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Consumer leads generation company eGENTIC Asia Pacific has appointed Benedikt Becker as its country manager for operations in Singapore and Malaysia. Based in Singapore, Becker will be managing the country teams and helping to drive the growth of the company by exploring new potentials and partnerships in his new role.

eGENTIC Asia Pacific wasfounded in 2001 in Germany and since then, has expanded into over 20 countries around the world focusing on Europe, Asia Pacific and South America. The company helps consumer-facing businesses in the sectors of insurance, finance, education, health and beauty, charities, energy, telecommunications and broadband, travel, home services, eCommerce and publishing houses to generate scalable business growth via online marketing channels, as stated on its official website.

Prior to eGENTIC, Becker was head of sales of Internet marketing service Audience Serv, a global direct marketing agency. Based in Hanoi, he was responsible for the APAC expansion as well as growing global relationships with key accounts and strategic partnerships. With marketing and sales experience of more than five years and guest speaking opportunities in Europe and Asia, he has built a strong global network according to the press statement by eGENTIC. Additionally, based on his LinkedIn profile, Becker took on a regional sales manager role at Rockland radio, based in Germany for almost three years before joining Audience Serv.

Chee Ser Chen, managing director of eGENTIC Asia Pacific said the company was pleased to welcome Becker to the organisation, where APAC was a fast-growing market for performance leads. We are confident Becker will bring excitement to eGENTIC business in Singapore and Malaysia, Chen added.

Meanhwile Becker said he was delighted to be working in the new role for eGENTIC in one of its key markets. I love the intensity and the everchanging landscape of the lead generation space and therefore I am absolutely thrilled to join the global leader working from their APAC HQ in Singapore, Becker added.

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eGENTIC APAC looks to grow in SG and MY, appoints new country head - Marketing Interactive

The global challenge of Covid-19 threw up unprecedented opportunities to rethink the way we organise jobs and the workplace. Digitalisation has become a part of everyday life, and partnered development of technologies has become ever more relevant for the whole world. It is time for countries to work together to find new solutions.

At the 2019 edition of the biennial WorldSkills competition in Kazan, the Russian arm of the international WorldSkills organisation showcased a new section, Future Skills, focused on activities in the digital economy and high tech. The initiative garnered a lot of interest internationally, and a number of countries worldwide have signed up for a Future Skills Camp, held from June 23 to August 30.

A series of collaborative practical training modules, it will be conducted online and will allow participants to demonstrate and improve upon their skills across a range of vocational competencies.

The Future Skills initiative is a response to the changes in the workplace brought about by globalization and technology, and a way to predict and harness the skills that will be in demand in a digitalised world. Automation as machines and robots take over many of the tasks formerly undertaken by human beings will lead to an increase in demand for creativity, digital literacy and ability to control these new processes.

There is currently a lot of discussion about the future and what it will hold, said Alina Doskanova, director of international relations at WorldSkills Russia and Russias technical delegate to WorldSkills International and WorldSkills Europe. The rapid change in technology; the development of artificial intelligence, and universal digitalisation contribute to the emergence of convergent skills, as well as the expansion of multisectoral and intersectoral cooperation.

As new technological and social trends become apparent, the demand for appropriate training grows exponentially, and meeting these demands in a timely fashion is a challenge for modern education, as well as industry. Future Skills aims to address the problem, identifying the ways in which the labour market will be most affected in the new digital landscape, and shaping educational programmes accordingly.

The educational component is key to the work of WorldSkills Russia, and working with government leaders, academic institutions and teachers themselves to introduce the vocational training programmes into national curricula worldwide is a core objective.

As part of the Future Skills project, says Doskanova, we are implementing a full cycle of development in these areas: research, competency development, software development, testing in competitions and the training system. At the same time, our focus is always on the person and his or her interaction with technology.

The research and development carried out on Future Skills by WorldSkills Russia is already shaping the direction of the movement internationally, and five of the nine new competencies that have been selected for the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai in 2021 additive manufacturing; building information modelling; industrial design technology; mobile apps development and robot systems integration were also developed by the Russia arm.

