Asia Can Help Lead Climate-Change Fight with Green Dollar Spending

As officials meet in Copenhagen to hammer out a new global climate-change policy, the NGU (Next Generations Utilities) Summit was announced in Sentosa early next year by giants Tata Power and Kepco. Alongside fifty other key Utility providers in the region, the meeting - run by GDS International - was called to discuss the impact of the Copenhagen Conference and to discuss Green Dollar spending in the region.

Such large operators are looking at Asia’s innovative companies like Suntech in China who have taken the lead in producing silicon-based photovoltaic cells and wind-power producers like China Longyuan, who had a strong debut on the Hong Kong stock market, raising more than $2 billion in an initial public offering that rose 9.4% on the stock's first day of trading, to learn how to capitalize on the Green Dollar.

“Asia’s clean technology companies are poised to benefit from their large home markets and expertise in low-cost electronic manufacturing. The success of such companies demonstrates that Asia's scientists and technologists are capable of taking the lead in helping the world make the transition to renewable energy resources. We just need to give them the right challenge,” said a spokesman from the NG20 consortium lead by Colin Tam – CEO of AEI Asia Ltd, who is chairing the summit.

Detractors point out that sources of renewable energy such as wind and solar are intermittent: The wind doesn't always blow when you want it to, and the sun doesn't always shine in a particular location, and that initial capital costs for some renewable sources are still expensive. But analysis from Frost & Sullivan clearly shows the demand for Green Technology. Their results show that the Asia Pacific Fuel Cells Markets earned revenues of $142 million in 2008 and estimates this to reach $1.9 billion in 2015.

“100% renewable energy is obviously the target, says Fraser Jameson, NGU Director, but the future will be fraught with many obstacles to achieve this. The NGU Summit in Asia is a clear illustration of the private sectors willingness to adapt.” Such a transition will require a lot of money, time, and energy. No doubt there will be some failures along the way but with a strong goal-directed strategy from the private sector along with an overabundance of scientists and engineers aiming for one goal and with addition market and government backing Asia stands a good chance of leading the world away from its fossil fueled heritage.

The Smart Money is on Smart Grids

The Smart Money is on Smart Grids
In Asia, the utilities industry is growing at an incredible rate. Investments globally in the sector have lead to more available jobs, predicting the return to pre-recession levels of employment by Q1 2010. However, with such substantial growth comes opportunities which have to be managed correctly to sustain long-term development. With the world’s investors looking at Asia to see how such a developing region can deal with governmental pressures on Green Technology, a meeting of the leading names in Asian and Pacific Utilities firms have agreed to meet at the illustrious NGU APAC summit.

The Copenhagen Climate Change meeting will dramatically change the utility landscape. Carbon Reduction will mandate energy-efficiency upgrades in homes and businesses across Asia. To relieve Government pressures Companies are looking into smart grid solutions and superior technology to improve efficiency, performance and reliability.

“Australia, Singapore and China all have smart grid initiatives underway and Korea has recently announced that it wants its industries to win 30% of the smart grid market globally. The smart grid makes sense for all countries in Asia? “ Rick Nicholson – VP Research, IDC Energy Insights

Estimates vary on how much Asian Utilities are going to be spending to modernize their electricity grids, but the presence of execs from Kepco, PLN, AEI, TNB, EVN and Tata Power at the NGU Summit APAC (hosted by GDS International) is an indication that multinationals see big opportunities to take advantage of the smart-grid push.

Will Smart Grid Solutions keep driving the ever-growing Asian and Pacific markets, or are things moving at an uncontrollable rate? Will it stabilize the market and maintain high foreign investment under such green pressures from global authorities. Whatever lies in the future, the NGU Summit is where the people that matter will be talking, and is set to be the foundation of any development in the region.

Measuring the move to Digital

Marketing Executives admit online initiatives are still a grey area

The economy is putting ever-increasing demands on marketers to make every euro count and demonstrate positive ROI. According to the “iStrategy” a leading program of Business, Marketing and Creative professionals (ran by GDS International), the demand to perform is driving marketers online. More than one-third of marketers attending the iStrategy program were surveyed and believed that interactive marketing ROI would be more profitable than traditional marketing—such as TV, radio and outdoor in 2010. In fact 27% of the marketers indicated they would shift Euro spend from traditional media into the digital space although 34% didn’t know how to measure their online ROI.

Max Ford iStrategy Director went on to explain “The problem with shifting funds to digital initiatives is that consumers are gravitating to areas where the metrics are still pretty shaky, such as blogging, social networking, video and word-of-mouth. Paradoxically, under much pressure and with little choice, the drive for performance seems to be pushing marketers into spaces where they have few means to measure ROI, and we hope to help them find out how to do so”.

The next iStrategy meeting will be held in Berlin early next year and includes Michael Donnelly, Group Director Worldwide Interactive Marketing, Coca-Cola and Michael Buck Global Head SMB Online Dell who will be sharing their success in moving into the Digital Space.

COO of Vodafone talks ‘LTE and the Rise of the Mobile Prosumer’

Kyle Whitehill - COO, Vodafone India leads this year’s NGT Asia Summit in Sentosa.

Leading operators are now finding themselves in the hands of the ever-creative software/hardware companies and the changing consumer culture. iPhone appstore was the first to take advantage and make millions from the operators' customers, creating a financial redistribution within the Telecom industry. Despite this the world’s largest mobile-phone company (Vodafone) has just posted a 2.9 percent rise in profit.

A consortium led by Vodafone COO Kyle Whitehill is currently meeting in Sentosa at the NGT Summit held by GDS International. This closed meeting featuring Zhang Fan - CTO - China Unicom, Anil Tandan - CTO - Idea Cellular, Ravinder Jain - CIO – Aircel and Mu Piao Shih - President - Chunghwa Telecom was called to debate the rapid pace of communication, transforming from the one-to-one (direct) voice communication to the fast, informal and responsive opinion and thought exchange we have today and how operators can reduce the immense cost of a large network but maintain a high level of customer experience.

“The challenge with new technology is that it's big, complicated, expensive and with 3G, 4G, LTE, and TDD making its mark in the industry we are faced with the ultimate threat of being a dumb pipe provider. Our role is to provide fast, effective solutions that meet customer needs.” Kyle Whitehill - COO, Vodafone India and chairperson of the NGT Summit.

Such consumer and technology transformation has distorted the way 'Prosumers' consume their products and services, and interact with their mobile devices. The industry waits to see if Asia's Top Telecom guns can decide on a unified approach to map revenue streams back to the operators.

“It’s not just about the way communication has transformed, but also a revolutionary change of customer behavior. Traditionally, the consumers simply consumed products and services; but now they are becoming ‘Prosumers’ who use traditional services, but at the same time share, recommend and critique these products as well.” Roar Wiik Andreassen Chief Strategy Officer, DTAC

We at NGT are very proud to host the region’s leading telecoms lights and are looking forward to working closely in collaboration with all our CTO's over the coming years in APAC as they diversify and optimize their networks. This has been an exceptional gathering even by our own high standards and much progress has been made by our operator and vendor partners alike.
Nick York - NGT Summit Director Asia Pacific concludes.

GDS International discovers trends in Pharmaceutical Fraud

Counterfeiting is a major problem across many industries, and it's getting worse. According to Travis Johnson, Vice President and Director of Legislative Affairs and Policy for the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, in the 30 years since the association was formed, there has been significant growth both in terms of volume and diversification of fraud items. "Back in the 1970s and 1980s counterfeiting was largely a concern for apparel companies and luxury goods brands," he says.

