“We will focus on green energy such as solar, wind and hydropower in Thailand and others countries in Asia,” she said.

The company is currently developing renewable energy in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, South Korea, and the Philippines through 17 co-generation plants, 24 solar PVs, three hydro-power plants, one industrial waste-to-energy project, and a diesel generation with a total capacity of 2,896 megawatts.

The company is looking to expand investment in Malaysia, Cambodia, South Korea, and the Philippines by focusing on green energy such as wind, solar, and gas.

In Vietnam, the company aims to expand the capacity of its solar energy production of Dau Tieng 1 and Dau Tieng 2 with Dau Tieng 3. The Dau Tieng 3 plant will have production capacity of 120 megawatts. In South Korea, the company is looking to invest in wind energy by collaborating with a South Korea firm to invest in a wind energy project, while its interest in Malaysia includes investment in a combined cycle gas electricity plant in collaboration with its Malaysian partners.

Meanwhile, the company has continued to expand its investment in green energy in Thailand covering solar farm, wind, and waste.

Following the investment plan, the company expects revenue from overseas will increase from 25 per cent to 30 per cent of total revenue in 2022, with the next 70 per cent coming from the domestic market.

She added that the company’s investments will come from both the company’s cash flow and loans from both commercial banks and the bond market with a debt-to-equity ratio of not over than 2:1.

“We now have debt-to-equity ratio about 1.6:1 that has room enough to find the funding to serve our investment plan,” she said.

With the plant in Vietnam now in operation, the company believes that revenue in 2019 will grow between 15 per cent and 20 per cent compared to the same period of last year, she said.

The company reported total revenue Bt37.22 billion and net profit Bt1.86 million for 2018 and Bt21.29 billion and Bt1.15 billion respectively for the first half of this year.

Two senior members of the Vietnamese Politburo – Vo Van Thurong, head of propaganda and training commission, and Nguyen Van Binh, head of the economic commission — presided over the opening of the 420 megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) power facilities, known as Dau Tieng 1 and Dau Tieng 2 (DT1 and DT2) in Tay Ninh, southwest of Vietnam.

General Anantaporn Kanjanarat, a former Thai Energy Minister and now senator, B.Grimm Group chairman Harald Link, BGrimm Power CEO Preeyanart Soontornwata and guests of honour from Vietnam and Thailand attended the opening ceremony of the 420MW project.

The opening follows the successful operation of DT1 and DT2 on June 3 and June 13 this year, respectively, when their output began to be delivered to Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), the buyer, on a commercial basis.

Link said the Dau Tieng 1 and Dau Tieng 2 project represented one of B Grimm Power’s big strides to become a leading regional player in the energy sector and a host of investments are afoot.

He said the B Grimm Group has been a pioneer in infrastructure and utilities in Thailand for over 141 years.

B Grimm Power, the group’s flagship subsidiary and one of Thailand’s largest private power producers, has been active for over 20 years in meeting the energy needs of Thai industry, he said.

Vietnam, he noted, possesses high investment potential with GDP growth of 6-7 per cent per year. The country also is seriously supporting renewable energy development.

According to Preeyanart, the sales of power from the Dau Tieng 1 and Dau Tieng 2 scheme, at 9.35 US cent/kWh tariff (approximately Bt3) throughout the 20-year supply contract with EVN, are becoming a sustainable contributor to B Grimm Power’s long-term revenue stream.

Along with the Phu Yen TTP, another solar PV project in Vietnam built by B Grimm Power with 257MW generating capacity went on stream on June 10 this year. A total of 677MW from solar PV projects provided Bt181 million in revenue to the company in June alone, she added.

The combined capacity of B Grimm Power’s solar PV projects in Vietnam resulted in a 40 per cent boost in the company’s total generating capacity from the beginning of the year as well as ramping up renewable energy in its overall portfolio to 30 per cent from 8 per cent.

Meanwhile, B Grimm Power is proceeding with the construction of a 5MW industrial waste-to-energy facility in Thailand with commercial production slated to begin in December this year.

The facility will bring the total number of B Grimm Power plants in commercial operation at the year-end to 46.

They comprise 17 co-generation plants, 24 solar PVs, three hydro-power, plants, one industrial waste-to-energy project and a diesel generation a total capacity of 2,896MW.

The increase in electrical output and sales from these power plants will allow B Grimm Power to raise its 2019 revenue by 15-20 per cent over the previous year as planned. B Grimm Power is pursuing further investment in power plant projects in many countries, including Vietnam, South Korea, Cambodia and the Philippines.

