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Last night, as part of its "iPhone 360" series of events celebrating the ten year anniversary of Apple's iconic phone, California's Computer History Museum located in Mountain View hosted a conversation between Tony Fadell and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Markoff.
Fadell initially worked General Magic (alongside Andy Rubin, who developed Android), a mid-1990s Apple spinoff working to build digital assistants. He then joined Apple under Steve Jobs to work on iPod and subsequently served as an inventor of the original iPhone before starting Nest.
After selling the firm to Google for $3.2 billion, he was briefly hailed by the Wall Street Journal as the person to lend "strategic guidance" to Google Glass back in 2015, but then left Google last summer to become an independent project incubator in Paris, France.
Fadell spoke with Markoff— formerly a New York Times reporter and now a historian at the Computer History Museum. The presentation— hosted by the museum on Facebook Live— was one of series of iPhone 360 presentations curated by the museum's Exponential Center.
Fadell described growing up in the boom of personal computing of the 1980s— and moving around to "12 schools in 15 years," following his salesman father's work obligations— before landing his first major job designing devices at General Magic. He also outlined decisions made working at Apple, advising the design of the iPod under Jobs.
In between, Fadell described early prototypes that essentially turned a small-screen iPod into a basic phone, followed by an iPhone-like P1 prototype with rudimentary user interface that was never released while work continued on the P2 version that survived.
I read AppleInsider every day!
After the event, Fadell's development team posed for a group picture. We caught up with Fadell to ask some questions and he responded, "I read AppleInsider every day!"
His appearance at the Computer History Museum was also a bit of a reunion (he posed for a group shot with his design team family, below), as Fadell has been living in Paris for the last year. Asked about how Europe compares with Silicon Valley in terms of being able to find talent and build companies, Fadell noted that France is aggressively cultivating tech startups.
While most cities would like to have the booming tech industry that currently has its epicenter in San Francisco's backyard, Fadell stated that a major attraction of Paris, in particular, is its proximity to tech-savvy universities and related institutions.
The San Francisco Bay Area's Silicon Vally was greatly advantaged by its proximity to the famed research center of Stanford University as well as the University of California, Berkeley— the birthplace of BSD Unix, the origin of the core OS in iPhones and Macs.
Fadell's view of the global potential for tech startups seems to contrast with the public statements of Apple's chief executive Tim Cook, who has taken to frequently reciting the line that "we know Apple could only exist in the United States."
Of course, in addition to investing in the U.S., Apple is also aggressively expanding around the world, from Israel to Cambridge to Japan to China to India to Taiwan to Canada and France— notably, almost always in locations tied to specialized research universities.
The future of AR & VR
Fadell described the tech scene Paris as undergoing a "Cambrian explosion." In his comments during the presentation, he touched on Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, outlining a similar view commonly expressed at Apple by Cook, that AR offers a larger opportunity than VR, although both are constrained by the cost of current technology.
Asked about the nature of AR and VR as commonly being associated specifically with visuals, while much of Apple's initial success came from audio— with iTunes, iPods and the iconic white earbuds that placed a virtual, stereophonic sound stage in the listener's head— Fadell noted that immersive audio was clearly a major component to AR projects.
That's reflected in the fact that Apple is essentially working to deliver "audio AR and VR" with AirPods, its wireless headphones that deliver immersive sound without any real physical user interface at all, combined with the fully auditory, voice-based Siri, which works to "augment" the music, podcasts and other existing content users listen to.
The high tech Gold Rush
Fadell also noted that the tech sector is working globally on a flurry of attempts to deliver things like AR, VR and the related high-computation sensors and systems needed to pilot self-driving cars, as well as health-related devices.
Fadell showed off two health monitoring devices he was wearing: a continuous glucose monitor attached to his upper arm, and a black ring on his finger that looked like jewelry but was actually a pulse monitor
In fact, Fadell showed off two health monitoring devices he was wearing: a continuous glucose monitor attached to his upper arm, and a black ring on his finger that looked like jewelry but was actually a pulse monitor.
He created a parallel between so many different product entrants and the state of automobiles in the 1920s, shortly before scores of different aspiring car makers converged down to a few major makers as the industry matured.
Fadell— who experienced, like Jobs, the disappointing reality of failure first-hand, initially at General Magic and later at Nest— noted that a big part of sticking around and achieving success isn't just being first with an idea, but being able to effectively communicate the value of the solution you are delivering to your buyers.
A key example he gave of this was the iPod's marketing line of "1,000 songs in your pocket," which succinctly distilled down the value of paying around $500 for an easy to use, nicely designed, high-capacity music player with fast Firewire syncing in a sea of cheaper alternatives, such as the flash-based Diamond Rio.
iHS and the BS BOS
Asked about the accuracy of "Bill of Sale" cost estimates produced by firms such as IHS— and often taken as totally accurate by members of the press— Fadell stated that public cost estimates are generally off by 20 to 40 percent— consistently too low, commonly suggesting much greater potential for profitability than is ever there.
Fadell stated that public cost estimates are generally off by 20 to 40 percent— consistently too low
Apple's Cook has similarly criticized BOS estimates as being very inaccurate, although without detailing how far off they are in actual practice. That hasn't stopped media outlets from waving them around as if they were factual.
Only when an advanced product becomes successful and hits a sustainable volume of sales can it really become very profitable. That's been a key problem for Microsoft and its Zune and Surface, but is also an issue for Amazon's low volume but high mindshare Alexa hardware, Android makers in general, and of course, Google's own hardware efforts to sell Nexus, Pixel and simply resell products like Fadell's once critically-acclaimed home devices developed at Nest.
iPhone 360 upcoming events at the CHM
The Computer History Museum will be hosting a series of other iPhone 360 events this year, including "The Making of the iPhone: Evolution of iPhone Technology" on June 20, a presentation of "The Global Business of the iPhone" in August and "The Social Impact of the iPhone" in October.
The iPhone 360 Project is part of the museum's Exponential Center's 360 series "focused on transformational companies and products that have changed the world through technology innovation, economic value creation and social impact," and "supports the Museum's overall interpretive strategy to explain computing's history and its transformational impact on our world."


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In a Q&A, NITI CEO Aayog says all sectors, not just manufacturing or services, will need to grow for India’s economic transformation
Amitabh Kant | IPL diet | NITI
Nikunj Ohri |
Last Updated Jun 22, 2022 11:54 PM IST
The Production Linked Incentives (PLI) scheme will help put India on a solid footing in the global value chain by building competitive businesses, Amitabh Kant, managing director of NITI Aayog, told Nikunj Ohri in a interview. The total investment committed under the PLI program now stands at 2.54 trillion rupees and is expected to create 5.9 million direct jobs. For India’s economic transformation, all sectors of the economy will need to grow, not just manufacturing or services, Kant said, adding that manufacturing and exports have played a key role in transforming economies such as as Japan, South Korea and China, and that India must learn from their experience. Edited excerpts:
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First published: Wednesday, June 22, 2022. 7:30 p.m. IST

