AFTERNOON TEA OF THE YEAR 2018 WINNERS LAUNCH FESTIVE OFFERING IN TIME FOR WINTER
After being crowned ‘Overall Afternoon Tea of the Year’ for the UK this June by Hotel F&B magazine, Jumeirah Carlton Tower is proud to reveal its festive Afternoon Tea offering for winter 2018. Served in the opulent Chinoiserie lounge, the Festive Afternoon Tea will be offered from 3-6pm daily, alongside melodies by the hotel’s resident harpist.
Hand crafted by top pastry chef Thomas Coley, the brand new Afternoon Tea experience takes guests on a culinary journey through the quintessential British festive period. Seasonal sweets include: Frosty the Snowman; a roasted coconut and white chocolate snowman macaroon, Reindeer Fuel; a dark chocolate and orange yule log and Santa’s Choice; a custard, nutmeg and mincemeat tart, amongst other goodies. On top of this, guests will be treated to a selection light sandwiches and warm scones with Cornish clotted cream and traditional preserves. The Festive Afternoon Tea will be complemented by a wide selection of traditional and contemporary teas and guests can add some extra sparkle with a glass of Champagne Laurent-Perrier should they wish.
Located just off Sloane Street, Jumeirah Carlton Tower offers luxurious accommodation and generous hospitality in the heart of London’s most fashionable shopping district. The Festive Afternoon Tea will be served daily in the Chinoiserie lounge, and costs £39 per person or £49 including a glass of Champagne Laurent-Perrier. Festive Afternoon Tea is running until 31 December 2018.
For more information on the Festive Afternoon Tea, visit www.jumeirah.com/chinoiserie.
To reserve a table for tea, call +44 (0)20 7858 7185 or email jctdining@jumeirah.com.
Follow Jumeirah Carlton Tower on social media @JumeirahCT.
-Ends-
Notes to Editors:
About Jumeirah Carlton Tower:
Jumeirah Carlton Tower, situated in the heart of Knightsbridge, is a landmark hotel acknowledged as one of London’s finest. The hotel is noted for its fine dining, exclusive Peak Health Club & Spa and enviable location off Sloane Street – the capital’s most fashionable shopping area. Jumeirah Carlton Tower offers 216 rooms and suites, individually styled with a calm and contemporary feel, together with dining in the Chinoiserie lounge, The Rib Room and The Club Room.
About Jumeirah Group:
Jumeirah Group, the global luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, operates and manages a world-class portfolio of 15 properties in the Middle East including the flagship Burj Al Arab, 5 properties in Europe and 2 in Asia with 18 properties currently under construction around the globe.
For further information or images please contact:
Nicole Favish
Marketing Manager
Jumeirah Carlton Tower & Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel
Email :nicole.favish@jumeirah.com
Contact Number: +44 (0)207 858 7162
Startupbootcamp Launches First Fintech Accelerator in Dubai
Today, Startupbootcamp launches its FinTech Accelerator program in Dubai to support the city in its bid to become a world leader in financial services innovation and technology.
Over the next three years and in partnership with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Visa and HSBC, Startupbootcamp will accelerate 40 startups working in a range of fields impacting financial services innovation, such as artificial and machine intelligence, distributed ledger technologies and digital and open banking. The program will be open to startups from the MENA region as well as from around the world.
Dubai’s strong FinTech ambitions are focused on becoming the key financial hub serving a unique and rapidly developing region. Startupbootcamp, together with the partners, will support this vision by taking FinTech startups through a focused three-month growth program located in FinTech Hive at DIFC to address all critical areas of their business and prepare operations for future scaling. Partners and mentors of the program provide startups with an unparalleled level of highly curated access to resources, insights, technology, and expertise.
The program provides all the tools to take a startup from its initial launch to developing a highly scalable business with solid revenue growth. The program will provide startups with support from Startupbootcamp’s global network of entrepreneurs, investors and industry corporations, free co-working space, €15,000 to cover living expenses and over €450,000 worth of partner deals.
