Team Dimension Data rebrands to NTT Pro Cycling: Rebranded cycling team will use co-innovated technologies to drive performance through the 2020 season

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Tokyo, Japan –  November 2019 – NTT Pro Cycling, a UCI WorldTour cycling team based in South Africa, unveiled its team for the 2020 season as it rebrands from Team Dimension Data. The announcement, made at the home of NTT in Tokyo, was accompanied by a jersey reveal and insights into the technology solutions driving rider recruitment and race strategy within the team.

The new kit will grace the WorldTour and the sport’s biggest races throughout 2020. It’s a brand that riders will wear with immense pride, while at the same time continuing to showcase the impact that bicycles have in changing lives through NTT Pro Cycling’s work with Qhubeka, which has recently distributed its 100,000^th bike.  

The team for 2020 features nine exciting new riders, to supplement the current pool of talent as the team looks to race with a goal of establishing itself among the top ten teams in the world.

The 2020 line-up includes:

	First Name	Surname	Country	Age
1	Carlos	Barbero	ESP	28
2	Samuele	Battistella	ITA	20
3	Edvald	Boasson Hagen	NOR	32
4	Victor	Campenaerts	BEL	28
5	Stefan	de Bod	RSA	22
6	Nicholas	Dlamini	RSA	24
7	Benjamin	Dyball	AUS	30
8	Enrico	Gasparotto	ITA	37
9	Amanuel	Gebreighzabier	ERI	25
10	Ryan	Gibbons	RSA	25
11	Michael	Gogl	AUT	26
12	Reinardt	Janse van Rensburg	RSA	30
13	Ben	King	USA	30
14	Roman	Kreuziger	CZE	33
15	Gino	Mäder	CHE	22
16	Louis	Meintjes	RSA	27
17	Giacomo	Nizzolo	ITA	30
18	Ben	O'Connor	AUS	23
19	Matteo	Sobrero	ITA	22
20	Andreas	Stokbro	DNK	22
21	Dylan	Sunderland	AUS	23
22	Jay	Thomson	RSA	33
23	Rasmus	Tiller	NOR	23
24	Michael	Valgren	DNK	27
25	Max	Walscheid	DEU	26
26	Danilo	Wyss	CHE	34

Each of the riders were selected with the help of a technology solution that was co-innovated by NTT and NTT Pro Cycling. The solution leverages advanced data analytics that helps the team to select riders, prepare its race calendar, and assign the right riders to the right races. Technology also helps the team monitor the health and wellness of its riders through a mobile application, and business-focused applications such as asset tracking, vehicle tracking and monitoring, help the team to function as a well-organized global business. Together, we’ve created the most technically advanced team in the WorldTour.

 

Doug Ryder, Team Principal, NTT Pro Cycling:

“Thanks to all of our partners, and in particular our title sponsor NTT Ltd. We strive to be the benchmark within the sport through being a performance-driven, technology-enabled team that is underpinned by our unique purpose-led approach in support of the Qhubeka charity.

“Our commitment to changing lives together with Qhubeka remains stronger than ever and we’ll be looking to do so with even greater enthusiasm in 2020. Together with our staff, riders, and valued partners this core belief remains a foundation of our organization

“Our team’s story now continues into the next phase, which will see us use our established platform to aim higher and to shoot further. We truly are a team that was born in Africa but created for the world.”

Ruth Rowan, Chief Marketing Officer, NTT Ltd.:

“We’re delighted to be continuing our partnership with Doug and the team under the NTT brand in 2020. As headline sponsor, we help NTT Pro Cycling to leverage technological innovation to realize its ambition of being ranked among the top 10 cycling teams in the world. We’ve brought together our data platforms, analytics and machine learning and combined them with the NTT Pro Cycling’s expertise in athletic performance to create a truly unique team that is focused on being the best in the world, whilst riding for a cause.”

NTT Ltd. is a newly launched, world-leading technology company comprising the coming together of 31 brands including Dimension Data, NTT Communications, and NTT Security, and forms part of NTT Group. The company recently extended its global partnership with Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) until 2024. This partnership was initiated by Dimension Data in 2015, and the extension of this agreement enables NTT to continue providing technological innovations to enhance fan’s viewing experience of the Tour de France and attract an entirely new generation of digitally savvy fans.

Five years into the partnership, A.S.O. has been enabled to lead led the way in the use of advanced technology in cycling, demonstrating how the use of data can truly revolutionize the sport’s fan experience. This paves the way for NTT Ltd. to use its expertise to digitize other areas of sport such as connected stadiums and velodromes.

