At the meeting of NMG’s board of directors last Friday, Shine was appointed chairman of the group’s executive committee and also vice chairman of the board of directors with immediate effect.

Shine said a part of the new investments on the digital TV business would be for upgrading its news production studio and the development of news anchors and content.

He said NMG might have to increase its capital for investment and use revolving capital to repay debt to financial institutions. It will have talks with more than nine creditor financial institutions.

He said that if NMG successfully clinches deals from its creditors on the debt restructuring or extension of the debt repayment periods within the first quarter, it would move to increase capital in the second quarter.

He said the group is already in talks with some creditors and he is confident that an increase in capital could be achieved. The group has already sold some of its non-core businesses, which means it does not have to recognise their cost this year.

NMG is targeting Bt2 billion total revenue this year, according to Shine.

Of the revenue target, about Bt700 million will come from three newspapers – Krungthep Turakij, Kom Chad Luek, and The Nation. Another Bt1.1 billion will come from two digital TV channels – Bt500 million from Nation 22, and Bt600 million from NOW 26, he said.

NOW 26 is revising its business plan, which will be unveiled by February this year.

NMG is also targeting revenue of between Bt150 million to Bt200 million from the event organising business.

Shine said it was difficult to set a revenue target for the group’s digital business at the moment. This is because such digital revenue has been part of other existing media businesses. NMG will set up a new working team to look after the digital business and generate digital revenues from the group’s existing media.

He said the current problems faced by NMG only reflected the problems faced by the local media industry. Media business is now in recession and facing difficult times.

The group has strong involvement in print media, whose prospects are not good as individual readers have turned to digital pages. However, revenue from digital media still cannot replace that from print media. NMG itself has operated different forms of media and the group has confronted many of the problems at the same time, especially those impacted by the changing technology.

“To take full responsibility at NMG, I commit myself to maintaining the spirit of news reporting at NMG, which is recognised as an ‘institution’ rather than just a business firm. NMG has been trusted and has stood by the Thai people for more than 47 years,” said Shine, who has already resigned as chairman of Spring News and Thansetthakit, to take a leadership role at NMG.

“I want to maintain the same key attributes of NMG: the freedom to take care of the country’s interests, and protecting the monarchy,” he added.

Shine said that the major task is to ensure NMG survives in its business.

“I will clear the entire Bt1.1 billion debt NMG is burdened with by the end of this year and also Bt2.7 billion of instalment payments for its digital TV licences upfront [to be due in the next two years]. NMG itself has gone through a major reshuffle over the past year to be on track by reducing some debts,” he said.

The Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index and GDCI: Play Index, a breakout report focused on the top leisure destinations last year , were released earlier this month.

The Mastercard GDCI 2018 ranks 162 destination cities in terms of total international overnight visitors and the amount spent by visitors throughout the previous year.

Mastercard’s GDCI: Indulgences – an offshoot of the GDCI – looks specifically at the amount spent within destination cities on dining and shopping. Findings show that not only is the amount significant, but so is the impact on cities’ local economies.

Whether it be Emirati Harees in Dubai, paella in Palma de Mallorca, pad Thai in Bangkok, or Champagne in Paris, people are eating—and spending—in these four cities more than any others.

Bangkok, world famous for food and culture, ranks third in dollars spent on food and beverage with US$3.38 billion, equivalent to 20.6 per cent of visitors’ budgets. Palma de Mallorca, Spain, came in second place with $3.78 billion, behind top-ranked Dubai, UAE, with $5.94 billion.

Singapore and London are also in the top 10 for overall food and beverage spending, but it’s worth noting that travellers are spending a lower percentage of their travel budgets on food in these cities (12.9 per cent and 17.6 per cent respectively), the survey said.

GDCI: Indulgences reveals that travellers are also spending big in Dubai and London when it comes to shopping, whether purchasing clothes, souvenirs or other goods. That said, visitors to London, Seoul and Johannesburg, in particular, might want to bring a bigger suitcase as international travellers to all three destinations are spending at least 40 per cent of their travel budgets on shopping.

Bangkok, also a world-renowned shopping haven, came in sixth in this category, with visitors spending $3.75 billion on shopping, some 23 per cent of their travel budget.

