2020.

• She is one of the “Asia’s 40 under 40 Most Influential Leaders” mentioned by AsiaOne Magazine

• In India, she has been

felicitated by “Women Empowerment Entrepreneur Award” on 16th Sep 2019 and many more in 2021-22 too.

About Brown and White Group of Companies: Brown & White Group of Com panies are one of the leading manufacturers of Nutraceutical Formulation and Herbal Extract based on Dr Shalini’s researches. Brown and White brand has set a benchmark in the area of San dalwood oil & its Herbal blends. The Sandalwood oil ‘One Drop Magic’ & ‘Lite’ range is the best seller product followed by the Kalonji Carrot Magical TeaPow der which are authentic without any additives and preservatives.

The product line ranges from edible to applicable products which are mentioned beside:

• Sandalwood Oil (One Drop Magic) with Carom, Linseeds & Prunus dulcis Extract.

• Sandalwood Oil (Lite) with Olea europaea extracts.

• Kalonji- Carrot Magical Tea Powder for Skin Glow, Weight Loss, Digestion, Wellness

• Magical Lotus Leaf Churan for Weight-loss and Weight Management

• I’M Magic Booster Immunity Tea is a fantastic immunity booster.

• Magical Detox Tea just to detox your body and gives you better sleep.

• Magical Hair Tonic for All Types of Hairs

• Magical Hair Pack for All Types of Hairs

• Magical Face Tonic for All Types of Faces

• Magical Face Pack for All Types of Faces

PADRE JULIÁN LORENTE SE VE REFLEJADA EN EL TRABAJO Y EMPEÑO DIARIO DE SU PERSONAL Y DIRECTIVOS

Lacooperativa de Ahorro y crédito Padre Julián Lo rente nace en la bella ciu dad de Loja, al sur de Ecuador en el año de 1966, actualmente con 56 años en el mercado la cooperativa cuenta con más de 40.000 socios y 15 agencias en 6 provincias. La obra del Padre Julián Lorente se ve reflejada en el trabajo y empeño diario de su personal y directivos, mismos que le permiten hoy estar entre las 40 cooperativas más grandes del Ecuador, contando con del país con 110 millones de activos, constituyéndonos en un referen te no solo por nuestros excelen tes indicadores financieros sino por nuestro apoyo a la colecti vidad más desprotegida del país. Con seguridad se puede decir que la obra del Padre Julián (funda

dor), ha llegado a miles de per sonas y aunque empezó con la motivación de ahorro e inculcan do la ayuda al prójimo, hoy se sigue promoviendo su obra con un enfoque especial en el creci miento de los “Cristos Pobres de la Tierra”, siendo su mensaje una muestra de ejemplo, esfuer zo y apoyo al prójimo una de las principales motivaciones para los 174 funcionarios que hacen parte de esta noble institución, aparte de conseguir importante logros financieros, la Coopera tiva sostiene un Centro Médico que ofrece servicios médicos y odontológicos gratuitos a aquellos socios que requieren de nuestros servicios financieros , sus cónyu ges e hijos inclusive brindándo les medicina de manera gratuita.

La Julián como cariñosamente

es llamada, tiene dentro de sus planes una expansión tecnoló gica importante, siendo el 2022 el año elegido para dar el paso del cambio, acercándose a un pú blico más exigente y tecnológico con productos financieros acor des a la competencia, pero sobre todo más cerca de la satisfacci ón y necesidades de sus clientes.

La Cooperativa Padre Julián Lo rente busca ser referente de co operativismo, solidez, rentabili dad y eficiencia, no solo con sus productos y servicios sino tambi én con su equipo y la atención personalizada brindada en cada una de sus agencias, llegando así a cada rincón de las provincias en donde prestan sus servicios.

¡Desde siempre, nuestra cooperativa!

UNA EMPRESA MEXICANA ESPECIALIZADA EN SOLUCIONES TECNOLÓGICAS PARA EL SECTOR LEGAL

Una

empresa mexicana, que nace en el año 2000, especializada en solucio nes tecnológicas para el sector legal. Durante estos más de 20 años de experiencia en el sector, les ha permitido desarrollar soluciones integrales hechas a la medida de cada firma, para que vivan la me jor experiencia. Cuentan con un servicio personalizado y de valor agregado, que los ha posiciona do como la mejor opción en sistemas de información a la van guardia de la tecnología digital. Uno de sus principales objetivos es la satisfacción de cada uno de sus clientes, asegurando en los proyectos de implementación, una experiencia profesional, de cali dad y confianza, con la atención de especialistas en la materia alta

mente calificados, brindando un servicio uno a uno que los vincula. Cuentan con un equipo de traba jo multidisciplinario que combina la ciencia con la tecnología capaz de aportar sus conocimientos y asesoría de negocio en la aplicaci ón de sus soluciones digitales, que suman esfuerzos hacia una mejor regulación y determinación de los procesos internos de las firmas legales, mitigando situaciones re ales, promoviendo mejores prácticas de operación, donde tambi én han logrado detectar aquellos procesos susceptibles de automa tización, para que los abogados se enfoquen a sus actividades. A lo largo de su trayectoria pro fesional han obtenido grandes logros, conocimientos sólidos y un amplio criterio que les ha

permitido crear, mejorar y ro bustecer su plataforma deno minada GENIUS LEGAL, que es un software o sistema de in formación confiable diseñado mediante técnicas innovadoras a la vanguardia de la tecnolo gía, desarrollado para ambientes web y multiplataforma (utilizado en distintos sistemas operativos como Windows o Mac OS), que se encuentra integrada por mó dulos o soluciones que garantizan la tranquilidad de tu negocio. GeniusSoft, crece, evoluciona y en su expansión ofrece a las firmas legales las mejores herramientas para optimizar sus procesos ad ministrativos, operativos y de co municación en países como Mé xico, Estados Unidos, Colombia, Ecuador, Inglaterra y España.

MG GROUP UNCOMPLICATES THE ACQUISITION OF REAL ESTATE IN THE USA

The Brazilian sisters from Minas Gerais, Maria Silveira and Gesi Soares, for over 20 years have been helping people to achieve their dreams of owning a house in the USA

It’s

estimated that in the sta te of Massachusetts there are around 230 thousand brazilian immigrants, and cur rently, in number of brazilian residents, the state only gets behind New York and New Jersey, each one with around 300 thousand. These numbers show a huge demand in the real esta te sector, and still most of the se brazilians have not achieved their dreams of owning a house in the United States of America. The difficulties faced in acquiring real estate in the USA could be

described as the same ones faced in Brazil or other countries, but it’s also true that every country has their own particular legisla tions and different financing sys tems. That is where the Angels of MG Group come in to help, as they have also been through all of this process when they ac quired their own first properties, and that ever since have seen the real estate market with ano ther vision, a humanized vision, according to what they explain. “When we speak of buying or selling real estate, in the first mo

ment we imagine the financial value of this property. We know that even for a simple house or apartment, the majority of peo ple won’t have the total value of the property, and the simple act of mortgaging a property already demands a huge responsibility, doubts appear and in many cases everything is done in a cold and mechanical manner by those who work in this field. We, in MG Group, seek to humanize this mo ment. We understand that buying a property is perhaps the biggest moment of accomplishment for many people and that this mo ment must be peaceful, also the property chosen must really take into account the personality of the client”, Gesi Soares affirms.

