Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) May 16, 2012

McGrath Systems, a leading human capital solutions firm, today announced the appointment of William Kilgour as Executive Vice President of Sales. In this role, Mr. Kilgour will have sales, delivery, and P&L responsibility for all McGrath Systems locations, including its Philadelphia headquarters, as well as offices in Hagerstown, MD and Iselin, NJ.

A seasoned professional and human capital veteran, Mr. Kilgour brings over thirty years of experience to McGrath. “At McGrath, we have always been dedicated to delivering the highest level of service to our clients,” stated Mike Wiley, CEO, McGrath Systems. Wiley continues, “Bill’s vision and leadership will help us strengthen that tradition as we execute our expansion plan throughout North America.”

Prior to joining McGrath Systems, Kilgour served as Regional Vice President for an $ 800 million global professional services company, having full responsibility for a $ 60 million region. He credits his long tenure in the industry—as recruiter, account manager, branch manager and vice president—for how he approaches client service today. “While the industry has certainly evolved over the past three decades and technology has helped revolutionize what we do, establishing relationships with clients built on trust remains most important.” Kilgour continues, “I am especially thrilled to be part of McGrath where the entire culture is dedicated to supporting our client-centric methodology. Our delivery teams and proactive vetting process are structured to provide best-in-class service with measurable results.”

McGrath’s growth plans include not only geographical expansion into regions throughout North America, but also expanded service offerings. By adopting a strategic, consultative approach—versus a transactional one—McGrath focuses on adding value. In addition to talent acquisition, contract to hire, on-premise staffing, and outplacement services, McGrath Systems offers contingent workforce programs. This comprehensive procurement solution is designed to mitigate risk, improve visibility and lower costs for companies with a significant contingent workforce.

About McGrath Systems:

McGrath Systems is a human capital solutions firm headquartered outside of Philadelphia, PA, with offices throughout the Mid Atlantic region servicing clients across North America. Founded in 2005 and built on a deep understanding of client needs, McGrath’s motto is: “we do more than match keywords—we match cultures”. This highly personalized approach and intensive candidate selection process, balanced with state of the art technology, are reasons McGrath attracts and retains many Fortune 100 clients. McGrath embraces diversity in the workplace, and is closely affiliated with several women-, minority-, and veteran-owned companies, enabling clients to satisfy important diversity spend initiatives. McGrath’s services include contract, temporary, project staffing, on-premise staffing, as well as retained and contingent search. Areas of focus include Engineering, Information Technology, Commercial, Energy, and Administrative Services. Experience the McGrath Systems difference at mcgrathsystems.com.

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Bangor, Maine (PRWEB) April 16, 2012

The Four Points by Sheraton Bangor Hotel offers a way to celebrate birthdays all year round with their “Pay Your Birth Year” promotion. On two and three night stays, guests will be charged regular rates for the first night and only pay their birth year for the following nights. Guests born in 1960, pay only $ 60 for second and third nights.

“Four Points Bangor Airport is pleased to offer this unique promotion to our guests,” says General Manager Vivian Cammack. “We look forward to welcoming guests to our Bangor airport hotel and invite all to explore the beautiful coast of Maine.”

As one of the most convenient hotels in Bangor Maine, the Four Points by Sheraton is connected to Bangor International Airport via an enclosed skywalk and offers easy access to Bangor’s many attractions including the waterfront, shopping district and universities. With free Wi-Fi, a fitness room and business center, this Bangor Hotel goes the extra mile to create comfortable stays.

Over 4,800 square feet of flexible event space is available for weddings, meetings or conferences while our Bangor Maine restaurant, Godfrey’s Grille, provides a selection of fine Maine specialties and signature drinks.

Visitors can take advantage of the well situated and fully renovated Four Points Bangor Maine Hotel at their special rate by mentioning the promotion code “NBR” when reserving online or by phone 866-716-8133.Their considerate and helpful staff will ensure a pleasurable visit.

