Approval of the plan is the culmination of several years of progress on the technical and commercial aspects of the gas field’s development.

“The Mozambique Rovuma Offshore Area 1 project is one of the important projects under our strategic investment plan. The approval for the development plan of the Golfinho-Atum field is a significant milestone to continue building momentum toward a final investment decision,” Phongsthorn Thavisin, PTTEP president for exploration and production, said on Monday.

In recent years, key achievements of the Mozambique Rovuma Offshore Area 1 project include the completion of the legal and contractual framework, approval on marine concessions from the government of Mozambique and the start of resettlement in November 2017, which marks an important step to facilitate construction of the onshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, he said.

Meanwhile, partners in the project are progressing efforts to lock in long-term LNG sales and purchase agreements and negotiating for project finance with financial institutions.

The Mozambique Rovuma Offshore Area 1 project is progressing toward developing an onshore LNG plant consisting of two initial LNG trains with a total capacity of 12.88 million tonnes per annum.

The Golfinho-Atum project will also supply initial volumes of around 100 million cubic feet of natural gas per day for domestic sales in Mozambique.

The project also has a significant advantage in location and cost, given its proximity to the shore and its accessibility to Asian and other markets.

The company’s president, Jakgrich Pibulpairoj, said on Monday that EGCO would continue to focus on pursuing power business opportunities in the Asia Pacific region.

Its target is to grow its renewables portfolio to 30 per cent by 2026.

It said the deal would enable the group to become the number one insurer in the global property and casualty commercial lines business.

The cash transaction, which has been agreed by the boards of both companies, is expected to be completed in the second half of this year, AXA said in a statement.

The purchase price of $57.60 represents a premium of 33 percent over XL’s closing share price on Friday.

“The combination of AXA’s and XL Group’s existing position will propel the Group to the #1 global position in P&C commercial lines with combined 2016 revenues of 30 billion euros and total P&C revenues of 48 billion euros.”

The company is developing a “Digi-Lifestyle Platform” as it seeks to position itself as a market leader in the sector in the new “E-conomy”, according to a Monday press release.

The company is partnering with global companies as it sustainably strengthens its business, said Tos Chirathivat, CEO and executive chairman of Central Group.

He attributes three key strategic foundations for the company’s long-term success – being a retail leader in lifestyles and services sectors, expanding business beyond Thailand, and strengthening businesses by mergers and acquisitions.

Central Group has achieved average growth of 11 per cent over the five years from 2013-2017. Their revenue mix breaks down to Thailand at 72 per cent, Europe 15 per cent and Vietnam 13 per cent

The group’s newest hotel, akyra TAS Sukhumvit Bangkok, scheduled to be launched in May, is earmarked to lead the initiative as the first property in Asia to adopt this “single-use plastic free policy” in its rooms, food and beverage outlets.

The group’s eco-friendly approach for this hotel began with sourcing glass bottles and containers towards the goal of “no single-use plastic” in its rooms, restaurants and bars, said Anchalika Kijkanakorn, the group’s founder and managing director.

The hotel will extend the initiative to guests on arrival, offering stylish akyra stainless steel water bottles that can be refilled during their stay, added Anchalika who was named a Hero of Philanthropy by Forbes Asia in 2015 in recognition of her dedication to conservation.

Drinking-water dispensers will be positioned on all floors of akyra TAS Sukhumvit and guests can take their bottles with them on excursions and shopping trips around the city.

Among the bathroom amenities are locally-made “celadon” pottery containers filled with oil-based products. Bio-degradable bin bags will be used in all rooms and shopping bags will be offered to guests, who are encouraged to refuse the use of plastic bags, when shopping at retail outlets or shopping malls in the city.

“We aim to remove all single-use plastic from our rooms and restaurants, such as plastic straw, plastic glasses, and plastic bottles. Guest room amenities will be made from either sustainable wood, paper, or other biodegradable materials,” Anchalika said.

“We will start the initiative with akyra Sukhumvit. It is a new hotel, we can introduce the policy on the first day of the pre-opening period. This will be a test case to see how far we can go but unfortunately the use of plastic is so prevalent in our day to day life, it is not easy to avoid,”

“Once we have learned from this experience, found the suppliers we can work with, and established reliable product sources, we will spread the practice to other properties within the group, both new and old, and we have set ourselves a target date of 2020 when all of our properties will be ‘single use plastic free’,” she added.

Akaryn Hotel Group owns and manages Aleenta Phuket-Phang Nga, Aleenta HuaHin-Pranburi, and akyra Beach Club Phuket.

The group also operates akyra Manor Chiang Mai, akyra Thonglor Bangkok, and akyra TAS Sukhumvit Bangkok.