The Real Estate Angels

True angels, this is how the sisters born in Minas Gerais are known, and that today dominate the real estate market in Massachusetts, where they are crossing the mark of a thousand properties negotiated. The nickname “Angels” came from commentaries of their clients, who from the very first contact with the sisters, alrea dy feel welcomed, and the re ason for that is they are trea ted as equals, like friends, and not like “one more client”. “Perhaps the secret might be, besides a lot of hard work, hu manizing all of the process, every client has their own particularities and must be treated and unders tood differently. We are almost always taking care of someone’s dream, be it their first property, or an upgrade for an upcoming child or even an investment, each case brings a different emotional load and we need to identify these particularities and put ourselves in tune with the client. Our big ger accomplishment is in helping people to believe their potential, and after we have reached the se objectives, be it the attainment of their own house, the successful sale of a property, or an attracti ve investment, we want that the se people inspire others through their history, in a virtuous cycle that goes beyond a simple busi ness, but instead, of human rela tions”, Maria Silveira highlights.

MC Group International

The operation of MG Group goes beyond the simple negotiation of acquisition and sales of proper ties. Understanding real estate as the biggest and safest platform of investments, the sisters Maria and Gesi created MG Group Interna tional, a branch of their business

oriented towards the investment market. MG Group International makes it possible that investors, in Brazil or anywhere else in the world, are able to invest in the real estate market of the USA, with all the support and know-how acquired over the last 20 years.

“MG Group International was created due to a demand of pe ople that saw the American real estate market as attractive invest ments, however these people do not necessarily have the desire to live in the USA. Our profes sionals seek the best options in real estate, either for the poten tial of renting, or acquisitions for appreciation and selling, or even properties with the potential for

renewing followed by a lucrati ve sale. We offer all the support throughout the search, evaluation and documentation, including in the process of visa for investors in the USA”, Maria explains. This is how the daily lives of Maria and Gesi are, with a lot of dedication and work, but also with much satisfaction for helping hundreds of people to make their dreams come true. For more informations, follow on the social medias @MG GroupRE, access the website https://www.mgtherealestatean gels.com/, get in touch through the telephone (617) 668-1007 or make a visit: 680 Broadway, Everett, MA 02149, EUA.

The backbone of the deve lopment of the City of Lu dbreg in the period 20212025 will be projects that support the green and digital transition, which is achieved by switching to clean energy, encouraging green and blue investments, decarboni zing buildings, developing a circular economy, strengthening sel f-sufficiency in food production, developing a bioeconomy and preservation and restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity. The city of Ludbreg wants to become a leader in the green economy and the introduction of cleaner, cheaper and healthier forms of

transport by promoting a safe and sustainable transport policy. Investments will be made in di gital infrastructure and the intro duction of digital solutions will be encouraged in the interest of citi zens, thereby contributing to buil ding the digital future of Europe. In addition, the City of Ludbreg in cooperation with Ludbreg Primary School, Veliki Bukovec Primary School, Sveti Đurđ Pri mary School, Varaždin County, First Scandinavia Association and Međimurje Polytechnic in akovec was approved for a project enti tled “Regional Scientific Center for Primary School Education

in the STEM Area “. With this project, the City and its partners intend to establish LORI, a regio nal scientific center for primary school education, as an informal form of cooperation between lo cal and regional self-government units, primary schools and other stakeholders. LORI will be based on the STEM thematic area, the introduction of information and communication technologies in education and the development and improvement of STEM skills of teachers, educational staff and students. The project plans to solve the problem of insufficient spaces for STEM education, lack

CITY OF LUDBREG: DEVELOPING A BIOECONOMY AND PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION OF ECOSYSTEMS AND BIODIVERSITY

of adequately equipped STEM classrooms, lack of knowledge and skills of teachers, educatio nal workers and students in the STEM field, and reduced oppor tunities for students in the existing primary school education system. Ludbreg, which is located in the northwestern part of Croatia, has 8,593 inhabitants, and 4,106 pe ople are employed. There is one secondary school, one elemen tary school and three kindergartens in the area of Ludbreg. In the near future, the ambi tious small town is thus seen as a green and smart city that stri ves to raise the quality of life of its citizens as much as possible.

- Public transport is the backbone of our energy strategy, considering that we want that public transport to be environmentally sustainable and acceptable and to use either hydrogen or hydrogen cells, or electricity from batteries, as fuel. According to what science says, batteries are actually unacceptab le, especially for large consumers such as trucks, buses, airplanes, trains, because they take up a lot of space, charge slowly and are a very big expense in later disposal. As a City, we have determined that in the next period we want to be a City that has zero CO2 emissions, that is, that does not pollute, and for that we need this transition not only of the City but also of the economy - explains the mayor and adds that the City of Ludbreg has already submitted project documentation for geo thermal power plant. Work is also being done to encourage the use of solar energy, renewable sour ces, and other ways of producing hydrogen are also being conside red, and it must have the clas sification of green, that is, clean. All this is part of the positioning of

Ludbreg as a place of innovation.

- In addition to wanting to be a place of innovation, we also want to be a meeting place of technolo gy, science, economy, and the pu blic sector, and in this way attract some new investments in some new sectors, open new jobs that are the jobs of the future, attract young people and that a way to determine the place of Ludbreg on the future map of the develop ment of the north of Croatia, and I hope that with the support of our businessmen we will succeed

in this - concludes Mayor Bili .

All projects and ideas have their basis and are aligned with the po licies and goals of the European Union in the period 2021-2027, as well as the policies of the UN. The ultimate goal and task is to create a better business en vironment for the entrepreneu rial sector, energy self-sufficien cy, carbon neutrality, increase the standard of living of citizens and quality of life, and create conditions for a safe and better future for younger generations.

A WIDE RANGE OF AUTOMOTIVE SPARE PARTS AND QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE

Solatek

motor spares is a division of Solatek Enter prises Pvt Ltd, a Zimba bwean company. We are a com pany whose core business is the procurement and distribution of quality motor vehicle spa res. Since starting operations in 2009, the division has experienced phenomenal growth to beco me a reliable supplier of choice. Our vision is to give the ordinary man on the street access to genui ne motor spares and accessories at the lowest possible prices through smart synergies with strategic part ners. We are driven by our motto “With Solatek You Drive Home”.