About the Four Points by Sheraton Bangor Airport Hotel

The gateway to Maine, Four Points by Sheraton Bangor Airport is conveniently connected to the Bangor International Airport. The newly renovated 111 room hotel features redesigned homestead guest rooms, comfortable beds, complimentary high speed internet, 24 hour business center, pool and fitness center and 4,800 sq. ft. of meeting space suitable for Bangor meetings or a special Bangor wedding. Godfrey’s Grille, our Bangor Maine restaurant, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with Godfrey’s Lounge featuring an extensive wine selection in a welcoming atmosphere with fireplace and large flat screen television. Close to the Bangor hotel is the University of Maine, the Bangor Auditorium, Husson University, key government offices, downtown/waterfront, museums and the shopping district. Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor is a close one-hour drive. For more information, visit http://www.fourpointsbangorairport.com or call toll free 800-368-7764.

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Smart Horizons — The Smart Choice in Innovative Training Solutions

Pensacola, FL (PRWEB) May 08, 2012

Smart Horizons, a leading provider of comprehensive online early childhood education programs, has partnered with Nemours, a leader in pediatric health systems, to create an online offering of the successful Nemours BrightStart! program available to early childhood caregivers and educators around the world.

The Nemours BrightStart! program was developed to address the growing occurrences of reading failure in groups of children around the nation. The ability to read with understanding is undeniably one of the most basic foundations children must have in order to be successful in school and beyond to adult life. Without this foundation, negative consequences can last a lifetime. With the help of educators and early learning specialists, Nemours BrightStart! has focused their vast array of scientific and clinical expertise on this crisis and has developed the Nemours BrightStart! educational intervention program.

Begun as a local initiative, the Nemours BrightStart! vision can now be realized on a much broader scale. Children who are evaluated and identified as being at risk for reading failure benefit from the early intervention teachers provide as a result of the training received from this multisensory program.

Studies have shown that when taught by teachers using Nemours BrightStart! curriculum, child outcomes exceed expectations. With the training for educators now available online through the partnership with Smart Horizons, teachers everywhere can make use of the tremendously successful curriculum.

About Smart Horizons

Smart Horizons is an online training provider that offers courseware development by experienced instructional designers, customized programs, learning management services, and superior media design. Designated as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education & Training (IACET), Smart Horizons offers Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for its programs that qualify under IACET guidelines. Smart Horizons, provides a wide range of training services, including content development and hosting, product delivery, student enrollment, student support, and record keeping. With innovative programs that are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Smart Horizons is changing the way companies train their employees and enhancing the way individual learners achieve their educational and career goals.

About Nemours

Nemours is an internationally recognized children’s health system that owns and operates the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE, along with major pediatric specialty clinics in Delaware, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. In 2012, it will open the full-service Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, Florida.

Established as The Nemours Foundation through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. du Pont, Nemours offers pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention programs to all families in the communities it serves.

Attachments

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

(PRWEB) May 10, 2012

WHAT:     Panasonic Kid Witness News Awards Ceremony

    Student teams representing:

    Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts (Middle School) (Vista, CA)
    Maui High School (Kahului, HI)
    Vista Academy High School (Denver, CO)
    Val Verde High School (Perris, CA)

will visit Panasonic Corporation of North America’s headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey as finalists in the annual Panasonic Kid Witness News (KWN) national video education program and competition. One of the four schools will be honored with the US Video of the Year Award at and their video will automatically be entered as the US video in the Panasonic Global Kid Witness News competition.

WHO:     Joseph M. Taylor – Chairman & CEO, Panasonic Corporation of North America

    Brenda Blackmon – News Anchor, My9 News & KWN Awards Ceremony Emcee

    Eisuke Tsuyuzaki – Chief Technology Officer, Panasonic Corporation of North America

    Members of the Newark, New Jersey Municipal Council:    

    The Honorable Mildred C. Crump

    The Honorable Carlos M. Gonzales

    The Honorable Darin S. Sharif

    Senior Executives from:        

