BDO announces winners of the BDO ESG Awards 2022

HONG KONG, May 19, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – BDO, the world's fifth largest accountancy network, today announced and honoured the winners of the fourth BDO ESG Awards (the "Awards"). This competition is widely supported by listed enterprises and this year's winners were selected from a pool of 90 nominations, all of which showcased excellence in ESG reporting and disclosure. The awardees were chosen by a prestigious and professional panel of judges in recognition of the outstanding sustainability initiatives they have implemented. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's BDO ESG Awards Presentation Ceremony was held online, with stakeholders and the general public invited to witness the efforts and achievements of the winning companies in relation to ESG reporting over the past year.

The virtual BDO ESG Awards ceremony 2022 is held to pay tribute to businesses with strong ESG commitment and outstanding ESG efforts.

Clement Chan, Managing Director of Assurance, BDO in Hong Kong (left) and Johnson Kong, Managing Director of Non-Assurance, BDO in Hong Kong (right).

Ricky Cheng, Director and Head of Risk Advisory, BDO in Hong Kong.

In response to rapid global warming, companies should fulfil their corporate responsibilities and implement measures to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gases generated from business activities, thus realising a long-term net zero emission business model. This year, the Theme Award adopts the theme of "Carbon Neutrality", and in 2021 BDO International launched the BDO Sustainability Movement, promising to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. All BDO offices are working together to fulfil this commitment and to avoid adverse impacts on the planet. BDO also aims to recognise companies that have achieved net zero emissions and have performed well in all aspects of carbon reduction (see the full list below).

Dr Carlye Tsui BBS MBE JP, Chairman of the Judging Panel of the "Best in Reporting Awards" and Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Institute of Directors, said, "ESG adoption is driven by board leadership, corporate culture and staff action together. ESG reporting serves to convey the company's values and contribution to the stakeholders. I am pleased with the entries of high standards and the awarded report of excellence. The awards project is once again laudable in promoting sustainability."

Dr William Yu, Chairman of the Judging Panel of the "Best in ESG Awards" and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of World Green Organisation, said, "As we know ESG is currently the spotlight of the market, it's good to see how award participants are addressing business precedents in their reports and preparing for TCFD frame work so as to address the primaries. Being a board member, I will encourage active participation as it is equally important. Overall, I'm delighted to see BDO continues the determination to bring a positive impact to the society.

Ms Karen Ho, Chairman of the Judging Panel of the "Theme Award" and Head of Corporate and Community Sustainability, WWF-Hong Kong, said, "Thanks to BDO for organising this ESG "Theme Award" with focus on carbon neutrality. We are at a defining moment in the fight to tackle climate change, to limit warming to 1.5 degree Celsius and avoid the most catastrophic impacts for people and nature. The corporate sector has a central role to play by rapidly reducing your emissions in line with climate science. Companies must work with your supply chain, customers, investors, regulators and civil society to take decisive actions for sustainability."

Mr Clement Chan, MH JP, Managing Director of Assurance, BDO in Hong Kong, said, "The BDO ESG Awards has entered its fourth year. We aim to continue encouraging listed companies to raise their awareness of social responsibility and sustainable development initiatives. 2022 is a challenging year, with each company needing to find ways to reinvent itself to maintain operations as the epidemic rages on. We are pleased to see many old friends, as well as some new faces, participating in this year's Awards, demonstrating their continuous efforts and outstanding achievements in ESG. As this year's Awards has adopted the theme of "Carbon Neutrality", we are also happy to see many companies showcasing their efforts to achieve net zero emissions through carbon reduction, in addition to incorporating this goal into their long-term business model. BDO as part of the Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance, has committed to supporting the goal of global net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Mr Johnson Kong, Managing Director of Non-Assurance, BDO in Hong Kong, said, "We received nearly 90 nominations for this year's Awards. On behalf of BDO, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the judges, media partners and supporting organisations for making this year's Awards possible. I would also like to thank all participating companies. We are excited to witness their achievements and continuous growth in the area of ESG. Affected by the pandemic, we have shifted the award presentation ceremony to an online mode for two consecutive years. We look forward to meeting you next year to share the joy and witness the achievements of the winning companies together." Going forward, we at BDO will continue to offer support to Hong Kong listed companies, help them raise ESG standards and performance and in turn promote the overall development of ESG in Hong Kong."

Mr Ricky Cheng, Director and Head of Risk Advisory, BDO in Hong Kong, said, "As a keen advocate for continuous enhancements in ESG, we are delighted to see more and more listed companies committing to raising the quality of ESG practices and disclosure. With the increasing standard of ESG reporting and the outstanding performance of the participating companies, competition was intense for this year's 'ESG Report of the Year Awards', making it extremely difficult for the judges to select the winners. We would like to thank the judges who have applied their expertise and experience in the judging process to ensure the Awards are credible and representative. To capitalise on this trend, BDO will spare no efforts to increase ESG engagement, thereby further strengthening Hong Kong's leading position as an International Financial Centre."

