MBI Life Sciences & Health sounds closing gong

Ventures participating in the MBI Life Sciences & Health program visit Euronext Amsterdam to pitch their businesses in front of a number of investors in the Life Sciences & Health industry. Director MBI Life Sciences & Health, Marianne van der Steen, sounds the closing gong.

The MBI Life Sciences & Health is a new program specifically designed for entrepreneurs in the Life Sciences & Health industry. The program is an initiative of top research institutes from the Netherlands and Belgium such as UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University, VIB and FlandersBIO. It is supported by an actively involved advisory board with a proven entrepreneurial track record. It is an ‘learning-on-the-job’ program to accelerate ventures on a global scale. On the 1st of October the program starts with new ventures.

For more information: www.mbi-lifesciencesandhealth.com

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Gong marks IPO GrandVision

GrandVision celebrates listing on Euronext Amsterdam by opening trading.

GrandVision (trading symbol GVNV) is the global leader in optical retail by number of stores (excluding sunglass specialty stores) and delivers high quality and affordable eye care to customers around the world. The high quality eye care offered by GrandVision includes a wide range of services provided by its optical experts, prescription glasses including frames and lenses, contact lenses and contact lens care products, and sunglasses both plain and with prescription lenses. These products are offered through its leading optical retail banners which operate in 43 countries across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. GrandVision serves its customers in over 5,600 stores.

For more information: www.grandvision.com

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Unilever celebrates cooperation with European Federation of Food Banks

Unilever (ticker symbol: UNIA) sounds the gong to celebrate its three-year partnership with the European Federation of Food Banks (FEBA). They have joined forces in the battle against hunger and food wastage in Europe.

Unilever has been working with various members of FEBA at the international level for many years. The company donates 100,000 euro every year to help finance new food banks in Eastern and Southern Europe and to support the activities of existing food banks in those regions. Over 120 million people (almost one fourth of the population of Europe) risk living in poverty, while Europe wastes over 100 million tons of food every year. Tom Hillemans, vice chairman of the Association of Dutch Food Banks, and Bart Kuppens, VP Marketing Foods, Home & Personal Care Unilever Benelux, open trading.

For more information: www.unilever.com

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EnterNext welcomes Lucas Bols N.V.

40 year old leading global spirits player raises €126 million in IPO
 “This IPO is an important milestone in the 440 years of history of our company. We feel honoured to bring back together two of the oldest Dutch companies still active; the oldest stock exchange in the world and the world’s oldest distilled spirits brand. We are excited to enter this next phase together with our new shareholders , and we look forward to execute our international growth strategy and further strengthen our position as the world’s leading cocktail authority.”.”
Huub van Doorne, CEO Lucas Bols

Lucas Bols celebrates IPO

Lucas Bols CEO Huub van Doorne celebrates the company’s listing by sounding the gong. He is accompanied by CFO Joost de Vries, Creative & Communications Director Sandie van Doorne en their Supervisory Board.

Lucas Bols is the world’s oldest distilled spirits brand and one of the oldest Dutch companies still active. Building on its 440 year old heritage dating back to 1575, the company has mastered the art of distilling, mixing and blending old recipes with new flavours for its portfolio of premium and super-premium brands. Lucas Bols’ owns a portfolio of more than 20 brands across a range of spirits products, including liqueurs, genever, gin and vodka used in cocktail bars around the world. Its products are sold in more than 110 countries.

Van Doorne: “This IPO is an important milestone in the 440 years of history of our company. We feel honoured to bring back together two of the oldest Dutch companies still active; the oldest stock exchange in the world and the world’s oldest distilled spirits brand. We are excited to enter this next phase together with our new shareholders, and we look forward to execute our international growth strategy and further strengthen our position as the world’s leading cocktail authority.”

For more information: www.lucasbols.com

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Neelie Kroes sounds gong for startup climate

Neelie Kroes opens trading to mark the Dutch startup climate. By sounding the gong she raises awareness for the innovation and economic growth that is generated by startups.

In her role as Special Envoy of StartupDelta, Neelie Kroes has been connecting multinationals, startups, investors and government over the last month. The Netherlands is the biggest startup ecosystem in Europe and strives to be in the top 3 of European startup hub’s. To strengthen the current position StartupDelta introduces startup deals that connect all parties in the startup ecosystem to jointly invest in the startup climate. In order to ensure a sustainable climate towards the future, StartupDelta pleads to add coding to the curriculum of elementary schools.

For more information: www.startupdelta.org

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CFO Philips marks start Innovation Award 2015

By sounding the gong CFO of Philips (ticker symbol: PHIA), Ron Wirahadiraksa, marks the start of the 10^th Philips Innovation Award.