    New Jersey Institute of Technology

    Montclair State University,

    University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey

    Bronx Community College

    Newark Brick City Development Corporation

    Representatives from Newark and Hudson County New Jersey Public Schools

WHEN:     Friday, May 11 @ 12:00 noon

WHERE:     Panasonic Corporation of North America, 1 Panasonic Way, Secaucus, NJ

    The awards ceremony can also be viewed live online at:

    http://www.panasonic.com/MECA/kwn/new-vision-awards.asp

ABOUT:    Panasonic Kid Witness News is a program that provides students with state-of-the-art, high definition digital video studio cameras and equipment as tools to communicate video stories. The videos made by the students offer a way for everyone to see “The World Through Their Eyes.” The program began in 1989 with one school in New Jersey and has since grown to include participants from 76 schools throughout the United States and 718 schools in 31 countries and regions worldwide. For more information on the Panasonic Kid Witness News program please visit http://www.panasonic.com/kwn.

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) July 30, 2011

Intrinsic Research Systems Inc., a Mergent company, today announced the launch of its new corporate website at http://www.intrinsic-research.com.

“We are very excited about the launch of our new corporate site. The new website reflects Intrinsic Research Systems’ goal of being the next generation in the evolution of equity analytics by providing prospective and existing clients with the information they are looking for in a quick, efficient, and easy manner,” said Jeff McMains, Co-Founder of Intrinsic Research Systems.

Intrinsic’s new website offers two distinct paths to site visitors who are looking for more information about Intrinsic’s products and services. In both its “Services” menus and the more targeted “Solutions” menus, products and services are narrowed down on the basis of applicability to a particular market or audience such as portfolio managers, research analysts, or academic institutions. The website also contains a Flash demo that highlights the key features and functionalities of the Intrinsic Research platform.

For more information on Intrinsic Research Systems, please visit http://www.intrinsic-research.com

About Intrinsic Research Systems

Designed as the next generation in the evolution of equity analytics, Intrinsic Research System’s suite of research products has been created for investment managers seeking an intuitive and comprehensive approach to original equity research and decision making. Intrinsic Research solutions have been built from the ground up, using today’s technology, for a rich user experience that is unmatched by any other service. Likewise, Intrinsic’s integrated central database of company, sector, industry and economic data has been specially constructed to provide analysts and portfolio managers with access to the key components driving equity performance in a single, consolidated package. Intrinsic Research is a subsidiary of Mergent Inc. For more information, visit http://www.intrinsic-research.com

# # #

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Cassandra Blassingame, Program Development Manager for Ashworth College

Peachtree Corners, GA (PRWEB) May 08, 2012

Ashworth College (http://www.ashworthcollege.edu/), a leading online school, announced today that Cassandra D. Blassingame, Marietta, GA, has been hired as Program Development Manager for the online school’s career training programs, reporting to the Chief Academic Officer.

With more than 15 years of progressive experience as an educator and administrator in both the higher education and nonprofit sectors, Blassingame will assume responsibility for maintaining Ashworth’s 65+ career diploma programs as well as the development of new programs serving the career training market.

Most recently Blassingame served as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Talladega College managing development, alumni affairs, marketing, and Title III. Prior, she served both on the faculty and as program director for the Business & Technology programs at the University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies, in Falls Church, VA.

“Education is a vehicle by which people can be empowered to participate in the local, national, regional, or global communities,” she said. “I’m very excited to be able to bring my experiences to Ashworth.”

In both her teaching and administrative capacities, Blassingame has developed curricula, on the undergraduate and graduate levels, and ranging from individual courses to entire certificate programs in business and technology.

Dr. Leslie Gargiulo, Ashworth College’s Chief Academic Officer commented, “We’re excited to have Cassandra as part of Ashworth’s education team. Her experience and enthusiasm is proving to be a tremendous asset and her extensive knowledge and experience she brings has already started to make an impact on our business.”

Originally from Aurora, IL, Blassingame received her Bachelor of Arts in computer science at Talladega College and her MEd in Adult Education at University of Missouri-St. Louis where she is currently a PhD candidate.

Blassingame has three sons and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

About Ashworth College

Headquartered in Peachtree Corners, GA, Ashworth College, a leading online school, has built a tradition of excellence spanning 25 years, offering students worldwide more than 115 online college degrees, online certificate programs, career training, and online high school diploma options that are affordable and fit the busy schedules of working adults. Ashworth is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). The Accrediting Commission of the DETC is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency. For more information, visit http://www.ashworthcollege.edu.

