Morrow Sodali Strengthens Its Market Leading Position With New Australian Acquisition

Acquisition of key Australian financial communications and investor relations player, Citadel-MAGNUS will drive rapid growth and significant expansion

NEW YORK, Nov. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Morrow Sodali, the world’s leading shareholder engagement and governance advisory firm, announced today the acquisition of Australian financial communications and investor relations agency, Citadel-MAGNUS, its first since TPG Growth secured a majority stake in April of this year.

The Australian based acquisition represents a significant expansion of Morrow Sodali’s service offering in the APAC region to meet the rapidly growing global demand from corporations for strategic communications and investor engagement services.

The combination of Morrow Sodali and Citadel-MAGNUS brings together two trusted market leading consultancies to provide best in class strategic counsel and support to our clients. Citadel-MAGNUS will be fully integrated into Morrow Sodali enabling the firm to provide a seamless offering and the most comprehensive suite of investor relations and communications solutions to listed and private entities with the intention of rolling out the expanded services to other markets.

The acquisition marks a significant step forward in Morrow Sodali’s strategy to accelerate its growth by investing in services that create value for its clients world-wide.

Alvise Recchi, CEO of Morrow Sodali, commented, “As part of Morrow Sodali’s strategic global growth strategy, the addition of Citadel-MAGNUS will expand our service offering to encompass a broader suite of Board, C-Suite and ESG advisory, Investor Relations and Financial Communications services. We can’t wait to see the potential of this exciting opportunity realised as we continue to grow in new markets around the world.”

Christian Sealey, CEO of Morrow Sodali’s International Business added, “More and more, our clients are coming to us seeking advice and assistance across a wide array of areas covering shareholder communication, stakeholder engagement, capital markets intelligence, corporate governance and ESG advisory. Acquiring Citadel-MAGNUS enables us to provide strategic solutions for our clients and uniquely positions us to become their ongoing trusted partner of choice.”

Peter Brookes, Joint Managing Director of Citadel-MAGNUS said, “Our team is thrilled to be joining forces with Morrow Sodali. We are seeing a growing need to provide clients with an end-to-end offering across the financial calendar and increasingly complex event driven activity where good communication is paramount. The combination of our firms brings together two leading and trusted advisory companies that are deeply embedded in corporate Australia and who share a strong focus on delivering exceptional client service.”

About Morrow Sodali

Morrow Sodali is a global corporate advisory firm that provides clients with comprehensive advice and services relating to corporate governance, ESG, sustainability, proxy solicitation, capital markets intelligence, shareholder and bondholder engagement, M&A, activism and contested situations.

From headquarters in New York and London and offices in global capital markets, Morrow Sodali serves over 1,000 clients in more than 80 countries, including many of the world’s largest multinational corporations. Clients include listed and private companies, mutual fund groups, stock exchanges and membership associations.

In 2022, Morrow Sodali is celebrating its 50th anniversary and also secured a majority investment from TPG Growth, the middle market and growth equity platform of alternative asset firm TPG. This partnership will significantly advance the firm’s mission of providing clients worldwide with unrivalled strategic advice and comprehensive support, enabling them to maximize value and expertly manage stakeholder relations.

For more information about Morrow Sodali, please visit www.morrowsodali.com.

About Citadel-MAGNUS

Citadel-MAGNUS is a leading corporate and financial communication firm with offices in Sydney and Perth, servicing clients across Australia and internationally.

We have established a reputation for delivering outstanding results for our clients through trusted relationships, integrity and professional excellence. Our priority is to support clients’ business objectives through effective communication and a superior level of service.

Citadel-MAGNUS brings an unrivalled depth of financial markets, corporate and media experience to help companies address the challenges of today’s highly competitive and changing business environment. We have worked with companies in all sectors and of all sizes, and our success has led to established, long-term partnerships with business leaders and companies.

For more information, visit www.citadelmagnus.com.

CONTACT:

Elena Cargnello

Corporate Director, Marketing

e.cargnello@morrowsodali.com

+44 (0)20 4513 6913

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000754955

Department of Town and Country Planning’s 50th Anniversary

 

In conjunction with the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Department of Town and Country Planning, the Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Bridge will be illuminated with colourful lights until the 14th of November, began on 3rd November night. The colourful display is also held in conjunction with the World Town Planning Day which is celebrated in November every year.

The bridge is illuminated in colours that are used for Land Use planning zoning in the country. It is one of the department’s continuous initiative in disseminating its function and role in the development direction in the country.

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

 

Innovation and Creativity in Cendol Production

 

Temburong District is synonymous with the cendol production. With the local youth’s innovation and creativity, Cendol Temburong is now produced in various flavours until it becomes the people’s topic of discussion.

