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Marketing powerhouse Horizon Holdings marks 45th anniversary

Marketing powerhouse Horizon Holdings marks 45th anniversary
Rafic Saadeh
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Updated 25 September 2021
Arab News

Marketing powerhouse Horizon Holdings marks 45th anniversary

Marketing powerhouse Horizon Holdings marks 45th anniversary
Updated 25 September 2021
Arab News

Horizon Holdings has announced completing 45 years as a marketing and communication services provider in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Founded in September 1976, the company started as a single brand agency that grew into a marketing powerhouse with a regional footprint that spans from Dubai to the Maghreb. Horizon Holdings is today the parent and home to multinational award-winning agencies: Horizon FCB MENA, BPN MENA, Golin MENA, Blue Barracuda and Fuel Content.

It is a creative story that started with Foote, Cone and Belding back in 1979 through a relationship that transformed the FCB brand into Adweek’s Global Agency of the Year and Cannes Lions Winner 2020-21 Network of the Year, under the leadership of FCB global CEO, Carter Murray.

Rafic Saadeh, chairman and CEO, Horizon Holdings, said: “Starting with FCB, our genesis was with an innovative heart and a courageous soul. What started as a vision in 1976 is now celebrated as a legacy. At this 45-year mark, I am proud to say that we’ve built a company where our people feel at home and our clients feel cared for. To our teams, clients, partners and the industry at large — thank you for being our driving force, and I am excited for the next 45!”

Horizon Holdings agencies are the catalysts behind countless regional and global award-winning campaigns, delivering work that becomes an economic multiplier for their clients’ businesses.

Mazen Jawad, president of Horizon Holdings, said: “It’s a unique moment to reflect on the success of our brands, thank our brave people and honor our commitment to our partners. In an era and a region where the winds of change are stronger than ever, we are present as a driving force always transforming and adjusting our sails to navigate toward the right direction and see victory on the horizon. As we say at Horizon FCB, the best part of a brand story is ‘Never Finished’!”

VOX Cinemas premieres Saudi film ‘Before We Forget’

VOX Cinemas premieres Saudi film ‘Before We Forget’
Updated 24 October 2021
Arab News

VOX Cinemas premieres Saudi film ‘Before We Forget’

VOX Cinemas premieres Saudi film ‘Before We Forget’
Updated 24 October 2021
Arab News

VOX Cinemas, the dedicated cinema arm of Majid Al-Futtaim, hosted the world premiere on Oct. 18 of “Before We Forget,” a Saudi film produced by the Dubai-based DKL Studio. The premiere, which took place at VOX Cinemas The Esplanade in Riyadh, was attended by actors Meshaal Mteiry and Ghazi Hamad and producer Fadi Ismail, who took part in a panel discussion following the screening. VOX Cinemas is the exclusive distributor of the family drama, which released across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain on Oct. 21.

Directed by Nawaf Al-Janahi, Before We Forget stars well-known Saudi actors Mteiry (Keif Al-Hal, The Bliss of Being No One, The Final Scene), Ibrahim Al-Hasawi (Tash ma Tash) and Hamad (The Inheritance, FBI). Set in Saudi Arabia, the movie follows three men from three generations who go on a road trip to find treasure, and themselves. Together in one car, oblivious to the fact that they are being followed, they start a journey which forces them to survive their differences, discover themselves, each other and what truly unites them.

Toni El-Massih, chief content officer at VOX Cinemas, said: “VOX Cinemas has been supporting local talent and regional films for a long time and we’re extremely proud to join forces with DKL Studio to bring this Saudi movie to big screens across the GCC. There is a wealth of talented writers and filmmakers in the region who have compelling stories to tell and we are committed to providing the necessary platform to ensure that premium Arabic content is made accessible to our audience, who crave locally produced films.”

Producer Ismail added: “The Saudi film industry is still in its early stages and DKL Studio is doing what it can to promote Saudi storytelling and films. This is the first of three films that will be released theatrically in the coming months and we have more under development. We are excited to collaborate with VOX Cinemas, given their expertise and knowledge of the market and their commitment to support quality regional theatrical production.”

In addition to being the Middle East’s largest exhibitor, VOX Cinemas also produces content and operates a regional film distribution business. In 2018, VOX Cinemas signed an exclusive distribution deal with Saudi Arabian animation studio Myrkott to screen its first animation feature Masameer across the MENA region, and during the summer it distributed the highly anticipated Saudi Japanese anime The Journey, having inked a deal with Manga Productions at last year’s Berlin Film Festival.