BDO ESG Awards 2022 Winners (listed in alphabetical order)

Best in ESG – Large Cap
CLP Holdings Limited (002.HK)
New World Development Company Limited (017.HK)
The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (003.HK)

Best in ESG – Mid Cap
COSCO SHIPPING Ports Limited (1199.HK)
Kerry Properties Limited (683.HK)
Xinyi Energy Holdings Limited (3868.HK)

Best in ESG – Small Cap
China Everbright Greentech Limited (1257.HK)
Miramar Hotel and Investment Company Limited (071.HK)
Sunlight Real Estate Investment Trust (435.HK)

Best in ESG – GEM
Allied Sustainability and Environmental Consultants Group Limited (8320.HK)
Roma Group Limited (8072.HK)

Best in Reporting – Large Cap
CLP Holdings Limited (002.HK)
Lenovo Group Limited (992.HK)
New World Development Company Limited (017.HK)

Best in Reporting – Mid Cap
China Everbright Environment Group Limited (257.HK)
China Power International Development Limited (2380.HK)
Kerry Properties Limited (683.HK)

Best in Reporting – Small Cap
China Everbright Greentech Limited (1257.HK)
Miramar Hotel and Investment Company Limited (071.HK)
Tai Hing Group Holdings Limited (6811.HK)

Best in Reporting – GEM
Allied Sustainability and Environmental Consultants Group Limited (8320.HK)
Roma Group Limited (8072.HK)

ESG Report of the Year – Large Cap
CLP Holdings Limited (002.HK)

ESG Report of the Year – Mid Cap
Kerry Properties Limited (683.HK)

ESG Report of the Year – Small Cap
China Everbright Greentech Limited (1257.HK)

ESG Report of the Year – GEM
Allied Sustainability and Environmental Consultants Group Limited (8320.HK)

Theme Award
CLP Holdings Limited (002.HK)

About BDO
BDO's global organisation extends across 164 countries and territories, with more than 95,000 professionals working out of over 1,700 offices – and they're towards one goal: to provide our clients with exceptional service. BDO was established in Hong Kong in 1981 and is committed to facilitating the growth of businesses by advising the people behind them. BDO in Hong Kong provides an extensive range of professional services including assurance services, business services and outsourcing, risk advisory services, specialist advisory services and tax services. For more details, visit www.bdo.com.hk.

Contacts:
BDO in Hong Kong
Sala Lo
Senior Marketing Manager, BDO
Hong Kong
Tel +852 2218 3042
Mobile +852 9613 5175
salalo@bdo.com.hk

Heidi Lau
Marketing Manager, BDO
Hong Kong
Tel +852 2218 2325
Mobile +852 9285 4151
heidilau@bdo.com.hk

Strategic Financial Relations Limited
Heidi So
Tel +852 2864 4826
heidi.so@sprg.com.hk

Margret Lam
Tel +852 2114 4956
margaret.lam@sprg.com.hk

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Retention Cloud Leader CleverTap Acquires Leanplum

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and MUMBAI, India, May 19, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – CleverTap, the world's No.1 retention cloud, today announced it has signed definitive agreements to fully acquire San Francisco based Leanplum, a leading multi-channel customer engagement platform, for an undisclosed amount.

This acquisition will make CleverTap a truly global company with development centers and customer-facing and success teams across North America, Europe, Latin America, India, South East Asia and the Middle East. Combining the product stack of the two organizations, this acquisition will enhance CleverTap's capabilities and take its total customer base to over 1200 customers in more than 100 countries around the world. The deal is expected to close in Q2 of 2022.

Together CleverTap and Leanplum will work with digital brands to help increase their users' engagement, retention and lifetime value by making every user experience hyper-personalized, relevant and contextual at scale in real time. As more businesses become digital-first, brands need to serve their users with delightful moments where they are, when they want and on their preferred channel. CleverTap and Leanplum will now bring real-time hyper-personalization, A/B testing and increased scalability to its omnichannel engagement, analytics and segmentation product lines. As a result, growth and marketing teams globally will now be able to utilize the only end-to-end user engagement and retention cloud platform, enabling them to break down user communication silos and increase the overall lifetime value of each user.

"We are seeing a seismic shift in the marketing technology landscape," says Sunil Thomas, CleverTap Co-founder and Executive Chairman. "Users today demand to be treated as individuals, and this has forced brands to change how they engage with them. CleverTap and Leanplum have both purposely built for a mobile-centric omnichannel world." The acquisition, he says, combines platforms and teams to deliver the best behavior analytics, segmentation, and engagement tools that will enable digital brands to build valuable, long-term relationships with their users. "Our combined strength will be a game-changing force for user engagement, retention and monetization, creating tremendous value for our customers. I am very excited to welcome Leanplum to the CleverTap family."

"When we started Leanplum, our vision was to meet customers' real-time needs at the cutting edge of technology," says Momchil Kyurkchiev, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Leanplum. "We have succeeded in that, but as the market has matured, to fully meet the increasing demands put on brands today, we needed to bring in the best analytics, segmentation, and engagement tools, to help our customers build valuable, long-term relationships with their customers. This is why joining forces with CleverTap makes the most sense, and I am excited about the combined capabilities we will now bring to Leanplum customers worldwide."

"I am looking forward to the journey with Leanplum. This coming together with Leanplum marks a monumental moment across the marketing technology landscape," says Sidharth Malik, CleverTap Chief Executive Officer. "This bridges the gap created by multiple martech tools and customer data platforms and will meet the growing needs of user-obsessed digital brands in a much more efficient way. Our 'better together' vision is about integrating our cumulative strengths around people, process and technology to cement our position as the global leader in the user engagement and retention space. Joining forces allows us to bring advanced product and technology capabilities as brands strive to do live segmentation, anticipate user intentions and actions, automate and deploy real-time campaigns for the highest possible conversions, all from one single dashboard."