“Changes are never easy. In some cases, change of habits are harder than a change of suppliers or sources. Hotel guests who are used to drinking with straws will be encouraged to drink straight from glasses and cups. Personally I have stopped using straws a long time ago and have refused the grocery plastic bags used at supermarkets,” Anchalika said.

“Changes take time, it’s a process, but I believe it can be done with a commitment from everyone,” she added.

Mantra

Anchalika said it has been the group’s mantra, from the day it opened the first hotel years ago, that it wanted to be part of the solution, not adding to the problem. “We want to leave the places where we operate as pristine and beautiful as we found it,” she concluded.

The group’s Pure Blue Foundation is a charitable organisation in support of marine conservation and community projects throughout Thailand.

This year, it is leading a campaign to clear trash off Thai beaches, knowing that this problem would not go away unless somebody starts doing something about it.

Vathunyoo, now 33, spent his savings of Bt3 million to open the first store in 2014. In addition to the take from the seven outlets under his White Day brand, the business also generates sales from supplying restaurants, a catering service and deliveries. Altogether, sales average Bt3 million a month, with the shops accounting for up to Bt2 million of the total.

“I have a Japanese friend and back then we discussed ways to open a Japanese cake and bakery shop in Thailand under the concept of cake and bakery items as gifts for people. This inspiration came from the White Day Festival in Japan, a day famous for men giving chocolates or bakery items to women,” he said.

Once Vathunyoo, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Thammasat University, decided to take plunge, he quit his job. He then spent two years learning as much as he could about the bakery business, including product tasting, before opening his first shop at Circle Ratchapruk.

Vathunyoo gained plenty of positive feedback from customers and the shop was soon generating average sales of Bt300,000 a month. This gave Vathunyoo the confidence to open the second outlet at end of 2014.

“I decided to open a Japanese-style cake and bakery shop in Thailand when I saw a shift in Thai consumer behaviour towards coffee and bakery items,” he said.

“That got me thinking that if I opened a Japanese style bakery, then this would match with people’s changing lifestyles.

“When my first shop succeeded in reaching average monthly sales of Bt300,000, that provided the incentive and the challenge for me to expand the business.

“With the first two shops having opened in 2014, I then opened one or two branches a year until I reached the seven outlets in Bangkok in 2017.”

Aside from Circle Ratchapruk, the other stores are in Siam Center, Future Park Rangsit, Megabangna, Central Plaza at Rama 9, Rama 3, and Lad Prao.

Buoyed by the business success of reaching seven branches in Bangkok, Vathunyoo plans to open more outlets in the provinces this year and the next. The company also plans to start a new brand for a franchise business in this year.

In support of the planned business expansion, the company has set an aside an investment budget of Bt3 million to improve its production capacity, from about 1,000 cakes a day to 3,000 by the end of this year.

“We have to expand our production capacity to support our business expansion this year and the next,” Vathunyoo said. He said with modesty that could not say whether the business was a success but that it was generating enough income to cover the proposed expansion,

Vathunyoo was also proud to say that the business had created jobs for his employers and that the customers are happy to keep coming back. More new flavours are being added to the product range, he added.

“In this business, we have to learn about the customers’ behaviour and develop our products to match with their demands,” he said. “This is a challenge for me to undertake and it makes me happy when I see that our customers are enjoying what we serve them.”

With incomparable CRM expertise, seamless innovation and global alliances that have brought invaluable top-notch experience to privileged clients of its corporate partners, The Black Tie Service is now on its journey to mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore, along with its primary market Thailand.

Kanokporn Na Ranong, one of the founders and chief executive officer of Black Tie states, “We are very pleased to announce that The Black Tie Service is ready to take on new and larger markets including China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Our proven practices in Thailand have shown that The Black Tie Service truly understands what it takes to bring the privilege experiences and services to VVIP clients of our corporate partners.

Our B2B performance in recent years has led us to explore new opportunities in these Asian markets. This is our moment to prove that we can truly become Asia’s most trusted corporate privilege solution provider.”

The Black Tie Service currently offers privilege services to elite clients of corporate partners including 24/7 luxury corporate concierge such as private jet and personal butler arrangement, customised lifestyle and travel experience such as an exclusive dining prepared by a Michelin-star chef, uniquely created events, innovative CRM program, and airport services.

Since its establishment in 2015, The Black Tie Service has enjoyed business growth of 160 per cent. In 2017, total revenue reached Bt160 million. Throughout the years, The Black Tie Service has partnered with Thailand’s leading organisations including financial firms, luxury automobile distributors and airlines.

