AM Green, SJVN Ink Renewable Energy Deal For Green Ammonia Facilities

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Bernama) -- AM Green, India’s energy transition solutions provider, and SJVN Green Energy Limited (SGEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of SJVN Limited, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a long-term agreement to supply and source renewable energy.

According to AM Green in a statement, under the agreement which was signed on June 26, SGEL will supply approximately 4,500 megawatts (MW) of carbon-free energy to AM Green’s upcoming green ammonia facilities.

SGEL will set up this capacity through solar and wind power, while AM Green will integrate it with pumped hydro storage to ensure a steady supply of green energy to AM Green facilities.

Greenko Group & AM Green Founder, Mahesh Kolli said the company is delighted to partner with SJVN on one of the world’s largest carbon-free, renewable energy supply contracts.

“This partnership demonstrates AM Green’s emerging leadership position as a global clean energy transition solutions platform while contributing to India’s ambition of emerging as an exporter of reliable, sustainable and lowest-cost green molecules and its derivatives accelerating industrial decarbonisation globally,” he said.

Meanwhile, SJVN Green Chief Executive Officer, Ajay Singh said: “We are elated to embark on this collaboration with AM Green, as it holds tremendous potential for accelerating the development of renewable assets in India. The project also marks SJVN’s foray into supplying power to private sector entities.”

SJVN plans to execute the project in three phases, with the first phase delivering 1,500 MW within two years. This initiative is a major milestone for SJVN's renewable energy expansion in India, supporting its goal of reaching 25,000 MW by 2030 and 50,000 MW by 2040.

AM Green, promoted by the founders of Greenko, targets to produce five million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of green ammonia by 2030, equivalent to about one MTPA of green hydrogen.

This represents a fifth of India’s target for green hydrogen production under the country’s National Green Hydrogen Mission and 10 per cent of Europe’s target for green hydrogen imports by 2030.

-- BERNAMA

FIRST TWO HEMOPHILIA B PATIENTS RECEIVE CSL BEHRING’S GENE THERAPY HEMGENIX IN FRANCE

KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 (Bernama) -- Global biotechnology leader CSL Behring announced that two hemophilia B patients were treated with the gene therapy HEMGENIX (etranacogene dezaparvovec) at Hemophilia Treatment Centers in France.

According to a statement, this milestone achievement makes HEMGENIX the first gene therapy administered as a treatment in a real-world setting for hemophilia B in Europe.

“This milestone has been made possible by the innovative Direct Access scheme adopted in France, allowing patients to benefit from early access to pioneering treatments.

“We are encouraged to see increasing access to gene therapies in European countries and are fully committed to ensuring that access to potentially life-changing treatment continues,” said CSL Behring Senior Vice President and General Manager of Commercial Operations Europe, Dr Lutz Bonacker.

HEMGENIX is the first one-time gene therapy approved in Europe for the treatment of adults with severe and moderately severe hemophilia B, an inherited bleeding disorder caused by the lack of Factor IX (a protein needed to produce blood clots to stop bleeding).

Following European Commission approval, HEMGENIX was the first ever therapy to be granted Direct Access in France, thus enabling the first patients to be treated in Europe outside of the clinical programme.

Though effective, current therapies can be time intensive and require regular treatment that can have a substantial impact on a patient’s daily life, while HEMGENIX offers a one-time treatment, allowing people living with hemophilia B to produce their own Factor IX, which can lower the risk of bleeding.

HEMGENIX was granted conditional marketing authorisation by the European Commission for the European Union and European Economic Area in February 2023, following approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration in November 2022.

It has also been approved by Health Canada, the United Kingdom's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Switzerland’s Swissmedic and Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration.

-- BERNAMA

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR HENLEY & PARTNERS 2024 GLOBAL CITIZEN AWARD

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Bernama) -- Henley & Partners, global leader in residence and citizenship by investment, in partnership with Andan Foundation, a Swiss non-profit humanitarian organisation, has announced the call for nominations for the 2024 Global Citizen Award.

This year's honour is particularly significant as it marks the 10th anniversary of the award, celebrating a decade of recognising and supporting global champions, according to a statement.

Henley & Partners Chairman and Andan Foundation Founder, Dr Christian H. Kaelin commenting on the award’s 10-year history and significance, said global citizenship ideals are a founding principle of the firm, and through its partnership with Andan Foundation, it can provide support to those displaced by war, conflict and climate change.