You can continue to follow NTT Pro Cycling’s journey on social media via the following channels: Instagram and Twitter: @NTTProcycling

About NTT Pro Cycling

Founded in 2007, NTT Pro Cycling (formerly Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka) became the first-ever African cycling team to gain a WorldTour license, in 2016. With the support of our headline sponsor and technology innovation partner, NTT, we are the most purpose-driven, performance-led, and technology-enabled team in pro cycling today. 

Our ambition is to continue to race at the highest levels in the world cycling, to develop riders to realize their full potential and to inspire and motivate people across the African continent to ride bicycles.

We have bases in South Africa, the Netherlands, and Italy. 

We also ride to raise awareness for Qhubeka, a global charity operating in South Africa, through our #BicyclesChangeLives campaign. 

The hands-on the back of the team race jersey are a reminder that every Qhubeka bicycle is a helping hand up to a beneficiary, which are provided through Qhubeka's learn-to-earn and work-to-earn programs

About NTT Ltd.

NTT Ltd. is a global technology services company bringing together the expertise of leaders in the field, including NTT Communications, Dimension Data, and NTT Security. We partner with organizations around the world to shape and achieve outcomes through intelligent technology solutions. For us, intelligent means data-driven, connected, digital and secure. As a global ICT provider, we employ more than 40,000 people in a diverse and dynamic workplace and deliver services in over 200 countries and regions. Together we enable the connected future.

Visit us at our new website: www.hello.global.ntt

Ortigas & Company lights up the holidays with the Ortigas East Christmas Street Musical Light Tunnel

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PASIG CITY, Philippines - Ortigas & Company leads in welcoming the most wonderful time of the year in Metro Manila once again as it opened the Ortigas East Christmas Street Musical Light Tunnel to usher in the holiday season on November 4, 2019.

Ortigas & Company welcomes the holidays by lighting up the Ortigas East Christmas Street Musical Light Tunnel. In the photo from left to right are: Atty. Michael David Abundo III (VP and Head, Corporate Resources, Ortigas & Company), Mr. Jaime E. Ysmael (President and CEO, Ortigas & Company), Arch. Renee C Bacani (VP and General Manager, Ortigas Malls), and Mr. Davee M. Zuniga (CFO &Treasurer, Ortigas & Company).

Set to light up the premier developer’s Ortigas East estate in Pasig City, the Christmas Street Musical Light Tunnel will brighten the holidays for the whole community with an enchanting light display playing alongside well-loved Christmas songs. With this show, families and friends can come together to celebrate the joy of the holiday season within the bustling estate.

“Ortigas & Company continues its rich tradition of ushering the Christmas season for the whole community by bringing back the Christmas Street Musical Light Tunnel at Ortigas East. This one-of-a-kind spectacle aims to bring together families and friends inside the bustling estate to celebrate the holidays and inspire hope and joy for all during this yuletide season,” says Jaime E. Ysmael, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ortigas &, C Co.

To light up this holiday spectacle, famed musical troupe Buganda Drumbeaters, students from Meridian International Business, Arts and Technology (MINT) College, the Rosario Zooombrgy of Pasig City, CCF Saints Dance Ministry, and employees from Ortigas & Company unveiled the lights and musical display through a series of festive musical numbers during the launch. 

In addition to the lights and musical display, a mural to be designed in collaboration with students from MINT College will be unveiled in front of the Silver City 1A building during the holiday season. Titled EVERYTHING COUNTS, the mural aims to inspire environmental awareness among the whole community and invite them to come together to take immediate action towards environmental conservation and preservation.

Guests are also invited to take part in the festivities in the estate through the #OrtigasEastDanceChallenge, an activity where families and friends are encouraged to dance to the lights and sounds of the Christmas Tunnel and post their videos online. Those who come up with the most creative dance videos stand a chance to win prizes. Guests can visit and follow Ortigas East on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/OrtigasEastOfficial/ for more information on the contest mechanics.

There will also be a StrEAT Food night market open every night from 6PM to 10PM starting November 5, 2019 until January 5, 2020, where foodies in the Metro can gather to enjoy their favorite Filipino street eats. Foodies are also encouraged to bring their own utensils to the night market in support of the estate’s focus on eco-friendly and sustainable standards.

A variety of holiday activities are also happening inside the estate’s retail destination, Tiendesitas, where families and friends can gather to enjoy the fun and festive celebrations within the bustling community. Guests can kick-off the holidays as they visit the Gift of Wonders - a larger-than-life installation that will awaken the Christmas spirit during the gift-giving rush at the Food and Pet Village.

