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The Marketing Practice announces APAC expansion plans with acquisition of Rombii; First APAC Acquisition, Fifth Acquisition in 18 Months

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 8 September 2022 – The Marketing Practice has acquired APAC-based ABM, demand and media specialists Rombii. It’s the company’s first acquisition in the region and its fifth in the last 18 months, making it the largest B2B tech marketing specialist in the world.

Matt Harper, CEO of The Marketing Practice

The acquisition of Rombii will enable The Marketing Practice to accelerate its growth across APAC following the success of its Sydney offices, led by Mari Kauppinen, who took up the role of managing director when it launched in January 2021. Through this latest acquisition, The Marketing Practice adds to its market-leading demand generation and ABM portfolio and will now employ over 80 people in Australia and Singapore.

Coming quickly after recent acquisitions in North America and EMEA, the acquisition of Rombii is another step in The Marketing Practice’s ambition to create a world-beating growth platform for B2B globally.

The combined group has a strong track record of delivering pan-APAC programmes and this acquisition will enable operations to gather substantial pace across the breadth of the region.

Rombii will provide further capabilities to The Marketing Practice in media, data, audience insight and sales activation. With offices in Singapore and Sydney, it reflects a significant investment in the APAC market. For Rombii, becoming part of The Marketing Practice offers its clients global scale and delivery.

The Marketing Practice now employs over 500 people worldwide, representing the next milestone in the first phase of the company’s growth and firmly establishing its capabilities for providing a truly global end-to-end offering for its clients.

Rombii’s founder Sam Howell and its managing director Marcus Wilkinson will remain in their roles. Rombii joins US-based Campaign Stars and 90octane alongside Kingpin and Omobono, all of which were acquired in the last 18 months and will fall under The Marketing Practice brand.

Backed by Horizon Capital, The Marketing Practice is bringing together the very best in specialist B2B marketing in a fully integrated strategy, helping clients take more accountability for growth and revenue impact, so that marketing becomes the engine room for growth in B2B businesses.

Matt Harper, CEO of The Marketing Practice, commented, “From the outset, it’s been clear that The Marketing Practice and Rombii share a belief in the huge opportunity in the APAC region and globally for integrated, commercially-focused B2B marketing. Rombii has an excellent track record and a reputation for great customer service across APAC. By joining forces we can give clients across both businesses access to a richer set of skills and capability, both locally within APAC and in global programmes.”

Mari Kauppinen, Managing Director of The Marketing Practice, Australia, added, “Like us, Rombii are B2B tech specialists and there’s a great cultural fit. We’re excited about partnering with Rombii and what the combined offering means for our clients and the growth and development opportunities for our people. We’re building the best in B2B, and Rombii is a huge step in that direction.”

Sam Howell, Founder of Rombii, noted, “Marcus and I are truly excited about what this means for our clients and the team. This acquisition will enable us to further invest in the breadth and skills of our people and to immediately expand and deepen our coverage across the region. We can now offer clients end-to-end marketing services with global capability while maintaining a focus on providing strong client service at a local level and in native languages. TMP’s commitment to growing the APAC footprint from within APAC ensures we can continue to provide solutions for our clients that are built and developed locally, with an appreciation and understanding of the nuances in each market in what is a diverse region.”

Marcus Wilkinson, Managing Director of Rombii, commented, “By joining The Marketing Practice family we have the opportunity to further increase our investment in APAC by growing both the support and solutions we provide for customers across the region.

“One of The Marketing Practice’s ongoing objectives is to also be the best place to build a career in B2B marketing. We view becoming part of this organisation as a huge investment in our people and we couldn’t be more excited about the leadership opportunities and support they’ll receive, particularly in Singapore and other key markets.”

Hashtag: #TheMarketingPractice

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

About The Marketing Practice

Founded in 2002, The Marketing Practice is a global B2B marketing leader with offices in the UK, US, Germany, Singapore and Australia. It employs over 500 people and helps large and growing B2B companies to win new customers, grow existing customers and improve channel performance.

