BOLDtalks Innovation 2019: Airbus to lead discussions on future industry trends and advances in innovation

Experts will highlight the opportunities and challenges associated with autonomous flight technologies and the future of smart cities

@Airbus @BOLDtalks #BOLDtalks #Innovation


Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 10 November 2019 – Airbus has today announced the seventh edition of its partnership with the intimate and impactful discussions, BOLDtalks which will take place a day before the start of Dubai Airshow 2019. BOLDtalks Innovation will take place on Saturday, 16 November 2019 and will see seven speakers take the stage to discuss a variety of fascinating and future-focused topics covering a wide range of sectors.


BOLDtalks Innovation brings together business leaders, research experts, product developers, designers, and innovators to tackle some of the most important industry and societal challenges. They will analyse current trends, highlight private sector advances and government engagements within the innovation space. They will also look at the obstacles, triumphs, and inspiring solutions available through a selection of some of the most captivating regional and global case studies.


This year’s roster of featured talks include discussions on the governments’ role in enabling innovation and the potential impact caused by regulation. The event will highlight how cities are evolving through innovation and the impact that smart cities will have on citizens. Airbus will also be showcasing cutting edge technology that could reduce aviation emissions along with the opportunities and challenges associated with autonomous flight technologies, while the development of marine biotechnology and how drones are a gateway for data-driven agriculture are also high on the agenda.




Mikail Houari, President, Airbus Africa and the Middle East commented: ‘Our partnership with BOLDTalks is all about engaging conversations on innovation and its relevance in advancing societies for a sustainable world. We are just as eager to learn from the wisdom of our peers as we are to share our insights and experience. The purpose is to demonstrate how innovation is vital to the modern-day economy. The ability to resolve critical problems, especially in developing countries, depends on innovation.




“What we create at Airbus influences the lives of millions of people around the world. We manufacture products that improve and change the future for the better. The mix of active citizenship and open innovation has made Airbus a leader in the aerospace industry and innovation happens when great ideas, people and challenges intersect,” added Houari.




BOLDtalks is about delivering deeper levels of understanding of diverse topics. The experts who will be leading the discussions at BOLDtalks Innovation 2019 include Philipp Lemmerz - Director in PwC’s Public Management Consulting Practice, Omar Al Hashimi - Head of Knowledge Management and Innovation Team at Abu Dhabi Municipality. It will also include Sana Bagersh - Government Innovation Advisor and CEO of BrandMoxie, Arne Stoschek - Project Executive at Acubed by Airbus, Dr Sandra Bour Schaffer - Ho Airbus Group Demonstrator and CEO of Airbus ExO Alpha. Dr. Kawther Ibrahim Ali Al-Belushi - Bioeconomy Cluster Lead in Ejaad Establishment, Peter Gould - CEO at Zileej and Dr Ali Elbattay - Chief Innovation Officer at Falcon Eye Drones will also be some of the guest speakers at BOLDtalks.




BOLDtalks Innovation 2019, will take place at the Dubai Knowledge Park Auditorium, Saturday, 16 November 2019 at 4.00pm. BOLDtalks Innovation 2019 is free - register to attend

For more information, visit www.boldtalks.com/en or get in touch info@BOLDtalks.com.

Western Motors signs MOU with Emirates Driving Company

Agreement seeks to promote off-road safety & sand dune adventures in the UAE


Exclusive training course to be offered to new Western Motors Jeep Wrangler

Abu Dhabi, 10 November 2019

Western Motors, Jeep authorized distributor in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and member of ALFAHIM Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Emirates Driving Company (EDC) to jointly promote safe off-road driving, encourage Jeepers to take their vehicles out into the UAE’s adventurous sand dunes and utilize their 4x4’s to their full potential.

The partnership aligns with both entities’ endeavors to encourage vehicle and passenger safety. Present at the signing were Mr. Khaled Al Mansouri, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EDC, and Mr. Monzer Al Rifai, General Manager of Western Motors. Targeting the beginning of the off-roading season, the agreement was signed by Mr. Fadhel Al Mehairbi, Finance Director of EDC, of EDC and Mr. Mohammad Mahmoud, Sales Manager of Western Motors at the headquarters of EDC in Mussafah.

As part of the MOU, the recently developed ‘Desert Driving’ training course will be offered free of charge to new Jeep customers purchasing 2019 Wranglers from Western Motors. The course will be held in exclusive Jeep batches and will provide in-depth training on each feature of the vehicle allowing owners to maximize on their new vehicles’ capabilities.

