Carousell launches charity drive and commits to a quarter of million dollars worth of ad inventory to support non-profit organisations in Singapore

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 3 December 2021 – As Singapore’s leading classifieds platform, Carousell today announced two initiatives to support individuals and communities in need, encouraging all to share in the spirit of giving during this festive season: #Blessings campaign and Free Ads for Charities.

As part of these initiatives, Carousell has partnered with the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) to support SG Cares Giving Week with its annual #Blessings campaign. This year’s #Blessings campaign will expand its reach to bring greater awareness to the public to support local communities in need. From now to December 31, interested donors can log on to Carousell and browse listings from over 20 charities and non-profit organisations, and give back to those who need it the most by donating essential items such as home appliances, Covid-19 test kits, clothes and food, or even make direct donations to their favourite causes via Carousell Protection. Users can also list their usable items on Carousell under its Free Items category to help other individuals in need.

“The #Blessings campaign is the missing link for charity drives in Singapore to reach out to Singaporeans with ready intent to give away items. #Blessings originally started as a user-led initiative, and has grown into one adopted by our wider Carousell community over the years. With every 1 in 3 Singaporeans using Carousell monthly, we are the perfect platform to connect charities with users who are looking to declutter their surplus purchases by giving back to those who need them the most. We are excited to partner with NVPC for SG Cares Giving Week and we encourage every donor to give generously and make a positive difference this festive season.” said Ng Chee Soon, Managing Director, Carousell Singapore.

“We are pleased to partner Carousell once again in this meaningful campaign. Carousell offers a unique way for non-profit organisations like the Singapore Red Cross to garner both monetary and in-kind donations via a single platform. The publicity support given is also invaluable to our outreach efforts. We are hopeful that this partnership with Carousell would help us to enhance our online presence and reach a younger, more technologically-savvy audience; and in turn boost our fundraising efforts. We look forward to nurturing an enduring partnership with Carousell,” said Mr Benjamin William, Secretary General and CEO, Singapore Red Cross.

This campaign is an expansion of Carousell’s #SayYesToBlessings initiative, launched in August 2021 to help empower non-profit organisations in digitalising and amplifying their causes online. Participating charities received a complimentary CarouBiz Charities Package worth over $1,500 that includes a suite of premium promotional tools designed to help. Through this initiative, donors will also be able to make direct donations to these organisations, with 100% of the donation going directly to them.

Since the pandemic started, charities have been unable to organise traditional fundraising events and engage with potential donors. To help counter this challenge, Carousell is bringing back its Free Ads for Charities initiative, and will offer up to a quarter of million dollars in an advertising support programme to support charities impacted by Covid-19.

This $250,000 fund will focus on supporting any charities and non-profit organisations in Singapore and their efforts to replenish supply of essential items, donations for upkeep cost, call for volunteers and other initiatives caring for vulnerable communities.

“We are very proud to bring back our Free Ads for Charities initiative and expand upon our commitment to uplift local communities in need. Charity donations have been impacted as fundraising events have had to be cancelled due to restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. With 1 in 3 Singaporeans on our platform every month, we can help amplify their causes and give these charities more visibility on the road to recovery,” said JJ Eastwood, Managing Director, Carousell Media Group.

These two campaigns are the latest in Carousell’s initiatives to support and empower communities during the COVID-19 situation, other initiatives include #MADEinSG to support the local art scene amid the circuit breaker period. Carousell was also recognised as a Champion of Good in 2020 by NVPC’s Company of Good.

Interested non-profit organisations can also reach out to Carousell here for more information.

About Carousell Group

Carousell Group is the leading classifieds group in Greater Southeast Asia on a mission to inspire the world to start selling, and to make secondhand the first choice. Founded in August 2012 in Singapore, the group has a leading presence in eight markets under the brands Carousell, Mudah.my, Cho Tot, OneKyat and Ox Street, serving tens of millions of monthly active users. Carousell is backed by leading investors including Telenor Group, Rakuten Ventures, Naver, STIC Investments and Sequoia Capital India. Visit here for more information.

About SG Cares Giving Week 2021
SG Cares Giving Week is an anchor initiative of the national SG Cares movement held annually from 1 to 7 December, that celebrates the spirit of giving and seeks to make giving part of our way of life.

Jointly organised by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre, the National Council of Social Service, and the SG Cares Office, SG Cares Giving Week aims to inspire individuals, businesses, non-profit organisations and the community to give their best for others by sharing their Time, Talent, Treasure and Voice in support of any cause they are passionate about in all ways, big and small.

These are the little acts, when multiplied by millions, that make a world of difference. Together, let’s build a Singapore that cares! Take action and support the SG Cares Giving Week, visit www.givingweek.sg.