Jakkapan Rattanapet, Managing Director and Director of Regional Operations reveals, “This year, we expect to grow our revenue to Bt250 million in Thailand and another Bt50 million form the region.

We have become more well-known with our award of #1 Luxury Concierge of Thailand in 2017 at the Luxury Lifestyle Awards. With our offices ready in Shanghai , Hong Kong and Singapore, we are very confident in expanding our business, building new corporate partnerships in the region with our key products , including privilege programmes, airport limousine and concierge service. In Thailand and the new strategic markets which have highly promising demand for ultra-luxury privilege lifestyle services, we target our total revenue to hit Bt500 million in 2019.”

The Black Tie Service has invested heavily in its technology, supplier network and human capital in order to provide cutting edge privilege solutions across the region.

Scheduled to open in May 2018 on the 24th floor of the mixed-use building, Spaces Chamchuri Square offers 2,169 sqm of office space and 143 individual desks, offering the ideal creative workspace for everyone from freelancers and entrepreneurs, to start-ups and well-established companies.

“Following the positive public response from our first location, Spaces Summer Hill, we are confident that Spaces Chamchuri Square will meet the growing demand for flexible work environments in Thailand,” said Noelle Coak, Country Head (Thailand, Taiwan, Korea), Spaces.

Flexibility was found to be key to an optimal work-life balance and successful work environment, according to a recent study conducted by Spaces, which interviewed over 100 business people across Thailand.

In fact, 36 per cent of Thai firms reported that they expected to see companies across the board opting for flexible office terms rather than traditional fixed-term agreements in the near future.

“Workspace as a service enables firms to respond to their evolving needs with little hassle and cost. It makes sense for small and growing businesses to opt for a flexible base rather than committing to a space which may not suit their future demands. Like all our branches worldwide, Spaces Chamchuri Square will offer modern and inspiring office space, creativity-boosting meeting rooms and a workspace that serves better coffee than most coffeeshops,” added Coak.

Located in the buzzing Pathumwan district, which is known for its professional and modern feel, Spaces Chamchuri Square will also allow users to get inspired by the interconnected shopping mall or the many restaurants and cafes in the area.

“Worker demand has changed in recent years, with co-working spaces and lifestyle-oriented mixed-use developments much more able to cater to people’s lifestyles. We are very glad that Spaces has selected Spaces Chamchuri Square as its second location in Thailand.

It is in a great location and is easy to access by either the MRT Sam Yan station or Hua Lamphong station right around the corner. If a worker is feeling extra adventurous, they could also just hop on the express boat to travel along the Khlong Saen Saeb canal,” said Associate Professor Wisanu Subsompon, vice president for property and innovation management, Chulalongkorn University.

BMW Group has announced the appointment of Christian Wiedmann as president of BMW Group Thailand, effective 1st April 2018. Wiedmann succeeds Stefan Teuchert, who is now set to take up a new position as CEO of BMW Group Russia.

A 17-year veteran of the BMW Group, Wiedmann previously served as managing director and CEO at BMW Group Financial Services Australia in 2016 after having spent several years in South Korea to oversee the overall financial operations as CEO of BMW Financial Services Korea. In his new position, Wiedmann’s responsibilities will cover the management of all BMW Group Thailand business divisions – including BMW, MINI, and BMW Motorrad.

Wiedmann joined the BMW Group in 2001 and has since served various functions in BMW Group in many regions across the globe – including Germany, Japan, Austria, Greece, South Korea and Australia. His previous roles have taken him to Thailand on two occasions –in 2003 for one year and again in 2011 for three years – to supervise financial operations at BMW Financial Services Thailand.

On this occasion, Hildegard Wortmann – formerly head of BMW brand prior to her appointment as senior vice president region Asia Pacific in January 2018 – said, “I am delighted to give Wiedmann a warm welcome as the new president of BMW Group Thailand. His many years of management experience in the BMW Group, together with his profound understanding of Thai culture, will definitely drive BMW Group Thailand towards further achievements and outstanding growth in Thailand’s premium car market – which has long been one of our key strategic markets in this region.”

Cloud and AI solutions make debut in Barcelona

Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, has launched eight products ranging from big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to infrastructure, security and private cloud solutions at the Mobile World Congress, which took place in Barcelona Spain. The array of products will meet the surging demand for powerful and reliable cloud computing services as well as advanced AI solutions among European enterprises to support them to capture opportunities in this digital transformation era. Bringing together these products with the expertise and real experience available from Alibaba Cloud, customers can put in place cutting edge solutions particularly in areas such as online and offline retail integration, smart manufacturing and smart city development.