Some of the central features of the organisations work are its competitions, and as industry conditions changed during the Covid-19 pandemic, WorldSkills Russia has worked hard to create innovative formats.

Holding the Future Skills Camp remotely allows participants from many different countries including Brazil, China, South Africa, Tunisia and Portugal, as well as Russia to expand their skill sets even within the constraints of the current circumstances, and creates opportunities for participating countries to later implement Future Skills within their educational systems and national competitions.

The organisation is also preparing a distance format for the eighth WorldSkills Russia National Competition in September, and the BRICS (the group of emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Future Skills Challenge, to be held at the end of 2020.

The BRICS Future Skills annual challenge is an important moment of recognition of how vital skills development, industry 4.0 and technical and vocational education are to the development agenda of BRICS countries," says Frederico Lamego, executive manager of international relations at SENAI (National Service for Industrial Training). "The BRICS economies face different challenges for achieving a sustainable economic and social growth path. Equally, cooperation among BRICS institutions through knowledge and skills transfer could help improve the quality of technical education the cornerstone for industrial and technological development."

Sherrie Donaldson, CEO of African Innovators and member of the South African BRICS Working Group thinks that certain skills must be acquired for the economic growth of any country. The shortage of skills in South Africa has become a core issue in discussions on economic growth, service delivery, social development and productivity, she says.

The skills shortages and associated challenges in South Africa are exacerbated by changes in the world of work, driven by changing technologies and business processes. In forecasts, the global impact of these changes ranges from 50 to 70 per cent of current jobs being lost due to technological advances. However, at the same time many new, unknown jobs are being generated. To achieve economic growth relevant future skills must be identified and developed. The Future Skills Camp and BRICS Future Skills Challenge facilitate identification and development of the required skills, and allow BRICS partners to learn from and support each other.

The Future Skills Camp is more than just a competition. Its remit includes a determination to build a network of potential Future Skills partner countries and create a system of collaboration between experts around the globe. As the needs of industry are identified, further competencies will be added, and training given in how to incorporate these into education, and how to evaluate the results.

The range of skills that was included at the time of the 2019 WorldSkills Kazan competition has since been developed and expanded, and in addition to those that will feature in Shanghai, now includes: digital factory; space systems engineering; digital capabilities; the Internet of Things; quantum technology; enterprise information systems security; IT software solutions; big data and machine learning; industrial robotics; robotic welding; lifecycle management; manufacturing team challenge; internet marketing; drone operating, and service robotics with more ideas being added in response to every new shift in industry predictions.

Observed by experts in their respective fields, competitors in the Future Skills Camp will complete test projects at home or at suitably equipped venues in their home countries. Training modules will take place over a period of a few days and form one of the ways in which WorldSkills Russia aims to export its expertise to other countries. These presentations provide a way of introducing ideas to b2b and b2c markets in partner countries, with a view to developing short education programmes and laboratories.

Participants will be provided with suggestions and opportunities for further personal growth throughout their careers, partly through the launching of new digital services and platforms. Above all, the Future Skills Camp will provide experts, trainers and participants with the tools they need to face this new industrial and social reality with a broader and more flexible skill set one which can adapt to the changing needs of this dynamic new environment.

The Future Skills Camp is supported by Rosatom, Rostec, Roscosmos, 1 Company, FANUC, InfoWatch, Autodesk, Siemens, Coex, hatka, Russian Quantum Center.

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WorldSkills Russia creates new possibilities with the launch of the remote Future Skills Camp - Euronews

Written by Prasoon Joshi | Updated: July 1, 2020 9:24:10 am Some will misconstrue and say that I am hinting at some sort of policing. (Illustration by C R Sasikumar)

Currently, discussions are on about a few web series that have come into focus, not so much for excellence but for their unbridled content. It would be interesting to explore this era of entertainment and understand the building blocks of this emerging industry, which is slated to snowball. BCG estimates Indias OTT (applications and services accessible over the internet) market to be in the range of about $5 billion by 2023. Moreover, whether as marketers, brand custodians or informed citizens, we need to decode and understand the sentiment unleashed more intricately.