Ashworth is a Sterling Partners portfolio company. Sterling Partners is a leading private equity firm with over 25 years of experience partnering with entrepreneurs to build market-leading businesses. With approximately $ 5 billion of assets under management, Sterling Partners invests growth capital in industries with positive, long-term trends and provides ongoing support to management through a dedicated team of industry veterans, operators, strategy experts and human capital professionals. Sterling Partners is a leader in education, healthcare and business services and has offices in Chicago, Baltimore, and Miami. For more information, please visit http://www.sterlingpartners.com.

Attachments

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

John Bisnar, Managing Partner

California (PRWEB) May 05, 2012

The summer season is usually bookended by two holidays, Memorial Day and Labor Day, rather than the summer solstice and fall equinox dates. During the 100 or so days between Memorial Day and Labor Day, traffic accident rates tend to go up. According to FARS, the Fatality Analysis Reporting System established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the following data were collected for the year 2009, the most recent year available. The following data shows the total number of fatal car accidents per month and the fatal crash rate per millions of vehicle miles traveled, or VMT from May through September 2009

By comparison, the other months of the year averaged only 2,425 total fatalities and a VMT rate of 1.01.

While there are spikes in automobile fatalities during the fall, winter, and spring months, especially around major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, the overall rate during the summer is much higher than during the rest of the year.

Mr. Bisnar commented that there are some obvious reasons that summer driving can lead to more fatal accidents. “People are on the road much more during the summer months, are traveling long distances for vacations, are traveling with more passengers, drivers may be less diligent in their relaxed vacation mind sent and they may be subject to more distractions. It stands to reason that more cars on our highways will equal more car accidents and more passengers will lead to more injuries and fatalities.” Mr. Bisnar also noted that August was the month with the highest total fatalities, and attributes this to the fact that not only are families still vacationing but many students are traveling to schools and colleges.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has also tracked an increase in deaths of young people between the ages of 13 and 19 during the summer months, lending support to this theory. It is possible that this increase of fatalities among young drivers may be attributed not only to a more mobile summer population but to the increase in alcohol consumption common during vacations and school breaks. The fact that high school students are often out of school during these months while their parents continue to work may also lead to more teens driving and less attention to their safety.

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

www.aplifi.com

Pompano Beach, FL (PRWEB) May 03, 2012

Levinson and Associates was awarded the Brokerage Partner of the Year Award from Aplifi, the leading provider of Life and Annuity Order Management, Client Management and Electronic Document Delivery solutions for the financial services and insurance market segments.

Presented earlier this month at Aplifi’s “InMotion 2012 Insurance Symposium” in Delray Beach, this annual award is given to a single brokerage partner demonstrating a commitment to driving field adoption and creating positive industry change using Aplifi platforms. Levinson and Associates dramatically increased technology usage by driving hundreds of producers to use Aplifi’s eApplication, CRM, and ePolicy Delivery platforms which in turn reduced costs and cycle times for their producers, insurance carrier partners, and themselves.

“We at Levinson and Associates are grateful for the honor that Aplifi has given us as their Brokerage Partner of the Year,” said Bill Levinson, Managing Partner, Levinson & Associates. “We certainly understand the benefits technology can bring to everyone in the distribution channel and how important it is to properly promote and support these platforms with our producers. Aplifi has been great to work with and has really helped us grow our business over the past twelve months.”

“Levinson and Associates has set a new standard for how brokerage agencies meet the needs of their producers when it comes to rolling out and supporting new technologies. Their high double digit growth in adoption of these platforms shows the community that producers are ready and willing to make change,” said Dan Smith, President & CEO, Aplifi. “We are grateful to have them as a partner and are looking forward to another banner year with them.”

About Aplifi:

Aplifi (http://www.Aplifi.com), based in Pompano Beach, Florida, is a leading technology provider that focuses on the life insurance and financial services markets. Aplifi offers solutions that facilitate more insurance transactions that are compliant and “In Good Order,” driving increased business. Its suite of flexible and easy to use platforms include AFFIRM for Life, AFFIRM for Annuity, InsureSocket CRM, I-Relay CRM, and PolicyBox. “We Simplify Selling Insurance!”

