80 countries participate in Ministerial Roundtable

FMF strengthens the Kingdom’s leadership in enabling the Super Region to contribute to the metals industries of the future

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Future Minerals Forum (FMF) announced today that its Ministerial Roundtable, due to be held on 9 January 2024, ahead of the third edition of the Forum, is set to break attendance records. Of the eighty countries so far confirmed to attend, more than forty-five will be sending ministers to take part in discussions with stakeholders in this one meeting, in addition to 20 official international organizations, 30 non-governmental organizations and 13 business associations.

As the highest level gathering on minerals in the world, the Roundtable represents a historic turning point for the global mining and metals sector, the contribution of the Super Region extending from Africa to West and Central Asia, and the Kingdom’s leadership role in this sector and region.

The Ministerial Roundtable is a government-led multi-stakeholder initiative created by Saudi Arabia to enhance international cooperation on producing critical minerals involved in transforming the energy sector. The meeting comes when the mineral sector faces unprecedented challenges driven by the increasing demand for energy transition minerals and metals, where all countries are racing to secure stable supply chains.

Furthermore, the Ministerial Roundtable promotes the importance of collaboration to address this anticipated global challenge.

H.E. Vice-Minister for Mining Affairs, Khalid Al-Mudaifer, highlighted that the number of ministers who had confirmed their attendance at the Roundtable reflects the political and economic weight of the Kingdom and the increasing importance of minerals in recent years, this level of attendance demonstrates that FMF has established itself as a leading global platform for shaping the future of minerals. H.E. stated, “High-level government representation, from countries producing and consuming minerals, means that governments from across the world are now aware of minerals’ importance, as they seek to secure reliable supply chains for them. This is especially relevant to the strategic minerals that are essential to energy transformation programs and projects, and related industries.”

The Roundtable will include discussion of the competition that the metals market is witnessing at international level and how to create room for countries, in the midst of this competition, to reach agreement between themselves.

Media Contact:
Omar Shereen
Omar.shereen@fleishman.com
+966 50 663 0489

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000906717

Future Minerals Forum Advances Global Discussion on Clean Energy Transition

New Partnerships to Shape Conversations on Sustainable Development in Global Metals and Minerals at Future Minerals Forum 2024

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Future Minerals Forum (FMF), scheduled to take place 9-11 January in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, today announced three new strategic partnerships to inform the global discourse on minerals and their critical role in sustainable global development and the need to transition to new energy sources. The new partnerships with CRU Group, Global AI and Wood Mackenzie will deliver business intelligence and insights in a series of studies to be published ahead of FMF. They complement existing partnerships with McKinsey & Company, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Clareo-DPI and Baker Institute.

Wood Mackenzie is embarking on a pivotal study to define the super region’s potential. The white paper will identify key drivers for the creation of sustainable value chains as well as highlight the current challenges facing the global minerals and how they affect the minerals industry across this resource-rich area. This report will serve as a crucial guide for stakeholders by establishing the foundations for what can be achieved from governmental and market collaboration as the region looks to unlock its resource potential to better enable the energy transition.

Global AI is set to conduct a comprehensive global sentiment analysis using state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, focusing on mining and mineral operations across the Super Region. This analysis aims to shed light on societal perceptions to inform dialogue on the roles governments, the private sector, and civil society must play in securing social license to operate, ensuring mining operations deliver tangible benefit local communities and minimize impact on the environment.

Meanwhile, CRU’s report will highlight the urgency of addressing critical mineral bottlenecks to meet climate goals, with a focus on the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia as key future suppliers.

Together, these insights all align with FMF’s mission to enable the development of sustainable mineral industries, place the Super Region at the forefront of the global minerals conversation, and shape responsible mining practices. FMF, as a government-led, multi-stakeholder platform, aims to catalyze dialogue among industry leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders to drive progress toward a more sustainable and prosperous future in mineral development.

Media Contact:
Omar Shereen
E: Omar.Shereen@fleishman.com
M: +966 50 663 0489

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000906107

[INVNT GROUP]™, the Global Brand Storytelling and Marketing Agency Portfolio, Marks a New Era in Global Expansion with Significant Advances in United Arab Emirates (UAE)

From Expo2020 Dubai, to Audi, and technological world-firsts at COP28, the agency portfolio is powering immersive brand activations, campaigns and strategies, engaging local audiences, leaders, and the international community throughout the region

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — [INVNT GROUP] THE GLOBAL BRANDSTORY PROJECT™ strengthens its commitment to EMEA and the UAE, growing it’s local Dubai team and full-service, integrated, strategic, and experiential marketing services to partners and clients including PepsiCo (Aquafina, Gatorade, Lay’s, Rockstar Energy), Audi, COP28, Emirates Airline, and more.

