Africa’s top 20 Best Places to Work revealed

LONDON, Jan. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Best Places to Work organization announced today the top 20 Best Places to Work in Africa for 2022. The program recently compiled its annual list based on the assessment of over 500 organizations operating across the continent. Findings from this year indicated that the top performing organizations in Africa continued to invest in creating a highly-engaged workforce, with an average engagement score of 81%, compared with a market average of 69%. Additionally, 92% of top ranked organizations invested in having the right HR technology to improve productivity that could drive future success.

Topping this year’s ranking was Lundbeck, a global pharmaceutical company engaged in the research, development, manufacturing, marketing and sale of pharmaceuticals followed by Teleperformance, a leading global service provider in Customer Interaction and Process Management. Zoetis, a global animal health company secured the third position. To be considered, companies must be identified as outstanding employers at least in one of the countries across the continent.

The ranking was determined based on feedback from employees gathered through anonymous surveys and an HR assessment evaluating the people management practices against the best workplace standards.

The top 20 list includes:

  1. Lundbeck
  2. Teleperformance
  3. Zoetis
  4. Groupe Vipp
  5. Comdata Group
  6. Novo Nordisk
  7. BSH
  8. Chaabi LLD
  9. Ekuity Capital
  10. STKE
  11. SG ATS
  12. iNova Pharmaceuticals
  13. Somezzo
  14. Schindler
  15. Coface
  16. Meridiam
  17. Roche
  18. Paps
  19. Ipsen Pharma
  20. IHS Towers

“This year’s Best employers in Africa demonstrated open communication and top team alignment, with clear differentiators of having a continuous approach across employee experience initiatives,” commented Hamza Idrissi, Program Manager for the Best Places to Work in Africa.

ABOUT BEST PLACES TO WORK PROGRAM

Best Places to Work is the most definitive ‘Employer of Choice’ certification that organizations aspire to achieve. Every year, the program certifies and recognizes leading workplaces in many countries around the world with a rigorous assessment methodology and a framework which reflects the very latest in workplace trends focusing on 8 Workplace factors including leadership, HR & people policies, compensation, benefits, teamwork & relationships, employee engagement, workplace & procedures and corporate social responsibility. 

For more information, please visit www.bestplacestoworkfor.org

Hisense Plans to Bring More High Performing and High-quality Display Products to African Market in 2022

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Jan. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Hisense, provider of high-performance televisions and appliances, showcased its 8K resolution laser display technology solution and ULED 8K Mini-LED series at the recent Consumer Electronics Show 2022 (“CES 2022”) held in Las Vegas. Following the introduction of the world’s first 8K laser display for homes at the most influential tech event in the world, Hisense will introduce two more high-end products to the African market this January, with more high performing products coming later in 2022.

Hisense Plans to Bring More High Performing and High-quality Display Products to African Market in 2022

“Through continuous technological innovation, Hisense is breaking through technical barriers bringing laser TVs from 1080P to 2K to 4K and now on to 8K, driving the global laser TV industry into the TriChroma era. We are committed to bringing trustworthy products to millions of our users in Africa through outstanding design, leading technology and excellent service,” said Patrick Hu, marketing director of Hisense South Africa.

Featuring Hisense’s TriChroma laser engine that reaches up to 3000 lumens peak brightness, the L9G TriChroma Laser TV will be available in the region of Africa this January. It is a 4K ultra short throw projection TV with a triple-laser, using pure red, green, and blue lasers to achieve new levels of color performance. It has won the “King of Ultra Short Throw Projectors” and named Best in Class by Projector Reviews and awarded Editor’s Choice by Projector Central in 2021.

In addition to the L9G, Hisense will also launch the 4K Mini-LED U9G TV in the African market this month. In June 2022, the new 4K Mini-LED U8H TV will bring even more premium upgrades and quality performance to consumers in the region. With screen sizes ranging from 55 to 75-inches, the 120Hz native refresh rate of the U8H provides a foundation for smooth clarity and motion handling, making action movies and sports look great on the screen.

