Thursday 31 March 2022

Uniphore declares Unite App Alliance Partner Program

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Uniphore, the leader in Conversational Automation has announced its Unite App Alliance Partner Program.

A major pillar of the global Uniphore Unite Partner Program, the App Alliance program enables value-driven collaboration and cross-selling for participating Independent Software Vendors (ISV).

Participating ISVs will have greater access to and involvement in shaping the direction and strategy of tomorrow’s conversational AI, automation and supporting CX technology innovation.

Launched late last year, Uniphore’s Unite Partner Program is a comprehensive program that provides end-to-end support to the partner lifecycle, allowing partners to benefit from Uniphore’s market-leading conversational AI and automation technology to offer more robust support to joint customers.

The Unite App Appliance Partner Program takes this offering a step further by allowing expanded collaboration and complementary co-selling among participating ISVs.

“The role of CX has never been more important than today,” said Jafar Syed, SVP, Global Head of Channel Alliances & Partnerships at Uniphore.

“The Unite App Alliance Partner Program extends the power of our conversational AI and automation solutions by providing joint customers with additional choices and more functionality to address their specific needs,” he said in a statement.

Among others, benefits of the Uniphore App Alliance Partner Program include greater opportunities to expand market share through access to cross-selling; exposure on Uniphore’s website with partners’ logos and a solution webpage; and, joint marketing activities, including press release and joint collateral.

For more information, visit: https://www.uniphore.com/

-- BERNAMA

Global advertising platform MGID buys Italy’s Metup Native S.r.l.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- MGID, the global advertising platform, announced it has acquired a majority stake in Metup Native S.r.l., a leading native advertising network in Italy previously owned by MetUp.

According to a statement, this deal marks the latest step in MGID’s global expansion plans.

MGID Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sergii Denysenko, commented: “This is our first acquisition, but definitely not our last. We are in constant search of the leading adtech companies that can complement our product offering in local markets.

“Our purchase of Metup Native was an easy decision to make as not only does the company share the same values as MGID, but their market knowledge – and presence – is hugely impressive. We are looking forward to continuing our work in the Italian market and further developing our client partnerships.”

Meanwhile, CEO of Metup Native S.r.l., Shahram Bahadori said: “Joining MGID is a big milestone for Metup. We look forward to enhancing MGID’s current standing in Italy through our expert team, market knowledge and differentiated product offering, to deliver an unrivalled service for our publisher and advertiser partners.”

MGID entered the Italian market by partnering with Metup in 2019. Leveraging the technology, data, and expertise of Metup has enabled MGID to enhance its native offering for advertisers and publishers in Italy.

The collaboration has enabled MGID to grow reach in the region to over half (55 per cent) of Italy’s digital audience, through partnerships with premium publishers such as liberoquotidiano.it, ilfattoquotidiano.it, ilfoglio.it, iltempo.it, and gds.it.

Every month, MGID reaches 900 million unique readers, with 200 billion ad impressions, across 25 thousand trusted publishers.

More details at www.mgid.com.

-- BERNAMA


GCP ANNOUNCES ASIA PACIFIC PRICE INCREASE ON ALL CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS

 SINGAPORE, March 31 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GCP Applied Technologies Inc. (NYSE: GCP) (GCP or the Company), a leading global provider of construction products, today announced it is implementing price increases for Concrete Admixtures, Cement Additives and Specialty Building Materials in Asia Pacific.

To continue providing the exceptional solutions GCP’s customers rely on, at the levels of service they require, it is necessary to increase prices for all construction products effective April 1, 2022.

“The global supply chain impacts on raw material and freight costs have been unprecedented over the past nine months and costs are not expected to subside in the near future. We have continued to increase our inventory levels to service our customers’ needs, and added freight capacity to ensure timely delivery. We are committed to provide customers with the highest-performing products and industry-leading technical service. GCP’s regional sales team will contact our customers individually to discuss the details of the price increase,” commented Jimmy Ho, GCP’s President of Asia Pacific Region.

About GCP Applied Technologies

GCP Applied Technologies (NYSE: GCP) is a leading global provider of construction products that include high-performance specialty construction chemicals and building materials. GCP partners with producers, contractors, designers and engineers to achieve performance and sustainability goals. The company has a legacy of first to market and award-winning solutions that have been used to build some of the world’s most renowned structures. GCP is focused on continuous improvement for its customers, end-users and the environment.

For more information, visit GCP's website at www.gcpat.com.

