ANB
Visa International’s summer-2008 worldwide marketing campaign for June 1-Aug. 31 ended with a bumper prize for an Arab National Bank’s customer. Mohammed Al-Omrani of Dammam, holder of Al-Arabi Visa Credit Card, won the campaign prize, a fully paid royal trip package for two persons. The package includes two business class tickets, four nights/five days stay in a luxurious castle-hotel in Europe, Chateau De Bagnols of France, and a generous pocket allowance for expenses to be paid by the winner’s Visa credit card. ANB participated in the campaign to encourage its customers to use their ANB silver and golden credit cards in making payments for expenditures while they are traveling abroad. ANB is keen to avail its customers the opportunities to qualify and benefit from the campaign often used by a large number of Visa credit cards holders qualified to win Visa’s prizes. Asad Alsadah, head of retail banking, and Othman Badr, head of marketing and segmentation, ANB, presented the prize package to the winner at a special event organized by the bank.
EMAAR
Emaar, The Economic City (Emaar.E.C.), the Tadawul-listed company developing King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), has signed a SR325 million contract with Al-Radwan Contractors, a Saudi Arabian construction company, to build 134 villas within the Resort Cove. Fahd Al-Rasheed, board member and CEO, Emaar.E.C., and Abdullah Al-Radwan, CEO, Al-Radwan Contractors, signed the agreement recently. As per the contract, Al-Radwan will construct 134 Spanish style villas overlooking a world-class, 780,000 sq m golf course. “King Abdullah Economic City has already set new benchmarks in construction and engineering excellence, and the first phase of the project is progressing as per schedule. The contract with Al-Radwan reiterates our commitment to deliver homes to customers on time, and to establish KAEC as a world-class community in Saudi Arabia,” Al-Rasheed said.
LG
LG Electronics (LG) has announced changes to the company’s structure, effective Thursday. At the core of the South Korean giant’s reorganization is an increase in its focus on business solutions for tomorrow’s challenging environment. The company’s business portfolio has been restructured to maximize growth potential in existing businesses while at the same time fully developing new ones. “Our business will be perfectly positioned to address tomorrow’s challenges as a result of these changes,” said Yong Nam, LG’s vice chairman and CEO. “This strategy will enable us to capture even more of the ever-expanding commercial market. It will also help LG expand the value chain from device (hardware) to solutions and allow us to better address the lifestyle needs of our current and future customers.” In addition to the changes to the company’s business units, Nam also appointed or promoted 48 new executives as part of his sweeping plan to position LG for long-term business success.
WIPRO
Wipro Technologies, the global IT services business of Wipro Ltd., and Citigroup Inc. (Citi), the leading global financial services company, has reached an agreement to acquire Citi Technology Services Ltd., the India-based captive provider of IT services and solutions to Citi entities worldwide, for an all cash consideration of about $127 million. As part of the transaction, Wipro and Citi will sign a master services agreement for the delivery of technology infrastructure services (TIS), and application development and maintenance (ADM) services for a period of six years. The agreement provides for the delivery of at least $500 million in service revenues over the period of the contract.
ARAMEX
Aramex has provided full logistical support to Dubai Cares’ Million Book Challenge, an empowering literacy project to provide children around the world access to books. The Million Book Challenge asked students aged 3 through 14 to collectively read one million books in two weeks; the students surpassed this goal and read 1,323,218 books. For each book read, Dubai Cares is purchasing a new book and will donate it to children around the world who currently do not have access to books. As a partner, Aramex handled all of the campaign’s logistical needs to over 150 government and private schools in the UAE.
BETCO
Dr. Bassam Elmadhoun Training Company Ltd.’s (BETCO) first two-day awareness seminar ended in Jeddah, on Sunday. “The objective was to bring awareness to the regulated industries of the demand for the development of the personnel,” said BETCO’s Managing Director Dr. Bassam Elmadhoun who conducted various sessions at the event. “The objective of BETCO, a development and innovation center for health training, in the region is to provide high standard quality compliance training close to the industries with affordable cost.” Elmadhoun said. “The best way to conclude such an important topic is with Tabuk Pharmaceuticals’ GM Hamad Al-Khamees’s remark at the seminar —- “We spend so much on our machines and buildings. It is now the time than ever to invest more in our people.” He added: “The high cost of sending our workers abroad for training is inconsistent with the tough economy. Therefore, the convenient alternative is the affordable, local and high standard training programs like the one offered by BETCO.”
AL-RABIE
Al-Rabie Saudi Foods Co. Ltd., a producer of dairy products and juices in the Kingdom, which claims to be the largest juice manufacturer in the Middle East, recently showcased its latest breakthroughs in food safety and management during its participation at the First Arab Conference on Food Safety and Hygiene held in Bahrain last week. Al-Rabie, which participated as a sponsor of the event, offered key findings and insights as an industry leader and discussed with global experts the most pressing issues on pesticides, pollution and environmental risks posed by genetically engineered food, as well as some of the latest developments in scientific research from other countries.
SAMBA
Samba Financial Group has launched a new and innovative service for its credit card holders, Eissa M. Al-Eissa, managing director and CEO of the bank announced on Sunday. “Irrespective of the amount or type of transaction, cardholders will receive SMS messages confirming the transactions made on their cards,” he said. “This service is completely free and enables customers to have control of their credit card accounts and make sure that their cards are not used without their knowledge,” said Al-Eissa. “Whenever a Samba credit card holder makes a transaction using his card, he will receive the message immediately after the transaction is successfully completed, wherever he is in the world,” the Samba chief said.