The Marketing Practice is an established leader in brand activation,account-based marketing and demand generation, and clients include ServiceNow, Salesforce and Lenovo.

It believes B2B marketing works best when it’s thought of as an engine to drive growth, rather than a series of projects. Combining creative and strategy with data, digital, martech and inside sales capabilities, the business partners with clients to create outcomes, not just outputs.

It ranks in the top 10 International B2B agencies year-in, year-out, according to B2B Marketing.

For more information, please visit:

About Rombii
Rombii is Asia Pacific’s first choice for B2B digital media and marketing services for engaging technology buyers and IT business decision makers.

Its team has an expert understanding of business technology audiences and how to use today’s digital tools and engagement tactics to reach them in the region. Rombii has created powerful solutions for marketers in the IT Industry that allow it to identify and activate customers and directly influence sales pipeline. Rombii has three core pillars of expertise including digital advertising, demand generation and social outreach, that come together to form its unique Account Based Marketing approach.

About Horizon Capital
Horizon Capital is a private equity investor specialising in technology and business services. The firm was established by senior investment professionals who identified a significant market opportunity to invest in businesses in these sectors valued up to £50m.

The partnership prides itself on its approach to helping business owners and managers realise their ambitions. Buy and build is at the heart of every Horizon Capital investment and the firm is a market leader in supporting companies pursuing this strategy.

Horizon Capital has a proven track record in generating premium returns on investments. The unprecedented growth it delivers in its portfolio companies has been underpinned by deep and long-term investor relationships that span across two decades.

For more information, please visit

Reckitt partners with Deliveroo, SF Express and Uber Taxi to safeguard the necessities of Hong Kong people’s everyday life with over 50,000 Dettol hygiene and disinfectant products

  • Secure hygiene protection in the Deliveroo journey including food order pick-up at eight Deliveroo Editions and grocery deliveries
  • Create rest assured parcel collection experience at all 88 SF Stores with disinfectant product sampling through in-store reward machines at three designated stores
  • Ensure safe and sanitised commute for passengers with Uber Taxi

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 8 September 2022 – Reckitt and its brand Dettol announce the partnerships with Deliveroo, SF Express and Uber, leading companies in delivery services and local commute, to safeguard the necessities of Hong Kong people’s everyday life by enhancing the hygiene standard of their services with visible disinfectant protections. A step ahead to realise Reckitt’s purpose to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world.

Hygiene is the foundation of health. Disinfectant protection to reduce virus transmission has become the daily essential to Hong Kong citizens after living under the COVID-19 outbreak for over two years. A consumer test study conducted by Dettol showed that nearly 80% of the respondents are intended to ‘keep good hygiene habits in post-COVID’. Building on the trust in Dettol among consumers and its effectiveness of germ and virus killing as the leading antiseptic brand in Hong Kong, Reckitt has established partnerships with Deliveroo, SF Express and Uber from July 2022, to provide front-of-house hygiene protection for their service points and vehicles with over 50,000 Dettol hygiene and disinfectant products, as well as to encourage drivers and consumers to maintain high hygiene awareness with online and offline engagements.

Secure hygiene protection in the Deliveroo journey and at Deliveroo Editions. Dettol products to be provided on grocery deliveries

Ordering food from food delivery platforms has been adopted rapidly by Hong Kong consumers. In a consumer survey conducted by Deliveroo in 2021, 75% of respondents expected using food delivery services more regularly in the future[1]. Noticing the raising trend in food and on-demand grocery deliveries, Reckitt partners with Deliveroo to ensure over 6,000 rider fleets and the food and grocery delivering journey are protected. In addition, Dettol Disinfectant Zones are set up at all eight Deliveroo Editions[2] across Hong Kong to avoid virus transmission from shared surfaces when consumers pick up their takeaways from August. Starting from mid-September, Dettol products will be provided on grocery deliveries to encourage consumers to maintain good hygiene habits[3]. Stay tune to Deliveroo’s updates for more details.

