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SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A new era of laptops begins today featuring the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, with the launch of 70+ models powered by GeForce^® RTX™ 30 Series Laptop GPUs.

These next-gen laptops, which start at $999, increase energy efficiency by up to 2x, accelerate performance dramatically and introduce third-generation Max-Q technologies for thin and lightweight designs.

The new RTX 30 Series Laptop GPUs deliver stunning ray-traced gaming experiences in Cyberpunk 2077 and other top titles, and enable content creators to produce incredible work using hundreds of GPU-accelerated apps.

“After taking the desktop market by storm, our NVIDIA Ampere architecture is now powering the world’s fastest laptops,” said Kaustubh Sanghani, vice president and general manager of GeForce OEM at NVIDIA. “Nowhere does power efficiency matter more than in gaming laptops, a market that’s grown 7x in the past seven years. These new thin and light systems are based on our Max-Q technologies, where every aspect — CPU, GPU, software, PCB design, power delivery, thermals — is optimized for power and performance.”

Global availability starts later this month with GeForce RTX gaming and creator laptops featuring GeForce RTX 3080 and GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPUs, followed by laptops with the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU.

• GeForce RTX 3060 delivers 90 frames per second on the latest games with ultra settings at 1080p. RTX 3060 laptops start at $999 and are faster than laptops featuring NVIDIA’s previous flagship GPU, GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, which typically sell for $2,500.
• GeForce RTX 3070 is a 1440p gaming beast, delivering 90 frames per second with ultra settings at 1440p. RTX 3070 laptops start at $1,299 and are 50 percent faster than those equipped with the RTX 2070.
• GeForce RTX 3080 is NVIDIA’s new flagship laptop GPU. With up to 16GB of G6 memory, it powers the world’s fastest laptops for gamers and creators. It delivers 100+ frames per second with ultra settings at 1440p. Systems featuring the RTX 3080 start at $1,999.

Third-Gen Max-Q Tech Delivers Optimal Power and Performance

The third generation of Max-Q technologies uses AI and new system optimizations to make high-performance gaming laptops faster and better than ever. These include:

• Dynamic Boost 2.0: Traditionally, gaming laptops set the power for the CPU and GPU. Yet, games and creative apps are dynamic, and demands on the system change from frame to frame. With Dynamic Boost 2.0, AI networks balance the power between the CPU, GPU and now, GPU memory, depending on where it is needed the most — constantly optimizing for maximum performance.
• WhisperMode 2.0: Delivering a new level of acoustic control for gaming laptops, WhisperMode has been reengineered from the ground up and is custom built into each laptop. Once the desired acoustics are selected, WhisperMode 2.0’s AI-powered algorithms manage the CPU, GPU, system temperatures and fan speeds to deliver great acoustics at the best possible performance.
• 
  
  Resizable
  
  
  
  
  BAR
  
  
  : This advanced PCI Express technology enables all of the GPU memory to be accessed by the CPU at once, providing a performance boost in many games.
• 
  
  NVIDIA DLSS
  
  
  : NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling uses AI and RTX Tensor Cores to deliver up to 2x the performance at the same power. For a single 1440 frame, a GPU needs to calculate almost 4 million pixels. NVIDIA DLSS requires only a fraction of the pixels, which improves efficiency and increases performance.

Award-Winning NVIDIA Ampere Architecture, Plus New Ways to Play

The new laptop GPUs feature NVIDIA Ampere architecture streaming multiprocessors, which offer 2x FP32 throughput, delivering vastly improved performance with improved performance per watt. These include new dedicated RT Cores delivering 2x the throughput of the previous generation, and new third-generation Tensor Cores, with up to 2x the throughput of their predecessors, to power NVIDIA DLSS, which accelerates performance.

The new laptops also include new tools for gamers and creators, including NVIDIA Broadcast, which harnesses AI to turn any room into a home broadcast studio; NVIDIA Reflex, which makes competitive games quicker; GeForce Experience™, to capture and share videos, screenshots and livestreams with friends; and NVIDIA Studio, for acceleration and optimization of demanding creator apps.

