Category: Uncategorized

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 (Bernama) — BC Platforms (BCP), a global leader in healthcare data management and analytics, has been selected to analyse and manage data collected from the Health for Life in Singapore (HELIOS) study, which forms part of the SG100K data set for Singapore’s National Precision Medicine programme.

The HELIOS study is a state-of-the-art population cohort study established and led by the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore).

According to BCP in a statement, the population study aims to identify environmental, lifestyle and genetic factors that cause heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other chronic diseases in Singapore.

“I’m delighted that we have more good news coming out of Singapore, a major focus for deploying our clinical solutions and driving precision medicine, where we are working with leading Asian healthcare institutions.

“This latest partnership should make it easier for health service providers to determine optimal patients treatment pathways in major diseases areas, based on population health insights using our genomic data management platform,” said its deputy managing director, Nino da Silva.

As part of Singapore’s SG100K study, the HELIOS study will recruit up to 50,000 men and women, aged 30-84 years old, from the Singapore population progressively over the next two years.

BCP will be providing BC|INSIGHT and BC|RQUEST for management of LKCMedicine’s genotype and phenotype patient data from a large Asian cohort in a safe and secure manner.

The project will benefit from BCP’s latest software solution, the ‘Trusted Collaboration Environment’ and the recently upgraded to its acclaimed BC|INSIGHT open platform version 7.

The platform has a high focus on user experience, it is fully equipped with cohort building tools and capabilities to automate data release approval processes and highly dynamic open workspaces.

— BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 (Bernama) — Singapore-based Tessa Therapeutics Ltd (Tessa), a clinical-stage cell therapy company developing next-generation cancer treatments for hematological malignancies and solid tumours, will prioritise the development of its allogeneic “off-the-shelf” CD30.CAR-modified Epstein-Barr virus-specific T-cell (EBVST) therapy platform this year.

At the same time, the company will seek strategic options for the development of its TT11 autologous CAR-T platform with other companies, based on its strategic outlook and corporate update for 2023.

“The decision to prioritise the allogeneic or “off-the-shelf-approach” over the autologous platform followed the progress and new data with the TT11X clinical programme.

“The data demonstrated TT11X to be well-tolerated at all dosing levels, eliciting a 79 per cent overall response rate and 43 per cent complete response rate among 14 heavily pre-treated CD30-positive Hodgkin lymphoma patients,” it said in a statement today.

The company added that these developments are the first of what is expected to be a milestone-rich year ahead as the company seeks to build the value of its pipeline to its fullest potential with available resources.

Its president and chief executive officer (CEO), Thomas Willemsen said he believed that this strategic refocus on the allogeneic platform positions the company at the forefront of CAR-T innovation for 2023 and beyond.

“This optimism is based on the compelling safety and efficacy data that continue to be generated by our TT11X programme and the potential patient benefit in treating CD30-positive lymphomas, and potentially solid tumours where there is a significant unmet medical need,” he said.

In 2022, Tessa enhanced its executive management team with the appointment of Willemsen as CEO and Wilson W. Cheung as chief financial officer.

The company also expanded its board with the addition of Amy Schulman and Darren Carroll from Polaris Partners, which led the company’s US$126 million Series A financing round.

— BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) — Malaysia and China seek to jointly explore the development trend of virtual power plants (VPPs) under the worldwide green and low-carbon transformation.

Towards this goal, the China-Malaysia Virtual Power Plant Project Achievements Conference and China-Malaysia Virtual Power Plant Development Cloud Forum were held online today, the Shanghai Energy Technology Development Co Ltd (SETD) said in a statement.

The subsidiary of China’s State Power Investment Corp Ltd said the event was of great significance for the two countries in terms of cooperation in the VPP business and promoting the green and low-carbon energy transformation.

“At the forum, the panelists exchanged views and gave suggestions on the development status and trend of new energy and energy storage in Malaysia, and the development potential, technical research, construction and operation and business model of the virtual power plant.

“Going forward, China and Malaysia will work together to promote green, low-carbon and smart energy transition and make new contributions to tackling climate change and achieving sustainable development for mankind,” it said.

In 2022, SETD, together with domestic and Malaysian universities and counterparts, led the preparation of a research report, “Development Potential Analysis and Cooperation Prospect of VPP in China and Malaysia”, both in English and Chinese.

The report offers an in-depth analysis of China and Malaysia’s energy and power development status and the development potential of VPPs in the two countries.

It also puts forward a preliminary design of the operation scheme of VPPs in Malaysia, as well as suggestions for bilateral cooperation in this field.

