Issue 35
Cyrus Group of Companies : Empowered by Innovation
Through its dedication to innovation, employee development and sustainable thinking, Cyrus Group of Companies continues to serve a multitude of regional industries with the future in mind.
Yonder
Removing the Software Burden Yonder is helping its clients to focus on their customers by removing the burden of software development, its agile, team-based approach enabling it to innovate at speed and empower employees Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Vivek Valmiki As a child, I was fascinated by mathematics and pursued this passion ever since I was 10 years old. I entered all the possible competitions at a national level and when I had to decide on my future, I knew it should relate to science and technical education. “It was back in 1999, after seven years of IT education, when I decided to join an IT company in Cluj, the city that I loved so much during university. At the time, I was looking for a company with a healthy culture, with good values in place and with respect for everyone. In fact, I was looking for a company that matches my personal beliefs.” Three days later, Cristian Inceu joined Yonder. His friends from university followed a year later, colleagues who now help to run the company with Inceu serving as one of the firm’s Managing Directors. “We are still in Yonder and still having fun,” he quips. “It is difficult to say if Yonder shaped us or if we shaped Yonder, because it’s difficult to spot the difference.” The firm was in its relative infancy when Inceu arrived. The MD helped to build on the growth generated since being founded in 1993, a time which he described as a sweet spot…
Cyprus Property Gallery
Building for CyprusCyprus Property Gallery has grown into one of the island’s most prominent development groups, its landmark projects continuing to shape the skyline of the coastal city Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Ryan Gray Limassol – nestled in Akrotiri Bay on the southern Cyprus coast, it is the country’s second-largest city behind the capital Nicosia, serving as the nation’s chief port and tourist centre.Once a humble market town between the ancient settlements of Amathus and Curium, the end of the Byzantine Empire signalled the beginning of the area’s rise, its port serving as a major gateway for Cypriots to trade with the world. Limassol remains a key economic driver, part of a national economy which is continuing to grow steadily despite an expected deceleration for 2020 versus the previous two years which saw GDP expand by 4.1 percent in 2018 and 3.4 percent in 2019. A lively real estate sector is usually a good indicator of economic health, and in Cyprus this is no different. For example, in the first half of 2019, governmental authorities issued more than 2,000 building permits, a rise of 6.4 percent on H1 in 2018. Combined, the 2,000-plus permits equated to €1.2 billion, with H1 2019 also showing a 38.4 percent increase in the number of building units being constructed. This year is set to continue along a similar growth path. In the retail sector, 2020 will see several new shopping destinations, the Neo Plaza in Nicosia and the Metropolis Centre in Larnaca between them adding 450,000 square metres. In the realm of office…
Wind River
The Critical Enabler at the Intelligent Edge Wind River software has been ensuring can’t-fail systems remain operational for almost four decades, the company leading the way at the intelligent edge in a hyperconnected and autonomous era Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Vivek Valmiki “I like to think I anticipated the advancement of connectivity and digital transformation several decades ago – it would make me a visionary! “But the fact of the matter is that when I started in the industry, connectivity was very simple and slow. I did envisage back then that speed and complexity would increase exponentially, but what I didn’t see coming was wireless becoming mainstream, the ability to connect with very little hardware, and the critical role the edge would play.” Visionary or not, Michel Genard is better placed than most to discuss the hyperconnected era that we live in today. Last year surpassed the 20 billion mark in terms of the number of devices connected to the internet, with estimates suggesting that figure will rise to an extraordinary 300 billion by as soon as 2030. In monetary terms, the opportunity is also gargantuan. For instance, the global digital transformation market was valued at almost $262 billion in 2018 and is expected to breach $1 trillion by 2026, growing at an average rate of some 18 percent a year. Within the vast world of connectivity, a fundamental and exponentially growing category is edge computing. In 2017, the global value of this specialist market was measured at $1.73 billion, a…
Bog’Art Group