The new products being launched for European enterprises fall into a number of inter-related categories. In relation to data technology and AI, Alibaba Cloud is launching three key products – Image Search solutions, which allow users to search for information online and offline using images; Intelligent Services Robot, a chatbot for business; and Dataphin, an intelligent data engine developed to cope with the cross-industry big data development, management and application needs.

Infrastructure and security will continue to be crucial as the foundation and fundamental consideration for enterprises undertaking cloud migration. In view of this, Alibaba Cloud will launch ECS Baremetal Instance, a new high performance computing solution of ECS that combines the strengths of virtualized systems and bare metal servers. When connected as a supercomputer, ECS Baremetal Instances becomes a Super Computing Cluster that will reduce network latency to the level of micro-seconds while offering elasticity and supercomputing capabilities.

Presenting the best lifestyle to the region

Surrounded by sea views and blue skies, the third edition of the Thailand Yacht Show (TYS) came to a successful close on the evening of February 25, with the traditional symphony of horns at Ao Po Grand Marina, Phuket. Over the course of four sunny days, TYS welcomed a total of 4,730 visitors who were treated to the best of the yachting lifestyle. From trying out the latest water sports and toys, to getting on board a wide range of boats and revelling in glamourous yacht parties, TYS was an immersive experience for both seasoned aficionados and newcomers alike.

“The 2018 edition of TYS has really been excellent, especially given the very short lead time we had to work with again,” said Andy Treadwell, co-founder of the show with the Thai government. “We achieved all our goals, with some significant sales made by our exhibitors, a good number of charter superyachts on display, a great social calendar and a wonderful ambiance – it’s really proved the concept,” he added.

Importantly, there were several international superyacht owners and captains on hand to confirm to government observers exactly how much they would spend with local shops and service providers, if only they were allowed to stay in Thailand and charter each winter—potentially totalling hundreds of millions of dollars within a few years.

“With the invaluable partnership we have with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Ministry of Tourism & Sports (MOTS), we are making great headway towards transforming Thailand into a new winter charter base for the global superyacht fleet,” Treadwell affirmed. “As we continue our drive to boost marine tourism here by streamlining regulations, we are more and more confident that a developing yachting industry will trigger a major economic boost for local businesses and communities.”

Thai Vietjet adds Bangkok-Krabi flights

Thai Vietjet will on April 5 begin flying directly between Krabi and Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok for Bt259, including taxes, surcharges and payment fee.

A320 aircraft with 180 seats will fly twice daily between the locales.

The airline said in a press release the new route represented its “determination to meet passenger demand for popular routes”.

“As Krabi is one of the biggest cities in the South and a highlight international tourist destination, the latest flight is expected to be very popular with both Thais and expat guests,” it said.

The 80-minute flights will depart Bangkok at 7.10am and 7.25pm and leave Krabi at 9.05am and 9.20pm.

The airline will now be flying to five domestic locales – between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket and Krabi – on top of its daily direct flights between Phuket and Chiang Rai.

Optimising multi-destination travel and day trip planning

Passengers can now enjoy a daily car rental with chauffeur service with ‘GrabRent’, a new ride-hailing service from Grab. Passengers booking with ‘GrabRent’ will be able to travel to multiple destinations all in one trip, thus optimizing plans for a multi-tasking day as well as a one-day inter-city trip with friends or family.

With ‘GrabRent’, passengers will benefit from on-demand transportation service from one of Thailand’s largest and most often used ride-hailing fleets. There are two choices for selection. In Bangkok, ‘GrabRent Eco’ fare starts from Bt1,200 for the first 4 hours of riding around the city and Bt2,500 for an inter-city trip from Bangkok. Each additional hour will be charged at Bt300.

For those seeking a premium ride experience, ‘GrabRent Plus’ will provide a consistently high-quality service from Grab’s driver partners with a 4.8 and above star rating (out of 5 stars) as well as the comfort of travelling in a vehicle no more than 5 years old.

‘GrabRent Plus’ in Bangkok costs Bt1,600 for the first 4 hours of travelling within the city and Bt3,200 for an inter-city trip from Bangkok with each additional hour costing Bt450. Credit card payment via GrabPay is the only payment method accepted for the service.

On top of these interesting offers, passengers will continue to enjoy the existing suite of safety measures that Grab has introduced to enhance overall passenger, driver and road safety. These safety features include a vehicle tracking GPS system; a ‘Share My Ride’ feature that allows passengers to share driver’s details, estimated time of arrival and real-time location with their loved ones; an in-app 191 button to ‘dial’ in times of emergency; and personal accident insurance coverage for both driver partners and passengers on every Grab ride in Southeast Asia.