The group represents a growing portfolio of complementary disciplines designed to help forward-thinking challenger brands everywhere, impact the audiences that matter, both globally and locally.

[INVNT GROUP] established its presence in the UAE with the architecting of three interactive, award-winning PepsiCo pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai (2021), which featured activations with hall-of-fame athletes Lionel Messi, Serena Williams, and Usain Bolt, welcoming over 24 Million people across 6 months. The success of the global gathering led to the INVNT-produced launch event of PepsiCo’s Rockstar Energy, a market-first in the region, setting the stage for a series of milestone campaigns and projects including: COP28 in Dubai, Audi’s Investor Gala at the Geneva International Motorshow in Qatar, and the Emirates Airline debut of their industry first, immersive experience employee training platform, MIRA, at the Dubai Air Show.

For COP28, INVNT designed, produced, and project managed a series of activations, seamlessly integrating the traditionally separate Blue and Green Zones into a comprehensive experience at the repurposed Expo city site, accommodating for a daily crowd of 70,000 attendees.

INVNT’s activations at COP28 included:

  • The “Tree of Life”: A world-first, interactive, Artificial Intelligence powered digital art installation and contemporary symbol of environmental sustainability, educating attendees about the key themes and topics of COP28. The AI-generative art experience allowed for individuals to pledge commitment to global environmental sustainability.
  • The Stella McCartney Marketplace: An experience spotlighting product displays and information on the LVMH brand’s unwavering commitment to sustainability and conscious luxury movement.
  • One World One Humanity: A large-scale interactive entertainment performance using human-driven, larger-than-life characters to deliver a narrative inspired by COP28’s central message: “UNITE. ACT. DELIVER”, while celebrating our planetary connection through a unified lens.
  • The CNN x United Nations Foundation Exhibition: An educational immersive experience focusing on the climate crisis’s impact on gender inequality, displaying powerful film and imagery captured by Global South female photojournalists.
  • “Energy for Health” Activation (collaboration between the World Health Organization, Selco Foundation, and UNICEF): An immersive educational experience highlighting the importance of solar energy in delivering medical services to remote regions, showcased through compelling films and innovative technical solutions.

“Our investment across global geographies and the rapidly expanding UAE market, has endowed us with a specialized expertise, where innovative storytelling and technological mastery are not just aspirations but realities. Through projects like COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Emirates’ MIRA and others, our global team has immersed itself in the vibrant UAE ecosystem, where technology serves a cornerstone of society – reshaping our social fabric and global economy. We are not mere participants in this transformative era; we are leading the storytelling narratives, that elevate and define brands throughout the region and beyond, on the global stage. Through our commitments to impact driven marketing and audience engagement, we continue to deliver world class experiences, cultivating new strategic partnerships, and offering unparalleled value to our clients, partners, and stakeholders. Our mission is to weave a panoply of global communities, guided by the vision that creativity and technology are the lodestars of our collective future,” said Scott Cullather, President & CEO of [INVNT GROUP] and CEO of INVNT.ATOM.

The group has also grown its local partnerships and teams across various business units including INVNT™ the live brand storytelling agency, and INVNT.ATOM™, the digital innovation and Web3 agency based in Singapore. INVNT.ATOM recently launched BZAR™, the group’s patent-pending, self-funded, content-led immersive digital platform, built exclusively for brands and fans.

INVNT.ATOM – in partnership with AWS (Amazon Web Services) and other tech partners – powered the Dubai Airshow debut of Emirates Airlines’ immersive employee experience platform ‘MIRA’, which uses extended reality (iXR) to train new joiners and will revolutionize employee training. VR offers realistic simulations, providing hands-on experience without the physical constraints, enhancing how skills are taught and learned through greater consistency of message, increased engagement, and retention, while offering safe and scalable training environments redefining the future of employee learning.