Media Relations
Catherine Meihofer
+1 678-575-1927
mediainfo@gcpat.com

Investor Relations
William I. Kent, IRC
+1 617-498-4344
investors@gcpat.com 

SOURCE : GCP Applied Technologies Inc.

Wednesday 30 March 2022

Render doubles APAC, Eastern U.S. global footprints

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 -- Render, the Zero DevOps Cloud Platform, announced it has expanded into new regions and now offers local hosting for U.S. East in Ohio and for APAC in Singapore.

According to a statement, with these new locations, Render has doubled its global footprint, gaining a competitive advantage over other key players in the space, including Heroku.

“Render now offers powerful, secure hosting and a superior developer experience at a fraction of the cost for customers in APAC,” said Chief Executive Officer of Render, Anurag Goel.

“This represents a significant milestone not just for Render, but for all developers in Asia who have previously had to choose between time consuming and expensive options like the Big 3 Cloud Providers, or PaaS alternatives without a local presence, which degrades end user experience.

“Additionally, our new US region in Ohio further supports the rapidly accelerating adoption of Render in the U.S., and makes it seamless for customers to migrate from Heroku.”

The APAC region in particular has been traditionally underserved by cloud PaaS solutions, making Render’s expansion into the area highly anticipated by current customers and prospective customers alike.

Render’s presence in Singapore will reduce network latency in the region by almost 90 per cent, allowing customers to run their workloads nearer to their audiences and giving end users the best possible experience interacting with products hosted on Render.

Additionally, developers in APAC can now avoid overly complex cloud offerings and wasteful DevOps spending and can build better products faster.

Render offers instant setup and usability, along with the customisation and flexibility of containerisation technology that enables teams to focus on product development instead of server management.

Render’s expansion into U.S. East will reduce network latency for users in the region by up to 25 per cent. Additionally, Heroku’s U.S. services are hosted in U.S. East, making it easy for Heroku customers to migrate to Render without having to switch the hosting region of their applications.

More details at https://render.com.

-- BERNAMA

21K SCHOOL AIMS TO BECOME THE LARGEST ONLINE SCHOOL IN SOUTH ASIA BY 2023

 MUMBAI, India, March 30 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- 21K School—India’s first online-only school—is well on its way to becoming the largest online-only K12 school in South Asia. It will be registering over 15,000 students for the upcoming academic year by July 2022, and by 2023 the school plans to have over 30,000 students. Presently, 21K School has students from over 35 countries who have been the strong promoters helping the community grow.

21K School is a leading online-only school that offers accessible, world-class education to children between the age of 3 to 18 years, residing in any geographical location and time zone. With over 200 highly trained and best-in-class teachers, 21K School has an enviable teaching quality which is rated at an industry beating 96% approval. While students enrolling at 21K School can choose to study from three curriculums—Indian, American, and British—its disruptive education model is helping create a new category with personalised, affordable, and flexible schooling for them. The online-only school has recently partnered with Cambridge UK to offer career pathway programs from schooling to admission in universities across the UK for higher education. The team has taken their deep understanding of technology and pedagogy to create a school of the future.

21K School helps students significantly cut down their commute time to and from school, thus giving them more time at hand to pursue language studies, performing arts, sports, etc. Furthermore, students from 21K School have gone on to publish books, develop games, compete in state and national level sporting events, and yet have never had to miss a day of school. Santosh Kumar, CEO & Co-founder, 21K School, said, “21K School continuously aims to provide world-class education from nursery to Grade 12, with an ease of access to everyone, anywhere, anytime. Outside our regular target audience, we have seen a high level of inbound interest from parents who have to frequently move cities due to jobs, or parents from Tier 2 & 3 cities who yearn for high quality education or those in metros but cannot afford the sky-rocketing price of schooling. With online schooling making a breakthrough in the education ecosystem, 21K School focuses on broadening its reach to help students fulfil their quest for holistic education and be ready for future.”

About 21K School:

Founded in 2020, 21k School is the first online-only school in India. Co-founded by Santosh Kumar, Joshi Kumar, Dinesh Kumar and Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal, the school’s objective is to make world-class education accessible to all children irrespective of their geographical location and fluid lives. The school is known for its intellectual rigor, application-based learning, flexible options, trained faculty, and an environment of collective learning in a community that grows together instead of competing with each other. The school has 3,500 plus happy students going to 30,000 over the next 18 months - across 35 countries and is well poised for global expansion.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005489/en/

Contact

Vasudha Rao, Adfactors PR, +91-9820347118

Source : 21K School

AM BEST AFFIRMS CREDIT RATINGS OF CHINA TAIPING INSURANCE (MACAU) CO., LTD.

