Day: December 1, 2021

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ITA Airways Firms Up Order for 28 Airbus Aircraft

Improved environmental performance, state-of-the-art aircraft technology, up to 25% less fuel consumption and CO2 emissions – @Airbus #A220 #A320neo #A330neo

ITA Airways, Italy’s new national carrier, has firmed up an order with Airbus for 28 aircraft

ITA Airways, Italy’s new national carrier, has firmed up an order with Airbus for 28 aircraft, including seven A220s, 11 A320neos and 10 A330neos, the latest version of the most popular A330 widebody airliner.

ROME, Dec. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ITA Airways, Italy’s new national carrier, has firmed up an order with Airbus for 28 aircraft, including seven A220s, 11 A320neos and 10 A330neos, the latest version of the most popular A330 widebody airliner. The order confirms the Memorandum of Understanding announced on 30th September 2021. In addition, the airline will pursue its plans to lease A350s to complement its fleet modernisation.

This agreement lays the foundations for a future development of the national industrial fabric and the civil aeronautics sector.

“Today the strategic partnership with Airbus takes an important step forward with the finalisation of the order we announced last September. In addition to this agreement, possibilities for further collaboration have emerged, in particular regarding technological developments in the aviation sector and digitalisation, where Airbus is the market leader. All this is part of the actions to achieve our environmental sustainability objectives,” said Alfredo Altavilla, Executive President of ITA Airways.

“We are very proud to partner with ITA Airways in building its long-term future with the most efficient, latest technology Airbus aircraft. This agreement supports ITA Airways business objectives to develop its network in Europe and internationally in the most sustainable way,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International.

Alfredo Altavilla, Executive President of ITA Airways and Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International

Alfredo Altavilla, Executive President of ITA Airways and Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International. ITA Airways, Italy’s new national carrier, has firmed up an order with Airbus for 28 aircraft, including seven A220s, 11 A320neos and 10 A330neos, the latest version of the most popular A330 widebody airliner.

These new Airbus aircraft will expand the initial ITA Airways fleet with a new generation aircraft with better environmental performance, equipped with latest technologies and state-of-the-art cabins to guarantee maximum operational efficiencies for the airline and the best comfort to travelers.

The A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market and brings together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation geared turbofan engines. With a range of up to 3,450 nm (6,390 km), the A220 gives airlines added operational flexibility. The A220 delivers up to 25% lower fuel burn and CO2 emissions per seat compared to previous generation aircraft, and 50% lower NOx emissions than industry standards. In addition, the aircraft noise footprint is reduced by 50% compared to previous generation aircraft – making the A220 a good neighbour around airports.

The A320neo Family is the most successful aircraft family ever and displays 99,7% operational reliability rate. The A320neo provides operators with 20% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions – the A320neo Family incorporates the latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklet wing tip devices. The Airbus A320neo Family offers unmatched comfort in all classes and Airbus’ 18-inch wide seats in economy as standard.

The Airbus A330neo is a true new-generation aircraft, building on features popular for the A330 Family and developed for the latest technology A350. Equipped with a compelling Airspace cabin, the A330neo offers a unique passenger experience with the latest-generation in-flight entertainment systems and connectivity. Powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, and featuring a new wing with increased span and A350-inspired winglets, the A330neo also provides an unprecedented level of efficiency – with 25% lower fuel-burn per seat than previous-generation competitors. Thanks to its tailored mid-sized capacity and its excellent range versatility, the A330neo is considered the ideal aircraft to support operators in their post-COVID-19 recovery.

For more information:
LaPresse SpA Communication and Press Office Director
Barbara Sanicola – barbara.sanicola@lapresse.it
+39 02 26305578 M +39 333 3905243

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ca5cd79f-8230-4a7a-a845-d348631366e7

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6bcfbace-bd5c-461d-b163-e75d517889da

The photos are also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.

