Narrowing Gender Gap in STEM Can Contribute to Economic Growth in the Middle East

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Narrowing Gender Gap in STEM Can Contribute to Economic Growth in the Middle East

Some of the leading regional and international companies shared insights on how they are unlocking female potential in STEM roles at the Women in Leadership Economic Forum (WIL) by Naseba, taking place in Dubai on October 28 and 29  

Is technology widening the gender gap? Why aren’t there more women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)? What’s holding women back? Is it because majority of women believe that technology is a male industry or there is a gender bias in the recruitment process?

Women in Leadership Economic Forum (WIL) by Naseba, the largest female economic empowerment platform in the Middle East seeked answers to these questions and more from some of the leading regional and international organisations such as Siemens, Facebook, Allergan, FedEx, Philip Morris, PWC, General Motors Africa and Middle East and Emaar Hospitality as they get together to share their strategy and initiatives on bridging the gender gap in tech roles in the region.

While more women in the Middle East are pushing the boundaries to acquire STEM skills, the gender gap continues in STEM occupations. To boost economic growth corporations and other stakeholders are focusing on increasing women’s participation in high-productivity sectors such as technology.

Despite a global STEM skills shortage, women in the Middle East earn more science degrees on a percentage basis than women in the United States. In Saudi Arabia alone, women earn half of all science degrees. In engineering, 44.5 per cent of university students in the UAE are female; Kuwait sees 69.9 per cent female enrolment in engineering, whereas Oman has 46.7 per cent and Bahrain 44 per cent. These numbers would lead you to believe that there is no shortage of female representation in STEM professions today. But for various reasons, these same women are not putting their degrees to paid use for very long across the region.

Hani Ashkar, PwC Middle East Senior Partner, said, “This falls on each of us to create equal opportunities for female professionals across all industries. Organisations can provide this by openly discussing and raising awareness of both conscious and unconscious bias, ensuring the right tone is set at the top. In the Middle East, we need to create more attractive and inclusive working environments, especially in science and technology, allowing women to reach their full potential.”

Many established companies are making bold commitments to hire a more balanced workforce.

According to Siemens, Engineering and technology companies are struggling to achieve gender parity because of the limited number of females in the talent pool for STEM jobs. Siemens aims to increase female hires by making job descriptions gender neutral and running a recruitment process that is free of unconscious bias.

The company is using AI to analyze job descriptions in real time, highlight if they are particularly masculine or feminine, and predict how people will react and suggest alternatives. In order to create a bias-free hiring process, Siemens is also using game-based assessment to evaluate candidates for its graduate programs. This helps match people to careers through a combination of neuroscience, gamification and AI, and has led to more women making it to the shortlist and joining the company. 

“We need courageous women to take ownership to drive their careers in STEM, and Siemens is ready to help them. I am ready to help them,” Eva Mourino, SVP HR Siemens Middle East, said. “I’m an engineer myself and work in the male-dominated technology industry. Changing the status quo has added excitement to my career; it’s a challenge and a battle to win. Come join us!”

Eleni Kitra, Regional Head of Automotive & Financial Services from Facebook commented: “Diversity is key driver to our success as a company. People from all backgrounds use Facebook to connect with others, and we will better serve their needs through a diverse and inclusive workforce. Facebook has also grown the number of women and underrepresented groups in leadership positions across the organization and our women in Tech roles have grown by 53% in the last 5 years.” 

But how will companies achieve gender parity in technology when there are simply more qualified male candidates in the sector?

Judith Trujillo, Human Resources Director, GM Africa and Middle East, said, “At GM, we know that true movement in diversity won’t just be in our walls, but across our industry and through the next generation of leaders. Focusing on raising female candidates in STEM fields, we recently worked alongside the ThinkScience Festival, an annual competition and showcase across the Emirates, to offer mentoring sessions to STEM-driven university students.”

The world needs more women in technology and the reasons are clear. There is a growing body of evidence that a more diverse workforce holds number of benefits for businesses, in particular, and the economy in general.

“The business benefits of a more diverse, gender-balanced organization are well-known and understood: greater diversity unlocks creativity, leads to better problem-solving and drives innovation, which in turn generates growth. So, if the tech industry and companies who are increasingly becoming more technology-minded are to achieve imaginative, creative ideas, this requires different types of people from many different backgrounds – including women”, said Melissa Whiting, Vice President Inclusion & Diversity at Philip Morris International (PMI).

Elaborating on the need for role models in tech, Melissa continued, “There is nothing inherent in our gender which means that women and girls have less of a tendency to be interested in, or an ability to excel in, the STEM fields. What we need is more visibility of women who break through the glass ceiling in tech, and more men in positions of power to advocate for them. If young women see positive role models of other women working in tech, they’re much more likely to view it as a viable option and hopefully, this will encourage and inspire future generations of women to pursue technology-related jobs. Initiatives like ‘Girls in Tech’ and ‘Girls Who Code’ are starting to reach more young women in tech and hopefully with time, we’ll close the gender gap in this and many other fields.”

WIL Economic Forum by Naseba was supported by Emaar Hospitality, Chain Reaction, Allergan, FedEx, Facebook, General Motors, Siemens, PWC, Philip Morris, 2XL Furniture & Home Décor, Arabnet, Dubai Chamber, ACCA, Womena, Ellevate, Harvard Club of the UAE, She is Arab, When Women Win, CIO, The Tempest, Straight Street Media, WOW World of Cinema, French Business Council, CCM Consultancy, Thrive Global, Right Selection, Simply Healthy, Hikma, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Acer, Du, The Talent Enterprise, IE, Haul In One, Stagecraft and Semper Green.

About Naseba 
Naseba creates growth opportunities, connecting people, partners and ideas. Focused on deal facilitation, it helps clients raise capital, close sales, enter new markets, secure partners and educate workforces. Naseba creates opportunity and adds economic value at every stage of our client’s journey. 

Since 2002, Naseba has facilitated more than a billion dollars’ worth of deals and has connected over 100,000 global executives through more than 1,000 proprietary business platforms in liquid growth markets. 

Naseba is a signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles – Equality Means Business, produced and disseminated by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Global Compact. 

For media contact: 

Hina Bakht 
Managing Director 
EVOPS Marketing & PR 
Mob: 00971 50 6975146 
Tel: 00971 4 566 7355 
Hina.bakht@evops-pr.com 
www.evops-pr.com 

Ajman Bank Wins ‘Best Home Finance Institution’ Award

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Ajman Bank Wins ‘Best Home Finance Institution’ Award

Ajman Bank has been declared the winner of the ‘Best Home Finance Institution’ at the Islamic Business & Finance Award 2019. The coveted awards recognise the pioneers in the Islamic finance and laud their many achievements that are integral to the industry’s continued growth.

Mr. Mohamed Amiri, Chief Executive Officer, Ajman Bank, said, “We are delighted to receive this prestigious award from Islamic Business & Finance and truly grateful to our valued customers, associates and team members. At Ajman Bank we are at the forefront of developing exciting new products and services to cater to the market requirements. As we grow, we will continue to strengthen our offering to remain a leading Islamic bank in the emirates. Our strategies are defined around adding value for our customers while leveraging business opportunities and driving economic growth.”

Commenting on Ajman Bank’s unique home finance products, Mr. Kashif Amin Thakkur, Head of Consumer Banking, Ajman Bank, stressed, “Our outstanding Shariah compliant home finance solutions are tailored around the housing needs of customers to acquire their dream homes at the most affordable rates with flexible terms and conditions. We are committed to enrich the banking experience of our clients and have considerably enhanced our home finance products.”