Esports Laptops Play at 240+ FPS

Nearly three-quarters of laptop gamers play esports, spurring the popularity of high-refresh-rate laptops, sales of which doubled last year. Over half of the new GeForce RTX 30 Series laptops will offer 240Hz or higher refresh rates.

With the performance of the GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, gamers will be able to play at 240 frames per second across top titles like Overwatch, Rainbow Six, Valorant and Fortnite. And with NVIDIA Reflex, gamers can achieve sub-20ms system latency, enabling them to play their absolute best.

GeForce RTX 30 Series Studio Laptops

With the help of the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, rendering on Studio laptops is now up to twice as fast as the previous generation and up to 30x faster than CPU. Video editors can work with 8K RAW footage, use AI to simplify workflows and reduce encode times by up to 75 percent. Artists can take advantage of up to 16GB of graphics memory to work with huge assets or multiple apps simultaneously.

Using new third-generation Max-Q technologies, OEM partners ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI and Razer are launching new NVIDIA Studio laptops with the new GeForce RTX 30 Series Laptop GPUs.

Availability

GeForce RTX 30 Series laptops will be available starting Jan. 26 from the world’s top OEMs, including Acer, Alienware, ASUS, Gigabyte, HP, Lenovo, MSI and Razer. They will also be available from local OEMs and system builders, including Aftershock, CyberPower PC, Digital Storm, Eluktronics, Falcon NW, Hasee, Maingear, Mechrevo, Mouse, Origin PC, PC Specialist, Scan, Schenker, Terrans Force and Thunderobot, XOTIC PC. Pricing, configurations and availability will vary among regions and partners.

Press assets, including product photographs, specifications, chip and die shots and other materials, are available on the NVIDIA press site at www.nvidia-press.com.

About NVIDIA


NVIDIA
’s (NASDAQ: NVDA) invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market and has redefined modern computer graphics, high performance computing and artificial intelligence. The company’s pioneering work in accelerated computing and AI is reshaping trillion-dollar industries, such as transportation, healthcare and manufacturing, and fueling the growth of many others. More information at https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/.

For further information, contact:

Kelly Musgrave
Senior PR Manager, GeForce
NVIDIA Corporation
+1-650-421-3748
[email protected]

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the number of laptops featuring the NVIDIA Ampere architecture; the performance, benefits, abilities and availability of next-generation GeForce laptops and what they enable; the world’s fastest growing gaming platform; NVIDIA Ampere architecture powering the world’s fastest laptops; the benefits, performance and abilities of the Max-Q design approach, NVIDIA DLSS, Dynamic Boost 2.0 and Resizable BAR; Max-Q being optimized for power and performance; the performance and benefits of the NVIDIA Ampere architecture multiprocessors used by GeForce laptops, RT Cores, Tensor Cores, NVIDIA Reflex, GeForce Experience and NVIDIA Studio and what they enable; the number of gamers using the GeForce Experience; the number of laptop gamers that play esports; the sales rate of laptops; the number of GeForce RTX 30 Series laptops that will offer 240Hz or higher refresh rates; GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPUs enabling gamers to play titles at high frame rates per second and NVIDIA Reflex enabling fast rates of system latency; the performance increased enabled by the NVIDIA Ampere architecture; the OEM partners launching NVIDIA Studio laptops; the availability of GeForce RTX 30 Series laptops, the OEMs and systems builders offering them and the variance in pricing, configurations and availability are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic conditions; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test our products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to our existing product and technologies; market acceptance of our products or our partners’ products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems; as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company’s website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

© 2021 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, GeForce, GeForce Experience, GeForce RTX, NVIDIA RTX, and NVIDIA Studio are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. MaxQ is the registered trademark of Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ce747799-dfcc-4a87-81f4-8eed3841673b

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a3f24088-f2a3-46cc-a153-6ffcc9f6f6dd

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NVIDIA today announced that it is bringing the NVIDIA Ampere architecture to millions more PC gamers with the new GeForce^® RTX™ 3060 GPU.