"The stereotype of the fake handbag, or $20 Rolex that someone would be selling on the street corner. Since then we've seen the expansion of the counterfeiting problem into every possible product sector. We have members from the automotive section, the music industry, video games, movies, computer software – and pharmaceuticals. Any product sector you can think of, even things like toothbrushes and shampoo."

Johnson says that internationally, across all industries, the estimates of the value of counterfeit trade range from over $200 billion a year, to as high as $700 billion a year and the Pharmaceuticals industry is great example. "You wouldn't normally expect to see someone selling prescription drugs unless they're a pharmacist, no matter what the outlet, whether it's a bricks-and-mortar traditional type store or over the internet. If you buy prescription drugs over the internet without a prescription, that's an obvious tip-off that it's not a legitimate product. They're either selling counterfeit product, or stolen or misdirected product. In any case it's a product that you have no way of knowing whether it was properly stored whether it's been tampered with or diluted. Many people think they're getting a good bargain and don't really consider all of the other facts, unfortunately, sometimes with very bad consequences."

Johnson feels that the situation for counterfeit pharmaceuticals is at a bit of a crossroads. Laws around the world have improved and the industry has made a major forward in acknowledging and addressing the problem. He does believe, however, that there are areas require additional focus on in the coming years.

"One of the main areas we need to look at is continuing to educate the public. Last year in the US, approximately $30 million worth of counterfeit pharmaceuticals were intercepted by customs out of $300 million in total counterfeit goods that came into the country. Some of the economic estimates for the actual total market for counterfeit goods in the United States is upwards of $200 billion.

"We need to bring the message to consumers about all the reasons why they should not be supporting counterfeit fraud, whether it's their own health and safety, or the fact that people are losing their jobs, or the impact on the economy. By doing that, we can make a real impact on the spread of counterfeiting.”

GDS International: Global Warming Scam?

In the week that Daily Mail columnist Melanie Phillips announces, live on the BBC that Global Warming is a scam. GDS International speaks with Richard Tarboton for MeettheBoss.TV on his role as Head of Energy & Carbon for BT and what they are doing towards reducing carbon emissions..

BT Operates in over 170 countries and is one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions and services. Richards team have overall responsibility for BT’s energy and carbon strategy, looking at energy trading operations across all BT businesses. BT purchase 0.7% of the total energy supply in the UK and are the largest buyer of green electricity.

Richard speaks of his projects across BT to achieve an 80% reduction in carbon by 2016 from 1996 levels. Stating “there are two simple ways of reducing Carbon emissions, by reducing consumption or to source Energy from Low Carbon resources” he continues “an often misconception is that your Carbon Footprint is dictated only by consumption but this is not the case.”

“ It’s the responsibility of the large Energy buyers such as Big Business’s to source the most sustainable form of Energy, such huge buying power for sustainable sources will decrease Market demand on Fossil Fuels and reduce cost of the transition” .

BT has been ranked top of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index seven years running, and was awarded top sustainability company in the UK at the 2007 Business in the Community awards. Richard Tarboton is also leading the BT wind project, which is the largest wind power project by a company outside the energy sector.

Interview with Richard Tarboton Head of Energy & Carbon BT

GDS International talks with Bank of America on Consumer Scam

Ron Green has recently spoken out on his current role as SVP of Customer Solutions for Bank of America (BOA) for GDS International’s Meettheboss TV.

Cyber crime is relatively new, but has now grown exponentially. It is an ongoing issue for financial institutions and with the Bank of America being one of the biggest in the US combat methods must constantly evolve. So they brought in Ron Green from the US secret Service to secure the Banks customer facing business.

“if I were to grab a group of a hundred people to try and steal their information, there’s a good chance that I’ll get a good percentage of Bank of America” Ron Green continues “The line between Forensic Murder investigation and bank crime may be closer than we imagined.”

Recent surveys show that one of the biggest financial consumer requests is for their service to be available on a mobile platform which is both fast and secure. This is an innovative step in personal finance but the risks are high according to Ron. “Our own infrastructure (Bank of America) is well protected, cared for, maintained, it is pretty hard to target so scammers are shifting to the softer targets – the customers”

This shift is concern for all banks, a customer does not have the resources of a large institution to protect their devices, leaving them and their finances open to scammers, and it is at this juncture where information will be compromised.

You can see the full interview on www.meettheboss.tv

GDS International TOP 10: ‘The Board that you could Never afford’.

GDS International has built up quite a reputation amongst the fortune 500, the world-wide media giant has had double figure growth every year for the last five years and has offices in almost every continent. They now boast the fastest growing news source amongst the executive community in the world increasing its reach by 200,000 across all verticals every month through their new digital initiatives.
Because of this the worlds Business leaders are queuing up for an opportunity to work with GDS International, below is the top 10 executives that have played a major part in the company’s success in 2009.

10. Zhang Fan - CTO - China Unicom
Zhang Fan joined over fifty of the biggest telecom operators in Asia at GDS International’s NGT Summit where they discussed future LTE network developments.

9. Werner Voegels - CTO – Amazon
Werner Vogels joined Amazon in September 2004 as the Director of Systems Research. He was named Chief Technology Officer in January 2005 and Vice President World-wide Architecture in March of that year. And talks unequivocally with MeettheBoss TV.

8. Raj Rawal - SVP and CIO - Burger King
Partnered with and played an active role at GDS International’s CIO US summit held September 2009.

7. Jorgen Vig – CEO – Lego
Spoke candidly for GDS International’s flagship publication CXO EU about his company’s reversal of fortune.

6. Albert Hitchcock - Group CIO – Vodafone
Albert Hitchcock was made Group Chief Information Officer at Vodafone, the world’s leading mobile telecommunications company, in August 2007, after 14 years with Nortel. And is leading the strongest telecom operator committee for GDS International’s NGT Summit.

5. Vint Cerf – Chief Evangelist – Google
Gave MeettheBoss TV a thrilling three part presentation On the Future of the Internet and Voice Enabled Technology.

4. Herbert Hainer, Chairman & CEO, Adidas AG
Herbert Hainer took charge at Adidas Ag (then Adidas-Salomon AG) in 2000. In the last nine years he has sharpened the company’s focus – selling Salomon and buying Reebok to better concentrate on its core competencies. He met up with MeettheBoss TV back in the summer (2009) to talk about Competition, innovation and the power of straight talking.

3. Michael Dell – Chairmen of Dell Ltd
GDS International’s rave reporter Rebecca Goozee met with the charismatic, if a little jaded, computer king at his headquarters in Austin Texas for Q4’s Business Management US publication.

2. Michael Morris - Chairman, President & CEO, American Electric Power
American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states over 39,000 miles of network and he shared his views on GDS International broadcast site MeettheBoss TV.

1. Karl Rove – Former Senior Advisor to President George W Bush
Attended the recent Next Generation Oil and Gas Summit held in New Orleans where he chaired the debate with fifty other industry visionaries including Neil Bush CEO of Nexus Energy.

These names are the tip of the ice-burg for what is a unique and somewhat misunderstood company. GDS Publishing has come out of nowhere in 2009, a phoenix from the economic downturn and has got heads turning.
2010 is the year of GDS International domination.

GDS International Bucks the Trend with 9.5% Growth

After a catastrophic 2008 for global markets, dazed investors emerged from their shelters to ask if 2009 will be any better. With Stocks losing 42% of their value, erasing more than $29 trillion in value the consensus among professionals? Do not expect the big rebound that usually follows a sharp downturn.