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Sophi.io Wins at WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2021

Sophi Dynamic Paywall wins global award for Best Paid Media Strategy

TORONTO, Dec. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sophi.io, The Globe and Mail’s artificial intelligence-based automation, optimization and prediction engine, won WAN-IFRA’s 2021 Digital Media Awards Worldwide award in the Best Paid Media Strategy category for Sophi Dynamic Paywall, its real-time, personalized paywall engine that analyses both content characteristics and user behaviour to determine when to ask a reader for money or an email address, and when to leave them alone.

The judges unanimously selected Sophi Dynamic Paywall as the winner, with one judge commenting: “What Globe and Mail did is state of the art and what I appreciate most is that they permanently tested against the old paywall so those results are really, really sustainable.”

The World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)’s Digital Media Awards Worldwide is the news media industry’s global digital media competition. The worldwide winners are selected from the winners of the regional Digital Media Awards in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America and South Asia, which together provide news publishers with regular showcases for best-practice innovation in digital publishing worldwide. The awards recognize and celebrate the best of digital media.

“Sophi Dynamic Paywall has been crucial to driving reader revenue at The Globe and Mail,” said Phillip Crawley, Publisher and CEO of The Globe and Mail. “I look forward to sharing more stories about how Sophi’s other customers are seeing great results with our AI-powered technology.”

Sophi is an artificial-intelligence system that helps publishers identify their most valuable content and leverage it to achieve key business goals. The Sophi suite of tools also consists of Sophi Site Automation which autonomously curates content across all of a publisher’s digital properties and Sophi Content Paywall which uses complex natural language processing models to analyze every piece of content and select articles to put in front of or behind a hard paywall, maximizing the value of both the subscription revenue opportunity and the advertising revenue for publishers.

Publishers on five continents now use Sophi’s AI and ML technology to power paywall decisions, website automation and print automation.

About Sophi.io 

Sophi.io (https://www.sophi.io) was developed by The Globe and Mail to help content publishers make important strategic and tactical decisions. It is a suite of AI-powered tools that includes Sophi Site Automation and Sophi for Paywalls. Sophi is designed to improve the metrics that matter most to your business, such as subscriber retention and acquisition, engagement, recency, frequency and volume. Sophi also powers automated laydown of print and ePaper publishing.

Contact  

Jamie Rubenovitch 
Head of Marketing, Sophi 
The Globe and Mail 
416-585-3355  
jrubenovitch@globeandmail.com
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Institutional Investor Publishes 2021 Global Fixed-Income Research Rankings

J.P. Morgan achieves first place in the leaders’ table as this year’s top global research provider for fixed income

NEW YORK, Dec. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In 2021 Institutional Investor’s Global Fixed-Income Research survey, 6,025 bond and credit specialists from 1,622 asset managers provided their feedback to determine the top fixed-income research providers for developed and emerging markets across North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Emerging EMEA. Voters cast over 126,000 firm and analyst votes in total, compared to 109,000 votes last year.

This was the third year that Institutional Investor Research ran the fixed-income survey as a single Global ballot, rather than regionally. As global economic growth strengthens in 2021, opportunities to invest in fixed-income securities have increased while investors have also been seeking protection from inflation concerns. The market is indicating that there is a reasonable expectation that inflation is going to remain elevated – considering the inflation breakeven rates – signalling a potential rise in interest rates next year.

Results Highlights

Global results

J.P. Morgan claims first place in the Research Team leaders table for the second year in a row, claiming 105 published positions in the leaders’ tables, with BofA Securities in a close second place, achieving 102 published positions. Morgan Stanley climbed up the table to third place from fourth place year, while Barclays and Citi claimed fourth and fifth places respectively. Stifel jumped up three ranks from 2020 to sixth place, followed by Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs. Other noticeable movers and shakers on the leaders table include Credit Agricole Corporate Investment Bank (up two positions from 2020) and BMO Capital Markets (up one position).

Newcomers to the leader’s tables include Credit Suisse, Commerzbank and Jefferies.