Image: Sunil Thomas, CleverTap Co-founder and Executive Chairman
https://www.acnnewswire.com/docs/Multimedia/Low_CleverTap2022519.jpg

About CleverTap

CleverTap is the modern, integrated, retention cloud that empowers digital consumer brands to increase customer retention and lifetime value. For brands that understand and value user retention, CleverTap drives context and individualization with the help of a unified and deep data layer, AI/ML-powered insights and automation. Customers worldwide representing over 10,000 apps, including Vodafone Idea, SonyLIV, Daimler, Gojek, Carousell, and Premier League, trust CleverTap to achieve their retention and engagement goals, growing their long term revenue. Backed by leading venture capital firms, including Sequoia India, Tiger Global Management, and Accel, the company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with offices in Mumbai, Singapore, and Dubai. For more information, visit clevertap.com or follow on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Contact:
Sony Shetty
CleverTap
sony@clevertap.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements in this press release may represent CleverTap's belief in connection with future events and may be forward-looking statements, or statements of future expectations based on currently available information. CleverTap cautions that such statements are naturally subject to risks and uncertainties that could amount in the actual result being absolutely different from the results anticipated by the statements mentioned in the press release. Factors such as the development of general economic conditions affecting our business, future market conditions, our ability to maintain cost advantages, uncertainty with respect to earnings, corporate actions, client concentration, reduced demand, liability or damages in our service contracts, unusual catastrophic loss events, war, political instability, changes in government policies or laws, legal restrictions impacting our business, impact of pandemic, epidemic, any natural calamity and other factors that are naturally beyond our control, changes in the capital markets and other circumstances may cause the actual events or results to be materially different, from those anticipated by such statements. CleverTap does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or updated or revised status of such statements. Therefore, in no case whatsoever will CleverTap and its affiliate companies be liable to anyone for any decision made or action taken in conjunction with the information and/or statements in this press release or any related damages.

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Second G20 DEWG focuses on digital connectivity for recovery

JAKARTA, May 19, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – The Indonesian government has urged the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) to continue the discussion on digital connectivity.

Minister of Communication and Informatics Johnny G Plate, G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) Chair Mira Tayyiba (L), and G20 DEWG Alternate Chair Dedy Permadi (R), second DEWG meeting in Yogyakarta, 18 May. (ANTARA FOTO/MOHAMMAD AYUDHA)

"I believe we have all witnessed the importance of information and communication technology in helping people cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic," Minister of Communication and Informatics, Johnny G. Plate, stated.

The DEWG is part of the Indonesian G20 Sherpa Track. The working group originated with the formation of the G20 Digital Economy Task Force (DETF) in 2017 during the German G20 presidency.

The working group was mandated to discuss the implementation of an interconnected, protected, and safe digital technology to develop an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable digital economy.

The second DEWG meeting, under Indonesia's G20 presidency, which is being held in Yogyakarta on May 17-19, 2022, discusses the issue of digital connectivity.

As the chair of the 2022 G20 Presidency, Indonesia has encouraged the 2022 G20 DEWG participants to discuss three priority issues: digital connectivity and post-COVID-19 recovery; digital skills and digital literacy; as well as cross-border data flow and trusted free data flow.

At the meeting, Minister Plate emphasized the importance of overcoming the digital divide by building digital connectivity or telecommunications infrastructure.

During the second DEWG meeting, he urged that the discussion focus on inclusiveness, empowerment, and sustainability for strengthening the global position and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The digital divide has remained an issue until now. According to data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in 2021, a total of 2.9 billion people across the world had never used the Internet.

Meanwhile, according to the World Bank data for Indonesia, 94 million adults could not access the Internet via mobile devices in 2019.

"The digital divide remains a challenge. Those who have access to fixed broadband Internet are even fewer," Plate pointed out.

The digital divide has become one of the reasons for the G20 DEWG forum to discuss the issue of digital connectivity.

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics, which is in charge of the DEWG, is seeking to address the digital divide by strengthening collaboration to drive massive construction of digital infrastructure between G20 member countries and the rest of the world.

Digital Connectivity

The discussion on connectivity has become more relevant in the wake of a global economic turmoil that has affected food, commodities, and energy availability as well as caused the inflation rate to soar.

"The discussion on digital connectivity becomes important at the second DEWG meeting because after the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy is greatly supported through the use of digital connections in solving various community problems as well as empowering the community itself," Minister Plate emphasized.

Plate further accentuated that the pandemic had shown the extent to which people are dependent on digital ecosystems in various public sectors, such as education, health and, of course, economic development.

Taking into account the importance of the digital connectivity issue, the priority issue of DEWG is discussed in five subtopics.

First, Plate said, DEWG discusses a common understanding of digital connectivity by placing the community as the main focus of the digital connectivity development efforts.

"This is what we mean by people-centric digital connectivity," he remarked.

The second subtopic of the digital connectivity discussion at the second DEWG meeting is digital security as a key enabler to support the business community.

The intensification of digital communications indirectly also raises new challenges in the form of various digital security risks that threaten the online safety of internet users, especially the increasingly digital economic actors.

Recognizing the importance of digital security in supporting the sustainability of digital businesses in the future, the DEWG decided to facilitate the collection of existing digital security and safety practices.

On the third subtopic, the Working Group agreed to establish a G20 Digital Innovation Network as a continuation of the G20 Innovation League hosted by the G20 Italian presidency last year.

Such a network aims to accommodate and support the collaboration of digital innovation actors around the world, such as start-ups, venture capitalists, corporations, and governments.

On the fourth subtopic, the G20 DEWG welcomes the implementation of the digital transformation expo that will showcase the achievements of G20 members regarding strategic policies and information on digital transformation.

"The Indonesian G20 presidency hopes that the concept of the event would be welcomed positively and enthusiastically by the holders of the next G20 presidency," Minister Plate stated.

