Belinda de Rome to join Etihad as Senior Vice President Corporate Communications
Posted July 14, 2009 , add a commentEtihad Airways has appointed Belinda de Rome as
its new senior vice president to lead its award-winning corporate
communications team.
Ms de Rome will be based at Etihad’s
headquarters in Abu Dhabi and report to James Hogan, the airline’s
chief executive.
Ms de Rome, 48, previously held the position of
head of corporate communications at Qantas Airways in Australia.
She joined Qantas in July 1995 and held a number of
positions within the communications team before becoming head in
April 2005.
Prior to her time with Qantas, Ms de Rome worked in
public relations and corporate affairs at the Commonwealth Bank of
Australia for eight years.
Mr Hogan said, “To be the best airline in the world it is vital that Etihad
recruits the best staff and we are delighted to welcome Belinda to
the airline. Her experience and expertise in the field of
communications are set to make a significant contribution in Etihad’s growth.”
Ms de Rome has extensive
experience in crisis communication, internal communication and
event management. Among many achievements at Qantas was Ms de
Rome’s communications strategy for the delivery of its first
Airbus A380 aircraft.
Ms de Rome will take up her new
role on Sunday 16 August. She will lead a team of team of nine PR,
media relations and internal communications professionals in the
department.
The Etihad Airways corporate
communications team recently won the prestigious SABRE award for
“Best Corporate Media Relations” campaign. Announced in May at a
ceremony in Stockholm the award recognised the department’s many
achievements which include generating an average of more than
1,000 positive articles around the world each month.
LAN Airlines Restores Daily Services between Santiago - Auckland / Sydney
Posted , add a commentLAN Airlines is to resume daily one-stop flights
between Sydney and South America from Friday 10 July after cutting
back to six frequencies per week to enable refurbishment of its
Airbus A340-300 aircraft.
The A340s, which are used on the Sydney-Santiago
route, have been progressively converted over the past year from a
three-class cabin to an all-new two class layout, featuring a
spacious Premium Business Class and a redesigned Economy Class.
The aircraft also have been fitted with a
next-generation entertainment system, in which all passengers can
now access on demand up to 44 movies, 95 TV programmes, 14 video
games and 550 music CDs.
“The refurbishment of our A340 fleet over the
past year has meant that one aircraft has always been out of
service,” said Rodrigo Contreras, General Manager Australia, New
Zealand and Asia for LAN Airlines.
“Now all of the A340s have been upgraded, and
tomorrow we move back to our full schedule of daily one-stop
flights to South America,” Mr Contreras added. “It has been worth
the wait.”
LAN’s new Premium Business Class features 42
fully flat beds, a significant increase in legroom and the new
Video On Demand system in every seat.
The refurbished Economy Cabin, which seats 218
passengers, also features the new entertainment system, a large
viewing screen for every passenger, new ergonomically-designed
seats and convenient additions such as a seatback cupholder, which
enables passengers to enjoy a drink without having to fold down
the full tray table.
The resumption of daily services provides the
frequency demanded by business travellers and additional seats to
accommodate the ongoing strong demand for travel to South America.
LAN flight LA800 departs Sydney mid morning,
flying to Auckland then on to Santiago, Chile, Australia’s main
and closest gateway to South America.
Fraser Place Fusionopolis Opens in Singapore
Posted , add a commentFrasers Hospitality opened its latest property
on Wednesday, the 50-unit all-loft Fraser Place Fusionopolis in
Singapore.
The d?cor at Fraser Place Fusionopolis
focuses on sleek modern interiors while in-suite facilities and
services include the latest ‘surround sound’ entertainment
systems, iPod docking stations, Nintendo Wii and WiFi and internet
telephony - all aimed at today’s tech-savvy professional.
“The opening of Fraser Place Fusionopolis is
very special from a corporate viewpoint for a number of reasons.
It is ‘homecoming’, our first property launch in Singapore since the
opening of Fraser Suites and Fraser Place in l998,” said Mr Choe
Peng Sum, Chief Executive Officer of Frasers Hospitality.