The Ortigas East Christmas Street Musical Light Tunnel will be open to the public every night from 6PM to 10PM starting November 4, 2019 until January 5, 2020. For more information and updates, please visit and follow Ortigas East on Facebook.

Feel the Wonders of the Holiday Season at Tiendesitas

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Tiendesitas starts the Christmas season right with festive activities and surprises for everyone. Beginning November 4, 2019, until January 5, 2020, friends and families can visit the Gift of Wonders, a bigger-than-life installation that will awaken your Christmas and gift-giving spirit, located at the Food and Pet Village. 

Reminiscent of borderless worlds, enchanting interactive visuals and marvelous discoveries, the Gift of Wonders highlights everything there is to love about Christmas and this planet we call home. The House of Stars is an immersive installation with vibrant colors and dancing lights that encapsulate the light and warmth of a Filipino Christmas. While the Pets Unleashed is an animated installation that highlights the grandeur of the planet through the eyes of various animals inhabiting this shared home, reminding us this Christmas season to stop and appreciate the world we live in and to enjoy life with our families and pets by our side. 

Check off all the items remaining in your Christmas list or even splurge on great finds for yourself as you shop to your heart’s content from November 13 to 17 in Tiendegram, located on Level 1 of Building B. There will also be a Christmas Bazaar all weekends of November and December 2019. 

As Tiendesitas continues to showcase the best that the Philippines has to offer and provide guests with a strong connection to our culture, there will be a Parol Making Contest from November 22 to 23 from 3 p.m to 6 p.m at the 1st level of the Food Village. Participants will then showcase their handmade parols and parade them on November 24, 2019. 

Pilipinas Got Talent finalist, Bughaw Folkloric Dance Group, will entertain shoppers and guests with inspiring Filipino folk dances from all Sundays of November to December from 6 p.m to 7 p.m at the 2nd level of the Food Village while on November 11, everyone has the chance to bring out their inner child with a chance to play iconic Filipino games like patintero, piko and sungka in Larong Pambata, Lalaban Ka Ba?

Immerse yourself in the holiday spirit with Himig Pasko, Tiendesitas’ Caroling Competition for both adults and children. On November 9, choirs from different schools and organizations will serenade the audience with their best and most loved Christmas carols for the adult edition. On November 16, it’s the kids turn to spread Christmas cheer with their best local Christmas piece.

On November 29, from 6 p.m to 9 p.m, join Tiendesitas as they recognize the young artists in the industry with the PPOP Awards for Young Artists 2019.

Kids will also get the chance to Meet & Greet Santa every Saturday of December (December 7, 14, and 21) at the 1st level of the Food Village from 6 p.m onwards. Pets won’t be left out of the celebration with a Pets Christmas Paw-ty for all our furry friends to enjoy on December 14 from 2 p.m to 6 p.m.

For more information and updates, please visit and follow Tiendesitas on Facebook and Instagram and sign up for our newsletter at ortigasmalls.com

15th Marites Allen Philippine Feng Shui Convention Preview

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2020 is considered a year of new beginnings and renewals – new opportunities, love, and business or career success. 

This is what the country’s feng shui queen, Marites Allen, hinted at the press conference for the 15th Marites Allen Philippine Feng Shui Convention held at Novotel Manila Araneta City last October 9.

The Year of the Metal Rat is the year that the Chinese Zodiac will have come full circle, with the Rat being the first sign from the 12 animals cycle, and is seen to be a strong, prosperous, and lucky year, and is a great year for founding and evolving. 

The years of the Rat are: 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, and 2032.

Well attended by media and blogger guests, the press conference was a preview to the November 24 feng shui convention where, Ms. Allen will discuss forecasts on love, health, wealth, and career; ways on how to enhance the lucky sectors and downplay the unlucky sectors; meanings of special numbers; and how to tap your guide spirit. She will also share how to have miracle mornings; how to create a wealth vase for 2020; how to do a vision board for 2020 and beyond; and reveal what’s on your destiny chart for the Year of the Metal Rat.

“It is very important that we create something for a new beginning. A wealth vase is actually a combination of auspicious symbols that you can put together in a vase and bring home before the Chinese New Year, so it’s good to have that before the year ends,” Ms. Allen shares. 

Another must-have is the vision board to which she recounts, “When I started learning and doing feng shui in 2004, I also started my vision boards. Looking back now at the photos of people I wanted to meet along the way, I have met most of them. And those photos of material things, like a kitchen or a house, I have achieved them. So I’d like to teach you how to do vision boards on November 24.”