 HONG KONG, March 30 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a” (Excellent) of China Taiping Insurance (Macau) Co., Ltd. (CTIM) (Macau). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect CTIM’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

CTIM risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), remained stable and is at the strongest level. The company’s capital continues to grow in 2021 through partial profit retention and is supported by positive operating results. The company’s investment strategy remained conservative and stable, with the majority of its investment assets in cash and investment grade bonds. The company’s reinsurance program remained comprehensive with reinsurer panels of good credit quality, notwithstanding, the reinsurance dependency of the company is moderate.

CTIM continues to be profit generating in 2021, supported by positive underwriting and investment results. While the company’s net loss ratio remained stable, its net expense ratio is showing an increasing trend, attributed to growing management expenses. The company’s investment portfolio continues to generate profits through interest and dividend income to support its overall strong operating results. Notwithstanding, the investment yield remained moderate but stable, attributed to the company’s conservative investment strategy.

CTIM maintains a long track record as the leader in Macau’s non-life insurance segment and has a market share of close to 35% in 2021 based on gross premium written. The company’s underwriting portfolio and distribution channel were stable and diversified, while the company continues to develop its online channel and explore cross-selling opportunities in its affiliated life insurance company in Macau, China Taiping Life Insurance (Macau) Company Limited.

CTIM is well-positioned at its current rating level. Negative rating actions could occur if there is a material decline in the company’s risk-adjusted capitalisation or a significant and sustained deteriorating trend in its operating performance. A weakening credit profile of the parent company, China Taiping Insurance Holdings Company Limited, also may have a negative impact on CTIM’s ratings.

Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best’s website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best’s Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best’s Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best’s Credit Ratings, Best’s Performance Assessments, Best’s Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best’s Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright © 2022 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220325005350/en/ 

Contact

Paul Lam
Financial Analyst
+852 2827 3402
paul.lam@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey
Manager, Public Relations
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159
christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Christie Lee
Senior Director
+852 2827 3413
christie.lee@ambest.com

Jim Peavy
Director, Communications
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644
james.peavy@ambest.com

Source : AM Best

AM BEST AFFIRMS CREDIT RATINGS OF SUN HUNG KAI PROPERTIES INSURANCE LIMITED

HONG KONG, March 28 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a” (Excellent) of Sun Hung Kai Properties Insurance Limited (SHKPI) (Hong Kong). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect SHKPI’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

SHKPI’s risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), is maintained at the strongest level. The higher-risk assets, including non-investment-grade bonds and unlisted equities, and some sector concentration in the company investment portfolio exposed its risk-adjusted capitalisation to considerable market and credit risks. However, AM Best considers the company’s capital buffer is sufficient to absorb the associated investment risks. The company’s reinsurance programme remained appropriate, with reinsurer panels in good credit quality.

SHKPI’s overall operating performance has been consistently strong and above the market average. Supported by its parent in distribution with minimal gross acquisition expenses, SHKPI’s underwriting results continue to outperform industry peers. The company’s positive investment returns remain to be another profit driver, though its investment yield has been trending downward in recent years. The Chinese real estate sector liquidity crunch and recent equity market volatility may add short-term investment performance pressure on the company.

SHKPI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited, one of the largest property development and investment conglomerates in Hong Kong. It benefits from its parental network to write most of its business from associated and subsidiary companies. The company, therefore, continues to operate in a low acquisition cost business model. SHKPI maintains a small albeit profitable presence in Hong Kong’s general insurance market, focusing on employees’ compensation insurance.  

Tuesday 29 March 2022

AM Best revises Ansvar Insurance Limited outlooks to stable

 KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 -- Global credit rating agency, AM Best has revised the outlooks to stable from negative and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘a-’ (Excellent) of Ansvar Insurance Limited (Ansvar) Australia.

According to a statement, these Credit Ratings (ratings) reflect Ansvar’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its marginal operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

In addition, Ansvar’s ratings factor in rating enhancement to reflect its ownership, integration and support from Ecclesiastical Insurance Office plc (EIO).

The revision of the outlooks to stable follows increased financial and reinsurance support provided to Ansvar by EIO, which AM Best views as an effective response to counteract recent pressure on Ansvar’s operating performance and balance sheet strength fundamentals.

Over the past three years (2019-2021), Ansvar has exhibited heightened volatility and a deteriorating trend in operating performance, with its underwriting results having been hampered by weather-related events, COVID-19 provisioning and material reserve increases emanating from physical and sexual abuse (PSA) claims.