There are eight cities in the top list for dining and seven cities in the top list for shopping that are also a part of the Mastercard Priceless Cities experiential travel platform, where travelers from over 90 countries can access unique and unforgettable experiences in over 40 cities around the world.

“Dining and shopping are experiences which people throughout the world use to connect with local culture, traditions and history” says Donald Ong, Country Manager, Thailand and Myanmar at Mastercard. “Through programmes like Priceless Cities, Mastercard is enriching travel experiences for travellers in some of the world’s most fascinating cities. Whether in Bangkok’s hippest boutique hotels or sampling some of Thailand’s world famous cuisine, Mastercard believes in expanding horizons and thus has created a wide range of memorable experiences for people around the globe.”

Mastercard is focused on helping cardholders travel the world with peace of mind through seamless planning, convenience and connectivity at their destinations and worry-free acceptance at millions of locations around the globe. Compelling travel offerings and benefits help travelers every step of their journey. More information can be found at mastercard.com.

The manager of the AIS New Analytics Transformation & Data Science Unit realises it is not a job that he and his team can finish in one day – rather, it’s a journey. The ultimate goal is to further strengthen AIS’ competitiveness and boost customer satisfaction.

AIS has a workforce of more than 13,000. The company started its Data-Driven Organisation Transformation project in 2016 with the formation of the New Analytics Transformation unit to spearhead the project development.

Gwynponq said that the Analytics Centre of Excellence was established later that year, tasked with developing a series of intensive training courses in collaboration with AIS’ partners in the technology and academic circles. The programme was designed to groom AIS staff for the positions of data analysts, data engineers, and data scientists.

The courses took off in 2017 and have since trained more than 500 employees, who in turn have passed on their new-found knowledge to colleagues eager to learn something new.

The training has boosted the number of staff skilled in using data analytics tools to more than 1,200 at present, up from just a few at the beginning. Of the 1,200, most are data analysts, followed by data scientists and data engineers.

Data analytics is the science of extracting “insights” from raw data sets with the aid of special software and tools, providing core information to companies in their decision-making processes.

Gwynponq says that, in addition to the courses, the unit holds regular activities to promote a data-savvy culture among the AIS staff.

Gwynponq first got involved with the data analytics field when he worked on the technical planning side at AIS many years ago.

“I was amazed that it can be applied to bring new great business opportunities to AIS,” says Gwynponq, who is also an accomplished player of the traditional Thai flute.

Once entrusted with present task, he undertook intensive study in this and related fields, including data science, through self-taught methods. He also took online courses as well as learning from university lecturers and AIS technology partners. Then he shared his knowledge with his colleagues in all departments to encourage them to apply these branches of knowledge to benefit their routine operations.

“My goal is to make the use of data analytics tools become the norm in all departments, in the same way that they use basic PC programs,” he adds.

AIS’ attempts to become a data-savvy organisation have paid off. This AIS project was named the Talent Accelerator of the Year by IDC at the IDC Digital Transformation Awards (DXa) event held last November in Thailand.

IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services and events for the information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology markets.

Gwynponq clinched a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunication Engineering, with first class honours, from the Department of Telecommunication Engineering at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology, Ladkrabung, in 1995.

He furthered his studies and gained a master’s degree in telecommunications at the University of Pittsburgh in the US. He also obtained a Ph.D in information science from the Department of Information Science and Telecommunications, also from the University of Pittsburgh, in 2004.

Armed with his academic qualifications, Gwynponq lost little time in seeking to apply his skills in the industry. AIS provided that fit and he has remained with the company ever since starting in 2005 as an engineering specialist in the ICT Planning Department.

In 2014, he was sent by AIS to work with Singapore Telecom, the company’s strategic partner in Singapore, as a senior architect in SingTel’s mobile core engineering department. This was part of a talent exchange programme in SingTel’s regional operation group.

He recalls of his time at SingTel, which ended in 2015, that he |was impressed by the company in many aspects, including how it always strives to take the lead in pioneering the adoption of advanced technology.

The regional telecom giant also is also a multicultural working place as it welcomes talent from diverse nationalities across the region.