With its efficient, high-performance architecture and the second generation of NVIDIA RTX™, the RTX 3060 brings amazing hardware ray-tracing capabilities and support for NVIDIA DLSS and other technologies, and is priced at $329.

NVIDIA’s 60-class GPUs have traditionally been the single most popular cards for gamers on Steam, with the GTX 1060 long at the top of the GPU gaming charts since its introduction in 2016. An estimated 90 percent of GeForce gamers currently play with a GTX-class GPU.

“There’s unstoppable momentum behind ray tracing, which has quickly redefined the new standard of gaming,” said Matt Wuebbling, vice president of global GeForce marketing at NVIDIA. “The NVIDIA Ampere architecture has been our fastest-selling ever, and the RTX 3060 brings the strengths of the RTX 30 Series to millions more gamers everywhere.”

With newer gaming titles come bigger worlds with cinematic graphics and real-time ray tracing — these are gaming workloads that only RTX-powered platforms are suited to handle. The GeForce RTX 3060 has twice the raster performance and 10x the ray-tracing performance of the GTX 1060, making it a formidable upgrade opportunity and the foundation of a gaming PC platform powerful enough to handle cutting-edge titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Fortnite with RTX On at 60 frames per second.

The RTX 3060’s key specifications include:

• 13 shader-TFLOPs
• 25 RT-TFLOPs for ray tracing
• 101 tensor-TFLOPs to power NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling)
• 192-bit memory interface
• 12GB of GDDR6 memory

Resizable BAR
will be supported on the GeForce RTX 30 Series starting with the RTX 3060. When combined with a compatible motherboard, this advanced PCI Express technology enables all of the GPU memory to be accessed by the CPU at once, providing a performance boost in many games.

Like all RTX 30 Series GPUs, the RTX 3060 supports the trifecta of GeForce gaming innovations: NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex and NVIDIA Broadcast, which accelerate performance and enhance image quality. Together with real-time ray tracing, these technologies are the foundation of the GeForce gaming platform, which brings unparalleled performance and features to games and gamers everywhere.

NVIDIA DLSS: The AI Gift That Gamers Love

AI is revolutionizing gaming — from in-game physics and animation simulation to real-time rendering and AI-assisted broadcasting features. Powered by dedicated AI processors on GeForce RTX GPUs called Tensor Cores, NVIDIA DLSS boosts frame rates while generating beautiful, crisp game images and gives gamers the performance headroom to maximize ray-tracing settings and increase output resolutions. DLSS is available in more than 25 games, with more added every month.

NVIDIA Reflex and Broadcast: The Ultimate Play

NVIDIA Reflex technology
reduces system latency (or input lag), making games more responsive and giving players in competitive multiplayer titles an edge over the opposition. NVIDIA Broadcast is a suite of audio and video AI enhancements, including virtual backgrounds, motion capture and advanced noise removal, that users can apply to chats, Skype calls and video conferences.

Advanced GeForce Experience Features

All NVIDIA GeForce GPUs benefit from GeForce Experience™, a tool used by tens of millions of gamers to optimize game settings, record and upload gameplay, stream gameplay, take screenshots, and download and install Game Ready^® Drivers. The latest features include:

• One-click automatic GPU Tuning: GeForce Experience now supports GPU Tuning, which can automatically create overclocking profiles by using an advanced scanning algorithm.
• Enhanced in-game monitoring overlay: GeForce Experience’s already robust in-game overlay now adds performance stats, temperatures and latency metrics, including NVIDIA Reflex Latency Analyzer stats.

Where to Buy

The GeForce RTX 3060 will be available in late February, starting at $329, as custom boards — including stock-clocked and factory-overclocked models — from top add-in card providers such as ASUS, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, MSI, Palit, PNY and Zotac. Look for GeForce RTX 3060 GPUs at major retailers and etailers, as well as in gaming systems by major manufacturers and leading system builders worldwide.

Press assets, including product photographs, specifications, chip and die shots and other materials, are available on the NVIDIA press site at www.nvidia-press.com.