Because of this U.S. online ad spending dropped for the third straight quarter during the third quarter of 2009 by 4% to $6.4 billion compared to a year ago, according to new data from market research firm IDC. Globally, online ad dollars slipped 1% to $14.7 billion over the period. Because of this Media companies who rely on such revenues have felt the pinch and are looking for alternative business models to drive growth in 2010. Large corporate publishers such as Haymarket are ending print editions and News Corp are set to begin charging for online content. But is this a step in the right direction? GDS International does not agree.
Maintaining a steadfast approach to publishing and maintaining unrivalled ROI to their clients GDS International (parent company of GDS Publishing) have bucked the Trend and have posted 9.5% this year, opening offices in New Yorks Trump towers, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur.

“The key has been to diversify and innovate” Harlan Davies VP Product for GDS International, “We have a young and vibrant workforce that have adapted well in new business verticals and geographic markets”. Boasting over forty C-level summits a year, alongside its sixteen year old publishing business that circulates over fifty publication to executives world-wide, 2009 has seen GDS International diversify into New Media. Now championing some of the fastest growing online News services such as Next Gen Online News and online executive Broadcasting Network MeettheBoss is has clearly been the right move.

The Obama Technology Agenda: What's Happening, Why and So What?

US Federal State and Local government executives confirm meeting at The Lansdowne Resort, Virginia

The Obama Administration's technology agenda is game-changing, bringing collaboration, participation and transparency to government in a big way. But as more information makes its way onto the internet, an increase level of focus and flexibility is required. Governments need to balance privacy and security concerns with the desire to make the information more readily accessible.
So a unique gathering of US Federal State and Local government executives have scheduled to meet in Virginia next month with the sole purpose of developing an organisational vision on the key steps needed to deliver such innovation in a changing world.
“Such a collaboration between department heads will improve Government transparency in some very interesting ways, allowing government to expand their reach and engage with citizens more broadly.” Ben Riggle – CIO Government Summit Director
Over sixty leaders have already confirmed to attend including Worris Levine, CIO, City of Dallas, Greg Stoddard, CTO, Riverside County California, Ron Lauver, CIO, Florida Department of Education, Garry Galloway, Director, U.S. Department of State, Linda Cureton,CIO, NASA and Randi Lavin CTO , City of Los Angeles.
New technologies outlined by Obama’s agenda has already helped ‘Government’ significantly creating a competitive, modern working environment that's seen as a viable employment option for a new generation of employees.
Competing with the Private sector in such a way is going to spurn some surprising twists and turns on this innovative rollercoaster ride. Citizens will have greater access to, and influence on, their government as a result. And this is why such a unified collaboration is necessary to complement transparency but still maintain public safety without affecting performance.
We wait with bated breath to see the outcomes of such an illustrious summit this December.
Find out more: www.governmentciosummit.com

NG O&G welcomes Karl Rove and Neil Bush

The latest in the highly anticipated NG O&G summit has just taken place in New Orleans. Today, energy is at a crossroads. While the energy crisis has made its mark in the media the industry met to discuss the impacts on the sector. It is of utmost importance for the industry to pull together securing the future of all involved in America.

With the weak dollar affecting Oil prices and a demand for action within the industry the discussions quickly turned to the pulling together and working towards a viable energy policy, acceptable for both the industry and government. Production, distribution, and consumption were all key and discussed in detail by lead speaker Karl Rove

“Huge pressures are being faced with the need to go green and find a sustainable future. With the Oil and Gas industry still a major factor within the world’s energy supplies it is of imperative to maintain viable energy solutions into the future.”

Impresarios such as Jay Smith, GM Engineering and Construction Shell, Arif Mustafa, CIO Natural Gas North America, BP, George Alcorn, President of Alcorn Exploration, Former Chairman of IPAA were among the attendees

The Summit also saw the appearance of Neil Bush, CEO of Nexus Energy, Brother of former President George W Bush who has recently represented the Sinopec group and has played a key part in the industry.

Sponsoring the event and playing a vital role was John Gibson, Executive Chairman of Paradigm
Mark Cordell, President, Distributed and Process Valve Divisions Cameron, Robert Welch, President Energy and Natural Resources, CSC.

As the Industry unites what steps will be taken by the government to insure a sustainable future and protect Americas energy security, this will be discussed at the next NG O&G

Fuel for Thought – Global Media Giant goes Green

GDS International is officially going green as it looks to neutralise the carbon footprint of its websites

Global Media giants GDS International are famed for catering to the needs of the worlds fortune 500 companies, running leading publications and news websites for the world’s biggest Jet setters. But with the economy still recovering and the cost of fuel rising Chairman Spencer Green wants to do more to reflect his readers changing attitudes and Go Green.

Every website in the world requires electricity (generated from the burning of Fossil-Fuels) to power hosting servers, the networks that connects it to the rest of the globe and the computers that we view it from. Therefore, every impression has a carbon footprint that contributes to climate-change.

Next Generation Power & Energy was suitably the first website that has undergone the various changes to make it Carbon neutral, but by the end of the year his entire catalogue of over 100 leading sites.

Studies show that the information and communications technology industry contributes two percent of the world's carbon emissions - that's greater than that of the entire aviation industry. More worryingly, this figure is expected to grow significantly over the next decade.”

“With the help of CO2Stats, our green websites will neutralise carbon footprint with audited renewable energy. CO2Stats' green site certification allows us to make our sites more environmentally friendly using software that can make websites more energy efficient and carbon neutral.” Says Sean McColgan – Digital Strategist for GDS International

CO2Stats monitors a site's energy usage; gives tips on how to make websites more energy-efficient (and load faster); and then purchases the appropriate amount of audited renewable energy from wind and solar farms. CO2Stats can also can tell what class of computer a visitor is using, how long they stay, and even what types of fossil fuels are being burned in order to power that computer. Likewise, it can even calculate the amount of energy being used to power the networks that are connecting a visitors' computer with your servers.

With this data, CO2Stats can calculate the combined carbon emissions of the servers, networks, and visitors' computers that supported your website. You can see our "Green Certified Site" badge in the footer of the NG Power & Energy websites.

GDS International’s Green push continues with its launch of a new Next Generation Africa site - www.ngpowerenergyafrica.com. The new site will keep you up-to-date and well informed on all the developments in Africa's power and energy industry; such as Morocco launching a giant new solar project and the debate over South Africa's commitment to the fight against climate change.

All of this comes just in time for the Next Generation Oil & Gas Africa Summit on 19th - 21st January 2010, where the industry's top senior level executives get the chance to engage in clear and focused dialogue with their peers and examine their management objectives in a relaxed and vibrant environment.

Latin America Turns Challenges into Opportunity through Innovation

The Long Awaited NGT Summit in Panama unites world leaders to build Latin
America infrastructure

Latin America is home to the "B" in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) quartet of leading emerging economies, but is still relatively small as a regional telecom service market, accounting for only 10 percent of total global revenues. A combination of large geographical size and population, economic resources, growth, telecom liberalization and investment are moving the market forward. Big international carriers such as Telefonica and BT certainly see the region’s potential with large acquisitions in the area.

Led by Miguel Angel Garay – CEO Central America, AMNET Telecommunications, a consortium of over fifty world telecom leaders united this week in Panama at the illustrious NGT Summit and outlined the ethos that innovation is the key to exploit the inevitable growth.