Our core values;

• To uphold the highest levels of integrity.

• To surpass the needs of our customers

• To be responsible to market changes

• To establish lasting partnerships

We provide a wide range of au tomotive spare parts and quality customer service to the wholesale, retail and government markets. Our major range of products include engine parts, suspension parts, body parts, tires, accesso ries and lubricants. With more

than 10 000 product lines, the company has managed to main tain its brand image and recogni tion through the supply of quality brands, widely trusted by the cus tomers. Hence the Solatek brand has managed to penetrate throu ghout the whole country and we have been recognized nationally as a preferred motor spares retailer. The company operates in four branches, with three in Bulawa yo, strategically located around the city and the fourth in a mi ning town called Gwanda. Nobi lity and logistics are right at the center of any sustained existence both at individual and at orga nizational levels, hence the vita lity of our industry. In terms of marketing capabilities, the com pany differentiates itself from its rivals through its strong marke ting initiatives that reach many individuals around the country. We have managed to reach out to every individual around the cou ntry by means of digital marke ting, and delivery options for our customers out of Bulawayo and Gwanda. We do our best to uti lize all the most commonly used social media platforms. In addi tion to that, we also do advertise on our local daily radio station program, to gain as much mileage in terms of an economically via ble market exposure as possible.

We believe doing business wi thout advertising is like a you ng man winking at a girl in the dark – only he gets to know what he’s doing, but not his target. We have been keen and not reserved when it came to em barking on the necessary techno logical and innovative tools. The ERP system we use is the holistic, internationally acclaimed, SAP Business Solution that integra tes all the various departments

of the organization. On top of this , we have moved our sys tem to cloud system, and with this technological move, it has become very easy to communi cate with every branch centrally ,hence expansion guaranteed. One other key strategy we have pursued has been that of delibe rately adapting to whatever pre vailing conditions which, mostly, economic forces have thrusted upon us – and this we have done our best to do without necessarily compromising the core values we stand for. In the early stages of our business our niche was cente red on the needs of public trans porters. As an expansion drive we then embarked on robustly marketing ourselves to corpora tes and state entities. Fortunately, the fruits of this drive were going to not only positively expose our brand but also cover the even tual gap, as the public transport market got to be crushed out due to the Covid19 Pandemic, amon gst other forces. At the moment our main thrust is on strengthe ning relationships with our key customer base, such as the various motor mechanics workshops. At the same time we equally seeking to forge mutually beneficial win -win business relationships with our key suppliers. We are doing all this with the bottom line of keeping up with the market dy namics in terms of the processes that help with the management of our stock content relevance. By grace from above, within a decade we have managed, from ground zero and in spite of a very harsh eco-political environ ment, to steer, grow and achie ve awards internationally, regio nally, locally and provincially. Both our customers and the es teemed certification bodies have

taken note of our efforts and have rewarded us accordingly, just to mention the most recent “Best customer service centered award 2022” from the Zimba bwe National Chamber of Com merce. Not only have we been given recognition for the business quality, but we have also been awarded for corporate social res ponsibility, in appreciation of our response and generous contribu tions towards the fight against

the spread of the Covid19 pan demic. As the cherry on top of the cream, we received a busi ness award from Oxford, UK, and this we have been awarded another and collecting in Au gust 2022, from Paris, France. Furthermore, within the decade our company has given birth to numerous assets, properties and subsidiaries – chiefly, a gold mi ning outfit as well as crop farming and cattle ranching business.

THE KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY FOR BECOMING A MANAGER AND MAKING THE RIGHT DECISIONS

TheUSM in Košice pro vides higher education in 3 degrees (bachelor, master and doctor) to students focusing on the knowledge of law, security sciences, crimi nalistics, economics, technical and natural sciences, logistics, management, risk analysis, en vironmental science and other fields. A wide range of subjects gives students the knowledge necessary for a realistic asses sment of everyday require ments for becoming a manager and making the right decisions with an emphasis on security. The founder of the university and the study programme “Se curity Management” in Slovakia is the President of the universi ty and its current rector Prof. Ing. Marián Mesároš, DrSc. The study programme Management of Security Systems in the field of study Security Scien ces responds to the demands of the present and therefore students of the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs have in addition to the main cour se of study an opportunity to specialize in the different fields.

It is possible for students to specialize in the fields of: - Security of financial operations - Economic security, - Traffic safety, - Integral security in air transport, - Cyber security, - Environmental security

Graduates may apply for a job in the public and private sectors, in meeting security challenges, in positions where risk assessment is needed (Risk Manager) and particularly in the security forces inclu ding the entire Integrated Rescue System of the Slovak Republic. The University of Security Ma nagement in Košice is the hol der of the Certificate of Quality Management of the International Certification Company „Quality Austria” based in Vienna for 10 recent years (ISO 9001: 2008 and IWA 2: 2007 certificate). In year 2021 successfully defended the Quality Management Certificate of the International Certification Company G-CERT-i from South Korea accredited by International Accreditation Service in the USA.

The university is holder of „the EBA Oxford Award 2012“, „the Socrates Oxford Award 2014“, „the Platinum Technology Award for Quality & Best Trade Name “from OthersWays in Berlin 2018, „TOP-100. ACHIEVE MENTS-2021 ”in the nomination category“ Excellence in Science and Education ” from Academic Union, Oxford 2021, and „Qua lity Achievements Award 2021” from European Society for Quali ty Research (ESQR), Dubai 2021. From 2006 till now the university has solved and solves the scien tific and research projects under guarantee of own academic staff respectively in cooperation with several academic research institu tions, state organizations and state administrations as well as with pri

vate corporations and enterprises from practice home and abroad. In a process of transfer of the scientific knowledge followed out from scientific and research activity of the university it is targe ted the practical applications in practise of many business subjects, subjects of the state administrative and public authorities, primarily the police forces of the Slovak Re public on almost all levels of its management. Outputs of several scientific and research projects above all an applied type were helpful for solution and preven tion of criminality of delinquents mainly among from youth. The se project outputs in many cases were helpful in increasing of traffic and logistic safety, environmental security, economic security and security of information systems. Currently significant projects at university are supported by Eu ropean Commission within the Horizon Europe an Agenda for Research on Security and Safety. USM in Košice has altogether 40 other universities and organi zations signed for a cooperation agreement on cooperation and research. The main partner for cooperation with the University is the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic. The common memorandum of cooperation was signed in 2013. As part of Further International Research USM is taking the initiative to become a member of several consortia that aim to address research challen ges at the international level as a part of the Horizon Europe calls.

