Business Club

Businesses across the world are dealing with the massive impacts of COVID-19. In times of crisis, reliability and continuity gain even more relevance. Orange Jordan, Jordan’s partner in digital transformation, has continued to act as a partner of the business sector by providing a wide range of services and practices catering to different market needs. Amid the pandemic, cyberattacks using COVID-19 as a lure were on the rise.

This prompted Orange Jordan to communicate these threats with each enterprise customer, offer customised cybersecurity solutions and enable them to protect their business from malicious attacks. Many businesses were not prepared to handle the drastic changes in work dictated by the unprecedented situation.

Orange Jordan adapted to market changes and offered end-to-end managed security services and secure VPN connections that would help customers work remotely while maintaining security and efficiency.

At the core of all these exceptional challenges lies digital transformation. We have witnessed the rise of online services and the growing need for a seamless transition from traditional disaster recovery and backup services to cloud solutions. Orange Business Cloud customers can reach the highest levels of cloud performance and expand their resources as they use and improve their operational capability.

They can choose an independent data centre or a public, private, or hybrid cloud solution to protect their data and to comply with local regulations. Working from home became the new norm, which made collaboration tools at high demand.

Orange has helped customers in utilising available collaboration tools and incorporating real-time communication to optimise performance and complete tasks timely and efficiently.

DHL Express has recently added two new Boeing 767-300Fs to its MENA air fleet, marking a further step in the company’s efforts to enhance its regional aviation network and improve its air capability to better support the region’s logistical demands.

The technologically-advanced, energy-efficient aircraft, which are based out of the company’s regional aviation headquarters in Bahrain, will enable DHL greater operational efficiency and capacities to meet the surge in customer demands.

The new aircraft will increase DHL’s overall load capacity by more than 25 per cent, servicing existing high-demand lanes across the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, extended Middle East, Africa & Indian Subcontinent which house some of DHL’s key commercial partners.

“Investments in strengthening our MENA air network continue to form part of our wider strategy to enhance our capabilities in this region and better service high demand destinations with greater speed, reliability and efficiency, ultimately improving service excellence which lies at the heart of DHL’s business model,” commented Richard Gale, head of DHL Aviation Middle East and Africa. 

BCI launched its new campaign “Win Gold 3/3” exclusively for the online shop customers, giving them a chance to win gold coins weekly for a month. To reward BCI customers, “Win Gold 3/3” campaign will run from June 8th till July 5th, 2020, on its online shop; the newest edition of BCI elevated services to offer seamless experience to the customers, where they can shop their favourite and desired products with comfort and ease.

All online shoppers can enter the draw when buying one product or more worth JD150 and above. Weekly, three gold coins will be awarded to three lucky winners in the raffle draw that will be held in the Ministry of Industry, Trade & Supply every Sunday.

BCI Mobile CEO Fadi Baransi highlighted the importance of e-commerce; especially after the radical change in the purchasing behaviour, during the quarantine observed post the emergence of the novel coronavirus, which reflected the strength of e-commerce channels. 

The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP), a multilateral development bank, today announced its first direct equity investment in a wind energy venture, the Jordan Wind Project Company (JWPC), the developer of the Tafileh Wind Project in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

APICORP’s 20 per cent equity stake in the project also marks its first equity investment in the country.

JWPC’s mandate is in line with Jordan’s ambitious target to have clean energy account for 20 per cent of the country’s overall power generation by 2021, thereby developing new and sustainable energy sources as part of the country’s energy mix.

The $287 million, 117-megawatt wind farm connected to the national grid accounts for 12 per cent of Jordan’s total operating renewable energy generation, generating around 350GWh of clean energy annually which can power  83,000 homes.

Tafileh Wind Farm is owned and operated by the Jordan Wind Project Company PSC, in which Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy firm Masdar owns a 50 per cent stake. 

Life as we know it has changed due to Coronavirus, affecting all sectors and leading to the postponement or cancellation of many events, including sports events, in particular. Coping with the new normal; Run Jordan developed and launched a running application; the first of its kind in the region.

This application has been developed by Jordanian talents to encourage everyone to remain active and motivated to run, jog, or even walk indoor or outdoor.

The built-in counting system helped Run Jordan’s Virtual Run application to stand out among other similar applications in the region, where this embedded feature enables users to count their steps, calculate the achieved distance and their raking among other participants in the same race automatically without the need to use supportive applications; unlike other running applications that require taking screenshots from the fitness trackers to analyse results and send them later; which could take up to a week. 