A committee set up by the NGT, featuring Pedro Planas, CTO Latin America, Telefonica Media; Humberto Roca, CTO, Antel; and Robert Masse, CTO, Telefonica Del Sur, gave their viewpoints on Latin America Market Environment, turning challenges into opportunity through innovation.
“Nowadays, service providers face a more and more challenging market environment.” Stated the panel “Current macroeconomic ecosystems, competitive pressures and more demanding customers push service providers to differentiate by being more innovative”.

But will integrating value-added services into their portfolios keep high efficiency and profitability levels as demanded by their shareholders? Or will it redistribute wealth to software developers as it has in more saturated markets such as Europe?

The consortium announced the importance of new technologies, such as the much talked about LTE to push the network and reduce the risk of operators being relegated to the sidelines as bit-pipe providers.

“A meeting such as this is crucial for the developing market in Latin America. Investment in new technologies and infrastructure in the region will increase employment and will send a strong message to foreign investors." Paul Southwell – Director for Latin America at the NGT Summit.

This is an exciting time for the region, and to capitalize on such growth opportunities requires the entire industry to pull together, and as such a secondary meeting has been agreed with the NGT Summit on May 11th 2010.

LTE - The Rise of the Mobile Prosumer

World leaders meet at the NGT Asia Summit to discuss the move to 4G

The average handset has evolved from the humble voice-box, to the total media centre. As a result thousands of start-up companies are profiting out of the Telecom sector’s advances, supplying the various add-ons which inevitably accompany any new wave of technology. Such innovations were used by the operators to supplement the pricey voice packages. However, the operators are now finding themselves in the hands of the ever-creative software/hardware companies and the changing consumer culture. iPhone appstore was the first to take advantage and make millions from the operators’ customers, creating a financial redistribution within the Telecom industry. With the telecom giants left to maintain the costly infrastructure that supports this ever growing new-media industry, the outlook for today’s communication service providers is set to get worse in a new 4G world where broadband is everywhere (LTE, WiMax, FTTX and cloud services). How can the giants sustain such costs and avoid being relegated to the sidelines as bit-pipe providers?
To answer this question visionaries such as Zhang Fan - CTO - China Unicom, Anil Tandan - CTO - Idea Cellular , Ravinder Jain - CIO – Aircel, Michael Kuehner - CEO - AXIATA Bangladesh and Mu Piao Shih - President - Chunghwa Telecom are all set to attend what is a closed meeting at the NGT APAC summit in Sentosa, to discuss a unified investment strategy to provide Long Term Evolution (LTE) across the existing 3G network. Such increased download speeds will allow the telecom industry to capitalize on the change in consumer habits and provide wider service offerings.
“Asia’s innovative technologies have inspired the western world and with economic pressures alleviating, we are now looking to invest in 4G to capitalize on the ‘Prosumer’ market.” Said a spokesman for the fifty strong consortium at the NGT APAC Summit

This most elite of delegations led by Kyle Whitehill – COO, Vodafone India, are set to discuss the rapid pace of communication, transforming from the one-to-one (direct) voice communication to the fast, informal & responsive, opinion and thought exchange we have today.

‘Such a meeting has been a long time coming, large operators have been losing revenue as the communication market has diversified, network optimization should lend to them finding new revenue streams as the level of service can expand’ – Nick York – NGT Summit Director Asia Pacific.

Such consumer & technology transformation has distorted the way 'Prosumer' consume their products & services, and interact with their mobile devices. The industry awaits to see if Asia’s Top Telecom guns can decide on a unified approach to map revenue streams back to the operators.

Big Pharma conclude M&A is not the new R&D

World leaders meet at the illustrious NGP Summit in Florida to face up to economic woes.

With large firms seeking synergies to drive down R&D costs, M&A deals can aid in the transfer of technical knowledge, scalability and reduce time to market. However, previous M&A periods have not alleviated the productivity crisis. While short term gains emerge from these deals, in the mid to long term, R&D innovation, organic growth, and internal drivers are still key facet’s behind creating a successful company and providing an organization with sustainability.

The debate rages on at the NGP Summit (currently being held in Florida) where visionaries such as Jeffery Nye, Chief Medical Officer at Johnson & Johnson, Reinilde Heyrman—VP of Clinical Development at Daiichi Sankyo, Oscar Laskin—VP of Early Development at Celgene are leading the debate, joined by Ann Wang—VP of Clinical Operations at Human Genome Sciences who have recently seen a surge of 277 % in their stock price owing to the continuing success of their ‘Benlysta’ drug.

The NGP Summit clearly illustrates that the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry is in a state of transition. M&A, reorganization, consolidation, and portfolio changes are being evaluated in order to maintain growth centers in the face of a myriad of serious challenges. Companies such as Millipore, Definiens and PPD were called by the committee to share their thought leadership amongst over fifty of the worlds ‘big Pharma’ leaders.

“The willingness for the industry to unite in such a way clearly demonstrates long-term strategies for improved business processes so long-term investment in R&D can be secured”. Drew Contessa – NGP Director

Various economic pressures have triggered yet another wave in M&A deals in the industry as companies seek to bring in new assets, capabilities and infrastructures and redesign their organizations going forward. But is this sustainable for long-term growth? The fifty strong committee are set to rejoin at the NGP in April 2010 to review.

Karl Rove speaks up for the American people

Former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush unites industry at the NG O&G Summit

New Orleans is preparing to welcome the biggest names in Oil when the illustrious Next Generation Oil and Gas Summit comes into town. Key personnel including Commissioner Elizabeth A. Jones and Brian Rovelli - President of Total E&P have confirmed attendance to discuss the US reliance of foreign energy markets, technology investments to improve efficiency, building jobs for the American people, and increasing government interventions on the Energy market.

The U.S. seems to be at the brink of losing manufacturing jobs to India and China and implementation of a near-term energy strategy would send a strong message out. Karl Rove is set to lead the discussion and drive home the need of the American people.

“Americans instinctively understand what too many policymakers ignore. We need affordable and reliable energy to power our economy and provide jobs. Relying more on domestic energy sources and less on those of the Persian Gulf makes us more secure. And while conservation and alternatives are good, America will be better off if markets set energy prices, not government bureaucrats. The challenge is getting lawmakers to embrace what the American people already have.” – Karl Rove (Former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush).

The summit (now in its third year) has over fifty leaders in attendance and has got the industry waiting with bated breath on the outcomes.

"Karl is pulling the industry together, working to secure domestic growth, We do not want to see legislation transformed into a mechanism for transferring jobs overseas," Will Doll – Director NG O&G.

Business Networking sites see 18% rise in Female members

The largest growing economic force in the world isn't China or India -- it's women, and this is matched with online usage – says Meettheboss.com study.

The largest growing economic force in the world is not China or India it is Women. The earning power of women globally is expected to reach $18 trillion by 2014, a $5 trillion rise according to World Bank estimates. That is more than twice the estimated 2014 GDP of China and India combined. Although the average women still earns only 77 cents for every dollar men do this is set to grow as more and more women are finding themselves in board rooms.

Such career advancement has brought the female workforce online to share ideas and best business practices. MeettheBoss.com (a world leading online business network) has shown an increase of female sign-ups of 18% from this time last year.

“It is fantastic to see so many women embrace the technology and use it to their advantage, every day I see more and more online” Harlan Davies, MeettheBoss director.