Most cendol enthusiasts might already be familiar with Cendol Temburong produced by Kindulicious Enterprise, a company owned by Abdul Wafiy bin Haji P Ramlee. Operating since 2017, the company uses innovation and creativity in its cendol production to come up with various flavours such as cendol in brown sugar, grassjelly cendol, taro pandan cendol, durian cendol and choco pandan cendol apart from the normal cendol. To maintain the cendol quality, Abdul Wafiy emphasised on cleanliness during production. Following high demand from the public, the local youth hopes to further expand the company.

With a variety of unique flavours, Kindulicious’ cendol is undoubtedly be one of the most popular dessert in the country.

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

 

Identify Symptoms of Psychological Stress

 

Mental health topic have been widely discussed for the past several years aside from other health issues. In 2020, the Ministry of Health reported that 1.5 per cent of the population experienced symptoms of psychological stress and the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to increased levels of anxiety, depression and self-isolation. Mental issues for men are often side-lined by the society and considered a sign of weakness or failure. In conjunction with the ‘Movember’ campaign that is held in November, a junior psychologist from the Brunei Neuroscience, Stroke and Rehabilitation Services, Pantai Jerudong Specialist Centre shared his view on men’s mental health in an interview with RTB.

Symptoms of depression are different for every men, making it more difficult for individuals and their families to identify if and when help is needed. Some common signs and symptoms of psychological stress are constant worrying, extreme sadness, isolating oneself from friends and family, concentration difficulty and fatigue. Physical signs include frequent shortness of breath and headache.

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

Labour Force Survey Report

​The COVID-19 pandemic left an impact on the people’s economic activity in Brunei Darussalam. The Department of Economic Planning and Statistics, JPES, Ministry of Finance and Economy in a press release on the Labour Force Survey, LFS 2021 shared that about 40 per cent of the total employed population has experienced changes in their working conditions such as changes in the total working hours, and changes of work place or location. The LFS 2021 was conducted simultaneously with the Third Stage of the Population and Housing Census, BPP 2021 from 1st to 31st December 2021.

In the LFS 2021 report, labour force participation rate decreased to 63.8 per cent in 2021 from 65.5 per cent in 2020 to. This is due to a decrease in the number of unemployed among locals who have found employment and also an increase in the Outside Labour Force. Meanwhile, the employed population increased by 0.6 per cent in 2021, which was 212,400 people, compared to 211,100 people in 2020. This was due to local workers filling jobs in several industrial sectors that were previously dominated by non-local workers.

From the figure, local workers accounted for the largest share at 71 per cent, while 29 per cent were foreign workers. 92.1 per cent were employees, while those who worked as own-account workers accounted for 4.7 per cent. The report also shared that 31.5 per cent were employed in the government sector, which includes activities of public administration and government services such as education, health, electricity and water services. Meanwhile, around 68.5 per cent were employed in the private sector. By type of occupation, Service and Sales Workers accounted for the highest share of 21.8 per cent.

Unemployment dropped from 7.3 per cent in 2020 to 4.9 per cent in 2021, especially among the local population. The decrease was likely due to local jobseekers who have filled jobs in several industrial sectors that were previously dominated foreign workers. The construction industry showed the most significant increase in local workers followed by the transportation and storage, information and communication industry, service activities and others.

 

The LFS 2021 is available at ‘deps.mofe.gov.bn’. For any enquiry, contact the number 223 3344 during office hours, or email to ‘info.statistics@jpes.gov.bn’.

 

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

 

‘Respect and Love Senior Citizens’

​Respecting one another must be instilled from a young age, especially respecting and do good deeds to parents as well as senior citizens. The welfare and well-being of senior citizens must also be given attention, in line with the country’s policies and the National Council on Social Issues’ initiatives to ensure that senior citizens in the country are cared for. Responsibility towards senior citizens not only falls to the government, but also to all parties specifically children. Hence, it is not appropriate for Muslims to consider senior citizens as a burden and neglect their welfare. This was among the content of yesterday’s Friday Sermon titled ‘Respect and Love Senior Citizens.’

Verily, there is nothing more meaningful for aging senior citizens than receiving love and attention from their children. As a child, they will face various challenges at times when caring for the elderly. Hence, they must be patient and never to scold, rebuke, threaten and hit the elderly. Parent’s sacrifice in caring and raising their children cannot ever be repaid even with life, wealth or money.

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

Daily Status on the COVID-19 New Normal

435 cases recovered, and no case is in Category 4 or 5.

The Ministry of Health in its press release stated that total recovered cases in the country is at 238,244.

86 point 3 per cent of children aged 5 to 11 have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 61.7 per cent of adolescents aged 12 to 17 have received 3 doses. Meanwhile, the percentage of the country’s population who have received the 3rd dose stands at 78.6 per cent.