Regional results

BofA Securities clinched first place in Asia ex-Japan, Japan, Emerging EMEA and Latin America and coming in a close second place in Europe and the U.S.

Asia ex-Japan: Morgan Stanley claims second place, followed by Citi and J.P. Morgan in joint third place. Citi climbs a rank from 2020.

Japan: Citi, J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley come in joint second place.

Europe: J.P. Morgan achieves first place this year, with BofA second and Barclays moving up a rank from 2020 to third place. Morgan Stanley jumped two places to join Deutsche Bank in fourth place. Newcomers to the leaders table include Commerzbank, Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs.

Emerging EMEA: J.P. Morgan comes in second place with Citi and Morgan Stanley in joint third. Morgan Stanley was up a position over the year.

Latin America: Citi joins BofA Securities in first place and J.P. Morgan drops to third place. Jefferies join the leaders’ table.

USA: The top three places reflect the same as last year, with J.P. Morgan in first place, BofA Securities in second and Barclays in third. Morgan Stanley has moved up a rank into fourth place while the largest mover and shaker is Stifel, who has leaped up three places on the leaders’ board to fifth place. Citi follows in sixth place. BMO Capital Markets and Nomura have also moved up the leader board by one and two places respectively, while Credit Suisse joins the leader board this year.

The results can be found here: https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/research/11461/Global-Fixed-Income-Research-Team.

Esther Weisz, Director of II Research, says “It has been a challenging year around the world and investors are looking for excellent fixed-income strategy and fundamental research globally across a variety of products. According to feedback from asset management voters, the sell-side has certainly delivered, and the quality and output of research remains high. The post covid environment has changed workflows which has allowed greater efficiency, improved productivity and innovative thinking.”

Notes on the selection approach

Participants first rated their top firms in regional sectors on a scale from 1-5, and then separately rated individual analysts or economists/strategists at those firms to create two distinct results for each sector. A numerical score was produced by weighting each vote based on the respondent’s fixed-income AUM for the region voted in and the ratings awarded.

Using those scores, ranks were then determined. Firms/analysts were designated runners‐up when their scores came within 35% of the third-place scores.

In the Investment-Grade and High-Yield categories only those analysts who publish independent research pursuant to Regulation AC or as defined by the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority are eligible to be recognized. No such restriction applies in Economics and Strategy sectors.

The individuals surveyed are kept confidential to ensure continuing cooperation. Voters must meet eligibility requirements, and winners must achieve a minimum vote count.

Investment professionals from the buy-side were invited to vote during a four-week period; increasingly votes are submitted centrally from investment management firms to reflect their formal internal research evaluation processes. This has reduced the disruption to the industry and increased the accuracy of the final results.

For more information, contact Esther Weisz, II Research Director of Sales, on +1 212 224 3307 or eweisz@iiresearch.com. To share your position on your website content, advertisements, communications and marketing collateral, please contact marketing@iiresearch.com.

Media contact

Sally Savery, Director of Marketing, Institutional Investor Research. sally.savery@iiresearch.com

About Institutional Investor

For over 50 years Institutional Investor has consistently distinguished itself among the world’s foremost media companies with ground-breaking journalism and incisive writing that provides essential intelligence for a global audience. In addition, Institutional Investor offers highly respected proprietary benchmark research and rankings. Institutional Investor Research (II Research) provides independent sell-side and corporate performance research and rankings and aims to be the first-choice and independent validation source of qualitative market intelligence for all three sides of the investment community. II Research has a global presence, spanning Developed Europe, Emerging EMEA, Asia-Pacific, North America and Latin America.