On the fifth subtopic, the G20 DEWG supports the notion from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on the smart village and smart island initiative.

"Support for this idea shows Indonesia's commitment to taking advantage of the role of the G20 to solve various issues in the global community. DEWG encourages solidarity in the use of digital transformation, not only from G20 member countries but also non-member countries, especially small island developing states," he stated.

Minister Plate expressed gratitude for the smooth, proper, and focused implementation of the second DEWG meeting.

Plate also reminded all delegates and knowledge partners to join the third DEWG meeting that will be held in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, on July 20-21, 2022.

Written by: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga, Editor: Rahmad Nasution (c) ANTARA 2022

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Yew Lee Pacific Group Berhad Launches Prospectus for ACE Market IPO

KUALA LUMPUR, May 17, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – Yew Lee Pacific Group Berhad (YLPG), an established manufacturer principally involved in the manufacturing of industrial brushes as well as the trading of machinery parts and industrial hardware, launched the Company's prospectus today for an initial public offering (IPO) leading to a listing on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad.

MR. LEE YOKE WAH, Associate Director of Corporate Finance, M&A Securities; MR. GARY TING, Head of Corporate Finance; MS. ANG POH YEE, Chief Operating Officer & Executive Director, YLPG; DATUK BILL TAN, Managing Director of Corporate Finance, M&A Securities; EN. MAHDZIR BIN OTHMAN, Independent Non-Executive Chairman, YLPG; MR. ANG LEE LEONG, Managing Director; MR. DANNY WONG, Deputy Head of Corporate Finance, M&A Securities; MR. KELVIN KHOO, Managing Director, Eco Asia Capital Advisory [L-R]

The Company's IPO involves the issue of 133.10 million new shares to be issued at RM0.28 sen per share and an offer for sale of 26.62 million existing shares by way of private placement to selected investors. The public issue shares will be made available for application in the following manner:

Public issue
– 26.62 million new shares made available for application to the Malaysian public
– 15.97 million new shares allocated for application by eligible directors and employees
– 23.96 million new shares by way of private placement to selected investors
– 66.55 million new shares by way of private placement to identified bumiputera investors approved by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI)

The IPO is expected to raise gross proceeds of RM37.27 million to be utilised in the following manner:

Utilisation of proceeds
– RM10.90 million for purchase of machinery and equipment
– RM7.30 million for construction of warehouse facility and office building
– RM1.80 million for renovation of office building
– RM8.90 million for repayment of bank borrowings
– RM4.57 million for working capital
– RM3.80 million for listing expenses

Managing Director of YLPG, Mr. Ang Lee Leong, said: "The launch of this Prospectus is an important milestone for us as it marks the fruits of our labour from when we first started operations in 2004. As an established producer of industrial brushes, we embarked on this IPO to raise funding for our growth plans and elevate our profile in the industry."

"To maintain sustainable growth and create long-term shareholder value, we have plans to expand manufacturing capacity and increase automation which the proceeds from the IPO enables us to implement. We are also constructing warehouse and office facilities as the current facilities are needed for the expansion of the Group's manufacturing activities and also to cater for future business growth."

YLPG produces industrial and technical brushes for various manufacturing industries including glove, industrial, electrical and electronic, industrial and commercial cleaning providers as well as glass and wood producers. For the financial year ended 31 December 2021 (FY2021), 76.8% of the Group's total revenue was mainly derived from Malaysia while the remaining 23.2% was derived from the overseas market primarily located in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Taiwan, representing approximately 7.0%, 5.8%, 3.3% and 5.8% respectively.

Deputy Head of Corporate Finance, M&A Securities Sdn Bhd, Mr. Danny Wong said: "The proceeds from the IPO will allow YLPG to increase its manufacturing capacity in order to support its expansion plans and capitalise on the post Covid demand recovery. As such, we are confident that Yew Lee's shares will be well received upon IPO."

M&A Securities is the Principal Adviser, Sponsor, Underwriter and Placement Agent for YLPG's IPO while Eco Asia Capital Advisory Sdn Bhd is the Financial Adviser.

Yew Lee Pacific Group Bhd: https://yewlee.com.my/

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Lan Space Announces The Summit

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND, May 16, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – The Summit at The Lan Space, an exclusive gathering of visionary leaders collaborating on the most pressing issues of our current and future generations, is back in Davos, Switzerland this May in its second edition after a successful debut in January 2022.

From May 20th, The Lan Space in Davos will converge the frontiers of technology and humanity to showcase the cultural essence of life in a week-long immersive, elevated experience.

With 200+ elite investors in attendance, the Summit will act as a crucial place to engage with mind-blowing projects, societal change-makers, and digital-native visionaries.

With a diverse and disruptive program of panel discussions, debates, live performances, workshops and networking sessions, each day of the conference will be dedicated to a specific theme, spanning from sustainability and solidarity, the future of leadership, the arts and disruptive decentralisation. .

The contributions and perspectives of brilliant minds joining the panels range from Tessy De Nassau, UN Aids Ambassador and Woman of the Decade, the Inspiration4 astronaut Dr. Sian Proctor, to the Montessori Group's CEO Leonor Diaz Alcantara, the Editor-In-Chief of Cointelegraph, Kristina Corner, and Berthold Baurek-Karlic, Founder of Venionaire Capital & President of European Super Angels Club, each of whom will be focused on discussing the future of humanity across disciplines and how to create positive change. Each session will be buzzing with thought-provoking insights and impactful ideas moderated by Farah Nanji (TEDx Speaker, BBC Producer), Kamran Khan (MIT Sloan, Former Chair of Asia at LSE, Investment Director at Expand Energy), and Gaia Lamperti (Reporter at IBS Intelligence).