KOPANO BUS SERVICE REMAINS THE HEART OF ACCESSIBLE, DEPENDABLE, SAFE, AFFORDABLE AND SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES THROUGH INNOVATION

In the heart of the Limpopo province, in the Capricorn District municipality, an idea was born aimed at transforma tion, empowerment and develo pment through the provision of safe, reliable, accessible, and af fordable public transport in Sou thern Africa. In September 2000, Kopano Bus Service was founded as a Black Economic Empowerment close cooperation in the Le bowakgomo area. The company was later formally registered in April 2001. The inception of the company was as a result of a num ber of bus services coming toge ther to form Kopano Bus Service. Kopano Bus Service is derived from the Sepedi word meaning

“coming together”, and sin ce its operations the bus com pany has brought thousands of commuters together through its affordable and reliable services. Kopano Bus Service’s vision is for it to be the preferred and leading public transport com pany in Southern Africa while its Mission is to provide accessi ble, dependable, safe, affordable, and sustainable public trans port services through innovation. The Values: Similar to the vision and mission, the Kopano Bus Service and staff developed a set of core values, resulting in the following listing: Quality, Safety, Reliability, Integrity and Respect. The Company is under the bo

ard leadership of Mr. John Modjela effectively from 2021, who has succeeded the late Mr. Herman Mangwale, May His Soul Rest In Peace. Kopano Bus Service’s Day to day operational activities are steered by Ms. Olivia Maponya who is the Executive Director of the Company with vast knowledge of the transport industry through experience gathered over 22 years in the bus transport environment The success behind Kopano Bus Service is brought by the Inclu sive kind of leadership, which is embedded into the Organisa tion Culture, coupled with sys tem thinking approach and cre ative thinking and innovation

The entity has from the year 2005 received recognitions for excellence from various ins titutions and transport regu latory bodies such as the De partment of transport, PMR Africa with consecutive recognition As the leading and preferred pu blic transportation company, Ko pano Bus Service is guided by their Board of Director’s strate gic intent as operationalized in its five strategic priorities and its short-, medium- and long-term strategies. Kopano Bus Servi ce complies with all applicable transportation regulations and crucial guiding instruments. Le ading among the driving forces behind the company’s operatio nal priorities are the needs of its stakeholders. The company con tinues to draw goodwill from its well-established brand that has become an almost iconic fea ture for the passengers living in Capricorn District Municipality. The origin of the entity’s branding outlines the significance of the name, symbol and colours. The name Kopano means amalgama tion (in this case various bus entities came together to form a unit to impact communities and take pu blic transport to the next frontier). The Bow and Arrow accentuates Kopano Bus Service’s objective to move forward, realize innovati ve highpoints whilst moving with the current trends in the market The colours on the logo are Bla ck: which symbolizes authority and class – giving the community the best and sophisticated servi ce in both rural and urban areas. Red: warmth towards commuters and passion towards impacting the communities in which the entity serves. Yellow: symbolizes hope, customer and staff satis faction- through best practices in

customer service, putting safety measures in place and ensuring ease of access to transportation to everyone equals satisfaction/ happiness. Green symbolizes re liability to commuters in a form of business sustainability and de velopment through innovation Given ready handles to touch on strategic partnerships and associations, Kopano bus ser vice has managed to retain and maintain its strategic partnerships its internal and external stake holders since inception to date. Kopano Bus Service fleet is mainly comprised of 65 and 80 seater capacity standard commu ter buses with the ability to of fer passengers a superior on -board experience while riding to their various destinations. Kopano Bus Service’s services are comprised of: Scheduled Commu ter Transportation for passengers between Polokwane City and sur rounding rural and urban areas within the Capricorn District Mu nicipality. The entity also offers touring and travelling services to all the cities of South Africa. On request the buses can be hired for

special occasions as well as special hire service which is fixed to pro viding specialized private hire ser vices for organized groups such as churches, schools, clubs and so cieties as well as hires for funerals. Kopano Bus Service prides itself with the role it plays in keeping operations working, moving, and growing which in turn makes the life of commuters from the villa ges and the city more convenient. Our focus as a road passenger transport entity is to achieve this while rebuilding and transforming the bus service for the thousands of commuters that we transport pre sently and for future generations. We are supporting thousands of employees, scholars, pensioners and the general public thus sti mulating vital economic growth. The entity operates in line with and within a legislation and po licy environment such as the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa which identifies the legislative responsibilities of diffe rent levels of Government with regard, inter alia, to roads and public transport. Transport is a function that is legislated and exe-

cuted at all levels of government. As the company continues to pro vide services in public transpor tation it also operates and func tions within the range of several pieces of transport legislation, regulation and policy context in line with the developmental and strategic objectives of the Capri corn District Municipality. Key amid the regulation alluded to above are the following: National Land Transportation Act (no 5 of 2009), Transport Appeal Tribunal Act, 1998, South African Trans port Services Conditions and Ser vice Act (no 41 of 1998), Urban Transport Act (no 78 of 1977) and the Administrative Adjudi cation of Road Traffic Offences Amendment Act (no 4 of 2019).

Kopano Bus Service is an inte gral player in the Integrated Pu

blic Transport Network that is envisaged for the Capricorn Dis trict and around South Africa. Kopano Bus Service’s mana gement is fixed to the consi deration of the development and maintenance of an appro priate organizational structu re as an important element of its integrated human resources strategy. In this regard the impor tant maxim that structure follows strategy is considered instructive. The entity’s functional structure is designed along five main are as in pursuit of the attainment of strategic objectives, adminis trative excellence and proper delegation of duties: Operations; Technical Services; Strategy for mulation, alignment, Resear ch development and Business Planning; Corporate and Su

pport Services; and Governance Central to the fulfilment of Ko pano Bus Service responsibility is the Operations and the Te chnical Services Department. The Operations Department is responsible for the planning of routes, dispatching of buses, transportation of the citizenry of Limpopo, Capricorn district municipality and in the near future any travel around Sou th Africa and beyond, supervision, inspections on route as well as the operation of a dedicated service that ensures the mobili ty of passengers with disabilities. The planning or scheduling sec tion of the Operations Depart ment has a huge responsibility to ensure the optimal use of human resources especially bus drivers and assets which in the main refer to the buses. The continued in vestment in the information tech nology to automate key operations functions is an important strategic enabler for the entity’s operational excellence and financial viability. Furthermore, the Operations Department is responsible for compliance with laws and regulations applicable to bus operations and all road users.

Kopano Bus Service utilizes a specific management scien ce in order to ensure that bus service planning is aligned to the basic requirements of the customers. The impact of Co vid-19 is however acknowledged. COVID-19 had both negative and positive impacts on the entity, negative impacts include but are not limited to the national state of disaster which led to a severe hard lockdown, wherein movement was restricted resulting in a large de cline in the number of commuters at once. The entity, like many, had confirmed cases of the virus.

