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Hang Lung Publishes Sustainability Reports 2020

Furthering our Commitment to Sustainability with Demonstrated Resilience under the Pandemic

 

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 13 May 2021 – Hang Lung Group Limited (Stock Code: 00010) and Hang Lung Properties Limited (Stock Code: 00101) today published their online Sustainability Reports 2020. The reports highlight the steps and progress made to advance sustainability initiatives in the course of the year and continue the journey towards becoming one of the most sustainable real estate companies in the world.


Hang Lung Group and Hang Lung Properties publish their online Sustainability Reports 2020 featuring the sustainability framework and a set of 2030 sustainability goals and targets


Major initiatives and achievements during the year include: 1) measures implemented to protect the wellbeing of our employees, customers and communities – our topmost priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic; 2) the launch of an enhanced sustainability framework that focuses on Climate Resilience, Resource Management, Wellbeing and Sustainable Transactions; 3) the establishment of a set of long-term sustainability goals and targets to be achieved by 2030, with 35 strategic environmental, social and governance (ESG) key performance indicators (KPIs) set for 2021; and 4) marked progress made on sustainable finance which accounted for 13% of total debts and available facilities at the end of 2020.


Mr. Weber Lo, Chief Executive Officer of Hang Lung Group and Hang Lung Properties, said, “I would like to thank all of my colleagues for their tenacity and dedication through such a challenging year in working as one team towards our sustainability goals. In response to the pandemic, multiple measures were adopted to provide our colleagues with support and safeguards against the risk of infection including a dedicated pandemic response team, provision of protective equipment, and the formalization of flexible work arrangements. Through our concerted efforts, we achieved zero infection for all personnel at Heartland 66 in Wuhan. In support of the communities in which we operate, we also donated RMB10 million to establish the Hang Lung Novel Coronavirus Relief Fund.

On our path to achieving sustainability leadership, ESG KPIs are established across the company, which are directly tied to our annual performance reviews and which embed sustainability principles and practices directly in our daily work. These initiatives reaffirm our commitment to instilling sustainable values, and mark important steps forward on our leadership journey.”

Mr. Adriel Chan, Vice Chair of Hang Lung Group and Hang Lung Properties and the Chair of the Sustainability Steering Committee, said, “Despite the uncertainties and challenges of last year, we have made significant strides forward in our sustainability efforts. Our new expression of our Vision, Mission and Values – of which sustainability is an integral part – demonstrates our determination to embed sustainability throughout our business lifecycle for the long-term. While creating compelling spaces that enrich lives, we are also deepening our sense of responsibility to our communities and to future generations.”

In addition to the key highlights and achievements mentioned above, other highlights include:

  • The issuance, by the Boards of Directors of Hang Lung Group and Hang Lung Properties, of a Joint Statement on Oversight and Management of ESG Issue, elaborating on the Boards’ ESG management approach and strategy, and their role in reviewing progress against ESG-related goals and targets
  • The development of Hang Lung’s Sustainability Policy, which provides clear guidance to employees on the pursuit of sustainability leadership, including the principles and processes for implementing relevant initiatives aligned with the sustainability framework
  • Achieving a 21.5% reduction of electricity intensity by construction floor area compared to 2019
  • Obtaining first LEED Platinum pre-certifications for two office towers at Westlake 66 in Hangzhou
  • The donation of HK$25 million for a wide array of sustainable community investment programs

Recognition Earned

In 2020, Hang Lung Properties was included as a constituent of the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index for four consecutive years, received a three-star performance rating and an A-grade disclosure rating under GRESB for three consecutive years and was selected as a constituent of the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index and the Hang Seng (Mainland and Hong Kong) Corporate Sustainability Index with an “AA-” rating or above for 11 consecutive years.

The Sustainability Reports 2020 of Hang Lung are now available for download at the links below:

Hang Lung Group

https://www.hanglung.com/en-us/group/media-center/publications/sustainability

Hang Lung Properties

https://www.hanglung.com/en-us/media-center/publications/sustainability

About Hang Lung Properties

Hang Lung Properties Limited (stock code: 00101) creates compelling spaces that enrich lives. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Hang Lung Properties develops and manages a diversified portfolio of world-class properties in Hong Kong and the nine Mainland cities of Shanghai, Shenyang, Jinan, Wuxi, Tianjin, Dalian, Kunming, Wuhan and Hangzhou. With its luxury positioning under the “66” brand, the company’s Mainland portfolio has established its leading position as the “Pulse of the City”. Hang Lung Properties is recognized for leading the way in enhanced sustainability initiatives in real estate as it pursues sustainable growth by connecting customers and communities.