Ajman Bank’s consumer banking flagship product is its Shariah compliant home finance solution catering to resident and non-resident individuals who are interested in buying residential properties or invest in real estate properties.

About Ajman Bank

Ajman Bank is an Islamic bank with an ambitious vision based on values of integrity, trust and transparency seeks to provide a wide range of Sharia-compliant and high-quality banking services to customers from individuals, companies and government institutions across the UAE. It is also keen to be updated with the latest technology that will ensure customers a distinctive experimental banking with the revival of human touch that is lost in the modern era of banking application.

Ajman Bank is headquartered in Ajman and enjoys the strong support of the Government of Ajman and is a key pillar in the emirate’s economic development strategy. The bank continues its tireless efforts to establish a prominent position in the banking sector as a sustainable Islamic banking institution, with an emphasis on the need to achieve an optimal balance in the community and caring staff, in order to provide real value for shareholders and customers alike. For more information visit http://www.ajmanbank.ae

For media contact:

Hina Bakht
Managing Director
EVOPS Marketing & PR
Mob: 00971 50 6975146
Tel: 00971 4 566 7355
Hina.bakht@evops-pr.com
www.evops-pr.com

Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai Takes on the Dubai Fitness Challenge 30×30

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Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai Takes on the Dubai Fitness Challenge 30×30

The Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai has announced its participation in the Dubai Fitness Challenge 30×30, an initiative aimed at transforming Dubai into the most active city. During the month-long event running from 18 October to 16 November 2019, the hotel colleagues, associates and guests are being encouraged to take part in 30 minutes of physical activity every day for 30 days. The exciting sessions are held every afternoon at the hotel either in outdoor swimming pool, fitness centre or garden area and at the staff accommodation.

Mr. Simon Moore, General Manager of Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai, said, “Health is one of our top priorities. We are very happy to be part of Dubai Fitness Challenge 30×30. This is a wonderful initiative to motivate people to exercise every day. We have prepared different activities for our guests and hotel colleagues which they will surely enjoy. Weaving physical activity into our daily routine is extremely important, not only to improve our physical health but also for our overall well-being.”

Dubai Fitness Challenge 30×30 not only cultivates fitness-focused mindsets but also inspires residents and visitors to work towards a common goal of maintaining healthier and active lifestyle.

For hotel marketing contact:

Sheryl Aquiatan
Marketing & Communications Manager
Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai
Mob: 00971 56 506 0983
Tel: 00971 4 702 8888
sheryl.aquiatan@millenniumhotels.com

For media contact:

Hina Bakht
Managing Director
EVOPS Marketing & PR
Mob: 00971 50 6975146
Tel: 00971 4 566 7355
Hina.bakht@evops-pr.com
www.evops-pr.com

ABOUT MILLENNIUM & COPTHORNE HOTELS
Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C) is a London-based global hotel company, which owns, manages and operates over 145 hotels across some 80 locations worldwide. Its properties are in key gateway cities such as London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Dubai, Doha, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore and Hong Kong. M&C is the hotel arm of Singapore-listed global real estate company City Developments Limited (CDL). M&C’s global brand – Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) has four distinct hotel collections — Leng’s Collection, M Collection, Millennium Collection and Copthorne Collection — throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East, New Zealand and United States. Occupying the best locations around the world, MHR has the perfect address for business and leisure travellers. Listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1996, M&C was delisted on 11 October 2019 following a successful privatisation exercise launched by CDL.

Millennium Hotels & Resorts Middle East & Africa currently operates 44 hotels with almost 15,000 keys in addition to 32 hotels in the pipeline across the region. From a single property in Abu Dhabi, Millennium Hotels & Resorts, Middle East & Africa has expanded into various neighbouring destinations and is now recognised as one of the fastest growing regional hotel management companies in the Middle East & Africa. Along the way, the company has cultivated partnerships with reputable and respected owners.

For more information, please visit www.millenniumhotels.com

Women in Leadership (WIL) Economic Forum Opens

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Women in Leadership (WIL) Economic Forum Opens

The 10th Anniversary Edition of the Women in Leadership (WIL) Economic Forum by Naseba opened today at the Address Sky View Hotel in Dubai under the theme, ‘Daring to Build a Better Future’. The 2-day forum is the largest female economic empowerment platform in the Middle East and brings together leading regional and international organisations such as Siemens, Facebook, Allergan, FedEx, Philip Morris, PWC, General Motors and Emaar Hospitality to share their success stories on gender parity and inclusion.

In  his opening remarks, Nic Watson, Managing Director of Naseba, said,  “In the past 10 years, WIL Forum has travelled to 8 cities and connected thousands of men and women around the world, game changers who share a similar vision for a world where the gender divide is no longer a barrier to prosperity and innovation. WIL is more than an event, it is a community of people who believe in the power of connection, supporting, empowering and encouraging each other to make change happen”.

In keeping with the growing recognition globally that the pace of women economic empowerment must be rapidly accelerated, over 50 thought leaders and panellists engaged in insightful conversations and informative sessions on advancing Gender diversity in our societies and economies.

Dr. Mark Esposito, Co-founder, Nexus Frontier Tech, made a case for ‘Diversity in Times of Change’ in his keynote speech. He questioned, “Why do many organisations still struggle to create inclusive workplace culture?”

The CEO’s Panel on ‘A Plan of Action for Diversity’ moderated by Hadley Gamble, Anchor CNBC, highlighted key milestones achieved in recent years and roadmap for the next five years by some top companies. Participants Hani Ashkar, Senior Partner – Middle East Territory PwC; Elissar Farah Antonios, Chief Executive Officer, Citi UAE; Ozlem Fidanci, Chief Executive Officer, Philips Middle East & Turkey; Ali Matar, Head of Linkedin – MENA and EMEA Emerging Markets and Luciano Poli, President – Dow Chemical India, Middle East, North Africa & Turkey (IMENAT) shared views on how gender equality supports the diversification of the regional economy.

Franco Atassi, Senior Vice President Smart Infrastructure, Siemens Middle East, spoke on why gender equality is good for everyone – not just women and what is the role of male allies in achieving parity.  

In a session ‘Connect-Empower-Innovate’ led by Facebook, panellists discussed how building trusted communities deepen career development and leverage women’s unique insights for personal and professional development. Participating in it were Eleni Kitra, Head of Automotive & Financial Services, Middle East, North Africa, Facebook; Dr. Sara Al Madani, Board Member (UAE SME Council) Ministry of Economy; and Ramez Tannous Shehadi, Managing Director – Middle East & North Africa, Facebook.

Engaged in a discussion on how Artificial Intelligence can help organisations overcome bias and embrace and inclusive culture were panellists Eva Mourino, Senior Vice President HR Siemens Middle East, Madhuri Adettiwar, General Electric Renewables; and Dr. Mark Esposito, Co-founder, Nexus Frontier Tech.

H.E. Linda Rama, Economist and Wife of the Prime Minister of Albania, spoke on what current political leaders need to do to ensure they leave a positive legacy for a better future.

Talking about building and leading a diverse team, Ramsey Morad, Vice President, India Middle East and Africa, Allergan Middle East, elaborated on the key steps that leaders need to take to inspire diversity and inclusion.

Hermoine Macura-Noble, TV Anchor & Problem Solver, Straight Street Media, engaged in a fireside chat with Marianela Mirpuri, Board Member, Mirpuri Foundation on what can be done to create positivity through inclusive endeavours and behaviours.