MeettheBoss maintains that the site will not be making any changes for the rush of its new female members “The current way companies appeal to women is to take a male product and paint it pink but this is both patronizing and unnecessary, our members are extremely powerful business people and would not rise to such gimmicks”

The site boasts innovative connectivity amongst peers with an internal Video Conferencing tool as well as Instant Messaging, forums, blogs, tweets and up to the minute news fed individually to each user based on their unique business interests. This sophisticated online aggregation has been popular to the sites members and has seen leading business women such as Isabelle M. Conner Global Head of Marketing ING Group, Dr Anne Phillips, Medicine Development Leader, GlaxoSmithKline and Joanna Young Human, SVP, Liberty Mutual take the limelight and give online presentations to the entire community through MeettheBoss TV on their views of best business practices.

Burnt Out Economy finds new life with Green Technology

'Green jobs' are supported by the Senate on the week that Utilities leaders meet to refine operations – But have they missed the Green Rush?


Profits in the Utilities sector have fallen and experts say it may not be until 2011 that any improvements can be seen. Consumer demand has decreased dramatically since the economic crisis first began, as housing and commercial construction markets have seen a severe drop in business. So key visionaries rallied last week at the greatly anticipated NGU Summit to discuss ways in which they can best invest in innovative technologies to secure top-line growth.

Met with a standing ovation, Diane Grueneich – Commissioner, State Of California Public Utilities Commission opened proceedings looking at the implementation of energy efficiency programs and building partnerships nationally and internationally that advance best practices in clean energy and policies to achieve maximum energy savings. Such Green Technology was backed by the senate as a way of bolstering the domestic economy.

“The U.S. is at the brink of losing manufacturing jobs to India and China and implementation of a near-term renewable energy standard would send a strong message and would do the most to boost demand.” Michael Peck, North American spokesman for Gamesa USA

Efficiency on existing distribution networks and the ‘near-term’ transformation to a Renewable network was a key focus throughout the summit with Andres Carvallo – CIO, Austin Energy was joined by Mark Gray – Chief Engineer, AEP, Steven Malnight – VP Renewable Energy, Pacific Gas & Electric, , Ted Schultz – VP Energy Efficiency, Duke Energy, David Mead – VP Engineering & Technical Services, Southern California Edison and Jay Ignacio – President, Hawaii Electric to talk about their thoughts on the consequences of smart energy management, customer-sited solar, energy storage and the technologies that need to be in place to capitalize on the ‘Green Rush’. Thought leadership came from PV Powered, HP, ACCIONA Energy, Itron, Syclo
And Barnard Construction Company, Inc.

"Its great to see the industry work together to secure domestic growth, We do not want to see climate legislation transformed into a mechanism for transferring jobs overseas," Tom Macdonald – NGU US Summit Director
The goal was clear, to invest in a Greener and innovative future in line with Government backing, but can the US Utility sector keep up with the Global ‘Green Rush’ as China and Europe steam ahead? Utility leaders have agreed to reform in Texas May 2010 to review.

Ulitzer Named "New Media" Partner of Greatly Anticipated iStrategy Event in Berlin

SYS-CON-owned Ulitzer has been touted as the ‘Wikipedia Killer' with now over 7,000 authors online sharing news, views and industry trends on the sites' innovative blogging system. Magazines are managed and created on Ulitzer by visionaries of the digital media space, some of which brought the sites attention to the organizers of what is now the most anticipated New Media event to happen next year - The iStrategy 2010 in Berlin.

For more information click here.

The iStrategy program is famed for educating the corporate elite in the relatively infant innovation of Social Media. Such visionaries as Michael Donnelly Group Director Worldwide Interactive Marketing at Coca-Cola, Michael Buck, Global Head , SMB Online Dell and Ralf Ahamer CMO, XING are sharing their successes at the conference in February next year, looking at; ever changing media consumption patterns and the rapid growth of mobile web, social networking, behavioral targeting, vodcasting, email marketing, viral marketing and how their companies have so brilliantly embraced online advancements to bring them closer to the consumer.

"We have over 150 CMOs confirmed for the Berlin Conference, they are all keen to learn what web 2.0 can do for their business, and we are delighted to welcome such a luminary within the digital media space as SYS-CON's Jeremy Geelan." Richard Owen - iStrategy Director.

A new ‘Internet' has been born that can flatten the market place if not managed correctly. New opportunities create greater challenges for any company to stay ahead. Thanks to sites like Ulitzer the corporate world has finally embraced online social media as a real competitive advantage, and the tier ones are now incorporating such initiatives in their 2010 business plans - but who will be left behind?

For more information click here.

Pharmaceutical Industry Set to Emerge as winners in the Healthcare Reform

Pharmaceutical Leaders are set to meet at the anticipated NGP US Summit Next week to discuss reform

Once a powerful profit-machine, big pharma is stumbling ,the threat of further government intervention, drying product pipelines, fierce competition from generic manufacturers, consumer concerns about safety, and false marketing claims is forcing leaders to revisit operations to secure top line Growth. So leaders such as Judith Marquis, Group VP Genzyme, Jeffrey Nye, Chief Medical Officer J&J Pharmaceuticals and James Kirwin VP Global Clinical Operation Wyeth Pharmaceuticals are uniting with over 50 other figureheads at the renowned NGP US Summit next week in Florida to discuss future technology investments to strengthen the industry and improve efficiency to “weather the Healthcare Reform”.

Thomas Haverty – Global VP, Global Clinical Research, Schering-Plough is set to start proceedings and our sources tell us he will be talking about Responding to 21st Century Drug Development Challenge.

“While healthcare reform has dominated headlines, drug companies have come through the debate relatively untouched, but they need to invest wisely to strengthen under the inevitable changes,” Drew Contessa NGP US Summit Director.


The good news for the pharmaceutical industry is that it may emerge as a winner in the healthcare reform battle as new customers enter the system and price protections remain in force.
IMS Health, the drug industry forecasting firm, reports that the global pharmaceutical industry will grow 4% to 6% in 2010, up to $825 billion.

It is not very often that the industries elite meet like this and it is clear that significant changes will be outlined as a result.
For more information www.ngpsummit.com

Gold Medal goes to Latin America

The week that the Olympics welcomed South America as its new home Telecom Heavy-weights announce key meeting in Panama


Latin America is predicted to be the strongest region of growth in 2010, Investment is flooding to the area and telecommunications is essential for the region to fulfill its potential. Backed by Government incentives and commercial opportunities figureheads such as Humberto Roca, CTO , Antel, Israel Madiedo, CTO, Cablevision , Claudio Bermudez, CTO Grupo ICE, Peter Jones, VP Technology, LIME , Miguel Angel Gray , Millicom International Cellular CEO Central America , Robert Masse, CTO Telefonica del Sur (Telsur) and Pedro Planas , CTO LA, Telefonica Media Networks SA have agreed to meet in Panama on November 10th this year at the illustrious NGT Summit to discuss technology investment to support market growth.

‘As Latin America continues its socio-economic Growth, development in ICT clearly sends out the right message to Global investors.’ Paul Southwell – NGT LA Summit Director

Massive investments in 3G has been highlighted as operators will start to see an increase in mobile application use and IPTV may finally take hold. The cost of voice services is at such a low point that voice alone is no longer a viable competitive advantage, operators must improve service levels and delivery methods in order to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Partnering with IDC and Pyramid Research the NGT Summit LA is set to outline the path to success in 2010.

Africa is treated as a ‘Priority Market’ as investment floods in

The continents Telecom giants meet at the renowned NGT to see how their new found wealth could be spent

Chief Executive of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe has confirmed that telecoms investment in Nigeria in the last eight years has exceeded USD18 billion, and they are not alone as the entire continent is seen as a priority market by the worlds investors. This came to light at the Recent NGT Africa summit lead by Ahmad Farrouk, CEO, MTN Nigeria who addressed the fifty strong Telecom leaders on the Growth potential of Africa’s communication industry, sharing his ideas on the importance of deploying networks in rural communities in order to connect harder to reach subscribers and increase market growth.