Andrew Hui, General Manager of Deliveroo Hong Kong said, “We’re pleased to partner with Reckitt and its brand Dettol. Our new partnership will not only provide better protection for Deliveroo fleets, but will further enhance consumer confidence in our hygiene practices, making us the delivery platform that people turn to when they want a healthy and delicious meal. Against the backdrop of the fast-changing pandemic situation, we will continue to ensure that our fleet and customers get the right equipment to stay safe and healthy.

Creating rest assured parcel collection experience with SF Express

According to market research firm Euromonitor International, online sales volume in Hong Kong are projected to reach USD7.9 billion (HKD62 billion) this year, a 13 percent increase from 2021[4]. In view of the growing demand on courier services driven by the increasing online sales volume in Hong Kong, Reckitt partners with SF Express to set up Dettol Disinfectant Zones at all 88 SF Stores across Hong Kong, creating a rest assured parcel collection experience to consumers. Consumers can disinfect their parcels with Dettol Disinfection Spray and sanitise their hands with Dettol Hand Sanitiser upon pick-up, which can effectively kill 99.9%[5] of germs, including New Coronavirus[6]. To influence consumers to always maintain good hygiene behaviours, they can also redeem Dettol Disinfectant Spray from all the SmartRetail reward machines located at three designated SF Express stores[7].

Mr. Keith Ip, Chief Marketing Officer of S.F. Express (Hong Kong) Limited (“SFHK”), said, “SFHK aims to satisfying various ever-growing market needs by providing a high-quality delivery service. At the same time, we put corporate responsibility at a high priority and provide necessary support to the society during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are delighted to collaborate with Reckitt and deliver enhanced customer experience by leveraging our extensive networks of courier service, service points as well as our newly offering of SF Media advertising.”

Having more control of your daily life with Uber Taxi

Uber Taxi aims to offer a more efficient commuting services for Hong Kong people who seek better control over their busy lives. A consumer survey conducted by Uber in May 2022 revealed that nine out of 10 respondents feel Uber Taxi helps give them more control over their trips and daily schedules, and eight out of 10 passengers described their Uber Taxi experiences as “generally quite good” and “It’s so amazing I use it frequently”[8]. To further enhance passenger’s experience with Uber Taxi, Uber and Reckitt join hands to offer Dettol Disinfectant Spray for Uber Taxi drivers to pick up at designated gas stations from now on until June 2023, aiming to help curb the spread of germs in the vehicles and to provide safe and comfortable travel journey for passengers.

“At Reckitt, we put people first and always seeking new ways of bringing our purpose and our fight to live,” said Boudewijn Feith, Reckitt General Manager Hong Kong/Taiwan. “We are excited to partner with Deliveroo, SF Express and Uber Taxi to extend hygiene protection to consumers in every aspect. Moving forward, we look forward to establishing more partnerships with different sectors and continue to safeguard every moment in the life of Hong Kong people with Dettol, one of the world’s most trusted disinfectant brands.”


[2] Deliveroo Editions are shared kitchens which allow restaurants to prepare meals for consumers located outside their normal delivery area
[3] With conditions apply
[5] Include E. coli, S. aureus, Salmonella, H1N1 influenza virus, Reckitt Data on file
[6] According to the in vitro study done by Microbac (an external laboratory in the US) in 2020, Dettol products* are effective in killing 99.9% of the new coronavirus under test conditions. Test data is only for reference. *include Disinfectant Spray (EN14476:2013+A2:2019, neat at 5 mins. contact time); Instant Hand Sanitiser (EN14476:2013+A2:2019, neat at 30 secs. contact time)
[7] The three designated SF Express stores are located at 852BDL (Tai Nan Street, Prince Edward), 852Z551 (Mayson Garden Building, Tin Hau SF Store) and 852UFL (Fung Yau Street South, Yuen Long)

Hashtag: #Reckitt

About Reckitt:

Reckitt* exists to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. We believe that access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment is a right, not a privilege.