Comparisons between cinema and OTT are apparent. While cinema is a more mass, public consumption product, web series and OTT platforms are ostensibly more individualistic and watched over personal screens. The content codes, therefore, are considered different.

However, the pandemic has changed perspectives and consumption habits. The lacuna that cinema viewing and other outdoor leisure activities have left has resulted in an increased intake of content on OTT platforms. Since most people across age groups are confined to their homes, there is also an increase in collective viewing. This new reality, in some ways, has led to a greater scrutinisation of content by the viewers.

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I have always believed in the power of informed choice, especially with regard to children. Transparent classification of content is imperative. Many will point to the 13+, 16+ or other age ratings of online series. We need to understand more clearly how this classification is done. Are these categorisations done solely by the content creators who seek to gain commercially from them? Or by independent minds who take on board concerns of parents, teachers, experts in child psychology and those well-versed with socio-cultural nuances? What are the standardised norms, due diligence followed by the content creators specific to the Indian context? There needs to be more transparency and a fair sense of informed choice.

Reports in the media cite the instance of a Digital Content Complaint Council (DCCC), which has been joined by a handful of players, but most of the OTT players are said to have opposed the move and refused to join the council.

Some will misconstrue and say that I am hinting at some sort of policing. Please do not be misled or trivialise what I am honestly putting up for a rational and civil discussion. One is talking about responsibility and regard for the audience and its milieu. After all, shouldnt cognisance be taken of the share of voice of the people, whose wallets share is desired?

Lets peer through another lens: Companies often term their content as entertainment products. Through my professional life, I have observed branding and products carefully. Every industry values its consumer and marketing books are replete with references to treating the consumer as the king. After all, a sound product reflects an inherent concern for the consumer. The cultural fabric of the market is crucial to responsible companies around the world. There are fabulous and robust codes of conduct in reputed organisations as well as a fair degree of mindfulness and restraint.

EXPLAINED |As streaming gains new releases in lockdown, whats at stake for big screens?

Yes, you want to entice your consumer or viewer; sure, there is hyperbole in the communication. But nowhere is consumer sentiment devalued. And in case, if that does happen, there are checks, balances and redressal forums.

Given that OTT, web content is at its initial stage, it will hopefully mature in its approach to the consumer. The nascent industry needs to be ready to evolve and heed contrarian points of view. In many countries, there are robust frameworks in place. However, trying to import business practices and force-fitting them will create only turmoil if the indigenous, nuanced point of view is disparaged.

My experience in brand building and designing communication for various international and national brands has taught me that though one can have a global outlook, cognisance needs to be taken of the inherent cultural sensibilities in varied markets. They need to be embraced, not flouted. After all, culture gives us a context for life. A mundane object finds meaning and significance because we attribute a certain narrative to it. Societies cherish their narratives deeply. Understanding the cultural underpinning of the overt is vital, for lifes beauty lies in intricacy, in nuance. Significant brands keep this context in mind and are not driven by a short-sighted, opportunistic mindset.

I understand artistic products are more complex than many others. Creative thinking and artistic prowess need to be finely balanced with market needs and consumer sensibilities. Self-expression and experimentation are intertwined with business realities. I do not doubt that many seek this balance, but deep down, it also boils down to intent. Fundamentally, I believe a true artist has immense respect for the audience, knowing that their audience makes them. But when this gets compromised, the very intent gets corrupted, it results in a distorted reality.

The highest price we pay for this distortion is the loss of trust between the creator and the audience. There could be disillusionment, and the audience can become wary of content creators.

This loss of trust can destroy the very fundamentals of the creative world, especially the commercially creative world. For, there is a difference between pure art and an artistic product. When art is packaged and sold as a commercial product, it acquires another hue. As far as entertainment products are concerned, in an industry with a balance sheet, art is more commercial. Its different when we speak of fine artists. In their case, self-expression is the dominant emotion. An intense inner compulsion exists, and creation takes place regardless of consequences. Market forces matter little, for a restless soul is in the quest to find meaning, not money. And its important for humanity that this unadulterated introspection and expression takes place unhindered.