The Philips Innovation Award 2015 challenges all students to submit an innovative plan. The jury, presided over by Frans van Houten (CEO of Philips), takes (among other criteria) the impact, sustainability and feasability of the plans into account. Participating students receive personal feedback, training and coaching from top entrepreneurs and professionals. The winner of the 10th edition of the Award will be announced during the final at 21 May 2015.The prize consists of cash and a toolkit of products and services that gives the student-entrepreneurs a kick start.

For more information: www.phia.nl

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Wolters Kluwer celebrates ‘Bronze Class Sustainability Award’

For the eighth year in a row, Wolters Kluwer (ticker symbol: _WKL) has been awarded the Bronze Class Sustainability Award from RobecoSAM, as part of “The Sustainability Yearbook.” In the same week, Wolters Kluwer was again recognized as one of the ‘Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World’ by Corporate Knights for the third consecutive year.

The repeated inclusion in these important environmental, social and governance indices endorses the Wolters Kluwer digital-first and innovation-driven sustainability strategy. Wolters Kluwer continues its commitment towards business practices which minimize the environmental impact and maximize societal benefits.  

RobecoSAM’s The Sustainability Yearbook is the world’s most comprehensive publication on corporate sustainability. Since 2004, The Sustainability Yearbook has listed the world’s most sustainable companies in each industry as determined by their score in RobecoSAM’s annual Corporate Sustainability Assessment. Out of 4609 companies, the Global 100 has selected the 100 best performing stocks globally on the basis of 12 quantitative and sector-relevant sustainability indicators. Company secretary Maarten Thompson sounds the gong.

For more information: www.wolterskluwer.com

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Value8 sounds gong to mark acquisition AquaServa

By sounding the gong Value8 Tech Group marks the acquisition of AquaServa. CEO at Value8 (ticker symbol: VALUE), Peter Paul de Vries, opens trading.

The latest acquisition of Value8 is AquaServa, a leading party in the Netherlands in the field of water. AquaServa specializes in managing water systems and solving water-related problems such as legionella. Two other transactions are the acquisition of 60% of Kersten Healthcare, a provider of medical devices for people with disabilities and the acquisition of investment websites beursduivel.be and belegger.nl. With these transactions, the group has not only grown, but the focus changed to the growth sectors of primary health care and specialized financial services. The acquisition of AquaServa fits the ambition of the Value8 Tech Group to expand into high-quality service.

For more information: www.value8.com

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New CFO Vastned, Reinier Walta, visits Euronext Amsterdam

Reinier Walta, the new CFO of Vastned, visits Euronext Amsterdam and opens trading by sounding the gong. Walta is accompanied by amongst others CEO Taco de Groot.

As of 1 November 2014, Reinier Walta is the new CFO of Vastned (ticker symbol: VASTN), the listed European retail property company focusing on ‘venues for premium shopping’. Vastned invests in selected cities in Europe and Istanbul, with a clear focus on the best retail property in popular shopping streets in the bigger cities. Vastned's tenants are leading international and national retail brands. The property portfolio has a size of approximately € 1.5 billion. Walta has over fifteen years of experience in the international property market. Over the past three years, as a Senior Transaction Manager, he was responsible from Abu Dhabi for the execution, structuring and financing of all major property transactions in Europe for the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). Walta was appointed by the shareholders of Vastned as CFO and Statutory Director for a period of four years.

For more information: www.vastned.com

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Royal Delft Group celebrates winning ‘Best Performer Award’

By sounding the gong Royal Delft Group (ticker symbol: PORF) celebrates winning the Euronext ‘Best Performer Award’, local market. CEO Henk Schouten, opens trading. Royal Delft Group won the award because of a performance of 61% in 2014.

Royal Delft Group: “Winning the Best Performer Award 2014 will motivate Royal Delft Group even more in trying to exceed expectations in 2015. The tourist industry as well as the retail market, both show good opportunities. Moving our offices from Zoetermeer to the location in Delft per 1 January 2015 will help to increase our performance in the next years.”

For more information: www.royaldelft.com

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Marktgevoel.nl celebrates fifth anniversary at Euronext

Investors website Marktgevoel.nl celebrates its fifth anniversary at Euronext Amsterdam. Executive director and stock trader Selwyn Duijvestijn sounds the gong and opens trading.

Marktgevoel was founded, especially, for active investors on the stock market and is managed by a team of professional traders, located at the Amsterdam trading floor.The Marktgevoel traders are constantly scanning the markets, hunting for the most promising stocks of the moment and provide an extensive report of their findings on Marktgevoel.nl and in the monthly Marktgevoel investor magazine.