And unfortunately, when the lo ckdown was lifted to enable es sential workers to go to work, we lost the Chairperson of the Bo ard due to the deadly pandemic. Strategies and measures were put in place to ensure that all safety protocols were followed to ensure smooth operation. Masks, sanitizers, disinfectants, and social distancing was alwa ys advised, the only challenge was that some of the measures required buses not to operate at full capacity which had an im pact on the company’s targets. Given the lifting of lockdown res trictions as per the National State of disaster a lot has now changed, and prices of commodities have spiked and thus leading also to pri ces in fuel going up and the cost of travelling with other modes being highly inflated without regulation. This presents an opportunity for Kopano bus services to offer commuters a cheaper alternative to the mainstream offering, which will in turn result in an increa sed demand for our bus services Accolades for Kopano Bus Service thus far 2022

The Standard Bank’s Top Gen der Empowered Company 2022 Award in its sector valid from 29/08/22 until 29/08/23. The international Winner Euro pe 22 in Excellence in Product/ Service 2022 award from Inter national Business Institute (IBI). Kopano Bus Service is the first in Africa to reach this milestone. Diamond Arrow award in the PMR. Africa Award 2022. This company is the 1st overall winner in the category of companies held in high esteem as good corporate citizens based on their corpora te responsibility and initiatives in Limpopo over the past 12 months.

Kopano Bus Service company

further shined at PMR. Afri ca awards 2022 by grabbing two more accolades, Best Local Transport Company in Limpo po contributing towards econo mic growth and another award for its contribution towards Wo men Excellence in Limpopo.

To date Kopano Bus Servi ce has maintained its win ning streak in the PMR.Africa Awards consecutively since 2014.

Kopano Bus Service is lined to receive the following recognitions: “TOP of Business” in Dubai

from International Business Insti tutes on the 28 November 2022 “European Quality Award (EQ)” in Oxford, UK from Ox ford Awards Agency Limited on the 20 December 2022

It is clear to Kopano Bus Ser vice that its employees are the business most valuable assets, by trusting them and make them feel appreciated in the Company. Kopano Bus Service is the home of passengers and dependable commuter transport service, “Have a Safe Journey with Us”

O&G OF OUR ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL GOVERNANCE (ESG) MISSION

The caption may seem weird as an unfamiliar parlance in the environ mental industry. However, it has deep-seated relational connota tion/application to the environ mental industry and further in consonance with our mission as an entity (environmental and so cial governance company). The O&G is a commonplace par lance in the medical fraternity/ industry, which stands for Obs tetrics & Gynecology. Obste trics-gynecology specialty deals with the female health involving

clinical prevention and manage ment of diseases with provision of optimum care to pregnant women to the menopausal age. Obstetricians-gynecologists can also give family planning advi ce. Nonetheless, whereas Obstetrics concentrate on pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, Gynecology focuses on women before, during and af ter childbirth, detection of se xually transmitted diseases, per forming reproductive health screen and surgical procedures. Our corporate mission is “to

know our clients, know their ne eds and how best to meet those needs in a cost-effective way”. This may mean environmental and social diagnosis of businesses and optimum care for businesses from developmental stage to ma turity. The operational meaning of the O&G is therefore akin to Envaserv Research Consult’s mission of Environmental and Social Governance (ESG). The ESG deals with the identification, assessment, and management of environmental and social issues for corporate businesses. Just like the medical O&G, it involves the strategic prevention and manage ment of environmental and social issues, with the provision of op timum care of the environment and social settings to preserve and protect their integrity, whe reas also ensuring organizational growth and overall productivity. ESG improves corporate gover nance and customer expectations for transparency and ethical partnership. It is thus an integral part of corporate/business ope rational structure for organiza tions desirous of growth and sus tainability. Our ESG services are designed to assist organizations reach compliance with national and international environmental and social (E&S) requirements to ensure environmental safety and social protection. Company’s adherence and incorporation of ESG into their operational acti vities stand a greater chance of achieving overall business trust, social acceptance, and corporate profitability. Evidence abounds to this assertion. Such organi zations that take ESG seriously make forward-looking decisions and policies on climate change, slavery, anti-bribery/corrup tion which are global menaces.

The journey of our ESG servi ces began earlier than the official date of Envaserv Research Con sult’s (ERC’s) incorporation into the Ghana Companies Act (Act 179) as amended in 2019 to Act 992) on 26th September 2011 with registered head office in Ac cra, Ghana. The realization of the urgent need for organizations with capacity for E&S services was an important catapult in the company’s formation/establishment. Corporate organizations intending to establish or expand require, in most cases, the fulfil ment of national and internatio nal requirements that border on E&S governance. The then lack of such holistic E&S service firms was hampering the organizations’ developmental progress and a huge telling on their strategic go als/plans. The beckoning oppor tunity to service these organiza tions was a significant primary driver at the time in ERC’s for mation. The exigency at the time to usurp the yawning opportunity in establishing the firm was not all without palpable challenges. The primary challenge at the time and a tenuous link was our financial weakness. The planned one-stop shop business entity could never be realized without the financial prowess. The daunting collateral requirements from the financial institutions closely obliterated the avid ideas of establishing such a dream company. Tried as we could with no concrete positive outcomes from financial institu tions albeit with the soaring gus to of establishing the firm at all costs. I decided to personally fund the project at a snail pace. Even though, this approach retarded our accelerated/rapid growth, there was absolutely no pressure to service debts if I had obtained

one, which would have had ad verse telling on our planning and general operations as a budding company. The approach made the company to mature at a na tural pace and learnt the lessons of business in the natural but the hard way. This has remarkably afforded us a brazen confidence to face VUCA (Volatile, Uncer tain, Complex, Ambiguous) si tuations in business with much practical antidotes and overall improvement in our resilience. The processes that accelerated the registration of the company fit into a category of coinciden ces. As a lecturer and researcher at the time with the University of Ghana, Legon, I was offering en vironmental advisory services to key industries notably mining and manufacturing. This culminated into having basic water quality devices for water testing in the la boratory of my lecturing depart ment. However, a new policy in the department by a new Head of Department where I was lectu ring and conducting research en sured that I halted laboratory tes ting activities in the Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences’ laboratory. I had to move the testing devices to my residen cy, where I began changing the configuration of the ground floor apartment structure. The serious ness I attached to the work at my disposal and the determined wi liness to succeed paid-off in that within a month I had completed the mini-laboratory and office at my residency. The next few months were used for furniture works and electrical wiring to fit the status of an environmental la boratory. I then commenced the process to formally register the company, and the legal instru ment of the company was issued

on 26th September 2011, which date also marks its incorporation under the Ghana Companies Act 179 (amended in 2019 as Act 992).

