At A Glance

Central Food Retail, the operator of Central Food Hall and Tops supermarket, welcomes the festive season with a marketing campaign in which it has invested Bt100 million to introduce New Year baskets under the theme of “Gifts That Give Back”. 
High-quality products from Thailand and around the world are chosen to create more than 120 New Year baskets, costing from Bt350 to Bt19,500. 
Based on sustainable marketing approach, the baskets bring happiness to producers, givers, receivers and the society, in line with consumer trend in supporting local communities. 
For the first time, New Year baskets representing the four regions of Thailand are introduced while DIY baskets are available for modern consumers who love the “I am so special” trend, allowing them to mix and match items in the baskets to suit their individualistic lifestyle. 
Great discounts and gift vouchers are offered with up to 35 per cent discounts, 20 per cent credit back, and 0 per cent interest rate for participating credit cards. The campaign is expected to generate 15 per cent growth in sales.

Wealth Dynamix opens office in Singapore 
Client Lifecycle Management specialists, Wealth Dynamix, is continuing its international expansion with the recent launch of a office in Singapore, following its office openings in New York, Toronto and Zurich earlier this year.
To spearhead the growth of the business across the region, Dominic Gamble is appointed head of Asia Pacific and will be based at the newly opened office in Singapore.
Dominic is a prominent figure in the Asian wealth management market and has over 18 years of experience in the financial services industry, having worked for renowned global private banks including Credit Agricole Indosuez, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Wealth Management.
Dominic most recently founded findaWEALTHMANAGER.com, a leading digital client acquisition platform across the UK and Asia.
 In 2017, Prive Technologies acquired the Asia business, and Dominic became their chief digital officer, innovating new adviser tools and leading the Solution Sales division.

Insurer gears up for disruptive era 

Muang Thai Life Assurance has unveiled an IT development initiative that encompasses use of the Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning Cloud and Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud.
President and chief executive officer Sara Lamsam said yesteday that this was in preparation for its future in a world of disruptive technology where changes happen rapidly.
It is highly essential for the listed life insurer to keep pace with this constant revolution by adopting new technologies that are able to strengthen its operational efficiency while sustainably expanding business growth, he added.
Moreover, an early effort to prepare for such a future will allow Muang Thai Life to assess the impact of IFRS 9 Financial Instruments and IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts, which are set to become effective before long, Sara said.

Carrier commences direct Bangkok-Taichung service 
Thai Vietjet yesteday launched its direct service from Bangkok (Suvarnabumi) to Taichung (Taiwan). 
The inaugural flight VZ560 departed Bangkok at 9.00 am and landed safely at 13.45 pm at Taichung Airport in central Taiwan in perfectly fine weather. The same date as the grand opening the Taichung World Flora Expo 2018. 
The launch of the new service makes Thai Vietjet the only airline providing direct flights on this route, with five flights weekly on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. 
Started from check-in, passengers were happily greeted by a cute Taiwanese bear mascot at Suvarnabhumi Airport. 
The inaugural flight was filled with various entertaining activities to help promote the tourism of Taichung.
Thai Vietjet has teamed up with the Taiwan Tourism Bureau to impress passengers on this flight with in-the-air entertainment of contemporary Chinese live performance, serving complimentary Taiwanese popular bubble tea drinks, and offering complimentary Taichung travel guide. 
As the aircraft landed, the passengers and flight crew were warmly welcomed with flower garlands by local government representatives.