Discussing the future of migration with Sophie Le Ray were panellists Tenzin Seldon, Founder Kinstep; Maysa Jalbout, Global advovate for supporting vulnerable people through philanthropy, education and technology, Noella Coursaris Musunka, Founder, Malaika; and Marie-Christine Nibagwire, Founder, Safe Refuge Rwanda.

Part of the programme were also exciting workshops on inclusive leadership, personal branding, mental health, public presence and communication.

WIL Economic Forum by Naseba will continue on 29 October and is supported by Emaar Hospitality, Chain Reaction, Allergan, FedEx, Facebook, General Motors, Siemens, PWC, Philip Morris, 2XL Furniture & Home Décor, Arabnet, Dubai Chamber, ACCA, Womena, Ellevate, Harvard Club of the UAE, She is Arab, When Women Win, CIO, The Tempest, Straight Street Media, WOW World of Cinema, French Business Council, CCM Consultancy, Thrive Global, Right Selection, Simply Healthy, Hikma, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Acer, Du, The Talent Enterprise, IE, Haul In One, Stagecraft and Semper Green.

About Naseba 
Naseba creates growth opportunities, connecting people, partners and ideas. Focused on deal facilitation, it helps clients raise capital, close sales, enter new markets, secure partners and educate workforces. Naseba creates opportunity and adds economic value at every stage of our client’s journey. 

Since 2002, Naseba has facilitated more than a billion dollars’ worth of deals and has connected over 100,000 global executives through more than 1,000 proprietary business platforms in liquid growth markets. 

Naseba is a signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles – Equality Means Business, produced and disseminated by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Global Compact. 

For media contact: 

Hina Bakht 
Managing Director 
EVOPS Marketing & PR 
Mob: 00971 50 6975146 
Tel: 00971 4 566 7355 
Hina.bakht@evops-pr.com 
www.evops-pr.com 

Shaza Hotels Unveils Exciting Promotions Across its Properties in Saudi Arabia

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Shaza Hotels Unveils Exciting Promotions Across its Properties in Saudi Arabia

With the weather cooling down, it is the perfect time to visit Saudi Arabia. Shaza Hotels has announced superb promotions across its hotels in the Kingdom that will allow travellers to make some great savings while enjoying some amazing benefits.

Shaji Abu Salih, Corporate Director – Business Development, Shaza Hotels, said, “The tourism industry in Saudi Arabia is on a renaissance now, thanks to Vision 2030 and its leaders. The country has an abundance of natural, historical and cultural surprises, which will be now open to the world at large canvas. With the revolutionary reforms like relaxed visa policies, hotel accommodation regulations and immense infrastructural developments & planning in tourism, Saudi Arabia has taken a new leap in the global tourism landscape. At Shaza Hotels, we are delighted to support these new developments by offering our unique, handcrafted guest experiences with attractive offers during this winter, across our properties in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Here’s what’s on offer:

Book Now and Save 20% at Shaza Makkah Hotel
Experience the holy city at Shaza Makkah, only footsteps from Al Masjid Al Haram. Take advantage of the early bird. Book 7 days prior to your arrival date and save 20% off your booking throughout the year. To avail this offer, use the promotion code: BOOKEARLY.

For more information call +966 12 550 9500
Or email book.makkah@shazahotels.com

Terms and Conditions

  • All offers are subject to availability.
  • Offer is valid from 4 June 2019 until the end of 2019.
  • 2 Children below 12 Years can stay free of charge while using the existing bedding.
  • Children below 6 dine complimentary. Children aged from 6 to 12 get 50% off
  • Booking is Non-refundable.
  • All reservations must be guaranteed with a credit card.
  • All bookings are non-cancellable and non-refundable.

Stay 3 Nights Pay for 2 at Shaza Al Madina
Base yourself in a comfortable room and experience everything the city has to offer you for longer. Shaza Al Madina is giving you just that little extra time you are looking for, enjoy an extra free night when booking for 2 nights through the website directly, just make sure to use promo code: STAY.

For more details contact us at +966 14 829 0001 or Email: book.almadina@shazahotels.com

*Discovery Members can enjoy a 15% Discount on all F&B consumptions & Laundry Services.

Terms and Conditions

  • This offer is subject to availability.
  • This offer is only valid starting 31th August – 15th November 2019.
  • Prices are subject to a 5% VAT and 5% municipality fee.
  • There may be a cancellation charge or amendment fee levied by the hotel incase cancellations.
  • Cancellation Fee for this booking is 100% of the full stay.
  • This reservation requires full amount as deposit at the time of the booking.

Book Direct, Be Rewarded at Shaza Riyadh Hotel Residences

Experience the beautiful capital and live the authentic atmosphere of Shaza Riyadh. Book directly through our website and get 15% discount on room rates.

To avail  this offer, use the promotion code: BOOKDIR

For more information call +966 11 834 9000
or email book.riyadh@shazahotels.com

Terms & Conditions

  • All offers are subject to availability
  • Penalty may occur on cancelations.
  • All mentioned prices are exclusive of taxes.
  • Up to 2 kids under 12 can stay free of charge.
  • Kids under 6 dine complimentarily. 6 to 12 years get 50% off.
  • Shaza Hotels reserves the right to change T&C’s without notice.
  • This is offer is valid till the 31 December 2020 excluding the blackout days

About Shaza Hotels
Shaza is one of the leading luxury hotel brands in the Middle East, characterised by its dedication to offering true Arabian hospitality inspired by the traditions and culture of the legendary Silk Route and reflected by the supremely elegant Middle Eastern style décor and serene ambiance that is appreciated by the most discerning travellers. Shaza is a member of Global Hotel Alliance (GHA)

About DISCOVERY Loyalty

A memorable trip demands more than a comfortable stay. DISCOVERY, an award-winning global loyalty programme, provides 15 million members recognition and perks across over 550 hotels, resorts and palaces in 78 countries. Elite members have the opportunity to immerse themselves in local culture through Local Experiences, distinctive activities that capture an authentic taste of each destination. For more information, visit discoveryloyalty.com

For further information please contact:

Ali Ozbay
Director of Marketing & Communications

Shaza Hotels
Website: www.shazahotels.com
Email: ali.ozbay@shazahotels.com
Office:  +971 4 437 6460

Follow us on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ShazaHotels
www.facebook.com/MyskbyShaza
Twitter: @ShazaHotels @MyskbyShaza
Instagram: @ShazaHotels @MyskbyShaza
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shaza-hotels/

#ShazaHotels #IamShaza #MyskbyShaza

For media please contact:

Hina Bakht
Managing Director
EVOPS Marketing & PR
Mob: 00971 50 6975146
Tel: 00971 4 566 7355
Hina.bakht@evops-pr.com
www.evops-pr.com

Amazon.com Announces Third Quarter Sales up 24% to $70.0 Billion

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Amazon.com Announces Third Quarter Sales up 24% to $70.0 Billion

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2019.

Operating cash flow increased 33% to $35.3 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $26.6 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2018. Free cash flow increased to $23.5 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $15.4 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2018. Free cash flow less principal repayments of finance leases and financing obligations increased to $14.6 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $8.1 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2018. Free cash flow less equipment finance leases and principal repayments of all other finance leases and financing obligations increased to $10.5 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $5.4 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2018.

Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying stock-based awards totaled 511 million on September 30, 2019, compared with 507 million one year ago.