Startupbootcamp has invested in and accelerated more than 200 FinTech and InsurTech startups to date across programs in London, New York, Singapore, Amsterdam, Mexico City, Mumbai and Hartford, Connecticut, enriching and developing their FinTech ecosystems. Startupbootcamp is no stranger to innovation in Dubai after successfully launching its Smart Cities accelerator program in 2017, partnered with Dubai Silicon Oasis, du, Visa, Dubai Chamber, Rochester Institute of Technology Dubai, Smart Dubai and Orange Business Services.
The Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai team will be hosting a series of ‘FastTrack’ events in different cities across the Middle East as well as international cities such as New Delhi, London, Singapore, New York and more over the next two months, in order to give startups the chance to present their ideas and to find out more about the program.
-QUOTES-
Todd OBrien, CEO of MENA, Startupbootcamp, said: “We are extremely excited to begin this journey that will see some of the best financial innovations from around the world come to enrich the financial ecosystem in Dubai and the region.” Raja Al Mazrouei, Executive Vice President – FinTech Hive at DIFC, said:“Building on the success of our existing accelerator programmes that target growth-stage FinTech companies, we are excited to partner with Startupbootcamp on this latest initiative that provides a growth platform for early-stage startups. The partnership will contribute significantly to developing the regional FinTech and Venture Capital ecosystem, and promoting entrepreneurship in line with the UAE 2021 Vision.” Shahebaz Khan, Visa’s General Manager for the UAE and Innovation Lead for MENA, commented: “The future of digital payments will be shaped through collaboration and we look forward to working with our startup partners to transform the payments landscape and support economic modernization efforts to the benefit of consumers, merchants and banks alike. We are proud to partner on the FinTech startup accelerator program to help foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem where innovators from across the region can thrive and to enable a smart economy powered by secure, innovative digital payment solutions.” HSBC’s CIO of Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, Ghinwa Baradhi, commented, “HSBC UAE is pleased to tie-up with Startupbootcamp to foster innovation and entrepreneurship through mentoring of young technology companies. We look forward to helping FinTech startups shape their products at scale and expand their markets, while providing more established entrepreneurs with strategic guidance on market opportunities and trends. Our aim is to explore options for collaboration to build innovative solutions which shape a better future for our customers and colleagues.” More information about the Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai program can be found at www.startupbootcamp.org/accelerator/fintech-dubai/ Applications for the program are now open. APPLY NOWEmaar launches limited release of Expo Golf Villas
With prices starting at AED 999,888 for a three-bedroom residence, a monthly payment plan over five years and the fast-growing demand for homes near the Expo 2020 Dubai site, the Al Maktoum international Airport and an 18-hole championship golf course, Emaar has launched the ‘Expo Golf Villas’ that stand to bring high potential yield for investors.
Expo Golf Villas also stand out for their location by the Emaar South boulevard, a bustling hub of lifestyle and leisure activities, and featuring retail and F&B outlets. The neighbourhood is also near two green parks and a community centre.
The homes will appeal to professionals working in the various business hubs in Dubai South including the Aviation District, Logistics District, Business Park, Exhibition District and Humanitarian District.
Sporting a modern architecture that assures the privacy of residents, Expo Golf Villas offer premium views of green parks and immaculate landscaping.The homes are thoughtfully designed with balconies to maximise the views, while the internal finishes are in neutral tones.
The amenities include an outdoor pool, lawn, kids play area, and shaded parking in addition to the neighbourhood community centre featuring a gym and serving as a hub for social interactions.