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Sometimes the solar industry delivers a set of stories over seven days that segue seamlessly from one narrative to the next. Be it continued British befuddlement on solar support contrasting sharply with U.S. positivity; EU protectionism and wholly-unrelated tales of further European PV decline, or something as tenuous as Indias clean energy targets and Brazils latest auction, there is usually some sort of continuous thread running through the narrative.
Not so this week, where the leading solar stories have hopped around like a three-legged cat on a bouncy castle, but without the inevitablly deflating denouement. From reports of Germanys storage-led future, via new efficiencies for PERC and solars successful showing at auction in Chile, this hotch-potch of tales are your most-read yarns on pv magazine this week
Batteries all the (sto)rage
VW emissions scandal aside, Germanys enviable record on clean power innovation has been admired the world over for decades. The PV pioneer may no longer be the worlds largest solar market ceding that crown to China these past few months but it might well lead the way when it comes to solar+storage, found a report this week by Agora Energiewende.
According to the report, Germanys power grid can easily support 150 to 200 GW of solar PV capacity, provided 40 GW of storage support was also forthcoming. As prices continue to fall among both the solar sector and the storage/intelligent software sector, Germany could well switch to a renewables-driven power mix within a decade, eschewing the need to build more high-voltage power lines, as is the current post-2025 plan.
From grid, to off-grid
OK, this one kind of flows. A report released this week by the World Bank Group and the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA) has found that the global off-grid solar market is now worth $300 million annually, with more than 13 million off-grid related products having been sold to date.
Sales in Africa alone have tripled over the last three years, and solar lanterns account for 50% of those off-grid solar products sold thus far. Lamps with phone chargers have accounted for 45% of the three million items sold in the first six months of the year, adds the report, which also revealed the positive impact solar-powered products are having on rural communities the world over.
"Modern solar technology now offers solutions that are cheaper, safer, easier indeed better [than kerosene] in every respect, said GOGLA executive director Koen Peters. From quality, reliable solar lanterns that can now be sold for below USD 10 (and earned back from kerosene savings within weeks) to solar home systems that provide light, phone charging, radio, television and other basic services that are made affordable also to low-income customers with pay-as-you-go payment options. The demand is huge and this market can only grow from here."
Demand, and deliver
Demand is also growing for multicrystalline silicon PV so much so that it has begun to exceed supply, pv magazine reported last Friday.
Analysis by EnergyTrend confirmed reports that show rising prices and pending shortages are altering the multicrystalline landscape, which for years had suffered from a persistent oversupply. An additional report from GTM Research found that module capacity is already hitting a shortfall, exacerbating the problem.
"We're definitely seeing impacts on a regional basis, meaning markets that are high-demand markets, especially in Q4," GTM Research Solar Analyst Jade Jones told pv magazine.
"In the U.S. we are going to see more price stability instead of decline," explains Jones. "For China, we are likely to see prices increase quarter-over-quarter in Q4."
New kit, new efficiencies
Tapping into the growing commercial rooftop market of the U.S. has become something of a priority for many leading domestic solar firms, and SunPower has this week thrown its not-inconsiderable hat (think Spring-Breaking-in-Cancun-oversized-sombrero) into the ring with the launch of its Helix commercial rooftop PV kits.
Helix combines SunPowers high efficiency modules, dual tilt racking that modules can be clipped into, factory installed connectors, bespoke cable management system and SunPowers EnergyLink monitoring software. SunPower offers its 25-year power and product warranty with the Helix system.
Long-time SunPower customer Bed Bath & Beyond will deploy the Helix package on eight stores in early 2016. The U.S. homeware retailer has already installed 17.5 MW of SunPower modules across 26 of its buildings.
"The cost savings we expect to see with the new SunPower Helix systems, such as plug-and-play power stations that greatly reduce installation time, will enable Bed Bath & Beyond to grow our solar program more quickly, delivering operational savings at more of our facilities," said Robert Eckhardt, head of architecture and renewables development for Bed Bath & Beyond, in a statement from SunPower.
SunEdison, meanwhile, has this week unveiled its new zero white space module, which boasts a design that features split overlapping PV cells without standard busbars. This new approach represents an entirely new way of stringing cells into modules, and has been made possible with the technology developed by Solaria, which on Monday announced a technology licensing and equipment deal under which SunEdison will manufacture its new 400 watt ZERO WHITE SPACE line of modules.
The technology provided include Solaria's proprietary techniques and equipment for slicing PV cells into segments, and then stringing them together.
For the ZERO WHITE SPACE module SunEdison will attach overlapping cell segments with the electrical connection directly between the cells and no busbars, an approach which Solaria estimates offers a 15% improvement in performance.
Further innovation came via 1366 Technologies this week, which revealed that customer trials of its new PERC PV cells have yielded an average efficiency of 19.1%.
1366 Technologies direct wafer technology has set a new PERC record, as verified by Germanys Fraunhofer ISE, which confirmed the performance on industrial lines, not in lab conditions. 1366 operates three Direct Wafer furnaces at its facility in Bedford, Massachusetts, which it says will serve as a blueprint for its first commercial-scale facility in New York to house 50 of the furnaces.
Solar still FIT, takes selfies
Feed-in tariffs (FITs) of the world rejoice youre still FIT in the eyes of solar customers, driving two-thirds of the market. But and dont worry, its not a big but the rise of selfie culture (thats self-consumption to you and me) is taking hold, with self-consumption and net metering growing into significant PV market drivers, according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS).
The 2015 report's sections on markets and manufacturing document the shift of both from Europe to Asia, trends which are hardly surprising to anyone in the industry. However, halfway through the 64-page report is a lesser-known detail: that incentivized self-consumption and net metering programs are becoming increasingly important policy supports for global PV markets.
Feed-in tariffs still remain the most important policy supports and drivers of global demand. However, according to IEA feed-in tariffs, including those awarded through tenders, accounted for only 64% of the global market in 2014, whereas historically these drove 67% of the market.
And over in LatAm
A number of the worlds leading solar companies were awarded substantial development contracts in the latest Chile energy supply auction (links in Spanish), including First Solar, Solarpack (which will build a 55 MW solar park in the country) and Amunche Solar SpA. But most surprising was a winning bid by Abengoa to supply a total of 39 GWh power during the two overnight blocks. While Abengoa also did not respond to requests for comment, it is clear that in order to supply electricity during these hours the company will need to incorporate some form of energy storage, which means either a concentrating solar power (CSP) project with molten salt storage or battery backup. In other news, Brazils government confirmed it is to contract 1 GW of solar PV every year, adding around 3 GW between now and 2018.
Litarion made waves this week with the launch of its "Made in Germany" lithium-ion batteries (links in German) into the German market, which will be produced domestically in Saxony. The company plans to manufacture at least one million units in 2016. Elsewhere, Germanys Federal Ministry of Economy came in for criticism this week when it was revealed that utility companies RWE, Vattenfall and Mibrag are eac going to be compensated to the tune of 230 million a year for the decommissioning of their lignite power stations, which will eventually remove 2.7 GW of total capacity from Germanys grid.
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Ford Motor has announced that it will resume production of its F-150 Lightning today, following a reported battery issue with the vehicle. The Michigan-based automaker previously detected the problem during a quality inspection before delivery and began investigating the cause. The company worked with South Korean battery maker, SK On, to fix the issue, although it did not reveal the specific nature of the problem. Emma Bergg, a Ford spokeswoman, said the company would continue to work with SK On to deliver high-quality battery packs for the vehicle.
Ford is investing heavily in the F-150 Lightning, having recently built a new facility for the vehicle that has already been named the 2023 MotorTrend Truck of the Year. The company aims to bring 600,000 units to market this year, but supply chain challenges, including a global semiconductor chip shortage, continue to disrupt automotive production. Despite these challenges, Ford remains optimistic about the future of the F-150 Lightning and the electric vehicle market as a whole.


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DAVAO CITY — The Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) is encouraging manufacturers here to venture into franchising to promote regional delicacies, citing the success of such products as yema (sweet custard), cheesecake and lechon (roast pork).
“Some regional delicacies that have become mainstreamed because of franchising like empanada, pancit palabok, and yema cheesecake. Even lechon… we see products in other regions expanding to other areas beyond their origins,” Debbie Uy-Rodolfo, committee chair of Franchise Asia Philippines Expo 2020, said during Monday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw Forum.
Ms. Rodolfo said this year’s Franchise Asia PH, set March 25-29 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, is an opportunity for those looking to invest in a franchised business as well as existing entrepreneurs who want to expand.
“If you are looking for a business venture there are a lot of opportunities when you visit the expo,” Ms. Rodolfo said.
Aside from domestic franchises, the expo will also showcase brands from Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and the US, among others.
A conference will also feature industry experts discussing best practices and solutions, with a particular focus on the use of new technology. — Maya M. Padillo
This article was originally posted by Business World which can be access at https://www.bworldonline.com/regional-manufacturers-offered-path-to-expansion-via-franchises/


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While the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has gone on sale several months ago, all eyes are now set on its successor, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, which is expected to be released in the market anytime soon.
If you are one of those who are eagerly anticipating this new device, then you better read this review which is merely based on the latest reports and rumors written by some business analysts and tech experts online. Although none of these details were confirmed by Samsung, these are written by people who are said to be Samsung insiders and are very much familiar with how Samsung do their business.
Rumors have spread all over the net claiming that Samsung is said to be worried about Apple’s decision to launch a metallic glass mobile device, in the form of the iPhone 5C. They are afraid that people might assume that plastic backed phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy Note, will turn out to be inferior to the glass and metallic counterparts.
There are also rumors that said about Samsung being in the process of testing out other materials for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4. According to some news reports, the company has even sent a team of engineers to Vietnam to do some investigations on the feasibility of developing smartphones that are made out of magnesium and aluminum. So will the new device be made of metallic, glass or plastic? Well, only time can tell.
The phone is said to be a phablet, which means that it’s a combination of a mobile phone and tablet. This rumor came out because Samsung is said to launch the device with a 5.3 inch screen and a screen as enormous as this fits the description of a phablet.
As you can see, there are phablets these days that are bigger than other tablet devices. Samsung is known for increasing the size of their mobile phone by 0.2 inches with each new phone they release. A lot of fans are hoping that they will break this tradition when they launch the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and that they will opt for a 5.9 inch screen instead.
But now the question is – will the new Galaxy Note 4 come with the 5.9 inch screen, which is what the fans are demanding, or will it sport the same screen found on the Galaxy Note 3? Again, this question remains unanswered by the company.
There is a big possibility that the new Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will have a 64 bit processor. Samsung’s CEO, Shin Jong-Kyun, has made a promise that Samsung will complement the processor that is in Apple’s latest device, the new iPhone 5S.
Recently, an insider from Samsung has confirmed that they are indeed working on a 64 bit processor for their 2014 mobile phones. But just like with other rumors, this was not confirmed by Samsung themselves. With that being said, fans will have to wait for the launch of the device before they will know the actual specs of this highly anticipated device from Samsung.