Lastly, Ms. Allen cautions those born in the year which clashes with the animal sign of 2020, “If you are BORN in the DAY or YEAR of the HORSE, then you are in CONFLICT with the Year of the RAT.”

The press conference also served as the launching of Marites Allen’s 2020 horoscope books, Feng Shui Almanac and Planner, the 2020 Feng Shui App, and the Frigga e-commerce website.

Wondering what’s in store for you for the Year of the Metal Rat? Want to know how to maximize your good fortune in 2020? 

Secure your seats now for the 15thMarites Allen Philippine Feng Shui Convention happening on November 24, 2019 at the ballrooms of Novotel Manila Araneta City. Get your tickets at Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/15th-marites-allen-philippine-feng-shui-convention-tickets-71031468033), call the following numbers: 0920-9509390 / 8188858/ 7360512 / 4707661 or email maritesallenevents@gmail.com.

Children present Manifesto to government leaders in World Vision National Children’s Congress

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In time for the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the 27th National Children’s Month, World Vision organized a 3-day national children’s congress, attended by more than 140 children across the country. 

World Vision Executive Director Mr. Rommel Fuerteaddresses the children and highlights the importance of children participating in the decision-making process ofmatters affecting them.

The event, anchored on the theme “Karapatan ng Bata: Ipagdiwang at Patuloy na Pahalagahan”, provided a venue for child leaders to present to government leaders their manifesto which highlights their call for the government and other non-government organizations to address the different issues and concerns that directly or indirectly affect the full attainment of their rights.

Among the issues raised include the lack of support and recognition for Barangay Children’s Associations (BCA), poor health services and poor sanitary conditions in communities, lack of teachers and educational facilities, low family income, bullying, and discrimination. Alongside the issues were children’s recommended solutions.

Delegates of World Vision’s National Children’s Congress participate in activities designed to allow them to understand and enjoy their rights as children.

Delegates of World Vision’s National Children’s Congress participate in activities designed to allow them to understand and enjoy their rights as children.

“My life changed after the armed conflict in my city. I wanted to quit studying to help provide for the family but I’m grateful that my parents did not allow me to stop despite our financial challenges. If given a chance, I want to be an accountant someday,” shared Abdullah of Marawi City. The children suggested for provision of income- generating mechanisms to families, as well as access to technical/vocational skills training programs.

National Youth Commission Assistant Secretary Victor Del Rosario who was present during the presentation said that congresses like this are important because they serve as avenues where children may “vent their major issues, concerns and challenges that will be heard by the government for appropriate action”. He added that the government deems the welfare of children very significant in governance.

Delegates of World Vision’s National Children Congress dropping their personal prayers for children around the globe.

The Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Women and Children’s Protection Center (WCPC) through Assistant Chief Colonel Robert Gallardo also affirmed its commitment to upholding the rights of children. “Our centers in police stations nationwide can cater to all complaints affecting women and children, and we can protect them.”

Leaders from the Department of Education, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Council for the Welfare of Children, National Committee for Children and Youth Participation, UN Youth Advisory Board, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos - Office of the President were also present during the Children’s Manifesto presentation.

The work continues

World Vision's three-day National Children’s Congress provided a venue for child leaders to present to government leaders their manifesto to address the different issues and concerns that directly or indirectly affect the full attainment of their rights.

“We laud the children for their courage to speak on issues that concern them but we recognize that there is more to be done for them and with them. As a child-focused organization, World Vision will continue to help empower and provide them with venues to come together and amplify their right to be heard and make informed decisions to matters affecting them,” said World Vision Executive Director Rommel V. Fuerte. 

“One of the things that stuck with me was the discussion on child protection. I learned where to go when we are abused or taken advantage of,” said Kate of Leyte Province. Meanwhile, Kim from Camarines Norte and a first-time attendee of the children’s congress, shared that he made friends with other children despite coming from different backgrounds and that he enjoyed learning more about the country through the different cultural presentations of his fellow children. 

Aside from the crafting of the Children’s manifesto, the 3-day event further discussed the UNCRC principles, sustainable development goals, and the four categories of children’s rights: survival, development, participation and protection. 

Towards the end of the congress, a new set of child officers were elected for the World Vision National Children’s Federation (WVNCF), a national assembly of children-representatives from assisted communities. WVNCF advocates for active child participation in achieving safe and protective environment in partnership with parents, local government, non-government organizations, private sectors, communities and institutions.