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

Generating the Country’s Economy

​11 people comprising Farmers, Livestock Breeders and Fishermen received the Special Award at the official launching of the 12th Farmers, Livestock Breeders and Fishermen’s Day Mini Expo 2022, on 3rd November. The Special Award commemorated the recipient’s efforts and contributions in generating the nation’s economy specifically in agriculture and fisheries sectors.

Marimin Sendirian Berhad was among the recipients of the Special Award for the Fisheries Agrofood Processing Sector. The company has been active in the seafood processing industry since 2000 using advance processing technology, thus penetrating the export market to several countries.

Meanwhile, Sahamada Corporation Sendirian Berhad received the ‘Belia Harapan’ Special Award for the Fisheries Sector. Led by a youth involved in the seafood processing industry, one of the company’s product, ‘Cinta’ chilli sauce has penetrated the export economy to several countries.

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

Opportunity to Develop Local Businesses

The 12th Farmers, Livestock Breeders and Fishermen’s Day Mini Expo 2022 that is taking place at Dewan Muhibah, Berakas provides entrepreneurs the opportunity to do business matching with among entrepreneurs and stakeholders. The expo also becomes a platform for the public to learn more on the development and achievements of the agriculture, fisheries and agrifood sectors in the country, as well as available local products.

In an interview with RTB, Awang Haji Noor Azri bin Haji Mohd Noor, Acting Assistant Director of Agriculture said the expo also provides businesses to showcase their respective products.

The Mini Expo has 70 booth spacesl, showcasing a variety of agriculture and fisheries products. Several entrepreneurs said the expo enables them to introduce and promote their products to the public.

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

 

Issuance of Commemorative Coins

​Brunei Darussalam Central Bank, BDCB, will be issuing commemorative coins in gold, silver and cupronickel in conjunction with the official naming of the Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Bridge. The commemorative coins will be legal tender in Brunei Darussalam. The commemorative coins are: Gold Special Edition 1; Gold Special Edition 2; Silver; and Cupronickel. The matter was stated by the Executive Director of Currency Management, BDCB at a media conference on the commemorative coins held at the BDCB Currency Gift Shop, Ministry of Finance and Economy Building Complex.

Pengiran Maslina binti Pengiran Haji Mahmud said the Gold Special Edition 1 coin will have a design depicting the bridge connecting Brunei Muara District and Temburong District. It will have a face value of 300 dollars and its selling price is $4,000. The Gold Special Edition 2 coin will also have similar face value and selling price as the Gold Special Edition 1 coin.

The Ministry of Finance and Economy will also issue the Silver Coin with face value of 30 dollars, and selling price of $300. Meanwhile, the cupronickel will have a face value of $3 and $110 selling price.

The commemorative coins will be for sale to the public starting Tuesday, 8th of November 2022 at BDCB Currency Gift Shop, Ministry of Finance and Economy Building Complex.

For more information, visit BDCB’s website at ‘bdcb.gov.bn’ or Instagram ‘@centralbank.brunei’.

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

 

LambdaTest launches support for macOS Ventura on its continuous testing platform on the cloud

The company is one of the first cloud testing platforms to release support for macOS Ventura as soon as the stable version was released by Apple to enable customers to seamlessly test on the latest version

San Francisco, CA, Nov. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LambdaTest, a leading continuous quality testing cloud platform, has launched support for macOS Ventura operating system for both real-time and automation testing platforms. This now enables developers and testers to test their websites and web applications for compatibility with the latest Apple OS.

macOS Ventura is the latest release of macOS, Apple’s desktop operating system for Mac computers. It is the 19th release from Apple and was launched on October 24, 2022.

macOS Ventura has new productivity tools and continuity features. Among the interesting updates is the Stage Manager. It automatically organizes apps and windows thereby helping users to concentrate on the task at hand and still see everything in a single glance.

“We want to ensure the quickest possible access to new releases, be it for desktops or devices. An up-to-date stable operating systems, versions, and devices are of immense value to our customers as they can test without any hassle,” said Mayank Bhola, cofounder and head of product, LambdaTest. “We were also supporting the macOS Ventura beta version and we immediately launched the stable version as soon as it was made live by Apple. Our commitment to our customers is our speed and agility in adapting to the latest in the market.”

LambdaTest has also recently launched HyperExecute, a next-gen smart test orchestration platform that helps testers and developers run end-to-end automation tests at the fastest speed possible.

About LambdaTest

LambdaTest is a continuous quality testing cloud platform that helps developers and testers ship code faster. Over 10,000+ customers and 1+ million users across 130+ countries rely on LambdaTest for their testing needs.

