Benelux CIO interview: Richard Ventre, SHV Holdings

Benelux CIO interview: Richard Ventre, SHV Holdings

The diversity of Dutch multinational SHV Holdings attracted Richard Ventre to its group CIO role and presented him with the challenge of supporting users with different business strategies and digital transformation needs. SHV Group operates in a diverse range of industries, with six operating companies, including retail brand Macro along with heavy lifting, engineering, animal feed, financial services and energy businesses. Ventre joined the 126-year-old Dutch company in January 2022 after a long period in IT leadership roles in the ports and logistics sector. Today, he is tasked with creating the tech platform to enable each of the group’s businesses to apply industry-specific know-how to autonomously pursue their own digital transformations. Ventre, originally from Liverpool, gained his first degree in computer science in 1999 at Liverpool John Moores University, before joining IT supplier CSC as part of a graduate programme. He went on to spend 10 years at the company. During his time at CSC, as well as completing his master’s in computer science, he held various roles, including heading up database capability globally and working on the company’s NHS contract for the north-west cluster. His final role at CSC was working on its contract with financial services giant […]

How is the IoT being used in the gambling industry all over the world?

How is the IoT being used in the gambling industry all over the world?

What is the IoT IoT stands for the Internet of Things. It is a term that describes physical objects that can embedd technologies for sensing, processing and exchanging data with other systems and devices through public or private wireless or cellular networks, with data often transiting via the Internet. They can be everyday household items like a kettle or oven to sophisticated industrial tools. How big is the IoT market More than 22 billion connected IoT devices are expected to be in use by 2025. That number is expected to almost double by 2027. Every second, 127 new devices are being added to the network. IoT-enabled devices can be professional/industrial equipments but also consumer products. This last category includes gadgets like smartwatches, kettles, door cameras, heating thermostats but also cars. In the future, it is expected that 70% of all cars will be connected to the internet. Harnessing the potential The potential of the IoT is also being harnessed in the gambling industry. Casino companies all over the world are utilizing the technology for advertising, personalized marketing, and to enhance the overall customer experience. Machine to Machine (M2M) communication removes the need for human interaction. By collecting data rapidly […]

Is There Now An Opportunity In Gaming Realms plc (LON:GMR)?

Is There Now An Opportunity In Gaming Realms plc (LON:GMR)?

Source: Shutterstock Gaming Realms plc ( LON:GMR ), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw a decent share price growth in the teens level on the AIM over the last few months. Less-covered, small caps sees more of an opportunity for mispricing due to the lack of information available to the public, which can be a good thing. So, could the stock still be trading at a low price relative to its actual value? Let’s examine Gaming Realms’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity. Is Gaming Realms Still Cheap? Great news for investors – Gaming Realms is still trading at a fairly cheap price. According to my valuation, the intrinsic value for the stock is £0.39, but it is currently trading at UK£0.27 on the share market, meaning that there is still an opportunity to buy now. What’s more interesting is that, Gaming Realms’s share price is quite volatile, which gives us more chances to buy since the share price could sink lower (or rise higher) in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative […]

Can Affordable Healthcare Create Economic Opportunity?

Can Affordable Healthcare Create Economic Opportunity?

There’s a seemingly bottomless well of ideas and options being promulgated to mitigate income inequality and to expand economic opportunities for the most disadvantaged Americans. Bank of America is, well, banking on affordable healthcare as the best option. The Charlotte, North Carolina, giant, with assets of $3 trillion, recently announced it would allocate $40 million to CDFIs across the country through low-cost long-term capital to promote the development and expansion of primary healthcare facilities and centers to serve low-income Americans in medically underserved areas. Bank of America is not alone among big banks giving increasing support to CDFIs to address economic inequality in various ways. In recent years, JP Morgan Chase , U.S. Bank , TD Bank , Wells Fargo and others have all announced large initiatives supporting CDFIs. To be sure, the banks are counting on good press coming out of the investments. And like with Bank of America’s latest $40 million contribution, the investments are minuscule compared to the banks’ massive assets. Still, Bank of America’s use of CDFIs to spearhead its healthcare initiative is smart, as these organizations know their local communities — and how to address their needs — best. The commitment of $40 million […]

Alumni Small Grants Funding Opportunity 2023

Alumni Small Grants Funding Opportunity 2023

8 MINUTE READ Applications deadline March 17, 2023 The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade announces an open competition for individuals and organizations to submit applications for Alumni Small Grants Program . Please check for information on other PAS funding opportunities here . Program Objectives: Funds for the Alumni Small Grants Program are specifically designated for use by past participants of U.S. Government (USG)-sponsored exchange programs (see below for a complete list of eligible programs). The Alumni Small Grants Program allows our alumni to leverage their experience in the United States to develop ideas and implement projects about how to give back to their home community, or to Serbian society more generally. These projects allow alumni to showcase their leadership and organizational skills, their creativity and innovative approaches to solving problems, and their ability to network and work with allies to achieve their goals. Grant activities may take any number of forms, including trainings, conferences, workshops, courses, academic competitions, summer camps (focused on language study, sports, etc.), cross-border exchanges, curriculum development, exhibits, hackathons or app development, online projects, mock trials or moot court competitions, simulations and role-playing activities (e.g., Model Congress, Model United Nations), film […]