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One cannot, and is not, undermining the calibre of popular genre products. In commercial art, there are instances of staggering self-expression and many of them are deliciously poised between art and commerce. But there is undoubtedly a difference when you tailor-make an entertainment product after analysing and pressing convenient buttons aimed to please or cater to the lowest common denominator. One invoking pure artistic license while promoting a commercial art product will be seen through eventually.

Lets not forget that a piece of creative work is almost like a journey, where the audience has practically surrendered and submitted to the will of the artist and content creator. Literally a frame of mind of, take me where you want, I want to see what you see and experience what you experienced, sense every bit of joy, pain, despair, jubilation, melancholy that you did. I am undoubting, and I hope that you wont abandon me midway. You may want to shake me, but not with the intent to destroy. To make me finer and evolve. This sentiment is a reflection of the relationship that makes a piece of art connect and resonate.

Currently, introspection is required whether this very fundamental relationship between the creator and the audience is being compromised.

Let me reiterate, no matter how frantically we want our entertainment products to succeed, certain things must be non-negotiable. Many of us talk about womens empowerment and give lofty lectures. However, when it comes to the portrayal of women in cinema and entertainment products, we turn a blind eye. There has to be a correction dare one say, over-correction in this regard. Also, we cannot, in the name of art, and for commercial gains, compromise the vulnerable section of our society like children. As makers, lets not take clever shelter under context or other such nomenclature; or conveniently blame it on the audiences muddied understanding. This should be the last justification for creators, especially when concerns loom about a trust deficit between them and the audience.

Whilst we collectively explore the next phase, for starters, I believe we need to stop defending missteps. And with an open mind, course correct and discuss the emerging reality, genuinely and honestly.

Then, the road ahead will be brighter and smoother.

This article first appeared in the print edition on July 1, 2020 under the title Regard for audience, its culture. Joshi is a writer, poet and communication professional. Views expressed are personal

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As OTT gains prominence, we need to ask if due diligence is followed by content creators specific to the Indian context - The Indian Express

Given the enormous potential for quantum computing to change the way we forecast, model and understand the world, many are beginning to question whether it could have helped to better prepare us all for a global pandemic such as the Covid-19 crisis. Governments, organisations and the public are continuing the quest for answers about when this crisis will end and how we can find a way out of the current state of lockdown, and we are all continuing to learn through incremental and experimental steps. It certainly seems plausible that the high compute simulation capabilities of our most revolutionary technology could hold some of the answers and enable us to respond in a more coherent and impactful way.

Big investments have already been made in quantum computing, as countries and companies battle to create the first quantum supercomputer, so they can harness the power of this awesome technology. The World Economic Forum has also recognised the important role that this technology will play in our future, and has a dedicated Global Future Council to drive collaboration between public and private sector organisations engaged in the development of Quantum Computing. Although its unlikely to result in any overnight miracles, its understandable that many are thinking about whether these huge efforts and investments can be turned towards the mutual challenge we face in finding a solution to the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are already some ground-breaking use-cases for quantum computing within the healthcare industry. Where in the past some scientific breakthroughs such as the discovery of penicillin came completely by accident, quantum computing puts scientists in a much stronger position to find what they were looking for, faster. Quantum raises capacity to such a high degree that it would be possible to model penicillin using just a third of the processing power a classical computer would require to do the job meaning it can do more with less, at greater speed.

In the battle against Covid-19, the US Department of Energys Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is already using quantum supercomputers in its search for drug compounds that can treat the disease. IBM has also been using quantum supercomputers to run simulations on thousands of compounds to try and identify which of them is most likely to attach to the spike that Covid-19 uses to inject genetic material into healthy cells, and thereby prevent it. It has already emerged with 77 promising drugs that are worth further investigation and development progress that would have taken years if traditional computing power had been used.

Other businesses are likely to be keen to follow in the footsteps of these examples, and play their own part in dealing with the crisis, but to date its only been the worlds largest organisations that have been using quantum power. At present, many businesses simply dont have the skills and resources needed to fabricate, verify, architect and launch a large-scale quantum computer on their own.