Net sales increased 24% to $70.0 billion in the third quarter, compared with $56.6 billion in third quarter 2018. Excluding the $500 million unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales increased 25% compared with third quarter 2018.

Operating income decreased to $3.2 billion in the third quarter, compared with operating income of $3.7 billion in third quarter 2018.

Net income decreased to $2.1 billion in the third quarter, or $4.23 per diluted share, compared with net income of $2.9 billion, or $5.75 per diluted share, in third quarter 2018.

“We are ramping up to make our 25th holiday season the best ever for Prime customers — with millions of products available for free one-day delivery,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. “Customers love the transition of Prime from two days to one day — they’ve already ordered billions of items with free one-day delivery this year. It’s a big investment, and it’s the right long-term decision for customers. And although it’s counterintuitive, the fastest delivery speeds generate the least carbon emissions because these products ship from fulfillment centers very close to the customer — it simply becomes impractical to use air or long ground routes. Huge thanks to all the teams helping deliver for customers this holiday.”

Highlights

  • Amazon introduced an all-new line up of Echo devices: the next generation Echo, Echo Dot with clock, Echo Show 8, Echo Buds, Echo Flex, and Echo Studio. Additionally, Amazon announced Day 1 Editions, a new program designed to bring innovative ideas to customers faster — starting with Echo Frames, all-day glasses with Alexa; and Echo Loop, an Alexa-enabled smart ring.
  • Amazon announced over 20 new Fire TV products, including the first Fire TV Edition soundbar; the all-new Fire TV Cube, the fastest and most powerful Fire TV ever; the first OLED Fire TV Edition smart TV; and the first Fire TV Edition smart TV with far-field Alexa voice control.
  • Amazon expanded the lineup of content for Fire TV customers, including the recently announced YouTube TV app, Apple TV app, and the all-new, free News app. In the third quarter, Fire TV announced more than 37 million active users worldwide and continues to be the #1 selling streaming media player family in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Japan, and India.
  • More than 85,000 smart home products from over 9,500 unique brands can be controlled with Alexa. There are hundreds of devices with Alexa built-in, including new products from brands like Fitbit, Sonos, and Facebook. The Alexa Skills Store offers more than 100,000 skills for Alexa, including Education Technology skills made available through the new Alexa Education Skill API. Additionally, the Alexa Fund portfolio continues to expand, with new investments in startups like Drivetime.fm, SmartRent, and Labrador Systems.
  • Amazon announced new Alexa smart home features and products, including the Certified for Humans program, which helps customers find hassle-free smart home products that are simple to set up and use; and the all-new voice-controlled 4-in-1 Amazon Smart Oven.
  • Amazon and Discovery announced an integration that brings the new Food Network Kitchen service to Amazon devices and makes Alexa the exclusive voice service for Food Network. Customers can watch their favorite Food Network episodes, get step-by-step cooking instructions, save recipes, ask questions, and take live and on-demand cooking classes with Food Network chefs using Echo Show.
  • Alexa continues to get smarter and make customers’ lives easier with new features, including optional auto-deletion of voice recordings, Show and Tell, Frustration Detection, political campaign donations, Alexa Guest Connect, Drop In everywhere, Alexa Connections, and photo sharing.
  • Alexa has a more natural sounding and higher-quality voice with Amazon’s Neural Text-to-Speech (NTTS) technology. She can now adapt her speaking style and will soon offer her first celebrity voice, from the iconic actor and producer Samuel L. Jackson. He can tell you jokes, let you know if it’s raining, set timers and alarms, play music, and more — all with a bit of his own personality.
  • Amazon announced the Voice Interoperability Initiative, a new program to ensure voice-enabled products provide customers with choice and flexibility through multiple, interoperable voice services. More than 30 companies are participating in the initiative, including Baidu, Bose, BMW, ecobee, Intel, Microsoft, Orange, Qualcomm, Salesforce, Sonos, Spotify, Tencent, and Verizon.
  • Amazon announced Amazon Sidewalk, a low bandwidth, highly-secure network that uses the free 900 MHz spectrum to greatly extend the distance at which you can control simple, low-power smart lights, sensors, and other low-cost edge Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
  • General Motors (GM) announced plans to integrate Alexa into millions of vehicles across its four brands — Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac. GM is the first automaker to deliver a fully embedded Alexa experience based on the Alexa Auto SDK, bringing Alexa to new and existing vehicles with compatible infotainment systems.
  • Amazon announced that Alexa is now available in Portuguese for customers in Brazil, Spanish for customers in the U.S., and Hindi for customers in India. With Multilingual Mode, customers in multilingual households in the U.S., India, and Canada can switch between languages when talking to Alexa.
  • Ring launched its first indoor-only and most affordable camera, Ring Indoor Cam, alongside the third generation Stick Up Cam. Ring also expanded availability of Smart Lighting to Canada.
  • Amazon introduced the all-new eero mesh WiFi system, which offers simple, reliable WiFi for streaming, gaming, and working from home — all for $99. eero is a mesh WiFi system that replaces your existing router and extends WiFi coverage seamlessly throughout your home. In addition, eero is expanding to Europe — customers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. will be able to try the all-new eero and eero Pro in early November.
  • Prime Video won 15 Emmy awards, with Fleabag receiving four Emmy awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, as well as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
  • Prime Video premiered four new Amazon Original series: The Boys, Carnival Row, Undone, and Modern Love. In addition, Prime Video will see the return of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, starring John Krasinski, on November 1; The Man in the High Castle, from author Philip K. Dick, on November 15; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, recent winner of eight Emmy awards, on December 6; and the relaunch of the fan-favorite series The Expanse, with an all-new season four, on December 13.
  • For the third consecutive season, Prime Video offers Prime members the ability to live stream NFL Thursday Night Football games. New features, such as Next Gen Stats on X-Ray, gives fans access to deeper analytics and allows football fans all over the globe to customize their Thursday Night Football streaming experience.
  • Prime Video continues to create local Original Series around the world, including All or Nothing: Brazil National Football Team and Soltos em Floripa in Brazil; El Juego de las Llaves and Derbez Family Vacation in Mexico; LOL: Last One Laughing in Australia; Truth Seekers in the U.K.; Inside Borussia Dortmund in Germany; El Corazón de Sergio Ramos in Spain; The Family Man in India; and season three of The Bachelor in Japan.
  • Amazon Music announced the launch of Amazon Music HD, a new tier of premium quality music with more than 50 million songs in high definition, and millions of songs in ultra-high definition, the highest quality streaming audio available. Amazon Music HD is now available to stream in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, and Japan.
  • Amazon launched Prime in Brazil, offering members the broadest range of benefits at launch in Prime’s history, including unlimited free two-day delivery on hundreds of thousands of items in more than 90 cities, Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading, Twitch Prime, and access to exclusive deals. Amazon also announced the launch of Amazon Music Unlimited for Brazil, bringing customers access to millions of songs, on-demand and ad-free.
  • Amazon launched Prime Student in France, Italy, and Spain, making it now available in eight countries. Amazon introduced an exclusive Amazon Music Unlimited offer for $0.99 a month for U.S. Prime Student.
  • AmazonFresh expanded to Indianapolis, Houston, Minneapolis, and Phoenix, with options for ultrafast one- and two-hour delivery. Customers in those cities can now shop from tens of thousands of grocery items, plus bestselling items from Amazon.com.
  • Amazon Fashion introduced Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe in the U.S., a new service exclusively for Prime members that provides style inspiration and personalized recommendations. Customers complete a survey about their style and fit preferences and Amazon Fashion’s stylist team provides personalized recommendations from over half a million items across thousands of brands.
  • Amazon Fashion continues to expand selection, and customers can now shop from brands such as Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Vince Camuto, and Tommy Hilfiger. Additionally, Amazon’s children’s brand, Spotted Zebra, launched its first exclusive collaboration with Disney, bringing unique and playful prints featuring Disney franchises — all for under $30.