The company is also involved in rooftop solar power programmes both at home and abroad.

This participation and ongoing investment form part of B Grimm Power’s drive for a sustainable and quality growth to have 5,000MW in power purchase accords in place by 2022.

The company plans to cope with the volatile price of energy products by focusing more on short-term business strategies, such as cost-cutting in coal production to maintain profitability, selecting low-cost production sites and employing more efficient machinery to develop mines.

Banpu’s subsidiaries in Indonesia, Australia and China, as well as Banpu Power Public Company Limited, are displaying “outstanding performance”, it said.

“They have performed efficient financial management, resulting in continuous dividend paybacks. Large-scale power plants such as BLCP and Hongsa and combined heat and power plants in China have strong cash-flow management and financial status, which contribute to satisfactory dividend yields.”

The company is meanwhile seeking long-term financial sources. It has gained strong support from various financial institutions, assuring that it has the potential to generate growth and maintain the appropriate net debt-to-equity ratio, as well as to sustain dividend payments, as in the past.

“The company has generated uninterrupted cash flow due to effective cash-flow management strategies,” said chief executive Somruedee Chaimongkol. “In particular, it enjoys continuous cash flow from operation activities in energy resources group and from investment activities in subsidiaries, which generate regular dividends. This provides us with liquidity in business operations and readiness to invest in businesses with high growth potential.

“The strategies also support growth according to the Greener & Smarter strategy, as well as accommodate the volatility of energy prices in the global market and constant changes in the global economy.

“We are confident that with the efficient cash-flow management, the synergy of three core groups of businesses, and the mutually beneficial business ecosystem, we can achieve sustainable growth and create long-term sustainable returns for investors and all stakeholders.”

Peter Streibl, the general manager of Takeda Thailand Co Ltd, a part of a leading biopharmaceutical company, participated in the joint signing ceremony for an MoU featuring a five-year framework to address rare diseases in Thailand.

The objective is for Thailand’s medical organisations, rare diseases patient foundations, and Takeda Thailand to develop a work plan and support activities that would improve the standard of care for patients with rare diseases in Thailand.

The work under the MoU consists of increasing the scope of studies and research work to better understand rare diseases, improving the skill and efficiency in diagnosis of rare diseases in Thailand, supporting educational programmes for healthcare professionals and patients, working with expert and patient advocacy groups to raise public awareness of rare diseases, supporting the development of a national database of rare diseases, and collaborating with key stakeholders for rare disease policy development.

Signatories came from Thailand’s medical organisations and patient foundations, including Medical Association of Thailand; Medical Genetics and Genomics Association (of Thailand); Medical Genetics Network, Genetics Society of Thailand; The Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Association of Thailand; Thai Rare Disease Foundation; Genetic LSD Foundation and HAE Thailand.

Stephanie Davis has been named Managing Director, Sales and Operations, Google Southeast Asia.   In her new role, she will be responsible for Google’s sales and operations across the region. Prior to this, she was the Country Director for Google in Singapore and New Zealand, as well as the Managing Industry Director for Travel  in the United States, looking after many of the company’s largest travel partnerships.

Ben King has been appointed Country Director, Google Singapore and is responsible for  sales and business development for Singapore-based clients. Prior to this appointment, Ben ran sales and business development operations for Google Thailand. He had also worked with various Google businesses in countries across South and Southeast Asia including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Jackie Wang has been appointed Country Manager, Google Thailand. Most recently, she was Google’s Industry head in Thailand after working as a brand manager for several key products such as Nest Thermostat and Nest Cam in the United States. Jackie joined Google Thailand’s sales team in a transfer from McCann Worldgroup in 2014.

The store is open daily from 10am-8pm.

“The opening reinforces our commitment to deliver amazing experiences to our customers, who are at the centre of everything we do,” said managing director Pavin Vorapruck. “Customers who shop and interact with us across physical and digital channels will now get to experience the seamless excitement and authenticity that comes our innovation that we are known for.”

Tech-savvy millennial consumers and SMB owners will be amazed with the iconic, harmonious design and high performance of the HP Spectre and HP Envy laptops, the industry-leading security features of HP’s latest Elitebooks, and the game-changing additions to the Omen ecosystem.

Gamers can test their ability on the latest Omen titles. In addition to the latest devices suited for business use, including display and print equipment, the store also offers a broad range of accessories for home use.

The HP OfficeJet Pro for SMB users and a reimagined HP Smart Tank for the home are on view and onsite servicing, customer walk-ins, retailer drop-off, pick-up and return customer support services are all on offer.