Designed to acquaint new Jeep customers with the thrill-seeking culture of Western Motors, the course will be led by EDC instructors, who will carry out the training on a Jeep Wrangler in Al Wathba, Baniyas. The course will cover several modules, including: basic mechanical knowledge of a modern Jeep Wrangler, topography of the desert, proven techniques to stay safe, off-road challenges and how to overcome them. Customers who successfully complete the course will earn an off-road certificate from EDC.

At the signing ceremony, Mr. Khaled Al Mansouri, CEO of EDC said: “Through this strategic partnership, we are contributing to the overall safety of everyone interested to dune-drive in the desert. Our aim is to ensure car owners are fully aware of safety procedures, any required precautions for drivers or passengers; in addition to, being mindful of the environment.”

Speaking on behalf of Western Motors, Mr. Monzer Al Rifai, General Manager of Western Motors, stated: “We are delighted to be partners with EDC and look forward to working together in the coming months as we strive to achieve our shared ambitions. Showcasing our mutual values of promoting socially responsible activities, our agreement with EDC is instrumental in the promotion of safe off-road driving, while endorsing new talents to emerge in Abu Dhabi.”

Adding to that, Mr. Mohammad Mahmoud, Sales Manager of Western Motors, said: “As an adventure-driven brand, Western Motors is a keen supporter of sports-oriented community activities. Jeep Wranglers are equipped with unique features that present off-road enthusiasts with a great opportunity to challenge themselves in the sand dunes and utilize their 4x4s to their full potential.”



Western Motors was established in 1976 under ALFAHIM Group and is the authorized distributor in Abu Dhabi for Fait Chrysler Automobiles’ (FCA) Jeep, Mopar and Fiat. Emphasizing their customer-focused strategy, the company owns two state-of-the-art automotive facilities in the UAE capital, equipped with the latest innovative technology and managed by FCA certified experts. Located at the heart of Abu Dhabi, the Airport Road branch features a world-class showroom and express service centre, while the highly advanced after-sales services centre is situated in Mussafah.

"الغربية للسيارات" توقع اتفاقية تعاون مع شركة الإمارات لتعليم قيادة السيارات

الاتفاقية تهدف إلى تعزيز السلامة على الطرق الوعرة خلال مغامرات الكثبان الرملية في الإمارات

دورات تدريبية حصرية للغربية للسيارات يتم تقديمها لسائقي جيب رانجلر الجدد

أبوظبي، 10 نوفمبر 2019 

وقّعت الغربية للسيارات، الموزع المعتمد لسيارات الجيب في إمارة أبوظبي وعضو في مجموعة الفهيم، اتفاقية تعاون مع شركة الإمارات لتعليم قيادة السيارات، وذلك بهدف تعزيز الجهود المشتركة للحفاظ على السلامة العامة على الطرق الوعرة، وتشجيع سائقي سيارات الجيب على المشاركة في مغامرات الكثبان الرملية، والاستفادة من سيارات الدفع الرباعي الخاصة بهم.

وتأتي هذه الشراكة تماشياً مع مساعي الطرفين في نشر ثقافة السلامة العامة وحماية الركاب والمركبات، بالتزامن مع بداية موسم جديد من المغامرات على الطرق الوعرة. حضر توقيع الاتفاقية السيد خالد المنصوري، الرئيس التنفيذي لشركة الإمارات لتعليم قيادة السيارات، والسيد منذر الرفاعي، مدير عام الغربية للسيارت، في حين قام بتوقيعها كل من السيد فاضل المحيربي، مدير إدارة المالية لشركة الإمارات لتعليم قيادة السيارات، والسيد محمد محمود، مدير مبيعات شركة الغربية للسيارات، وذلك في مقر شركة الإمارات لتعليم قيادة السيارات في منطقة المصفح.

وكجزء من الاتفاقية، سيتم تقديم دورات تدريبية حصرية ومجانية لعملاء الغربية للسيارات، الذين قاموا بشراء سيارات جيب رانجلر 2019، حيث سيتم تقديم دورة تدريبية بعنوان "القيادة في الصحراء". وستوفّر هذه الدورة سلسلة من التدريبات الهامة والفعالة التي تتيح لسائقي سيارات رانجلر بالتعرف على كل مميزات السيارة والاستمتاع بقدرات سياراتهم الجديدة.