GE highlights steps to faster decarbonization in region

GE highlights steps to faster decarbonization in region
Updated 23 October 2021
Arab News

GE highlights steps to faster decarbonization in region

GE highlights steps to faster decarbonization in region
Updated 23 October 2021
Arab News

The GCC countries have increased their focus on actions to address climate change concerns but there is an urgent need to further accelerate decarbonization efforts. With approximately 40 percent of global CO2 emissions from fuel combustion attributable to electricity and heat production, decarbonizing the power sector must be prioritized to build a more sustainable future. In the GCC, this goal can be achieved most effectively by leveraging the region’s tremendous renewables potential together with its abundant natural gas reserves, while transitioning away from higher carbon intensity liquid fuels such as oil and diesel, highlights a newly published white paper by GE, “Pathways to Faster Decarbonization in the GCC’s Power Sector.”

Joseph Anis, president and CEO of GE Gas Power Europe, Middle East, and Africa, said: “The challenge we face today is not quite as straightforward as simply providing lower carbon power. We need to solve the energy trilemma of supplying more reliable, affordable, and sustainable power, in the context of increasing demand for electricity. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, and we recognize that multiple solutions — including solar, wind, hydro, gas, nuclear, battery storage, hybrids, and more — will contribute to the region’s long-term energy mix. However, the accelerated and strategic deployment of renewables and gas power in the GCC can enable substantive reductions in emissions rapidly now, while advancing technologies for low or near-zero carbon power generation in the future.”

The white paper cites that the region realized up to a 69 percent compound annual growth rate in installed renewables capacity between 2015 and 2020, starting from a very low value and reaching a total of 2.4 gigawatts at the end of this period. This was driven by fundamentally sound factors such as falling costs — especially of solar photovoltaic solutions, the suitability of renewable solutions for utility-scale projects, and technological advancements that enabled the deployment of renewables in the GCC’s hot and harsh environment. However, the rapid penetration of variable renewable energy can also present challenges such as grid instability.

The white paper details how gas power, which is becoming increasingly efficient, accessible, and affordable, can complement variable renewables with firm, on-demand electricity that can be ramped up or down quickly. With up to a third of the GCC’s power produced by liquid fuels such as crude oil, heavy fuel oil, diesel, and others, switching away from them to natural gas also offers significant reductions in emissions, without compromising the reliability of electricity supplies, as gas produces the lowest emissions among traditional fossil fuels.

Another important means to decarbonize power in the short term is to enhance the performance of the region’s existing gas power infrastructure by implementing gas turbine upgrades and converting simple cycle power plants to combined cycle — a measure that can help generate up to 50 percent more power without additional fuel or emissions.

Beyond power generation, the white paper advocates for investments in grid transmission and distribution systems, the adoption of digital solutions, as well as a continued focus on demand side energy efficiency and management to curtail energy consumption, wastage and emissions.

Dr. Turki Faisal Al-Rasheed to deliver talk at Cairo Water Week 

Dr. Turki Faisal Al-Rasheed to deliver talk at Cairo Water Week 
Updated 23 October 2021

Dr. Turki Faisal Al-Rasheed to deliver talk at Cairo Water Week 

Dr. Turki Faisal Al-Rasheed to deliver talk at Cairo Water Week 
Updated 23 October 2021

The Cairo Water Week, considered the biggest water-related event in Egypt, aims to promote water awareness and discuss innovative approaches to face the most pressing water-related challenges.
Dr. Turki Faisal Al-Rasheed will participate in the Cairo Water Week conference, which will take place from Oct. 24-28.
The conference theme is “Water, Population and Global Changes: Challenges and Opportunities.”

Organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute, in coordination with the Stockholm Environment Institute, the week is considered the biggest water-related event in Egypt.
It aims to promote water awareness and discuss innovative approaches to face the most pressing water-related challenges.

Dr. Al-Rasheed’s talk is titled “Could private investment contribute to just resilience and food security in climate-affected agriculture? Gulf-East Africa linkages.” He will deliver the talk on Oct. 27 at 2.55 p.m. (Egypt time).

Dr. Al-Rasheed will discuss the transboundary investment that provides Saudi Arabia’s food security and regional security.

The African countries will achieve sustainability’s triple bottom line (profit, people, and planet) from transboundary investments.

Saudi Arabia and African countries are facing various challenges to meet sustainability, such as climate change, food security, and water security resilience.

The agriculture sector is the foremost consumer of water in Saudi Arabia at 84 percent, while the world consumes 70 percent of total water requirements.

The Saudi predicament regarding water scarcity has driven the leadership to outsource food security internationally.
Saudi Arabia’s investment in African countries is one of the best alternatives for securing food security because several of these countries enjoy fertile soil, an abundance of water, low-cost labor, and are neighboring Muslim countries.

The Cairo Water Week 2021 is organized around five themes: Water and Global Change, Advances in Water Management, Water and Society, Regional and Sectoral Cooperation for Water Security, and Innovation in Hydro-Sciences.
The five related themes and a number of subtopics will be addressed during the event through various plenary and technical sessions that will be organized by reputable international and regional organizations including the Food and Agriculture Organization, UN Development Program, the World Bank, Economic, and Social Commission for West Asia, the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, and many other high-level international institutions.