For details on Expo Golf Villas, visit the Emaar South Sales Centre on the DWC Peripheral Road in Dubai South; the Emaar Sales Centres in Downtown Dubai; the Dubai Creek Harbour Sales Centre in Ras Al Khor; the Dubai Hills Estate Sales Pavilion located on Umm Suqeim Road; and the Abu Dhabi Sales Centre on the ground floor of Al Nahda Tower on 4th Street, Al Muroor Road. The centres are open from Saturday to Thursday, 9.30am to 7pm, and on Fridays from 2 to 7pm at the Emaar Sales Centre in Downtown Dubai only. Alternatively, call 800 36227 (UAE) or +9714 3661688 (International); or email: Sales_Enquiry@emaar.ae. Emirates Spreads its Wings with A380 Operations to ‘Sister Cities’ Hamburg and Osaka
Etihad Airways celebrates 15 years of successful flying
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Etihad Airways is celebrating fifteen years since its first flight and its subsequent rise as one of the world’s leading airlines. The major milestone is being marked with a series of events and initiatives in Abu Dhabi and around the world, beginning with the unveiling of an exclusive collaboration with iconic New York fashion designer, Diane von Furstenberg.
- Etihad one of the youngest and most innovative global airline brands
- Exclusive Formula 1 collaboration with designer Diane von Furstenberg launches series of 15-year celebratory events
Celebrate the UAE National Day with ‘Emirati Night’ at Da Vinci’s, Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai
Secrets from the ancient Emirati kitchens will come alive at Da Vinci’s, the award-winning Italian restaurant at the Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai as it welcomes all Emirati guests for a long UAE National Day celebration. This popular restaurant will offer a rare combination of traditional and modern Emirati dishes in a unique setting with glimpses of the rich Emirati culture and heritage. While savouring the chef’s specially crafted menu for the occasion, guests will enjoy an exclusive 25% discount on the total bill – valid for up to 4 guests. In addition, diners will get to indulge in a complimentary slice of cake with UAE flag decoration.
Mr. Simon Moore, General Manager of Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai, said, “Food is an essential part of any country’s culture and the Emirati Night at Da Vinci’s will allow diners to enjoy the most authentic local cuisine with an indulgent selection of Emirati dishes.”
Emirati Night
- Day & Date: Every Friday, 9th November to 7th December 2018
- Time: From 8pm to 11.30pm
- Venue: Da Vinci’s
- Chef’s Special Menu: Exclusive 25% discount on total bill valid for up to 4 guests
- Complimentary slice of cake with UAE flag decoration
Deck Up Your Homes for the Festive Season with 2XL Furniture & Home Décor
The festive season is the time to decorate your home with twinkling lights and lots of glitter. 2XL Furniture & Home Décor has got a beautiful range of decorative items that are sure to impress your visitors as well as social media followers. The scale and grandeur of the festive offerings across the luxury brand’s stores in the UAE is simply magnificent.
Amit Yadav, Head of Marketing at 2XL, said, “The gorgeous range of decorative items at 2XL Furniture & Home Décor is ideal for jazzing up your homes for joyful celebrations. Whether buyers are looking for a spectacular centrepiece or a striking accessory we have a vast choice of products to match every mood and requirement. These also make for great giveaways as Diwali is a time when people exchange a lot of gifts with their family and friends.”
Here are some pieces that truly stand out:
From left to right: Medium Round Tea Can: AED 265, Flower Marble Base: AED 209 and Ball Small Gold: AED 62
Add a Sparkle
Infuse glamour in your living and dining spaces with metallic accents. 2XL Furniture & Home Décor has a wide range of accessories to brighten up your rooms this season. Amit said “Gold or brass toned furniture or center tables can add personality to any interior style. At the same time a colourful interior can be toned down with natural elements like wood and metal. You can either go for statement pieces of furniture or smaller decorative items to perk up coffee tables. Both gold and copper provide a warming, sophisticated glow that can be easily incorporated into interior schemes to add an element of understated, cool luxury.”
From left to right: Chandelier Brass / Amber: AED 1,831; Tealight Holder: AED 77 and Oval Light Glass Cloche: AED 160
Light it Up
Whether you are looking to create an intimate and intense mood or a relaxed and casual setting, lighting has a huge impact on aesthetics and functionality. Amit stressed, “Illumination is a crucial element in all design schemes and the secret lies in details. Balance of light in a room can be changed to create different moods. For a living room central chandelier and table lamps are a good option to provide vintage glamour and elegance. As a rule, darker rooms require more ambient lighting as dark colours absorb more light. To add glamour in a room with low ceiling, select a style that is wider than it is tall for best effect. Pendant lights suspended from the top over a centre table such as the ones in the latest collection at 2XL Furniture & Home Décor are a great way to make a statement.”