In 2022, Hisense is implementing its Mini LED technology into its new premium 8K Mini-LED TV product for the first time, delivering stunning HDR performance with better contrast, brighter images, and more impressive colors than ever before. Hisense 8K Mini LED TV won CES® 2022 Innovation Award, and this advanced technology will also be brought to the African market. The flagship U80H 8K Mini LED TV is set to be launched in the African market in July 2022.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1721327/Hisense.jpg

 

Zenas BioPharma Appoints Dr. John Orloff to Board of Directors

BOSTON and SHANGHAI, China, Jan. 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zenas BioPharma, a global biopharmaceutical company committed to becoming a leader in the development and delivery of immune-based therapies, today announced the appointment of John Orloff, MD to its Board of Directors. Dr. Orloff joins the Zenas Board with over 25 years of experience successfully leading global research and development organizations across multiple therapeutic areas including autoimmune diseases.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Dr. Orloff to the Zenas Board of Directors,” said Lonnie Moulder, Founder and Executive Chairman of Zenas. “John’s leadership and extensive expertise in research, development, and medical and regulatory affairs will be invaluable as we advance our portfolio of innovative immune-based therapeutics and continue to expand our pipeline via business development.”

“I am delighted to work with the Zenas leadership team and fellow directors as the Company rapidly progresses an exciting immune-based pipeline,” said Dr. Orloff. “I look forward to contributing to the Company’s continued development as it strives to deliver on its mission to bring innovative medicines to patients in need.”

Dr. Orloff currently serves as a venture partner with Agent Capital. In his most recent executive role, he served as Executive Vice President and Head of Research and Development at Alexion where his leadership in expanding the development pipeline to 30 programs supported the recent $39 billion acquisition of Alexion by AstraZeneca.

Prior to Alexion, Dr. Orloff served as Global Head of R&D and Chief Scientific Officer at Baxalta, and has also held executive leadership roles with Novelion, Baxter International, Merck Serono, Novartis and Merck Research Laboratories. Before entering the biopharmaceutical industry, he was a faculty member of the Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Orloff received an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Dartmouth College, earned his medical degree from the University of Vermont, College of Medicine and completed a fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at Yale University School of Medicine.

About Zenas BioPharma

Zenas BioPharma is a global biopharmaceutical company based in the USA and China committed to becoming a leader in the development and delivery of immune-based therapies for patients in the US, China and around the world. Zenas is rapidly advancing a deep pipeline of innovative therapeutics that continues to grow through our successful business development strategy. Our experienced leadership team and network of business partners drive operational excellence to deliver potentially transformative therapies to improve the lives of those facing autoimmune and rare diseases. For more information about Zenas BioPharma, please visit www.zenasbio.com and follow us on Twitter at @ZenasBioPharma and LinkedIn.

Investor and Media Contact:
Joe Farmer
Zenas BioPharma
[email protected]

Conagen Successfully Develops Antioxidant Kaempferol by Precision Fermentation

Bedford, Mass., Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Conagen, the Massachusetts-based biotechnology innovator, announced the successful development of antioxidant kaempferol produced by state-of-the-art, proprietary, precision fermentation. As a biotechnology company specializing in developing commercially valuable molecules for its partners and clients, Conagen’s kaempferol enables brands in nutrition, beauty, and personal care products to adopt a more natural position by formulating with clean and sustainable kaempferol.Recognized as one of nature’s most potent antioxidants, kaempferol is a flavonoid with health-promoting properties found in tea, fruits, and vegetables, especially rich in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale.

Rising consumer awareness towards chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes drives the kaempferol market demand. The global kaempferol market may exceed $6.5 billion by 2025, according to a recent research report by Global Market Insights, Inc.

“We’re bringing to market a pure and natural kaempferol at affordable prices that were not possible or available until now,” said Casey Lippmeier, Ph.D. vice president of innovation at Conagen. “Conagen’s scalable, precision fermentation for producing flavonoids like kaempferol is more efficient and sustainable than what can be achieved with the chemically-synthesized or botanically-sourced molecule.”

Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds commonly found in plants and are a significant part of the human diet. They are biosynthesized by plants and fungi as secondary metabolites and comprise a diverse group of phytonutrients.

Plants protect themselves and their fruits against biological intruders such as fungi and bacteria by using phenolic phytochemicals, including flavonoids. Accordingly, kaempferol provides powerful anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and immune system benefits to humans.

Dietary kaempferol in multiple studies has demonstrated a wide range of promising beneficial activities, primarily as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, for reducing the risk of chronic diseases, especially cancer.

Prolonged oxidative stress leads to premature aging and can trigger many degenerative diseases and cancer. Kaempferol’s powerful antioxidant property can help the body’s defense against free radicals that promote cancer development.

Conagen derived kaempferol from its molecular platform for flavonoid antioxidants, including the previously announced molecules: DHQ, also known as Taxifolin, p-coumaric acid, hydroxytyrosol, and rosmarinic acid. The development of natural kaempferol is good news for Conagen’s commercialization partner, Blue California, as kaempferol will expand its offerings of specialty ingredient solutions.

“This launch further demonstrates our talent for delivering innovative compounds which are ideal for dietary supplements and ‘clean-label’ ingredients for functional foods, beverages, and cosmetics,” said Lippmeier. “Our vision for promoting health and wellness is to continuously leverage our precision fermentation capabilities for high-quality phenolic and flavonoid phytonutrients, thus confirming our position as a leader in the development of strains and processes for making clean-label ingredients and nutraceuticals.”

Blue California has a long-standing partnership with biotechnology innovator Conagen. Conagen focuses on developing sustainable, nature-based ingredients that improve existing options in the market or represent completely novel ingredient solutions.

About Conagen

Conagen is a product-focused, synthetic biology R&D company with large-scale contract manufacturing capabilities. Our scientists and engineers use the latest synthetic biology tools to develop high-quality, sustainable, nature-based products by precision fermentation and enzymatic bioconversion. We focus on the bioproduction of high-value ingredients for food, nutrition, flavors and fragrances, pharmaceutical, and renewable materials industries. www.conagen.com

About Blue California

Blue California is a vertically integrated technology company providing innovative ingredient solutions to global partners. With more than 20 years of innovation success, our ingredients are used in commercial products and applications in nutrition, personal care, healthy aging and wellness, functional food and beverage, and beauty. www.bluecal-ingredients.com

Attachment

Ana Arakelian, Head of Public Relations and Communications
Conagen
+1.781.271.1588
[email protected]

Harris acquires i2 product portfolio from IBM

OTTAWA, Ontario and CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom, Jan. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Harris, a global vertical market software provider, has acquired the i2 intelligence analysis product portfolio of IBM, including the i2 Analyst’s Notebook, i2 Enterprise Insight Analysis (EIA) and i2 iBase platforms. The acquisition positions Harris to further deliver mission-critical applications for national defense, state & local law enforcement, maritime security as well as evidence management.

i2’s advanced analytics and intelligence analysis tools, such as the industry leading i2 Analyst’s Notebook, help analysts transform data into decisions in near-real-time, uncover hidden connections with visual displays, and turn overwhelming and disparate data—regardless of the source—into actionable intelligence.

The i2 product portfolio, i2 executives and their global teams will form a new Harris business unit, i2 Group, which will operate independently and autonomously. Jean Soucy, Harris Group President stated: “The acquisition of i2 is important to Harris because not only is it a proven business with an excellent international team of experts, but it also provides Harris with a feature-rich intelligence platform widely deployed by an influential customer base”, adding, “We look forward to working with our partners and customers to expand i2’s capabilities in this highly innovative space.”

“Resilience and collaboration have never been more critical for organizations as they confront the increasing complexity of intelligence analysis. We’re committed to addressing those needs by offering the most complete end-to-end intelligence analysis portfolio on the market” said Jamie Caffrey, Program Director at i2 Group. “The convergence of data and processes is transforming the industry. By integrating i2 into their existing networks, customers will be able to better leverage their data and will be empowered to unlock valuable insights that can translate into business success.”