وتهدف هذه الدورة إلى نشر ثقافة البحث عن الإثارة والشغف في قيادة السيارات لدى جميع عملاء الغربية للسيارات، حيث سيترأس الدورات مدربون من شركة الإمارات لتعليم قيادة السيارات في منطقة الوثبة، بني ياس. وستتناول الدورة عدّة موضوعات، بما فيها المعلومات الميكانيكية الأساسية لسيارة جيب رانجلر الجديدة، والتعرّف على تضاريس الصحراء، والتقنيات الموجودة في السيارة للحفاظ على السلامة والأمان، إضافة إلى التعريف بأبرز التحديات التي يمكن مواجهتها على الطرق الوعرة وكيفية التغلب عليها. وسيحصل العملاء الذين أكملوا الدورة التدريبية بنجاح على شهادة إتمام التدريب للقيادة على الطرق الوعرة من شركة الإمارات لتعليم قيادة السيارات. 

وتعليقاً على الاتفاقية، قال السيد خالد المنصوري، الرئيس التنفيذي لشركة الإمارات لتعليم قيادة السيارات: "من خلال هذا التعاون، سنساهم في الحفاظ على سلامة كل من يرغب بالقيادة في الصحراء بتعزيز المعرفة بإجراءات واحتياطات سلامة السائقين ومرافقيهم، وزيادة الوعي البيئي لديهم". 

ومن جانبه، قال السيد منذر الرفاعي، مدير عام الغربية للسيارات: "يسعدنا أن نوقع اتفاقية تعاون مع شركة الإمارات لتعليم قيادة السيارات، ونتطلع إلى العمل معاً لتحقيق الطموحات والأهداف المشتركة بما يتماشى مع استراتيجيتنا والتزامنا الكامل بمسؤولياتنا المجتمعية التي تعزز ثقافة القيادة الآمنة والسلامة على الطرقات الوعرة بين جميع السائقين ودعم الأنشطة المجتمعية الرياضية وتشجيع اكتشاف المواهب الجديدة في هذا المجال". 

في حين قال السيد محمد محمود، مدير مبيعات الغربية للسيارات: "خلال الأشهر القادمة، سوف نسعى إلى نشر الوعي بالمميزات الفريدة التي تتمتع بها سيارة جيب رانجلر الجديدة، والتي تقدّم لعشاق القيادة على الطرق الوعرة فرصة مثالية لتحدي أنفسهم وقيادة المغامرات الاستثنائية على الكثبان الرملية مستفيدين من مزايا سيارة الدفع الرباعي الفريدة". 

وتأسست الغربية للسيارات عام 1976 تحت مظلة مجموعة الفهيم، وهي الموزع المعتمد لسيارات جيب وفيات ومنتجات موبار من ﻓﻴــﺎت كرايسلر أوتوموبيلز في إمارة أبوظبي. وانطلاقاً من استراتيجيتها التي ترتكز بشكل أساسي على العملاء، أسست الشركة اثنين من أحدث مرافق السيارات في العاصمة أبوظبي، وهي مجهزة بالكامل من خلال مجموعة متطورة من التقنيات المبتكرة بإدارة وإشراف نخبة من الخبراء المعتمدين في ﻓﻴﺎت كرايسلر أوتوموبيلز. ويقع فرع الغربية للسيارات على طريق المطار في قلب مدينة أبوظبي، ويضم صالة عرض عالمية المستوى ومركزاً للخدمة السريعة، في حين يقع مركز خدمات ما بعد البيع الحديث والمتطور في منطقة المصفح.

Evonik confirms full-year earnings outlook despite ongoing weakness in global economy

Key Financial Data: Third quarter 2019

2019: Adjusted EBITDA to remain at least stable


Free cash flow outlook for full year confirmed and specified: around €700 million


Q3: Sales and operating earnings below year-ago period


Stricter cost discipline supports earnings




Essen, Germany. Evonik is sticking to its full-year earnings outlook despite an ongoing weakness in the global economy.

The company expects adjusted EBITDA to remain at least stable compared with last year. Sales are now expected to be slightly lower than the previous year because of lower demand. Evonik had expected sales to remain stable. In 2018 Evonik generated - excluding the divested Methacrylates business - sales of

€13.3 billion and adjusted EBITDA of €2.15 billion.




“We prepared ourselves at an early stage with stricter cost discipline and additional contingency measures for a cooling global economy,” said Christian Kullmann, chairman of Evonik’s executive board. “We are being very proactive to ensure we meet our full-year outlook.”




The 2018 initiated efficiency program to reduce administrative and selling expenses by €200 million annually has been accelerated. By end of this year, Evonik will achieve €120 million of savings, €20 million more than originally planned. A further €20 million will be saved with additional contingency measures such as delaying new hires and more restrictive expenditure on external services.




Evonik is specifying its full-year outlook for free cash flow and

is now expecting a level of around €700 million, a significantly higher free cash flow compared with last year. This is mainly due to lower capex spending, less build-up of net working capital and the partial reimbursement of pension payments from the Contractual Trust Arrangement (CTA). The more precise outlook does not include taxes incurred from the carve out of the divested Methacrylates business.




