BUSINESS ESSENTIALS

Kenya, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Lebanon, as part of its strategy to enable digitalization across the Middle East and Africa.

VMware, Inc. (NYSE:VMW),

a leading innovator in enterprise software, and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan University (PSU), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop plans to establish the first Regional VMware IT Academy in the Gulf, supporting youth digital skills development and the aims of Saudi Vision 2030.

Omar Ayesh, chairman of Nobles Properties, authorized the acquisition of a residential development on Jordan’s Airport Road as part of the Nobles Group’s expansion plans. In parallel, Shahd Jordan Real Estate Development Company, owned by Nobles, signed a purchase agreement for a housing project with the Manaseer Investment Group.

Jordan launched the first Sector Skills Council for Tourism and Hospitality, with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The council will boost the tourism sector, mainly through reforming technical and vocational education and training, identifying needed skills and setting standards for occupational skills.

Gulf Capital and MEED revealed the agenda / plan for the 2021 edition of the Gulf Capital SME Insights programme. The

series of activities curated by

Gulf Capital and MEED, now in their tenth year of partnership, aims to help SMEs plan and mobilize sustainable, safe practices for business success.

PwC Middle East partnered with Cybernetica, an established provider of mission critical systems for a smart and secure world, to further accelerate, facilitate, and drive the delivery of high quality digital consulting services in the Middle East region.

On July 11, 2021, PRCA MENA’s NextGen Arabia Committee launched “Hala NextGen,” the go-to platform for Arabic PR professionals in the region

In Q2 of 2021, Mastercard released its Mastercard Carbon Calculator for the Middle East & Africa, a feature developed in collaboration with the Swedish fintech company Doconomy to provide access to insights and data about environmental impact. The release came weeks before Mastercard’s publication of its 2020 Corporate Sustainability report, highlighting how the company responded to the challenges of the last year through innovation and trusted partnerships.

Hyundai Motor Company’s

high-performance N brand unveiled its Elantra N (sold as Avante N in Korea) in a digital world premiere on July 14, 2021, in Dubai, completing its lineup of “everyday sports cars.”

The 296 GTB, the latest evolution of Ferrari’s mid-rearengined two-seater berlinetta, was premiered during an online event broadcast on Ferrari’s social media and web channels on June 24, 2021. This is the first 6-cylinder engine installed on any of the brand’s road cars with 830 cv total power output

for high-end performance.

Nissan Middle East announced that over 20,000 Nissan Patrol SUVs were sold in the Gulf during the company’s 2020 fiscal year. This resulted in a 32.2 percent growth within its segment – with the Nissan Patrol Platinum emerging as the best-selling grade for the fiscal year, from April 2020 till March 2021. This comes in the wake of Nissan Motor Co.’s announcement of strong financial results for the second quarter of 2021, revising its full-year profit outlook upward for fiscal year 2021.

Palo Alto Networks, the global cybersecurity leader, and Google Cloud announced Cloud IDS (Intrusion Detection System), a jointly developed network threat detection service to help cloud customers solve critical network security challenges.

Nespresso is collaborating with world-renowned Italian entrepreneur Chiara Ferragni to add her iconic style to a limited edition of Nespresso machines and accessories