Other visionaries that took part in the elite debate included Sameer Dave, CTO & Chief Executive, MTN SA, Mohammed Sheik, Group Strategy Director, Zain, Mickael Ghossein, CEO, Telkom Kenya and Steve Bailey, CEO, Virgin Mobile SA who came together to unite the industry to capitalize on investor confidence. Innovation was clearly the buzz word during the discussions. Having one of the largest a growth markets in the world is clearly not enough for the developing continent, they want to build a sustainable network, a point clearly made by the Commonwealth Business Council and GSMA at the NGT summit. Such discussion on innovative technologies were lead by giants Microsoft, ITS and HDS who all see Africa as the ‘land of opportunity’ and played a pivotal role in educating the Executives present.

“African Telecom leaders have united this week at the NGT and are really embracing new technologies. Such pioneering development in ICT clearly sends out the right message to Global investors, as the continents ongoing socio-economic development continues to improve”. William Francis Austin – NGT Summit Director
But what is the next step for Africa, is the continent now stable enough to capitalize on its growth potential as Europe and the US become saturated and stagnant? Could an enhanced ICT infrastructure allow Africa to compete with Asia or South America? Only time will tell, such discussions are set to continue throughout the year until they rejoin at the next NGT hosted in Cape Town in June 2010.

Healthcare leaders to bridge gaps in preparation for Obama’s reform

New technology is highlighted to prepare for the Obama Reform ¬ But will it help?


A recent poll shows more than 96% of Healthcare professionals are following Obama’s Reform debate closely. The President’s new ideals for healthcare are clearly a major issue for the industry and many leading professionals are asking the question ¬ Is their business prepared for such change? Increased demand and financial strain are pushing all areas of Healthcare, so efficiencies must be found quickly to stabilize the industry in time for the storm.

At the recent Next Generation Healthcare Summit, such professionals met to find these answers and discuss the potential implications that the new reform will have. The meeting began with Healthcare industry leaders debating issues such as deploying innovative and new technologies to reduce cost and medical errors, hoping to improve top-line growth. Stephen Brown, CIO at Tenet, spoke directly to the group on the importance of Interoperability and Health Information Exchange. The group included other impresarios, such as Dr. Divya Shroff , Associate Chief of Staff, Informatics, for the Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Phillip Smith, CMIO of Adventist; Dr. William Bria, CMIO for Shriners Hospital; and Mike Eimer, CIO, Texas Health Resources.

Also present were leading innovators such as Verizon, GE Healthcare, and Sunquest, sharing their advancements in technology and care quality. Dr. William Bria, CIO Shriners Childrens Hospital, followed with a discussion on the historic $19 billion investment provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 set aside for Health Information Technology (HIT), driving home his definition of ‘meaningful use’ improving the processes behind healthcare’s electronic data, an essential tool to modernize the healthcare system in wake of such inevitable change.

³Such a meeting was well overdue, clear strategies must be put in place between all corners of the healthcare industry, such collaboration with new technology will enable Healthcare to work around any future changes that congress wish to announce,² Jaime Martinelli ¬ Director Next Generation Healthcare.


Whether you feel Obama¹s reform will be a positive addition to the Healthcare industry or not, what is for certain is that the industry is subject to a massive change. But will such new technology innovations be enough to prepare the industry for what Obama intends? This will be confirmed at the next meeting set to be held in Dallas next May.

Telecom Giants jump into action at first bell

The European Telecom industry is one of the most competitive in the world. This has been accredited to the affinity between network operators. With a turnover of approximately EURO 290 billion, the industry is constantly growing, but with growth comes new challenges.

A recent challenge facing the industry is its high-profile loss against the EU, having roaming charges cut by up to 400%. The Telecom Industry is big business, and it continues to grow by stepping up and meeting such challenges head-on. As a result, last week, 50 visionaries from leading incumbents and Mobile Operators joined innovators such as Ericsson, Symantec, Volantis and Front Porch to look into ways of developing efficient processes to reduce costs and pass savings on to the consumer.

Moreton Karlsen Sorby, EVP and COO at Telenor Mobile spoke out during his Keynote address at the recent NGT EU summit.

“The Telecom industry will remain fundamentally attractive... With the internet already creating huge waves in the Telecom industry, we expect this to continue, providing the best products and services to the customer.” Moreton continues, “Telecom regulations will be a challenge, but one the industry will endeavour to overcome to the benefit of the consumer. We must remember that the power of the customer will continue to grow and ultimately shape the future of Telecom.”

Another key discussion point covered amongst the 50 industry titans was a debate chaired by Vodafone’s Ger Coolen looking into reducing churn – Service Management Challenges and Effectively Managing SLA’s. “In a highly competitive and saturated market such as Western Europe, reducing churn is one of the few battlefields left to show significant growth.”

“What we in the industry must remember is competition has ultimately raised the standard of service, competition has fast tracked technology and made former monopolies more respondent to the needs of the consumer” Fraser Jameson – Director – NGT Summit.

With countless alternative service offerings around the traditional voice tariffs, in particular wireless broadband, the playing field has been leveled, but who will come out on top?

‘No Frills Drugs’ push Pharmaceutical companies to look for a cure

GSK, Bayer, AstraZeneca, Novartis and Mylan meet to discuss pharmaceutical futures.


The pharmaceutical industry is sharing the symptoms of the economic downturn. Counterfeit drug manufacturing and parallel trading is causing some serious side effects to the ailing industry and leaders from GSK, Bayer, AstraZeneca, Novartis and Pfizer met at this year’s illustrious NGP Summit to help come up with a cure.

The aims of the summit were to enable these business leaders to review their current manufacturing technologies and allow them to concentrate resources on their core competences - developing new drugs.

Visionaries such as Steve Dreamer, Head of global Pharmaceutical Engineering for Novartis, Rene Labatut, VP Global Manufacturing technology for Sanofi Pasteur and Gerald Orlik, VP EMEA / COO for Mylan met along with many others to discuss their plans to work with new technological advances to combat the problems faced and increase production while reducing waste. The Summit also heard from innovators such as Geodis Wilson, BP Labels & Payne Security, Nano Guardian and Hagen & Co who addressed the pharma elite on combating “impossible problems” by reducing costs at an entry level and minimizing waste, showing how Drug manufacturers could save millions.

“Anti Counterfeiting and brand protection is a massive concern. Companies are looking to introduce technologies to their products which are almost impossible to replicate. In order to do this they are focusing on the way in which they can package the product, while making sure it is distributed in a very secure way. Key technologies include nano protection, RFID and asset tracking.”
Benjamin Trevett - Executive Director, NG Pharmaceutical Group

With the pharmaceutical industry heading into the well documented “expiry cliff” competition is rife. Quicker more cost effective methods of manufacturing must be found for big pharma to remain competitive and a clearer means of communication such as that seen at the NG Pharma Summit is clearly vital.