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January 23, 2018
Brands that create value for society also reap financial success, as the top 100 sustainable companies tend to outperform the average.
In Corporate Knights’ 2018 rankings of the top 100 most sustainable companies in the world, BMW and Kering topped their respective categories, leading the field in automotive and fashion. According to Corporate Knights, while the average multinational corporation has been around for 40 years, the mean age of the top 100 brands is 85.
“The Global 100 companies are built to last, demonstrating that firms which adapt to serve societal needs also do well financially,” said Toby Heaps, CEO of Corporate Knights, in a statement.
With the increasing risk of climate change to businesses and the growing adoption of more sustainable practices by companies, Corporate Knights changed the system for its annual rankings.
This year, the key performance indicators of a company were weighted in regard to the impact of the sector it belongs to. For instance, a business in a high-energy use sector that reduces its consumption was given more weight for its efforts than it would receive were it in a sector with less energy spent.
Corporate Knights also added a KPI for clean revenue.
“Clean revenue exposure is a big driver of both commercial health and contribution to sustainability,” said Michael Yow, research director at Corporate Knights, in a statement. “It adds an important new dimension to our ranking.”
Corporate Knights’ rankings were pulled from a pool of 5,994 publicly listed companies.
On a country basis, the United States, France and the United Kingdom had the most companies make the list. However, 69 percent of listed businesses came from Europe.
In the luxury space, BMW topped the automotive category at 17. Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler also made the list at 60.
Kering placed at 47, taking the top ranking of any textile, apparel and luxury goods company.
“A criterion in all business decisions, traversing all departments and areas of our supply chain, we consider sustainability to be the Kering seal of savoir-faire," said Marie-Claire Daveu, chief sustainability officer and head of international institutional affairs of Kering. "Inclusion in Corporate Knights’ 2018 Global 100, as the most sustainable corporation in the textile, apparel and luxury sector, is thus truly an honor for Kering, and a source of motivation to continue our pursuit of a more sustainable luxury.”
Also ranked were spirits maker Diageo at 61 and L’Oreal at 84.
According to Corporate Knights, these companies pay 27 percent more taxes, have triple the female executives and generate six times more clean revenue than those who did not make the cut. The index as a whole also outperforms the MSCI All Country World Index equity benchmark by one-third.
In a world where facts and figures are increasingly called into question, luxury brands will need to lead with emotion and values rather than rationality to succeed.
According to a new report from Positive Luxury, while storytelling and truth were the buzzwords of 2016 and 2017, respectively, 2018 will be dominated by the concept of “influence through emotion.” As millennials’ spending power grows, their preference for companies and brands that strive for environmental and social good is moving the needle for luxury brands, making CSR a boon for business (see story).


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For those of you who don't know what Bitcoins are, you can check out the basics here. For everyone else, it appears the Bitcoin market is finally finding some sort of stability. For the past three months the Bitcoin price has fluctuated around the $5USD mark, with only a handful of spikes up above $6-7.
If we compare prices to this time last year, prices were up around $30, though quickly descended into the 20's as people quickly offloaded their coins to "cash in" on their mining efforts while the price was at a spike. We continued to see a steady decline in value (to around $10) throughout the end of the year 2011, with only one or two spikes bringing the value back up above the $20 mark.
This high fluctuation made investment incredibly profitable for some, though also incredibly risky. Since then, Bitcoin value has been in a steady decline, falling below $10, and closer to a $5 static value. Uncertainty was still in the market however, as prices would occasionally shoot back up to $10USD, spurring on investors to sell, of course leading to another sharp decline in value soon after.
It's only been for the last three months that the value has not only found a fairly stable price of $5, spikes have also been extremely rare. This means people are more comfortable buying coins, as there is little fear of the price dropping the next day, or shooting up drastically, making predictable acquisition of coins easier.
Now that the currency seems to be finding stability, do you think it will become a more common currency to shop with online? Or will vendors still be overly cautious of the large spikes Bitcoins have been famous for in the past? Personally, I'd like to see big store pick up the currency, as I've got a few coins in my wallet from the days of HD5870 mining.
For a detailed graph of the Bitcoin value against USD, click here.


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- 1 min read
CCPA penalizes 3 companies for misleading advertisements
Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, on Wednesday informed that based on the notices issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) against misleading advertisements by companies, 13 companies withdrew misleading advertisements and 3 companies agreed for corrective advertisement...
CCPA also imposed penalties on 3 companies for their misleading advertisements. CCPA had earlier issued two Safety Notices to alert and make consumers cautious against buying household goods that do not conform to BIS standards.
An advisory has also been issued to industry associations highlighting the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act and to impress upon their members to cease making false claims about effectiveness against coronavirus which are not supported by competent and duly authorized scientific advice, informed the department.
Under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, CCPA has been established with effect from 24.07.2020 to regulate matters, inter alia, relating to false or misleading advertisements which are prejudicial to the interests of the public and consumers as a class.
The regulations by the said department are aimed at establishing fairness in claims and advertisements of food products. To safeguard the interest of consumers and make food businesses accountable for such claims/advertisements these advisory has been made.
The department also informed that all advertisements telecast on private satellite TV channels are required to adhere to the Advertising Code prescribed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 framed thereunder. Appropriate action would be taken in cases where Advertising Code is found to be violated.


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- Australian Productivity Commission releases Draft IP Report: The Productivity Commission released its draft report containing recommended changes to Australia’s IP regime on April 29, 2016. This follows from the request by the Federal Government for the Productivity Commission to undertake a comprehensive review of Australia’s IP system. A summary can be found here.
The public is invited to examine the draft report and to make written submissions by Friday 3 June 2016.The final report is expected to be handed to the Australian Government in August 2016 and published by the Commission a short time later.
- Digital Single Market Communications Leaked: In May 2015, the EU Commission launched the Digital Single Market Strategy. The objectives include:
- Rapidly concluding negotiations on common EU data protection rules.
- Giving more ambition to the ongoing reform of telecoms rules.
- Modifying copyright rules to reflect new technologies, and to make them simpler and clearer.
- Simplifying consumer rules for online purchases.
- Making it easier for innovators to start their own company.
- Boosting digital skills and learning.
- Enjoying the same online content and services regardless of the EU country we are in.
Following series of public consultations, Politico has leaked the draft Communication – Online Platforms and the Digital Single Market Opportunities and Challenges for Europe ahead of the anticipated release by the Commission at the end of May, 2016. The Kats have provided an overview of its content here.
- Defend Trade Secrets Act Passed: Following the unanimous passage of S.1890, the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) by the US Senate earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed the Act in a 410-2 vote on April 27, 2016. The Act will be presented to President Obama for his signature. For more reading on the DTSA, see here and here. You would recall that the EU Trade Secrets Directive was passed 2 weeks ago. A consolidated version of the agreed text of the Directive has been published in the Council Register and can be found here.
- IPReg appoints new Chair: Caroline Corby has been appointed as Chair of the Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg), the regulatory body of patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys. More on that here.
- In related news, Justice Arnold has been appointed to the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office as a replacement for Lord Justice Floyd, who has been the UK external member of the Enlarged Board for some years.