About Levinson & Associates:

Levinson and Associates (http://www.carylevinson.com) Phone: 800.375.2279. Levinson and Associates is a National Insurance Marketing Company domiciled in Florida since 1972. As such, we specialize in the servicing of our field force, and the distribution of the most competitive products for term, universal life, whole life, simplified issue, annuities, and survivorship products. We are a full service marketing company equipped to help during the entire underwriting process. From our most inexpensive term, jumbo permanent products, or annuities, our administrative staff, with over 40 years of combined insurance experience, stands ready and very able to help with all your insurance needs.    

Media Contacts

Levinson & Associates

Bill Levinson

Managing Partner

800-375-2279

bill(at)carylevinson(dot)com

Aplifi, Inc.

Roy Goodart

Senior Vice President Marketing

801-308-2095 ext. 706

roy.goodart(at)aplifi(dot)com

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

David Bell

Missoula, MT (PRWEB) May 01, 2012

Missoula, Montana-based ALPS Corporation is pleased to announce that David Bell will be joining its executive leadership team as President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Bell comes to ALPS from Allied World Assurance Company (AWAC), a global insurance company founded in the wake of 9/11 by AIF, Chubb and Goldman Sachs. Bell served as the company’s Senior Vice President and Global Professional Lines Manager before becoming COO, a role in which he served for the past four years in AWAC’s Bermuda offices.

Bell brings extensive knowledge and experience in the insurance industry to ALPS. He began his professional career with The Chubb Corporation as Underwriting Manager-Executive Protection/Assistant Vice President specializing in a number of product lines including public and private D&O insurance and EPL. Bell moved on within Chubb to serve as the Florida Legislative Liaison for the company.

Concurrently Bell emerged as a resource for the ever-changing D&O industry. He penned several articles on industry trends including “The Ups & Downs (Mostly Downs) of the D&O Rate Cycle,” in The Professional Liability Underwriting Society Journal, and “Probing The D&O Market,” PriceWaterhouseCoopers Bermuda Insurance Quarterly.

Bell’s diverse knowledge ranging from underwriting to government relations to being a founding executive of a global insurance corporation will serve ALPS Corporation well. ALPS (Attorneys Liability Protection Society) was founded nearly 25 years ago during the insurance crisis of the mid-1980s by a group of forward-thinking attorneys in Missoula, Montana. At the time, the options for attorneys to purchase professional liability insurance were often unreliable or unaffordable. Instead of making do with what the industry provided, ALPS changed the industry by providing stable, responsibly priced malpractice coverage to protect the legal community.

Today ALPS writes professional liability insurance policies for more the 12,500 attorneys across the country. ALPS is endorsed by more state and local bar associations than any other insurance company and is rated A- (Excellent) with a stable outlook by A.M. Best rating service. With the addition of Mr. Bell, ALPS will continue its commitment to constant improvement, expanding its offerings to more people and providing continued education, risk management and professional enrichment to the communities it serves.

For Bell, the move to ALPS is really more of a homecoming. He graduated from the University of Montana in 1996 with a degree in Finance. While Bell and his family have lived in Florida and Bermuda for the past 16 years, Bell has maintained strong ties with his Montana roots.

“For ALPS to get a person with David’s insurance knowledge and background and sense of humanity is huge,” said Robert W. Minto, Jr., ALPS Chief Executive Officer. “I’ve been working to induce him back to Montana for a number of years and count this hire as one of my greatest successes at ALPS. He and I, together with my current senior management team, see no limit to what ALPS can accomplish.”

“I leave behind life-long friends at Allied World and look forward to watching the company continue to lead the property and casualty market,” said Bell. “I am very excited to come home to Montana and join ALPS. ALPS has a strong franchise and a respected name in the industry. I look forward to joining the ALPS team.”

Bell serves on the Board of Directors for The Maureen & Mike Mansfield Center, an organization dedicated to promoting a better understanding of U.S. and Asia relations. The Center was founded in the spirit of Montana Senator and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Mike Mansfield (1903-2001).