Dr. Al-Rasheed is the co-author of “Public Governance and Strategic Management Capabilities: Public Governance in the Gulf States” with Paul Joyce. He is now writing “Saudi Arabia’s Transformation: Sustainability and Uncertainty” together with Joyce. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Biosystems Engineering.

LG brings new intelligence to connected living in GCC

LG brings new intelligence to connected living in GCC
Updated 20 October 2021
Arab News

LG brings new intelligence to connected living in GCC

LG brings new intelligence to connected living in GCC
Updated 20 October 2021
Arab News

With the proliferation of mobile devices and tablets, alongside Internet of Things integration, the smart home market continues to expand at a rapid pace and scale. In the GCC, the smart home market is expected to increase from $803.40 million in 2020 to $5.47 billion by 2027, representing a compound annual growth rate of 31.55 percent.

With this rise, homeowners are now inundated with more choice than ever before, but choosing which smart home products and services to invest in can be a daunting experience. Seeking to be a lifestyle innovator that serves a truly intelligent way of living, LG is deploying its proprietary LG ThinQ technology within its home appliances and accompanying smartphone application for a more seamless and enjoyable smart home experience.

Acting as the central nervous system of the smart home, the LG ThinQ app enables users to remotely operate, manage and optimize LG ThinQ-enabled appliances from wherever they may be. With a simple Wi-Fi connection, homeowners can easily connect their appliances to the application, managing all devices from a centralized dashboard. Powered by machine learning and AI, LG ThinQ studies user patterns and preferences for a uniquely personalized experience.

Customized clothing care

Among the portfolio of LG ThinQ-enabled washing machines available today, LG’s AI DD series features added benefits for a more intelligent wash cycle. The new technology of the LG Inverter Direct Drive Motor with AI not only detects the weight of laundry, but also the softness of fabrics to automatically determine the most optimal washing pattern. With this feature, LG AI DD washing machines can provide up to 18 percent less fabric damage, prolonging the life of garments.

Using the LG ThinQ app, homeowners can control and monitor the operation of their washing machine both inside and outside the home via Wi-Fi connectivity, including checking the remaining time on the cycle and receiving a message once the washing is complete.

Sparkling clean dishes

LG QuadWash dishwashers feature multi-motion spray arms and high-pressure jets, providing maximum coverage to get dishes clean the first time round. Dishwashers embedded with LG ThinQ technology not only enable remote operation, but also keep users in the know via the smartphone application, which provides updates on the cleaning status and notifies upon completion of a cycle. To prolong the lifespan of the dishwasher, LG ThinQ also alerts the user when the appliance should be cleaned, avoiding performance issues.

Keeping food fresh

LG’s InstaView Door-in-Door refrigerators have become synonymous with keeping food fresher for longer, thanks to their intelligent system that reduces cold air loss. To elevate this agenda and offer a truly customized experience, LG ThinQ technology recognizes the timings when the refrigerator is most often opened and runs in power mode accordingly to maintain freshness. It also learns when ice is most actively used by those in the home, activating an express function known as Smart Ice Plus ahead of time. With the LG ThinQ app, users can remotely monitor their refrigerator, adjust the temperature and even receive alerts when the door has been left open.

OWSC to launch ‘largest of its kind’ sporting event in UAE

OWSC to launch ‘largest of its kind’ sporting event in UAE
Updated 20 October 2021
Arab News

OWSC to launch ‘largest of its kind’ sporting event in UAE

OWSC to launch ‘largest of its kind’ sporting event in UAE
Updated 20 October 2021
Arab News

OWS Capital Investments, a Dubai-based multi-platform investment company, has announced the launch of the World Football Series, an original concept that promises to be one of the largest sporting events in the region.

The tournament, formed alongside retired French football legend Ibrahim Ba, is due to launch later this year and will include high-profile names of football players that have molded the industry in the past decades.

“Having played with some of the biggest football teams and players in the world, I wanted to reunite some of my friends with the sport that they love most. Not only that, but I also wanted to create an event that would connect the people of the region, after what has been one of the most isolating times that my generation has ever experienced,” said Ba.

“I am very excited to be working with my close friend, Oweis Zahran, and his team on this exciting project that will surely be one that the region has never seen before and one that will remain in the history books for years to come,” added the former football star, who played for the French national team as well as international clubs such as A.C. Milan, A.C. Perugia Calcio, Bordeaux and Olympique de Marseille to name a few.

Set to be held in the UAE, the tournament expects to receive global exposure and interest. Visitors can expect a thrilling, once-in-a-lifetime experience watching the stars compete against one another.

Zahran, managing director of OWS Capital, said, “All of us at OWS Capital, truly believe in the importance of unity and human connection and, when it comes to uniting people, nothing does that quite like football. We are genuinely excited to bring what will be one of the biggest football events that the region has ever seen come to life.”

OWSC is responsible for launching the first Steve Harvey Golf Classic outside of the US. This high-profile event will be held on Nov. 29 and will include a long list of Hollywood attendees.

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