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When was the last time you checked out the ingredient list on your favorite lipstick? If it's been a while, you might want to get on that. Apparently, 1 in 12 beauty and personal care products marketed to black women in the U.S. contains highly hazardous ingredients according to research released earlier this week by the Environmental Working Group.
More than 1,100 products marketed to those who identify as black women in the U.S., including the Caribbean and other areas, were analyzed, revealing that less than 25 percent of the items scored "low" on the hazard scale. For some comparison, 40 percent of products that are marketed to the general public are classified as low-risk.
"If a black woman is choosing products marketed to their demographic, they have fewer healthier options," Nneka Leiba, deputy director of research at the Environmental Working Group noted.
The worst offenders were hair relaxers, hair colors and bleaching products, which studies have linked to an increase in health risks. Luckily, the Environmental Working Group has a searchable database that provides information on the safety or lack thereof of more than 64,000 cosmetic products.
The group hopes the report will encourage black women to push the companies they buy from into putting more thought into the ingredients that go into their products.
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Nick LaMaina, senior vice president of product management and strategy at TradeStation, a trading technology and brokerage service for individual and institutional traders, spoke with Benzinga regarding the company’s prospects.
TradeStation is a subsidiary of Monex Group, a Japanese online financial service provider.
The firm began as Omega Research, a trading analytics software company that caught its first big break after striking a deal to offer a premium service to Dow Jones’ institutional clients.
After going public in 1997, Omega Research transformed into an online securities brokerage, TradeStation, that evolved into a self-clearing equities, options and futures firm.
“Last month, we saw some pretty transformational changes in the retail brokerage space,” LaMaina told Benzinga.
In October, the firm rolled out commission-free stock and ETF trading via a new service, TradeStation TSgo.
Now, when customers open accounts, two choices are available: Select and TSgo.
Users receive the same high-quality execution and educational offerings with both products.
TSgo has fewer analytical offerings.
“We’re not just about technology,” LaMaina said.
TradeStation is a destination for novice and professional traders, he said.
“It’s really about building user-friendly, easy-to-use products, education and community. That’s where we really see the value in TradeStation moving forward.”
Trade Station’s TradingApp Store allows platforms like TradingView, Yahoo! Finance, and 85 other API partners to connect and link with TradeStation accounts, the exec said.
Additionally, TradeStation has increased its focus on its trading platforms, he said: “We’ve totally revamped our futures offering and relaunched our FuturesPlus platform this summer.”
TradeStation Group will soon introduce cryptocurrency trading through its subsidiary, TradeStation Crypto, LaMaina said.
“It’s in beta right now. We have external customers trading seven different crypto currency crosses and pairs. We have Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Ripple and Litecoin.”
Additionally, TradeStation has acquired YouCanTrade, an online trading community and educational offering.
“It is an ecosystem of multiple coaches — a combination of live training and trading demonstrations. It also has a wealth of recorded education — the ability to subscribe to different coaches’ trading signals.”
The intent is to attract users through the commission-free model and increase engagement with the educational and technical offering.
“So, the thought of free commissions bringing customers in, but the breadth of products, services, education, and community keeping people here,” LaMaina said.
You can check out dozens of up-and-coming fintech companies at the fifth annual Benzinga Global Fintech Awards on Nov. 19 in New York City.


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The Yomiuri Shimbun
TOKYO — What worries Manish Sahay, the sales manager of Star Hyundai-Bayside, a New York City dealership in Queens for South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co., is a stock shortage.
“Right now we have a lack of inventory. That’s just one of the issues that Hyundai is dealing with — just too much demand and not enough supply. We’re very limited in our (available) inventory and that’s one of our biggest drawbacks at this point. All Hyundai dealers have inventory issues,” he said.
Without doubt, he has been kept busy by demand. The number of Hyundai cars sold at his dealership each month this year has risen to 100, up 30 percent from last year.
He said his shop has the potential to sell about 170 cars a month but doesn’t have enough stock.
New car sales in the United States have been steady despite the nation’s slowing economy. The U.S. market share of Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Motor Corp. rose from 7.7 percent in February to 8.8 percent in October.
Production cuts among Japanese automakers, due to the country’s March earthquake, contributed to the situation. But that hasn’t not been the sole cause of Hyundai’s growth.
Motor journalist Naotsugu Mihori argues the quality of a Hyundai luxury sedan is comparable to its Japanese counterparts.
“I felt it was very smooth and comfortable to ride in. If you were driving blindfolded you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Japanese and Hyundai sedans,” he said.
In 2009, with the global economy in the depths of the recession, Hyundai started a “Lose your income, return your car” campaign for customers who were reluctant to buy a car due to fears over losing their jobs. Under the deal, the owner of a new Hyundai car can return the vehicle to the dealer and cancel all remaining loan repayments if their employment is terminated within 12 months of the car’s purchase.
In addition, Hyundai subsidized clients who were struggling with rising fuel prices by offering gasoline at a fixed price of $1.49 a gallon in its Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock promotion program. Hyundai paid for the difference in gas prices.
“Hyundai took an offensive strategy to change the crisis into an opportunity,” said Nam Myung Hyun, a professor at Hannan University of South Korea. The strategy was appealing to U.S. citizens, the former Hyundai Motor director said.
Hyundai is also slowly penetrating the Japanese market.
Hyundai is not displaying any passenger cars at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, but the Impreza, a small car displayed by Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., is equipped with rear light components produced by a Hyundai-affiliated parts maker. It is the first time that a Hyundai-affiliated maker has supplied large parts for the Japanese automaker.
“Now, South Korean parts are our most serious threat,” an official at a Japanese autoparts maker said.
Germany’s Volkswagen cars are continuing to sell well in Japan despite a six-month delivery time for some models, which has been in place since last year. This is partly due to the cost efficiency of Volkswagen engines. The automaker has been protecting its brand image by not cutting prices, despite the euro depreciating against the yen.
In contrast, Japanese carmakers have suffered globally even though they have until recently enjoyed high market shares around the world.
According to Fourin Inc., a global automotive market research and publishing company, the share of Japanese cars in the global market plunged from 32.2 percent in 2008 to 28.6 percent in 2010.
In addition to effects of the Japanese earthquake and the recent Thai flooding, a host of other challenges —appreciation of the yen, a high corporate tax rate, delay in trade liberalization, labor regulations, measures to combat global warming and an electricity crisis — hang over Japan.
But that doesn’t mean Japanese cars have lost their appeal.
In January, the i-MIEV, Mitsubishi Motors Corp.’s electric vehicle, won the top position in Norway’s small car market.
Norwegian motorists are offered a range of incentives to drive electric vehicles, and environmentally conscious customers flocked to buy the car.
Nissan Motor Co. released the Leaf electric car in December last year, and about 1,000 units per month have been sold in the United States. MMC and Nissan have been leading the global electric vehicle market.
“Including the fuel efficiency of hybrid and gasoline-engine cars, Japan’s environmental technology is at the world’s highest level. No country can surpass Japan easily,” said Chief Executive Officer Toru Sakuragi of SC-ABeam Automotive Consulting, a research and consulting firm for automotive clients.
©2011 The Yomiuri Shimbun (Tokyo)


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The smartphone maker has confirmed that the smartphone will offer 120Hz refresh rate and will house a waterdrop notch screen. The smartphone will also sport a dual rear camera setup. The company has also confirmed that the iQoo Z6 Lite will be powered by a Qualcomm chipset. Rumours suggest that the smartphone will be powered by series 4 Snapdragon chipset.
iQoo Z6 Lite 5G is said to sport a 50MP main camera and a 2MP depth sensor. Front is said to house an 8MP selfie camera. The smartphone is expected to be backed by a 5000 mAh battery with 18W fast charging support.
The 5G-enabled smartphone is expected to run Android 12 operating system and come in two versions — 4GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB. Listed on Amazon, the smartphone is expected to be priced under Rs 15,000.
Last month, iQoo launched its flagship smartphone — iQoo 9T in India. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset and houses a full HD+ display. The premium smartphone runs Android 12 and the company also announced that the smartphone will get 3 years of Android OS update and 4 years of security updates.
iQoo 9T comes in two variants — 8GB+128GB and 12GB+256GB priced at Rs 49,999 and Rs 54,999 respectively.