Reckitt is the company behind some of the world’s most recognisable and trusted consumer brands in hygiene, health and nutrition, including Air Wick, Calgon, Cillit Bang, Clearasil, Dettol, Durex, Enfamil, Finish, Gaviscon, Harpic, Lysol, Mortein, Mucinex, Nurofen, Nutramigen, Strepsils, Vanish, Veet, Woolite and more.

Every day, more than 20 million Reckitt products are bought globally. We always put consumers and people first, seek out new opportunities, strive for excellence in all that we do and build shared success with all our partners. We aim to do the right thing, always.

We are a diverse global team of c. 40,000 colleagues. We draw on our collective energy to meet our ambitions of purpose-led brands, a healthier planet and a fairer society. Find out more, or get in touch with us at www.reckitt.com Find out more, or get in touch with us, at

* Reckitt is the trading name of the Reckitt Benckiser group of companies

About Dettol:

The brand first started in hospitals 80 years ago, where Dettol Antiseptic Liquid was first used for the cleaning and disinfection of skin during surgical procedures. As a trusted brand by doctors, Dettol was also used to protect mothers from illness after childbirth.

Ever since then, Dettol has been trusted around the world to help prevent wounds from infection, prevent sickness and help mums protect their families by killing harmful germs and helping to create safe environments for them to thrive in.

The brand continues to be one of the most trusted protectors of health. It’s still valued today as a reliable and effective product which is safe to use on skin but also powerful enough to use for environmental germ-killing tasks.

About S.F. Express (Hong Kong) Limited

With its strong logistics network, S.F. Express (Hong Kong) is committed to providing customers with diversified express delivery services and one-stop integrated logistics solutions. The core business in Hong Kong includes local and cross-border express and logistics services, warehousing and distribution services, and SF Locker self-pick-up services. For details, please visit the company website:

About Deliveroo

Deliveroo is an award-winning delivery service founded in 2013 by William Shu and Greg Orlowski. Deliveroo works with approximately 180,000 best-loved restaurants and grocery partners, as well as around 180,000 riders to provide the best food delivery experience in the world. Deliveroo is headquartered in London, with offices around the globe. Deliveroo operates across 11 markets, including Australia, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and the United Kingdom. For details, please visit the company website:

About Uber Taxi
Uber Hong Kong launched Uber Taxi in October 2020 to offer passengers a more affordable way to ride around the town. The pricing structure is bundled up with upfront pricing, auto-matching technology and cashless payment all in one App, passengers can now enjoy a more convenient and reliable taxi experience in just one magical tap of a button. For more details, please visit the company website:

32 Confirmed Dead in Vietnam Karaoke Bar Fire

Fire at a karaoke bar in Vietnam
Firefighters use cranes to reach the fire at a karaoke bar in southern Vietnam (VN24).

The death toll from a fire at a karaoke parlor in southern Vietnam has risen to 32, according to officials on Wednesday.

Temus poised to support transformation of enterprises and public sector to shape Singapore’s digital future

In tandem with the growth of Singapore’s digital footprint, Temus aims to expand its 200-strong workforce by five-fold over the next three years.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 8 September 2022 – Temus was established in April 2021 by Temasek, in partnership with global digital services company UST, to accelerate the digital transformation of leading enterprises and public sector agencies in Singapore and beyond.

Today, Temus counts some of the country’s most future-forward government agencies and large enterprises as its customers. They span a range of industries including financial services and insurance, healthcare, education, consumer goods, telecommunications, infrastructure, energy and waste management, among others.

To serve the digital aspirations of its growing base of customers, Temus’ workforce has expanded to around 200 professionals in under 18 months, and is expected to grow by five-fold over the next three years. The company has attracted a strong bench of experienced talents in strategy, design, architecture, technology, data & artificial intelligence.

“Temus’ growth momentum is a testament to our unique proposition of forging long-term partnerships with our customers while keeping ‘value creation’ at the heart of helping to shape their digital futures,” said KC Yeoh, Chief Executive Officer, Temus. “We will build on this promising start to accelerate the growth of Singapore’s digital talent pool and build distinct digital capabilities for our customers – in tandem with the country’s Smart Nation aspirations.”