Mr. Bell also founded and serves on the Board of Grateful Nation, a Montana-based organization founded in 2007 that provides college education for the children of Montana soldiers killed in active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Montana has the highest number of soldiers killed in action per capita and the state has been the blueprint for the Grateful Nation program with a vision to expand into more states throughout the country. “My wife Brittany and I have been humbled by the opportunity to walk with the families of our fallen Montana heroes. Coming back to Montana will allow us to commit more time and resources to this great organization,” said Bell.

Mr. Bell will assume his new role at ALPS Corporation effective May 1. “David arrives in Montana on Sunday, moves into his house on Monday, and will be buried at his desk Tuesday morning,” said Minto. “The excitement around the office for having him here is palpable. Everybody knows he will be able to take us to an entirely new level of expertise and productivity in the insurance industry.”

ALPS Corporation is a preeminent provider of lawyers’ professional liability insurance, with an emphasis on protection, stability, and commitment to the legal community. For more information, visit http://www.alpsnet.com.

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

London, UK (PRWEB UK) 28 April 2012

The global appetite for contactless technologies shows no sign of abating as the 2012 Contactless Intelligence Contactless & Mobile Awards honour achievements across a wide range of sectors and countries throughout Europe and further a field.

Now in its fifth year, the Contactless & Mobile Awards (this year sponsored by Visa Europe and Telefonica O2) has yet again attracted a record turnout, making it an important fixture in the contactless calendar. “We’ve seen entry numbers grow year-on-year, highlighting the dynamism of this burgeoning industry,” said Steve Atkins, CEO of Krowne Communications, the company behind Contactless Intelligence. “Whereas other awards ceremonies focus on behind-the-scenes technological innovations, we honour those firms that are really making a difference in getting contactless devices into the hands of users and encouraging consumers to use them at both major international and small retailers throughout the world. This year we changed the categories slightly to reflect the growing spectrum of uses and implementations of contactless and NFC technology as you would expect from such a dynamic industry. The quality and quantity of entries reflect this dynamism.”

This year’s CMA champions accepted their trophies at a gala dinner at Tower Bridge Hilton, London, on April 26, 2012. The winners are:

Competitive Advantage – Coca-Cola / Vianet (UK)

Transportation and Ticketing – Banca Commerciale Romana (Romania)

Mobile Payment Application of the Year – Google Wallet (US)

Contactless / NFC Innovation of the Year – Qolpac (The Netherlands)

Best Customer Experience – Garanti Bank (Turkey)

Loyalty – Kadona (Austria)

Public Domain – Connecthings (France)

Best Marketing Campaign using Contactless / NFC Technology – Proxama (UK)

Best Contactless / NFC Infrastructure – VeriFone (UK)

Contactless / NFC Eco-System – Glodyne Technoserve (India)

In addition, Visa Europe presented its Visa payWave award for The Visa payWave award for Best Contactless Awareness and Education Campaign to McDonald’s (UK), while Kevin Doran from McDonald’s (UK) won the Visa payWave Business Leader of the Year prize.

“We are very pleased to be sponsoring the Contactless and Mobile Awards again in 2012. The increasing number and quality of nominations over the last five years is a great reflection of the growth in the market place. There are now more than 31 million Visa contactless cards in Europe, and an expectation that by the end of 2012 that number will be in excess of 50 million. The acceptance side is also set for rapid growth through 2012, with plans from tier 1 retailers set to push the number of terminals by 50% over the course of the year,” said Mark Austin, Head of Contactless at Visa Europe (Platinum Sponsors of the CMAs).

“Telefonica UK is delighted to support again the Contactless Intelligence and the Contactless & Mobile Awards.   We are passionate about driving and supporting innovation as reflected in our brand approach of ‘fresh thinking and new possibilities’.   We were extremely impressed with the quality of the nominations for the Awards and extend our congratulations to all of those involved,” said Craig Oldroyd, Director Of Mobile Commerce, Telefonica UK (Gold Sponsors of the CMA’s).