Coca-Cola, Ogilvy, Unliver unveil their Online Strategy Secrets

Coca-Cola, Ogilvy, Unilever. Besides their massive success and brand name recognition in their respective industries, these three companies have something else in common. They are forward thinking, forward working, and have taken advantage of the digital revolution as well as anyone else, from Telco start-ups to large Financial Service organizations.
The lessons described, learned, and abided by, when it comes to these three companies, are not those of secrecy. Social media, viral marketing, email marketing, vodcasts – these are all terms and techniques that are being employed and used by the most successful companies right now. Monetizing and turning a profit off of an online presence is daunting and uncharted territory for many an organization. But at iStrategy 2009, the trained tactics of these behemoths are on display for those with a savvy mind, and the want and will to drive their businesses forward.
A two-day program featuring workshops and speeches from leaders of not only Coca-Cola, Ogilvy, and Unilever, but also Monster, Dell, and 02 (among others) is a treat and a special insiders’ gathering to teach the lessons learned and implemented by these media and brand giants. The goal of the program – to come away with an understanding of how any organization, with a solid understanding, tactile approach, and aggressive strategy can create massive revenue streams, brand awareness, and ultimately, a large profit from online and digital media and plans.
The €1750 conference will take place on October 27th – 29th at the InterContinental Berlin. Program speakers and workshops leaders include:
Rikke Wivel, VP Global Advertising and Media for Monster; Michael Donnelly, Group Director for The Coca-Cola Company; Michael Buck, Global Head SMB Online for Dell; Sarah Evans, Head of Mobile Advertising for O2; and Thomas Marzano, Creative Director for Phillips among many others.

http://www.istrategy2009.com/

Stop Recieving Cold Calls - Join a Call Centre’s LinkedIn group Instead

Recent studies have shown that the use of social networking sites are now being seen as an opportunity for business, online data can be shared with ease and contacts made. More than one in five users (21.7%) now use twitter for work purposes according to recent research carried out by the conference board and TNS. Parallel to this are figures which show that call centre’s and data sharers are using social networking to gather information. With many businesses now using networking sites to forge new business contacts, who is protecting our data?
We are now entering an era where we must opt out from call center bombardment, do we really want to be hit from the web too. With LinkedIn seeing massive growth over the last year and being celebrated for its B2C marketing capabilities it has not gone unnoticed that those companies seeing the biggest profitability from the new networking craze are data sharers and research bodies we can even “Join the UK Call Centre’s LinkedIn group. The Who's Who of UK call centre’s “!
While at work many executives spend their day fielding calls from sales representatives now only to be bombarded with email campaigns from companies who have gathered data from our social networking profiles. But still we cannot ignore the future of web based business and networking.

With the introduction of Web 2.0 it is impossible to disregard the endless opportunities it holds for business. It increases the speed and ease of connecting with employees, customers, and partners while potentially cutting costs. While platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and twitter can be used to connect with business piers it does not, as it suggests, offer a viable platform for conducting ‘business networking’.

New and emerging business networking sites such as Ryze, Ecademy and MeettheBoss all offer a high quality visual experience while also providing security for its users. Having spoken to a senior executive member of www.MeettheBoss.com he explains;

“Each member is vetted and their company position checked before being allowed onto the website. This ensures that you have control of who receives your data. There is no need to opt out because you were never opted in! It allows you to contact business professionals from across leading industry sectors, organize meetings, and discuss industry news and events without being contacted by Joe blogs with the latest in recruitment solutions.”

Surely within an era where looking after our personal details is of utmost importance we should be aware of just who we added while accepting those ever so tempting contact requests!?

Retail Giants join forces to capitalize on the rise of E-Commerce

Unilever, Coca-Cola, Dell, 02 and Phillips share their thought leadership to the celebrated iStrategy program.

Online sales showed a significant increase this year capitalizing on the return of consumer confidence across Europe. European shoppers spent £11.2 billion online in July, 15.7% more than was spent in June and 16.8% more than July 2008. The driving force for the increase appeared to be the clothing, footwear and accessories sector, which showed growth of 18% month on month and 17% year on year, the latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index said. Retailers across Europe are predicted to sell $97 billion in goods and services online in 2010, up 37% from last year. Retail Giants will join forces at the iStrat program this October to capitalize on the growth of the Online Dollar.

Visionaries such as Babs Rangaiah, Global Director Communications Planning Unilever, Rikke Wivel, VP Global Advertising and Media Monster, Michael Donnelly, Group Director The Coca-Cola Company, Michael Buck, Global Head SMB Online Dell, Sarah Evans, Head of Mobile Advertising O2, Thomas Marzano, Creative Director Phillips will be sharing the innovative steps they have all taken to drive value through online investments.

This meeting further illustrates the migration to new media for retail giants. The growth of Web 2.0 has lead to far greater opportunities for such retail giants outside to the obvious sales growth. With more of us sharing personal information online through sites like Facebook, Linkedin, MeettheBoss and Xing, companies can monetize online investment through analyzing consumption patterns, behavioral targeting, cost effective online product testing and having direct contact with the consumer.

Online is still the key growth market and in the midst of a Global recession it seems to be the main focus for European retailers.

Obama reform Resuscitates Healthcare leaders to fix core systems

Healthcare leaders in the US have agreed to meet in California at the end of September at The Next Generation Healthcare Summit

There has been much speculation over the recent months on Obama’s new healthcare reform. Media coverage across the globe has detailed both negative and positive opinions, and yet the arguments in the US appear to be escalating. Recent protests against the new President have caused concern to the White House, but where should Obama go from here?

The healthcare system in America is in need of addressing, but it appears that whichever direction Obama takes, criticism is not far behind. It seems to be a case of management versus leadership and in light of this, Healthcare leaders in the US have agreed to meet in California at the end of September at The Next Generation Healthcare Summit, to discuss the future of their businesses and the healthcare system.

Impresarios such as Dr. Divya Shroff - Associate Chief of Staff - Informatics, for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Phillip Smith - CMIO of Adventist, Bill Ferra - CMIO & VP of Medical Technology for UPMC, Dr. William Bria - CMIO for Shriners Hospital, and Sunmay Mukhopadhyay – CIO for the LA County Department of Health Services, have all confirmed attendance amongst 50 other Healthcare visionaries from across the country.

As healthcare costs continue to rise, health providers are feeling a sharp sense of urgency in deploying information technology to lower costs, reduce medical errors, enhance outcomes and spur efficiency in this crumbling industry. It is obviously not going to solve all the problems facing the Obama Administration at the moment. But if the Healthcare sector can start working at its core, by reducing errors and creating a much more efficient system, a reformation may be able to take place. The question is, will it be too late for Obama?

Obama’s ‘Greener Dollar’ creates a State lottery

North America’s Leading Utility bosses meet at the NGU Summit to talk about real solutions

Recent reports have shown that the Utilities industry in America is struggling. Profits in the second quarter have fallen and experts say it may not be until 2011 that any improvements can be seen. Consumer demand has decreased dramatically since the economic crisis first began, as housing and commercial construction markets have seen a severe drop in business.

But is there too much pressure on the industry during the downturn? Most sectors are struggling just to make ends meet, and yet Utilities are still expected to spend money on innovating new and renewable energy supplies with the knowledge that Government funding can only go so far. With the economic crisis looming over the globe, can the industry help produce a ‘Greener’ world, or will their attempts sink profits lower creating a collapse in the system?

On the flip side, some companies are beginning to reap in the positives of Obama’s reform where funding has been made available for them to innovate new renewable energy. They are thriving under the ‘greener’ resources readily available to them to undercut competitors and lower the prices for the consumer in their area. The problem is alternative energy resources differ dramatically geographically based on the environmental limitations. There may be a substantial amount of funding available for innovation, but it depends on where each utility company is based as to whether or not they can use it to their advantage.