The Lan Space will also be a meeting point for global leaders, VCs, start-ups, and entrepreneurs with a plethora of targeted opportunities to network and enjoy social interactions. Expect welcome drinks on stunning terraces, gala dinners cooked by celebrity chefs, live music performances by worldwide renowned artists, and collective meditation sessions. Notable investor networks in attendance range from Lan To Capital, Goldfingr, EQ Capital, Top Tier Impact, Chi Impact Capital, and Ukrainian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.

Lan Tschirky (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lan-tschirky/), Founder of The Lan Space and organizer of the event, said, "With this event, we want to celebrate our collective inspiration, as well as our shared passion for philosophy, technology, the arts, and gastronomy. But most importantly, we want to focus on delivering practical solutions that converge between the digital and physical world to bring about positive change in society and for the environment. We are excited to offer a week of activities upholding the core values of trust, partnerships, collaboration, preservation, and nurture of creativity."

Access to the Lan Space panel discussions, parties & investor network is by application only. Please email your bio and digital links to farah@thelanspace.com to request access after registering on Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.ch/e/the-summit-at-lanspace-tickets-320848605817).

You can download the event's full agenda and list of guest speakers here (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-0yz-DW3cy_WCydbcpDXXZ9JwwUlNA_5/view).

For any press inquiries, please email farah@thelanspace.com.

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Q&M Dental net profit, excluding other gains or losses, increased by 25% to S$7.2 million on S$46.8 million of revenue for quarter ended 31 March 2022

SINGAPORE, May 12, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – Q&M Dental Group (Singapore) Limited, a leading private dental healthcare group in Asia, reported net profit excluding other gains or losses attributable to shareholders of S$7.2 million for the quarter ended 31 March 2022 (1Q2022) compared to S$5.8 million in the corresponding period (1Q2021).

Dr Ng Chin Siau, Chief Executive Officer of Q&M Dental said, "We are heartened by our continuous strong performance in 1Q2022 following a record-setting year FY2021. Our core dental business will remain strong, and with the abolishing of most of the pandemic restrictions, a positive impact on the economy, we are looking forward to resuming our growth trajectory of expanding our network of clinics in the coming quarters."

Growth & Expansion in Operations

As at 31 March 2022, the Group's number of dental outlets in Singapore has grown to 99, from 85 as at 31 March 2021. Similarly in Malaysia, the number of dental outlets has increased to 41, as compared to 36 previously.

The Group also continues to focus on its expansion into medical diagnostics, with its associated Company, Aoxin Q&M Dental Group Limited and through its recent acquisition of 49% shareholding of Acumen Diagnostics Pte. Ltd., raising Q&M's effective interest in Acumen Diagnostics from 51% to 67%. In the near term, Acumen Diagnostics' clinical testing laboratory will roll out its pipeline of new tests, including PCR assays for dengue, sepsis and, identification of bacterial pathogens and their associated antibiotics resistance in pneumonia and bloodstream infections. Its longer-term plans include the development of new vaccines.

For 1Q2022, revenue contribution from dental and medical clinics was relatively unchanged with a marginal decrease of 2% to S$38.6 million, despite the challenges of the tightening of Safe Management Measures (SMM) due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Revenue contribution from medical laboratory and dental equipment & supplies segment surged by 80% to S$8.2 million on the back of increased revenue from Covid-19 testing from Acumen Diagnostics, the Group's medical laboratory business, which obtained its medical laboratory license in September 2020.

The Group's net profit after tax excluding other gains or losses for 1Q2022 increased by 25% to S$7.2 million, from S$5.8 million in the corresponding period last year, translating to an earnings per share of 0.69 Singapore cent.

As at 31 March 2022, the Group had cash and cash equivalents of S$43.5 million with net assets of S$94.9 million. This translates to Net Asset Value per share of 10.10 cents per share.

Outlook & Further Expansion Plans

With the opening up of the Singapore economy gathering pace in 2022, the country expects to see businesses ramping up in most sectors with those that were most severely affected by the pandemic like F&B, tourism to especially benefit. The government is forecasting GDP growth of between 3.0 to 5.0% in 2022, Barring any major changes in the global macroeconomic and political situation or any new adverse developments in the evolving Covid-19 situation, the Group is cautiously optimistic on its business outlook.
The Group intends to continue executing the business plans outlined below:

– Expansion of network of dental clinics in Singapore and Malaysia

The Group currently operates 99 clinics in Singapore. With the economy opening up in 2022, the Group will also intensively increase its reach through organic growth of its dental clinic network in Singapore. This will be supported by an expansion of its team of dentists to undergird the future growth of its operations in Singapore. We will continue to develop, invest and optimise our digital Artificial Intelligence (AI) guided clinical decision support system to provide the most effective and suitable treatment plans for patients. The Group believes it is well-positioned to cater to the rising demand for primary and high-value specialist dental healthcare services of its patients.

Currently, the Group operates 41 clinics in Malaysia. The clinics are located in Johor (16 dental clinics), Kuala Lumpur (9 dental clinics), Selangor (11 dental clinics), Melaka (4 dental clinics) and 1 dental clinic in Negeri Sembilan.

The Group intends to open at least 30 dental clinics a year from 2021 onwards in Singapore and Malaysia for the next 10 years. The eventual number of dental outlets will depend on available opportunities, pertinent market conditions and the evolving Covid-19 situation.