Recent and planned capital injections from the parent have helped to bolster Ansvar’s capital adequacy and offset the adverse impact of COVID-19 provisions and material increases in PSA reserves.

EIO is also providing significant intra-group reinsurance protection to Ansvar in 2022. This includes the renewal of a PSA excess-of-loss cover and the placement of a new stop loss programme, both of which are expected to substantially limit downside risk to operating performance and balance sheet strength fundamentals over the near term.

Beyond this, AM Best expects Ansvar and EIO to continue to review and consider the requirement for these intra-group reinsurance arrangements, with group support expected to remain available if Ansvar’s performance volatility persists.

More details at www.ambest.com.

-- BERNAMA

CONAGEN'S GRANT AWARD OPENS NEW MARKETS FOR MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES

 

Funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for Conagen’s Conamax platform benefits developing countries and patients globally.


Bedford, Mass., March 29 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given a grant to Conagen to support further development of its Conamax(TM) platform for the production of accessible low-cost and high-quality monoclonal antibodies, benefitting developing countries and patients globally.

The high cost of monoclonal antibody (mAb) production makes blockbuster drugs expensive, limiting the markets in which these molecules can be applied and limiting access to large patient populations in developing and industrialized countries. The reason for high production costs is, in part, intrinsic to the use of mammalian cell expression systems for antibody manufacturing.

“The Conamax platform was originally conceived to address this global unmet need, so we are thrilled to have the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help develop affordable antibody therapeutics,” said Casey Lippmeier, Ph.D., vice president of innovation at Conagen.

With rapid cell growth, human-compatible glycan structures, and demonstrated world-scale fermentation bioprocesses, the Conamax platform holds several advantages over Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines and other mammalian expression systems, as well as other microbial platforms.

The foundation grant funds the bench-scale development of a proof-of-concept study of a continuous purification process, customized to inputs from Conamax and potentially other microbial host organisms. With large-scale advancements, Conagen envisions that this process will be capable of continuously purifying mAbs from material generated in bioreactors with volumes greater than 250,000 liters.

As a significant advantage, the process will not require expensive binding proteins or other expensive column purification steps. This process will enable economies of scale which are not accessible to CHO or other mammalian-derived cell systems while also providing rapid, high-throughput purification of large amounts of antibody.

“Incumbent antibody manufacturing and purification processes based on Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines have brought tremendous advancements to biopharmaceuticals," said Lippmeier. "However, CHO cell systems are comparatively low volume, expensive, and do not enable low cost and efficient purification of large amounts of antibodies.”

According to McKinsey, in 2019, global sales revenue for all mAb drugs was nearly $163 billion, representing about 70% of the total sales for all biopharmaceutical products, approximately $230 billion. That is about a 50% growth in sales and proportion since 2013, when it was $75 billion. 

Continued growth in sales of currently approved mAb products, along with more than 1,200 mAb product candidates currently in development — many for multiple indications — will continue to drive the overall sales of all biopharmaceutical products.

“We’re unlocking the way to make drugs more affordable and, while doing so, opening additional markets for biologics,” said Lippmeier. 

###

About Conagen

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

Attachment


Ana Arakelian, head of public relations and communications
Conagen
+1.781.271.1588
ana.arakelian@conagen.com 

SOURCE : Conagen

UPGRAD'S STUDY ABROAD SET TO BECOME THE LARGEST PLAYER IN THE GOING-ABROAD SPACE IN SOUTH ASIA; SETS REVENUE TARGET OF $130MN FOR 2023

 ATLANTA, March 29 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- upGrad Abroad, the ‘Study Abroad’ vertical of Asia’s leading higher EdTech company upGrad, launched a high decibel campaign last week with the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, announcing the future for undergraduates and postgraduates studying abroad with the right blend of online learning for the first year, followed by the on-campus thereafter. Just in the last 8 months, upGrad Abroad has enrolled 1,500 learners and onboarded 18 partner universities.

The Study Abroad vertical has set a target to become the largest player in the segment by 2023 — to enroll over 25,000 learners and cross an annual revenue run rate of $130Mn by then. India as a market for students going abroad to study is in the top 2 countries in the world and that number has soared from 440,000 in 2016 to 770,000 in 2019 and will cross 1.8Mn students annually by 2024. The core geographies from which upGrad learners can choose include the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, and Germany.