“The Global Citizen Award is open worldwide to those working in a field with a direct link to the issues they are looking to affect and excludes political figures, opinion leaders, and celebrities.

“The committee is looking for remarkable and inspirational individuals who demonstrate vision, courage, and innovation in driving global change, and whose actions and outlook contribute to a more just, peaceful, connected, and tolerant world,” Kaelin said.

Created 10 years ago in 2014, the Global Citizen Award is a tribute that honours remarkable individuals working to advance any one of the global challenges affecting humanity today, challenges that transcend national boundaries and cannot be resolved by any one country acting alone.

The 2024 laureate will be selected by a distinguished, independent committee and honoured at the award ceremony, the concluding gala evening event of the annual Henley & Partners Global Citizenship Conference which is taking place this year at Capella Singapore from Nov 27 to 29.

The selection process is confidential and is based on a majority decision of the Global Citizen Award Committee, with the award itself consisting of a bespoke sculptural medal designed by leading Italian artist Antonio Nocera, an award certificate signed by the Award Committee Chairman, and a monetary prize of US$20,000, which goes towards supporting the awardee’s humanitarian efforts. (US$1=RM4.71)

In addition, Henley & Partners commits to working closely with the awardee for a period of one year, raising awareness of their work and supporting the selected project through the firm’s network of more than 55 offices worldwide.

-- BERNAMA

BOOMI CHOSEN TO AUTOMATE CATHOLIC DEVELOPMENT FUND’S COMPLEX FISCAL PROCESSES

Catholic Development Fund Deploys Boomi to Automate Complex Fiscal Processes (Graphic: Business Wire)

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Bernama) -- Boomi, the intelligent integration and automation leader, announced it has been chosen by Catholic Development Fund (CDF) to automate its customers’ corporate card reconciliation process, reducing complexity and speeding time-to-value for Catholic organisations.

“By putting its customers first, CDF has gone above and beyond. This is a true example of value-add, enriching the organisation’s technology capability to move the dial on its customers’ operations,” said Boomi Chief Technology Officer for APJ, David Irecki in a statement.

Meanwhile, CDF Executive Manager, Product, Jukka Rinta said: “CDF supports Catholic organisations by providing financial products and services. We understand each and every business comes with its own set of financial requirements and technology tools.

“We cannot rely on cookie cutter solutions. With Boomi, we are able to build unique processes, tailored to each of our customers’ needs.”

As an example, CDF delivers automation of complex financial processes to its customers, including Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), an organisation responsible for the governance and operation of 293 Catholic schools in Victoria.

To automate and streamline the MACS Corporate Card reconciliation process, CDF worked closely with Australian advisory and information technology solutions provider, Atturra, which helped it employ Boomi’s integration platform as a service (iPaaS).

The Boomi-connected environment automatically cross-checks financial information against the numerous and differing enterprise resource planning accounting platforms used by MACS’ 293 schools.

In addition to the improvements in user experience, the scalability of the Boomi environment makes onboarding new schools easier for MACS.

As a category-leading, global software as a service (SaaS) company, Boomi celebrates more than 20,000 global customers and a worldwide network of 800 partners.

-- BERNAMA

Adrian Ridge Promoted To CEO At Nikkiso CE&IG Group

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 (Bernama) -- Nikkiso Clean Energy & Industrial Gases Group (CE&IG), part of Nikkiso Co Ltd’s Industrial division, has appointed Adrian Ridge as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective July 1.

According to a statement, Ridge succeeds Peter Wagner, who remains engaged in a board role as Executive Chairman for Nikkiso CE&IG Group.

“On behalf of the board, I welcome and congratulate Adrian on his promotion to CEO. He is a proven leader who is engaging at the right time to support Nikkiso CE&IG’s growth to new heights,” said Wagner.

Meanwhile, Ridge said: “We have all the right ingredients to be a leader in every market we serve in every region around the world. I am honoured and grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

As CEO, Ridge will drive operational and financial results and prepare the group for future growth. In his role as Executive Chairman, Wagner will focus on driving the vision and long-term strategy of the group in an advisory capacity.