Integrated Ingenuity Spanning the entire chain of building services, Bog’Art has become reputed for its landmark projects, complex and innovative technical solutions and is the largest local construction company with fully integrated building services in Romania Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Ryan Gray Romania is home to a thriving construction sector.According to statistics from GlobalData, the country’s current construction project pipeline – including all megaprojects valued at $25 million or more – is in excess of $100 billion. It’s a substantial figure being backed up on all fronts. In April 2019, the European Commission (EC) approved investment worth $2.3 billion under the EU Cohesion Policy to develop infrastructure in Romania, focussing on various projects across transport, energy, healthcare, education, water, housing, communication and welfare development. Meanwhile, the EC’s own research also shows a buoyant private sector. In 2016, more than 89,000 enterprises and 600,000 people were shown to be engaged in Romania’s construction industry, representing respective increases of 7.6 percent and 2.9 percent since 2010. The result of this upturn? The sector today accounts for approximately 10 percent of national GDP, and with the nation renowned as one of Europe’s fastest growing economies, it is drawing in some of the boldest, brightest minds who are powering some truly inspirational companies. Enter Bog’Art Group – Romania’s largest construction company.Founded in 1991, the family-owned enterprise has come to typify the growing prosperity spreading across the local urban landscape. “We like to think of ourselves as a completely integrated local construction company in the true sense of the meaning,” explains Bogdan Doicescu, President of the…
Voxility
Accountable IaaS at the Edge By leveraging partnerships with best-in-class tech companies in the most connected hubs in the world, Voxility is offering a reliable and transparent answer to the so-called cloud versus on-premise question Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Vivek Valmiki The information age shows no signs of slowing down. We are producing and consuming data at a rate that continues to exponentially rise. Today we talk about the world’s collective data usage in the realm of zettabytes, or a trillion gigabytes – a volume of data generation which was passed in 2016. The ability to store, analyse and leverage information has created unprecedented opportunities for internet companies and their customers to thrive in the hyper-connected era. For instance, the worldwide infrastructure as a service (IaaS) market grew by more than 31 percent in 2018 to $32.4 billion according to Gartner, which cites the ability to scale as fundamental to capturing market share in a crowded industry. The so-called top five – AWS, Microsoft, Alibaba, Google and IBM – accounted for almost 77 percent of IaaS business in 2018, with further consolidation expected to be confirmed for 2019. But it would be wrong to suggest that the conversation is simply being steered by the big players. Rather, momentum towards total cloud solutions is actually starting to wane, with enterprises increasingly finding that a cloud-only approach to IaaS is not the silver bullet they were looking for. Enter Voxility, an IaaS provider which is disrupting the direction of cloud adoption by offering a…
Akureyri Hospital : High Class Healthcare
Akureyri Hospital continues to strive for excellence in healthcare services in Iceland, innovating, optimising and expanding in the face of many health-related challenges. Bjarni Jónasson, its CEO, lays bare the current landscape.
Tabreed
Clean CoolingTabreed is showing how district cooling represents a vital cog in the sustainable built environment, its 80-plus plants in the GCC helping to eliminate millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Eddie Clinton Rapid urban migration, a warm regional climate and high-density infrastructure developments may seem like three relatively separate, unconnected observations at face value.Population patterns continue to shift towards urban environments, temperatures in the Middle East are constantly warm versus other parts of the world, and regional governments are investing in large-scale infrastructure to futureproof their economies.But there is a common denominator – they are all factors contributing to a surge in demand for sustainable district cooling. Globally, by 2021 the market is set to be worth more than $9.5 billion, more than double what it was valued in 2016 ($4.6 billion).In the GCC region, this presents a tremendous opportunity for leading district cooling specialist Tabreed to make a massive difference to the developmental landscape in a sustainable way.“With the rapid changes in climate, efficiency is becoming key for effective climate action,” comments Souad Jamal Al Serkal, Tabreed’s VP of Strategic Communications. “We are in charge of the future of our planet and responsible for preserving it for future generations.“The cooling industry has changed from what it used to be, in light of urban expansion and the major developments in the construction sector, especially in the GCC, and the continuing gradual rise in temperatures globally.“The sector has had to adapt and evolve in response to these challenges and now plays…
AFGlobal Corporation : The OEM for O&G
AFGlobal has been supplying major oil and gas players with technology, services and manufacturing capabilities for several decades, with 2020 earmarked as a new chapter for the company.
