Lufthansa German Airlines and Swiss Air Lines have completed integration procedures in the Kingdom, with the move to a centralized office for both airlines in Riyadh. “With our new one-company focus, sales and marketing, operations and airport services, will function from our combined offices in both Riyadh and Jeddah,” General Manager Rolf Koller said at the awards ceremony for agents in Jeddah last week. The 50-strong team in the Kingdom will be able to optimize services for both airlines more conveniently, and the consolidated offering will expedite customer business with grater effectiveness.” Passengers traveling in either airline from the Kingdom can benefit from a single price structure, which will help travelers to journey one way on SWISS and return on Lufthansa or vice versa. Additionally, passengers have a choice of six flights a week between Riyadh and Jeddah. SWISS is introducing a fourth frequency starting from Saturday, which will ensure that each day of the week is covered. Fifteen local travel agents were presented with awards for their support to the two integrated airlines. Zahid Travel, which figured in the list of award winners, was given a special award for its outstanding support to the airlines. Attar, Ace, Elaf, Al-Esayi, Al-Rajhi, Al-Huda, ITC, Kanoo, Mirage, Portfolio, T & TS, STTB, Al-Zouman and Transad received their awards.
JAMJOOM/RAINBOW
Rainbow and Jamjoom are dairy brands that have brought the goodness of milk from both brands together in one pack. Jamjoom Rainbow milk recently organized a three-days educational milk event at Durat Al-Arous, north of Jeddah, targeting thousands of students between 7 and 10 years old. The event was designed to combine a serious educational element with copious amounts of fun, where it opened with a short play that focused on the nutritional value of the 27 vitamins and minerals present in milk. The days continued with “Fill the bucket” milking sessions involving a dummy cow, emphasizing the natural source of food, followed by an interactive session tracing the production process from cow to Jamjoom Rainbow milk packed in Tetra Pak packages. During the event, the children had many opportunities — and as in previous ‘Milk Days’ these were addressed — to consume milk in different plain and flavored varieties. Children enjoyed the delicious tasting plain and flavored milk from Jamjoom/Rainbow. And at the end of the event, all the milk carton packages that were used were collected and sent for recycling.
Global
Global Investment House (Global)-sponsored two-day corporate governance forum, which ended in the UAE recently addressed ways to improve corporate governance framework in the region. Hawkamah, the institute for corporate governance organized the two-day forum at the Dubai International Financial Center in Dubai, tiled “Toward sound and efficient financial markets and banking systems,” with leading figures from both local and international arena. “Our sponsorship stems from our belief that such forums will help companies strengthen corporate governance in their structure and processes to enhance transparency and international business standards,” a Global spokesman said. In the past few years, corporate governance has received great attention from the public and private sector, and Global support will serve the regional policy aimed in implementing and efficiently coordinating policies and international codes in both sectors.
Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco, the global petroleum giant, has scooped the “Project of the Year” at the sixth annual Excellence in Energy Awards at Abu Dhabi’s Armed Forces Officers’ Club. “Saudi Aramco was voted for its mega projects, which include the largest expansion in its history encompassing crude oil production, refining and petrochemicals production,” said Eileen Michael, publisher, Reflex Publishing, which organizes the awards through its Pipeline magazine. “This award underscores the company’s continuing leadership in the global energy industry and is proof of its commitment towards creating one of the world’s best oil and gas facilities.” This is the third year in a row that Saudi Aramco has bagged an accolade at the prestigious Middle East energy industry “Oscars”. Previous wins include the “Industry Innovator” award for Abdallah S. Jum’ah, president and CEO, Saudi Aramco, “Best Company in Environment” in 2005 and the Overall Excellence in Energy Award in 2004.
LOWE
The Middle East Communication Networks (MCN) has formally announced the official launch of the new Lowe brand agency in the region. This is Lowe Worldwide’s first direct investment in the MENA region, and the global brand has aligned itself with MCN to manage and operate the brand here. MCN is the region’s largest communications holding company in the region that owns the Promoseven, Universal Media and Initiative brands amongst others. MCN recently acquired the Lowe brand along with its globally aligned clients’ businesses across the region from the Interpublic Group. A brand known globally for its “High value ideas” and creative excellence, Lowe’s regional headquarters will be in Dubai with independent offices across the region. Lowe has opened offices in Morocco, Doha and Riyadh, and will be opening the next two regional frontiers in Beirut and Cairo in the next few weeks.
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson yesterday announced the availability of the Z610i, a stylish 3G phone that blends performance with stand-out design. The sleek mirror finish on the front cover gives the phone a jewel-like quality that is complimented by a hidden “magic mirror” display which can only be seen when in use. This striking phone delivers on its good looks: Its advanced feature set includes a 2.0 Megapixel camera and broadband-speed 3G connectivity. With such a unique design and a choice of three eye-catching colors — Luster Black, Rose Pink & Airy Blue — the Z610i is the clamshell to be seen with. “The unique design of the Z610i is inspired by nature. We’ve applied a mirror finish and used a hidden display for the first time to achieve the feel of a calm ocean surface,” said Husni El-Assi, GM, Sony Ericsson, MENA. The magic of the Z610i is revealed when a call comes in or the user receives an SMS or MMS. The hidden external display illuminates, giving the effect that the caller-ID information is floating on the face of the phone itself.