Al Beyrouni Publishing and Distribution Company in Amman issued a new book, in which Marwan Shehadeh, who is a media researcher, reviews the position of “armed Islamic groups” on international humanitarian organisations.

The idea of the book came during the field visits that the writer made to some countries which witness non-international armed conflicts.

This book seeks to present “a contemporary Islamic view of international medical and relief organisations”, and to present the challenges and obstacles facing them in war zones, in addition to the risks they are exposed to, according to the nature of work and its environment. 

In recognition of its social responsibility, the Landmark Amman Hotel and Conference Centre renewed its partnership agreement with the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

Landmark will continue with its fundraising and awareness activities for the programme, which seeks to increase the food security of vulnerable Jordanians and refugees.

“We continuously offer our assistance to various civil society organisations, which constitutes part of our social responsibility as a leading Jordanian enterprise with a local impact,” said Ibrahim Karajeh, general manager of Landmark Amman Hotel.

“We are pleased to renew our agreement with Landmark Hotel. Partnering with the private sector lies at the heart of WFP’s Country Strategic Plan 2020 – 2022, and is part of our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goal 17 – Partnerships for the Goals,” said WFP’s Country Director and Representative Sarah Gordon-Gibson.

WFP has been present in Jordan since 1964, and works closely with the government and partners to support over one million vulnerable Jordanians and refugees through different activities.

Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC. (Hikma) and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Sun Pharma) announced today that they have entered into an exclusive licensing and distribution agreement for ILUMYA, an innovative biologic product, for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

ILUMYA (tildrakizumab) is a USFDA approved innovative IL-23p19 monoclonal antibody used for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.

Under the agreement, Hikma, the multinational pharmaceutical company, will be responsible for the registration and commercialisation of the product in all MENA markets and Sun Pharma,  the world's fourth largest specialty generic pharmaceutical company, will be responsible for product supply. The agreement’s term is 15 years from first sale with a two-year automatic renewal post the expiration of the agreement.

In comment, Mazen Darwazah, Hikma’s executive vice chairman and president of MENA said, “We are excited to partner with Sun Pharma and bring ILUMYA to our patients in MENA.ILUMYA™ is the first innovative monoclonal antibody product we add to our portfolio.”

Memac Ogilvy Jordan has announced the appointment of Habib Rihana as managing director (MD). Rihana will replace long-serving MD Mohammad Kamal, who parts ways with the agency after 10 years. Kamal leaves a legacy as one of the market’s foremost creative talents.

Rihana steps up from the Deputy MD position, and will continue to co-lead with Kamal through June to ensure a smooth transition for the agency and its valued clients. Rihana will continue to focus on creativity, client-centricity and integration, in line with Memac Ogilvy’s regional growth strategy.

“I want to thank Mohammed for the guidance, leadership, and friendship he has shown me over the years, preparing me for this opportunity — I could not imagine a better mentor,” said Rihana, newly appointed managing director, Memac Ogilvy Jordan.

Rihana joined Memac Ogilvy in 2010. He was responsible for some of the agency’s largest clients, as well as ensuring positive and sustainable growth for the network in Jordan. He started his career at Impact BBDO in Jeddah, KSA, followed by Dubai, UAE. 

Kia Jordan (National Arab Motors) has officially launched the all-new Seltos with a distinctive, modern design and forward-looking, dynamic features appealing to buyers that are looking for a sporty SUV.

The Seltos comes in a two-tone colour for the body and the roof. Its bold design of lights, exterior and the easily recognisable Kia Motors signature “tiger nose”, in addition to all the other technical and design details, make it a top choice among youth and tech-savvy customers looking for a stylish compact SUV.

In the local market, the all-new Seltos comes with a high-performance engine of 123 HP and a comfortable suspension system, giving it a smooth driving experience. Supplied with a rear view camera, cruise control, sunroof and a steering wheel controls, the Seltos is very accommodating for the driver as well as passengers and provides ample cargo space. 

The interior features modern high-tech design details such as the smart dashboard, which includes the infotainment system, compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.  The all-new Kia Seltos offers a high value for money compared to its direct rivals in the market.

Mohamed Alayyan, Chief Executive Officer of National Arab Motors, commented: “We are happy to introduce the all-new Kia Seltos to the Jordanian market.  The car offers a distinctive choice for those looking for a modern, stylish and comfortable SUV that parallels their lifestyle.”