Sibca
For the Betterment of BuildingsSIBCA is the UAE’s leading systems integrator, optimising and enhancing buildings across the emirates and wider region with its evolving technologies and expanding technical team of engineers Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Ryan GrayIt’s easy to view buildings as static assets. Most of us will be able to think of an office or apartment block that we’ve passed day by day, year by year that seemingly stays the same.The truth is somewhat different, however. Granted, the vast majority of structures are fixed in place throughout their entire life cycle, but beyond what is seen at face value, buildings are surprisingly fluid.Rows of terraced houses that were built hundreds of years ago, originally designed to accommodate families, have often since been repurposed for other functions – as modern apartments or offices, for example. Likewise, many new interior design solutions and heating, lighting, plumbing, drainage, communications, insulation and glazing technologies have been incorporated and/or adapted over time to enhance performance.Looking at a city like Dubai, it’s easy to see how architectural exteriors are reaching new levels of complexity all the time. Yet beneath this, the nuts and bolts of buildings have been advancing at a similarly progressive rate, owed to the emphasis on innovation from industry specialists like SIBCA.“SIBCA is involved in systems integration related to safety, security, building automation, energy conservation… I could go on,” states Ibrahim Lari, the organisation’s CEO.“The critical and sensitive nature of these systems makes this sub-sector so exciting. The continuous development in technology makes the design and…
Schüco
Façades for the FutureSchüco Middle East epitomises its parent company’s standing as a leading supplier of façades and curtain walls, transforming urban environments with sustainable, high quality solutions Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Ryan Gray It is often said that first impressions count for a lot – according to the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, 55 percent of initial judgements are made by what we first see.In the world of architecture, therefore, appearance is everything. Within the most crowded cities, it is the buildings cloaked in distinctive, complex, elegant architectural exteriors that catch the eye for miles around. The striking geometrics of the Shard in London, spiral of the One World Trade Center in New York, and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Towers are all prime examples of this artistic side to construction. Alongside the ability of façades and exteriors to mould perceptions with aesthetics, however, modern-day systems can offer an array of other benefits to buildings. Indeed, they are now crucial to the sustainability and functionality of many structures, managing light transmittance, enhancing energy efficiency and optimising acoustics. “A thermally broken façade wouldn’t have even been considered in Dubai 15 years ago,” explains Alastair Common. “But now, buildings can’t do without them – they’re a standard of modern regulations, the requirements and demands for which are always rising.” Common himself is one individual all too familiar with the growing capabilities of facades, curtain walls, windows, doors and everything in between. For the past nine years he has been working for Schüco, one of the world’s most prolific architectural aluminium systems companies. “Honestly, I…
Relined Fiber Network
Seeing the Light with Dark Fibre By making the most of existing fibre network infrastructure, Relined Fiber Network is delivering cost-effective, scalable and secure connectivity with near unlimited bandwidth to organisations across Northwestern Europe Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Vivek Valmiki The Netherlands and Germany are waking up to the potential of fibre optic connectivity. Last year the number of Dutch fibre connections passed the three million mark, while the German government announced €12 billion in funding to turbocharge its nationwide rollout of fibre to homes and businesses. But while investment in laying down new infrastructure and building new networks is welcomed, a looming question remains about how to make the most of such infrastructure once it has been laid – in other words, utilising as much of the installed capacity as possible. Back in 2003, Jan Willem Tom was asking himself the exact same question. The answer? Dark fibre. “Dark fibre is the basic platform for a private, future-oriented network,” he explains. “Because fibre optic networks are widespread in the Netherlands and Germany, you do not have to construct your own network from scratch. “In many cases, an existing network can be used and only the last mile to the location needs to be excavated. Based on the equipment you have chosen, you can construct a private network that meets all your requirements using existing fibre optic infrastructure.” This is the basic premise from which Tom formed what is now known as Relined Fiber Network. Some 17…
Port of Turku