— BERNAMA

SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 30, 2022 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

The 18th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) kicked off on December 28, 2022. This year’s ICIF is held mainly offline, complemented by synchronized online exhibitions. It is estimated that over 2,500 governmental delegations, cultural institutions and businesses will attend the fair on site, while 800 institutes and enterprises will set up online booths.

The ICIF is the first cultural fair in China recognized by the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI). Since its inception in Shenzhen in 2004, the fair has seen a continuous increase in exhibition scale, audience, and level of internationalization. It has now grown into a key engine for China’s cultural industrial growth, as well as an important platform and window to spread Chinese culture to the world, according to Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government.

According to statistics, every year, the ICIF gathers over 100,000 exhibits from cultural and creative industries at home and abroad, and more than 4,000 cultural investment and financing projects are displayed and traded at the fair. By participating in the event, numerous excellent overseas businesses and institutions have successfully expanded their market and found new opportunities for cooperation and development.

Notably, an International Exhibition Hall has been set up on this year’s Cloud ICIF. A total of 300 overseas cultural institutions and businesses from 30 countries and regions across the globe have been invited to the online fair. Domestic and foreign cultural products and projects are being displayed on the online platform, with a strong emphasis on promoting cultural exchange and trade between China and other countries along the Belt and Road, and expanding the international network for cultural trade.

Miao Song, founder and director of the Canada China Art-Tech (CCAT), brought along its Canadian partners Telefilm Canada, Concordia University, and The 7 Fingers. She said, “This is the 4th time we have participated in the ICIF. This year we see more participating countries and more diverse exhibits. Particularly, the technology culture products have never failed to impress me.”

In response to a question on why the CCAT takes part in the fair, Director Song believes that the CCAT shares many core values with the ICIF in supporting the growth of China’s cultural industry and assisting Chinese cultural products in reaching a global audience. She added: “The CCAT exhibits are diversified, embracing science and technology, arts, academia and humanities, and other sectors, so it fits well with the ICIF’s high-quality, diverse and comprehensive display mode.” 

Additionally, this fair has opened up new avenues for attracting foreign investment and exhibitors, so as to engage more domestic and international cultural institutions and businesses, and help exhibitors accelerate their integration into China’s “dual circulation” development pattern and develop new markets. It will build itself into a significant cultural platform for international procurement, investment promotion, people-to-people exchange, and open cooperation. A total of 10,931 buyers from 108 countries and regions, like France, Germany, and Pakistan, have registered for the online fair.

Ambassador JUDYTH NSABABERA from Consulate General of the Republic of Uganda in Guangzhou said: “This year, we are honored to participate in the 18th ICIF online and offline. We hope that through this exchange, we can show our African culture, products and projects on such an excellent platform as the ICIF, and we also hope that through this ICIF we can help the development of cultural industries in China and Uganda reach a higher level.”

As a state-level, international and comprehensive fair for cultural industries, the ICIF has celebrated 17 sessions so far. It has promoted the development of cultural industry across the country as well as that of Shenzhen City. The fair has become a signature event to showcase Shenzhen’s achievements in economic, social and cultural development and an important window into this growing metropolis. Currently, the added value of Shenzhen’s cultural industries has exceeded 25 million yuan, accounting for over 8% of the city’s GDP.

Director Song Miao said, “Shenzhen is an international city with high inclusiveness and a front-runner in opening up. Boasting a large number of high-tech enterprises and a huge market, it has maintained a robust growth momentum in foreign investment and continuously witnessed an increase in the number and scale of businesses going global. The CCAT wants to further cooperate with Shenzhen businesses and institutions in film-making, film-related activities, technology development, and project venture capital investment to achieve win-win results. In addition, we would like to express our sincere thanks to and our full confidence in the ICIF’s positive role in boosting the cooperation.”

Source: Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government

–BERNAMA

DALLAS, Dec 29 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — Cue the pink fireworks: Mary Kay Inc. is celebrating its annual accomplishments.Throughout 2022, the iconic global entrepreneurship company has furthered its innovations in skin science, continued its sustainability and social impact efforts and garnered prestigious awards for its business and leadership. It’s a thing of beauty—and proof that the nearly 60-year-old brand continues its leadership position for women around the world.

Below are some select accomplishments from throughout 2022. Click here to see the full list.