For more information: www.marktgevoel.nl

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Gong marks World Leprosy Day

Amigurumi designer ‘DenDennis’(the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals), sounds the gong with mascot ‘Red Tomcat’ for World Leprosy Day.

On World Leprosy Day, that takes place on Sunday 25 January, DenDennis launches a Haakathon. Participants from all over the Netherlands will crochet a record number of Red Tomcats for charity, the Leprosy Foundation. Proceeds from the sales go to creative training for women with disabilities by leprosy, an infectious disease that infects hands, feet and eyes and eventually leads to severe disability. Jan Kruis, the founding father of the Red tomcat from comic book Jan, Jans and their children, is the ambassador of the Leprosy Foundation. He drew two adventures in which the famous comic family meets leprosy patients, in order to draw attention to this mutilating forgotten disease.

For more information: www.lepra.nl

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KPN Junior Skating Club opens trading

Ambassador of KPN Junior Skating Club, Barbara de Loor, opens trading by sounding the gong.

The KPN Junior Skating Club is the KNSB’s “umbrella” holding activities for children between 6 and 12 years old. The KPN Junior Skating Club, together with sports clubs and other partners, organises a variety of skating clinics in the Netherlands to stimulate skating amongst children. The intend is a multidisciplinary offer (long track- and short track skating, marathon skating, and inline skating) so that the children can practice all disciplines. The Ambassadors of the KPN Junior Skating Club are Barbara de Loor (long track skating), Liesbeth Mau Asam (short track skating), and Mariska Huisman (inline skating).

For more information: www.schaatsen.nl/jeugd

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Winner SNS Securities Investment Expert Poll sounds gong

Winner of the 2014 SNS Securities Investment Expert Poll, the prize for best investment professional, Renno van Vuuren,owner and senior investment advisor at Vuurenvaart Capital Consultants, sounds the gong at Beursplein 5. With his top pick for Ziggo (+16%) and worst stock Imtech (-91%) his picks were the best of all 101 experts.

Every year asset manager ACTIAM and SNS Securities ask more than hundred investment professionals for their expectations for the best and the worst stock in the coming year. Besides that, the participants are asked for their vision on index level. The best investment professional receives the prize for best investment professional.

For more information: www.snssecurities.nl

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RIVM and Olijf Foundation sound gong for Cervical Cancer Prevention Week

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and Olijf Foundation (a network of women with gynecologic cancer) open trading to mark the European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week that takes place from 24 to 31 January 2015.

The European Cervical Cancer Association (ECCA) has created the week to increase awareness for cervical cancer and its prevention. Worldwide, 250,000 women die each year from cervical cancer. This while the disease is often preventable through effective screening and vaccination. In the Netherlands a well-organized and free screening takes place. About 800,000 women are invited each year. Chairman of the foundation, Fenneke van Swigchum, sounds the gong.

For more information:www.rivm.nl/bevolkingsonderzoeknaarkanker

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State Street Global Advisors celebrates rebranding

State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) sounds the gong to celebrate re-launching its brand to more broadly convey its identity, strategic intent, capabilities and positioning in markets around the world.

The new brand launches on Monday, January 19, and will be led by a completely redesigned ssga.com. Materials reflecting the new look will begin to circulate and the transition will continue through February. The SPDR family will transition to this new brand platform during the second quarter of 2015. Head of the Benelux Team, Robert Rijlaarsdam, sounds the gong.

SSGA: “The new brand reinforces the qualities, attributes and capabilities that make SSGA relevant. Our brand messaging revolves heavily around our client-focused discipline, our unwavering commitment to research and the highly collaborative approach we take to working with clients in every interaction we have with them.”

For more information: www.ssga.com

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The Young Amsterdam Citizens of the Year 2014 sound gong

The Young Amsterdam Citizens of the Year 2014 Award winners,twins Vera and Anna van Korven and their friend Salma Moudifd sound the gong.

Vera, Anna and Salma are in the first year of high school, and this school year they started a project against cursing with the disease cancer. To stop this, they plan on giving presentations in the whole school. They even visited the oncology department of the hospital to get more information. But the girls do not stop there: because there was no restaurant at their new high school, they decided to start selling pizzas, with the profits donated to the cancer foundation. The girls also want to raise money by collecting empty bottles and organising a charity run. The Wikistad-foundation, in cooperation with the Discussion can be learned-Foundation, organised this junior election for the third time. The city of Amsterdam and newspaper Het Parool support the initiative. In the last couple of months, everyone in Amsterdam could nominate his or her little hero, in the age of 8 to 15 years. A jury chose the top 10 and the winner. The most important selection criterion was already determined by children themselves: the winner should be someone who works selflessly on behalf of the cause, and has to set an example for others.

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