About NVIDIA


NVIDIA
’s (NASDAQ: NVDA) invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market and has redefined modern computer graphics, high performance computing and artificial intelligence. The company’s pioneering work in accelerated computing and AI is reshaping trillion-dollar industries, such as transportation, healthcare and manufacturing, and fueling the growth of many others. More information at https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/.

For further information, contact:

Bryan Del Rizzo
Director of Global PR, GeForce
NVIDIA Corporation
+1-510-331-8824
[email protected]

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the benefits, performance, abilities, availability and price of the GeForce RTX 3060; the number of gamers who will use and benefit from GeForce RTX 3060; the number of gamers that use GTX-class GPUs; the momentum behind ray tracing and it redefining the standard of gaming; NVIDIA Ampere being our fastest selling architecture ever; GeForce RTX 30 Series supporting resizable BAR, DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex and NVIDIA Broadcast; the benefits, performance and features of NVIDIA’s technologies for games and gamers; AI revolutionizing gaming; the benefits, performance, features and abilities of DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, NVIDIA Broadcast and GeForce Experience; the availability and games adding DLSS; and the number of gamers using the GeForce experience and how it is used are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic conditions; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test our products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to our existing product and technologies; market acceptance of our products or our partners’ products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems; as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company’s website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

© 2021 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, Game Ready, GeForce, GeForce Experience, GeForce RTX and NVIDIA RTX are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d3d09ec3-4fed-4297-a805-63f7595789a2

Paris, January 12, 2021 – In the context of the health crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, and in order to protect all shareholders, guests and organizers, the Sodexo Annual Shareholders’ Meeting was held on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, in Ordinary form and chaired by Sophie Bellon, behind closed doors, without the physical presence of shareholders and other persons entitled to attend.

Quorum was established at 83.8%, and 1943 shareholders were represented or voted by correspondence.

All the resolutions put forward by the Board of Directors were adopted, notably:

• The renewal of Director mandates for 3-years each of Sophie Bellon, Nathalie Bellon-Szabo and Françoise Brougher. With the full confidence of the Board of Directors, Sophie Bellon is reappointed as Chairwoman of the Board;
• The nomination of Federico J. González Tejera as Director for a 3-year mandate;
• The approval of the compensation paid or awarded for Fiscal 2020 to Sophie Bellon, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, Denis Machuel, Chief Executive Officer, and Directors; and
• The approval of the compensation policy for Fiscal 2021 for Directors, the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer.

During the meeting, Sophie Bellon, on behalf of the Board, warmly thanked Soumitra Dutta who expressed his desire not to stand for reelection as a Director, a role he had held since 2015, and in which he greatly contributed to the discussions of the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee.

The Sodexo Board still comprises 12 Directors including two employee representatives. Seven Directors are considered independent. The Board continues to be gender balanced with seven female Directors and five male Directors and with representation from four different nationalities (including employee representatives).

To protect the balance sheet given the severity of the Covid-19 downturn in activity, and the uncertainty as to the timing of recovery, and in solidarity with the teams, the Board had decided not to propose a dividend for Fiscal 2020 even if the Underlying net profit was positive.

The Annual Shareholders’ Meeting was broadcast live and is available in French and in English on www.sodexo.com.

Although the Shareholders’ Meeting was held behind closed doors, shareholders were invited to actively participate by asking questions before and during this event.

The detailed results of the votes will be available on Sodexo’s website in the section “Finance – Shareholders – Shareholders’ meeting”.

 

 

About Sodexo

Founded in Marseille in 1966 by Pierre Bellon, Sodexo is the global leader in services that improve Quality of Life, an essential factor in individual and organizational performance. Operating in 64 countries, Sodexo serves 100 million consumers each day through its unique combination of On-site Services, Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Sodexo provides clients an integrated offering developed over more than 50 years of experience: from foodservices, reception, maintenance and cleaning, to facilities and equipment management; from services and programs fostering employees’ engagement to solutions that simplify and optimize their mobility and expenses management, to in-home assistance, child care centers and concierge services. Sodexo’s success and performance are founded on its independence, its sustainable business model and its ability to continuously develop and engage its 420,000 employees throughout the world.

