All Bell ceremonies

Gong marks IPO Probiodrug

By sounding the gong, CEO of Probiodrug (Trading symbol PBD), Dr Konrad Glund, celebrates the IPO of Probiodrug. Mr. Glund is accompanied by amongst others, Dr Hendrik Liebers, CFO and Dr Inge Lues, Chief Development Officer of Probiodrug.

Headquartered in Halle, Germany, Probiodrug AG is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of new therapeutic products for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease. Founded in 1997, the company successfully developed a novel therapeutic concept for diabetes – the DP4 inhibitors – which provided the basis for a novel class of antidiabetics – the gliptins. Its core capabilities are based on its long-standing expertise in the elucidation of the structure and function of enzymes involved in the modification of proteins and peptides which play a central role in pathological conditions.

Today Probiodrug’s aim is to become a leading company in the development of Alzheimer’s Disease treatments and to thereby provide a better life for Alzheimer’s Disease patients. It has identified a new therapeutic concept linked to disease initiation and progression. The development approaches are targeting pyroglutamate-Abeta (pGlu-Abeta) as a therapeutic strategy to fight Alzheimer’s Disease. The Company has medical use and composition of matter patents related to the inhibition of QC and anti-pGlu-Abeta- specific monoclonal antibodies, providing it, in the Company’s view, with a leading position in this field of research.

Alzheimer’s Disease is a neurological disorder, which is the most common form of dementia, and ultimately leads to death. Because Alzheimer’s Disease cannot be cured and is degenerative, the affected patients must increasingly rely on others for assistance. Today, over 35 million people worldwide currently live with the condition and this number is expected to double by 2030 and to more than triple by 2050 to 115 million (World Alzheimer Report 2013).

For more information: www.probiodrug.de

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International Day of United Nations

By sounding the gong Renée Jones-Bos, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, raises awareness for the International Day of United Nations (UN).

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is deeply committed to promoting the core work of the UN at the highest level. That is why the Kingdom is a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Candidate for the period 2017-2018. “The Kingdom of the Netherlands, Your Partner for Peace Justice and Development” is the slogan that reflects this international ambition. The Kingdom of the Netherlands is one of the founding members of the UN, which was established exactly 69 years ago. Today, the UN is still the main organization for international peace and security, human rights and development, with the UNSC as its most powerful body.

For more information: www.rijksoverheid.nl

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Jacques Moineville, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of AFD rings the bell

Agence Française de Développement is the operator for France’s bilateral development finance mechanism. It is a public industrial and commercial institution with the status of specialized financial institution. Its action is in line with the policy set out in France’s Framework Document for Development Cooperation. This document was approved at the end of 2010 and in 2011 was translated into a three-year contract specifying objectives and resources between the French Government and AFD.

AFD’s teams are based in Paris and Marseille and in a network of seventy agencies and representations in developing countries and the French overseas provinces.

AFD Group comprises a private sector financing arm, Proparco, and is also a shareholder of housing companies and a financial company in the French overseas provinces, where the Group plays a specific role in this sector. 

AFD is also responsible for the management of the French Global Environment Facility (French GEF), which cofinances projects that reconcile environment and development.

NBWM celebrates winning the National Business Success Award

The Nederlandsche Betaal & Wisselmaatschappij (NBWM) is a new non-bank provider of currency exchange and international payment services for Dutch SME. By sounding the gong the winning of the National Business Success Award in the category ‘Specialist Financial Services’ is marked.

The jury: "NBWM is a reliable money-saving alternative for entrepreneurs in foreign exchange transactions. The organization offers better and according to experts the best exchange rates. Thanks to the innovative, cost-effective organization with a personal, customer-focused and proactive service, the organization offers an unprecedented attractive economic benefit to its customers."

NBWM focuses on serving medium-sized and small companies with international payment or currency conversion requirements. The office is located at Beursplein 5. Managing Partner and co-founder, Pieter-Jan Datema, sounds the gong.

For more information: www.nbwm.nl

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Inverko sounds gong for circular economy

By sounding the gong the CEO of recycling specialist Inverko (ticker symbol: INVER), Henk Alssema, marks the start of the cooperation with Friesian waste- and collection company Omrin and its umbrella company Midwaste.

With the same vision on waste the chain partners found each other on their way to a circular economy. Inverko, Omrin and Midwaste consider waste as raw material. The collaboration consists of developing sustainable projects where domestic plastic waste is processed into raw material. From this raw material products are created that can be delivered to municipalities and consumers. This life cycle cooperation not only delivers a saving of raw materials and a reduction in waste, but also products that are still valuable at the end of their service life. That means in addition to ecological economical capital appreciation.