At Hang Lung Properties – We Do It Well.

For more information, please visit www.hanglung.com.

#HangLungProperties #HangLungGroup

Laos Confirms 65 Cases of Covid-19 Bringing Total to 1,482

Covid-19 Update

Laos has confirmed 65 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of cases to 1,482.

Laos Appoints New Deputy Minister of Health, Reshuffles Ministry

Reshuffle in Ministry of Health

The government of Laos has appointed Dr. Sanong Thongsana, former Director of Mittaphab Hospital, as the new Deputy Minister of Health.

Hot Weather, Wind and Thunderstorms Forecast Across Laos This Week

Storm in Kasy

Strong winds and thunderstorms are forecast across the country this week with high temperatures expected in central and southern Laos.

Trend Micro Placed in 2021 Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms

Recognized for Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute

 

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 13 May 2021 – Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, today announced that it has been positioned by Gartner as a Leader in the Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platform for its offering, Trend Micro Apex One. The evaluation was based on specific criteria that analyzed the company’s overall completeness of vision and ability to execute.

Trend Micro is continually innovating and anticipating emerging threats. Our flagship Apex One endpoint protection platform features broad coverage against today’s most critical threats. Our customers are protected using a range of techniques including virtual patching, which immediately protects against exploits until the vendor patch is applied.

Read the full Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platform report at: https://resources.trendmicro.com/Gartner-Magic-Quadrant-Endpoints.html

“The endpoint has become a key battleground as determined threat actors try to take advantage of the pandemic to target distributed workforces and vulnerable remote access infrastructure. But throughout this difficult period, we’ve been there for our customers,” said Wendy Moore, vice president of product marketing for Trend Micro. “I’m delighted to see us recognized again for doing what we do best: Protecting global organizations through innovative, cloud-first and platform-based security. We will continue to focus on offering simple, robust and industry-leading protection through our cybersecurity platform.”

At the heart of the company’s cybersecurity platform is Trend Micro Vision One, which delivers visibility and XDR using telemetry from Apex One in addition to email, servers, cloud workloads and networks for faster detections and investigations.

Magic Quadrant reports are a culmination of rigorous, fact-based research in specific markets, providing a wide-angle view of the relative positions of the providers in markets where growth is high and provider differentiation is distinct. Providers are positioned into four quadrants: Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries and Niche Players. The research enables you to get the most from market analysis in alignment with your unique business and technology needs.

* Gartner disclaimer: Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro’s cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.trendmicro.com.hk

#TrendMicro

Workday Named a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Core Financial Management Suites for Midsize, Large, and Global Enterprises

Positioned as a Leader for Fifth Year in a Row Based on Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute

 

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 13 May 2021 – Workday (NASDAQ:WDAY), a leader in enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources, today announced it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the Leaders quadrant of the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Core Financial Management Suites for Midsize, Large, and Global Enterprises* for the fifth year in a row based on completeness of vision and ability to execute.

The events of 2020 have caused many organizations to accelerate their finance digital transformation efforts. As a result, finance leaders are turning to Workday to help them plan, execute, and analyze all in one system. The company’s broad portfolio of cloud finance offerings brings new levels of visibility and control that go beyond the boundaries of traditional ERP systems. Together Workday Financial Management, Workday Adaptive Planning, Workday Accounting Center, Workday Prism Analytics, and Workday Spend Management Sourcing deliver a deep and comprehensive solution for enterprise planning and analysis across all finance processes including record to report, report to forecast, contract to cash, and source to pay.