The global economic slowdown continued to impact Evonik’s performance in the third quarter. In the months July to September sales fell 3 percent to €3.23 billion due to lower volumes and selling prices. Adjusted EBITDA fell 6 percent year-on-year to €543 million.




Segment Performance




Resource Efficiency: Segment sales declined 1 percent to

€1.4 billion in the third quarter. Coatings as well as the adhesive and resins business was affected by the global economic slowdown, especially in the automotive and coatings sector.

Sales volumes declined for industry-related silica applications.

In contrast, high-performance polymers benefited from solid demand for membranes and from the 3D printing industry. Crosslinkers saw high demand from the wind industry.

Adjusted EBITDA dropped 4 percent to €322 million.




Nutrition & Care: Sales declined 2 percent to €1.14 billion in the third quarter. Demand for essential amino acids for animal nutrition remained high while selling prices declined further. In the Health Care business sales increased, especially due to good demand for pharma and food ingredients. Sales increased significantly for polyurethane-foam additives, mostly on high demand for durable consumer goods and insulation. Adjusted EBITDA at the segment dropped 11 percent to €188 million.




Performance Materials: Sales in the third quarter decreased

20 percent to €475 million compared with the prior-year quarter. Development at Performance Intermediates was impaired by a lower oil and naphtha price and slightly lower selling prices. Continuing constraints in raw-material supply and technical problems at the C4 plants in Marl and Antwerp weighed on earnings. At Functional Solutions the alkoxides business developed well. Adjusted EBITDA declined 25 percent to

€47 million at the segment.

How CIOs and IT Teams in Egypt can Prepare for Life on the Edge

Author: Jacob Chacko, Regional Business Head - Middle East at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company




IT teams have been under pressure to introduce a range of new technologies into businesses, across multiple departments and functions. These range from IoT, to AI and machine learning, data processing alongside traditional functional technologies like CRM systems. The network edge represents the culmination of these technologies coming together. According to Gartner, edge computing will be a necessary requirement for all digital businesses by 2022. With potentially trillions of dollars being invested in the hope of generating huge economic returns, the argument for paying attention to the Edge opportunity is clear and the window for learning and action is narrowing.




The challenge for IT teams is to lead the pursuit of these edge-based strategies across the business, and manage the edge environments, from user devices to operational technology all with data security as a priority.




In the findings of the e-book commissioned by Aruba entitled ‘Opportunity at the Edge: Change, Challenge, and Transformation on the Path to 2025’, many interviewees and survey respondents highlight the sheer scale of the technology ecosystem that IT must manage in an edge environment. For example, in a university environment, IT now must accommodate and support the range of student devices being used across campus – from laptops to smart speakers – plus IoT-enabled environments such as temperature sensors and security cameras. At the same time, all the university functions from catering to the athletics department are deploying an ever-wider array of technologies at the edge that need to be bound into the network and supported in a secure manner.




Innovation, Change and Transformation Advisor Philippe Choné reinforces this point: “Products used to be physical things. Now products come with a layer of software and data and that points to an ecosystem. Product management and strategy, then, needs to involve not only IT partners but also legal compliance.”




Part of the challenge for the C-suite is ensuring leaders have enough understanding and digital literacy to drive and support the IT function to fulfil its crucial emerging role in a business pursuing edge strategy.




Building an Edge-Capable IT Function

Across the expert interviews, survey, and secondary research, the issue of upgrading IT capabilities was raised consistently. Emphasis was placed on the need for the C-suite to reassure itself that the IT function fully understands the requirements and challenges of delivering seamless and secure service across tens of thousands of digital touchpoints, with focus on four key issues.




First, the management, integration, and security of a highly distributed IT infrastructure spanning from the core of the business via the cloud to the new network edge. Typically, this ecosystem includes users, fixed and mobile edge devices, applications, data, distributed data centres, networks, gateways, on-premises infrastructure, cloud services, infrastructure management processes, security management, and reporting. Key here is flexibility, as most organizations cannot say with certainty just how many digital touch-points they might create over the next three to five years in an edge environment. Hence the infrastructure strategy needs to allow for the potential for the number of edge-connected devices to increase by 10X, 100X, or 1000X – placing the spotlight on the scalability and interoperability of the technology choices being made.




Second, the collection, storage, management, security, privacy protection, and governance of data becomes a heightened priority as the organization increasingly reinvents itself around this core asset.




