Ceylinco Life takes green branch model to Nittambuwa
A little over two years ago Optus was in a buoyant mood as it welcomed tennis player Ash Barty – who had retired about five months earlier – into the corporate fold. Barty, the company said in a 2:30am release on August 17, 2022, had signed on to become Chief of Inspiration at Optus. No, seriously. “The partnership will see Barty feature in a mix of content initiatives, employee engagement programs and community-focused campaigns aimed at connecting Australians together and inspiring them to say ‘yes’ to their dreams, goals, and ambitions.” Optus said in the release that the CEO at the time, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, “believes Barty epitomises the brand’s values and that the partnership will demonstrate the power of Yes to all Australians”. “At Optus, we pride ourselves on our role in keeping Australians connected to what matters most – from everyday life through to times of national crisis, we support communities and businesses to thrive in the digital age. Daniel Ricciardo, Optus. “Ash is a true Australian icon and role model – her performance on the courts epitomised a challenger spirit, determination and strength, while her community work has demonstrated the power of optimism in action. We’re thrilled to bring this partnership to life and inspire more Australians to enable their tech futures and unlock the power of ‘yes’.” Barty was quoted as saying she had “decided to prioritise Ash Barty the person, over Ash Barty the tennis player, and in doing so I’ve realised I can help so many more people through my charity work, my role as the National Indigenous Tennis Ambassador, and now with Optus as their Chief of Inspiration. “It’s very humbling that my story has inspired so many people, but the reality is there are millions of everyday Australians who have the courage and commitment to say ‘yes’ just like I did. I welcome the opportunity to encourage more people to say yes to the things they love.” Alas, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin was gone about a year later, following the infamous Optus Outage. And now, the deal with Ash Barty has ended, with the Australian Financial Review reporting that both Barty and F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo had removed their roles with Optus from LinkedIn. “A spokeswoman confirmed both had left shortly before the start date of incoming chief executive Stephen Rue, who arrived from the NBN in September,” the paper said. “‘The decision was taken as we looked to rebuild customer trust and focus on the fundamentals that we know are important to them – a resilient network, great value products and services, and simple, efficient customer service’.” Ricciardo joined Optus in 2020 as Chief of Optimism. No, seriously. Oops. At 12:30am on September 18, 2020 (these people work around the clock!) Optus announced the “unique two-year partnership that will see Daniel inspire optimism for Optus staff and customers as he brings a fresh and upbeat approach to a range of business and customer facing initiatives”. “Daniel is a world-class, globally renowned go-getter who understands the importance of unrelenting high-performance, innovation through technology, testing and learning and communication and teamwork,” said an Optus marketing type at the time. “It’s his appreciation of precision, accountability and flawless execution that we will tap into to engage and energise our amazing people and customers. “Just like our 5G network, Daniel is all about speed and performance and is the perfect partner to work with.” Optus stated that “Ricciardo is excited to partner with a brand that represents his core values and aspirations”. That deal, which was extended beyond its initial two years, has now expired. A PR video on the Optus website featuring Barty and Ricciardo has the message: “Playback Denied: Unavailable.” Last week we reported on the latest Roy Morgan research into Australia’s most trusted and distrusted brands. For the sixth consecutive quarter Optus was the country’s most distrusted brand, ahead of Woolworths and Coles. We also reported on how a sloppy NBN service was impacting the ChannelNews office in North Sydney.Overall, the projected growth of small and medium-sized OLED shipments signals a transformative shift in the display industry, paving the way for a new era of visually stunning and technologically advanced devices that cater to the evolving needs of consumers worldwide.
Hugel and Medica join forces to boost botulinum toxin sales in Middle East, North AfricaNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes fell Thursday following some potentially discouraging data on the economy . The S&P 500 slipped 0.5% for its fourth loss in the last six days. It’s a pause for the index, which has been rallying toward one of its best years of the millennium . The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 234 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.7% from its record set the day before. A report early in the morning said more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than expected. A separate update, meanwhile, showed that inflation at the wholesale level, before it reaches U.S. consumers, was hotter last month than economists expected. Neither report points to imminent disaster, but they dilute one of the hopes that’s driven the S&P 500 to 57 all-time highs so far this year : Inflation is slowing enough to convince the Federal Reserve to keep cutting interest rates, while the economy is remaining solid enough to stay out of a recession. Of the two reports, the weaker update on the job market may be the bigger deal for the market, according to Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley. A surge in egg prices may have been behind the worse-than-expected inflation numbers. “One week doesn’t negate what has been a relatively steady stream of solid labor market data, but the Fed is primed to be sensitive to any signs of a softening jobs picture,” he said. Traders are widely expecting the Fed will ease its main interest rate at its meeting next week. If they’re correct, it would be a third straight cut by the Fed after it began lowering rates in September from a two-decade high. It’s hoping to support a slowing job market after getting inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. Lower rates would give a boost to the economy and to prices for investments, but they could also provide more fuel for inflation. A cut next week would have the Fed following other central banks, which lowered rates on Thursday. The European Central Bank cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point, as many investors expected, and the Swiss National Bank cut its policy rate by a steeper half of a percentage point. Following its decision, Switzerland’s central bank pointed to uncertainty about how U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory will affect economic policies, as well as about where politics in Europe is heading. Trump has talked up tariffs and other policies that could upend global trade. He rang the bell marking the start of trading at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday to chants of “USA.” On Wall Street, Adobe fell 13.7% and was one of the heaviest weights on the market despite reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company gave forecasts for profit and revenue in its upcoming fiscal year that fell a bit shy of analysts’. Warner Bros. Discovery soared 15.4% after unveiling a new corporate structure that separates its streaming business and film studios from its traditional television business. CEO David Zaslav said the move “enhances our flexibility with potential future strategic opportunities,” raising speculation about a spinoff or sale. Kroger rose 3.2% after saying it would get back to buying back its own stock now that its attempt to merge with Albertsons is off . Kroger’s board approved a program to repurchase up to $7.5 billion of its stock, replacing an existing $1 billion authorization. All told, the S&P 500 fell 32.94 points to 6,051.25. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 234.55 to 43,914.12, and the Nasdaq composite sank 132.05 to 19,902.84. In stock markets abroad, European indexes held relatively steady following the European Central Bank’s cut to rates. Asian markets were stronger. Indexes rose 1.2% in Hong Kong and 0.8% in Shanghai as leaders met in Beijing to set economic plans and targets for the coming year. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.6% for its third straight gain of at least 1%, as it pulls back following last week’s political turmoil where its president briefly declared martial law. In the bond market, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose to 4.33% from 4.27% late Wednesday. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
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