Sodexo is included in the CAC Next 20, FTSE 4 Good and DJSI indices.

Key figures

19.3 billion euro in Fiscal 2020 consolidated revenues

420,000 employees as at August 31, 2020

#1 France-based private employer worldwide

64 countries

100 million consumers served daily

11 billion euro in market capitalization (as at January 11, 2021)

Contacts

Media	Investor Relations
Mathieu Scaravetti Tél : +33 6 28 62 21 91 [email protected]	Virginia Jeanson Té. : +33 1 57 75 80 56 [email protected]

Attachment

• PR Sodexo Annual Shareholders’ Meeting January 12 2021 – ENG

NEW YORK, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized stockholder rights law firm, has launched an investigation into whether the board members of Cantel Medical Corp. (NYSE: CMD) breached their fiduciary duties or violated the federal securities laws in connection with the company’s acquisition by STERIS plc (NYSE: STE).

Click here to learn more and participate in the action.

On January 12, 2021, Cantel announced that it had signed an agreement to be acquired by STERIS for approximately $4.6 billion. Pursuant to the merger agreement, Cantel stockholders will receive $16.93 in cash and 0.33787 shares of STERIS common stock for each share of Cantel common stock owned. The deal is scheduled to close by the end of STERIS’s first quarter of fiscal 2022 (ending June 30, 2021).

Bragar Eagel & Squire is concerned that Cantel’s board of directors oversaw an unfair process and ultimately agreed to an inadequate merger agreement. Accordingly, the firm is investigating all relevant aspects of the deal and is committed to securing the best result possible for Cantel’s stockholders.

If you own shares of Cantel and are concerned about the proposed merger, or you are interested in learning more about the investigation or your legal rights and remedies, please contact Melissa Fortunato or Alexandra Raymond by email at [email protected] or telephone at (646) 860-9157, or by filling out this contact form. There is no cost or obligation to you.

About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.:

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York and California. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contact Information:

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.
Melissa Fortunato, Esq.
Alexandra Raymond, Esq.
[email protected]
www.bespc.com

Memphis, TN, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The National Civil Rights Museum presents King Day: A Virtual Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday on January 18, 2021 via livestream at 12:00 noon and 6:00pm Central.  The event will showcase Dr. King’s work, the history of how the national holiday came to be, as well as how the museum has celebrated the holiday in years past.

The online celebration will feature musical performances by Memphis musicians Garry Goin, TykeT, Karen Brown, Adajyo and many more.  Dr. Hasan Jeffries, Associate Professor at Ohio State University and editor of Understanding and Teaching the Civil Rights Movement, will give scholarly insight on Dr. King life and legacy.

For young viewers, museum educator Dory Lerner will share a “Small But Mighty Storytime” reading of the book My Uncle Martin’s Big Heart written by Angela Farris Watkins. The storytime session is sponsored by Macy’s. The program will also highlight perspectives from museum volunteers and staff.

“King Day has historically been the museum’s largest public program of the year,” said Dr. Noelle Trent, the museum’s Director of Interpretation, Collection and Education.  “This year’s program will bring the same energy to the virtual space, and allow our audience to hear from our volunteer leaders who are critical part of our success.” 

Due to pandemic restrictions, the museum is currently closed to visitors. The virtual event is free and can be watched on the museum’s website and Facebook Live at 12 noon and 6pm Central. For more information, visit kingday.org.  The event hashtag is #KingDay2021.

 

About the National Civil Rights Museum

The NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, located at the historic Lorraine Motel where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, gives a comprehensive overview of the American Civil Rights Movement from slavery to the present. Since the Museum opened in 1991, millions of visitors from around the world have come, including more than 90,000 student visits annually. The Museum is steadfast in its mission to chronicle the American civil rights movement and tell the story of the ongoing struggle for human rights.  It educates and serves as a catalyst to inspire action to create positive social change. 