Commenting on the same, Ankur Dhawan, President - upGrad Abroad said, “The only way to democratize transnational education is by offering learners the chance to study from any global university of their choice and yet make it much more affordable and accessible than it's ever been before. With upGrad’s ability to offer online to start with and then move to on-campus learning, we are uniquely placed to open up this market exponentially.”

“The world has changed a lot in the last half-decade and most Indians want to be in their own country or come back to their own country to work and build their future. India is a prime example as it is a land of myriad opportunities as it’s slated to be the 3rd largest economy in the world. The market for traveling overseas to pursue higher education and specialization, along with global exposure before settling, is where we believe upGrad has created the right blend of an offering with the right partnerships, to change the lives of many learners with unbridled ambition,” added Mayank Kumar, MD & Co-Founder, upGrad.

About upGrad

upGrad — started in 2015 — is a pioneer in the online education revolution, focused on powering career success for a global workforce of over 1.3 billion. It is one of the few Integrated LifeLongLearning Tech Companies in the world — spanning the college learner to the working professional from the age group of 18-50 years and across Undergrad courses, Campus & Job Linked Programs, Studying Abroad, short form to executive programs to Degrees, Masters and Doctoral — with a learner base of over 2 million across 100+ countries and over 300 University partners and a robust enterprise business with a client base of 1,000 companies worldwide.

upGrad’s Global Learning Engine rests on four pillars — (a) its large repository of original & owned content and IP, (b) its own best-in-class proprietary tech platform, (c) its high touch human-led delivery service backed by coaches & mentors, and (d) an 85% course completion track record, backed by a further 80% career outcomes guaranteed performance.

Already termed Asia’s higher EdTech leader, it has offices in the UK, U.S., Middle East, India, Singapore & Vietnam, and with a presence in many more countries.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220324006068/en/ 

Contact

UpGrad | Neha Prasad |neha.prasad@upgrad.com 

Source : upGrad

Monday 28 March 2022

Smart building deployments exceed 115 million in 2026 - Juniper Research

KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 -- A new study from Juniper Research has found that the number of buildings globally deploying smart building technologies will reach 115 million in 2026, from 45 million in 2022.

According to a statement, this growth of over 150 per cent reflects increasing demand for energy efficiency from businesses and residents alike, as energy costs spike.

Juniper Research defines a smart building as a building that uses connectivity to enable economical use of resources, while creating a safe and comfortable environment for the occupants.

The new research, Smart Buildings: Key Opportunities, Competitor Leaderboard & Market Forecasts 2022-2026, found that by enabling buildings to monitor and automate common functions, significant efficiency gains can be made, while improving the environment for workers and residents.

The report recommends that vendors focus on building analytics platforms for the most value to be driven from deployments.

The research found that non-residential smart buildings will account for 90 per cent of smart building spend globally in 2026; at a similar level to 2022. This dominance is due to the larger economies of scale in commercial premises driving this spend, as well as the commercial focus of most smart building technologies.

In addition, the research found that the global shipments of sensors used in smart buildings will exceed one billion annually in 2026 from 360 million in 2022; representing a growth of 204 per cent.

Sensors, when combined with intelligent management platforms, will allow smart buildings to adapt to conditions; matching elements such as lighting, heating and ventilation to live requirements.

The report recommends that smart building vendors partner with AI vendors to maximise the benefits of automation, such as reduced energy costs and improved working environments.

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.

-- BERNAMA

FOURTH TOMMY HILFIGER FASHION FRONTIER CHALLENGE CALLS ON SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS ACCELERATING INCLUSIVITY IN FASHION

 


Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge 3rd Edition Finale Event (Photo: Business Wire)

Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge 3rd Edition Finale Event (Photo: Business Wire)


The program invites social entrepreneurs from historically underrepresented communities to share their innovative ideas for the chance to win financing and mentorship.


AMSTERDAM, March 28 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Tommy Hilfiger, which is owned by PVH Corp. [NYSE: PVH], is pleased to announce that applications for the fourth edition of the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge are open. The global program echoes Tommy Hilfiger’s sustainability vision to Waste Nothing and Welcome All, amplifying and supporting new voices in the world of social entrepreneurship who are shaping scalable and disruptive innovations to create a more inclusive future of fashion.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220328005210/en/
 
In line with Tommy Hilfiger’s commitments towards inclusion, diversity, and acknowledging the gap in equity and equal opportunities, individuals from historically underrepresented communities, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), people with disabilities and women, are strongly encouraged to apply this year. Applications can be submitted by April 29, 2022, through 
https://platform.younoodle.com/competition/th_fashion_frontier_challenge_2022.