“In today’s rapidly evolving global landscape, our focus across the group is squarely on engaging both global and local audiences through immersive brand storytelling. We’re not just expanding our reach in the UAE and world at large, we’re redefining frontiers of engagement by creating experiences that resonate universally while honoring local narratives and cultures; inspiring new dialogues, fostering connection, and pioneering alongside brands looking to reach new plateaus of audience engagement. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, challenging everything, and leveraging the power of next-generation creativity and technology to build bridges between diverse communities and creating a truly global impact,” said Kristina McCoobery, CEO of INVNT and COO of [INVNT GROUP].

At the Geneva International Motorshow, INVNT partnered with Audi to produce the Investors Gala and Dealer Event in the National Museum of Doha (Qatar), unveiling the future of automotive innovation, and showcasing the company’s 2024 advancement strategy in the UAE and beyond.

“We are committed to deepening our connections and partnerships with brands, organizations, and the local UAE community. Our team blends global vision with local insights and tactics, ensuring our initiatives resonate meaningfully in the region. This approach allows us to contribute positively to the region’s growth while embracing and learning from its technological ethos and rich cultural heritage,” said Farah Hindiyeh, Managing Director of INVNT Dubai. 

###

ABOUT [INVNT GROUP]
[INVNT GROUP] THE GLOBAL BRANDSTORY PROJECT™ is a growing portfolio of complementary disciplines designed to help forward-thinking organizations everywhere, impact the audiences that matter, anywhere, with offices in New York, London, Sydney, Singapore, Dubai, San Francisco, Mumbai , Stockholm, Detroit, and Washington D.C. Led by President and CEO, Scott Cullather, [INVNT GROUP]™ was established as a growing evolution of the live global brand storytelling agency INVNT™, with a vision to provide engaging, well-articulated, impactful brand stories across all platforms.

The GROUP consists of: modern brand strategy firm, Folk Hero™; creative-led culture consultancy, Meaning; production studio & creative agency, HEVĒ™; events for colleges and universities, INVNT Higher Ed; digital innovation division, INVNT.ATOM™; creative multimedia experience studio, Hypnogram™ITP Live (Any Venue Video, Thunder Audio, In Sync), portfolio of full-service production for live entertainment; and the original live global brand storytelling agency, INVNT.

For more information visit www.invntgroup.com

Attachment

Jhonathan Mendez de Leon
[INVNT GROUP]
Jmendezdeleon@invnt.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9008009

Duck Creek Technologies Adds Lloyd’s of London Integration to its Reinsurance Cloud Platform

Duck Creek Reinsurance extends its market leading capabilities to support insurance carriers globally

LONDON, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Duck Creek Technologies, the intelligent solutions provider defining the future of property and casualty (P&C) and general insurance, announces support for and integration into Lloyd’s Outwards Reinsurance Scheme (LORS) for its ceding reinsurance customers using Duck Creek Reinsurance. Lloyd’s of London demands their members to have robust outwards (ceding) reinsurance strategies with appropriate systems, controls, procedures, and expertise to enable the effective management of outwards reinsurance purchasing and recoveries. With this latest functionality, Duck Creek Reinsurance continues to offer global carriers the necessary tools to integrate into the world’s leading reinsurance market.

The LORS capability within Duck Creek Reinsurance offers all the code sets used in LORS and USM messages, enabling Lloyd’s members and Duck Creek customers to directly connect to and interact with the Lloyd’s technology platform and processes. Duck Creek Reinsurance is equipped with the required data structure to support LORS Outward Reinsurance Advice Message to advise underwriters of transactions which are new, amended, or replaced by brokers, as well as Underwriter Response Messages which are used to advise underwriter authorisations, objections, and data changes. Duck Creek’s LORS integration also will confirm successful batch processing or report errors and will automatically notify insurance carriers regarding ceding movements and processing status. The Duck Creek Reinsurance LORS module includes full audit trail functionality giving insurers the ability to delete pre-authorised items or groups of items where they are in error and to request authorisation for signed items to be cancelled.

“Duck Creek’s LORS integration demonstrates our commitment to the London reinsurance market. As we build upon over three decades of market-leading reinsurance management capabilities, Duck Creek Reinsurance is delivering the core functionality and innovation to enable global growth for our reinsurance customers,” says Julien Victor, managing director, reinsurance management. “Duck Creek is also involved in the Lloyd’s Blue Print 2 initiative and we are proud to lead the market with cloud-based technology that supports many of the world’s most prominent insurance carriers’ reinsurance programs spanning the London, European, APAC, Bermuda, and USA territories.”