  • Amazon announced the expansion of Project Zero to its European stores, empowering brands to partner with Amazon to drive counterfeits to zero.
  • Amazon announced The Climate Pledge, a commitment to meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early by achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040. To support this goal, Amazon ordered 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian — the largest ever order of electric delivery vehicles — and announced plans to invest $100 million in nature-based climate solutions and reforestation projects around the world. Amazon pledged to reach 80% renewable energy by 2024 and 100% renewable by 2030.
  • So far this year, more than 250,000 people have toured Amazon fulfillment centers. Tours are free, open to the public, and are now available in 45 fulfillment centers across North America and Europe.
  • Amazon held Career Day events in six U.S. cities to showcase 30,000 permanent job openings in corporate, tech, and customer fulfillment-related roles and received 208,000 applications for roles in the U.S.
  • Amazon is now funding Computer Science courses in more than 2,000 high schools across the U.S. through Amazon Future Engineer, a childhood-to-career program to inspire and educate children and young adults from underrepresented and underserved communities to pursue careers in computer science. Amazon Future Engineer also launched in the U.K., supporting the recruitment and training of 50 secondary school computer science teachers and over 200 Career Leaders to develop a long-term school-wide careers strategy, as well as launching robotics workshops for 10,000 children.
  • Since the beginning of the year, Amazon has launched more than 150 new tools and services to help small and medium-sized businesses grow their sales in Amazon’s stores. Recently launched tools and services include Target Inventory Levels, which allows sellers to better manage their Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) inventory; Appstore and third-party tools, which help selling partners identify trusted third-party applications that complement Amazon’s free tools and help them streamline their business operations; and Sold by Amazon, a free, opt-in service that helps selling partners save time and increase sales by automating prices.
  • In September, Amazon sent two Amazon Air cargo planes to the Bahamas packed with Amazon- and customer-donated relief supplies to support those impacted by Hurricane Dorian. To date, Amazon and its customers have donated cash and over 400,000 requested items to Hurricane Dorian relief efforts in the U.S. and the Bahamas.
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced several new customer commitments and major migrations during the quarter: Cerner Corporation selected AWS as its preferred artificial intelligence and machine learning provider to advance better patient health outcomes; The Globe and Mail and Old Mutual Limited selected AWS as their preferred cloud provider; Galanz, a leading manufacturer of electronic home appliances, selected AWS to enhance the consumer experience and expand its IoT platform in more than 200 countries; and in China, Huashan Hospital, affiliated with Fudan University, adopted AWS to accelerate digital transformation in order to reduce infrastructure costs and help the hospital improve its medical teaching and research.
  • AWS announced the general availability of Amazon Forecast, a fully managed service that uses machine learning to deliver highly accurate forecasts based on the same technology used by Amazon. Amazon Forecast builds precise forecasts for virtually any business condition — including product demand and sales, infrastructure requirements, energy needs, and staffing levels — with predictions that are up to 50% more accurate than traditional methods. Amazon Forecast is easy to use and does not require machine learning experience.
  • AWS announced the general availability of AWS Lake Formation, a fully managed service that makes it easier for customers to build, secure, and manage data lakes. AWS Lake Formation simplifies and automates many of the complex manual steps usually required to create a data lake, including collecting, cleaning, and cataloging data and securely making that data available for analytics. Customers can then analyze this data using their choice of AWS analytics and machine learning services, including Amazon Redshift, Amazon Athena, and AWS Glue, with Amazon EMR, Amazon QuickSight, and Amazon SageMaker following in the next few months.
  • AWS announced the general availability of Amazon Quantum Ledger Database (QLDB), a fully managed service that provides a high-performance, immutable, and cryptographically verifiable ledger for applications that need a central, trusted authority to provide a permanent and complete record of transactions across industries like retail, finance, manufacturing, insurance, and human resources.
  • AWS announced the general availability of G4 instances, a new graphics processing unit (GPU)-powered Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instance designed to help accelerate machine learning inference and graphics-intensive workloads, both of which are computationally demanding tasks that benefit from additional GPU acceleration. G4 instances provide the industry’s most cost-effective machine learning inference for applications, as well as a cost-effective service for building and running graphics-intensive applications, such as remote graphics workstations, video transcoding, photo-realistic design, and game streaming in the cloud.
  • AWS announced the general availability of AWS IQ, a new service that helps customers quickly find, engage, and hire AWS-Certified third-party experts for on-demand project work. AWS IQ offers the tools and workspace for more secure collaboration, streamlined project tracking, and integrated billing. Customers simply log into AWS IQ, describe their AWS-specific project needs in a few sentences to get started, chat with experts to clarify details of the project, compare proposals, review expert profiles, and select the expert that best fits their needs.
  • AWS announced the opening of the AWS Middle East (Bahrain) Region. Developers, startups, and enterprises, as well as government, education, and non-profit organizations, can now run their applications and serve end-users from data centers located in the Middle East, as well as leverage advanced technologies from the world’s leading cloud, to drive innovation. AWS now spans 69 Availability Zones within 22 geographic regions around the world, and has announced plans for ten more Availability Zones and three more AWS Regions in Indonesia, Italy, and South Africa.
  • AWS announced a 44% reduction in storage prices for Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS) Infrequent Access (IA) storage class, one of the largest percentage price reductions in AWS history. Amazon EFS is a low-cost, simple to use, fully managed, and cloud-native NFS file system for Linux-based workloads that can be used with AWS services and on-premises resources. Amazon EFS IA is a storage class for Amazon EFS that is designed for files accessed less frequently, enabling customers to reduce storage costs compared to the Amazon EFS Standard storage class. AWS has reduced prices six times thus far in 2019, and this marks the 75th price reduction since its inception.
  • AWS announced collaborations in the U.S. between AWS Educate and statewide educational systems in Virginia, Texas, and Louisiana, in addition to a regional collaboration in the San Francisco Bay Area to prepare the next generation for the cloud workforce. AWS also announced its first international AWS Educate Cloud Degree collaborations in the U.K. and Bahrain. AWS Educate’s Cloud Degree initiative aims to provide full cloud degree offerings, cloud specializations, and STEM pathways for K-12, community colleges, and universities; opening up opportunities for students in high-demand cloud computing and data science fields. AWS Educate members include hundreds of thousands of students, over 10,000 educators, and over 2,400 academic institutions in over 200 countries and territories.

Financial Guidance

The following forward-looking statements reflect Amazon.com’s expectations as of October 24, 2019, and are subject to substantial uncertainty. Our results are inherently unpredictable and may be materially affected by many factors, such as fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, changes in global economic conditions and customer spending, world events, the rate of growth of the Internet, online commerce, and cloud services, and the various factors detailed below.

Fourth Quarter 2019 Guidance

  • Net sales are expected to be between $80.0 billion and $86.5 billion, or to grow between 11% and 20% compared with fourth quarter 2018. This guidance anticipates an unfavorable impact of approximately 80 basis points from foreign exchange rates.
  • Operating income is expected to be between $1.2 billion and $2.9 billion, compared with $3.8 billion in fourth quarter 2018.
  • This guidance assumes, among other things, that no additional business acquisitions, investments, restructurings, or legal settlements are concluded.