LambdaTest platform provides secure, scalable, and insightful test orchestration for customers at different points in their DevOps (CI/CD) lifecycle:

Browser & App Testing Cloud allows users to run both manual and automated tests of web and mobile apps across 3000+ different browsers,
real devices, and operating system environments.

HyperExecute helps customers run and orchestrate test grids in the cloud for any framework and programming language at blazing-fast speeds to cut
down on quality test time, helping developers build software faster.

For more information, please visit, https://lambdatest.com


For further information please contact the LambdaTest press office: Bilal Mahmood on

press@lambdatest.com or +44 (0) 20 3640 7759 and +44 (0) 771 400 7257.

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8689390

COP27 needs a tremendous focus on action, Commonwealth of Dominica looking to share scalable solutions

Roseau, Nov. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — There are a few days left until COP27 takes place in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh from 6 to 18 November and the Commonwealth of Dominica, like many nations around the world, will be watching to see if this summit finally brings action and implementation of proposals and promises.

“We are at the stage where we can no longer use these events as talk shops, but rather, we need to be laser-focused and intentional about developing actionable plans to tackle the biggest challenge of our time – climate change,” says Dr. Vince Henderson, Dominica’s minister for planning, economic development, climate resilience, sustainable development, and renewable energy.

Small island nations like Dominica, are not the only countries facing extreme weather conditions as a result of global warming. UN Secretary-General António Guterres mentioned to journalists in New York recently that a third of Pakistan is flooded, Europe is experiencing its hottest summer in 500 years, the Philippines is dealing with the aftermath of tropical storm Paeng and in the United States, Category 4 Hurricane Ian was just another reminder of the climate crisis.

Dominica has been on a path to be the world’s first climate-resilient nation following Hurricane Maria which left an estimated 90 percent of buildings damaged or destroyed in 2019.

This year, at COP27, Dominica wants to showcase how it will reach climate resiliency by 2030. The country has implemented a number of projects that can be used as case studies that can be used as a flywheel of action.

“Everybody is talking about sustainability and climate change and why we need to reduce carbon emissions, the issue is how we are going to make a meaningful impact. For people to translate insight into action, they need to see good examples that motivate them, and we believe Dominica has an abundance of examples that are yielding results,” continues Minister Henderson.

In response to the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria, Dominica launched a climate resilience policy framework to help guide its recovery journey in the form of the National Resilience Development Strategy 2030 (NRDS).

The Climate Resilience and Recovery Plan of Dominica aim to build strong communities, build a robust economy, have a well-planned and durable infrastructure; strengthen institutional systems and, protect and sustain natural and other unique assets.

It centres around three pillars: structural resilience, financial resilience, and post-disaster resilience.

Structural resilience: The government of Dominica is building a resilient infrastructure capable of withstanding natural disasters, including Category 5 hurricanes. It includes the construction of 5 000 climate-resilient homes, healthcare centres, roads, bridges, airports, and schools.

Financial Resilience: The government of Dominica is implementing institutional fiscal reform to ensure stronger fiscal resilience which will aid in the strengthening of debt sustainability utilising several key institutional fiscal areas.

Post Disaster and Social Resilience: This pillar helps encourage farmers to plant more root crops which are more resilient to heavy rain and wind, and increases farmer training programmes and government assistance with the provision of seeds and fertilizers. The government’s plan to strengthen food security includes specific policies for the resiliency of the agriculture and fisheries industries.

With 2022 set to rank among the 10 warmest years on record, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Dominica is also constructing a geothermal power plant which will increase the country’s share of renewables and diversify the country’s energy matrix. The Commonwealth of Dominica already obtains 28% of its energy requirements from renewable energy sources such as hydropower and wind.

The UN is urging the world’s industrialized nations to ‘lead by example’ by taking ‘bold and immediate actions’. One of these nations includes the United States of America and with President Joe Biden confirmed to attend, it is said he will build on the significant work the United States has undertaken to advance the global climate fight and help the most vulnerable build resilience to climate impacts.

Last year, Biden arrived at COP26 largely empty handed and this year he will promote the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, a bill that devotes hundreds of billions of dollars to clean energy initiatives and brings Biden’s pledge to cut United States emissions in half by 2030 closer within reach.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the group of nations that have signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was put together in 1992. It commits them to act together to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations “at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) interference with the climate system”. Since then, the parties, or nations, have met almost annually.

COP26 was held in the Scottish city of Glasgow in November 2021 and it brought together 120 world leaders and representatives from almost 200 countries. It culminated in the Glasgow Climate Pact, which reaffirmed the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of “limiting the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C”.

PR Dominica
Commonwealth of Dominica
001 (767) 266 3919
mildred.thabane@csglobalpartners.com
GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8689439