Duck Creek Reinsurance is a SaaS-based cloud platform that connects with any policy or claims system, data warehouse, and downstream general ledgers to track all the information related to reinsurance contracts (treaties and facultative contracts), claims, accounting data, technical data, auxiliary data, financial data, and more). Duck Creek Reinsurance has built-in reporting and can also connect to popular corporate reporting solutions. Duck Creek Reinsurance is a flexible solution tailored to international organizations using multiple currencies and multiple GAAP requirements.

About Duck Creek Technologies
Duck Creek Technologies is the intelligent solutions provider defining the future of the property and casualty (P&C) and general insurance industry. We are the platform upon which modern insurance systems are built, enabling the industry to capitalize on the power of the cloud to run agile, intelligent, and evergreen operations. Authenticity, purpose, and transparency are core to Duck Creek, and we believe insurance should be there for individuals and businesses when, where, and how they need it most. Our market-leading solutions are available on a standalone basis or as a full suite, and all are available via Duck Creek OnDemand.

Visit www.duckcreek.com to learn more. Follow Duck Creek on our social channels for the latest information – LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contact
Drake Manning
drake.manning@duckcreek.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9006572

BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions sets the standard for 100% recycled platinum group metal (PGM) offering with Verdium™

  • With Verdium, customers can verify carbon reduction for recycled PGM purchases, including PGMs attributed to select end products
  • One kilogram of Verdium recycled metal saves over thirty metric tons of carbon1
  • UL Solutions provides independent, third-party validation of the physical chain of custody and mass balance accounting

ISELIN, N.J., Dec. 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions (ECMS), a global leader in precious metal services and catalysis, today launched Verdium™, a new approach to recycled metal based on mass balance. Recycled (secondary) PGMs are essential to the supply of platinum, palladium and rhodium, critical minerals used in catalysts, and can lower carbon emissions by up to 97 percent in comparison to mined (primary) materials. One kilogram of Verdium saves over thirty metric tons of carbon, enabling customers to verify their carbon reduction, track progress to their sustainability goals and help lower their Scope 3 emissions.

Verdium has been independently validated by UL Solutions, a leading global safety science company acting as an independent third party, to its mass balance chain of custody (CoC) standard UL 2809-1, the Environmental Claim Validation Procedure for Defined Source Content, which is in accordance with CoC design and models specified in ISO 22095. The validation process includes annual CoC audits and site visits by UL Solutions.

“Independent validation by UL Solutions is a testament to our recycled metal approach that sets the standard in the PGM space,” said Tim Ingle, Senior Vice President, Precious Metal Services and Recycling, ECMS. “It also brings transparency to the PGM value chain, enabling customers to track carbon reduction with accuracy and confidence.”

Verdium will be available to Europe and U.S.-based PGM customers starting in January 2024. Customers will receive the same quality recycled metal from ECMS, but with Verdium, they can verify their carbon reduction. Documented verification will confirm the amount of recycled metals purchased and applied to select end products, which can be traced to a concrete carbon metric.

“We have long been a leader in advancing circularity and sustainability through our metals expertise,” said Dirk Bremm, President and CEO, ECMS. “Recognizing the pressing demand for tangible sustainability progress, we worked in close consultation with our customers to design Verdium as a traceable, audited solution that helps customers make measurable strides toward their goals.”

“We commend ECMS for their carbon reduction efforts. We hope the UL certification of Verdium will help pave the way for ECMS and its customers to achieve their environmental goals and a more sustainable future for all,” said Josh Warren, Vice President and General Manager of the Retail and Consumer Product group at UL Solutions.

1Sphera Solutions GmbH (2022): GaBi Database Edition 2022, SP37

About BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions
Leveraging its deep expertise as a global leader in catalysis and precious metals, BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions (ECMS) serves customers in many industries including automotive, aerospace, indoor air quality, semiconductors and hydrogen economy, and provides full loop services with its precious metals trading and recycling offering. With a focus on circular solutions and sustainability, ECMS is committed to helping our customers create a cleaner, more sustainable world. Protecting the elements of life is our purpose and this inspires us to ever-new solutions. ECMS operates globally in 15 countries with over 4,500 employees and 20 production sites.

Media Relations contact
Betsy Arnone
Phone: 973-519-9808
Betsy.arnone@basf-catalystsmetals.com
BASF ECMS
25 Middlesex Essex Turnpike
Iselin, NJ 08830
www.basf.com/ecms

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9006577