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MDRT Global Services Announces 2023 Culture of Excellence Award Winners

These exclusive awards evaluate applicants through rigorous criteria for professional and personal growth to recognize top achievement in financial services field leadership. 46 of the award winners are financial advisors in Singapore.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 24 May 2023 – MDRT Global Services has announced the 131 winners of the prestigious 2023 MDRT Culture of Excellence Awards, the global standard for achievement in financial services leadership. These awards are another resource available to Global Services members to measure individual and agency-wide performance and foster a comprehensive approach to leadership excellence.
Winners will be honored at special ceremonies during the 2023 MDRT Annual Meeting (June 25-28 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA) and the 2023 MDRT Global Conference (August 27-30 in Singapore). The Culture of Excellence Awards are the only awards bestowed by the MDRT Family of Brands, and leaders who achieve them embody the top-tier model of successful agency leadership.

Global Services members are field and home office leaders who continually work to broaden their leadership skills, establish an MDRT culture of excellence within their agencies, and advance professionally and personally. They are empowered and inspired year-round by educational content, peer-to-peer study groups, webcasts, attending MDRT meetings, and other Global Services tools and resources.

Within that fast-growing global community, the Culture of Excellence Awards are bestowed upon the “best of the best” to recognize excellence in leadership in six specific areas of agency management — agency leaders who track and submit results in production, recruitment, retention, persistency, work/life balance (“Whole Person”) and MDRT membership. The 5 Diamond Agency winners achieved at least five of the six criteria; 15 Platinum Agency winners achieved four of six criteria, and 111 Gold Agency winners achieved three of six criteria.

Special mention goes to the following companies with the highest number of 2023 Culture of Excellence Award winners: Pru Life Ins Corp of UK – 69 award winners, Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (PTE) Limited – 24 award winners, and Great Eastern Life – Singapore – 22 award winners. The full list of winners is found on the Global Services website.

“The Culture of Excellence Awards are the most prestigious field leadership awards in the financial services profession,” said Peggy Tsai, RFP, CCFP, 2023 MDRT President and an agency leader at Shin Kong Life Insurance Co. in Taipei, Taiwan. “MDRT Global Services creates a community of financial services leaders committed to excellence in the profession, and winning this award recognizes their ability to galvanize and coach their teams to become the best.”

Hashtag: #MDRTGlobalServices

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About MDRT Global Services

As the newest association under the global MDRT Family of Brands, MDRT Global Services was created exclusively for financial services field and home office leaders. As a separate, individual membership association, MDRT Global Services provides its members with exceptional value and leadership growth opportunities. MDRT Global Services membership allows increased engagement within the MDRT community while providing leaders with strategies to develop a culture of excellence within their respective organizations. To learn more visit .

Vientiane Capital Calls on Residents to Minimize Water Use During Dry Season

Vientiane residents have been advised to limit their usage of water as the city experiences increasing water shortages.

First Hydrogen’s Hydrogen-Powered LCV Praised by Rivus

Vancouver, British Columbia – Newsfile Corp. – May 24, 2023 – First Hydrogen Corp. (TSXV: FHYD) (OTC Pink: FHYDF) (FSE: FIT) (“FIRST HYDROGEN” or the “Company“) announces its hydrogen-powered light commercial vehicle (LCV) has received praise from award-winning fleet management provider, Rivus, for its “smooth and pleasant” driving experience. Rivus drivers noted the Company’s LCV’s capability to manage greater ranges and refuel much faster than battery electric vehicles (BEV), which will help fleets using this vehicle class to switch to meet zero emissions targets. Following initial journeys on roads in Birmingham, the West Midlands and South Yorkshire, Rivus’ drivers have complimented the vehicle for its “effortless” and “comfortable” driving. Drivers were particularly impressed with the LCV’s automatic transmission, which they appraised as “easier than a petrol or diesel van to operate” as it does not require gear changes and the vehicle is much quieter to run.