Relentless Focus on Customer Success and Innovation to Elevate the Office of the CFO

Workday continues to deliver on its vision for the office of the CFO to optimize organizational agility and deliver trusted insights to fuel the most effective operations. Its commitment to delivering exceptional customer value and continuous innovation is helping organizations from a diverse range of industries and sectors. With more than 1,000 Workday Financial Management customers and 5,500 Workday Adaptive Planning customers in more than 120 countries, Workday continues to drive global innovation fueled by machine learning (ML) and advanced analytics to allow customers to:

  • Become decision-ready with an intelligent data foundation. Workday offers a unique architecture featuring an intelligent data foundation that helps finance teams harness the power of data by blending operational and transactional data into a single source. Workday Accounting Center, built on this data foundation, represents a fundamental change in the way finance teams manage operational data by dramatically simplifying the transformation of high-volume operational data into accounting. Machine learning is also embedded into the core data architecture to infuse intelligence into finance processes driven by Workday Financial Management, Workday Adaptive Planning and Workday Spend Management. These ML-powered applications allow customers to continuously detect journal line and plan entry anomalies, intelligently match customer payments to invoices, offer spend recommendations, and scan supplier invoices and expense receipts with optical character recognition to automate processing.
  • Unify accounting and FP&A for greater agility: The ability to manage financial activity through the lens of FP&A has become increasingly important, especially given the unpredictability of the past 18 months. In the report, Gartner states, “This year, we have included FP&A capabilities in the evaluation where Cloud Core Financial Management vendors have brought them to market. FP&A is quickly becoming a point of differentiation for many vendors in the study and will continue to drive customer acquisition.”*

Workday, positioned by Gartner in the Leaders quadrant of the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Financial Planning & Analysis**, offers deep integration from both a data and user experience (UX) perspective with Workday Financial Management and Workday Human Capital Management (HCM). Offered either as a standalone solution or combined with other Workday solutions, Workday Adaptive Planning allows FP&A to plan with greater accuracy and confidence, harnessing ML and predictive analytics at the core.

  • Start with finance for digital acceleration. Replacing legacy systems over time is the best option for many organizations, particularly product-based industries. The Workday Enterprise Finance solution provides customers with the flexibility to adopt individual Workday solutions that coexist with current ERP systems or replace their entire financial software suite to accelerate their digital transformation, allowing customers to realize the benefits of cloud technology throughout the transition and at their own pace.

Consistent Customer Satisfaction

Workday aims to maintain a customer satisfaction rating of over 95% and achieved an industry-leading 97% customer satisfaction rating in its most recent customer satisfaction survey. Key factors in the consistently high customer satisfaction rating include the ability to understand customer needs, the quality of technical support, and the responsiveness of the Workday customer experience organization. Additionally, Gartner Peer Insights documents customer experience through verified ratings and peer reviews. As of May 12, 2021, Workday customer reviews include the following:

  • “It is a great financial management and accounting tool with actionable business insights” — DAA in the Healthcare Industry [read full review]
  • “[Workday] Adaptive Planning allows a CFO to respond to changing landscapes through data.” — CFO & VP For Finance & Business Strategy in the Education Industry [read full review]
  • “[Workday] has revolutionized the financial operations of our department because now we have [a] better breakdown of our finance and based on that we are in a better position to make better decisions that may impact our revenue in a positive way. It has been the best partner for our finance and operations team.” — IT support in the Communications Industry [read full review]
  • “Outstanding planning tool — best in class and ahead of competitors.” — Senior Finance Director in the Healthcare Industry [read full review]
  • “C Suite is equipped with relevant, contextual financial insights available from anywhere.” — VP, Security & Risk, in the Finance Industry [read full review]


Comments on the News

“As an international organization, we need to be dynamic and easily adapt to changing market conditions,” said Rob Bloor, group financial controller, EQ. “With Workday, our transaction and planning data are in the same system, and we’re able to translate data into insight we need to make decisions. Having our accounting and planning teams work off of the same data set makes it possible for us to be continuously agile and confident in our decision making.”

“We’re thrilled Workday built machine learning into its core cash-to-pay application natively, creating a seamless extension to our accounts receivable process,” Preeti Iyer, senior director, Finance & Order to Cash, Blue Yonder. “Workday has all of our data, and knows how we handle cash applications, and how we’ve applied payments in the past. This deep understanding gave us a huge leap forward, was more cost effective, and has helped us realize value faster as we continue to reduce time spent on our complex cash applications and move from 70 percent of our time spent on manual matches to just 20 percent.”

“Workday has proven they are a modern cloud system that delivers continuous innovation to its customers and is a true partner for Shelter Insurance,” Tina Workman, vice president of accounting and treasurer, Shelter Insurance. “We went live on Accounting Center last year and have since retired several legacy COBOL programs that had little visibility into creating accounting from operational systems. With Workday Accounting Center we have full transparency into detailed accounting creation from close to 75 files from policy, claims, and other systems, streamlining our accounting into one system and providing us with deeper insight into insurance product profitability.”