Away from the technology side of his life, Gwynponq contributes to the advancement of Buddhism. He had once been a webmaster for Dharmamag.com, a bi-weekly online magazine that serves the faith. He ordained to become a monk twice, first when he was 20 and then before starting work at AIS.

He says he is trying to apply the Buddha’s teaching on the path to Nirvana to guide his daily life. His personal goal is to do the best that he can on the office tasks he is charged with and to apply the same commitment in his contributions to Buddhism.

When asked to compare Buddhism and data analytics, he says that both fields of knowledge share some common characteristics. Both focus on extracting insight from a vast pool of raw data. But while data analytics uses the insight gained to generate business benefits, the ultimate goal of Buddhism is to seek a level of insight that completely frees a follower from attachment to this mundane world – and, crucially, from the cycle of rebirth.

Like Gwynponq’s quest for AIS to become best data-driven organisation, that, too, is a journey.

The event is held by Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production together with the Science and Technology Ministry’s National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and Thailand Maker Community.

There will be over 70 booths showcasing innovations and inventions from local and international makers, such as makers’ one-of-a-kind artwork, different types of hi-tech robots, interactive toys and homemade electric cars.

This year the famed and much-awaited Electric Parade returns, featuring not-to-be-missed traditional drum performances. The event held from 2pm to 8pm will also include Enjoy Science: Young Makers Contest Year 3’s finalist works and fun and unique DIY workshops.

The fair to be held between January 19 and 20  is open to the public with no admission fee.

The right is limited to 1 set of chicken pop per one slip of normal price product and must redeem the right to buy together with the purchase of that product for sale at the store only or buy back at the participating branches.

KFC reserves the right to change conditions without prior notice. Follow up for more details and other news From KFC at Facebook : KFC Thailand, http://www.kfc.co.th/termsofuse.

The festival will go by the theme of ‘Safari Campfire’ that gathers the best Electronic Music, Modern Art, and magnificent dance shows, while also offers various exotic lifestyle experiences such as a dreamcatcher making workshop, animal face paint, and many more.

All participants are encouraged to let themselves go at the stage catered to their preferences such as The Green World Stage that gathers world-leading DJs such as Ben Nicky, Dannic, and Nitti Gritti. Bonfire Stage designed by a famous Thai artist ‘Kob Kor.Bor.Vor’ who created this magical stage as a bonfire camp to let you dance with famous DJs.

Enjoy Thailand’s most famous Indie music at the Forest Live Stage with Greasy Café, Sqweez Animals, and Phum Viphumrit. Lastly, E-San Smile Stage, the first ever E-San Music Festival, gathering famous E-San singers and entertainers to cheer up your night with their traditional songs and performances.

Tickets are on sales now at www.thegreenworld.com at 1,800 THB, 4,000 THB for 5-pax VIP Group (reduced from Bt9,000), Bt2,500 for a Tier 1 VIP (with fast lane privilege and personal WCs at VIP Zone), and Bt3,500 for a Tier 2 VIP (with fast lane privilege and personal WCs at VIP Zone). 1 Ticket is available for 2 days entrance.

For more information visitwww.facebook.com/TheGreenWorld or Line ID @thegreenworld.

The Philippine Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) pre-accreditation committee turned down Go-Jek’s application on December 20, through local transport network company (TNC) Velox Technology Philippines.

The board rejected the application on the grounds that it violated the regulation requiring Philippine individuals or entities to own 60 per cent of a TNC. Velox Technology Philippines is reportedly 99.99 per cent owned by Singaporean investors.

LTFRB pre-accreditation committee head Samuel Jardin confirmed the rejection but added that Velox could still appeal the decision.

The decision has halted the Indonesian ride-hailing company’s plans to enter its fifth Asean country after expanding its operations to Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand.

Go-Jek stressed that it had not given up on its plan to enter the Philippine market. “We continue to engage positively with the LTFRB and other government agencies, as we seek to provide a much-needed transport solution for the people of the Philippines,” a Go-Jek representative said in a statement.

A spokesperson for rival company Grab, which is allowed to operate in the Philippines, said it was compliant with the regulation, as the majority of its Philippine business was locally owned.