“Temus was born into a generation-defining crisis, at a time when organisations accelerated their investments in digital to thrive,” said Srijay Ghosh, Founding Member and Chief Revenue Officer, Temus. “Experts predict that by the end of this year, more than half the global economy will be powered by digital. Imagine what these digital transformations can do to uplift lives, raise productivity, and grow the economy. Temus was founded for these reasons and more. We remain committed to unlocking economic and societal value through holistic transformation.”

Growing digital talent: Helping locals with no tech training or experience join Singapore’s digital workforce

Temus announced an accelerated ‘hire, place and train’ programme, called Step IT Up x Temus, to broaden digital opportunities and expand the local digital talent pool for Singapore. Candidates with no prior coding or software programming training and experience will be given priority admission to the programme.

Step IT Up was first introduced in 2014 by Temus’ strategic partner UST, to create computer science career opportunities for minority and disadvantaged groups in the United States. Since then, the programme has run in Mexico, Poland, Australia, Costa Rica and Israel. About 87 per cent of graduates have secured digital and technology jobs at leading global companies, and 90 percent of them have stayed at least two years. Notably, none of these trainees had a technology background.

Now available in Singapore, around 400 people are expected to benefit from Step IT Up x Temus by 2025. Candidates will be offered a full training sponsorship, financial stipend, and a full-time job when they graduate from their training.

“When Temus was founded, it was as much about building capabilities and value creation, as it was about organically developing digital talent. People and talent are central to any transformation and close to the purpose of Temus and at the heart of what we do, how we do it,” said Srijay. “We are proud of the launch of Step IT Up x Temus. As our candidates digitally transform, so will we – and the customers we serve. I hope more people will join us and be the change.”

Application for the first batch of trainees will close on 24 October 2022 and training will commence on 28 November 2022. Interested candidates are welcome to apply to the programme at www.stepitup.temus.com.

Building Digital Capabilities: Temus makes first acquisition

Temus today announced the completion of its first acquisition, Dreamcloud, a home-grown Singapore-headquartered, and award-winning system integrator. Founded in 2011, Dreamcloud was one of the pioneers in the low-code space. They became the first partner of OutSystems in Southeast Asia in 2014, and today has one of Singapore’s largest OutSystems delivery teams.

The integration of Dreamcloud’s capabilities will strengthen Temus’ app development practice and complement its tech modernisation capabilities, to help customers develop, deploy, and scale digital solutions with speed.

“We are excited about this milestone because there is strong alignment between both organisations in terms of culture and purpose. Dreamcloud’s low-code, high speed app development capabilities synergises with Temus’ strategy to build a strong app development practice, and this will allow us to take a broader view of our customers’ digital transformation initiatives and provide more holistic solutions,” said Daniel Lim, Managing Director, Dreamcloud. “Having the full support of Temus gives us the capability to deepen engagements with our global network of over 30 customers, and continue to offer them with cutting edge digital transformation solutions.”

“Organisations of every size and industry are transforming how they do business in the digital age –– speed, agility, and simplicity are at the heart of successful transformations,” said KC. “As Temus grows, we will unlock even greater value for our customers by catalysing digital transformation holistically, for economic and societal impact.”

Hashtag: #Temus

About Temus

Temus was established by Temasek in partnership with UST, to provide digital transformation solutions for the private and public sectors as we aspire to be a strategic partner in realising the Singapore Government’s Smart Nation vision. We are headquartered in Singapore and have ~200 employees across a wide range of disciplines in strategy, design, architecture, technology, data & AI. For more information, please visit.

About Temasek

Temasek is an investment company with a net portfolio value of S$403 billion (US$297b, €268b, £227b, RMB1.89t) as at 31 March 2022. Headquartered in Singapore, it has 12 offices in 8 countries around the world.