Davos draws record crowds, but its relevance is fading

Davos draws record crowds, but its relevance is fading

London CNN — Every year, business leaders, billionaires and politicians gather in Davos, Switzerland under the banner of forging ties that can help solve global problems. It’s a glitzy exercise often criticized as out of touch . It also looks increasingly out of date as the biggest war in Europe since 1945 turbocharges splits in the world economy. This year’s World Economic Forum, hosted in the Alpine ski town since the early 1970s, kicks off Monday. It’s expected to draw a record 2,700 attendees, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and US climate envoy John Kerry. Yet the WEF’s first winter meeting in Davos since 2020 comes as economic heavyweights are playing by different rules, with companies moving supply chains closer to home , strategic stockpiling picking up pace and corporate executives who once extolled free trade appearing increasingly wary of rising geopolitical risks . “I think Davos is totally irrelevant,” said Rana Foroohar, a Financial Times columnist, whose book “Homecoming” argues that a new shift toward localization is displacing the forces of globalization that have been dominant over the past half century. […]

Chief Executives, Economists Brace for Recession as Davos Begins

Chief Executives, Economists Brace for Recession as Davos Begins

Two fifths fear company failure within decade, PWC poll finds Inflation, volatility and geopolitical conflict top risk list The Congress Centre of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting began in Davos with corporate executives and economists warning a global recession is likely this year. Of 4,410 business leaders surveyed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in October and November last year, 73% predicted global growth to decline over the coming 12 months. The reading was the worst since the consulting firm began polling in 2011. Two out of five even expressed concern their companies may not last a decade. A separate survey of chief economists, released by the Forum, found two-thirds expect a worldwide recession in 2023 as businesses cut costs; 18% viewed such a downturn as “extremely likely.” The concerns are likely to be rife this week as more than 2,700 executives, bankers and economists head to the Swiss ski resort of Davos for the first time in January since 2020. While recent data has raised hopes economies can still pull off a soft landing, last year’s surge in inflation and the subsequent hiking of interest rates by central banks have […]

My company made $1 million in its first year during the 2008 financial crisis. My advice for entrepreneurs is to start now — here's why.

My company made $1 million in its first year during the 2008 financial crisis. My advice for entrepreneurs is to start now — here’s why.

Brandpie, the company Dave Allen founded in 2008, turned over £10 million in 2022. Dave Allen, a consultant at WWP, had been saving for years to launch his own brand consultancy. He saw the 2008 financial crisis as a chance to recruit talent and clients looking to make a change. Allen started his company in 2008 and turned over $1 million in the first year of operation. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest stories in hedge funds, PE, fintech, and banking — delivered daily to your inbox. Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dave Allen, the CEO of Brandpie. It has been edited for length and clarity. Insider has verified his revenue with documentation. When I saw the financial crisis starting to develop back in 2008, it felt like the right moment to start my own brand-consultancy business. I needed to do something […]

In the largest-ever experiment of its kind, 33 companies adopted a four-day workweek. The results were conclusive: It's time for everyone to take Fridays off.

In the largest-ever experiment of its kind, 33 companies adopted a four-day workweek. The results were conclusive: It’s time for everyone to take Fridays off.

More companies are finding success with the four-day workweek. A recent trial of 33 companies had overwhelmingly successful results. A real-world experiment just proved that we should all shift to a four-day workweek The results are in: It’s time for your company to stop working on Fridays (or Mondays). The latest, perhaps most convincing evidence yet for the shift to a four-day workweek comes from a six-month trial which began in February 2022 in which 33 companies with employees in six countries decreased their employees’ workload to four days, or 32 hours, a week. Organized by 4 Day Week Global, the real-world experiment sought to see whether the employees could be just as productive in 80% of the time — all for the same pay. The results were overwhelmingly positive: Companies in the program reported increased revenue and improved employee health and well-being, and had a positive impact on the environment. And after the success, a hundred more companies that together employ thousands of people are considering or are already implementing the same approach. So if you’ve ever tried to persuade your boss to shift to a four-day workweek, this is the best evidence yet that it can work. […]

How Sneaker Sales Could Make The Edit LDN A Billion Dollar Business

How Sneaker Sales Could Make The Edit LDN A Billion Dollar Business

Moses Rashid, founder and CEO of The Edit LDN , is a man in a hurry. Three years after he launched his high-end sneaker marketplace, Rashid is today announcing that the company has closed a $4.8 million seed funding round. He expects that to drive further rapid growth – he is targeting a $150 million valuation by 2026, and $1 billion within three years of that. “We have been laser focused on providing a premium service and doing this super fast for anyone buying limited edition sneakers globally,” Rashid says of the company’s progress. That has seen the company’s revenues grow at a rate of more than 500% a year – to around $12 million in 2022. The Edit LDN specialises in sourcing and selling premium fashion products – limited-edition sneakers and other streetwear from designer labels such as Yeezy, Jordan, Louis Vuitton and Dior. Some customers buy the goods because they want to wear them; the company’s client base includes a string of celebrities, as well as other affluent buyers, who are keen to be fashion leaders and trend setters. Others buy as an investment; the resale price of in-demand sneakers can increase very significantly, netting a tidy […]