It will be easier to overcome these barriers, and enable more organisations to start getting to work with quantum computing, if they open themselves up to collaboration with partners, rather than trying to go it alone. Instead of locking away their secrets, businesses must be willing to work within an open ecosystem; finding mutually beneficial partnerships will make it much more realistic to drive things forward.

The tech giants have made a lot of early progress with quantum, and partnering with them could prove extremely valuable. Google, for example, claims to have developed a machine that can solve a problem in 200 seconds that would take the worlds fastest supercomputer 10,000 years imagine adding that kind of firepower to your computing arsenal. Google, IBM and Microsoft have already got the ball rolling by creating their own quantum partner networks. IBM Q and Microsoft Quantum Network bring together start-ups, universities, research labs, and Fortune 500 companies, enabling them to enjoy the benefits of exploring and learning together. The Google AI quantum initiative brings together strong academia support along with start-up collaboration on open source frameworks and tools in their lab. Collaborating in this manner, businesses can potentially play their own part in solving the Covid-19 crisis, or preventing future pandemics from doing as much damage.

Those that are leading the way in quantum computing are taking a collaborative approach, acknowledging that no one organisation holds all the answers or all the best ideas. This approach will prove particularly beneficial as we search for a solution to the Covid-19 crisis: its in everyones interests to find an exit to the global shutdown and build knowledge that means we are better-prepared for future outbreaks.

Looking at the bigger picture, despite all the progress that is being made with quantum, traditional computing will still have an important role to play in the short to medium term. Strategically, it makes sense to have quantum as the exploratory left side of the brain, while traditional systems remain in place for key business-as-usual functions. If they can think about quantum-related work in this manner, businesses should begin to feel more comfortable making discoveries and breakthroughs together. This will allow them to speed up the time to market so that ideas can be explored, and new ground broken, much faster than ever before and thats exactly what the world needs right now.

Kalyan Kumar, CVP & CTO, IT Services, HCL Technologies

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Solving problems by working together: Could quantum computing hold the key to Covid-19? - ITProPortal

The decision to deploy nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) in the years to come will be a product of the major paradigms and concepts used to manage nuclear dangers more broadly. Recently, an emerging literature has pointed to a change in the way that at least the major powers plan to mitigate nuclear threats to their interests. This shift in thinking can be summarised as involving a greater reliance on strategic non-nuclear weaponsweapons and enabling systems that can be used to compromise an adversarys nuclear forces using both kinetic and non-kinetic means that dont involve nuclear weaponsand a decreased commitment to mutual vulnerability as the basis of strategic stability between nuclear-armed adversaries.

Strategic non-nuclear weapons include ballistic missile defence, conventional precision-strike missiles, anti-satellite weapons and anti-submarine weapons. When combined with advances in enabling platforms and systems such as elements of cyber, artificial intelligence and quantum technology, they can, in principle, be used to compromise an adversarys nuclear capabilities, with serious implications for issues of deterrence and stability.

Traditional approaches to deterrence based on the threat of punishment now compete with policies based instead on deterrence by denial. Stability based on rational calculations under conditions of mutual vulnerability appears set to be even harder to maintain.

The potential for conventional counterforce strikes makes future scenarios involving use them or lose them logic more likely for states that face adversaries armed with more sophisticated capabilities.

The current challenge to traditional nuclear deterrence relationships has a dual but paradoxical effect on the incentives to deploy sea-based nuclear weapons. In general, as missile silos (and even, over time, mobile land-based missiles), air fields, satellites, and command, control and communications stations become more vulnerable to counterforce attacks, the incentives to diversify a states nuclear force structure increase. In particular, SSBNs still remain the most secure form of second-strike capability, meaning that the further spread of strategic non-nuclear weapons is likely to result in ever more nuclear weapons being deployed at sea.