Rivus, which manages approximately 120,000 vehicles, including approximately 85,000 LCVs, is the first fleet management company to test drive the first-of-its-kind hydrogen vehicle on UK roads. During the month-long trial, Rivus is taking the vehicle through duty cycles, where the van is being driven on planned routes over different terrain at varying speeds unladen, transporting different payloads and with heating, air conditioning and other ancillary vehicle functions turned on and off. Fleet management specialists Rivus will use data gathered by First Hydrogen’s onboard telematics to make direct performance comparisons between similar BEV and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles that have undertaken the same duty cycles.

Part of a series of vehicle trials co-ordinated through the UK Aggregated Hydrogen Freight Consortium (AHFC), the trials will see major fleets from industries including grocery, delivery, utilities, and healthcare, use First Hydrogen’s LCV in real-world operations.

Steve Gill, CEO Automotive at First Hydrogen, comments: “We are pleased to hear the positive initial reactions from Rivus’ drivers, especially around driving experience. The team has great insight into the needs of our potential customers – commercial fleet managers and their drivers – who value a comfortable and easy driving experience without the range and payload concerns often associated with other zero emission vehicle technologies. Their feedback is helping us to improve the deployment of our demonstrator vehicles and development for the vehicles we plan to bring to market.”

Thomas Maerz, Chief Development Officer at Rivus, says: “It is no surprise that commercial drivers spend most of their day behind the wheel; therefore, vehicles must be easy to drive and a provide a pleasant working environment. Our team has been impressed with the First Hydrogen vehicle’s handling, how comfortable it is and how smoothly it drives. We are very much looking forward to analysing the data collected during their journeys to understand how vehicle performance matches driver experience.”

Cannot view this image? Visit: https://laotiantimes-com.laocdn.com/2023/05/167174_cc62ea24743bcabb_001.jpg
Allan Rushforth, First Hydrogen CCO – Mobility and Rivus drivers

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
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On behalf of the Board of Directors of FIRST HYDROGEN CORP.
“Balraj Mann”
Chairman & Group CEO

Contact:
Balraj Mann
First Hydrogen Corp.
604-601-2018
investors@firsthydrogen.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains information or statements that constitute “forward-looking statements.” Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by words such as “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “estimates,” “projects,” “potential” and similar expressions, or that events or conditions “will,” “would,” “may,” “could” or “should” occur.

Forward-looking information may include, without limitation, statements regarding the operations, business, financial condition, expected financial results, performance, prospects, opportunities, priorities, targets, goals, ongoing objectives, milestones, strategies and outlook of First Hydrogen, and includes statements about, among other things, future developments and the future operations, strengths and strategies of First Hydrogen. Forward-looking information is provided for the purpose of presenting information about management’s current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results.

The forward-looking statements made in this news release are based on management’s assumptions and analysis and other factors that may be drawn upon by management to form conclusions and make forecasts or projections, including management’s experience and assessments of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Although management believes that these assumptions, analyses and assessments are reasonable at the time the statements contained in this news release are made, actual results may differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements. Examples of risks and factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from forward-looking statements may include: the timing and unpredictability of regulatory actions; regulatory, legislative, legal or other developments with respect to its operations or business; limited marketing and sales capabilities; early stage of the industry and product development; limited products; reliance on third parties; unfavourable publicity or consumer perception; general economic conditions and financial markets; the impact of increasing competition; the loss of key management personnel; capital requirements and liquidity; access to capital; the timing and amount of capital expenditures; the impact of COVID-19; shifts in the demand for First Hydrogen’s products and the size of the market; patent law reform; patent litigation and intellectual property; conflicts of interest; and general market and economic conditions.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of First Hydrogen as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. First Hydrogen undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICE PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About First Hydrogen Corp. (FirstHydrogen.com)

First Hydrogen Corp. is a Vancouver and London UK-based company focused on zero-emission vehicles, green hydrogen production and distribution and supercritical carbon dioxide extractor systems. The Company has designed and built hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered light commercial demonstrator vehicles (“LCV”) under two agreements with AVL Powertrain and Ballard Power Systems Inc. The LCV will have a range of 500+ kilometres. These vehicles are currently being trialed with an initial 16 fleet operators in the United Kingdom. At the same time, the company has launched its bespoke vehicle design phase which will develop its fleet of proprietary zero-emission vehicles. First Hydrogen is also developing refueling capability working with FEV Consulting GmbH, the automotive consultancy of FEV Group of Aachen Germany. The Company is also pursuing opportunities in green hydrogen production and distribution in the UK, EU and North America.

