Tag: Africa

Supply of drug substance manufactured under cGMP supports first-in-human clinical study for RBI-4000 novel self-replicating RNA (srRNA)

ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Curia, a leading contract research, development and manufacturing organization, today announced that its partner, Replicate Bioscience, has received IND clearance from the FDA and has dosed the first participant with RBI-4000, a self-replicating (srRNA) rabies vaccine, in a Phase 1 clinical study utilizing clinical material developed as part of the collaboration with Curia.

Curia conducted process development, scale-up and cGMP manufacture of srRNA RBI-4000 drug substance. At approximately 10,000 bases, this srRNA is significantly larger than a conventional linear mRNA and has been historically difficult to manufacture at the scales required for clinical development. Curia’s analytical method development and qualification of the assays were also critical to the release of this srRNA molecule.

“Curia is proud to be a pioneer in manufacturing this new class of srRNA technology by delivering RBI-4000 srRNA drug substance to our partner Replicate in support of their Phase 1 clinical trial,” said Christopher Conway, President, Research & Development, Curia. “We are dedicated to providing advantaged solutions from development to cGMP manufacture for our customers in the mRNA field.”

This new class of srRNA vaccine offers a number of potential improvements to existing mRNA vaccines, including lower dosage requirements and improved tolerability. The advancement also opens the door for further RNA innovation for use in vaccines and therapeutics with fewer constraints on molecule size.

“Our collaboration with Curia helped us manufacture a new class of self-replicating RNAs which have the potential to deliver improved bioactivity, tolerability and efficacy profiles as compared to other RNA technologies,” said Nathaniel Wang, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Replicate. “Curia scaled up a process for longer RNAs that enabled large-scale production at yields, purity and potency to support Replicate’s Phase 1 clinical trial.”

Curia is committed to being a partner of choice from discovery and development through manufacture and commercialization, providing a full suite of services to support small and large molecule, drug substance, drug product aseptic fill-finish and laboratory testing at every phase of the drug development life cycle.

About Curia
Curia, formerly AMRI, is a leading contract research, development, and manufacturing organization providing products and services from R&D through commercial manufacturing to pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical customers. Curia’s nearly 4,000 employees at 29 locations across the U.S., Europe, and Asia help its customers advance from curiosity to cure. Learn more at CuriaGlobal.com.

Curia Contact Information:
Viana Bhagan
+1 518 512 2111
corporatecommunications@CuriaGlobal.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8920285

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Under its new identity as “AIM Congress,” the Organizing Committee of the World’s Leading Investment Platform will once again gather together regional and international leaders, thinkers, and innovators at the 13^th edition of the event taking place from 7 to 9 May 2024 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

To be anchored on the theme “Adapting to a Shifting Investment Landscape: Harnessing New Potential for Global Economic Development,” AIM Congress 2024 is supported by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) as lead partner.

To be hosted again in the UAE’s vibrant capital, AIM Congress 2024 plans to surpass the success achieved by its last year’s edition which attracted 10,313 participants and 693 speakers from 175 countries.

His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, expressed his enthusiasm for AIM Congress 2024, stating that, “For more than a decade, AIM Congress has been steadfast in its commitment to promote global economic cooperation and harness the potential of countries especially emerging markets. Amid the backdrop of the shifting global investment scene, it is all-important for countries to adapt and explore new avenues for growth. For its 2024 edition, AIM Congress will continue to be the leading venue where the world’s key economic stakeholders congregate to facilitate dialogue and pave the way for impactful investments that propel a brighter, better future for each and everyone.”

His Excellency Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of ADDED, said: “Building on the remarkable success of AIM’s previous edition, we are raising the bar to meet the expectations of the global investment community. As the Capital of Capital, Abu Dhabi is leading global conversations on investments outlook and dynamics in an era characterised by mega shifts. Our approach to inward and outward investments is guided by our unwavering commitment to place human development, sustainability, and advanced technology at the core of socio-economic plans at local and international levels, support of ESG agendas, and enhance synergies through international cooperation to improve life for all.”

For his part, Dawood Al Shezawi, President of AIM Global Foundation, commented: “In the face of the various challenges confronting our world today, coupled with the continued decline in global economic growth, emerges the announcement of AIM’s new identity as AIM Congress, which positions itself as a premier venue for investment, providing the optimal platform for esteemed leaders and decision-makers around the world to collectively address our most pressing issues, reshape the global trade and investment landscape, and ultimately foster positive, enduring social and economic impacts in diverse regions worldwide.”

AIM Congress is built upon a foundation of its five key pillars – FDI, FPI, Startups, SMEs, and Future Cities – that underpin the event’s objectives and provide a framework for its activities.