Third, the sheer complexity of such environments will drive organizations to make far greater use of smart software applications operating at every level from device monitoring to management of the entire ecosystem. While AI will have a clear role to play, it is critical that every component in the software architecture can be monitored with full traceability of how it made its decisions. This may be a major challenge with many of the current AI applications that cannot explain their reasoning.




Fourth, as highlighted earlier, the edge represents a massive increase in potential security risks as every device and network touchpoint becomes a potential point of vulnerability and source of threat. The InfoSec Institute highlights a number of critical risks that need to be managed, including weak device access passwords; insecure communications; data collected and transmitted by devices being largely unencrypted and unauthenticated; physical security risks for individual devices; and poor service visibility, with security teams unaware of the services running on certain devices.




The edge clearly represents a massive business opportunity and delivering on it will inevitably mean the C-suite spending progressively greater amounts of time truly understanding the IT capabilities being delivered. Leaders will need to be immersed enough to know if their IT function, its infrastructure, and its key partners are fit for purpose and can provide a robust platform to enable a range of future options.

AUC LAUNCHES LIFE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS

November 5, 2019, Cairo – In an effort to support students in navigating their educational journey and future careers, The American University in Cairo (AUC) launched the Life Mentorship Program (LMP) to provide academic, career and personal support through individual mentoring by faculty, alumni and entrepreneurs. Ahmed Tolba, associate provost for strategic enrollment management, and associate professor of marketing at AUC said: “We first launched the Faculty Mentorship Program with 20 faculty mentors and 40 students in Spring 2017. After the success of the Faculty Mentorship Program, we launched the Alumni Mentorship Program, along with the Entrepreneurial Mentorship Program in Spring 2019. We now have 42 faculty members matched with 80 students,” said Tolba.


So far the program has served 180 students since its launch. According to May Ramy, director of academic initiatives and mentoring services, LMP has mentors from diverse fields, backgrounds and professions. “Our faculty mentors are from all academic disciplines at AUC and our alumni mentors have diverse backgrounds including: finance and investment, petroleum, IT, banking, life coaching, marketing, management and consulting, and community development. In addition to entrepreneurial mentors from many different industries and fields.”




Through the Alumni Mentorship Program, students get to discover the different career paths ahead of them and through the Entrepreneurial Mentorship Program, they are matched with entrepreneurs and business experts to help them put their start-up idea into action. “During the interviewing process with the students, we discovered that we have more than 30 students with promising start-up ideas. So, it was great to know that the mentees are already matched with mentors who can pass on their experiences and business advice to them to take their businesses to the next level,” said Tolba.




To ensure that the students receive the best outcome from the program, Tolba explained that they have conducted professional development programs over the past two years to ensure that the mentors are always up to date with the best mentoring techniques. “We also needed to bring their awareness to what facilities and resources are available at AUC so they can best serve the students. Most importantly, we wanted to make sure that the mentors know how to deal with students if they need psychological help or if they have a disability that requires support from a different office. The Center for Student Well-Being also provided training to the faculty on when to stop mentoring if a different kind of help is needed and where to head for professional help on campus.”




Mentoring is a critical component for creating an environment where AUC students could thrive personally, socially, and academically. For George Angly, business administration junior, the faculty mentorship program has proved to be a positive experience: “I feel so lucky that I joined the Life Mentorship Program since its launch. With a different mentor every semester, I believe I have developed a better understanding of myself, my desires, and my passion. A relaxed conversation with your mentor is all what it takes to gain wisdom and view life from a different angle.”




Tolba explained that the program has not only positively affected students but also managed to enrich the life experience of the mentors. “We have also witnessed a strong interest from AUC alumni to give back to AUC by dedicating time and offering mentorship to students.”




Alumni mentor Nadine Moussa ’97, who is an author, coach and marketer, said: “It is a great honor to be part of AUC’s Life Mentorship Program, a small token of giving back to our glorious days at AUC. I personally did not have the privilege of a mentor guiding me in my earlier career... I see the benefits it provides to younger fellow AUCians, helping to guide and support them, and offering them a true invaluable service.”




At the end of each semester, LMP team requires the feedback of the members of the program, through a questionnaire. Feedback on the program has been positive: more than 80 per cent of the enrolled students expressed their extreme satisfaction with the program, and more than 80 per cent of the alumni mentors wish to continue mentoring students. By the end of 2020, the plan is to serve 200 students and expand the network of alumni mentors to 120.




Developing a digital network platform is also part of the future development plan of the LMP. “We are planning to launch a digitized system that automatically matches the students with their respective mentors, instead of the ongoing matching process done by our team. Such platform should engage and benefit all of AUC community and highlight the existing opportunities and possibilities for the students,” said Ramy.




For more information about the university news and events follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/aucegypt



And Twitter @AUC