Lao President Meets High-Level Russian Delegation

Lao President Meets High-Level Russian Delegation
Chairman of the United Russia Party and Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev (Left) and Lao President and Secretary General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee Thongloun Sioulith (right) during their meeting in Vientiane, Laos. (Photo: sputniknews)

President Thongloun Sisoulith participated in talks with Dmitry Medvedev, Chairman of the United Russia Party and Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, after extending an invitation to the Russian delegation on 23 May.

IMF Sees Laos Return to Steady Growth, Warns of Debt Risk

IMF Executive Board Concludes 2023 Article IV Consultation with Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Local market in Laos during sunrise. (Photo: Freepik )

This year’s conversation with Laos saw the IMF focused on how to support steady economic growth in 2023, considering the high public debt that still poses a risk for the country.

XSGD expands multichain ecosystem with support on Hedera

XSGD is the first Southeast Asian fiat-backed stablecoin to launch on Hedera’s carbon negative network

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 24 May 2023 – StraitsX, the Southeast Asia-based digital asset payment infrastructure, announced support for the StraitsX Singapore Dollar (XSGD) on the Hedera network.

Since its launch in October 2020, XSGD has gained rapid adoption, surpassing over 7 billion XSGD in on-chain transactions, making it one of the largest non-USD stablecoin by market capitalisation today. Starting today, users can leverage the StraitsX platform to send and receive XSGD on the Hedera network. XSGD (Hedera) is also expected to be listed on global exchanges in the coming months.

Hedera is a leaderless proof-of-stake (POS) network powered by hashgraph consensus, achieving the highest-grade of security possible (ABFT). Combining high throughput, low fees, and finality in seconds, transactions on Hedera are blazing fast with incredibly low bandwidth consumption. HBAR is the native, energy-efficient cryptocurrency of Hedera that powers the decentralised economy.

XSGD support on the Hedera network aligns with the primary focus of the HBAR Foundation, providing entrepreneurs with the ecosystem resources needed to build and deploy new applications on the Hedera network. XSGD on Hedera offers the benefits of a Southeast Asian fiat-backed stablecoin to end-users and applications built on the Hedera network, enabling instant cross-border settlement, with high transaction scalability and low, predictable transaction fees.

Kenny Chan, Head of StraitsX said, “We are excited to have XSGD on the Hedera network natively, contributing to a flourishing ecosystem of applications that offer real-time XSGD stablecoin payments. With Hedera’s energy-efficient framework, micropayments in stablecoins will become increasingly viable, leading to greater financial inclusion in the region.”

Sabrina Tachdjian, Head of Fintech & Payments at The HBAR Foundation said, “We are excited to be working with StraitsX to bring a hedera-native XSGD to the market and add a new regulated and fully reserved stablecoin to our ecosystem. We believe XSGD will add value to Hedera-based applications in APAC and beyond, including in the financial inclusion space as evidenced by our earlier POC with StraitsX.’

Hashtag: #Blockchain #Web3 #FutureOfFinance #Stablecoins #NonUSDStablecoins



The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About StraitsX

StraitsX is the pioneering payments infrastructure for the digital assets space in Southeast Asia. StraitsX is a Major Payment Institution licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and is part of the Fazz’s ecosystem of financial services which powers business banking in Southeast Asia. StraitsX offers personal and business account holders to mint, redeem, and stablecoins, manage payments as well as connect their accounts to digital asset platforms. Business accounts can also access B2B API-enabled payment rails for digital asset platforms.