For more details
Shreya Verma – +971 521133926
shreya.verma@aimcongress.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000839289

London, Sept. 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Prax Group (“Prax”) – a British multinational, independent global energy conglomerate dealing in crude oil, petroleum products and biofuels, with a complete integration across the oil value chain, from upstream to midstream and downstream – has announced the successful closing of a new privately placed c.US$300 million (equivalent) Term Loan Facility (the “Facility”).  The Facility achieved a substantial oversubscription and was upsized from an original US$250 million, with four institutions participating in the transaction, including three new lenders.

The Private Credit team at HSBC Bank plc (“HSBC”) acted as Sole Mandated Lead Arranger of the transaction. Funds managed by institutional investors including Chimera Abu Dhabi (“Chimera”) and Orchard Global Asset Management (“Orchard Global”) acted as lenders alongside HSBC.

Ben Lahnstein, Group Chief Financial Officer, Prax, said: “The success of the transaction highlights the confidence our lending groups have in Prax and the depth of our banking and investor relationships. This latest funding has diversified our funding sources and strengthened our balance sheet.  It provides us with a solid financial platform from which to execute future M&A activities, and deliver sustainable, profitable growth.”

The new Facility will be used to refinance the maturing five-year term loan tranche from 2018, as well as for strategic acquisitions.

| ENDS |

Notes to Editors

About The Prax Group: Headquartered in the UK, the Prax Group is a British multinational, independent exploration and production, refining, storage, distribution and sales conglomerate dealing in petroleum products and bio-fuels. The Prax Group has a complete integration across the whole oil value chain, from upstream to midstream and downstream, with offices in London, Houston and Singapore. The Group strives to limit its carbon footprint and to embrace the advent of transitional fuels.

www.prax.com

Corporate Headquarters:
Prax Group
York House
45 Seymour Street
London W1H 7JT
United Kingdom
Email: press@prax.com

Attachments

• THE PRAX GROUP ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL CLOSING OF A USD300 MILLION PRIVATE CREDIT FACILITY
• RoSPA Oil & Gas Sector Award

Prax Group
press@prax.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8921162

BofA Securities and BNP Paribas Exane share first place as top research provider in the Developed Europe survey

BofA Securities, HSBC and J.P. Morgan share top spot in Emerging EMEA

LONDON, Sept. 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Institutional Investor Research (II Research) surveys are the leading provider of market sentiment in the financial industry. Research budgets remain flat and asset managers are using fewer analysts, but demand for bespoke opinion means that close client relationships and “trusted source” status becomes more important than ever before. With MiFID regulations potentially being rolled back across Europe and UK, the focus on the provision of quality research advisory services may result in a more competitive environment and we may see an increase in research teams across the industry.

There were no changes to the industry and country sector categories this year. The 2023 Developed Europe Research results reflects the opinions of 5,462 portfolio managers and analysts (up from 4,692 in 2022) from 1,813 institutions (up from 1,696 in 2022). The total number of votes has also increased from last year, by 11%. Over 180 firms have submitted centralised or coordinated votes, underscoring the robust nature of the results as an accurate reflection of market sentiment.

Results Highlights

Developed Europe Research

The Leaders’ Board remains intensely competitive, with seven companies competing for the honour of being rated best research house. BofA Securities and BNP Paribas Exane were ranked in first place, both with 38 published positions. J.P. Morgan once again follows in third place taking 31 positions with UBS achieving fourth place with 30 ranked teams. Barclays built on the momentum they gathered in 2022, gaining three published positions and rising to 5^th overall; Morgan Stanley places sixth. The largest gain on the Leader’s Board came from Jefferies in seventh, which gained 10 positions from 2022. Citi, Bernstein and Kepler Cheuvreux take the final three places in the Developed Europe Top 10, displacing Credit Suisse that shared joint 11^th place with Societe Generale.

BNP Paribas Exane once again claims first place in the analyst-ranked tables with 44 positions, followed by BofA Securities (41), J.P. Morgan (35 positions) and Barclays (31), which climbed two places.

Emerging EMEA Research

HSBC and J.P. Morgan were joined by BofA Securities as joint first place in the Emerging EMEA Leaders’ Table all with 17 published positions. Morgan Stanley took fourth place with 8 positions. Citi and UBS shared fifth.

In the commission-weighted analyst tables, the top three positions were unchanged; HSBC came first with 33 published positions, followed by J.P. Morgan with 22 positions and BofA Securities with 18. Morgan Stanley pushed up seven places to 15 to take fourth and UBS came fifth place with 13 positions to complete the leading winners. Vote participation up 14% this year with 934 voters from 286 companies.