ETHOS & ECOSYSTEM: BUSINESS EXCELLENCE

A Great Place to Work

· Resume.io published a list of “The Companies Employees Don’t Want to Leave,” ranking Mary Kay #8. Other companies included: Virgin Atlantic, Merck & Co., and Thomson Reuters.
· Mary Kay received four top employer awards throughout Europe and Malaysia from Kincentric.
· Mary Kay was named one of America’s Best Midsize Employers 2022 by Forbes.
· Deloitte named Mary Kay one of the 2022 US Best Managed Companies.
· Mary Kay China was named “Best Employer of the Year” by Yidian Zixun.
· Mary Kay China was awarded the “Excellent Cases of Business Innovation in China from 2021 to 2022” at the 9^th China Business Innovation Conference for the Mary Kay Beauty Consultant as a contemporary model of flexible earning opportunity.
· Mary Kay China was awarded the “Best Career Development Platform Employer” by China Business Journal.
· Mary Kay China was featured as a DEI practice case in “Driving DEI, Best Practices Guide 2022” compiled by Page Group in collaboration with sHero.
· Mary Kay China was awarded the “Best Companies Prime Employers for Women” Award from sHero.
· Mary Kay Poland was named one of Poland’s “Best Employers for 2022” by Financial Magazine.
· Mary Kay Czech Republic / Slovakia received the “Best Employer” designation by the Kincentric Best Employers Program.
· Mary Kay Belarus received the “Direct Sales Cosmetic Company Number One Award” from the “Number One” Belarusian annual national awards.
· Mary Kay Spain received the “Best Employer” designation by the Kincentric Best Employers Program.
· Mary Kay Europe received the “Best Employer” designation by the Kincentric Best Employers Program.
· Mary Kay Malaysia received the “Best Employer” designation by the Kincentric Best Employers Program.

Organizational Effectiveness

· Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer, expanded her role in operations to support the company’s digital strategy to be a more technology-enabled business with all IT functions now reporting to her.
· Nathan Moore was appointed to the newly-created role of President, Global Sales and Marketing, and has assumed responsibility for all Mary Kay markets around the world supporting the Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants.
· Chaun Harper expanded his role to Chief Supply Chain Officer with additional responsibilities for direct procurement and contract manufacturing functions.
· Dr. Lucy Gildea expanded her role to Chief Innovation Officer, Product and Science. Her additional duties include new product development, product portfolio strategy and planning, process development & commercialization (PrD&C), package engineering (PE), and R&D Compliance.

Leadership Recognition

· David Holl, Chief Executive Officer, received the Bravo Leadership Award from Direct Selling News.
· Julia Simon, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary received the Robert H. Dedman Award for Ethics & Law from the Texas General Counsel Forum. Simon also serves as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.
· Sheryl Adkins-Green, Chief Experience Officer, was selected as Dallas 500 by D CEO recognizing influential leaders in North Texas.

Science Behind the Beauty

· Six recipients from around the world received grants created to elevate young women in STEAM fields and encourage them to continue their passions and career pursuits.
· Mary Kay, in partnership with the Society for Investigative Dermatology, awarded four skin health/skin disease research grants to female researchers.
· Mary Kay received the Gold Stevie award for “COVID: Most Valuable Product” for its hand sanitizer at the 20^th Annual American Business Awards.

Digital Innovation

· Mary Kay® App was named a finalist in the Technology Innovation category by the Direct Selling Association.
· Mary Kay China RC Store was a featured business case in the “Bridging the Gender Divide in the Digital Age” research jointly initiated by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