HP has 13 service centres in Thailand, from Chiang Rai and Hat Yai to Korat, and provides customer support through social messaging platforms including Facebook, WeChat, WhatsApp and KakaoTalk.

Customers can also contact HP authorised partners for drop-off services for PC and printer support. Devices are serviced and returned to the customer within three to five working days.

McBain was among 27 outstanding women leaders from 11 countries selected on the annual listing of exceptional female sustainability leaders in the region. They were chosen out of 126 nominations from 20 countries across Asia.

The 2019 List was announced by Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) chief executive Tim Mohin, and Asthildur Hjaltadottir, GRI’s chief of Network Engagement and Regional Implementation Officer, who were guests of honour at the Asia Sustainability Reporting Summit’s networking cocktail reception in Singapore.

A Sustainability Superwoman is someone who is leading change through sustainability strategies and initiatives both within and outside of her organisation. An international jury reviews and assesses the nominations to identify the winners.

Asia’s Top Sustainability Superwomen is a non-profit project initiated by CSRWorks International. Its purpose is to recognise and honour the contribution of exceptional women leaders who are driving change to make the world a better place.

“We’re delighted to see Asia’s Top Sustainability Superwomen go from strength to strength. These women have led the way on sustainability and diversity throughout Asia. We hope that by celebrating their numerous achievements we will inspire more women to become future sustainability leaders,” said Rajesh Chhabara, managing director of CSRWorks International, said,

“It’s such an honour to be recognised alongside the other 26 inspiring women who are all providing incredible leadership in sustainability across Asia,” McBain said. “This award is also recognition of the efforts by the entire team at Thai Union, who are working every day to make the global seafood industry and our oceans more sustainable”

The recognition for Dr. McBain comes as Thai Union continues to drive positive change across the sector. Last year, Thai Union was ranked number one in the world in the Food Products Industry Index of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI); joined forces with the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) to collaborate in actively promoting solutions for reducing plastic waste and the growing problem of abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) worldwide; and released its first annual Tuna Commitment Progress Report as part of its ambitious strategy to ensure 100 percent of its branded tuna is sustainably sourced.

Thai Union is regarded as the world’s largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding Bt133.3 billion.

Ratchanok, a badminton player, is among the most celebrated and successful Thai athletes, and became the world’s No 1 in 2016. She has amassed nearly 400 wins worldwide, collecting 23 titles, and is currently ranked number six in the world.

Suripong Tantiyanon, the country manager for Visa Thailand said, “Visa is a proud sponsor of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and it is a great honour to welcome ‘Nong May’ Ratchanok Inthanon to Team Visa. We believe she is the perfect embodiment of what the Visa brand stands for, as she pushes boundaries every day in everything she does. We are excited to cheer her on and will be by her side every step of the journey as she continues her pursuit of the Olympic gold in Tokyo next year.”

Rathanok said, ““I’m thrilled to be a part of Team Visa. Having the support of a global brand like Visa makes it possible to achieve excellence in my sport as I continue the quest for my first Olympic gold.”

A global Olympic partner for more than 30 years and Paralympic partner since 2003, Visa founded its Team Visa program in 2000, with the aim of providing athletes with the tools, resources and support they need to achieve their lifelong dreams, both on and off the field of competition, regardless of their origin or background. To date, Visa has supported more than 400 athletes.

The aim is to ensure that Thai consumers have access to high-quality products that are sourced sustainably, healthy, and affordable. It will also enhance measures to protect the environment and support local communities.

“Throughout our operations in Thailand, we have remained committed to making positive contributions to all of our stakeholders and to the environment. We recognise that there is a role we can play in making a bigger impact in a positive way and are implementing the Little Helps Plan across our businesses. Clear targets and KPIs have been set, with progress being reported transparently and regularly,” Sompong Rungnirattisai, the company’s chief executive, said.

“As a retailer, we believe that we should do more than just sourcing products and passing them on to customers. Our customers in Thailand must have access to high quality products that come from sustainable sources, are good for their health, and still have affordable prices. As such, Tesco Lotus has prioritised sustainable sourcing of products, with respect to ethics, human rights, animal welfare, and environmental impact. Food products must be of high quality, made from good ingredients, be tasty and affordable and also healthy.”

“Our sustainability plan also focuses on an integral part of our business – our colleagues. As an employer of nearly 50,000 colleagues, Tesco Lotus is committed to helping our colleagues to get on, with opportunities to grow and develop their skills and capabilities, beyond having an income and other benefits. Currently, 80-90 per cent of our store colleagues are from surrounding communities. We also extend employment opportunities to others such as retirees and students to work within the business.”