– Expansion into private dental healthcare market in the People's Republic of China ("PRC")

The main thrust of the Group's proposed expansion in PRC is through organic growth to develop a new and sustainable growth pillar that can yield long term value for the Group.

– Expansion in Southeast Asia

The Group is continuously looking out for strategic opportunities to expand its dental business and regional footprint to other Southeast Asian countries.

– Medical Laboratory

The Group will focus on rolling out its clinical testing laboratory pipeline of new tests including PCR assays for dengue sepsis and identification of bacterial pathogens and their associated antibiotics resistance in pneumonia and bloodstream infections.

Please see links for PDF documents from SGXNET.
Results: https://tinyurl.com/QnM-1Q2022-Result
Press Release: https://tinyurl.com/QnM-1Q-2022-Release

About Q&M Dental Group (Singapore) Limited (QC7.SI)

Q&M Dental Group (Singapore) Limited (QC7.SI) ("Q&M" or together with its subsidiaries, the "Group") is a leading private dental healthcare group in Asia.

The Group owns the largest network of private dental outlets in Singapore, operating 99 dental outlets across the country. Underpinned by about 290 experienced dentists and over 350 supporting staff, the Group sees an average of 40,000 patient visits a month in Singapore. The Group also operates 5 medical clinics and a dental supplies and equipment distribution company.

Outside of Singapore, the Group has 41 dental clinics and a dental supplies and equipment distribution company in Malaysia, as well as a dental clinic in the People's Republic of China ("PRC"). Q&M is also the substantial shareholder of Aoxin Q&M Dental Group Limited, a dental Group listed on the Catalist board of the Singapore Exchange that operates dental clinics and hospitals primarily in the north- eastern region of the PRC. The Group aims to expand its operations geographically and vertically through the value chain in Malaysia, the PRC and within the ASEAN region.

The Q&M College of Dentistry was established in 2019 to offer postgraduate dental education as part of its commitment to continual education and professional development of dentists. It offers Singapore's first private postgraduate diploma programme in clinical dentistry.

In 2020, the Group expanded into the medical laboratories and research industry with the strategic investment into Acumen Diagnostics Pte. Ltd. ("Acumen"). Acumen currently focuses on the manufacture, sale and distribution of COVID-19 diagnostic test kits, as well as COVID-19 testing. It is also working to roll out a pipeline of new tests, including PCR assays for dengue, sepsis and, identification of bacterial pathogens and their associated antibiotics resistance in pneumonia and bloodstream infections.

EM2AI Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group that focuses on developing AI-powered solutions to diagnosis and treatment planning has rolled out IDMS, enabling dentists within the Group's network to administer ethical treatment plans for patients.

The Group was listed on the Mainboard of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited ("SGX- ST") on 26 November 2009. For more information on the Group, please visit www.QandMDental.com.sg

For more information, please contact:
Waterbrooks Consultants Pte Ltd
Wayne Koo
Tel: +65 9338-8166
Email: wayne.koo@waterbrooks.com.sg

Derek Yeo
Tel: +65 9791-4707
Email: derek@waterbrooks.com.sg

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Star Teen Filipino Race Driver Bianca Bustamante Unveils NFT Project to Achieve her F1 Dream

Launches groundbreaking project, “The Dark Horse” NFT Access Pass, to support basic living and training costs
Inclusive community offers fans unprecedented insight into her journey up the global racing ladder
Her NFT Access Pass includes behind-the-scenes content; additional drops and airdrops; plus future prize pools planned

MANILA, May 12, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – Bianca Bustamante, a 17 year-old rising motorsport star from the Philippines, announced that she is launching a groundbreaking project, The Dark Horse – an NFT Access Pass that redefines the career progression of young athletes by embracing technology, social media and community building in the age of blockchain and web3.0. The project will ultimately enable her to build long term engagement with her fan community in ways never imagined before.

Bustamante recently secured a coveted race seat in W Series’ Academy team, as the young Filipino driver continues to demonstrate her impressive talent ahead of her debut formula car season. Her talent is proven, being a multiple Asian champion in karting, and was the only racer selected on this year’s W Series grid to come straight out of karting into Formula 3 machinery.

Although fortunate to have earned a race seat in a top international series, the teenager is now faced with the realities of finding ways to sustain her basic living needs, as well as career essentials such as practice, training, and coaching. In a male dominated sport traditionally known to be reserved for the wealthy, Bustamante has worked hard to break through both of those barriers through her sheer determination, self-belief, and hard work.

This ambitious project is all about shaking up the norm and challenging tradition, as Bustamante’s NFT Access Pass will allow for direct interaction with her fans, giveaways to celebrate her milestones, and even behind-the-scenes content, to allow fans to see what it is like to be a female race driver breaking the bias. The ultimate goal of this project is to create an unparalleled fan experience and community, as well as a platform for her sponsors, to ultimately join her on the journey to the top of the sport in Formula 1.

Bustamante also hopes that this project paves the way for other young race drivers to have new avenues to help them gain a voice, grow their community, and raise the necessary support to compete in a sport that requires substantial funding.

What is The Dark Horse?
The Dark Horse is a brave new take on the traditional talent agency and early sponsorship functions – reimagined through blockchain technology. It supports the dreams of drivers like Bianca ? underestimated athletes with surprising speed, strength, ambition and commitment. The Dark Horse project allows Bianca to reap the immediate benefits of the crypto ecosystem with airdrops, tokenization, metaverse integration and beyond.