PURPOSE & SOCIAL IMPACT: CATALYST FOR CHANGE

Women’s Empowerment & Equality

· Supported by Mary Kay, International Telecommunication Union held an open innovation competition where an expert jury selected 10 digital best practices and digital solutions to create a more gender-inclusive eco-system for start-ups and scale-ups to address the many obstacles women entrepreneurs face in developing technologies.
· Mary Kay China initiated the “Pearl Retrieval Project” which is dedicated to helping girls from disadvantaged backgrounds complete their high school education by receiving quality and equal educational opportunities.
· Mary Kay China Independent Beauty Consultants were awarded the “Women’s Power” award by the Chinese internet company, Sohu.com.
· Deborah Gibbins delivered remarks at an event organized by the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) in Geneva (Switzerland), titled “Gender Inclusive Innovation Ecosystems.”
· Julia Simon served as a judge during the We Empower UN SDG Challenge Pitch Night – hosted by Diane von Furstenberg at her New York studio in September. Co-led by Vital Voices and the Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University, the competition recognizes five women entrepreneurs advancing the SDGs in their communities and provides awardees with capacity-building training sessions and connections with business experts from around the world. The 2022 winner was Yetunde Ayo-Oyalowo, the founder of Market Doctors, an organization that provides healthcare to over 120,000 people across 12 states in Nigeria.
· Supported by Mary Kay, International Telecommunication Union developed a project to address the gender digital skills gap by providing women and girls access to free, high-quality learning modules required to advance in the digital economy.
· Mary Kay announced the outcomes of the SDG Pilot Village Project in China (2017-2021) with the release of an Impact Report on Phase I, a video, and a blog post. The SDG Pilot Village Project was established in Waipula, China, by Mary Kay, the United Nations Development Programme , the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges, the China Women’s Development Foundation, and local partners.
· The SDG Pilot Village Project was a finalist for the Reuters Events Responsible Business Awards under the “SDG Pioneer Award” category.
· The Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA), established by Mary Kay in collaboration with six United Nations agencies, announced the launch of the first-ever free online Entrepreneurship Certificate Programme developed by International Trade Centre (ITC) SheTrades.
· Mary Kay China and the Mary Kay Women’s Entrepreneurship Program’s donation of 10 million RMB has provided loans to over 46,157 women entrepreneurs in 23 provinces in China to support their businesses and increase the income of over 84,000 women. The program will transition into the Mulan Acceleration Plan and incorporate capability building in addition to traditional business loans.
· Mary Kay supported the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) World Series of Innovation (WSI) for the 2021-22 school year. Twenty-one teams of emerging social entrepreneurs won a total of $16,800 for their proposed solutions to WSI’s seven challenges, each of which focuses on advancing an SDG. Supporters of the seven innovation challenges included: Bank of the West, Citi Foundation, Mary Kay, Saint-Gobain North America, Ernst & Young, LLP (EY), Maxar Technologies, and PIMCO.
· International Labour Organization (ILO) and WEA released a Women’s Entrepreneurship Development (WED) Assessment in Mexico powered by Mary Kay, titled “Evaluación de las condiciones marco para el desarrollo empresarial de la mujer, Sectores de comercio e industria en la Ciudad de México.”

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)

· Mary Kay’s Legal Department was awarded the Magna Stella Award for its DEI efforts by the Texas General Counsel Forum.
· Mary Kay China received the Prime Employer for Women Gold Award and Driving DEI China Best Practices Award at the 2022 sHero Awards Ceremony
· Through its partnership with the Equal Rights Trust, Mary Kay helped jumpstart the “Algorithmic Discrimination Initiative”, a new research and advocacy program to gather evidence on patterns of discrimination arising from the use of artificial intelligence and algorithmic decision-making systems.
· At the SCC75 Annual Meeting of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC), Ms. A’Lelia Bundles, the great-great-granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker, and Michelle Hines, Ph.D., Director of Product Formulation at Mary Kay, presented the Madam C.J. Walker Scholarshipsfor under-represented minority students pursuing higher education in STEM disciplines related to cosmetics and the personal care industry.
· Mary Kay joined the UN Global Compact Target Gender Equality Accelerator as a follow up to the June 2021 UN Global Compact Gender Equality Strategy Consultation to deepen implementation of the Women’s Empowerment Principles and to strengthen the company’s contribution to SDG 5.5 which calls for women’s full participation and equal opportunities for leadership by 2030.

Gender-Responsive Procurement & Supplier Diversity

· Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer, signed the forward to UN Women’s Gender-responsive Procurement Advocacy Brief, titled: “Procurement’s Strategic Value. Why gender-responsive procurement makes business sense.”
· Mary Kay was named 2022 Silver Champion for Supplier Diversity & Inclusion for its commitment to global supplier diversity and inclusion regarding growing inclusive spending, policies, and procedures—alongside Bayer, Eaton Corporation, Goldman Sachs, and Marriott International.
· Julia Simon, Chief Legal Officer and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer spoke at the UN Women Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and KAGIDER event on the findings of a GRP survey conducted by IPSOS in Turkey to better understand the barriers women entrepreneurs face. Simon called on the private and public sectors to adopt gender-sensitive procurement strategies.

Cancer Research

· Mary Kay Ash Foundation^SM announced $1 million in grants awarded to ten researchers conducting groundbreaking research in cancers affecting women from the country’s top cancer research institutes and universities.
· Dr. Lucy Gildea, Chief Innovation Officer, Product and Science, accepted the Cancer Support Community North Texas Thrive Award on behalf of the Mary Kay Ash Foundation.
· Mary Kay Ash Foundation, in collaboration with the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, announced another recipient of the International Postdoctoral Scholars in Cancer Research Fellowship Dr. Maria del Rosario Chica Parrado, a post-doctoral student biologist from Málaga, Spain.