A Smithsonian Affiliate and an internationally acclaimed cultural institution, the Museum is recognized as a 2019 National Medal Award recipient by the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS), the top national honor for museums and libraries.  It is a TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Top 5% U.S. Museum, USA Today‘s Top 10 Best American Iconic Attractions; Top 10 Best Historical Spots in the U.S. by TLC’s Family Travel; Must See by the Age of 15 by Budget Travel and Kids; Top 10, American Treasures by USA Today; and Best Memphis Attraction by The Commercial Appeal and the Memphis Business Journal.

Connie Dyson
National Civil Rights Museum
9013315460
[email protected]

• Only airline in Canada and one of the first in the world to attain the highest possible ranking in recognition of the airline’s health and safety measures

MONTREAL, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Air Canada today was certified as a global champion for its commitment to the health and safety of customers and employees as it received the Diamond certification from the APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying. This recognizes the numerous initiatives Air Canada has taken since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Air Canada CleanCare+ program, a suite of biosafety measures the airline continues to refine and enhance with best practices from around the world.

Air Canada is one of the first airlines in the world, and the only airline in Canada, to receive the Diamond accreditation, the highest possible level from Airline Passenger Experience Association based on the evaluation of a 66-point checklist. The Diamond certification means that Air Canada has been recognized for reaching hospital grade levels of biosecurity, measures that have been implemented since very early on during the pandemic.

“Considerable efforts have been made to ensure the safety of our employees and customers. From the outset, we implemented a crisis management committee, still in place today, that oversees the effective functioning of all our existing health protocols. Air Canada has been a leader in introducing new science-based measures in response to COVID-19, such as introducing at the very beginning of the pandemic, its comprehensive biosafety program, Air Canada CleanCare+. We reimagined everything from the check-in process, baggage handling, in-flight services, mandatory face-coverings, pre-flight temperature and expanded grooming procedures,” said Samuel Elfassy, Vice President Safety at Air Canada.

“The rating from APEX reaffirms that Air Canada has one of the best biosafety programs in the airline industry establishing the highest standard of hygiene, cleanliness and attention to public health guidelines. It validates the tremendous work done by teams across the Air Canada family to quickly adapt and redefine every aspect of our operations to ensure that the health and safety of our customers and employees was always the top priority,” said Lucie Guillemette, Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer at Air Canada.

Air Canada has been at the forefront of the airline industry in responding to COVID-19, including being among the first carriers globally to require customer face coverings onboard and the first airline in the Americas to check passengers’ temperatures prior to boarding.

The airline also partnered with McMaster HealthLabs (MHL) and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority for a study which has demonstrated the feasibility of airport-based testing to help reduce the length of the required quarantine period. Preliminary results based on 20,000 tests conducted on more than 8,600 study participants between September 3 and October 2, 2020 found 99% of study participants tested negative for COVID-19.

Air Canada has for many months been a strong advocate of the use of rapid testing at airports across Canada as an added layer of protection for customers, employees and all Canadians.

“From a customer health safety perspective, Air Canada’s extraordinarily proactive steps demonstrate the highest level of passenger-centric care,” APEX CEO Dr. Joe Leader stated. “SimpliFlying’s audit of Air Canada processes and procedures demonstrated a Diamond-level verified score over 200 points higher than the gold standard of airline safety required during the COVID-19 pandemic. We applaud Air Canada for going so resolutely above-and-beyond for the protection of their passengers.”

Air Canada also undertook several medical collaborations to further advance biosafety across its business, including with Cleveland Clinic Canada for medical advisory services and, since 2019, with Toronto-based BlueDot for real-time infectious disease global monitoring. It continues to explore other potential partnerships with technology and medical companies to further strengthen its biosafety protocols.

The APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying audit aims to create a health and safety standard for airlines around the world to ensure the security of customers, while highlighting the successful industry practices already in place. As a 43-year-old non-profit, the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) serves as the largest international airline association in the world entirely dedicated to advancing customer experience.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline, and in 2020 was among the top 20 largest airlines in the world. It is Canada’s flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax. In 2020, Air Canada was named Global Traveler’s Best Airline in North America received for second straight year. For more information, please visit: aircanada.com/media, follow Air Canada on Twitter and LinkedIn, and join Air Canada on Facebook.      