Temasek’s Purpose “So Every Generation Prospers” guides it to make a difference for today’s and future generations. The Temasek Charter defines its three roles as an Investor, Institution and Steward, and shapes its ethos to do well, do right and do good. Sustainability is at the core of all that Temasek does. It is committed to catalysing solutions to global challenges and activating capital – financial, human, social and natural – to bring about a better and more inclusive world for all.

For more information on Temasek, please visit .

About UST

For more than 22 years, UST has worked with the world’s best companies to make a real impact through transformation. Powered by technology, inspired by people, and led by our purpose, we partner with our clients from design to operation. Through our nimble approach, we identify their core challenges, and craft disruptive solutions that bring their vision to life. With deep domain expertise and a future-proof philosophy, we embed innovation and agility into our clients’ organizations—delivering measurable value and lasting change across industries, and around the world. Together, with over 30,000 employees in 30 countries, we build for boundless impact—touching billions of lives in the process. Visit us at.

Trading Forex safely: the ultimate checklist for choosing a Forex broker in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 7 September 2022 – Choosing a reliable broker to invest with isn’t always easy. Malaysian financial experts have outlined eight tips on how to find a trustworthy broker to start trading Forex.

Forex trading is getting bigger every day. With so many brokers offering their services, finding the right one can be difficult. What should one look for in a broker to get the best out of trading in the Forex market and feel safe? There is a checklist that should help find one. But first—the essentials of Forex market every trader should know.

What is Forex?

In a sense, Forex is a dynamic basket of foreign currencies and exchange. The full description reads as ‘Foreign exchange’ and houses the process of changing one currency into another. The Foreign Exchange market is decentralised by nature. It lives completely online and uses a great variety of different countries, currencies, and commodities.

The Forex sphere—who is it composed of?

The main actors of the Forex industry are far and foremost the broker itself, who provides the trading services, and its clients, who use them and are regular people. Also, Forex services rely on the essential relationship with liquidity providers. They function as mediators who are highly required to give traders access to the Forex market, offering the most accurate value estimation for the traded currencies.

There are global and local Forex brokers—the bigger the reach and regulatory scope, the bigger the Forex broker.

Trading in a global, decentralised market

Foreign exchange trading is happening twenty-four hours a day, five days a week, on various exchanges around the world. Decentralisation is vital for the Forex market due to the globalised world economy’s need for fast, easy flow of currencies.

International Forex brokers—as opposed to local ones—operate in a multitude of countries. They are allowed to operate globally through multiple international documents. Not being extensively regulated locally and not having to implement restrictions that often limit trading opportunities for traders, international Forex brokers can therefore offer more favourable conditions to their clients.

As discussed above, decentralisation for the Forex market is vital. It operates—without exception—online and utilises a wide variety of different regions and even continents, national currencies, and commodities. Even local brokers must use some features and advantages of international partners, such as payment systems and other services. So, it sounds like it can’t be limited to one particular country entirely.

Choosing a trustworthy Forex broker

When it comes to choosing a reliable international Forex broker to invest with, there is a checklist that will help traders and investors.

  1. The broker is long-established. Any broker with at least ten years of work in the financial markets (such as XM, eToro, OctaFX) is worth a try.
  2. The information about the broker can be found online.
  3. The reviews are overwhelmingly positive (you can find them on trustpilot.com).
  4. The broker has received industry awards for its services in Asia, and Malaysia in particular.
  5. The broker publishes its own educational content. A reliable broker is always interested in its clients being better prepared for trading in the financial markets.
  6. The broker provides multilingual support.
  7. The broker is otherwise present in Malaysia, for instance, invests in charitable initiatives across the country to give back to the society it works in and be closer to its clients.
  8. The last—and the most important. The broker that showed itself well in all other respects: has the lowest spreads, no additional commissions, and no swaps.