“We believe the reason Gartner continues to recognize Workday as a Leader in Cloud Core Financial Management Suites is our deep customer commitment and relentless focus on innovation to help advance the Office of the CFO,” said Terrance Wampler, general manager, Workday Financial Management. “For finance organizations, having proven solutions that support current and emerging finance processes provide a clear competitive advantage. With Workday, our customers can more easily distill actionable insights from all of their data, quickly remove friction from finance processes, and continuously plan to deliver the strategic business partnership that their organizations require from finance.”

Additional Information

*Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Core Financial Management Suites for Midsize, Large, and Global Enterprises, John Van Decker, Greg Leiter, Robert Anderson, 10 May 2021

**Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Financial Planning & Analysis, Robert Anderson, Greg Leiter, John Van Decker, 6 October 2020

Gartner Disclaimer:

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Gartner Peer Insights reviews constitute the subjective opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences and do not represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates.


About Workday

Workday is a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources, helping customers adapt and thrive in a changing world. Workday applications for financial management, human resources, planning, spend management, and analytics have been adopted by thousands of organizations around the world and across industries—from medium-sized businesses to more than 45 percent of the Fortune 500. For more information about Workday, visit workday.com.


Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements including, among other things, statements regarding the expected performance and benefits of Workday’s and Workday Strategic Sourcing’s offerings. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “seek,” “plan,” “project,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. If the risks materialize or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. Risks include, but are not limited to, risks described in Workday’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including Workday’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021 and future reports that may be filed with the SEC from time to time, which could cause actual results to vary from expectations. Workday assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

Any unreleased services, features, or functions referenced in this document, our website, or other press releases or public statements that are not currently available are subject to change at Workday’s and Workday Strategic Sourcing’s discretion and may not be delivered as planned or at all. Customers who purchase Workday and/or Workday Strategic Sourcing services should make their purchase decisions based upon services, features, and functions that are currently available.

DHL Global Forwarding opens new direct China-United Kingdom multimodal link

  • New rail-sea freight service will connect businesses in China with customers in the UK, and vice versa, in 18 to 20 days
  • Goods departing from Xi’an, China will be transported by rail to Kaliningrad, Russia and sailed to Immingham, a major port on the east coast of England

SHANGHAI, CHINA – Media OutReach – 13 May 2021 – In the first half of 2020, China was the only country among UK’s top five trading partners to achieve positive growth in bilateral goods trade, mainly due to a 17.2% increase in goods imported by the UK from China. To cater to the growth in UK-China trade, DHL Global Forwarding has launched a new rail-sea freight solution that will link businesses in China with customers in the UK, and vice versa, in 18 to 20 days. Compared to ocean freight that would typically take 40 days, the new service cuts transit time by more than half.

Since the start of the pandemic, rail has emerged as a popular alternative for shippers who balk at hefty air freight rates as a result of capacity shortage, and eschew long ocean freight transit time due to equipment and capacity shortages. Globally, the rail freight market is expected to see a compounded annual growth rate of 9.9% in 2021.

“The UK faced numerous trade challenges in the past year, having to navigate economic and trade uncertainties over Brexit and during the pandemic, whilst managing new UK-EU border regulations and processes at the dawn of the new Brexit era. As the UK economy starts picking up and China celebrates record growth in Q1 2021, trade between the two partners would be one to watch,” said Kelvin Leung, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific.

According to the DHL Global Connectedness Index 2020, China was ranked second by its share of the UK’s international flows. In the first eight months of 2020, British exports to China rose by 10.7%, or £837 million (€982 million), even as the UK saw its overall exports fall by 25% for the same period. In 2019, the most sought after British goods in China were gold, petroleum and petroleum-related products, and vehicles, while telecommunications and office equipment, and electrical machinery and appliances were key Chinese exports that made their way to the UK.

Consolidating goods from across China at DHL’s hub at Xi’an, China, the new service will transport the cargo by rail to Kaliningrad, Russia via Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Lithuania, and then transferred to Immingham by sea, where the UK import customs and final delivery of the cargo to the consignees are processed. The service is jointly developed by DHL Global Forwarding China, Xi’an International Inland Port Investment & Development Group Co. Ltd, RZD Logistics and RTSB Gmbh.