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
From left to right: Medium Round Tea Can: AED 265, Flower Marble Base: AED 209 and Ball Small Gold: AED 62
Add a Sparkle
Infuse glamour in your living and dining spaces with metallic accents. 2XL Furniture & Home Décor has a wide range of accessories to brighten up your rooms this season. Amit said “Gold or brass toned furniture or center tables can add personality to any interior style. At the same time a colourful interior can be toned down with natural elements like wood and metal. You can either go for statement pieces of furniture or smaller decorative items to perk up coffee tables. Both gold and copper provide a warming, sophisticated glow that can be easily incorporated into interior schemes to add an element of understated, cool luxury.”
From left to right: Chandelier Brass / Amber: AED 1,831; Tealight Holder: AED 77 and Oval Light Glass Cloche: AED 160
Light it Up
Whether you are looking to create an intimate and intense mood or a relaxed and casual setting, lighting has a huge impact on aesthetics and functionality. Amit stressed, “Illumination is a crucial element in all design schemes and the secret lies in details. Balance of light in a room can be changed to create different moods. For a living room central chandelier and table lamps are a good option to provide vintage glamour and elegance. As a rule, darker rooms require more ambient lighting as dark colours absorb more light. To add glamour in a room with low ceiling, select a style that is wider than it is tall for best effect. Pendant lights suspended from the top over a centre table such as the ones in the latest collection at 2XL Furniture & Home Décor are a great way to make a statement.”
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 CFO Strategies Forum MENA Puts the Spotlight on Prioritizing Financial Innovation and Digitalisation
CFO Strategies Forum MENA, organised by Naseba, opened today in Dubai bringing together leading industry experts to discuss the latest trends in the financial sector steering the region’s continuous growth. The key focus of the conference was the evolving roles in the C-suite and the opportunities technology and globalisation are bringing to the corporate finance function against a backdrop of rapidly changing business environment and technological advances.
The intensive two-day program was designed to facilitate discussion, promote innovative thinking and provide attendees with actionable strategies to fuel the development of their companies.
Some of the prominent speakers at the forum included David Allen, one of the world’s most influential thinkers on productivity and author of international best-selling book on time management ‘Getting Things Done’; and Ramses Gallego, professor in cybersecurity at IE Business School – Strategist & Evangelist, Symantec.
Opening the conference, Sophie Le Ray, CEO of Naseba, said, “Current trends and global developments have made the role of CFOs far more complex and challenging with new responsibilities that demand new skills in addition to strong leadership and business acumen. Change management is a key priority in organisations and CFOs are leading the pack being the strategists and catalysts of change. This necessitates the prioritization of financial innovation and digitalization”.
The Middle East and Africa region is on the verge of a massive digital disruption. Pressure is mounting on institutions to accelerate the adoption and digitalisation of processes. The forecasted efficiency and productivity gains from the adoption of new technologies are enormous.
Nicholas Watson, Managing Director of Naseba said, “Digitalization and globalisation have permanently changed the financial sector and its operating environment. Digitalisation cannot simply be an add-on feature, it needs to underpin an organisation’s entire business model to achieve a new level of performance and engagement. What is critical is how businesses are responding to the rapidly changing macroeconomic environment and how CFO’s can drive corporate culture, restructuring and consolidation. Businesses need to collaborate in a digital ecosystem with industry leading partnerships and innovative initiatives that help them to overcome challenges and embrace digital change.”
David Allen shared some valuable techniques for greater executive creativity and strategy with the delegates. Speaking on how high performers can get more productive and the critical opportunity that exists for improvement, he stressed, “It is not time management which is the main issue. It all about space, that is, how do we get more room to think more strategically, more creatively and more innovatively? How can we be more present in the critical conversations and critical situations that we find ourselves in?”