“In terms of the support we provide for communities, as a food retailer, we focus on ensuring that children in impoverished schools around Thailand have access to nutritious and healthy food. Our food donation programme provides lunches for students in 77 schools in all provinces of Thailand. Our edible surplus food is also donated from 40 hypermarkets in Bangkok and major cities.”

“Due to mounting concerns on the environment and waste, Tesco Lotus has focused our effort on reducing plastic and food waste. We encourage customers to refuse plastic bags and we don’t giving plastic bags for purchases of two items or less across our 1,800 small format stores. By the end of 2019, we will also stop using plastic straws in our operations and offer more environmentally friendly alternatives for our customers. Since July 1, 2019, we have eliminated all foam trays from our operations.”

Salinla Seehaphan, Corporate Affairs Director at Tesco Lotus, said that Tesco Lotus began campaigning for customers to say no to plastic bags since 2015, the first retailer in Thailand to introduce the reward system to incentivize customers to change behaviors.

“Every time customers refuse plastic bags, they receive Clubcard points which can be redeemed for discounts and other privileges. Since the start of the programme, we have awarded nearly 6 billion points and saved more than 190 million plastic bags,” she said.

The chain has also turned all express checkout lanes in 200 hypermarkets will be turned into Green Lanes that do not give plastic bags effective this month.

Wunderman Thompson Thailand is getting off to a flying start as one of the strongest agencies in Thailand’s communication industry, bringing together two leading agencies, boasting a full-fledged, multi-talented team of 400 people and a robust client portfolio that currently counts more than 100 brands.

The official launch followed WPP’s announcement late last year to globally merge the capabilities and scale of Wunderman and J Walter Thompson, creating the world’s youngest agency network with more than 20,000 people in 212 locations across 93 markets worldwide.

Wunderman Thompson, the company produced by the union of history’s first creative agency and the digital agency that pioneered direct marketing, is distinctively positioned as a provider of end-to-end solutions through creative, data, commerce, consulting and technology services at a global scale by combining the best of J. Walter Thompson and Wunderman.

“Being one of the earliest offices to complete the transition, all of us at Wunderman Thompson Thailand are really excited to deliver the newly combined capabilities to our clients under one roof,” said Maureen Tan, Chief Executive Officer of Wunderman Thompson Thailand. “Now as a creative, data and technology agency with a mission of ‘Inspiring Growth for Ambitious Brands’, we have brought together the capabilities our clients are demanding- award-winning creativity alongside deep expertise in technology, data and commerce – in a single agency.”

Last month, Wunderman Thailand’s staff moved into FYI Center that has served as the home of J Walter Thompson Bangkok for the past few years, and is now the location of Wunderman Thompson Thailand.

“Our office today houses 400 talented people in Wunderman Thompson’s main team and various specialised divisions with a healthy client portfolio of 100-plus brands who are inspired to grow with us. It is the place for quality deliverables and impactful campaigns that are shaped around the needs of each client, both through individual creation and effective collaboration across all the disciplines, including Mirum in digital transformation and digital marketing, Verve in public, media, influencer management and content creation, and Degree in branding consultancy and design,” she added.

Earlier this year, Wunderman Thompson Thailand introduced its new content-creation unit to help clients create, produce and amplify creative and quality contents in the social and digital space, which added a new forte to the top-five award-winning agency in Thailand. That was soon followed by the launch of ‘Experience Design’ by Mirum as a new approach for brands to tackle fundamental challenges in navigating innovation process and go beyond conventional business thinking. Besides, the Thai integration also brought digital marketing to the family of in-house units, and thus beefed up its digital capabilities with a full range of technology and digital marketing solutions.

“We are confident that, with our creative excellence that have bagged awards from across the globe combined with our strategic, data analytics and tech capabilities, we are ready provide the most comprehensive solutions to our existing and new clients as the best one-stop agency,” continued Maureen.

Wunderman Thompson Thailand now provides an all-encompassing range of world-class services including Branding and Creative, Digital and Mobile, CRM, Data Management and Analytics, E-commerce, Customer Experience, Technology, Content, Design, Public Relations, Production, Event, Promotions and Shopper Marketing.

“The rate and scale of change is greater than at any time in our living memory. This is how the world is today and will continue to be in the future. Wunderman Thompson’s extensive capabilities will further distinguish us in the Thai market and effectively position Wunderman Thompson Thailand as the best future-facing agency in Thailand,” she concluded.