Follow Institutional Investor Research here https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/11222447

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4TEEN4 Pharmaceuticals Selects AGC Biologics to Manufacture Procizumab

AGC Biologics to produce Procizumab for early and late clinical phases at company’s Chiba and Copenhagen facilities

Seattle, Dec. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AGC Biologics, a leading global Biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), today announced a new partnership with 4TEEN4 Pharmaceuticals GmbH (“4TEEN4”) to manufacture and commercialize Procizumab. The first-in-class monoclonal antibody Procizumab offers a new approach for the treatment of life-threatening diseases related to acute circulatory failure.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will collaborate to transfer and optimize the manufacturing process for Procizumab. AGC Biologics will manufacture the clinical trial materials at its site in Chiba and transfer to its Copenhagen facility for all late phase activities including commercialization, to support early and late clinical phases and launch readiness of 4TEEN4’s monoclonal antibody.

“We look forward to partnering with 4TEEN4 and working together to develop and manufacture this revolutionary treatment, and help it reach the critical clinical trial phase,” said Patricio Massera, Chief Executive Officer at AGC Biologics. “Our Chiba and Copenhagen sites have the proven experience and expertise to help 4TEEN4 in its journey towards the clinical and market supply of this new innovative therapy.”

4TEEN4 is a preclinical-stage biotech company dedicated to helping critically ill patients suffering from loss of heart function and circulatory shock. Its flagship biologic, Procizumab, is a humanized monoclonal antibody able to inhibit the activity of its target, Dipeptidyl Peptidase 3 (DPP3), stabilize cardiovascular function and potentially increase survival chances e.g., in cardiogenic and septic shock.

“AGC is a high-quality partner with global manufacturing expertise and extensive commercial supply experience, and we are pleased to start a long-standing relationship as we continue to progress in our clinical development,” said Andreas Bergmann, founder and CEO of 4TEEN4. “Preclinical studies of Procizumab in models of cardiovascular failure showed instant efficacy, demonstrating this treatment’s tremendous potential.”

The teams of scientists at AGC Biologics’ Chiba and Copenhagen facilities have more than 20 years’ experience developing and delivering a wide range of mammalian and microbial programs, including several commercially approved products. AGC Biologics also recently announced expansion plans for its facility in Copenhagen that will double the production capacity at the site and meet increasing market demand.

About 4TEEN4 
4TEEN4 is dedicated to improving critically ill patient lives who suffer from hemodynamic instability, end-organ hypoperfusion and multiple organ failure with our first-in-class humanized monoclonal antibody “Procizumab” targeting human dipeptidyl peptidase 3 (DPP3). 4TEEN4 licensed its novel biomarker DPP3 for diagnostic purposes in critical care conditions. 4TEEN4 Pharmaceuticals GmbH (“4TEEN4”) was established in 2013 in Hennigsdorf near Berlin, Germany, by Dr. Andreas Bergmann, CEO of 4TEEN4, as part of his Medicine4Future Initiative. For further information, please visit www.4teen4.de

About AGC Biologics
AGC Biologics is a leading global biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with a strong commitment to delivering the highest standard of service as we work side-by-side with our clients and partners, every step of the way. We provide world-class development and manufacture of mammalian and microbial-based therapeutic proteins, plasmid DNA (pDNA), viral vectors, and genetically engineered cells. Our global network spans the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with cGMP-compliant facilities in Seattle, Washington; Boulder and Longmont, Colorado; Copenhagen, Denmark; Heidelberg, Germany; Milan, Italy; and Chiba, Japan and we currently employ more than 2,000 employees worldwide. Our commitment to continuous innovation fosters the technical creativity to solve our clients’ most complex challenges, including specialization in fast-track projects and rare diseases. AGC Biologics is the partner of choice. To learn more, visit www.agcbio.com.

AGC Biologics Contact:
Media Contact: Nick McDonald
nmcdonald@agc.com

4TEEN4 Pharmaceuticals GmbH Contacts:
Investor Contact:
Dr. Karine Bourgeois
Tel: +49(0)1622145536
bourgeois@4teen4.de
Press Contact:
Leen Alsaka Amini
Tel: +49(0)1766 4322 193
amini@4teen4.de

Nick McDonald
AGC Biologics
(425) 419-3555
nmcdonald@agc.com
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Virtusa Wins 2021 AWS Industry Solution NSI Partner of the Year – US

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Virtusa Corporation was named the 2021 AWS Industry Solution NSI Partner of the Year – US for driving continued innovation and growth across a broad range of Amazon Web Services (AWS) focused Technology and Industry specific market offerings.