“In addition, our Gold Standard serviced
residences were first established in Singapore so it is fitting
that we set new benchmarks for product and service here where it
all began.”
Fraser Suites and Fraser Place were the first
two brands established by the company in Singapore in l998. Two additional brands
– Fraser Residence and Fraser Resorts – also come under the
Frasers Hospitality umbrella.
This year alone, Frasers has opened four
properties – in the United Kingdom, China, Thailand and Bahrain.
With the opening of Fraser Place Fusionopolis in Singapore, the
company now manages a grand total of 4,731 units in Europe, the
Far East and Australia. By end 2009, another five properties or
647 units due to open in Budapest, Doha, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and
Shanghai, will be added to the portfolio.
Perth Airport Working With Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Elders
Posted , add a commentPerth Airport this week hosted an historic
partnership agreement signing ceremony with the Traditional Owners of the land on which Perth Airport is located.
The ceremony, officiated by Hon. Dr Kim Hames
MLA, Western Australia’s Deputy Premier; Minister for Health &
Minister for Indigenous Affairs included a Welcome to Country by a
local elder, along with traditional dancers and a didgeridoo
player.
The agreement brings Perth Airport together with
the Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Elders.
Under the agreement, the Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Elders commit to active engagement and participation
in Perth Airport’s decision making and will provide land
management expertise to assist in land management activities.
Local Noongar experts will also assist with cultural education.
A steering committee, on which Noongar representatives will sit,
will be established and will be responsible for directing the
use of grants and sponsorships provided by Perth Airport to
benefit the local Aboriginal community.
An annual schedule of
events to celebrate and enhance awareness of Aboriginal
heritage and culture at Perth Airport will also be developed and
will include tertiary scholarships to the value of A$5,000 per
year for three years along with an investment of A$20,000 to
sponsor projects to benefit the local community.
Perth Airport
CEO Brad Geatches said. “Perth Airport and the Aboriginal
Elders have made significant contributions to working forums,
which has lead to an agreement which has been built upon trust
and closely reflects Perth Airport’s corporate objectives and
values. The signing of this document is not a culmination of
this work, but rather the start of a new chapter that I’m sure all
those involved are proud of.”
The Minister for Indigenous
Affairs echoed Mr Geatches comments, “This commitment represents
the best of reconciliation initiatives and is an action of
respect and of desire to pursue a shared path.”
Throughout NAIDOC Week 2009, Perth Airport
is also handing out commemorative postcards to arriving
international passengers which explain the importance of the Perth
Airport land to the local Aboriginal people.
The Noongar
people are the traditional owners of the land where Perth Airport
is situated. Prior to European settlement the land at Perth
Airport was an important place in the lives of the Noongar
people. According to local elders, the proximity to the Swan River
and the system of wetlands around the Munday Swamp provided
important sources of food. The area is acknowledged as an
important meeting place and continues to have spiritual and
archaeological significance.
Perth Airport has set aside more
than 300 hectares of airport land for preservation and
conservation. This area includes a number of important
Aboriginal sites, including Munday Swamp.
Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre Earns Silver Green Globe Certification
Posted , add a commentThe Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre has
become one of the first venues in the world to earn the
prestigious Green Globe Silver Certification, an achievement that
recognises its environmental leadership in the business events
sector.
The international certification follows a rigorous
audit of the centre’s environmental programs, assessing its overall sustainability policy as well as its compliance
measures and performance.
Centre Chief Executive Ton van
Amerongen said he was extremely proud of the centre’s new silver
certification, which comes only two years after it became
the first venue in Australia and one of the first in the world to
achieve the initial Green Globe benchmark status.
“Over the last six
years we have increased our recycling volumes by 184% a
year and last year we recycled almost 50% of our
exhibition waste stream. In addition, we led the market in such
initiatives as our Green Event Ideas planning brochure, launched
for clients in late 2007,” he said. “To have our efforts
acknowledged with Silver Certification - the highest
level of the Green Globe program - is a fantastic
result.”
Recently the centre signed up for the 18-month New
South Wales Government Sustainability Advantage Program in order
to identify new measures that will help the venue and its clients
work toward a better environment.