#CarousellGroup

Presents innovation-driven ecological layout of the healthcare industry

MACAO SAR – Media OutReach – 3 December 2021 – From 2 to 4 December, 2021, focusing on technology innovation and its impact on various industries to the society, the first BEYOND International Technology Innovation Expo (“BEYOND Expo”) in Macao is held at the Venetian Macao Convention and Exhibition Centre. Focusing on cutting-edge technology, Fosun Pharma together with its member enterprises in the sectors covering pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical devices and healthcare services to join the life science exhibition (Booth No.: B07). Fosun Pharma’s innovation-driven ecological layout as well as its breakthroughs and advancements of the healthcare industry are well presented.

Mr. Ho Iat Seng, Chief Executive of Macao SAR visited the Fosun Pharma booth.

Wu Yifang, Chairman and CEO of Fosun Pharma said: “The successful hosting of the BEYOND Expo in Macao demonstrates the Macao Special Administrative Region Government’s confidence in the results of anti-pandemic and its high-level organizational capabilities. Fosun Pharma is glad to participate in this innovative technology event, by bringing a variety of products in the anti-tumor field and the display of innovative achievements with international cooperation. In the future, we will further release our energy on the healthcare innovation in this region, continue to optimize the operational efficiency of the healthcare services business, accelerate the construction of advantageous disciplines, and promote the high-quality development of the healthcare industry in the Greater Bay Area. Oriented towards patient needs, we will also improve the accessibility of the world’s leading medical products and services in China, so that every family could enjoy good health. “

Deeply cultivating the oncology field, creating a number of FIRST influential products in the industry

Fosun Pharma is committed to promoting innovative R&D with its pharmaceutical business as its core, and is oriented towards fulfilling unmet clinical needs and improving products’ accessibility, accelerating the implementation of innovative technologies and products. At the BEYOND Expo, Fosun Pharma presents a variety of self-developed and co-developed drugs in the oncology field. After over a decade of continuous investment, Fosun Pharma has ushered in a number of products in the anti-tumor field that have been approved in recent years. At the same time, Fosun Pharma continues to increase the product accessibility in various ways to benefit more patients.

As the biopharmaceutical platform of Fosun Pharma, Henlius has always been committed to offering high-quality innovative biologic medicines for patients worldwide with a focus on oncology, autoimmune diseases and ophthalmic diseases. Henlius brings a variety of R&D achievements in the anti-tumor field and its diversified products to the BEYOND Expo, including three products that have been approved for marketing: the China’s first biosimilar Han Li Kang (Rituximab), the first self-developed Chinese mAb biosimilar entering both the EU and China market Han Qu You (Trastuzumab), the company’s first product indicated for the treatment of autoimmune diseases Han Da Yuan (Adalimumab).

At the same time, Henlius also brings the novel anti-PD-1 mAb Serplulimab independently developed by the company which has been approved for clinical trials in China, the United States, the European Union and other countries and regions. The indications cover a wide range of tumor types with high incidence such as lung cancer, esophageal cancer, hepatocellular cancer, gastric cancer and head and neck cancer, with around 2,300 patients have been enrolled globally. The NDA for the treatment of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) solid tumors has been accepted by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and proposed to be granted priority review in April 2021. It is expected to be approved for marketing in the first half of 2022. Besides, the NDA filing of the first-line treatment of squamous non-small cell lung cancer (sqNSCLC) has been accepted by NMPA in September 2021.

In June 2021, the first CAR-T cell therapy Yi Kai Da (Axicabtagene Ciloleucel) of Fosun Kite, a joint venture, has been approved for marketing by NMPA, which was China’s first CAR-T therapy approved for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma, opening a new era of cell therapy in China. After its launch, the drug has achieved certain breakthroughs in patient access and clinical benefits, CAR-T academic communications, and exploration of new indications in the commercialization stage of the drug in China. In terms of payment innovation, the drug has been included in commercial insurances and customized insurances in many cities.

Deploy cutting-edge mRNA vaccine, responding to variations of the virus actively

At the BEYOND Expo, Fosun Pharma presents the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine BNT162b2, which was jointly developed with BioNTech. It has been known as the first COVID-19 mRNA vaccine approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and expanded the emergency use authorization of a booster dose to include individuals 18 years of age and older. COVID-19 mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 has been included in the government vaccination programs in Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR. As of 27 November 2021, more than 13.5 million doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 have been administered in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Among them, more than 69,000 people in Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR have received the third dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine BNT162b2.

The COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading globally. The Omicron variant poses new challenges to the prevention and control. Fosun Pharma actively promotes academic communications on public health in the Greater Bay Area. Earlier, at the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Public Health Technology Innovation Work Seminar” hosted by the Guangdong Preventive Medicine Association and organized by Fosun Pharma, a number of public health experts and scholars from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area shared their views on the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control strategies. Among them, experts and scholars from Hong Kong shared their experience in pandemic prevention, control and COVID-19 treatment. In terms of immunization strategies, Hong Kong has approved the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine for the high-risk populations.

