Interview: Dr. Matthias Altmann, New Markets Manager, Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International

Established in 1997, Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) is an association of 3 producer networks and 21 national labelling initiatives that promote and market the Fairtrade Certification Mark in their countries. Fairtrade labelling organizations exist in 15 European countries as well as in Canada, the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. To ensure the transparency and the independence of the Fairtrade certification and labelling system, Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International was divided in January 2004 into two independent organizations: FLO International develops and reviews Fairtrade standards and assists producers in gaining and maintaining certification and in capitalizing on market opportunities on the Fairtrade market. To ensure the transparency...

Read more »

Interview: Mr. Michael Breen, Founder & Chairman, Insight Communications

In what should certainly come as a big shock to Koreans, but has been royally ignored by the local media, the latest Nation Branding Index produced by East West Communications ranked South Korea in 167th place globally in its second-quarter results, which is down from the 3rd place in the first quarter of this year. The East West Nation Brand Perception Index is based on analyzing millions of mentions of countries in hundreds of thousands of news articles, every quarter. As pointed out by the agency, it is difficult for countries to address their branding and communications problems if they don't know where their strengths and weaknesses lie. Until now, it has been possible to make only an educated guess as to how a country is viewed by the world, based on news clippings, surveys, focus...

Read more »

Interview: Simon Harding-Roots, Chief Operating Officer, Treasury Holdings China

From its origins in Ireland, the Treasury Holdings Group now operates globally, across two continents and in seven countries. The Group continues to lead the way in identifying and capitalizing on ever-changing global property trends. Established in Dublin in 1989 by John Ronan and Richard Barrett, Treasury Holdings has been a pioneer in the property sector, and has consistently been ahead in identifying and capitalizing on property trends. Treasury Holdings now controls over 131 individual real estate projects with a combined value in excess of $4.6 billion. The gross development value of the Treasury Holdings Group's projects is over $19 billion. After its success in Ireland during the 80s and 90s, in the early part of the decade Treasury Holdings began to focus its attention on global property...

Read more »

Interview: Mr. Youn Jang-bae , President, Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation

By establishing leading export groups and cultivating professionals, Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation (aT) enhances the export competitiveness of Korean agricultural and fishery products and provides consulting and marketing support. For Enhanced Export Safety of Agricultural and Fishery Products, aT strives to maximize export safety through the adoption and equalization of internationally-accepted GAP, ID management for fresh agricultural products, and strategic safety management by inviting inspectors from overseas. Agro-Trade is an Internet Trade Mediation System that develops and expands overseas markets for export companies. aT also plays a leading role in providing information services, such as KATI, which provides information on the export of agricultural and fishery products...

Read more »