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Independent media and creative agency Noisy Beast has made a double senior hire to bolster its digital marketing and technology offering.
Further to the announcement earlier in the year that former general manager of Reprise Digital Jules Kilmartin had joined the agency, and off the back of several new wins and organic growth, Noisy Beast have continued to grow with the appointments of Gill Cook and Cindy Toh (lead image).
Cook, who worked with Kilmartin for nine years at Reprise leading large scale SEO projects for some of Australia’s most recognisable brands, joins as head of SEO while Cindy Toh will join as performance director from her most recent role at Google Singapore. Here she was responsible for performance media & strategy to market Google’s products across 13 markets in APAC.
Cook commented, “I thought I’d done my time with agencies, but having seen the offering Jules and the Noisy team were putting together I couldn’t resist. It’s super exciting to be building something from the ground up with the right systems and processes to compliment Noisy’s already fantastic strengths in market”
Toh, who will be relocating from Singapore to Melbourne in the New Year added: :”I’m really thrilled to be joining an agency with such great vision and purpose. I’ve spoken with Jules and the team a lot, and I see a strong sense of pride in their work and their people as well as a genuine client first mentality.
Kilmartin who was at Reprise for 10 years and was responsible for shaping the product offering to 150 people across four markets has grown Noisy’s offering quickly across Melbourne and Sydney as well as integrating the technology opportunities through media and creative.
“Having creative, media and digital under one roof just offers a refreshing approach to how Noisy deals with client’s problems,” said Kilmartin. “With one bottom line and no politics to deal with, we spend more time working as one team, delivering the best outcome for clients.”
Kilmartin added, “I’ve been delighted with the growth we’ve achieved in such a short space of time, and the support from our great clients has been incredible. I can’t wait to carry this momentum into next year”
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Digital publisher network Scroll Media has employed ex-Amazon Twitch gaming executive Costa Panagos (lead image) to strengthen its Scroll Gaming capability. Panagos is highly experienced in game advertising and media sales professional with two years in account management at Twitch and three years in media sales at News Corp, so will bring his extensive media agency […]
School-leaver service Year13 has launched a new Artificial Intelligence course to upskill young people in AI, made in collaboration with Microsoft and KPMG, at an event to rally industry support behind youth AI fluency. The free online course AI Amplified which is part of Year13’s Academy aims to provide all young people with the opportunity […]
General Motors has announced the appointment of Heath Walker (lead image) as the new marketing director for GM Australia and New Zealand, effective April 23, 2024. Walker brings a wealth of marketing and communications experience gained from working across various industries, including IT, sporting, and auto – notably Tesla, Nissan and most recently, Scania in […]


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Minister of Business Development & Tourism Wayne Furbert said he is “delighted to share outstanding projections” announced by partners at the World Travel Market [WTM] in London this year.
The Ministry said that BA Holidays’, our largest tour operator, reported sales for Bermuda are up 36% year on year, whilst forward bookings for British Airways, until July 2013, are up an impressive 39% for 2013.
Minister Furbert, Miss Bermuda Rochelle Minors and the Gombeys at the WTM:
“We are thrilled with the success of our partnership with BA Holidays, which has produced outstanding results for Bermuda sales, despite the current economic challenges faced by UK holiday makers” says Minister Furbert.
“We are equally delighted with the ongoing support of British Airways this year, partnering with the BDOT to promote both the Avios and companion-goes-free offers, which have worked wonders for raising the profile of the destination and, importantly, increasing passenger numbers for the coming year by way over a third.
“With every effort in place to continue a tight collaboration with these and other UK partners and with more exciting promotions planned for 2013, we are extremely confident of meeting and exceeding targets over the next 12 months.”
The Minister, Director of Tourism along with a Queen Elizabeth look-a-like and others at the WTM:
The UK, along with Canada, continue to be key secondary markets for Bermuda. Hotel partners attending WTM with BDOT included representatives for Fairmont, Cambridge Beaches, The Reefs and Grotto Bay, all of which have reported increases in advanced bookings, as reflected in the most recent PACE reports. Saga Holidays is projecting a 400% increase in bookings for next year at Grotto Bay, the Ministry said.
Minister Furbert said: “This represents an exciting time for Bermuda following the recent launch of the new brand. BDOT will also be revealing new promotions very shortly to stimulate the market for further growth in 2013.”


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The world’s most famous plumber is now officially saving princesses on Android!
Originally expected to launch March 23rd, the game is now available to anyone running Android 4.2 or higher.
Despite the runaway success of the iOS version released back on December 15th, reviews have been mixed.
People loved the game. But they found the $10 paywall at the end of level 3 a tough boss to beat.
Super Mario Run for Android is available from Google Play.


text: A couple weeks ago, the first ever Rodarte ad was revealed, months after it appeared in Anthem's fall issue, which was apparently the only time it appeared at all. The image, featuring a blood-splattered wall behind Karen Elson, was the result of a spontaneous shoot that ended up serving as a one-off ad for the brand that had never advertised before (they have since launched a "real" ad for Spring 09). And now, it looks like Zac Posen has the done the same: The young designer, who has never launched an ad campaign for his nonetheless coveted label, got some of his fashion friends together to create a one-off ad for Spring 09 to appear in Fanzine 137, an indie magazine from Madrid (though the image does appear first in today's WWD). So are quiet, one-time-only ads the new way to go for young designers looking to establish their identity without emptying out their wallets? We'll see - but if Gareth somehow gets Beyonce to pose under his name for a full-page glossy image, you can call it on a trend on arrival.


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Following her support for the Farmers for Action and National Farmers Union (NFU) campaign to highlight the reduction in milk prices paid to farmers, local MP Tessa Munt wants to investigate a Fairtrade milk scheme for UK dairy farmers.
Tessa went along to meet the 1,100 local farmers at the blockade of Robert Wiseman’s distribution centre in Bridgwater on Sunday evening to show her support for dairy farmers in her patch. She pointed out that The Fairtrade Foundation currently works to support farmers in the developing world to ensure that they get a fair price for their products, but there is clearly a need to do the same ‘at home’ in the UK.
The Foundation issues Fairtrade Marks which can be displayed on products which indicate that they have been certified by the Foundation where the producers get a fair deal. The Fairtrade Mark does not currently apply to UK farmers but Tessa is keen that a version of it should. She has written to the Fairtrade Foundation about this.
Tessa said: “I have spoken previously about how vitally important it is to keep dairy farming alive and to make sure our farmers get a fair price for their products. As a nation, we should concentrate on food security and be able to feed ourselves. I really believe a Fairtrade milk scheme would be an effective way to ensure that the farmers are protected and the consumer knows at a glance that he or she is supporting British farming when shopping for milk or milk products. I am writing to the Farming Minister about this.”
July 24th 2012


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Overview: These hashtags were created as a deliberate disinformation campaign on 4chan and promoted by white supremacists—there is no evidence that they are linked to or promoted by Black Lives Matter activists.
Description: This disinformation campaign originated in June 2020 on the online forum 4chan, a favorite among extremists, with the goal of getting the hashtags #AllWhitesAreNazis or #AWAN trending on Twitter. Organizers hoped to commandeer hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter and #BLM with a high volume of tweets—purportedly from Black activist accounts—containing the #AWAN hashtag. The campaign’s supporters hoped to sow tension between Black and white people, further dividing protesters and promoting accelerationism.
Many newly-created Twitter accounts—whose lists of followers suggested that the same owners controlled these accounts—attempted to promote the campaign. While the initial Twitter campaign largely failed after screenshots exposed the hashtag’s origins on 4chan and many of the accounts promoting the hashtags were disabled, #AWAN and #AllWhitesAreNazis have since migrated to Facebook, TikTok and Telegram, where antisemitic and white supremacist channels are promoting the campaign.


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Except that potential $30 million payout was a printing error -- one that's forcing the agency behind the "Make an Offer" promotion to offer amends to would-be winners.
Jim Fitzpatrick, president of Force Media Group, Atlanta, said he knew within 15 minutes he had a problem with the Roswell Honda promotion his company handled. The dealership called him and said the first person who came in with a game piece last week had won the sole $1,000 grand prize, and called again 15 minutes later to say there were five more winners.
Mr. Fitzpatrick acted quickly to defuse a situation that will almost surely make the annals of famous promotions gone awry (see box). He pulled 20,000 still-undelivered pieces from the post office and flew two of his VPs to Roswell to speak to the client and its customers.
Force Media quickly added a few more steps in proofreading for both the company and its array of printers to avoid future gaffes, Mr. Fitzpatrick said. His family-owned company is eating the cost of the dealer's materials and covering a new "Second Chance" drawing. The 30,000 people who got the first mailing and went to the showroom with it have the chance to win a $5,000 grand prize or one of 20 chances to win $1,000.
Force also funded full-page ads for three days in the local newspaper explaining the mistake.
Tom Krumland, owner of the dealership, did not return calls for comment.
Mr. Fitzpatrick said Force does 30 million pieces of mail a year for auto dealers. "This typo error is probably going to cost us some business."
Other promo disasters
Cost: Hoover's then-parent, Maytag Corp., spent $73 million from 2002 to 2004 to cover the botched promo.
Cost: Kraft in 1991 agreed to pay $10 million to settle a class-action lawsuit. Under the settlement, the marketer gave $700 in cash and coupons to each of 10,000 consumers who thought they'd won a $17,000 Dodge minivan.