Continue to deepen the layout of healthcare services in the Greater Bay Area, helping to achieve Healthy China 2030

According to the deployment of the “‘Healthy China 2030’ blueprint“: By 2030, the institutional system for promoting health for all will be improved, the development of the health field will be more coordinated, healthy lifestyles will be popularized, and the quality of health services and health protection will continue to improve.” The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is one of the most open and economically dynamic regions in China, and plays a strategic role in national development.

Under the guidance of the national strategies of Healthy China 2030 and Innovation Driven, Fosun Health has gone through many years of intensive industrial cultivation, it has owned and operated many for-profit general hospitals with advantages in brand and medical capabilities in Greater Bay Area, such as Foshan Fosun Chancheng Hospital (referred to as “Foshan Chancheng Hospital”), Shenzhen Heng Sheng Hospital, Zhuhai Chancheng Hospital and Guangzhou Xinshi Hospital. While deepening the layout, Fosun Health integrates the advantages of its member hospitals, focuses on building an international quality and safety system, strengthens the construction of disciplines and specialist alliances, strengthens technological innovation and high-level clinical technology innovation, and consolidates hard strength.

Meanwhile, Fosun Health actively promotes the rational allocation and optimization of medical resources such as the doctor group. In talent training, through the Great Health Management College, Fosun Health could train innovative management talents for the Greater Bay Area and even for the domestic healthcare industry. In the era of digital transformation, while strengthening the construction of smart hospitals in the Greater Bay Area, Fosun Health also uses online and offline medical to promote corporate cloud medical office services and achieve full coverage of 500 companies in the Greater Bay Area.

Foshan Chancheng Hospital, the flagship Hospital of Fosun Health, also participated in the BEYOND Expo. As a 3A hospital ranking No. 1 in the China Non-Public Hospital Comprehensive Competitiveness and certified by the Joint Commission International (JCI) Accreditation Standards for Hospitals, Foshan Chancheng Hospital, headed by its “Three Treasures of Chancheng Hospital” (intervertebral disc, stone removal, and birth), has set up a series of specialties such as the heart center, the brain center, and the “Zen” anti-aging medicine center to realize technology and service dual wheel drive.

In addition, in the field of medical devices, Fosun Pharma has systematically deployed three major business divisions with medical cosmetology, respiratory care, and professional medical care. Adhering to the customer as the core and to the global consumer wellness eco-system strategy, and continuing to strengthen the construction of the international marketing system, Fosun Pharma actively promotes the landing of a number of world-leading medical technologies and cutting-edge medical equipment in China.

At the BEYOND Expo, Sisram Medical, the global leading provider of energy-based surgical and medical aesthetics solutions, and Breas, the famous European ventilator brand, as well as the ultra-light and ultra-small CPAP portable ventilator Z1 Auto, are well presented.

At the same time, as a locally-incubated medical artificial intelligence company, Fosun Aitrox also brings its medical, digital and intelligent integrated solution, which uses big data and deep learning to build breakthrough intelligent applications to achieve the integration of artificial intelligence in multiple medical departments. The collaborative application from different medical departments could improve the efficiency, and truly realize AI-driven medical technology services.

About Fosun Pharma

Founded in 1994, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. (“Fosun Pharma”; stock code: 600196.SH, 02196.HK) is a leading innovation-driven international healthcare group in China. Fosun Pharma strategically operates businesses in the pharmaceutical and health industry, including pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical devices and medical diagnosis, and healthcare services. Through equity participation in Sinopharm Co., Ltd., Fosun Pharma’s business extends to pharmaceutical distribution and retail.

Fosun Pharma takes pharmaceutical manufacturing as its core business and sticks to innovative research and development. Through in-house R&D, co-development, in-licensing and incubation, Fosun Pharma had established platforms for small molecule innovative drugs, antibody drugs and cell therapy, focusing on major therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology, “4 hypers” (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia and hyperuricemia) and their complications, as well as central nervous system. In the meantime, Fosun Pharma keeps close track of cutting-edge technologies, such as targeted protein degradation, RNA, oncolytic virus and gene therapy to enhance its innovation ability.

Looking forward, under guidance of 4IN strategy (Innovation, Internationalization, Integration and Intelligentization), Fosun Pharma practices innovation and transformation, integrated operation and steady development, as well as the concept of sustainable development. Fosun Pharma is committed to becoming the first-class enterprise in the global mainstream healthcare industry.

For more information, please visit: www.fosunpharma.com.