Project details
The Dark Horse campaign launched last week, with the Whitelist now open and the NFT Mint set to take place from the 27th of May 2022. With a total of 2,000 NFTs available for minting, the first 200 True Fans who join the whitelist will receive priority pricing. Among these, 50 NFTs will be especially allocated to Bustamante’s fans based in the Philippines – also at priority pricing

These 2,000 NFT Access Pass holders will be given access to her inner circle – the BiaCrew community – and receive unique benefits throughout her motorsport career. Pricing for the NFTs are as follows:

0.07 ETH for the first 200 registered whitelist;
0.07 ETH for 50 whitelist allotment created specifically for fans from the Philippines;
0.095 ETH for the remainder of the whitelist;
0.15 ETH upon public mint.

Proceeds from the NFT sale will provide Bianca with the resources that she needs to keep on racing and more. Breakdown of proceeds are as follows:

75% of the proceeds will go towards Bianca’s racing career: coaching, fitness training, track practice and daily living necessities;
20% will go towards service costs from The Dark Horse Team;
5% will be reserved for the community, in the form of rewards, gifts, charitable causes etc.

In return, owners of the NFT Access Pass benefit from gaining instant access to the BiaCrew community, as well as unprecedented access to Bianca’s professional life and the motorsport world at large, including:

Regular BTS Content with Bianca (Training & Traveling, AMA’s, Insights etc);
Community Interaction with Bianca;
Complimentary BiaCrew Merch Pack (upon 2x mint);
Priority in future drops along with surprise airdrops;
Milestone Prize Pool to BiaCrew community;
And more to be announced.

Quotes:

Bianca Bustamante – Race Driver
“I’m so excited to be part of The Dark Horse as a way to support my dream to climb the F1 ladder. It’s been a roller-coaster year for me so far, having secured full-time drives at both W Series and the USF Juniors Series. The Dark Horse is a great opportunity for me to embrace new technology to create a sustainable platform aimed at giving back to those who believe in me. What I’m most excited about are the cool, fun ways in which I can directly interact with my fans. In return for their support, I will work hard to become the best driver in the world and, along with my team, deliver unique content and insights into my life and the motorsport world.”

Darryl O’Young – Manager of Bianca Bustamante
“The challenges of becoming a professional race driver are real, and I know first hand truly how much heart it requires. Bianca has it all: the full package of speed, intelligence, grit and determination – key attributes to making it to the top. Bianca is the embodiment of The Dark Horse ? a happy and unassuming teenager off the track, but once that helmet goes on…you better watch out! We are proud to put together this project aimed at giving back to the fans that believe in her. We are committed to seeing this project through for the long term, growing her community alongside Bianca’s journey and rise.”

Ben Reid – Founder & CEO, Digital Creators (Venture Studio)
“Digital Creators is excited to be the design and build partner on this project. The NFT market is maturing, and projects that offer true, unique value proposition and utility are increasingly crucial in this space. With The Dark Horse, we have created an NFT access pass that achieves exactly that, by giving our “1,000 true fans” a front row seat to an upcoming motorsport talent’s journey. NFT holders will get cool artwork, access to future NFT drops, insider content, prize pools and a range of other surprises the team has in store. This is the user’s chance to both support Bianca, and be a part of history in redefining how rising sports talent can supercharge their careers.”

The Dark Horse Socials:
Discord / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

Bianca Bustamante Socials:
Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn

Media Contact: pr@craftbamboo.com

Avantor Announces Investment in Manufacturing and Distribution Hub in Singapore to Serve Rapidly Growing Asia Pacific Biopharma Industry

Singapore, May 5, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – Avantor, Inc. (NYSE: AVTR), a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the life sciences, advanced technologies and applied materials industries, today announced it will create a new manufacturing and distribution Hub in Singapore, by integrating its existing distribution facility with new manufacturing operations. The new Hub, which brings Avantor solutions closer to regional customers and strengthens global supply chain capabilities, will be fully operational early next year.

Avantor announced it will create a new Manufacturing and Distribution Hub in Singapore by integrating its existing distribution facility with new manufacturing operations.

"The Singapore Manufacturing and Distribution Hub will enable Avantor to better serve the fast-growing Asia Pacific Biopharma market by facilitating shorter lead times, enhancing supply chain security and increasing capacity in the region," said Christophe Couturier, Executive Vice President, AMEA, Avantor. "The Hub will boost regional innovation and serve as an industry benchmark for Singapore and Asia Pacific's global quality and regulatory standards, and demonstrates Avantor's commitment to growing our presence in the region."

The new Hub will provide a range of services including quality control and inventory management expertise, and feature cGMP manufacturing suites and testing labs for process ingredients and excipients.

About Avantor

Avantor, a Fortune 500 company, is a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the biopharma, healthcare, education & government, and advanced technologies & applied materials industries. Our portfolio is used in virtually every stage of the most important research, development and production activities in the industries we serve. Our global footprint enables us to serve more than 225,000 customer locations and gives us extensive access to research laboratories and scientists in more than 180 countries. We set science in motion to create a better world.

For more information, visit https://news.avantorsciences.com/home and find us on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avantorinc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Avantor_News
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Avantorinc/

Regional Media Contact
Christina Koh
Director, Communications – AMEA
Avantor
M: +65 9720 0169
Christina.Koh@avantorsciences.com

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

CleverTap Appoints Honey Bajaj as SVP & Global Chief of Consumer Experience

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and MUMBAI, India, May 5, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – CleverTap, the world's leading retention cloud, today added to its core leadership team with the appointment of Honey Bajaj as SVP & Global Chief of Consumer Experience. In this position, Bajaj will pioneer CleverTap's extensive program to help companies reimagine customer experience and realize the "Art of Possible".