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Fly anglers looking for easy access to instructional content can now stream “The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing” television show on two of the largest video platforms online: Amazon Prime and YouTube. The show, a 13-part documentary-style series hosted by well-known author and angler Tom Rosenbauer, focuses on instruction in a variety of settings and angling situations, covering everything from fly-fishing basics to targeting trout and bass with a fly rod.
“The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing” originally aired on the World Fishing Network (WFN) in 2012, and has been available on the Orvis website’s Learning Center since. Rosenbauer believes that the addition of the show to the Amazon lineup will provide the content with a second life.
“People can watch it on their television anytime they want now, if they have Amazon Prime,” he said. “I’ve had people come up to me and say ‘I love your show and watched it five times, but I can’t see it on WFN anymore. I like watching it on my tv.’”
According to Rosenbauer, having the content available to stream on home televisions via Amazon and on mobile devices through YouTube will broaden the series’ reach substantially.
“The Amazon audience, it’s a different audience, for most parts an older one,” he said. “The younger people will watch it on their phones.”
Colin McKeown and Mark Melnyk, producers and hosts of “The New Fly Fisher,” helped produce the Orvis show. Both believe that the partnership with Amazon and the presence on YouTube will be a boon to anglers everywhere.
“There are 40-odd million people using Amazon Prime in the U.S.,” McKeown said. “This is a big score for the show, for Tom, and for Orvis. It’s going to enable a lot of people who are learning how to fly fish.”
Melnyk echoed McKeown’s thoughts.
“I believe that this is going to open up a window to a whole bunch of brand-new fly anglers,” he said. “They are going to find this while browsing and it’s going to pique their interest.”
That’s not the only big news involving “The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing,” however. Over the course of 2019, Rosenbauer, McKeown, and Melnyk will be producing the long-awaited second season of the show.
“It will be more advanced, more in-depth,” Rosenbauer said. “It will be a natural extension of Season 1, but very focused. There will be strictly a bonefish show, strictly a redfishing show, a show all about Euro nymphing.”
Season 2 will debut in January of 2020. Click here to stream the series.


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Julia Kemp, Avis Budget Group’s director of sales & partnerships – international, has been named the 2019 recipient of the Institute of Travel & Tourism (ITT) Odyssey Award.
The award was presented to Kemp by Chris Mottershead, president of the membership organization for professionals employed in the travel and tourism industry, at the 63rd ITT President’s Dinner, which was held at the Savoy Hotel in London.
The Odyssey Award is given to an individual in recognition of his or her contribution to the travel and tourism industry.
“Julia has been one of the travel industry’s leading figures for over two decades,” said Steven Freudmann, chairman of ITT. “It is in recognition of her significant contribution both to the industry as a whole, and to ITT, that the board of ITT were unanimous that Julia Kemp should be the recipient of the 2019 Odyssey Award.”
In 1998, Kemp joined Avis as head of leisure, with a brief to develop the travel and leisure sector within the group. Twenty years and several promotions later, she manages and leads teams across a territory covering Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia Pacific.
“Julia is very deserving of the ITT Odyssey Award and we couldn’t be prouder of her,” said Keith Rankin, president of International, Avis Budget Group. “Her many highlights include forging successful customer relationships whilst consistently delivering revenue growth in all channels. Julia has excelled in her career, not just at Avis Budget Group but also in the wider industry.”
“I’m humbled but delighted and very proud to be awarded the ITT Odyssey Award,” said Kemp. “I feel privileged to work in the travel industry with such amazing and inspiring colleagues, and I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had at Avis Budget Group, which have allowed me to fully develop my career.”


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They’d both done service trips throughout high school, and in that first year at Fordham they talked a lot about sustainability and ethical consumerism. Then, during a summer service trip to the Dominican Republic, Rose spoke to local merchants who planted an idea: “They said, ‘You should take some of our stuff and go try to sell it to your friends.’”
Today they’re doing that and more, selling the merchants’ locally produced jewelry all over the country through Radiate Market, a web-based business that reflects their belief in changing current consumption patterns to benefit the developing world.
And they’re running the business in the midst of junior-year coursework, maintaining an inventory and handling all the bookkeeping and shipping themselves.
“We spend a lot of time at the Fordham post office,” Rose said.
The two have sold dozens of items since launching the business in August, driven by a belief in helping developing-world artisans earn sustainable incomes in ways that preserve and celebrate their cultures. With startup funds raised through Indiegogo, the crowdfunding site, they’ve bought three wholesale orders of jewelry and have a fourth in the works.
They’re finding a ready market for the handcrafted items—bracelets, necklaces, Haitian metal art—that evoke the personal story of a merchant whose life was tangibly improved by the purchase.
“The ultimate goal would be to have people feeling fulfilled by the work that they’re doing,” Maloney said. “If we’re able to give someone the feeling that they can be creative and work hard at something that they actually get satisfaction out of, and provide for their family, that’s the most satisfying thing.”
Neither student is a business major; Maloney studies economics and Rose, anthropology. But they’ve picked up business savvy with help from the Fordham Foundry, which connected them with a business coach and a student who provided accounting help.
And their business approach was informed by their service trips with Global Outreach, Fordham’s cultural immersion and service program. Last summer they made an extended trip to the Dominican Republic to build connections and show their commitment; they also worked through a few nongovernmental organizations to find out which artisans would be most receptive.
“A huge part of our model is definitely being aware of what’s going on in the communities that we’re working with,” Maloney said. “We don’t just want to come in with a set structure and say, ‘This is going to work for you.’”
Maloney and Rose both love the feeling of providing opportunity to Dominican artisans, one of whom used the income to hire neighborhood boys to help fulfill the orders. The two students plan to return this summer to learn more about how the artisans’ communities have benefited from the business.
They might expand the business to artisans in Guatemala or even in the immigrant communities of New York City, and they hope to work at it full time after they graduate.
The company name comes from a conversation they had on the 4 train as freshmen, Rose said: “We were talking about people that radiate these qualities that we really admired, and we really enjoyed meeting people who we had felt lived in a way that radiated things that they love.”
Launching the business has changed their lives. “(Because) we’re doing this thing that we love, people want to share the thing that they love with us too,” Maloney said.