David Enticknap, Head of II Research said “With MiFID regulations potentially being rolled back across Europe and UK, the focus on the provision of quality research advisory services may result in a more competitive environment, and we may see an increase in research teams across the industry. The Institutional Investor rankings represent the gold standard in assessment of quality in equity research, recognised globally for the integrity of the process and depth of coverage.”

The results can be found here: https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/research

For more information, or a demo on how to interrogate the data, contact Augusta McKie, Sales Director Research (EMEA), augusta.mckie@iiresearch.com

To share your position on your website content, advertisements, communications and marketing collateral, please contact marketing@iiresearch.com.

Media contact

David Bowen, Director of Marketing, Institutional Investor Research david.bowen@iiresearch.com

About Institutional Investor Research

For over 50 years, Institutional Investor has been conducting independent research surveys with global investment professionals who evaluate and determine the best performing sell side service providers, asset managers and CEOs, CFOs, IROs and IR Programs across Europe, Emerging EMEA, Asia Pacific, North America and Latin America. The research data independently captures evaluations of companies, investment professionals and executives from investment managers, banks, research providers and corporate issuers, to deliver detailed peer-to-peer comparative analyses every year; the feedback helps inform strategic decision making and improve resource and process management.

Follow Institutional Investor Research here https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/11222447

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8920402

36 companies (Core, Large Cap & Small-Mid Cap) came first in at least five voting areas in their sectors in Developed Europe and 16 companies for Emerging EMEA

LONDON, Sept. 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Institutional Investor Research (II Research) surveys are the leading provider of independent performance validation and market sentiment across 8 global capital markets. Executive Team surveys are an independent platform for investment and sell-side professionals to evaluate credibility, communication, financial stewardship and capital allocation of corporate leadership, the quality of IR across multiple activities and the effectiveness of the Board of Directors. The results from the survey, an in-depth capability and benchmark analysis, capture the feeling and trust levels of stakeholders in their equity assets.

This year saw 2,733 CEOs, CFOs, and IROs from 1,266 nominated companies receiving votes in the survey. Combined voters saw 1,872 voters from 851 voting companies. The number of votes increased by over 20% since 2022 for the Developed Europe survey and 46% for the Emerging EMEA survey.

2023 Emerging EMEA Executive Team — Core results

281 companies and 503 individuals were nominated across 11 sectors.

Eight companies clinched a clean sweep first place in the combined rankings in five voting areas for Best CEO, Best CFO, Best Investor Relations Professional, Best IR Company, Best Analyst/Investor Event, Best ESG Metrics, and Best Company Board in their respective sectors:

Al Rajhi Bank (Saudi Arabia, Financials), Coca-Cola Icecek (Turkey, Consumer), Haci Omer Sabanci Holding (Turkey, Industrials), Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (Greece, Technology, Media & Telecommunications), Lamda Development (Greece, Construction & Real Estate), MLP Saglik Hizmetleri (Turkey, Health Care & Pharmaceuticals), Mytilineos Holdings (Greece, Metals & Mining) and Petkim Petrokimya Holding (Turkey, Chemicals).

2023 Emerging EMEA Executive Team — Large Cap results

95 companies and 197 individuals were nominated across 11 sectors.

Six companies clinched a clean sweep first place in the combined rankings five of the seven aforementioned voting areas:

Al Rajhi Bank (Saudi Arabia, Financials), Emaar Properties (United Arab Emirates, Construction & Real Estate), Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (Greece, Technology, Media & Telecommunications), Koc Holding (Turkey, Industrials), Opap (Greece, Consumer) and Turk Hava Yollari (Turkey, Transportation).

2023 Emerging EMEA Executive Team — Small & Midcap results

186 companies and 306 individuals were nominated across 11 sectors.

Ten companies obtained a clean sweep first place in the combined rankings in five of the seven aforementioned voting areas:

Aegean Airlines (Greece, Transportation), Coca-Cola Icecek (Turkey, Consumer), Haci Omer Sabanci Holding (Turkey, Industrials), Lamda Development (Greece, Construction & Real Estate), MLP Saglik Hizmetleri (Turkey, Health Care & Pharmaceuticals), Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries (Greece, Oil & Gas), Mytilineos Holdings (Greece, Metals & Mining), Petkim Petrokimya Holding (Turkey, Chemicals), Piraeus Financial Holdings (Greece, Financials) and Turk Telekomunikasyon (Turkey, Technology Media & Telecommunications).