Gender-based Violence (GBV) & Domestic Violence (DV)

· Mary Kay was recognized in the White Paper “Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: Private Sector Opportunities for Engagement” released during UNGA 77 by the UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict Network, a body of 21 UN entities working to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence and the organization Committed to Good.
· At the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66), the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women’s 2022 Annual Report on its 2021 activities recognized the Mary Kay Ash Foundation and Mary Kay’s efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls—alongside the governments of 15 countries and nine UN Women National Committees.
· Mary Kay and the Mary Kay Ash Foundation supported CARE’s GBV Guidance for Development Programs, a practical tool for implementing high-quality GBV interventions across CARE’s impact areas in developing contexts.
· Instituto Mary Kay was recognized by the Associação Brasileira de Venda Direta (ABEVD) for their 2021 campaign bringing awareness to gender-based violence, “Sinal Vermelho.”

Emergency Response

· In conjunction with a statement of support, Mary Kay announced a donation to the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal of the Red Cross.
· Mary Kay received the American Red Cross Corporate Partner Award for its Emergency Response to the conflict in Ukraine.
· Mary Kay Ash Foundation received a Bronze Stevie award for its COVID-19 relief efforts at the 20^th Annual American Business Awards.
· Since March 2022, the Mary Kay China Charity Program has allocated 1,049,800 yuan to provide protective materials and living supplies to 73 communities in 15 cities in response to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Global Social Impact & Local Community

· Mary Kay placed #91 on the Purpose Power Index. This is the third iteration of the largest study ever measuring perceptions of brand purpose, based on more than 20,500+ individual ratings amongst more than 5,500 U.S. consumers and employees, encompassing more than 200 different brands.

SUSTAINABILITY & ESG: ENRICHING LIVES TODAY FOR A SUSTAINABLE TOMORROW

Climate Change

· Mary Kay participated in an event organized by the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) Regional Secretariat. The discussion titled, “Women Leaders Protecting the Coral Triangle’s Threatened Biodiversity and Endangered Species,” spotlighted innovations and actions undertaken by women leaders across the Coral Triangle in protecting marine biodiversity.
· At the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66), the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) hosted a panel titled “Investing in Women Entrepreneurs to Tackle Climate Change”.
· The documentary Forest of Hope follows Doña Angelica, a 71-year-old ecosystem warrior, and her all-female team, from Mujeres Unidas Para La Conservacion De Laguna Sanchez, one of The Nature Conservancy’s partner organizations in Mexico. The film was officially selected for the North Dakota Environmental Rights Film Festival and the Hot Springs International Women’s Film Festival. The short film, produced by Mary Kay in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and written, directed, and produced by an all-female team, was previously named a semi-finalist in the Films for the Forest festival.

Water Stewardship

· Mary Kay participated in a consultation with the governments of the Netherlands and Tajikistan to help define the role of the private sector in the Water Action Agenda and the 2023 UN Water Conference.
· Mary Kay served on a panel titled, “Making Waves: Women in Water Conservation” in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy. The virtual conversation focused on women leaders from all over the world who are rising to the challenge and leading efforts to restore the health of our oceans.

Transparency & Advocacy (Self-Reporting & Updates)

· Mary Kay completed the Women’s Empowerment Principles’ Gender Gap Analysis Tooland shared findings with BSR, a specialist organization in corporate responsibility, on how experts can take forward the results. Based on an analysis of Mary Kay’s policies and practices across different business functions, Mary Kay’s score was in the “Achiever” category. The next steps are to address the remaining gaps in the implementation of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).
· Mary Kay submitted progress on its commitments to the 5 Generation Equality Action Coalitions. Mary Kay signed up for these Action Coalitions at the Generation Equality Action Forum in July 2021.
· Mary Kay submitted its UN Global Compact Communication on Progress Report which looks at the following sustainability categories: Governance, Human Rights, Labor, Environment, and Anti-Corruption.

About Mary Kay

One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty company in 1963 with one goal: enriching women’s lives. That dream has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in nearly 40 countries. As an entrepreneurship development company, Mary Kay is committed to empowering women on their journey to economic independence through education, mentorship, advocacy, networking, and innovation. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skincare, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and fragrances. Mary Kay believes in enriching lives today for a sustainable tomorrow, partnering with organizations from around the world focusing on promoting business excellence, supporting cancer research, advancing gender equality, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams. Learn more at marykayglobal.com, find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or follow us on Twitter.

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Contact

Mary Kay Inc. Corporate Communications
marykay.com/newsroom
972.687.5332 or media@mkcorp.com

Source : Mary Kay

–BERNAMA