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Luxury sales could return to 2019 levels imminently according to consultancy Bain and luxury- industry association Altagamma. The news is music to luxury fashion designers ears following a year that has been the most challenging period in more than a decade. Not only was the sector affected by the pandemic in 2020 but there have been other hurdles to jump such as sustainability issues, circular fashion, veganism, black lives matter and corporate social responsibility, to name a few.
The luxury brands that managed to survive have been working hard on their ‘purpose’ and using their fashion houses to make a difference – not just sell clothes. The world of luxury retail is changing and shopper-behaviour research increasingly shows consumers want more from their purchases. In fact a global study by Zeno Group shows shoppers are six times more likely to purchase, protect and advocate purpose-driven companies.
Top luxury fashion houses such as Gucci and Dior still remain firm favourites in 2021, but there are modernistic luxury fashion designers inching up beside them. The one common theme amongst these growing-in-popularity-designers is their ambition to “do good”. We at Beyond Talent Recruitment always champion the underdogs and right now we’re sitting in anticipation to see the outcome of these designers’ purposeful actions. Here’s our list of top luxury fashion designers challenging the status quo in 2021.
Making a difference by…championing the high-street.
Over 15,000 stores closed their doors for good in the past year – the highest on record – equating to over 50 store closures each day. But, while most luxury brands are scaling back their bricks-and-mortar presence, the courageous British-designer Anya Hindmarch has opened an entire ‘village’ of five shops in Chelsea, London.
The Anya Hindmarch Village opened its doors to shoppers in May and includes:
In an interview with Forbes, Anya spoke about her ambitious project: “It's been a sort of magnetic pull to go back to where my first shop was in London and to create something very local, rather than global, which feels like a very appropriate thing to be doing post-pandemic.”
The executives in charge of maintaining the vibrancy of Chelsea high street are thrilled that a well-loved brand is championing the high street right now – not running away from it, like many businesses are being forced to do.
We say, good on you Anya for going against the grain and keeping such iconic shopping destinations, such as Chelsea, alive.
Making a difference by…bringing luxury to younger generations.
Go back a decade or so and French luxury fashion house, Balmain, was known as ‘one of the most expensive fashion houses in the world’ with price tags anywhere between $12,000 and $22,000. The brand was perceived to be more about status than its clothes, until young luxury fashion designer Olivier Rousteing took over the reins.
At the age of just 25, Olivier was appointed as Creative Director of Balmain. The youngest creative director in Paris since Yves Saint Laurent. Olivier’s fresh, daring and adventurous approach propelled the luxury fashion house and made it the success it is today – a social-media-savvy brand that is admired by the youth.
So, how did Olivier take a label known for its classic and luxurious designs and turn it into a free and democratic brand?
Olivier continues to push boundaries, experiment with technology and engage with younger generations in 2021. So far this year his runway show to launch Balmain’s spring/summer collection has turned the heads of fashion enthusiasts. With the pandemic still making certain aspects of events challenging, Olivier organised for half of the runway audience to watch and participate live online through screens placed on chairs. A sure way to bring a traditional act of the luxury sector into the 21st century. Olivier - we can’t wait to see what you do next!
Making a difference by…being honest about sustainability.
Sisters, Margaret and Katherine Kleveland, founded luxury fashion brand Dôen back in 2016. Their mission was to build a brand that “from the outside told a story and felt personal, and from the inside was run ethically and democratically by women”.
Dôen supports Planned Parenthood, NAACP and some of its garments are made with GOTS-certified organic cotton. Because of these actions the brand is often seen to be a sustainable and eco brand. However, founders, Margaret and Katherine shocked customers this year by putting a message on Dôen’s website: “We do not consider ourselves to be a slow fashion or sustainable brand.”
Unsurprisingly the message received negative feedback and upset many avid-customers. The sisters went on to explain their bold statement: It wasn’t that they didn’t care about the planet, they just hadn’t achieved their vision of true sustainability and wanted to hold themselves accountable to change.
The word ‘sustainable’ in 2021 is commonly used in many marketing campaigns for brands all across the world. The Dôen sisters believe the use of the word has become a gimmick and many brands using it are not truly sustainable. For example, there are no guidelines for the levels of sustainability companies have to meet to say they are ‘sustainable’. It’s a notion that’s frustrating many sustainable-activists in the industry and has been bought to the mainstream media’s attention with Business of Fashion’s latest Sustainability Index.
To demonstrate just how passionate the Dôen brand is about working towards a true sustainable status it invested in a rigorous audit of its supply chain and openly shared the findings for all their customers to see. The audit enabled Dôen to set some ambitious targets with one aim - to be able to confidently tell customers they give back to the planet more than they take from it.
Dôen’s take on sustainability is a breath of fresh air. If the luxury industry really wants to make a difference and fix the damage that’s been done to the planet then transparency will be key. We salute you Margaret and Katherine for being honest and speaking the truth.
Making a difference by…supporting the restaurant industry.
Founder of Rag & Bone, Marcus Wainwright, is well-known for challenging the understanding of what constitutes fashion. And, in 2021 Marcus has made no exception. This summer, New York born brand Rag & Bone is launching a pop-up shop at American luxury department store, Nordstrom. The ‘Rag & Bone Deli’ has been designed to look, feel, and sometimes even function, like an authentic New York neighbourhood deli. Customers will be able to shop a curated mix of the women’s and men’s high summer 2021 ready-to-wear collection, as well as exclusive items such as a limited-edition range of graphic t-shirts.
It’s no secret that the luxury industry took a huge hit during the pandemic and while many brands are clawing back whatever they can and looking for ways to bolster the retail sector, Rag & Bone is turning its support to the restaurant industry. Alongside the Rag & Bone Deli, the brand will be giving a £25,000 grant to the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation. The Restaurant Workers’ Foundation has a Covid-19 Crisis Relief Fund providing aids to individual restaurant workers, industry nonprofits and zero-interest loans to restaurants, to help them get back up and running.
The casual luxury brand has also called on New York culinary icons to raise awareness of the restaurant industry’s crisis and gather as much support as possible. Chefs Maryah Amanda and Esther Choi, and author of ‘Let’s Eat’ Zaynab Issa will be hosting how-to-videos to give customers tips for creating deli menu favourites.
The move isn’t the only honourable action Marcus Wainwright has taken in the past year, he also won over customers in 2020 by announcing he would slash Rag & Bone’s prices by 25%, until the pandemic was over. Staying true to his word, Rag & Bone prices remain at lowered price points and look to do so for the foreseeable future. It’s not everyday luxury fashion designers do something so selfless. Well done Marcus!
Making a difference by…refusing to follow a narrative.
Successful luxury brands today might be known for supporting sustainability, diversity or LGBTQ+ movements. While these brands are championing extremely worthy causes, it’s refreshing to hear a luxury fashion designer whose message is simpler than that. “I want to make things that allow people to say the things that they want to say, without having to shout about it,” Christopher John Rogers recently told fashion magazine, I-D.
There is pressure today for brands to be categorised and represent something, but Christopher continued to tell I-D: “I never want to be placed in a category, and as soon as I feel that I am, I don't necessarily want to reject that categorisation, but I want to say that I can be that and something else, too.”
Not only does this show upcoming, impressionable designers that they don’t have to ‘put themselves in box’ to be successful, it conveys a positive message to a younger audience too. It communicates very clearly that you can be whatever you want to be, think freely, and do things that make you happy.
Often thought of as a designer who creates eveningwear collections, Christopher John Rogers’ latest collection encompasses items that you can wear for occasions, but that you can dress down for a daytime look too. His aim was to create clothes that do more than one thing – without trying too hard.
We love Christopher’s laid back approach to couture and that his passion for making clothes shines through. His goals are not to fit a narrative or prove anything to the world, but to create designs that make him, his team and his customers happy. After almost two years of extremes in every corner of the world to date, what a delight it will be to watch the unveiling of Christopher John Rogers’ collections in 2021. We need some laid-back, purist designers on our planet, to counteract the downcast news around us.
Want to get involved in more luxury fashion discussions? You can read more here…
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Specialising in Senior and Executive recruitment for the luxury fashion, lifestyle and beauty industries worldwide.
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Having launched last Friday across Japan, the Nintendo 3DS has certainly seen its fair share of demand with the initial shipment of 400,000 units reportedly selling out.
Enterbrain, a Japanese publisher who look after popular gaming magazine Famitsu, have further stated that the system achieved sales of 371,326 units over Saturday and Sunday, with retailers taking pre-orders from consumers for the next shipment.
Nintendo currently expects to supply Japan with a total of 1.5 million systems by March 31st, with a further shipment of 4 million heading worldwide. Let’s hope there is enough to satisfy demand!
Genius Sonority announce The “Denpa” Men 3: The Rise of Digitoll
We’ve already been treated to two adventures with Genius Sonority’s The “Denpa” Men, the Japanese publisher having confirmed…


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Ledger Wallet have designed two hardware wallets only one is available at them moment and you can pre-order.
Both of these hardware wallets will support a number of different cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin and Ethereum. Ledger Wallet also have a number of different applications which will work alongside your Ledger Wallet. To find out more about the different products and applications click the link below to visit the official Ledger wallet website.
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Would you like to be the ultimate winner of a brand new F250? If you signed up at the Ford trailer outside of Starbucks on the Arizona Western College main campus, your luck may be underway.
Ford is hosting a nationwide giveaway that runs through mid-June. Ford representatives will be present, for example, at NASCAR races and at college and community events. In this case, Ford was one of the many vendors represented at the 9th Annual Ag Summit on campus on Feb. 24-26.
Although Ford is a well-known American auto company, its employees will answer any questions that students, staff and community members may have regarding its engines or vehicles.
"We will answer any questions, and the best part is that you don't have to be a Ford owner," says Ford employee Paul Dunn. "We always have people come and ask us questions regarding their non-Ford vehicle engines."
The Ford display also featured four different engines spinning around inside their trailer for people to take a closer look. Other vehicle parts were also available as exhibits.
Where to from here? "We are heading to Houston and then were coming back to the southwest pretty soon," said another Ford employee, Peyton Gardner. "Folks can catch us at the upcoming NASCAR races from now until summer."
As for the winner of the F250, we'll just have to wait and see.
Photo by: Pam Black