Key speakers at the Fintech Summit included
- Chris Fernandez, Founder and CEO, blockgemini
- Werner Flaig, Group Chief Financial Officer, Easa Saleh Al Gurg
- Ankur Shah, CFO, Careem
- Massimiliano Leopardi: CFO, Sadara
- Tariq Sanad: CFO, Fetchr!
- Kartik Thakrar, Finance Head – GCC, Aster
Fintech Summit by Naseba Highlights the Massive Opportunities Driving Fintech’s Growth in MENA Region as Investment in Sector Continues to Soar
Fintech Summit, organised by leading regional deal facilitation company Naseba, brought together the Middle East and Africa region’s most prominent Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) institutions, technology providers and funders to share the latest trends and disruptive developments transforming the industry. Innovations in the field of RegTech, blockchain, robotics, AI and digital-only banking are fuelling fintech’s rapid growth in the region.
The panelists from different verticals of the financial services sphere, exchanged their views on fintech’s power to disrupt the financial sector across the MENA region with innovative solutions. Digitalisation of financial services is still the greatest opportunity for fintech with banks being the largest investors. Changes in customer preferences and technological advances have pushed large banks to take a lead in digitalisation in the region followed by Islamic finance. A great example is Emirates NBD that increased its investments in digitalization to 1billion over the last three years.
Urging to unleash the potential of fintech wide across the banking and financial services industry, Naseba’s Production Director Naveen Bharadwaj said: “To evolve with customers’ preferred trends, stay ahead of competition and achieve a cashless economy, all major banks and financial institutions are placing huge strategic bets on blockchain, robotics, artificial intelligence and predictive analytics under the umbrella of Fintech. Naseba is very proud to continue helping the region’s fintech transformation and bridge the ecosystem through our Enterprise Fintech Summit.”
Max Liu, Co-founder and CEO of EMQ said, “The whole payments ecosystem is undergoing significant transformation with the rise of local and cross-border cashless payments underpinned by a tech-savvy population. For this reason, enterprises will increasingly require a settlement network that streamlines cross-border payments that are low-cost, secure, and real-time.”
Quoting on the regional BFSI ecosystem, Emre Karter, MD Treasury and Trade Solution at Citibank, said, “To stay relevant to clients, major banks are enhancing payments, liquidity management, and lending, through deployment of new technologies like AI, machine learning, Blockchain and better usage of big data. The most successful banks will be those that improve agility and reduce costs by using collaboration to bring various components together and build the strongest ecosystem.”
With a significant amount of capital waiting to be deployed, investment in finech is expected to remain strong. According to industry forecasts, the Middle East and North Africa region’s financial technology market is predicted to grow by 270 per cent achieving a growth of approximately $125 million a year to reach $2.5 billion in 2022. The Mena fintech market is currently worth $2bn but increased annual investment will boost the number of fintech start-ups from six in 2005 to around 250 by 2020. The market’s largest segment is Digital Payments with a total transaction value of US$41,447m in 2018. Total transaction value is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2018-2022) of 12.8% resulting in the total amount of US$67,004m by 2022.
Four countries account for almost 75 per cent of all start-ups in the MENA region – the UAE, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. The UAE is the centre of the new frontier with a combination of accelerators, rising investments and cross-industry partnerships. High smartphone penetration, young and tech-savvy people and the government’s support are all turning the region into an attractive hub for fintech. Alongside that, initiatives like Dubai International Financial Centre’s (DIFC) FinTech Hive, whose start-ups raised over $10 million in funding in 2017, are significantly disrupting the fintech ecosystem in the region.
Key speakers at the Fintech Summit included Nasir Zubairi, CEO, Luxemburg House Of Financial Technology; Peter Smith, Managing Director, Policy and Strategy, Dubai Financial Services Authority; Nick Lee, Authorisation Director, BFSI, Abu Dhabi Global Markets; Abdul Malik Al Sheikh, Senior Advisor, Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority; Max Liu, Co-Founder & CEO, EMQ.
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’s goal is to create opportunity and add economic value at every stage of its client’s journey. It does this through three key areas: investor services, commercial services and leadership services.
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