“Closing the loops” is a sustainable project in which Inverko and Omrin with their project partners Philips, Lankhorst, Cumapol and Stenden University join forces. By sharing knowledge and technologies, collector, recyclers and producers are able to reprocess more waste streams to raw material into new products. This project is supported by the Province of Friesland and the packaging industry.

For more information: www.inverko.nl

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EnterNext welcomes SAFTI on Alternext in Paris

Gabriel Pacheco, CEO of SAFTI, rings the opening bell.

Safti Groupe is a national network of independent real estate consultants, working at home and on the Internet and covering the entire country.The consultants offer project management (purchasing, leasing, or selling) that continues until the closing and give their customers nationwide communication services, primarily by means of mass advertising distribution for real estate properties on the Internet.

CEO Randstad Group Netherlands, Chris Heutink and television host Lucille Werner sound gong to mark cooperation

CEO Randstad Group Netherlands and member of the board of Randstad Holding, Chris Heutink and Lucille Werner, television host and founder of the Lucille Werner Foundation, sound the gong to mark their new cooperation.

The partners are combining forces to empower people with disabilities and prepare them for their own spot on the labor market. The Lucille Werner Foundation has the knowledge on how to reach, mobilize and empower people with a disability in order to make them job ready. Randstad (ticker symbol: RAND) is familiar with the business and supports and accompanies employers to hire employees with a disability. The two parties combining results in greater force. January 1st 2015 is the starting date for the law on participation. With this law, the government hopes to create more job opportunities for people with a disability. With this cooperation Randstad and the Lucille Werner Foundation hope to make this law a success.

For more information: www.lucillewernerfoundation.nl

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CEO and CFO Sligro Food Group celebrate 25th listing anniversary

CEO Koen Slippens and CFO Huub van Rozendaal from Sligro Food Group N.V. (ticker symbol: SLIGR) sound the gong  to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the company's listing.

In 1989, Sligro Beheer N.V., as the former Slippens family business was then known, was floated in order to raise capital to finance further growth. The past 25 years can best be described as a period of value creation. At the time of its listing in 1989, the company had net sales of €190 million and net profit of €2.8 million. The issue price was NLG 52 (now €1.18), and following the issue the company's market capitalization stood at €28 million. The company progressed from the Parallel Market to the AScX index, and today it is included in the AMX index. Sligro Food Group N.V. currently has annual net sales of €2.5 billion with net profit of almost €70 million and a market capitalization of €1.2 billion. The average compound return over 25 years amounts to 17% a year. An interim dividend will be made payable on Monday, 20 October to mark the anniversary of the company's listing.

Sligro Food Group encompasses food retail and foodservice companies selling directly and indirectly to the entire Dutch food and beverages market. The Group is active in foodservice as a wholesaler (Sligro and Van Hoeckel) and in food retail (EMTÉ supermarkets) as a wholesaler and retailer.

For more information: www.sligrofoodgroup.nl

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First listing of spotlight options on Melexis at Euronext Brussels

On 17 October 2014, Euronext Brussels launched the first spotlight options on Melexis. To celebrate its first listing, Geert Reynders, Investor Relations and Group Treasurer of Melexis rang the opening bell in Brussels.

Euronext recently launched a new options segment dedicated to options with a short maturity, which are called Spotlight options.

To find out more about this product, please click on the press release: Euronext Brussels introduces spotlight options on Melexis

Gong marks Amsterdam Marathon 2014

By sounding the gong the launch of the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, the running event that’s taking place this Sunday the 19^th of October, is marked.

A record number of 42,500 participants take part in the marathon. With 16,000 entries for the classic distance the marathon is the biggest marathon of the Netherlands. No less than 89 different nationalities are represented and the event will be broadcast live on television in at least 130 countries.

Manon Schutter, the face of the TCS Amsterdam Marathon Superhero campaign, sounds the gong. With this campaign runners and supporters were asked to share their stories on social media with #TCSsuperheroes.The Superheroes concept recognizes that behind every runner there is a story of individual achievement. Regular people make superhuman efforts to train for the race and strive for their personal bests, while very humanely contributing generously towards the research of VUmc Cancer Center Amsterdam, the official charity of the event.

For more information: www.tcsamsterdammarathon.nl

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Ipsos: 15th anniversary of listing in Paris

Didier Truchot, CEO, IPSOS (IPS), closes the European trading day and commemorates 15 years of listing in Paris.

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry.
With offices in 86 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Euronext Paris since 1999 and generated global revenues of €1,712,4 million (2 274 M$) in 2013.
Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos’ offerings and capabilities

Winners of the Entrepreneur of the year 2014®

On 16 October 2014, Euronext Brussels celebrated the winners of the Ernst & Young Awards.