Atkins said: “The quality of awards’ entries continues to improve each year, demonstrating that contactless is fast becoming a technology that brings advantages to citizens and businesses alike. Whether it’s to increase throughput, to reduce the amount of cash used by a firm or to encourage spending, more merchants are choosing to give contactless a go. And they’re being encouraged to do so by consumers who are rapidly recognising the benefits of the technology in terms of convenience and time saving.”

This year’s judges included Wendy Atkins, Contactless Intelligence; Paul Chamberlain, Association for Convenience Stores; Michel Barjansky, independent transport consultant; Mark Austin, Visa Europe; Kevin Farquharson, Smart Card Networking Forum; Samee Zafar, Edgar Dunn; John Berry, European Commission (Research & Innovative Transport Systems); Craig Oldroyd, O2; Paul Naldrett, SIMalliance; and Sirpa Nordlund, Mobey Forum.

“The number of firms that now want to talk about what they are doing with contactless globally is encouraging for the industry, but it makes the judges’ job tougher every year,” added Atkins. “We’re grateful for the time everyone spent analysing the input in some very tough categories. There were some particularly strong entries in certain categories, such as Loyalty and Best Customer Experience which meant some of the results were incredibly close.”

Ends -

Notes to editors

About Krowne Communications

Krowne Communications is a specialized B2B PR agency. It was founded in Munich, Germany, in 2000, and is now headquartered in Berlin, Germany. Along with its UK company, Krowne Communications (UK) Ltd, it offers services developed specifically to fit the requirements of major organizations operating in the world of technology. The company also develops and manages marketing communications projects for special interest groups and companies.  It has pioneered the concept of marketing-oriented partner programs and digital PR integrated Web 2.0 media broadcast channels.

These B2B channels offer a revolutionary approach to nearly all marketing communication needs. Using the extensive industry network it has created over its lifetime, Krowne brings together the most important market players in order to communicate the developments within dedicated markets, to communicate the latest innovations and to demonstrate products using social media, blogs, video and audio broadcasting. The platforms currently include Contactless Intelligence and Security-news.tv.

For more information, visit http://www.krowne.tv and http://www.contactlessintelligence.com.

About Visa Europe

In Europe, there are 427 million Visa debit, credit and commercial cards. In the 12 months ending December 2010 those cards were used to make purchases and cash withdrawals to the value of €1.6 trillion. 12.5% of consumer spending at point of sale in Europe is with a Visa card, and more than 70% of that is on Visa debit cards.  

Visa Europe is owned and operated by more than 4,000 European member banks and was incorporated in July 2004. In October 2007, Visa Europe became independent of the new global Visa Inc., with an exclusive, irrevocable and perpetual licence in Europe. As a dedicated European payment system it is able to respond quickly to the specific market needs of European banks and their customers – cardholders and retailers – and to meet the European Commission’s objective to create a true internal market for payments.

Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world. In addition, Visa/PLUS is one of the world’s largest global ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in over 200 countries.

For more information, visit http://www.visaeurope.com/.

About O2

Telefónica UK Limited is a leading communications company for consumers and businesses in the UK, with 23 million mobile, fixed line and broadband customers as at 31 December 2011. Telefónica UK Limited is part of Telefónica Europe plc, a business division of Telefónica S.A. which uses O2 as its commercial brand in the UK, Ireland, Slovakia, Germany and the Czech Republic, and has 58.1 million customers across these markets.

Telefónica UK employs around 11,000 people in the UK and has 450 retail stores. O2 is the naming rights partner of The O2, the world-class entertainment venue. O2′s UK 2G mobile network provides voice and data services which are available to 99% of the UK’s population.

O2′s UK 3G (HSPA+ 900 / 2100 MHz) network currently provides voice and high speed data services to over 84% of the UK population at speeds of up to 14.4Mbp and 21Mbps in major cities. O2 was the first UK operator to deploy a 4G/LTE trial network which has demonstrated peak speeds of over 100Mbps to a mobile device.

Telefónica Europe also owns 50% of Tesco Mobile, which operates in the UK and Ireland, and 50% of Tchibo Mobilfunk in Germany.  

For further press information about O2 go to http://www.o2.co.uk/news.

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.