Amani Korayeim, Director for Europe and Emerging EMEA, says “The Institutional Investor rankings are recognised as an industry benchmark by its stakeholders and determine compensation packages and KPIs for IR teams that are empowered and valued by their leadership teams. Investor Relations is critical in shareholder value creation. In fact, good IR, often recognised through the Institutional Investor’s rankings, can deliver a competitive advantage, and help companies trade at a premium. Conversely, poor IR can lead to the company being traded at a discount, create greater volatility and higher cost of capital. The highest ranked companies in our surveys tend to measure and monitor the effectiveness of their IR activities very closely. These are the teams that take a strategic and deliberate approach to their market engagement, use underlying research data and perception intelligence to continually optimise their IR interaction to close the gap between their competition and lock in prospect targets through a more personalised and targeted outreach. Congratulations to all the top ranked companies this year, we are particularly excited about the new names and regions that are represented in what the market defines as Best in Class IR.”

For the full list of published winners, please visit www.institutionalinvestor.com/research.

Awards & Licences

Institutional Investor owns the copyright to all survey and awards logos. To acquire access to the Institutional Investor award or survey logo for use in client pitch books, annual reports, websites, email signatures, local advertising, social media etc., please contact marketing@iiresearch.com

Ranking Analysis & Perception Intelligence

To request further information on how you can access the underlying survey research to identify strength and opportunities in IR through a multi-dimensional comparative peer analysis, please contact amani.korayeim@iiresearch.com

Media contact

David Bowen, Director of Marketing, Institutional Investor Research david.bowen@iiresearch.com

About Institutional Investor Research

For over 50 years, Institutional Investor has been conducting independent research surveys with global investment professionals who evaluate and determine the best performing sell side service providers, asset managers and CEOs, CFOs, IROs and IR Programs across Europe, Emerging EMEA, Asia Pacific, North America and Latin America. The research data independently captures evaluations of companies, investment professionals and executives from investment managers, banks, research providers and corporate issuers, to deliver detailed peer-to-peer comparative analyses every year; the feedback helps inform strategic decision making and improve resource and process management.

Follow Institutional Investor Research here https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/11222447

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8920411

Company appoints Teresa M. Kim, experienced technology finance executive, to oversee finance and accounting functions

BOSTON, Sept. 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Duck Creek Technologies, the intelligent solutions provider defining the future of property and casualty (P&C) and general insurance, announces the appointment of Teresa M. Kim as chief financial officer (CFO). Kim is an accomplished senior finance leader with a strong background and history in cloud computing, technology platforms, and “Big Four” public accounting. She joins Duck Creek following a 20-year tenure with Akamai Technologies (Akamai), a worldwide content delivery network and cloud service company, where she most recently served as vice president (VP) of finance in their cloud technology group overseeing $2 billion-plus in revenues while helping the business to build a scaling world-class platform. While at Akamai, she also was VP of finance in their media and carrier division helping to lead strategic media customer contract negotiations. Previously, she held a role as assistant controller overseeing global accounting and operations leading a large team of 120 professionals and building out finance centers of excellence in India and Poland.

Prior to Akamai, Kim served as a senior auditor with Ernst &Young (EY), supporting clients in EY’s technology, communications, and entertainment sector. She began her career in financial consulting roles with KPMG and Economic Analysis Corporation before moving into public accounting.

“Teresa is a dynamic and thoughtful leader with strong financial acumen, client focus, and experience across cloud and platform technology operations. As Duck Creek continues to focus on international growth and SaaS maturity, she will be a tremendous asset in helping to direct our own strategic transformation and optimize our financial operations,” said Mike Jackowski, CEO of Duck Creek. “This is an exciting time for all of us at Duck Creek and I am confident her talent will help us to continue creating value for our customers, partners, and stakeholders.”

Kim adds, “I’m excited to join Duck Creek as it strengthens its leadership position in the global insurance industry. I’m honored to have the opportunity to work closely with Mike and the entire Duck Creek team during a period of accelerated growth.”

Kim earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with a focus in economics and minor in Asian American studies from UCLA. She earned her MBA and a master’s degree in accounting from Northeastern University. Kim is based in the greater Boston area.

About Duck Creek Technologies

Duck Creek Technologies is the intelligent solutions provider defining the future of the property and casualty (P&C) and general insurance industry. We are the platform upon which modern insurance systems are built, enabling the industry to capitalize on the power of the cloud to run agile, intelligent, and evergreen operations. Authenticity, purpose, and transparency are core to Duck Creek, and we believe insurance should be there for individuals and businesses when, where, and how they need it most. Our market-leading solutions are available on a standalone basis or as a full suite, and all are available via Duck Creek OnDemand. Visit www.duckcreek.com to learn more. Follow Duck Creek on our social channels for the latest information – LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contact

Drake Manning
Duck Creek Technologies
drake.manning@duckcreek.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4a0ac0b9-1a79-4e33-a4bb-d27139e4383d

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8919541