Vincent Crahay, CEO of the company Belourthe and winner of “l’Entreprise de l’Année 2014®” together with Ferdinand Huts, CEO and President of Katoen Natie and winner of the “Onderneming van het Jaar 2014®”, rang the Closing Bell at Euronext Brussels. 

Representatives of EY, the members of jury, Mediafin and BNP Paribas Fortis were also present.

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. This unique award encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential, and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement.

For more info about the winners: www.belourthe.be  and www.katoennatie.com

Vanguard celebrates listing three new ETFs

Vanguard, one of the world’s largest investment management companies, celebrates the listing of three new Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) on Euronext Amsterdam.

The ETFs provide investors with international diversification across North America, the developed world, and developed Europe excluding the UK. The new products are available for trading on the Amsterdam market as of today. The Vanguard FTSE North America UCITS ETF, Vanguard FTSE Developed Europe ex-UK UCITS ETF and Vanguard FTSE Developed World UCITS ETF will enable investors to construct a more diversified equity portfolio. With the addition of these products to its existing range of ETFs, Euronext currently has 611 ETFs listed on its markets.

To celebrate the listing, Institutional Sales Executive, Marcel Danen, sounds the gong.

For more information: www.vanguard.nl

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Movimento 2020 rings the opening bell in Lisbon

Zélia Santos, president of the Portuguese Association of Dieticians, along with promoters of Movimento 2020 rang the opening bell in Lisbon to celebrate the ‘World Food Day ’.

Movimento 2020 promotes and implements best practices regarding nutritional health and healthy lifestyle habits.

More information: www.movimento2020.org

The Financial Planner of the Year, Alex Erlings, sounds gong

The winner of the 2014 FFP Financial Planner of the Year Award, Alex Erlings, working as FFP certified financial planner at Rabobank Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, visits Euronext Amsterdam and sounds the gong.

The competition is the initiative of the Federation of Financial Planners (FFP). 800 financial planners attended this year’s ceremony, which was held during the FFP Conference on 9 October. The jury report determined 50% of the final score, while the public determined the other 50% following elevator pitches given by the three finalists. The jury’s vote is based primarily on the candidate’s ability to interpret the clients’ needs correctly, to offer an appropriate form of planning in response to those needs, and to do so in a way that the client can understand.

According to FFP managing director Bert Sonneveld: “A planner who is worthy of the FFP quality mark has to score well on these elements, and be capable of building a long-term relationship of trust with the client. We hope that this will help to restore consumer trust in the entire financial sector. Those who do it right, deserve to be called the planner of the year.” In addition to the title, Erlings receives an in-depth course aimed at improving skills, or a business course of his choice.

For more information: www.ffp.nl

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First Ecofin Women Club at Euronext Brussels

On 14 October 2014, Dominique Leroy, CEO of Belgacom rang the Opening Bell on Euronext Brussels to celebrate the First Ecofin Women Club. The event was followed by a debate. Moderator was Martine Maelschalck, editor-in-chief of L’Echo.

To know more : www.ecofinclub.be

Light for the World sounds gong for ‘EmployAble’ project

By sounding the gong the Light for the World foundation draws attention for the ‘EmployAble’ project in Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda, which aims to help young people with disabilities to find paid work.

The foundation thinks it is totally obsolete that people with disabilities stand aside. They can fully participate in society provided that a few basic conditions are met. Light for the World strivesto give disabled people, just like those who consider themselves able, a fair chance to participate. Light for the World and the Groenhorst College make TVETs (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) accessible for youngsters with disabilities and work closely with local companies to ensure that education matches with the demand. Companies like Techno Brain, Toyota, Stantec and Infomind already joined and the foundation calls upon companies in The Netherlands and the rest of the world to follow their example. Student Mirjam Priem, traveling later this year to Ethiopia to participate in the project, sounds the gong.

For more information: www.lightfortheworld.nl

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Gong marks listing Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.

William A. Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, sounds the gong to mark the listing of Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd,(ticker symbol: PSH).

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. is an investment holding company structured as a closed end fund that is an active investor and owner of large minority stakes in North American, large-capitalization public companies.

William A. Ackman said: “We are delighted to list Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. on Euronext Amsterdam.  The listing will dramatically expand our shareholder base improving the stability of our capital and our ability to implement our long-term, active investment strategy.”

Jos Dijsselhof, acting CEO of Euronext Amsterdam said: “We are very pleased to welcome Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. to our market today. The choice of Euronext as the listing venue by a leading investor shows the credibility that Euronext enjoys amongst the investment community.”

Anne Louise Metz, Head of Listings of Euronext Amsterdam, added: “Sophisticated investors look to the stock markets for the permanent capital it can provide. Euronext is an attractive venue for these funds and we expect to see continued interest in permanent capital vehicles from the fund community. We are delighted to support Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. in realizing its objectives and look forward to a long-standing partnership with the firm.”

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