#FosunPharma

Fosun Pharma Forward-looking statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, without limitation, the discussions of the Company’s business strategies and expectations concerning future operations, margins, profitability, liquidity and capital resources, the future development of the Company’s industry and the future development of the general economy of the Company’s key markets and any statements preceded by, followed by or that include words and expressions such as “expect”, “seek”, “believe”, “plan”, “intend”, “estimate”, “project”, “anticipate”, “may”, “will”, “would” and “could” or similar words or statements, as they relate to the Company or its management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Subject to the requirements of applicable laws, rules and regulations, the Company does not have any and undertakes no obligation to update or otherwise revise the forward- looking statements in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or developments or otherwise. In this press release, statements of or references to the Company’s intentions are made as of the date of this press release. Any such intentions may change in light of future developments. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are qualified by reference to the cautionary statements set out above.

• More than half (55%) of employees reveal that they have sought training outside of the workplace in the last 12 months.
• Two in five (38%) employees say that current training programmes by their companies are either ‘fair’, bad’ or ‘very bad’.
• Top three reasons for employees’ subpar ratings are ‘limited range of topics covered’ (40%), ‘boring and conventional training approach’ (37%), and ‘training topics are not relevant for career advancements (18%)’.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 3 December 2021 – As we continue to live and work with COVID-19, many workers are gearing up for an endemic world through upskilling. More than half (55%) of Singapore employees reveal that they have taken steps to seek training outside of the workplace in the last 12 months, on top of what is offered by their companies. In addition, two in five (38%) employees say that current learning & development (L&D programmes) offered by their companies are either ‘fair’, bad’ or ‘very bad’. The reasons given for the sub-par ratings include: ‘limited range of topics covered’ (40%), ‘boring and conventional training approach’ (37%), and ‘training topics are not relevant for career advancements (18%)’.

These are some of the key findings from NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB)’s recent Workforce Learning in Workplace Transformation (WLWT) report. The report is based on a survey with 150 business leaders and 300 employees across industries in Singapore, and interviews with human resource experts.

The report also found that companies could do well from improving their training programmes as part of their talent retention strategies. According to majority of (86%) employees, the ‘availability and comprehensiveness of training courses’ are key factors for them to remain loyal to the company. However, only less than half of employers (45%) consider L&D beneficial to employee retention. In fact, 29% of employees either perceive that their companies do not act on insights from post-training evaluations to improve training programmes, or are uncertain of what is done with their feedback.

When asked about the motivations behind upskilling outside of the workplace, workers have cited reasons ‘to stay relevant’ (70%) and ‘remain competitive during this period’ (61%). In particular, three in five (59%) employees who are negatively affected by the effects of COVID-19 are more likely to take up external training as they prepare to seek new employment, as compared to those less affected (31%).

Commenting on the findings, NTUC LHUB’s Director of Human Capital, Sean Lim, says, “Seeing employees increasingly take the initiative to upskill signals that there is a strong desire to become adaptable in these uncertain times. As much as this is a positive move for individual workers, it is also a call to action for businesses to provide quality L&D programmes to engage their workforce in a meaningful way and motivate them to be the best versions of themselves at work. Training should be used as a strategic tool to develop new capabilities for businesses to stay competitive today. As we transition into an endemic world, employees who are confident in their new skills and professional competencies would emerge stronger and have a greater sense of loyalty towards their company.”

“There needs to be a push for employees to start regularly upskilling and boosting their productivity and efficiency. For businesses to be sustainable, developing human capital to be future-ready is key. Putting training at the front and centre of the business is one way to overcome the prevalent skills gaps and labour shortage. Many companies tend to hire without the intention to train. If every company only acquires talent and does not develop them, it will be harder to overcome the shrinking talent supply,” says Adrian Tan, Strategist, Future of Work at Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP).

­­To download the Workforce Learning in Workplace Transformation report, visit https://www.ntuclearninghub.com/workforce-learning-2021. To find out more about the courses, training and grants, contact NTUC LHUB at https://www.ntuclearninghub.com/.

About NTUC LearningHub

NTUC LearningHub is the leading Continuing Education and Training provider in Singapore which aims to transform the lifelong employability of working people. Since our corporatisation in 2004, we have been working with employers and individual learners to provide learning solutions in areas such as Cloud, Infocomm Technology, Healthcare, Employability & Literacy, Business Excellence, Workplace Safety & Health, Security, Human Resources and Foreign Worker Training.

To date, NTUC LearningHub has helped over 25,000 organisations and achieved over 2.6 million training places across more than 500 courses with a pool of over 900 certified trainers. As a Total Learning Solutions provider to organisations, we also forge partnerships and offer a wide range of relevant end-to-end training solutions and work constantly to improve our training quality and delivery. In 2020, we have accelerated our foray into online learning with our Virtual Live Classes and, through working with best-in-class partners such as IBM, DuPont Sustainable Solutions and GO1, asynchronous online courses.

For more information, visit www.ntuclearninghub.com

#NTUC