As part of publicly traded Constellation Software Inc. (TSX: CSU), Harris’ financial strength, software industry expertise, and public safety focus were important factors in finding a forever home to execute i2 Group’s long-term growth strategies.

Visit www.i2group.com to learn more about i2 solutions.

For further information contact:

Jean Soucy
Group President
Phone: +1 581-205-9821
Email: [email protected]

Steve Hammond
Portfolio Leader
Phone: +44 787-486-2811
Email: [email protected]

About N. Harris Computer Corporation (Harris)

Harris acquires vertical market software businesses, manages them well, and builds them for the future. Through acquisitions, Harris has grown extensively from its roots in the utilities, local government, education, and healthcare verticals to operate over 170 businesses globally across more than 20 industries. We are a part of Constellation Software Inc. (TSX: CSU), one of the world’s most active acquirers of VMS businesses.

About Constellation Software Inc.
Constellation Software acquires, manages and builds vertical market software businesses.

Expereo Appoints Ben Elms as Chief Revenue Officer

New addition strengthens executive management team of Amsterdam based global network company

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, Jan. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Expereo, the world’s leading provider of Global Internet, Cloud Access Optimization, SASE, and SD-WAN services, has today announced the appointment of Ben Elms as Chief Revenue Officer. Elms’ s overarching brief is to lead the Sales and go-to-market transformation across all channels and drive the expansion and adoption of Expereo’s services globally.

Elms brings more than 20 years of operational expertise and leadership in the telecommunications industry. Most recently, he served as the Group Director (CEO) at Vodafone Global Enterprise, a division of Vodafone Group Plc, a leading international wireless and wireline operator. Whilst there, he was responsible for leading global team managing relationships with multinational customers around the globe. During his tenure, the business outperformed the market with strong EBITDA performance and delivered significant improvements in customer and employee satisfaction whilst driving a program of operational efficiencies.

With his strong market experience, customer track record, and breadth of international expertise, he is a significant hire for the company as it continues its global growth and development.

Commenting on the appointment Irwin Fouwels, CEO at Expereo, said,

“Ben exhibits all the trademarks of a great leader, a true team player with super-strong commercial acumen and operational experience whilst demonstrating a relentless focus on the needs of the customer. Over the last few years, we see enterprises becoming even more cloud and internet-centric. Expereo has established a global leadership position in the highly attractive global cloud and software-defined networking market. I am very excited to have Ben join our company to continue our global go-to-market transformation. I am looking forward to a great partnership to take Expereo to further heights.

On joining the Expereo, Elms said:

“I am honored to be appointed as Expereo’s first Chief Revenue Officer and to lead the next phase of growth. Expereo is on an exciting journey and has developed a unique market leadership position. My immediate focus will be on serving our customers as we continue to invest and expand our market position and in building operational excellence in our go-to-market. I look forward to speaking and meeting with employees, customers, and partners and working with Irwin and the team to take the business forward in a market that has a huge opportunity.”

Elms’ appointment comes after a sustained period of acquisition and expansion for Expereo, which will continue into 2022. With Elms added to its executive management team, the business will look to further consolidate its position as a leading player in the market – delivering simplified global networks while delighting customers with the seamless delivery of complementary services from one trusted supplier

About Expereo
Expereo is the leading provider of managed network solutions, including Global internet connectivity, SD-WAN, SASE, and Cloud Access Optimization services. Expereo is the trusted partner of 30% of Fortune 500 companies and powers enterprise and government sites worldwide, helping to enhance every business’ productivity with flexible and optimal Internet performance. In Feb 2021, Vitruvian Partners international growth capital and buyout firm acquired a majority stakeholding in Expereo, alongside the leading European private equity firm Apax Partners SAS and company management.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Sofia Pensado
Account Director
[email protected]
+447540221914