A conference call will be webcast live today at 2:30 p.m. PT/5:30 p.m. ET, and will be available for at least three months at amazon.com/ir. This call will contain forward-looking statements and other material information regarding the Company’s financial and operating results.

These forward-looking statements are inherently difficult to predict. Actual results could differ materially for a variety of reasons, including, in addition to the factors discussed above, the amount that Amazon.com invests in new business opportunities and the timing of those investments, the mix of products and services sold to customers, the mix of net sales derived from products as compared with services, the extent to which we owe income or other taxes, competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, international growth and expansion, the outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment, sortation, delivery, and data center optimization, risks of inventory management, seasonality, the degree to which the Company enters into, maintains, and develops commercial agreements, proposed and completed acquisitions and strategic transactions, payments risks, and risks of fulfillment throughput and productivity. Other risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks related to new products, services, and technologies, system interruptions, government regulation and taxation, and fraud. In addition, the current global economic climate amplifies many of these risks. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

Our investor relations website is amazon.com/ir and we encourage investors to use it as a way of easily finding information about us. We promptly make available on this website, free of charge, the reports that we file or furnish with the SEC, corporate governance information (including our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics), and select press releases, which may contain material information about us, and you may subscribe to be notified of new information posted to this site.

Ideas from the heart could help make employment more attainable for people with disabilities

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Ideas from the heart could help make employment more attainable for people with disabilities

Kim Charlson was 11 when she started losing her eyesight because of glaucoma. An operation a year and a half later not only didn’t help, it resulted in complications that hastened her blindness.

Her pragmatic parents insisted she learn Braille, a key to literacy for people who are blind or have low vision. Without that literacy, Charlson likely wouldn’t have gone on to college or a career. Only 13 percent of blind students in the United States know Braille, and roughly 70 percent of adults who are blind or have low vision are unemployed.

Those troubling statistics are one reason Charlson is excited about an app that will help increase the amount of time students can spend learning and practicing Braille. ObjectiveEd, the company that’s developing the Braille AI Tutor app, is a new recipient of Microsoft’s AI for Accessibility grants to people using AI-powered technology to make the world a more inclusive place. Ten other recipients joining the program in conjunction with National Disability Awareness Month include City University of London, inABLE, iMerciv  and The Open University

“We have a huge opportunity and a responsibility to be making technology smarter and more useful for people with disabilities,” says Mary Bellard, Microsoft senior architect lead for accessibility. The aim of the AI for Accessibility program, which began in 2018 and now has 32 grantees, is to help people “build something really useful at the intersection of AI, accessibility and disability.”

The Braille AI Tutor app is the latest project for ObjectiveEd’s president, Marty Schultz, a longtime software developer and volunteer teacher who created an iPhone game five years ago called “Blindfold Racer” for children who are blind. It led to more than 80 games for the iPhone and iPad that have together been downloaded more than a half-million times.

If you only get an hour a week with the teacher — I mean, how many kids would learn how to read print if they only had an hour a week of instruction?

Charlson, former president of the American Council of the Blind, is a big fan of Schultz’s work. So is Judy Dixon, consumer relations officer for the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and the two women often talked with him about the importance of Braille education for literacy and employment. Schultz took it to heart — and to the drawing board.

Some students who are blind or have low vision attend schools that are geared to their needs, and where Braille is taught and used daily. But many attend public schools and learn Braille from teachers who visit their schools once a week, spending about an hour with each student.

Marty Schultz and Kim Charlson
Marty Schultz of ObjectiveEd with Kim Charlson, former president of the American Council of the Blind. (Photo courtesy of ObjectiveEd)

“If you only get an hour a week with the teacher — I mean, how many kids would learn how to read print if they only had an hour a week of instruction?” says Charlson. “It’s just not enough. You have to immerse yourself in it at that developmental stage, or you’re not going to be as fluent in it as you need to be as an adult.”

The Braille AI Tutor app will incorporate AI-based speech recognition, using Microsoft’s Azure Speech API, to help students practice reading Braille with personalized, gamified learning plans. The app will send a word or a sentence to a refreshable Braille display, one of the types of hardware used for reading Braille. The student will feel the word in Braille, say the word or sentence out loud, and then the app will process the audio feedback and let the student know immediately if they are correct or not.

Teachers will be able to monitor students’ progress, with results sent to a web dashboard.

“We see our role as not teaching the student but giving the student the ability to practice when that teacher’s not around,” Schultz says. “The teacher teaches, and we make practicing fun and engaging and something that can be done without the teacher being there. So the next time the student meets with the teacher, the student has made some real progress.”

Schultz says the extra practice will help students “accelerate more quickly through school, which will lead to college, and to much better employment opportunities in the future.”

Arjun Mali and Bin Liu
Arjun Mali, left, and Bin Liu of iMerciv both have had family members who experienced vision loss. (Photo courtesy of iMerciv)

Two longtime friends who watched their loved ones go through vision loss found another way to help: using technology to help people get to work or otherwise navigate their cities.

Bin Liu and Arjun Mali are from different parts of the world, but their lives took parallel paths. Liu, born in China, moved at age 9 with his family to Gaborone, Botswana, for several years because of his father’s work as a civil engineer. Mali spent parts of his childhood in India and the United Arab Emirates, where his father worked for a while in sales of fiber optic networks.

About 10 years ago, Liu’s father was diagnosed with inoperable glaucoma. Mali’s grandmother in India had partial sight, and he sometimes accompanied her to a local school for the blind, where she volunteered, to read and teach English to the children.

The two were in university when they met in Toronto and became friends playing poker. They often talked about some of the frustrations and indignities faced by people who are blind or have low vision, as well as ways to improve mobility for those with vision impairment.

“Vision loss affected our families, and we saw an opportunity to create a technological solution that would impact that community,” says Mali, who graduated with an economics degree from McMaster University in Ontario.

Liu, who has a civil engineering degree from the University of Toronto, had been searching for devices that could help his dad navigate obstacles more precisely with his cane, and says he didn’t find much. Liu and Mali developed their first product together, the BuzzClip.

It’s a 2-ounce, clip-on wearable device that uses ultrasound to detect obstacles in a person’s path, then alerts the user with different vibrations and frequencies.

Vision loss affected our families, and we saw an opportunity to create a technological solution that would impact that community.

Early on, the duo received support from the Impact Centre, the University of Toronto’s accelerator for startup tech companies, and in 2014 they formed their company, iMerciv, Inc.

Now among AI for Accessibility’s latest grantees, iMerciv is developing a navigation app called MapinHood for pedestrians who are blind or have low vision, and who want to choose the routes they take if they’re walking to work, or to any destination.

The app will audibly alert a person to hazards — from construction to high-crime areas — to avoid while walking, as well as let them know about things they might need, like water fountains, benches or ramps. It’s all based on machine learning, crowdsourced data and open source information from local law enforcement.

Four adults in park
From left, Vanessa Bourget, orientation and mobility intern at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB); Mark Rankin and Emily Baarda, CNIB orientation and mobility specialists; and Yusup Mollayev, iMerciv vice president of data and analytics, at Sherwood Park in Toronto, Ontario, where they were testing audio prompts of saved geotags, such as benches, in the MapinHood app. (Photo courtesy of iMerciv)

Current navigation systems, in general, are optimized to generate routes that are the fastest or shortest for getting to a destination, but Liu says, “that’s not always the best route for pedestrians with disabilities” trying to find the best walking route to work, shops or parks, for example.