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John Lewis profits hit £315m for 2009 furnishing partners with bonuses
Partners at department store John Lewis are today expected to celebrate weightier bonuses following a profits bounce.
The Waitrose supermarket group, which is co-owned by its employees, is predicted to announce pre-tax profits of £315million for the year to January 31, compared to £280million in 2008.
Bonus payments are expected to reach 14 per cent of salary - or the equivalent of about eight weeks pay - from 13 per cent the previous year, although this is still much lower than the 20 per cent enjoyed by staff after the 2007 results, which was the biggest proportion of wages in a decade.
An analyst said the group has seen a 'very good start to the year', with recent
weekly like-for-like sales expected to be 10% ahead on last year
All 69,000 John Lewis employees - from weekend checkout workers to
the chairman Charlie Mayfield - receive the same percentage payout.
The partnership has seen sales rally as consumer spending remained
robust despite the economic gloom, while strong growth at its
supermarket business is thought to be behind the profits improvement.
Nick Bubb, an analyst at Arden Partners, is forecasting the profits figure, which is before tax, the bonus paid to staff, and exceptional items.
He said the group has seen a 'very good start to the year', with recent weekly like-for-like sales expected to be 10 per cent ahead on last year.
Sales figures from the group have shown both the department stores
and the supermarkets outperforming last year in recent trading.
The department store business did suffer the detrimental effect of
the snow and ice - keeping shoppers away from its outlets during its
peak post-Christmas clearance week - but pent up demand has seen a
strong rebound since.
Waitrose has also been steadily improving its standing in the supermarket stakes.
According to recent figures by industry researcher Kantar Worldpanel the grocer saw its market share rise to 4.3 per cent in the 12 weeks to February 21 from the same period a year ago.
A rise in store numbers and the tendency for economising shoppers to
seek stay-at-home treats rather than eat out has helped the retailer.
Overall the group operates 29 John Lewis stores - including one
stand-alone home store in Poole in Dorset - and 225 Waitrose
It is planning to open a second home outlet in Croydon this autumn and a further two are reportedly in the pipeline.
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The London-headquartered Iglo Group, a holding of the Permira private equity fund, has announced that it will invest about £60 million in a brand re-launch that includes introduction of new logo and packaging across Europe. The campaign, called “The Food of Life,” also features a photogenic made-for-TV family, complete with a “comedic dad,” that has been cast to “bring added warmth and personality” to Iglo’s product range adverting on television.
In Great Britain the Birds Eye unit has budgeted £5 million for the initial phase of the “The Food of “Life” promotion – and £16 million for media spending over the year. And Iglo is significantly boosting digital promotion spending as well, as it targets a younger generation of consumers. So one wonders what is to become of the former helmsman of its advertising campaigns.
There is no definitive word yet on whether Captain Birdseye is facing retirement and heading to the “old sailors home” after well more than half a century on the job promoting Iglo products. However, a company spokesman reportedly assured a British newspaper: “The new campaign means a new era for the Captain,” who, by the way, while still gracing the boxes of a number of products, has not appeared in ads for several years.
The frozen food advertising icon entered service in the UK in the late 1950s, along with his Continental counterpart, Captain Iglo, who quickly became familiar to fish fingers shoppers in France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Greece.
After establishing himself on packaging and in print advertising, the Captain became a star in Britain as a mainstay in Birds Eye television adverts in 1967, before being “lost at sea” in 1971, only to be resurrected from Davy Jones’ locker several years later following popular outcry from consumers who wanted him back on deck.
But, alas, we are now living in a digital world, and it seems that the executives at Birds Eye and their ad agency have figured out a cooler and more efficient way to appeal to the today’s consumers.
“Research shows that meal times are one of the only moments in the day when households have a chance to come together and connect. Our campaign celebrates these moments and the powerful role food plays in everyday life,” said Andy Weston-Webb, managing director Birds Eye. “To do this we sat with real families from across the UK for dinner and captured their natural mealtime conversations. The result is a campaign that is a genuine snapshot into real life, real food and real people.”
The first three television advertisements, slotted to run on ITV during the prime time airing of popular soap opera Coronation Street, focus on Birds Eye products including Fish Fingers and Field Fresh Peas, Chicken Grills and Bake to Perfection Fish with two new major product launches supported later in the year. The Fish Fingers and Field Fresh Peas commercial first appeared on March 3 and will be amplified with outdoor and cinema advertising beginning on March 10.
To support “The Food of Life” advertising campaign and to break down traditional barriers to shopping for frozen food in-store, Birds Eye is also launching a digital hub to give consumers all the ingredients for a better mealtime. The digital tool, which provides sharable social content themed around specific meal occasions, is designed to enhance the total meal experience – from food and drink ideas to ambiance, topics of conversation and must-have accessories or props. Social and search and display will be used to raise awareness and engagement with the meals hub.
The ad campaign is being coordinated by Havas Media, which is tasked with assisting the Iglo Group in achieving its goal to double sales volume to EUR 3.2 billion by 2020.
Meanwhile, in January Iglo announced that Luca Miggiano was hired as chief marketing officer to spearhead the new brand and marketing strategy and increase its digital presence. He has over 20 years’ experience from leading FMCG brands across Europe including Cadbury, Jacobs Coffee, Kenco, Coca-Cola and Mars.
As part of Iglo’s focus on digital, a key part of the new business strategy, two positions were created. The group’s new head of digital sales is Francis Nicholas, who joined from Procter & Gamble where he was EMEA eCommerce business development leader. The new head of digital marketing is Jerry Daykin, who came from Mondelēz where he served as EU social media marketing manager.
“These appointments are a key part of delivering the new strategy, and digital sales and marketing are at the heart of this. Many of our consumers now go online not just to shop, but also for recipe ideas and inspiration as to what they eat. As a result it is essential that Iglo Group increases its focus on online platforms and messaging,” said Iglo Group CEO Elio Leoni Sceti.
The Iglo Group promotes itself as Europe’s leading branded frozen food business, with sales reported at over EUR 1.5 billion and a market share of 28%. It produces and markets premium branded frozen food products in 11 EU member states and distributes them further afield to a number of countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Core brands are Iglo, Birds Eye and Findus (in Italy only), and products range from fish fingers and frozen peas to innovative new ready meal offerings such as Bake to Perfection and Rice Fusions. The UK, Italy, Germany and Austria rank as the Group’s largest markets, representing approximately 85% of total turnover.


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Topeka, Kan. – Kansas exports totaled $11.6 billion in 2019, up 0.25 percent over 2018. Nationally, U.S. exports experienced a 1.25 percent decline during the same period.
“Seeing Kansas exports rise in the face of global headwinds like trade disputes, aviation difficulties and Brexit is heartening, and Kansans should be proud they are outperforming the national trend,” said Kansas Secretary of Commerce David Toland.
“Governor Kelly and I are committed to Kansas’ success in an increasingly competitive global economy,” Toland added. “The Governor’s reestablishment of the International division at the Department of Commerce and the continued investment in key programs that benefit Kansas exporters are having a positive impact on our exports.”
The combined value of the top ten exported commodities was $9 billion. The largest gains were seen in the cereals, electric machinery and vehicle and parts categories, which increased by $93 million, $90 million and $80 million respectively.
In the five-state region which includes Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma, the average export value was $9.3 billion, $2.3 billion less than Kansas’ export total.
The top ten exported commodities accounted for 77.2 percent of total exports, nearly the same as last year’s data (77.4 percent).
Other than the cereals, electric machinery and vehicle categories, significant growth was seen in the optic and medical equipment category and the oil seeds category, which increased by $44 million and $32 million respectively.
Mexico continues to be Kansas’ largest export destination, totaling $2.2 billion. Compared with last year, exports to Mexico increased by $84 million or 4 percent.
Exports to Brazil increased by $87 million or 47.5 percent, making it Kansas’ ninth-largest export destination. The drastic increase came from the aircraft and parts sector, which grew by nearly $70 million.
Exports to China, the United Kingdom and Canada experienced significant declines, $103 million, $64 million and $61 million respectively. The decline was mainly caused by turbulence in trade deal negotiations, volatility in the aircraft and parts sector and slow growth in the global economy. Despite significant reductions, these three countries continue to be Kansas’ top export destinations, and the rank order remains largely unchanged. France and Australia dropped out of the top-10 list and were replaced by Brazil and Taiwan.
The top five export markets are Mexico, Canada, Japan, China and Germany. Combined, the group accounted for 53 percent of total exports. The top 10 markets accounted for 68 percent of total exports.
2019 Kansas Exports–Top 10 Markets
Country (with 2018 rank)
% of Total (KS Exports)
% Change (2018-2019)
Exports (Millions) 2019
Exports (Millions) 2018
Exports (Millions) 2017
1 Mexico (1)
2 Canada (2)
3 Japan (3)
4 China (4)
5 Germany (6)
6 United Kingdom (5)
7 Republic of Korea (7)
8 Singapore (8)
9 Brazil (12)
10 Taiwan (11)
Top 10 Total
Total Kansas Exports
2019 Kansas Exports Top 10 Commodity Classifications
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