About HBAR Foundation

Founded in 2021, the HBAR Foundation fuels development of the Hedera ecosystem by providing grants and other resources to developers, startups, and organizations that seek to launch decentralized applications in DeFi, NFTs, CBDCs, ESGs, and other sectors. In addition to providing funding through a streamlined grant process, the HBAR Foundation acts as an integrated force multiplier through expert support across technical, marketing, business development, and other operations that are required to scale. For information about the HBAR Foundation, please visit us at .

DHL Global Forwarding announces leadership change in Asia Pacific

  • After more than two decades with the company, Kelvin Leung, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding, Asia Pacific, retires from Deutsche Post DHL Group
  • His successor will be Niki Frank, currently CEO, DHL Global Forwarding South Asia

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 24 May 2023 – DHL Global Forwarding, the freight specialist arm of Deutsche Post DHL Group, announces a change in its Asia Pacific management as Kelvin Leung, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding, Asia Pacific, retires from the Group after more than two decades of valued contribution. His successor, Niki Frank, currently CEO, DHL Global Forwarding South Asia, will assume his new role as CEO of DHL Global Forwarding for the Asia Pacific region, effective July 1, 2023.

Niki Frank, designated CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific
Niki Frank, designated CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific

Kelvin has had a long and illustrious career in the logistics industry, having joined Danzas AEI in 2002 and assuming various leadership roles in DHL Global Forwarding in the region before he took on the position of CEO, DHL Global Forwarding North Asia Pacific in 2008. In 2011, Kelvin’s leadership responsibilities expanded with his appointment as CEO of Asia Pacific. In this role, he achieved record revenue and tremendous market share growth. He was instrumental in transforming the region by improving freight forwarding solutions, making DHL Global Forwarding a pioneer of rail solutions between Asia and Europe, and growing the Intra-Asia business substantially.

“I wish to express my sincere thanks to Kelvin for his strong commitment, outstanding contributions to the business, and the results achieved over the past years. We wish him all the best for his well-deserved retirement,” said Tim Scharwath, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding, Freight. “Congratulations to Niki on his new role, and I wish him great success in his new position. Niki’s extensive experience, strategic acumen, and proven track record in driving performance make him the ideal choice to lead the Asia Pacific region.”

“I am grateful for the trust placed in me and am looking forward to this new challenge. Kelvin has built a solid foundation and a stellar regional team over the last 12 years. I am fully committed to driving our digitalization and sustainability agenda while fostering an inclusive and respectful culture that makes us a great workplace for all. Together with our dedicated teams, I am confident that we will further strengthen our position as a market leader, deliver exceptional customer experiences, and contribute to a more sustainable future,” said Niki Frank, designated CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific.

Niki Frank brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role as CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific. He began his career at DPDHL Group in 2012, joining as Vice President of Corporate Strategy. Throughout his career at DHL Global Forwarding, Niki has held various leadership positions, significantly contributing to the company’s growth and success. He played a major role in the company’s turnaround program and helped shape the “Simplify” Strategy. In 2019, he assumed the role of CEO, India before taking on additional responsibilities for the newly created subregion of South Asia in 2021. In recent years he has successfully driven performance along all three bottom lines to record levels and positioned India as a major profit contributor in the DHL Global Forwarding network. In addition, he managed to create substantial synergies across the countries of his subregion, strategically preparing them for future growth.

Hashtag: #DHL

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

DHL – The logistics company for the world

DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 395,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global sustainable trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing & energy, auto-mobility and retail, DHL is decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world”.

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 94 billion euros in 2022. With sustainable business practices and a commitment to society and the environment, the Group makes a positive contribution to the world. Deutsche Post DHL Group aims to achieve net-zero emissions logistics by 2050.

Lao Beauty Queens Walk Red Carpet at Cannes Film Festival 2023

Payengxa Lor, Miss Universe Laos 2022 and a finalist at the Miss Universe pageant, and Piyamarth Phounpaseuth, Miss International Laos 2018 attended the Cannes Film Festival this year.