Ridge joined Nikkiso CE&IG in 2022 as Executive Vice President of Manufacturing and Operations after working approximately 30 years at Swedish manufacturing giant Atlas Copco in various global leadership roles.

He has a mechanical engineering degree and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Durham University in the United Kingdom.

Headed by Cryogenic Industries Inc in Southern California, United States, the Nikkiso CE&IG Group is a provider of cryogenic equipment, technologies and applications for clean energy and industrial gas market segments, employing more than 1,600 people in 22 countries.

-- BERNAMA

HERO MOTOCORP PAYS HOMAGE TO ITS VISIONARY FOUNDER WITH COLLECTOR'S EDITION MOTORCYCLE

The Centennial (Photo: Business Wire)

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 (Bernama) -- Hero MotoCorp, the world's largest motorcycle and scooter manufacturer, has unveiled the collector's edition motorcycle, 'The Centennial', which pays tribute to the legacy of its visionary founder chairman, Dr Brijmohan Lall Munjal.

Hero MotoCorp executive chairman, Dr Pawan Munjal said his father, Dr Brijmohan Lall Munjal’s vision transformed the landscape of the Indian automotive industry, leaving behind a legacy of ingenuity, innovation, courage and integrity.

“As we celebrate the completion of one year of his centennial anniversary, I am overwhelmed and proud to introduce ‘The Centennial’ - a marvel of engineering crafted in honour of his legacy.

“‘The Centennial’ is not merely a landmark motorcycle but a memoir, written in steel and carbon fibre. This magnificent machine's design, engineering and technology all reflect the indelible mark of our inspiring founder,” he said in a statement.

'The Centennial' was conceptualised, designed and developed by the global experts at the Hero Centre for Innovation and Technology in India and the Hero Tech Centre in Germany.

With only 100 meticulously handcrafted units, it embodies premium performance and craftsmanship, reflecting the company's commitment to innovation and excellence. Deliveries of ‘The Centennial’ will begin in September.

In honour of Dr Brijmohan Lall Munjal's 101st birth anniversary, the company will auction these bikes to its employees, associates, business partners, and stakeholders, where proceeds from the contributions will be utilised for the society's greater good, reflecting the founder's enduring value of giving back to the community.

Additionally, driven by its commitment to inclusivity and sustainability, the company is celebrating 100 days of customer and employee engagements across its facilities and dealer network, including its global markets.

During this period, customers who buy any Hero motorcycle or scooter will have the unique opportunity to receive 100 per cent cashback on their purchase.

Hero MotoCorp will also be inviting its customers to partake in the ‘My Hero, My Story’ campaign, where they can share anecdotes showcasing their unique bond and journey with the brand, and the top entries will be rewarded with the coveted ‘The Centennial’.

-- BERNAMA

AACSB UNVEILS RENOWNED AI LEADER AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR LAS VEGAS CONFERENCE

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (Bernama) -- World’s largest business education alliance, AACSB International (AACSB) has announced renowned artificial intelligence (AI) thought leader, Ethan Mollick as a keynote speaker at its Deans Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada in February 2025.

Mollick is an Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he studies and teaches innovation and entrepreneurship, and examines the effects of AI on work and education.

He also leads Wharton Interactive, an effort to democratise education using games, simulations, and AI. Prior to his time in academia, Mollick co-founded a startup company, in addition to currently advising a number of startups and organisations.

This news comes shortly after AACSB’s AI Conference in Santa Clara, California which focused on the intersection of AI in business education and applied business, the importance of the capabilities of AI, and how AI improves efficiencies without replacing the soft skills.

According to a statement, the alliance has set directions for business schools to advance education and lead in AI following the launch of its first AI conference, with plans to host a similar AI conference in Paris on Oct 9 and 10.

This work also builds off of AACSB’s recently released report on generative AI (GenAI) titled Building Future-Ready Business Schools With Generative AI, which takes an in-depth look at potential threats and opportunities for business education, outlining ways that schools can efficiently use GenAI in their curriculum and learner experiences, while achieving institutional goals.

The impacts of AI are just beginning to unfold in education, business, as well as society, and these efforts serve as a catalyst to further explore, discuss, and study the dynamics of this evolving digital technology.

With members in over 100 countries and territories, AACSB fosters engagement, accelerates innovation, and amplifies impact in business education.

-- BERNAMA