The app is in now in the alpha stages of being tested with help from the nonprofit Canadian National Institute for the Blind, which also worked with iMerciv on the BuzzClip. The app uses iMerciv’s custom routing engine, and with the AI for Accessibility grant, will use Azure machine learning, storage and virtual machines.

MapinHood in Toronto will also be a template for the app in other cities.

“Our focus is on personalization — making the app as flexible and as customizable as it can be,” Liu says. “Because with navigation for pedestrians in general — and especially for people with disabilities — you cannot have a single solution that fits all needs.”

Three men and a woman look at computer screen
From left, clockwise, Claire Barnett, Nilanjan Sarkar, Josh Wade and Michael Breen of Vanderbilt University. (Joe Howell/Vanderbilt University)

For people with autism, sometimes the biggest hurdle to employment is the interview. That’s the focus of Nilanjan Sarkar. A family member – a cousin’s son – has autism, and in doing research later, Sarkar learned that people on the autism spectrum sometimes respond better when they deal with intelligent systems, such as chatbots, instead of people.

Sarkar, director of the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Lab at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, is now leading a project aimed at helping people with autism perform well in job interviews using intelligent systems. Career Interview Readiness in Virtual Reality (CIRVR) is being developed in conjunction with Vanderbilt University’s Frist Center for Autism & Innovation, having joined the AI for Accessibility program earlier this year.

In the U.S., there are approximately 2.5 million adults on the autistism spectrum, Sarkar says. “Sixty percent or more of them can do some work. However, 85 percent of those able to work are either underemployed or unemployed.”

This system aims to help people be better prepared when they actually go out for an interview.

CIRVR is a virtual reality job interview platform that uses Azure AI and incorporates a computer avatar that acts as the interviewer, a wearable device that tracks interviewees’ physiological measures such as heart rate and skin sweating to infer their anxiety using machine learning techniques, and an eye tracker to gauge attention.

“This system will quantitively, objectively gather lots of data regarding their anxiety, where they’re looking, eye contact, how they’re responding, what should they have done — and we believe we can create a feedback system so that by repeated practice, they will improve their interviewing skills,” Sarkar says.

“People with autism sometimes like to interact with things that respond in a routine way, in a predictable way,” Sarkar says. “Human response, human interactions are not predictable, and that can be confusing.”

Many times, he says, open-ended interview questions such as “Can you tell me about an instance where you resolved a conflict?” or “How did you help a teammate?” might create anxiety. So can tests with urgency, such as being asked to solve a programming problem quickly.

Sarkar says CIRVR testing has begun and will provide feedback to the interviewees so they can practice improving how they handle interviews. Overall results will also be evaluated for trends to possibly share with hiring managers at interested companies, so they can learn how to modify their interview structure, or how to ask questions differently, if needed, Sarkar says.

“We assume the interview protocol structure will not change overnight,” he says. “So, this system aims to help people be better prepared when they actually go out for an interview.”

All AI for Accessibility grantees “have so much passion and expertise in the area of accessible technology,” says Bellard of Microsoft.

“The amount of potential that there is for software or hardware to better meet the needs of people with disabilities, and to raise the bar of what customers can come to expect of the role technology could play in their lives, is just an amazing opportunity.”

Learn more about AI for Accessibility grants, and about Microsoft’s Autism Hiring Program.

Lead image: Vision rehabilitation therapist Ashley Colburn shows 11-year-old Steven DeAngelis refreshable Braille devices at the Carroll Center for the Blind. The Newton, Massachusetts, center helped ObjectiveEd test the games it developed for people who are blind. (Photo by Dan DeLong)

Apple premieres “See,” coming to Apple TV+ November 1

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Apple premieres “See,” coming to Apple TV+ November 1

The Show Stars Jason Momoa, Alfre Woodard, Hera Hilmar, Sylvia Hoeks, Christian Camargo, Archie Madekwe, Nesta Cooper and Yadira Guevara-Prip

The cast of “See” at the show’s premiere.
The cast of “See” at the show’s premiere at Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, California. Left to right: Alfre Woodard, Jason Momoa, Nesta Cooper, Archie Madekwe, Hera Hilmar, Yadira Guevara-Prip, Sylvia Hoeks, Christian Camargo.

Apple premiered “See” today at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, California. Written and created by Steven Knight and directed by Francis Lawrence, “See” takes place in the distant future, after a deadly virus decimated humankind. Those who survived emerged blind. Jason Momoa stars as Baba Voss — the father of twins born centuries later with the mythic ability to see — who must protect his tribe against a powerful yet desperate queen who wants the twins destroyed. Alfre Woodard stars as Paris, Baba Voss’s spiritual leader.“See” features an incredible cast and crew, many of whom are blind or have low vision, who helped bring this epic story to life.Beginning November 1, the first three episodes of “See” will be available to watch on Apple TV+ in over 100 countries and regions around the world. New episodes will continue to roll out weekly, every Friday.

Jason Momoa at the “See” premiere.
Jason Momoa at the premiere of “See,” coming to Apple TV+ November 1.
Alfre Woodard at the “See” premiere.
Alfre Woodard at the premiere for “See” in Los Angeles, California.
“See” production team at the premiere in Los Angeles, California.
Executive producers Jon Steinberg, Joe Strechay, Dan Shotz, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Steven Knight and Francis Lawrence share a moment at the premiere of “See,” coming to Apple TV+ November 1.
Hera Hilmar at the “See” premiere.
Hera Hilmar arrives at the premiere of “See” in Los Angeles, California.
Nesta Cooper at the “See” premiere.
Nesta Cooper at the premiere of “See,” coming to Apple TV+ November 1.
Yadira Guevara-Prip at the “See” premiere.
Yadira Guevara-Prip at the premiere of “See” in Los Angeles, California.
Marilee Talkington at the “See” premiere.
Marilee Talkington at the premiere of “See.”
Sylvia Hoeks at the “See” premiere.
Sylvia Hoeks at the premiere of “See,” coming to Apple TV+ November 1.

Apple TV+, the first all-original video subscription service and home for today’s most imaginative storytellers, will launch November 1 in over 100 countries and regions. The service will be available on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac and other platforms, including online (tv.apple.com), for AED 19.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. Customers who purchase any new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch starting September 10, 2019, can enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free.1 Beginning November 1, customers can initiate the one-year free offer in the Apple TV app on the device running the latest software. 

Ajman Bank Wins GCC’s Best Brand Citation Award

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Ajman Bank Wins GCC’s Best Brand Citation Award

Ajman Bank has been declared the winner of GCC’s Best Brand Citation Award by CMO Global. Endorsed by World Federation of Marketing Professionals, World Sustainability and World CSR Day, the prestigious accolade seeks to identify and celebrate outstanding brand building and marketing by organisations, individuals and teams from across the region. The award was presented to Ms Maryam Al Shorafa, the Vice President and Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications for Ajman Bank, at a gala ceremony held at The Address Dubai Mall, Dubai.

Mr. Mohamed Amiri, Chief Executive Officer, Ajman Bank, said, “We are honoured to receive this distinguished award that benchmarks ingenuity and excellence while celebrating professionals that make a real difference in our industry. With an outstanding all-round experience, Maryam represents the successful leadership model at Ajman Bank who has been playing an instrumental role in supporting the bank’s vision and long-term growth through her strategic marketing perspective and innovative policy acumen in the most critical areas”.