Finland’s Gateway to the World Port of Turku is an important source of vitality for the Finnish economy, acting as an epicentre for national tourism and trade by serving more than three million people every year Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Alistair Bailey Maritime activities have always been tremendously important to Northwestern Europe. From the Vikings (800-1066 AD) leveraging their unrivalled naval architecture in consolidating commercial shipping routes between the Baltic Sea and the Caspian Sea, to the Hanseatic League – an alliance of roughly 160 European trading settlements that controlled some 60,000 tonnes of shipping by the end of the 15th century – waterborne trade has been a staple of the region for well over a millennia. Of course, the rise of road and air freight have enabled diversification in global trading activities, but the upper continent’s coastal geographies have ensured that the sea is still critically important even today. Take a look at Finland, for example. Approximately 90 percent of its imports and 80 percent of its exports are currently carried by ships, its key national maritime hubs and shipping routes acting as the vital organs and arteries of the country. Within this context, Port of Turku is a vital chamber in Finland’s heart. With activities dating back to 1154 AD, this once humble trading town is now the home of 186,000 people. “Port of Turku is the bridgehead between Finland and Scandinavia,” explains Erik Söderholm, the port’s Managing Director. “Why? Because it takes 10 hours to travel…
Pace
Upping the Architectural Tempo Powered by industry best practices and proven by an array of esteemed projects, Pace continues to quicken its strides with architectural, engineering and planning excellence across the GCC and beyond Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Ryan Gray The Olympic Games once looked quite different.Today the infamous quadrennial event is a modern spectacle that captures the attention of more than three billion people around the world as the top athletes from 205 countries compete to become the best in their respective field. But it has not always just been about sport. During the first four decades of the modern Olympic Games (beginning 1896), art was considered to be an essential part of the competition, with 151 medals having been awarded for music, painting, sculpture, literature and, perhaps most surprisingly, architecture. Why? Well, much like sport, these crafts require the perfect combination of talent and dedication, the outcome of which can be similarly awe-inspiring. Take the latter category of architecture, for example. The Sydney Opera House, Eiffel Tower and Pyramids of Giza are world-renowned tourist attractions largely because they are architectural feats. And indeed, it’s hard to forget those first amazing childhood encounters with such structures: driving over a major bridge for the first time or staring up at a skyscraper. For Ahmed Soliman, these moments were more than just amazing – they inspired a passion.“I’ve been interested in construction for as long as I can remember,” he states. “As a child I was fascinated with large buildings and bridges to the point that I used to build them out…
Novomed Centers : Better Beats Bigger
Through its network of hospitals and clinics in the UAE, Novomed Centers is providing treatment with honesty and integrity at its heart, the company specialising in traditionally underserved areas of healthcare.
Medusa Group
Designed to Inspire Medusa Group is looking to impart its unique character on developments all over the world - starting from it’s hometown Bytom, through Warsaw, London UK, Jamaica, New York in the US and Dhaka in India Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Ryan Gray The rebuilding of Warsaw following the Second World War is a story of extraordinary heroism. Destroyed almost in its entirety by a combination of deliberate German sabotage and brutal, prolonged Soviet bombardment, the Polish capital was resurrected in the decades that followed 1945. Major landmarks such as the Market Square, the Barbican, churches, and the grand houses along Nowy Swiat were remade with remarkable accuracy, while altogether new constructs continue to add to the city’s strands of identity and culture. For instance, hotels often provide an insight into a city’s history and traditions, and in Warsaw this is no different. “The city has rebuilt its traditions thanks to places like Hotel Rialto,” comments Łukasz Zagała, Co-Owner of local architecture firm Medusa Group. “Its history draws from the best Polish architectural values – each of the rooms has been individually designed and furnished with art deco antiques. “Today, Warsaw is already a different city than in the time of Rialto splendour. The openness and multiculturalism of the city can now be seen on every corner.” Rialto was opened in 2003, its wooden and brass interior reflecting the roaring 1920s, and is set for a modern makeover – a makeover which Medusa Group has helped inspire through the design of a new hotel for global luxury lifestyle group Nobu Hotels. Set…
MediGuide International : Improving Outcomes
MediGuide is removing the geographical limitations of healthcare, its global network of partners and employees helping to bring on-demand diagnoses to patients in 152 countries around the world.
Medicover Romania : Medical Marvel
Medicover Romania is leading the charge when it comes to the advancement of healthcare, its progressive emphasis on technologies and talent helping to make an integral impact.