Virtusa was recognized as “Partner of the Year” based on a comprehensive set of leading industry solutions including Virtusa’s vLife Platform for Healthcare and Life Sciences, its Open Innovation Platform for Banking and Financial Services, and its iComms Platform for Telecommunications and Media. Coupled with these software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based industry platforms, Virtusa launched a variety of cross-industry technology accelerators to help increase the velocity of customer cloud migrations and modernization efforts. So far, Virtusa has added 54 solutions to AWS Marketplace over the last few years.

“Being recognized as an AWS Industry Solution NSI Partner of the Year validates our company’s continued commitment to providing our customers a balance of both specialized cloud engineering services with impactful industry expertise and solutions,” said Raymond Hennings, Executive Vice President and Head of Alliances and Strategic Deals at Virtusa. “Virtusa is well known for building applications and we will continue to work with AWS to strategically bring disruptive SaaS-based innovation and joint service offerings to the market.”

Virtusa and AWS have worked together for more than a decade. Key solution focus areas have included Database Freedom for large-scale database migrations, End User Computing (EUC) for remote desktop management, Amazon Connect for service center automation, and AWS Edge and internet-of-things (IoT)-based computing services. Both AWS and Virtusa solutions have been the catalyst for driving repeatable success together in the market.

To learn more about Virtusa’s industry solutions running on AWS visit:

Banking & Financial Services: https://www.virtusa.com/solutions/open-banking
Healthcare & Life Sciences: https://www.virtusa.com/solutions/vlife
Telecommunications & Media: https://www.virtusa.com/solutions/icomms
Desktop as a Service (EUC): https://www.virtusa.com/solutions/virtusa-desktop-as-a-service

To learn more about Virtusa’s AWS work and services visit:
https://www.virtusa.com/partners/aws

About Virtusa

Virtusa Corporation is a global provider of digital business strategy, digital engineering, and information technology (IT) services and solutions that help clients change, disrupt and unlock new value through innovative engineering. Virtusa serves Global 2000 companies in Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Communications, Media, Entertainment, Travel, Manufacturing, and Technology industries.

Virtusa helps clients grow their business with innovative products and services that create operational efficiency using digital labor, future-proof operational and IT platforms, and rationalization and modernization of IT applications infrastructure. This is achieved through a unique approach blending deep contextual expertise, empowered agile teams, and measurably better engineering to create holistic solutions that drive the business forward at unparalleled velocity enabled by a culture of cooperative disruption.

Virtusa is a registered trademark of Virtusa Corporation. All other company and brand names may be trademarks or service marks of their respective holders.

Contact:
Matt Berry
Conversion Marketing
matt@conversionam.com

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WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings to Participate in the Credit Suisse Global Industrials Conference

PHOENIX, Dec. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp. (“WillScot Mobile Mini” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: WSC), a North American leader in modular space and portable storage solutions, today announced that Brad Soultz, Chief Executive Officer, and Tim Boswell, President & Chief Financial Officer, will be presenting and hosting private meetings during the 2021 Credit Suisse Global Industrials Conference on Thursday, December 2, 2021. The presentation will take place at 3:30 p.m. EST.

About WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings

WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings trades on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol “WSC.” Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the Company is a leading business services provider specializing in innovative flexible workspace and portable storage solutions. WillScot Mobile Mini services diverse end markets across all sectors of the economy from a network of over 275 branch locations and additional drop lots throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

Additional information can be found on the company’s website at www.willscotmobilemini.com

Contact Information

Investor Inquiries:

Nick Girardi
nick.girardi@willscotmobilemini.com

Media Inquiries:

Scott Junk
scott.junk@willscotmobilemini.com