Steve Huang, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Greater China, said, “Most China-UK multimodal routes often include Germany, Poland or the Netherlands as the midpoint for transfer from rail freight to sea or road freight. After Brexit, going by these routes would incur additional customs procedures and fees. The new service will potentially avoid seasonal congestion on the EU border, which in turn guarantees a more stable transit time.”

Note to editors:

Ukraine’s exports to China surged 63.3% year on year in 2019, as Sino-Ukrainian trade turnover hit a massive US$12.8 billion (€10.7 billion). Find out how DHL is supporting this growing trade partnership by establishing better rail connectivity between Europe and Asia.

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 400,000 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 66 billion euros in 2020. 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 zero-emissions logistics by 2050.

#DHL

Summit Ascent Selected for Inclusion in the MSCI Hong Kong Micro Cap Index

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 12 May 2021 – Summit Ascent Holdings Limited (“Summit Ascent“, the “Group” or the “Company“, HKEx: 102) is pleased to announce that the Group will be officially included as a constituent stock of MSCI Hong Kong Micro Cap Index. The inclusion of Summit Ascent enhances its reputation among institutional investors in the gaming sector. The inclusion will be effective after the close of the stock market on 27 May 2021.

MSCI is a leading provider of global equity indices worldwide. MSCI Hong Kong Micro Cap Index is one of the most widely used equity benchmarks among institutional investors to measure portfolio performances. The inclusion of the Group demonstrated that the Group has fulfilled a rigid matrix of evaluation based on multiple criteria of the index inclusion, including market capitalization size, liquidity screening, foreign inclusion factor requirement and minimum length of trading requirement.

Summit Ascent is a subsidiary of Suncity Group Holdings Limited (“Suncity”, HKEx: 1383). Suncity is dedicated to help Summit Ascent’s businesses as Suncity now owns approximately 70% of Summit Ascent. Summit Ascent owns approximately 77.5% of Tigre de Cristal, the largest integrated resort located in the Primorye Integrated Entertainment Zone of the Russian Far East. Despite challenging operating environment, Tigre de Cristal was already making a positive EBITDA in 2H 2020, while its mass and electronic gaming volumes have restored to 81% and 90% respectively of the pre-pandemic levels. Tigre de Cristal Phase II is on its way in 2023 where its gaming facilities will be doubled, and number of hotel rooms will be tripled.

In addition, Summit Ascent diversifies and participates in the development of another fast-growing gaming jurisdiction in Asia, the Philippines, through the investment of convertible bonds in a 51%-owned subsidiary of Suncity, Suntrust Home Developers, Inc. (“SunTrust”), where Summit Ascent may have the option to become a direct shareholder of SunTrust when the Westside City Project in the Philippines comes to fruition.

Mr. Andrew Lo, Deputy Chairman and Executive Director of Summit Ascent, said, “I cannot be more thrilled to see Summit Ascent to be included in the MSCI Index. It is not only a recognition from the capital market, but it is also an accreditation to the Group’s development strategy. By being in the index, institutional investors could have an additional peace of mind that the company is growing in the right direction. Summit Ascent is undoubtedly a growth company that is worth the wait, as it will be equipped with Suncity’s most valuable resources to fire up its developments.”

About Summit Ascent Holdings Limited (HKEx stock code: 102)

Summit Ascent Holdings Limited (“Summit Ascent”) is a subsidiary of Suncity Group Holdings Limited (HKEx stock code: 1383). Summit Ascent holds 77.5% in Tigre de Cristal, currently the largest integrated resort located in the Primorye Integrated Entertainment Zone of the Russian Far East. Situated midway from the Vladivostok International Airport to Vladivostok city, the administrative centre of the Russian Far East, Tigre de Cristal is ideally located geographically in the heart of Northeast Asia.

Summit Ascent holds a gaming license granted by the Russian government for an indefinite period, and Tigre de Cristal has opened for business since late 2015, offering a broad range of gaming options on a 24/7 basis. Tigre de Cristal has been certified as a five-star hotel with retail offerings, food and beverage outlets, private club, and named “Russia’s Leading Resort” by World Travel Awards.

For more information about Summit Ascent, please visit https://www.saholdings.com.hk/eng/

#SummitAscent