“The Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge aims to bring together entrepreneurs from all walks of life, investing knowledge and resources to unlock the unique power of their innovations,” said Tommy Hilfiger. “As an entrepreneur myself, I always wanted to build a global lifestyle brand that is inclusive of everyone — a philosophy that continues to live through this challenge. I truly believe that by coming together we can drive a future of meaningful and long-lasting change.”

The following prizes will be awarded to the winners to support their business idea:
  • A total of €200,000 split between two winners
  • Additional €15,000 prize for being elected the “Audience’s Favorite Vote”
  • A year-long mentorship with Tommy Hilfiger’s internal global experts
  • A year-long INSEAD mentorship and course
Tommy Hilfiger is inviting fans of the brand to participate in the first phase of the challenge as Digital Judges. They will help the brand narrow down all applications to the Top 50. Interested applicants are invited to apply until April 20, 2022, through https://platform.younoodle.com/competition/consumer_
vote_tommy_hilfiger_fashion_frontier_challenge_2022
.

The top 50 applicants will then be narrowed down to six finalists through an internal procedure. Each finalist will be invited to further develop their business plan with the support of dedicated Tommy Hilfiger and external experts ahead of the final event. With training from an experienced pitch coach, each finalist will then present their concept to a jury panel and internal Tommy Hilfiger associate audience at the global Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge final event in early 2023.

“At Tommy Hilfiger, we want to work together with communities to drive innovation, inclusivity, and diversity to drive long-lasting change,” said Martijn Hagman, CEO, Tommy Hilfiger Global and PVH Europe. “As we kick-off for the fourth Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge, we really look forward to seeing what ideas come to light that will support communities and help shape the future of fashion.”

Since its inception in 2018, the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge has awarded €550,000 to support global entrepreneurs bring their innovative ideas to life, so they can make real changes to their communities. The third edition winners include Lalaland, a Netherlands-based platform that uses artificial intelligence to generate customized and inclusive synthetic models of different ethnicities and UZURI K&Y, a Rwandan-based eco-friendly shoe brand that uses recycled car tires from sub-Saharan Africa and employs local youth. Clothes to Good, a South African-based social enterprise that creates micro-business opportunities and jobs for people with disabilities through textile recycling, was awarded the Audience Favorite vote. More information about Tommy Hilfiger’s sustainability journey, which is powered by PVH’s Forward Fashion strategy can be found on 
https://global.tommy.com/en_int/about-us-corporate-sustainability.

More information about the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge, including how to apply, is available here: 
https://responsibility.pvh.com/tommy/fashion-frontier-challenge/.

Friends and followers of the brand are invited to join the conversation on social media using #TommyHilfiger, and @TommyHilfiger.

About Tommy Hilfiger
TOMMY HILFIGER is one of the world’s most recognized premium lifestyle brands, uplifting and inspiring consumers since 1985. Colliding the classic with the new to light up what's next, the brand boldly mixes prep style and Americana heritage with fresh perspectives drawn from pop culture to design memorable products and collections. Under Mr. Hilfiger’s vision, TOMMY HILFIGER captures the playful alchemy needed to drive innovative and immersive consumer experiences. At the heart of the brand is the vision to Waste Nothing and Welcome All, an unwavering commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, diversity, and circularity that powers teams to create a better fashion industry.

Global retail sales of TOMMY HILFIGER products were almost $7 billion in 2020. Across the TOMMY HILFIGER and TOMMY JEANS lifestyles, the collections include mens, womens and kids; footwear and accessories; close to body; and a range of license product lines including eyewear, watches and fragrance. Part of PVH Corp., the Tommy Hilfiger Group is powered by more than 16,000 associates worldwide — boasting an extensive distribution network spanning 100 countries and more than 2,000 retail stores, including its largest global flagship store at tommy.com.

About PVH Corp.
PVH is one of the world’s largest and most admired fashion companies, connecting with consumers in over 40 countries. Our global iconic brands include Calvin Klein and TOMMY HILFIGER. Our 140-year history is built on the strength of our brands, our team and our commitment to drive fashion forward for good. That's the Power of Us. That’s the Power of PVH.

Follow us on FacebookInstagramTwitter and LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220328005210/en/

Contact

Tommy Hilfiger
Virginia Ritchie
Vice President, Global Communications
E-mail: virginia.ritchie@tommy.com
Tel: +31 6 4318 4870

Source : PVH Corp.