Accepting the award, Ms Maryam, stated, “I am really honoured to receive this prestigious award and would like to share it with all my team members. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our entire management who have been extremely supportive at every step of our journey. The scale of transformation sweeping the marketing sector is truly remarkable. Technological innovation and digitalisation are creating major disruption in our industry and it is exciting to continue building on our success. Awards such as this motive us to do better.”

The purpose behind the awards is to foster innovative marketing practices in the GCC as well as recognize those brands and marketers who have achieved extraordinary success. The winners are chosen for marketing excellence based on consumer preference supported by an independent academic council.

As a member of the executive committee, Ms Maryam is responsible for the strategic market positioning of Ajman Bank and leads the enterprise-wide brand and media strategy for both consumer and commercial products and services. In addition, she overseas customer research and analytics as well as wealth management marketing programs for the organization.

About Ajman Bank
Ajman Bank is an Islamic bank with an ambitious vision based on values of integrity, trust and transparency seeks to provide a wide range of Sharia-compliant and high-quality banking services to customers from individuals, companies and government institutions across the UAE. It is also keen to be updated with the latest technology that will ensure customers a distinctive experimental banking with the revival of human touch that is lost in the modern era of banking application.

Ajman Bank is headquartered in Ajman and enjoys the strong support of the Government of Ajman and is a key pillar in the emirate’s economic development strategy. The bank continues its tireless efforts to establish a prominent position in the banking sector as a sustainable Islamic banking institution, with an emphasis on the need to achieve an optimal balance in the community and caring staff, in order to provide real value for shareholders and customers alike. For more information visit http://www.ajmanbank.ae

For media contact:

Hina Bakht
Managing Director
EVOPS Marketing & PR
Mob: 00971 50 6975146
Tel: 00971 4 566 7355
Hina.bakht@evops-pr.com
www.evops-pr.com

‘Art’ of Women Empowerment and Gender Parity

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‘Art’ of Women Empowerment and Gender Parity

Women in Leadership (WIL) Economic Forum will bring together artworks from a diverse group of artists (men and women) in a collective exhibition dedicated to promoting a gender-balanced world

Women in Leadership (WIL) Economic Forum will provide a platform to a group of local artists to showcase their works in a collective art exhibition dedicated to promoting a gender-balanced world. The 2-day show will run parallel to the conference at the Address Sky View Hotel Dubai on 28and 29 October and is being supported by 2XL Furniture & Home Décor and Art4You Gallery.

Jesno Jackson, Art4you Gallery Founder and Curator said, “When it comes to art, it is still very much a man’s world. We are proud to be part of the WIL Economic Forum. In the UAE one can discover and connect with diverse cultures and people. Each one having a different and unique voice. When we explore and engage with different cultures and gender through art, we learn something not only about the artist but also about ourselves. 11 artists from 10 nationalities have captured the need for women empowerment and gender parity connecting to this year’s theme of WIL Economic Forum – ‘Dare to build a better future’.

Amit Yadav, Head of Marketing, 2XL Furniture & Home Décor, said, “We are proud to partner with the WIL Economic Forum that will allow us to place 2XL’s unique products at this exclusive platform as well as showcase diversity of expressions through this beautiful art exhibition. At 2XL we are committed to building a gender-balanced organization. Diversity, inclusion and empowerment of women are at the heart of our business strategy and it is wonderful to see the growing role of women in the region.”

Emirati artist Ahmed Rukni Al Awadhi said, “Emirati women have been one of the cornerstones of the nation’s development since it was founded in 1971. I would like to celebrate and pay tribute to the legacy of ‘the man who was instrumental to women’s education and empowerment’ by showcasing my work ‘Remembering Sheikh Zayed: The man who built the UAE’”.

Egyptian artist Yasmine Mohamed has named her painting ‘Empowerment’. Elaborating on the idea behind her work, she said, “Empowerment of women is absolutely critical for a balanced socio-economic development. Social, cultural and family pressures on women are often the reasons behind gender inequality. Such pressures lower down the career ambitions of women.”

Peter Farrington from Canada wishes to convey the idea behind changing energies with his work ‘The Winds of Change’. He said, “The energies on the planet are shifting. Raising our level of consciousness, helping us to connect with our divine feminine energies. Embracing and uplifting these energies to the same level an in balance with our masculine energies is essential for a balanced and prosperous future on the planet for all life. The ‘dare’ then is to make way for and allow for this energy.”

Talking about the inspiration behind her painting ‘Floral’, Lebanese artist Nada Al Barazi said, “Just like flowers, strong women convey a sense of admiration. My objective is to show the beauty of nature by using vibrant colours and grow it instead of destroying it. I’m part of nature and nature is part of me that’s why I show my love to it an most of my artworks.”

Indian artist Shobha Iyer wants to convey a bold message through her painting ‘Fearless’. She stressed, “My painting is all about a fearless woman. Don’t hesitate to chase after the things that set your soul on fire. She who dares wins!”

Lindi Badenhorst who has recently moved to the UAE, is participating in the show with her work ‘Growing with the Flow’. Speaking about the inspiration behind it she said, “Having moved to the UAE in December 2018 I have learnt so much about myself as an independent woman thrown into the deep end of starting of a new life, leaving my job security and all support systems behind in South Africa. On this new adventure I have learnt about unity and support amongst the women living here. My work is an exploration of the relationship between different hues of blue and the composed layers gathering in an ocean of new adventures and cultures. It represents depth, expansiveness, imagination and change. What starts out as a yearning for a new self- expression in art, soon becomes a festival of powerful layers and intensities. The colour-scapes are constructed in an intuitive manner. Initial subtle layers of colour lead to responses that develop by adding layer upon layer to create depth and textural delight. My work is driven by my perception of emotions, moods, and inspirational moments in my everyday life.

List of Participating Artists at the WIL Economic Forum:

  1. Jesno Jackson from India
  2. Ahmed Rukni Al Awadhi from the UAE
  3. Nevine Meguid from Australia
  4. Nada Al Barazi from Lebanon
  5. Yasmine Mohamed from Egypt
  6. Shobha Iyer from India
  7. Lindi Badenhorst from South Africa
  8. Shabnam Habib from Pakistan
  9. Sanja Jankovic from Servia
  10. Nadeem Yaqoob Albeloushi from Iran
  11. Peter Farrington from Canada

Women in Leadership (WIL) Economic Forum by Naseba, the largest female economic empowerment platform in the Middle East will gather some of the leading regional and international organisations such as Siemens, Facebook, Allergan, FedEx, Philip Morris, PWC, General Motors and Emaar Hospitality, to share their success stories on gender parity and inclusion. The forum will take place in Dubai on October 28 and 29 at the Address Sky View Hotel Dubai and is supported by Chain Reaction and CCM as well as 2XL Furniture & Home Décor that will be creating inspiring stage settings for engaging discussions.

About Naseba 
Naseba creates growth opportunities, connecting people, partners and ideas. Focused on deal facilitation, it helps clients raise capital, close sales, enter new markets, secure partners and educate workforces. Naseba creates opportunity and adds economic value at every stage of our client’s journey. 

Since 2002, Naseba has facilitated more than a billion dollars’ worth of deals and has connected over 100,000 global executives through more than 1,000 proprietary business platforms in liquid growth markets. 

Naseba is a signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles – Equality Means Business, produced and disseminated by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Global Compact. 

For media contact: 

Hina Bakht 
Managing Director 
EVOPS Marketing & PR 
Mob: 00971 50 6975146 
Tel: 00971 4 566 7355 
Hina.bakht@evops-pr.com 
www.evops-pr.com 

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