The company’s modest inception focused hugely on water quality issues by a multipurpose one-man and an assistant. Managing field water sample collection, labora tory analysis, and reporting wri te-ups for clients, vis avis all the activities that go along with lec turing, students’ supervision, and working on my PhD thesis was not only backbreaking but un customed. The fact that I could not break down at the time was unbelievably a sheer miracle, as managing all these tasks and en suring the company did not fail/ collapse was at least quite daun ting for me to handle. Few ins tances, I was mentally and phy sically out of place in the lecture theatres as result off sheer fatigue and exhaustion. The persisten ce of these tasking activities for number of years have nonethe less enabled my handling of di fferent tasks at the same time, and such a multitasking spirit is inherently and inextricably integral to our corporate culture. The next phase was to ensure state-of-the-art equipment are purchased and installed. Since we had began with the water quality, I contacted a company in the United Kingdom and had an arrangement to purchase their equipment and to recognize me as their Agent to promote and market their products. These two ideas/requests materialized with the purchase of discounted wa ter quality equipment and been recognized as an Agent. I then added additional services one af ter the other. A very difficult but an enterprising phase was how to put together a solid human capi

tal. Some real difficulties were fa ced with getting the right human capital with the needed skillset for the specific responsibilities of the service portfolios. The strate gic solution was to employ peo ple with the basic skills and train them. The approach was success ful as people were avidly determi ned to learn from nascent fields. The learning was smooth owing to the presence of the right equi pment set so primarily practical training laced with moderate the ory to understand the operating concepts and outcomes were the approached adopted. The abili ty to transform raw talents into experts with this approach was a success story I wish to echo. The company standing on its footing now was mainly due this approa ch, and proud to recommend it. The company has come a long way and has diversified its activi ties throughout its milestone into providing multidisciplinary niche

services and playing a significant role in the industry. The company is a leading multidisciplinary ISO certified (ISO 9001:2015) envi ronmental and social consultancy and ISO accredited (ISO/IEC 17025:2017) environmental labo ratory testing company, providing customer-oriented and environ mental sustainability services for clients in the public and private sectors. Essentially, the primary services the company provides hinges on environmental and so cial governance (ESG) issues and research, and broadly categorized into: environment assessments/ advisory services (ESIA, SEA, ESMP, PER), social consultations (RAP, socio-economic & commu nity engagements etc.), marine geophysical/hydrography surveys (SBES, MBES, SSS, SBES, me to-cean etc.); marine geotechnical studies (vibro-coring etc.); mari ne sediment characterization (se diment grab, faunistic analysis,

photography etc.); aquatic ecolo gical studies (fisheries survey, bio diversity studies etc.); water quali ty & aquatic plume modeling; air quality & emission dispersion mo deling; noise quality & dispersion modeling; carbon foot-printing & climate impact assessments; agriculture research and soil tes ting; geospatial analysis; petro leum testing and PVT analysis; facility inspection and material testing, as well as environmental capacity & development. Our modicum of success hin ges on our business and opera tional principles. We focus on a unique way of doing business, which is embedded in our mis sion: ‘to know our clients, know their needs, and know how best to meet those needs cost-effecti vely’. We do this on our business fundamental principle of pro fessionalism, quality and ethical standards, client satisfaction, and customized services that always meet budgetary and time require ments. At Envaserv, we proacti vely engage and interact with our clients on regular basis. This gives us an unprecedented view of our customers and helps us to ensure that our services are tailored, re main relevant, and optimized for the market. We view each client as a family and strive to attend to their needs with alacrity. Achie ving a sustainable business deve lopment goal for our clients has been our primary telos, and we thus work together with clients to come to the most ‘environmen tally-friendly’ and ‘socially-accep table’ ways of achieving project objectives. Our tools for achie ving these goals are the integra tion of engineering, science, and planning. The company operates a certified Quality Management System integrated into our ope

rational procedures, and an ac credited laboratory testing scope ensuring the provision of trusted and accurate products/results. These make our findings, results, and reports extremely reliable for critical business decisions by our clients. We use in-house and other industrial models to carry out a huge variety of environmental as sessments, planning applications, and risk evaluations, coupled with instrumentation, equipment calibrations, specialized environ mental training, and other mul tidisciplinary scopes to ensure we meet and exceed clients’ ex pectations in project executions. Envaserv’s plan is to ensure sus tainability of the company and its activities, which obviously will require number of measures and strategies. It is part of our goal to continue to play a niche role in our space of environmental and social consultancy and research beyond the shores of the sub-re gion to provide innovative and tailored solutions to industries in the oil & gas, mining, agri culture, transportation, and ma nufacturing sectors. We believe the sky should be our limit and we will thus strive for such an attainment. Envaserv believes di versity/diversification for service portfolio is not only a safeguard strategy/measure for company’s relevance and sustenance but an antidote to managing VUCA (Volatile Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) situations in the business/entrepreneurial ecosys tem. Thus, the company plans to diversify its services/products with portfolios that will provide solutions to the road sector for material testing. We further in tend to incorporate civil engine ering into our services in the fo reseeable future to give leverage

to the other services and to ce ment our one-stop shop mantra. We also intend to expand and have footings in other countries to serve the agricultural industry in terms of soil testing, fertilizer testing, and advisory services. The company further intends to forge positive collaboration with Tertiary institutions and streng then the existing one to afford students the opportunity of sou nd scientific research, and trai ning. State-of-the-art equipment are a bane of most tertiary insti tutions for scientific training. The company has thus established a collaboration with key Universi ties, with readiness for other Uni versities to collaborate. The com pany will continue the mentoring system to train and equip more

young staff with the requisite skillset and mindset to take up key positions. Such a system has enabled the company to trans form raw graduates into skilled scientists providing expert advi sory services to clients. It has been the hallmark of the company in transforming ordinary gradua tes into technical experts to fill niche portfolio. This has helped the company to fill required ex pertise gaps due to the difficulty in getting those candidates from the open market. The company placed premium on staff training and education in addition to the mentoring. In-house training and strategic professional training and certificate courses will continue to be rolled out for staff based on the corporate assessment needs.

SUSANNA MARCHIONNI: THE FIRST AFFORDABLE SMART CITY IN THE WORLD

Co-founder

and CEO of Planet Smart City in Brazil, Susanna Mar chionni is dedicated to reaching her vision of transforming affor dable housing all over the world through the integration of smart solutions and programs of social innovation. With more than 20 years of experience in the inter national housing sector, her real estate career started in Italy, in 1996, where she would manage acquisition, sales and renovation of projects for Italian companies. In 2015, Susanna moved to

Brazil and co-founded Planet Smart City beside Gianni Sa vio, with the goal of sharing an unique proposition about how to face the global hou sing deficit with the help of te chnology and smart solutions. Planet Smart City has the vision of offering to everyone the oppor tunity of living in a better house. The company delivers it by inte grating architetonical, digital and environmental solutions with so cial innovation in order to offer affordable houses of high qua lity that ensure enduring value.