With this in mind, Utility leaders are meeting in California to discuss renewable energy strategies and future plans to increase profits at the industry leading Next Generation Utilities Summit. Leaders in the industry across America will gather to discuss the positive and negative impact Obama’s ideology has had on their businesses, and how as a nation we can move forward. Impresarios such as Andres Carvallo, CIO of Austin Energy, Scott Kicker - VP Engineering & Construction for AES Corporation, Cris Eugster - EVP & Chief Sustainability Officer for CPS Energy, Thomas Fair - VP Renewable Energy for NV Energy and Raman Raj, COO of Los Angeles Department of Water &Power are amongst 50 other industry visionaries to confirm attendance.

In a world where utilities, power and energy have the potential to change the way we operate, it is rare that the people who actually make it happen take the time to talk about real solutions. Many different companies will need to work together in order create a ‘path to smarter power’ that will support all American States. Platforms like the NGU Summit need to become available to the industry’s figureheads for discussions and collaborations to occur more frequently, especially as profits in certain areas are evidently not rising.

The future of Utilities - a single EU energy market?

The Capacity Allocation Service Company for the Central West European Electricity market (CASC-CWE) has integrated the five electricity markets of Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands into one.
Corne Meeuwis, CEO, CASC-CWE believes the results – increased liquidity and competition in the five markets, and resolution to the problem of scarce capacity – will speak for themselves in the next 6-12 months.

In an interview for MeettheBoss.com, he explains that the success of CASC-CWE has led to other countries seeking a similar solution: “The central east region is in the process of setting up an auction office like CASC [and] there is a discussion going on in the central south regions.”

Clearly the next question is why have three capacity allocation services? Meeuwis feels there is a “strong drive for one European energy market”, and this may result in a sector-changing shake out.

“Today there are multiple power exchanges dealing with the day ahead markets and focusing on intra-day activities. Perhaps in the future there will be simply one organization,” he says.

“There is a fundamental question underlying all of this: how should you regard these kind of activities. Are they commercial activities? Then there will be a shake-out. Or should you consider this as a regulated business, like Transmission Systems Operators are a regulated business.” He continues: “And if it’s decided to go in that direction, well you will see all these organizations have to move into one bigger organization.”

Either way, it looks like there are plenty of changes ahead for Europe’s energy utilities.


Watch the full interview: http://www.meettheboss.com/Broadcast-Player.aspx?Play=1&MediaID=122

African Telecom – The Time is now

Improved communications could soon see Africa’s business profile escalate - But is the Industry up for the challenge

The Telecommunication industry in Africa has experienced explosive growth over the last decade and is unquestionably amongst the most exciting regions for Telco solution providers right now.

However, communication throughout the continent cannot be solved quickly and will not be driven by one company alone. In order for the Telecom market to rise, competition, and most importantly collaboration between service providers and operators needs to be addressed and the creation of a stable environment for foreign investment is key.

The Next Generation Telecom Summit taking place in Nairobi at the beginning of October is aiming to provide such an environment. The NGT Summit will focus on how to improve communications and will become the main platform for international telecom visionaries to discuss innovation in the industry and lead Africa through the global economic crisis.

Confirmed attendees include Christopher Anthony Gabriel, CEO Africa, Zain Africa; Alieu Conteh, Chairman of Vodacom Congo; Hans Paulsen, CCO, Uganda Telecom; Mickael Ghossein, CEO, Telkom Kenya; Sameer Dave, Group Executive & CEO, Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation; and Diego Gutierrez, COO Ghana, Millicom International Cellular. Other Telecom leaders from Cell One, Orange Botswana, Virgin Mobile SA and MTN SA are amongst the other 50 visionaries attending.

Major reformation of the Telecom industry is vital for the continent as a whole to move forward. If the leaders of this sector can collaborate effectively and the outcomes bring about new innovations and improved communications, the world could soon see Africa’s business profile escalate within the next year. The potential is high – but is the industry up to the challenge laid out before them?

‘Antiquated’ systems means the Government is not delivering

Dr. Terry Mason, Commissioner for Chicago’s Department of Public Health (CDPH), famously started his tenure by telling City Hall to shape up – but he soon discovered that waistlines weren’t the only thing that needed to be leaner.

Poor organization meant grants were not being used effectively, and service delivery to the public was subsequently below par.

“We had an organization that was a bunch of castles trying to exist in one kingdom, and each castle had its own siloed operation and it duplicated a lot of things,” says Dr. Mason in an interview for MeettheBoss.com.

“Always at the 11th hour we were scrambling because we had unspent grant dollars and because our systems were antiquated, we didn’t know.”

Dr. Mason estimates that some 10% of all healthcare grant dollars were returned.

CHPD was reorganized with “a structure and the technology and a methodology” that means it can still carry out the functionality and the requirements of each of the grantors, explains Dr. Mason, but that 10% is now “almost less than one percent”.

Dr. Mason isn’t finished there: “Government has to figure out how it’s going to make all of that [its grant management data] transparent, not only internally but externally,” he says.

Watch the full interview: http://www.meettheboss.com/Broadcast-Player.aspx?Play=1&MediaID=121

No Money In Voice – Welcome 4G - As profits dwindle, telecom giants join forces at the Next Generation Telecom Summit to cash-in on the new 4G world

The last five years has seen unprecedented change in communications. The European consumer has a plethora of handset choices and packages. The average handset has evolved from the humble voice-box, to the total media centre. As a result thousands of start-up companies are profiting out of the sector’s advances, supplying the various add-ons which inevitably accompany any new wave of technology.

Such innovations were used by the operators to supplement the pricey voice packages as values-add-ons. However, the operators are now finding themselves in the hands of the ever-creative software/hardware companies; they are having to include their own meal ticket - Voice minutes - within the set packages in order to build new custom, which is clearly hurting them. iPhone appstore and Nokia’s Ovi have been the first to take advantage and make millions from the operators’ customer, creating a financial redistribution within the mobile industry. With the telecom giants left to maintain the costly infrastructure that supports this ever growing new-media industry, the outlook for today’s communication service providers is set to get worse in a new 4G world where broadband is everywhere (LTE, WiMax, FTTX and cloud services). How can the giants sustain such costs and avoid being relegated to the sidelines as bit-pipe providers?

Undeterred, the industry has decided to take action. Vodafone have announced the launch of their Appstore which will charge pay-monthly customers for all bought downloads. T-Mobile, Orange and many fixed line/mobile operators across Europe are set to follow suit and have announced a meeting to discuss such technology strategy and new business models at the influential Next Generation Telecom (NGT) Summit in Portugal next month.

Harri Koponen President and CEO of Tele2, Ugo Benzi, Global Chief Client Integration for Telecom Italia and Morten Karlsen Sorby, EVP & COO of Telenor Mobile are amongst 50 other visionary leaders have confirmed attendance, and are set to take a lead in the debate to find a consensus in the new 4G world. They will be joined by impresarios such as Jens Backes, VP of Mobile Broadband for T-Mobile, Ger Coolen, CTO of Vodafone Netherlands, and Pierre Marin, Group IT COO for Orange.

“We are in exciting times for the Telecom industry in Europe, as advances have allowed for diversification into other revenue streams,” says Fraser Jameson – NGT Summit Director. “Transformation to a low-cost operating model isn’t enough to ensure survival for the larger operator, it merely provides an entry ticket to the new digital economy. The real value will be created by continuous innovation and becoming highly customer centric.”

The European Telecom industry awaits with baited breath the results of the summit. Will this redistribution of wealth continue, or can the industry find a solution? If so, what kind of market and business transformation will this unleash?

For more information www.ngtsummit.com