Dubai, United Arab Emirates -Thursday, February 2nd 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] A new report published today by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Middle East has found that a majority of finance professionals believe finance needs to lead the way in improving the rate of gender diversity across the GCC. Women in Finance: beyond the numbers, launched today in Dubai, has found that: A majority (82%) agree that the finance function plays an important role in shaping the business case for diversity. More than three quarters (76%) think that there will be a significant increase in women in executive and board positions within five years. Nearly half (48%) believe that negative gender biases are still prevalent in firms across the region. Women represent only 2% of board positions across GCC; women account for only 17% of all executive roles in UAE and only 7% in Qatar. Organisations must set ‘tone from the top’ to attract and retain top female talent, says ACCA Midd ... Read more »

Underlying YTD results: Revenue +7.4%, Core Earnings +23.5%, Core EPS +31.7% OSAKA, Japan -Wednesday, February 1st 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] Full year Underlying Core Earnings increased to "high-teen growth" (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO: 4502): Strong Q3 year-to-date (YTD) results propelled by Growth Drivers Underlying Revenue grew +7.4%, with Takeda's Growth Drivers (GI, Oncology, CNS and Emerging Markets) delivering growth of +15.5%, and Underlying Revenue growth across all regions (U.S. +14.4%, Japan +5.0%, Europe & Canada +4.6%, Emerging Markets +4.9%). Reported revenue declined -5.6%, due to unfavorable currencies (-8.4pp) and the impact of divestitures (-4.5pp). Underlying Core Earnings grew +23.5%, with the Core Earnings margin increasing by 2.1pp. Despite unfavorable currencies and the negative impact of divestitures, reported operating profit was up +29.8%, benefiting from strong underlying growth and a one-time gain on the Teva JV transaction tha ... Read more »

ITWORX Education shares its latest award-winning solutions and industry insights at BETT 2017 London, United Kingdom-Thursday, February 2nd 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] As a non-traditional education services provider, ITWORX Education joined a campus of Microsoft partners and an elite group of high-profile industry experts and thought leaders at the 2017 BETT UK, the world’s largest education event, to share next generation ideas and innovative, technology-led classroom practices and solutions with stakeholders in the field. This year’s edition, held in London between the 25th and the 28th of January 2017, celebrated the impact that past and present game changers have had on education internationally. The event featured the participation of 899 exhibitors from around the world, bringing together ideas, practices and technologies so that all parties involved in the education experience can fulfil their potential and become agents of change. During the exhibition, ITWORX Education – the 20 ... Read more »

LUXEMBOURG -Thursday, February 2nd 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- SES S.A. (Euronext Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) announced that it is supporting Luxembourg’s initiatives in the domain of maritime business by participating in the Salon Euromaritime, as part of the Luxembourg Maritime Cluster. Luxembourg’s pavilion - organized by the Luxembourg Maritime Administration and the Luxembourg Maritime Cluster, with assistance of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure - includes 11 participant companies from the Grand Duchy, all serving the maritime sector. SES will present its maritime connectivity solutions at Luxembourg’s pavilion. The world-leading satellite operator SES provides unparalleled satellite coverage of the world’s maritime regions via dedicated mobility beams. To ensure global and reliable next generation connectivity, SES has invested in high throughput Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites and O3b’s Mediu ... Read more »

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates-Wednesday, February 1st 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB) has announced its 2016 financial results and achieved a net profit of AED 462.9 million in 2016 compared to AED 409.9 million last year; a 13% increase. SIB Board of Directors will propose a 10% bonus shares dividend, one share for each existing 10 shares, during the next AGM meeting. Total assets reached AED 33.5 billion at the end of 2016 compared to AED 29.9 billion at the end of 2015, representing an increase of 12%. On the asset side of the balance sheet, customer financing reached AED 17.1 billion at the end of 2016 compared to AED 16.3 billion at the end of 2015, an increase of 4.5%. Investment in securities, which mainly represent investment in sovereign and investment grade rated tradable Sukuk, increased significantly by 73.7% to reach AED 4.1 billion compared to AED 2.4 billion at the end of 2015. Moreover, SIB continues its strategy to maintain liquid assets ratio abov ... Read more »

SKIEN, Norway-Wednesday, February 1st 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Ibsen Awards are announcing The Ibsen Scholarships 2017. Funds amounting to NOK 2.000.000,- (approx. Euro 221.000,- /USD 235.000,-) are awarded theatre projects worldwide. The Scholarships are applicable to individual artists, theatre companies, organizations and institutions. Scholarships guidelines: The Ibsen Scholarships award innovative theatre projects. The projects must act as incentives for critical discourse in regards to existential and society-related subject matters concerning Henrik Ibsen’s plays. Applications are submitted electronically through www.ibsenawards.com. Performances already staged are not eligible. The Scholarships are awarded biennially and the applications are subject to scrutiny by an appointed jury. The Ibsen Scholarships were initiated by the Norwegian government and will be handed out for the 9th time in 2017. Ibsen Awards has until now handed out 29 scholarships in ... Read more »

Hilton and Hilton Honors Also Introduce New Branding MCLEAN, Va. -Wednesday, February 1st 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hilton (NYSE: HLT), the world’s fastest-growing hospitality company, today announced industry-first benefits for all 60 million members of its award-winning guest loyalty program, Hilton Honors, including Shop with Points at Amazon.com. Guided by extensive consumer feedback, Hilton Honors is now the first and only loyalty program that will offer members the choice to flexibly combine Points and money for a hotel stay, to use their Points at Amazon.com, to allow family and friends to combine their Points for free, and the ability to extend Diamond status when life puts travel on pause. Today, Hilton also introduces a new corporate identity and logo for Hilton and Hilton Honors. This rebranding comes at a time when Hilton is more simplified and streamlined than ever, after the successful spin-offs of its real estate and timeshare businesses. MORE USEFUL ... Read more »

Dubai, United Arab Emirates -Wednesday, February 1st 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants), the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, has announced its upcoming Train the Trainer workshop in Doha, Qatar on February 17-19, 2017. The workshop is intended for current and potential CMA trainers to enhance their delivery and teaching skills in the field of management accounting. Trainers will obtain a Certificate of Completion from the IMA that they can use to become a respected CMA Trainer or start their own enterprise such as a training center offering CMA review classes. “CMA Trainers handle adult learners. Aside from needing outstanding presentation skills, a prerequisite is to establish their credibility first as they train people who are professionals in the field of accounting and finance,” states Hanady Khalife, Director of Operations, IMA Middle East/Africa region. “The IMA is conducting these workshops to ensure that CMA ... Read more »

SKIEN, Norvège -Jeudi 2 Février 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] (BUSINESS WIRE)--Le comité du Prix international Ibsen annonce les Bourses Ibsen 2017. Les fonds représentent un total de 2 000 000 NOK (environ 221 000 EUR / 235 000 USD) et sont attribués à des projets théâtraux du monde entier. Les bourses sont destinées aux artistes individuels, aux troupes de théâtre, aux organisations et aux institutions. Description des bourses: Les Bourses Ibsen récompensent des projets théâtraux innovants. Les projets doivent inviter au dialogue critique à l'égard des questions existentielles et sociétales ayant trait aux pièces d'Henrik Ibsen. Les candidatures sont à déposer en ligne via le site www.ibsenawards.com. Les représentations déjà jouées ne sont pas éligibles. Les bourses sont décernées tous les deux ans et les candidatures sont sujettes à un examen par un jury désigné. Les Bourses Ibsen sont une initiative du gouvernement norvégien et seront décernées pour la 9ème fois en 2017. Le Pri ... Read more »