Still in 2015, the company relea sed Smart City Laguna, the first affordable smart city in the world, and Susanna became CEO of Planet in Brazil. Soon after, she released other projects in the country, including Smart City Natal in Rio Grande do Norte, Smart City Aquiraz in Ceará, and four other vertical projects in São Paulo with a local partner. Susanna is extremely proud of having constructed a fantastic multicultural team that is based in offices in the United King dom, Italy, Brazil and India.

POTI JUNIOR’S S/A: QUALITY AND COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Chosenas one of the best construction companies in Itapema, Santa Catari na, Poti Junior`s S/A has been in the market since 1995. Founded by CEO Mr. Altair Agostinho Bartolomei Junior, the company began its trajectory with sales in the Civil Construction sector and soon began the construction of high-standard finishing houses and vertical ventures. Since then, it has been making dreams come true, both for those who dream of living in a quiet, beach town and for those who are thinking of investing and are undoubte dly making the best choice. Well, at Poti Junior’s S/A, there is a lasting partnership established in our seriousness and reliability. The recognition is so much that the shareholders Mr. Altair Agos

tinho Bartolomei Junior and Mrs. Isandra Reolon will participate in the Top Entrepreneur and Fema le Personality ceremony to be held in March 2023 at Belmond Copa cabana Palace, in Rio de Janeiro. Throughout the trajectory, pro jects were built with differentia ted architecture of high standard, and with aesthetic and functio nal excellence, bringing quality, commitment, and customer satis faction. This brought solidity to the brand and the market. Poti Junior always seeks to bring the most modern, both in architectu re and in finishing details, alwa ys thinking about innovation. The company looks at each pro ject with a buyer’s eye, answering the following question: Would you compare this property? If the answer is yes, we are on the right

path. If the answer is no, all the teams involved, including engine ering, architects, and directors sit down to discuss the project again. The smallest details are thought out, so the projects are explored to the fullest. An example is the Grace Bay Development, located in Itapema in the Meia Praia nei ghborhood with sea views and di rect access to the river, designed for those who are passionate about an incredible view of the sea. This enterprise is taking in its composition some imposing brands in the region, such as Sierra, with windows and openings that are imported from Australia and Ger many, in addition to automation equipment from Lutron, a brand that has been in the US for years and that does the automation part of the White House, for example.

CONSTRUTORA JOBIM, CONSTRUCTION COMPANY THAT IS A REGIONAL BENCHMARK IN THE SOUTH OF BRAZIL

Construtora

Jobim is a construction company with more than 25 years of experience in the sector of ci vil construction, and has become a benchmark in the market of Santa Maria with its innovative and imponent constructions. Fou nded by Gustavo Jobim da Sil va in the 90’s, the construction company has the proposition of always being ahead of the desires of its clients and general socie ty. This is why, today, they are very notable in the market due to their punctuality in the de livery of their constructions, as well as their reliability and safety. With the main focus on a de manding market, that aims on acquiring real estate as an in

vestment and source of income, Construtora Jobim seeks to alwa ys think of the appreciation and rentability of the buildings, and in this way, always looks for pri vileged and strategic locations, develops projects in accordan ce to the needs of the market, and delivers products that con tribute to the beauty of the city. Similarly to its founder and di rector, who decided to become an entrepreneur and enter the market of civil construction at only 23 years old, Constru tora Jobim also has in its DNA innovation and boldness, what can be seen in each of its pro jects developed over the years.

In 2017, Construtora Jobim star ted the construction of the ven

ture “Espírito Santo” - a resi dential and commercial complex that marked a new milestone for the company. On a plot of 8.194,45m², the construction cou nts with 610 residential, 168 com mercial units and 675 parking spots distributed among the four towers: Love, Kindness, Charity and Divinity, totalizing 62.548m² of constructed area. The complex still counts with benefits for the general community, such as: ro tative parking space, religious art pieces throughout the buildings, chapel, water fountain and a 135 meters long boulevard that uni tes the streets Venâncio Aires and Dos Andradas. The last tower and final delivery of the construc tion happened in March of 2022.

Their headquarters is located in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul - Brazil, where the company re leased two projects: Centenário Residence School and Cristo Rei, both located on an address of ex treme historical and commercial importance for the city. It’s loca ted on the street Rua do Acam pamento, where the initial settle ment of the city started, in 1797, with the encampment of the Por tuguese Departure of Segunda Subdivisão Demarcadora de Li mites, Treaty of Santo Ildefonso. In the project of Centenário Re sidence School, the building will be reconstructed with the original architectural style of Colégio Me todista Centenário. The ongoing construction is projected as a two-story building with the shape of an “U”, where the classrooms and administrative area will be lo cated, and above the school there will be an 8-story building, with 196 apartments of one room. In front of Centenário, the complex Cristo Rei is located, construction that, on a plot of 4.718,47m², will unite residential and commercial areas, hotel, helipoint, Garden Mall and private club for the re sidents, something unpreceden ted in the city and region. Pre serving an important historical building of the city, the complex will count with the landscaping project of the conceptualized of fice Burle Marx to bring a fresh breath of life for Santa Maria. In one of the main touristic destinations of Brazil, the construc tion company chose to build their first project outside of the central region of Rio Grande do Sul. About 350km distant from Santa Maria, in the city of Gramado, De Marias is located in a central and privileged area of the city, 500m away from Rua Coberta

and many other important touris tic points of the city. Alpine sty le, with 27 apartments of two or three bedrooms and 15 shops on the ground level, the building cou nts with several benefits: double suite, exclusive decoration in the common areas, rotative parking lot and an oratory inspired in the Chapel of Schoenstatt. The stake for this project is high rentability for whoever is interested in utili zing the properties as investments, considering its geographical posi tion in the best area of the city. Beyond their commitment with clients and partners, Construto ra Jobim supports several social

and cultural projects in the city. Currently, the company is one of the few in the city that has a pedagogical teacher in their staff for the social project Construindo para Sempre (Building Forever). Developed for their employees’ dependents, the project offers educational assistance for the children from 0 to 6 years old. Today, one the main company’s trademark is its faith, from the naming of their projects to the construction of oratories. Over the years, Construtora Jobim has already delivered more than 2.500 autonomous units and has built more than 110.000m².