Using the checklist above, a trader can find a trusted broker that would accelerate—and not stymie—one’s efforts in achieving financial goals. Besides, it will help protect traders against fraudsters posing as Forex brokers as they will never be able to fake a reputation garnered over many years of work in the financial markets.
Hashtag: #OctaFX

Opening doors to a sustainable future with Microsoft’s Circular Center in Singapore

Another step towards eliminating electronic waste and responding to the needs of our planet

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 7 September 2022 – Microsoft today made a commitment to sustainability with the opening of a new Circular Center in Singapore.

Microsoft’s Circular Centers will enable the ability to reuse and repurpose decommissioned cloud computing hardware from data centers to find new life in schools, as resources for skills training programs, and much more. The goal of this Circular Center program is to reuse 90 per cent of cloud computing hardware assets by 2025.

The launch of this first Circular Center in Asia located in Singapore is an important milestone towards that goal, while also creating local employment opportunities.

Intelligently executing a zero-waste solution

The Microsoft Cloud is powered by millions of servers in hundreds of datacenters around the world, and demand for cloud services is growing exponentially.

At these Centers, decommissioned servers and other types of hardware can be repurposed or dissembled by technicians, and the components and equipment moved on to another phase of life.

The Microsoft Intelligent Disposition and Routing System (IDARS) uses AI and machine learning to establish and execute a zero-waste plan for every piece of decommissioned hardware, at scale.

IDARS also works to optimize routes for these hardware assets and provide Circular Center operators with instructions on how to dispose of each one.

Collaborating to find new repurposing opportunities

The Circular Centers are transforming the sustainability credentials of datacenters, and Microsoft works closely with partners to find new opportunities for end-of-life parts and equipment.

This has seen repurposed servers being donated to schools or used for job training. Reclaimed memory cards have also been used by companies making electronic toys or computer games, to mention just a few examples.

While this new Singapore Center will produce ground-breaking environmental improvements, it will also create employment opportunities. At other Microsoft Centers around the globe, the processes used during repurposing have resulted in the creation of new jobs, including fresh job categories and many entry-level positions.

Contributing to positive climate action for Asia

In 2022, nations everywhere have been confronted with the need to accelerate their net zero ambitions. That includes Southeast Asia, where eight out of ten countries are already committed to net zero targets. But despite recent progress, a new study reveals that there is still a large emission gap of three gigatons to be closed by 2030 if the region is to meet its net zero goals.

The same study also found that Asia is well positioned to address these challenges and capture the opportunities that come from managing climate risk effectively. It estimates, for example, that annual green economic opportunities worth USD$1 trillion by 2030 exist in Southeast Asia alone.

Singapore, with its strong government and private sector commitments and agile policy environment, has already laid the foundations for creating an advanced recycling infrastructure that can help it take advantage of those opportunities.

The arrival of a Microsoft Circular Center in Singapore is in line with this approach. By re-using and repurposing components, this Center will help reduce waste and carbon emissions. In this pilot Circular Center in Amsterdam alone, Microsoft contributed to the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 145,000 tonnes CO2 equivalent.

Towards a more sustainable future for all

Microsoft’s first ever Circular Center opened in Amsterdam in 2020. Since inception, the company has achieved reuse and recycle of 83 per cent of all decommissioned assets and aim to reach 90 per cent by 2025.

Its success saw Microsoft being named the winner of the 2022 Gartner Power of the Profession Supply Chain Awards in the Social Impact of the Year category.

Since achieving this outstanding result, Microsoft has established further centers in Dublin, Ireland, and Virginia in the US.

Along with the Singapore Center, plans are now underway to expand the program in Washington, Chicago, Sydney and to other sites.

Microsoft has been operating in Singapore and Asia for over 30 years and are present in 23 markets in Asia today. Through this tenure, the company has become a go-to partner for Asia’s businesses, governments, partners, communities, and individuals.

The Singapore Circular Center is a further testament to a commitment to Asia’s future. Microsoft will continue to collaborate and co-innovate with partners the world over, and power towards a global goal of reaching net zero by 2050.