CleverTap Appoints Honey Bajaj as SVP & Global Chief of Consumer Experience

Bajaj is a design strategist, an innovation leader and a social entrepreneur with extensive work in India and the U.S. Her ability to problem solve and identify patterns in human behavior has earned her multiple prestigious awards and recognition as an Innovation Global Shaper and Inventor of the Year (2016). She is also a dual degree holder with a Master's Degree in Engineering and Management and a Master's in Sustainability Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Design and Innovation Methodologies in the Digital World.

Before joining the CleverTap Leadership Team, Honey built an innovation pipeline for several Fortune 500 companies, including Boston Consulting Group Digital Ventures, Disney, Microsoft Research, MIT Media Lab and Tata Group, one of India's largest and highly profitable conglomerates. There she developed detailed market segmentation frameworks based on purchase behavior to orchestrate product launches and go-to-market strategies.

Bajaj has also dedicated her talent in designing for scale and impact to serving the needs of government bodies, financial institutions and healthcare organizations. Her work, which spans over a decade, has impacted over 50 million lives.

"As we scale CleverTap into a global category creator for "Retention Cloud", we realize that our customers are eager to co-create experiences that will fuel growth and the future of their own digital businesses. For this reason, we are expanding our leadership team with a new appointment that benefits the most important stakeholder: our customers' customers," Vikrant Chowdhary, CleverTap Chief Growth Officer, explains.

"From fintech to ecommerce, and from on-demand Super Apps to media and streaming services, companies need the inspiration and tangible examples of the "Art of Possible" to unleash human-centered design thinking, unlock new perspectives and drive powerful momentum and positive results for all stakeholders." This outcome, he continues, is "inextricably linked with our customers' abilities to realize and hyper-personalize omnichannel journeys for their customers."

"I have always focused on designing for impact and inventing for scale by contextualizing tech for the consumers. The truth is, no matter what we think we're doing, we are all in the customer-experience business. Before you can accomplish it, you need to envision it. The digital behavior and expectations of customers is evolving faster than most industries are able to deliver. I am looking forward to my journey with CleverTap to embed human-centered principles and design thinking into a series of initiatives and programs," Honey Bajaj says. "These efforts will allow digital-first companies to co-create and simulate digital journeys that will fuel growth through superior customer experience and will enable CleverTap's customers to realize their consumer journeys in a more seamless and contextual manner as the lines of the digital and omnichannel world are no longer separated."

About CleverTap

CleverTap is a modern, integrated Retention Cloud that empowers digital consumer brands to increase customer retention and lifetime value. For brands that understand and value user retention, CleverTap drives context and individualization with the help of a unified and deep data layer, AI/ML-powered insights & automation. Customers worldwide representing over 10,000 apps, including Vodafone Idea, SonyLIV, Daimler, Gojek, Carousell, and Premier League, trust CleverTap to achieve their retention and engagement goals, growing their long term revenue.

CleverTap is backed by leading venture capital firms, including Sequoia India, Tiger Global Management, and Accel. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with offices in Mumbai, Singapore, and Dubai. For more information, visit clevertap.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Contact:
Sony Shetty
PR Director
CleverTap
sony@clevertap.com

Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements in this press release may represent CleverTap's belief in connection with future events and may be forward-looking statements, or statements of future expectations based on currently available information. CleverTap cautions that such statements are naturally subject to risks and uncertainties that could amount in the actual result being absolutely different from the results anticipated by the statements mentioned in the press release. Factors such as the development of general economic conditions affecting our business, future market conditions, our ability to maintain cost advantages, uncertainty with respect to earnings, corporate actions, client concentration, reduced demand, liability or damages in our service contracts, unusual catastrophic loss events, war, political instability, changes in government policies or laws, legal restrictions impacting our business, impact of pandemic, epidemic, any natural calamity and other factors that are naturally beyond our control, changes in the capital markets and other circumstances may cause the actual events or results to be materially different, from those anticipated by such statements. CleverTap does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or updated or revised status of such statements. Therefore, in no case whatsoever will CleverTap and its affiliate companies be liable to anyone for any decision made or action taken in conjunction with the information and/or statements in this press release or any related damages.

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Malaysian Genomics Resource Centre Berhad Supports Yayasan Seri Negara’s Ramadhan Initiative

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia, Apr 28, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – Malaysian Genomics Resource Centre Berhad (Bursa: MGRC, 0155), a leading genomics and biopharmaceutical specialist, is pleased to support Yayasan Seri Negara's (YSN) Ihya Ramadhan 2022 programme through a monetary donation to help those in need.

Dato' Seri Mazlan Lazim, Patron of Yayasan Seri Negara and Encik Azri Azerai, Executive Director of Malaysian Genomics Resource Centre [L-R]

The Ihya Ramadhan 2022 programme will be held in several locations throughout the country and involves the breaking of fast and the giving of monetary aid to orphans and the underprivileged.

Encik Azri Azerai, Executive Director of Malaysian Genomics, said, "We are happy and honoured to be able to assist YSN in their Ihya Ramadhan 2022 programme. Every little bit helps, and we want to do our part in easing the burden of those in need such as orphans and the underprivileged."

Malaysian Genomics' cash aid will be distributed to orphans and the underprivileged at the Shah Alam district police headquarters during the Ihya Ramadhan 2022 programme held at the location on 27 April 2022 at 6pm.

Malaysian Genomics Resource Centre Berhad: http://www.mgrc.com.my/
Malaysian Genomics Resource Centre Berhad: 0155 / [BURSA: MGRC] [RIC: MGRC:KL] [BBG: MGRC:MK]

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com