INVISIBLESLIM: BENCHMARK METHOD IN CAPILLARY HEALTH GAINS INTERNATIONAL NOTORIETY

Atonly 34 years old, but 20 years of experience in the field and the tradi tion coming from family, Camila Barbosa Rodrigues is the CEO of ‘O Meu Salão Buritis’, beau ty salon located in a privileged zone of Belo Horizonte and birthplace of a method in capillary health that took over the world. Camila is creator of the Alon gamento InvisibleSlim, the only hair extensions approved by der matologists and trichologists for its safety guarantee and that do esn’t cause damages to the hair. The first contact of Camila in the

beauty universe was in the simple salon of her grandmothers, and from there she started seeking knowledge and experience until a key was turned, according to Ca mila: “everything changed with the arrival of my daughter, Ma ria, that is now 5 years old, and a daughter changes everything, right? Thus I saw the need of gi ving her a better future, having financial stability, and so I did”. Conciliating personal and profes sional life, Camila identified in her clients’ feedback an oppor tunity of not only being a ben chmark in capillary health, but

also a role model for thousands of people, which brings a lot of responsibility. The InvisibleSlim method is totally invisible and painless. Entirely produced by Camila and her team, this exper tise in hair extensions brings cre dibility with the Top of Business Awards, in Dubai, where Camila will be recognized by all of her contributions to this field of work. “This award will undoubtedly be a game changer. It’s something that will aggregate a lot of value to my business. And all of this represents that I’m on the right track, and I’m achieving my goal of changing lives”, she points out. The innovation extends also to her own cosmetics line, My Dre am, recently released. According to Camila Rodrigues, everything is a result of complete focus in her goals. “We have a lot of strategic planning, an unparalleled team and much faith in God, becau se He’s been taking care of us in the minimal details”, she affirms. During the pandemics, a very turbulent period for many peo ple, Camila Rodrigues, who is at the head of ‘O Meu Salão Bu ritis’, continued seeking for inno vation and reinvented herself in such a complicated scenario. She looked further into new and re fined techniques, in order to as sist the demand of women that had contact with the COVID-19 virus and developed one of the most recurring side-effects for this public, which is the hairloss in the frontal area of the head. And this is how Camila created the DRE AMS method, which is already a successful ally to InvisibleSlim. For the future, Camila Rodri gues thinks about expanding her business through franchising and the release of her method’s course, both live and online.

BEST TROWEL COMPANY IN BRAZIL TELL THEIR STORY OF MORE THAN 50 YEARS OF SUCCESS

Itall started in 1971, when mister Antoninho Dias, who had a hardware store in São Paulo, decided to go to Mairipo rã. Then, Mr. Antoninho started the industrial activities of Dias Indústria e Comércio Ltda, manufacturing painting items, like roller coatings, paint tray and even trowels. Over the years, other items were added to their fabrication line, like commercial installations, steel shelves, bar becue grills and other products. Alongside his wife, Ms. Valdivia, they always tried to place family members in their businesses, ha ving the direct participation of their daughter Daniela Camar go Dias in the whole financial process and decision making. In 2013, when Mr. Antoninho passed away, his daughter Da niela became the new responsi ble for the management of the business beside her husband,

Hélio Pinto de Carvalho Junior. They decide then to structure a new vision, in a new purpo se. Focusing initially in a single product, the trowels. Confident in the development of a quality tool, as Daniela says: “the Coca-Cola of trowels”, she firmly followed the passion that was burning in her heart. Today, as the best and biggest industry of trowels in Brazil, Galo Desem penadeiras has been prioritizing it’s “brasility”, preserving their national values and the inicial vision of this incredible history. Now, Daniela and Hélio, execu tive directors, reap the benefits of years of work and dedication. Galo Desempenadeiras has achieved an incredible perfor mance with the professionals of civil construction, shopkeepers, distributors and wholesalers of Brazil entirely. Moreover, they also export to some countries

in Latin America. An indus try that prioritizes the environ ment and invests in ecological and biodegradable measures in their processes of fabrication. And thus, becoming a company recognized by its environmental responsibility and a model to other companies, utilizing high impact raw materials. Originality and “brasility” are always present in the processes of fabrication and raw materials, just like their singular vision in the purpose of innovating and supplying the needs of all the professionals of these segments.

Galo Desempenadeiras has been recognized with national and in ternational awards. A beautiful history of more than 50 years, connected by a mission: buil ding dreams alongside the pro fessionals, shopkeepers, whole some and distributors of Brazil, and soon, of the whole world.

ADORE KOMPANI: LEADER IN DISTRIBUTION AND RETAIL OF PERFUMERY & COSMETICS

The establishment of “ADORE” Company refers to 1999 when the first perfumery & cosmeti cs store was opened in Baku. For 20 years of operation, “ADORE” retail chain turned to be a leader in distribution and retail of perfumery & cosmetics. For more than 20 years, the Com pany has been the only choice for the elite customers seeking confi dence, originality and exclusivity. In 2020, Company acquired all assets of the second biggest retail player - “SABINA”. The merge of the second perfumery & cosmetic chain established the only one leader of retail and dis tribution of perfumery and cos metics products in Azerbaijan market – “ADORE” Company. The Company operates 8 “ADO RE”, 8 “SABINA”, 1 “MAC”

and 2 “NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP” stores with more than 10 000 square feet of shopping space providing all customer ne eds from more than 150 brands. Today “ADORE” is the Com pany that has its own identity and reflects important values re lated to customers, family, team and solidarity. This is all due to the company’s identity: what we are, what we want to be, and how our customers see us. With nearly two decades of ex pertise of keeping customers’ interests at its core, ADORE’s opulent shopping environ ments, innovative retail con cepts, service standards are our base foundation of our global targets which is to expand the ADORE network outside of Azerbaijan - In UAE, EGYPT, MOROCCO and QATAR.

“We never stay at the same level. Our main core focus and the result of our highest level of sustainability is our drive to do everything different and never forget our customers. To keep our customers first we are creating unbelievable shopping experience. Today, “ADORE” is a powerful beauty Company in Azerbaijan thanks to our widest assortment of prestige products in every category, unbiased service from beauty experts, interactive shopping environment and constant innovation!”

Narmin Ismayilova.

Karine

Garonce has her work recognized worl dwide as a master trainer in micro pigmentation of lips and eyebrows, bringing in her professional baggage more than five thousand and five hun dred procedures performed. The ‘Queen of Lips’, as she is affectionately called by her clients, followers, and stu dents is not just a nickname:

Creator of the CC LIPS Lip Mi cropigmentation Method, throu gh which she became recognized worldwide because her method brought innovation to the market, offering never-before-seen results.

The CC LIPS Method has become a huge phenome non all over the world, cros sing boundaries that Karine had never imagined reaching. Her method today is already pre

sent in more than 80 countries and 5 continents, through her pu pils trained in the method course, either in the face-to-face format at the academy, in São Paulo, or also in her CC LIPS ONLINE course. Projects for the future? Ex panding the CC LIPS Me thod to many more countries is what Karine can reveal for now, as there are other bolder projects that are still a secret.

THE ‘QUEEN OF LIPS’: A LITTLE BIT OF THE TRAJECTORY OF THE CREATOR OF THE CC LIPS LIP MICROPIGMENTATION METHOD