Hashtag: #Microsoft

InnoBlock Technology Builds Hong Kong’s First ESG Data Platform on AWS

WWF-Hong Kong collaborates with the company to help organizations reduce carbon emissions

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach7 September 2022 – Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com company, today announced that blockchain specialist InnoBlock Technology (InnoBlock) has built TT Green, Hong Kong’s first environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data platform, on AWS. The platform automatically tracks and reports standardized ESG data across resource consumption, carbon emissions, and human capital management using APIs and sensors deployed throughout an organization’s information technology (IT) infrastructure. The platform, which was advised by leading global conservation organization WWF-Hong Kong, enhances organizations’ ability to collect and report emissions reductions based on the world-recognized protocols and Low Carbon Operation Program (LOOP)PLUSB.E.S.T. sustainability framework, helping organizations integrate sustainability into their daily business.

Traditionally, ESG data tracking and recording involved manual processes that lacked data traceability, transparency, and quality to establish immutable ESG credentials. This prevented companies from reaching their sustainability goals in a timely fashion. With the breadth and depth of AWS capabilities, including containers, databases, and machine learning, InnoBlock built TT Green to help organizations accurately understand their environmental impact so they can take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, comply with global standards, and obtain credible green certifications and green financing.

TT Green collects third-party data—including smart buildings’ water and electricity consumption—via Internet of Things (IoT) sensors embedded into devices like electricity meters which are located on the edge of the network. TT Green then sends the data to its blockchain network. Using Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS), a managed container service designed to run and scale Kubernetes applications, TT Green then helps users automatically transmit and integrate the data in the cloud. InnoBlock also developed a greenhouse gas calculator based on the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines. The calculator allows organizations using TT Green to quantify and track emissions quickly and accurately against sustainability goals based on the immutable ESG data stored in the blockchain network on AWS.

With Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS), a service that helps customers set up, operate, and scale a relational database in the cloud, InnoBlock can efficiently store ESG data, minimize database management time, and allow organizations to track operations using real-time performance data. Using Amazon SageMaker, a fully managed service that enables data scientists and developers to quickly and easily build, train, and deploy machine learning models at any scale, InnoBlock provides improved performance analysis for sustainable target planning and monitoring.

“AWS helped us develop Hong Kong’s first truly credible ESG reporting platform. The cloud allows us to maximize the power of blockchain technology by using IoT and machine learning services to track our customers’ ESG efforts accurately and provide ESG reporting and analysis,” said Kevin Ng, CEO at InnoBlock Technology. “We believe this platform will help our customers meet and exceed global ESG standards faster and plan to roll out the platform across Asia this year.”

Karen Ho, Head of Corporate and Community Sustainability at WWF-Hong Kong said, “WWF works to sustain the natural world for people and wildlife. Despite more companies committing to net zero goals in fighting climate change, delivering Scope 3 emissions reduction remains a huge challenge. Digital innovation platforms such as TT Green, powered by AWS, can help organizations track and trace their carbon performance throughout their value chains, optimize mitigation opportunities, and respond to rising expectations from investors, customers, and civil society.”

“Technology has become central to helping companies meet their ESG goals. At AWS, we continue to invest in sustainability across our infrastructure and services, and help our customers build sustainable businesses,” said Chris So, Head of Business Development, Hong Kong and Macau, AWS. “We are glad to see InnoBlock using our technology to innovate and work with an organization like WWF to help thousands of organizations improve their environmental credentials.”


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About Amazon Web Services

For over 15 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud offering. AWS has been continually expanding its services to support virtually any cloud workload, and it now has more than 200 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security, hybrid, virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), media, and application development, deployment, and management from 87 Availability Zones within 27 geographic regions, with announced plans for 21 more Availability Zones and seven more AWS Regions in Australia, Canada, India, Israel, New Zealand, Spain, and Switzerland. Millions of customers—including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—trust AWS to power their infrastructure, become more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit .

Fifth Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge Completes 50% Construction

Fifth Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge has finished 50 percent construction.

The 5th Lao-Thai Friendship between Bolikhamxay and Buangkan finished over half of its construction in August.