Contacts: [email protected]

Internet: aircanada.com/media

Sign up for Air Canada news:
aircanada.com

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OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Outlier, the leader in automated business analysis (ABA), announced the findings from its commissioned Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) study today. Conducted by Forrester Consulting, the study found that Outlier can provide customers with up to a 200% return on investment (ROI) over three years with a payback period of three months. This study is one of the first detailed studies of its kind conducted during the pandemic, revealing how leading businesses can maximize the value of analytics and data in an ever-changing competitive and market environment. The complete study is available here.

One customer’s digital product team leveraged Outlier’s ABA platform to immediately alert them when changes to their marketing campaigns negatively impacted their performance. Before Outlier, the digital team could go weeks without noticing impacts to these marketing campaigns, which resulted in the permanent loss of sales and losing strategic visibility into their business’ customers and trends.

The independent TEI study is based on customer interviews, data collection, and financial analysis of a brand using the Outlier ABA platform. The return on investment was driven by improvements in business results and marketing spend, as well as efficiency and more strategic deployment of analytics systems and professionals:

• Improved conversion from campaign optimization valued at $251,794. Outlier’s daily stories enabled the marketing team to find unexpected changes in data quickly and efficiently, helping the team better understand the data generated. In one example, Outlier notified the team of an unusual increase in bounce rate for a digital campaign landing page, allowing the team to immediately take action to solve the issue and to reduce bounce rate by 30%.
• Increased efficiency of data science team valued at $590,627. By using Outlier’s ABA platform to automatically uncover insights rather than relying on manual analytics, each data scientist saved a total of 100 hours annually. For one brand interviewed, this resulted in saving 2,000 person-hours of labor—equal to two years of time— freeing resources to pursue additional strategic projects.
• Increased efficiency of business analyst teams worth $380,955. After the investment in Outlier, data scientists were able to automate workstreams and optimize strategy. Outlier saved each business analyst 75 hours annually on research and data manipulation, resulting in 3,225 person-hours saved, boosting work efficiency.

In addition, the study highlighted the unquantified benefits of leveraging Outlier’s ABA platform and found that customers achieve improved data capture and an increase in business visibility in times of market flux.

One customer, a senior director of direct-to-consumer product sciences from a global consumer brand told Forrester, “We’ve gotten massive value out of Outlier AI. It’s helped us to be more proactive and to be a state-of-the-art company.”

The independent TEI study by Forrester Consulting provides organizations with a framework to evaluate the real-world business impact of their investments. For organizations looking at automated business analysis, the study clearly outlines the financial and work process benefits of choosing Outlier.

“This comprehensive new study by Forrester confirms that the Outlier AI automated business analysis solutions platform can help customers make sense of data analytics and obtain high levels of value from data quickly and efficiently,” said Sean Byrnes, CEO of Outlier. “The customer feedback included in this study echoes what we continue to hear from users – Outlier’s ability to find unexpected actionable insights in data continues to be the driving force behind business transformation, productivity and process optimization.”

Outlier will host a webinar featuring guest speakers from Forrester on Tuesday, February 2 at noon ET/9am PT. You’ll hear from Forrester consultant Nick Mayberry and Principal Analyst Jennifer Belissent on the structure and methodology of the Total Economic Impact™ study and more details on findings. They’ll also talk about how companies are leveraging AI to enhance data analytics investments and obtain value faster. Outlier CEO Sean Byrnes will also discuss how customers are achieving financial results with Outlier. RSVP for the webinar here.

About Outlier

Outlier, based in sunny Oakland, California, helps global consumer, financial services and various other organizations identify unexpected changes within their critical business data. The Outlier automated business analysis platform uncovers unexpected patterns and relationships using advanced AI and machine learning algorithms. Organizations can integrate Outlier with existing sources of data within minutes, allowing leaders to gather business insights quickly, identify potential opportunities and address the unexpected.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Ellard
[email protected]
1-510-468-6996