On the other hand, one of the key technologies that falls under the banner of strategic non-nuclear weapons is anti-submarine weapons themselves, and much analysis now is focusing on whether advances in this area may in fact undermine the perceived invulnerability of SSBNs. Its important to note that growing concerns over the effects of new anti-submarine capabilities on strategic stability are, at least in part, based on projections about the future. Little serious analysis or commentary predicts that the oceans are going to become effectively transparent overnight. However, advances in sensing and signal processing in particular mean that its a serious possibility that the oceans will become significantly more transparent than they are today. And when it comes to nuclear force structure planning, serious possibilities are enough to keep decision-makers up at night.

As the development of strategic non-nuclear weapons and the associated shift in thinking about stable deterrence based on mutual vulnerability continues, policymakers and analysts will need to give serious attention to what might become the new determinants of stability in the global nuclear order.

The development of countermeasures will play an important role in mitigating the destabilising effects of disruptive technological breakthroughs in anti-submarine weaponry. The role of countermeasures is already evident in other domains. For example, as a reaction to US missile defence, both China and Russia today are placing increasing emphasis on hypersonic missiles because their combination of speed and manoeuvrability makes them extraordinarily difficult to defend against.

Countermeasures for anti-submarine weapons need not rely on kinetic effects. The development both of ever quieter SSBNs with smaller acoustic signatures and of new techniques of deception (for example, unmanned underwater vehicles designed to produce tonals that match those of SSBNs that are thought to have been identified by an adversary) can increase a states confidence that at least some of its SSBNs can remain undetected and uncompromised in a crisis.

Developments in anti-submarine weapons aimed at compromising SSBNs and developments in countermeasures aimed at mitigating those breakthroughs will take on a tit-for-tat dynamic in the years to come. This is not a new phenomenon, but as rapid increases in things such as sensing techniques and data processing allow for technological leaps in anti-submarine capabilities, countermeasures should be expected to take on a new and much greater importance.

Defensive measures for SSBNs aimed at increasing their reliability in the face of technological breakthroughs in anti-submarine weaponry are unlikely to solely rely on new technologies themselves. For example, James Holmes has suggested that both bastion strategies for SSBNs (vessels constricted to a much smaller, actively defended area for patrols) and SSBNs being accompanied by convoys of skirmisher-type defensive units (adopting a similar principle to aircraft carrier battle groups) may be necessary to regain confidence in the survivability of SSBNs.

Stability needs to be seen as the most important goal and that will require a degree of what has been termed security dilemma sensibility among the nuclear-armed powers. Leaders that develop security dilemma sensibility display an openness to the idea that, as Nicholas Wheeler has put it, an adversary is acting out of fear and insecurity and not aggressive intent, as well as a recognition that ones own actions have contributed to that fear.

For example, future Chinese breakthroughs on quantum computing and their application to SSBN communication technology could be a positive development in the USChina strategic relationship. The more confidence Beijing has in the security of its second-strike capability, the less likely it is that a crisis between the US and China will inadvertently escalate.

Beyond unilateral measures, it may be possible, over the longer term, to negotiate, and design, limited multilateral efforts aimed at restoring stability between adversaries, including in relation to sea-based nuclear deployments. History suggests that confidence-building measures can play as important a role as formal arms control measures in reducing nuclear dangers, meaning that finding avenues for dialogue, even at a low level, should now be a top priority.

In the short term, the increasing salience of strategic non-nuclear weapons and the abandonment of deterrence strategies based on mutual vulnerability, is likely to continue to encourage states to deploy more SSBNs. Simultaneously, these forces will intensify the pressures to better protect SSBN fleets that are already deployed from technological breakthroughs in the anti-submarine weapons domain. Restraint in the deployment of anti-submarine capabilities may need to become a substitute for the more traditional tools used to instil stability in nuclear-armed relationshipsrestraint in defensive technology (such as missile defence) and negotiated limits on arms.

This piece was produced as part of the Indo-Pacific Strategy: Undersea Deterrence Project, undertaken by the ANU National Security College. This article is a shortened version of chapter 20, Strategic non-nuclear weapons, SSBNs, and the new search for strategic stability, as published in the 2020 edited volume The future of the undersea deterrent: a global survey. Support for this project was provided by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York.

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Nuclear submarines, non-nuclear weapons and the search for strategic stability - The Strategist