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Day: 15 September 2020

Summer concert in the Place du Casino

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/09/2020

SBM has announced that the first cultural event to take place in the newly renovated Place du Casino will be held this weekend, featuring a concert by Cecilia Bartoli and the Musicians of the Prince.

One of the main reasons for flattening the famous Casino Square was so the Société des Bains de Mer Group (SBM) could host various cultural events in Monte-Carlo, such as the Celine Dion concert that was scheduled for July but cancelled due to Covid.

Now, three months after the square’s inauguration, SBM and the Monte-Carlo Opera, under the direction of Gianluca Capuano, are organising a night of music starring world-famous mezzo-soprano opera singer and recitalist Cecilia Bartoli and the Musicians of the Prince. 

The concert is being held on Saturday 19th September from 7.30pm and is a chance to gather together with friends and family for a night of beautiful music in an amazing setting, with the knowledge that all health regulations will be in place to ensure the public is safe.  

“It is a pleasure and an honour for us to receive Cecilia Bartoli and Les Musiciens du Prince on 19th September,” said Jean-Luc Biamonti, CEO of SBM, during a press conference on Monday. “We could not hope for a more beautiful cultural event for the new Place du Casino, whose open and flexible configuration now allows us to host such public events.”

© Manuel VItali – Direction de la communication

The architecture of the Place du Casino was notably designed for the organisation of events such as this, with a flattened shape, total modularity and the legendary Monte-Carlo Casino as a backdrop. Add the fact that it is an outdoor setting, making it more friendly to the conditions imposed by the health situation, and the night is sure to be magic.

Jean-Louis Grinda, Director of the Monte-Carlo Opera, also expressed his delight at having Ms Bartoli perform in Monaco ahead of her officially taking on his position in two years’ time. “For the Monte-Carlo Opera, it is a wink and a joy to showcase the talent of Cecilia Bartoli, who will assume her direction from January 2023,” he said.

 The concert will be the grand kick-off to a new season of the Opera, which begins on 21st October 2020.

 

Related stories:

Princely family inaugurates new Casino Square

Bartoli becomes first female director of Monte-Carlo Opera

 
 

Gérald Mathieu takes up new position

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/09/2020

Barclays announced on Tuesday that it has appointed Gérald Mathieu as Head of Private Bank Europe, Monaco and Switzerland, with immediate effect.
Gérald Mathieu joined Barclays in 2010 and previously led the Barclays Private Bank team in Monaco before becoming CEO of Barclays Bank Switzerland.
In his role of Head of Private Bank Europe, Monaco and Switzerland, Mr Mathieu will retain his existing responsibilities as CEO of Barclays Bank Switzerland and work closely with senior leadership across Europe on extending Barclays Private Bank’s reach and capabilities in the region. Before joining Barclays, Mr Mathieu was Head of Private Banking at UBS for the Paris region. He has also held senior roles as Head of Sales at Merrill Lynch and Private/Corporate Clients Director at BNP Paribas.
Gérald Mathieu’s appointment follows the announcement earlier in August that Jean-Christophe Gerard has been appointed CEO of Barclays Private Bank.
“Gérald has deep and credible experience in the industry, underpinned by a strong affinity to our European and international client base, making him well placed to lead Barclays Private Bank in Europe,” said Jean-Christophe Gerard. “I look forward to working with Gérald as we drive the private bank forward in its next phase of growth in Europe.”
Gérald Mathieu added: “I look forward to leading Barclays Private Bank in Europe where it is well positioned for growth as we continue to explore and extend our reach in the region. The pandemic has accelerated clients’ needs and expectations, highlighting the importance of being partnered with a quality private bank able to provide tailored solutions and specialised services across international booking platforms.”
 

Sportel Monaco postponed, Awards to go ahead in October

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/09/2020

As travel restrictions force a cascade of trade fair cancellations across the globe, the organisers of Sportel Monaco have managed to postpone the event by only four months and push ahead with the October Awards.
The international trade fair, which specialises in media rights, sports content and technologies, was due to be held in the Principality from 26th to 28th October 2020 and will now be held from 22nd to 24th February 2021 at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco.
The news comes as many countries, particularly in Europe, tighten restrictions and impose new rules on travellers coming to and from France. Some large international companies have also imposed a travel ban on all their employees until the end of the year.
“Giving up is not part of my vocabulary, but given the travel restrictions it is impossible to maintain our event in October,” said Deputy Vice-President Laurent Puons. “The easy way out would have been to cancel the event altogether, but the economics of sports business cannot be put on hold for too long. Convinced that this economy will fully regain its rights in the coming months, we owe it to ourselves to be there when the time comes.”
According to organiser Monaco Mediax, it was difficult to find new dates for Sportel Monaco in the face of a 2021 calendar already saturated with trade fairs and conventions.
Nonetheless, the event will take place at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco, in its classic format, offering even more varied services to facilitate discussions.
“The concept of a 100% digital or hybrid event is not suited to our event, which above all promotes exchanges and networking,” said Laurent Puons. “Sportel is the largest meeting platform for all players in international sport business.”
The organiser is therefore opting for “solid and transparent communication plans in order to reassure participants and exhibitors, and maintain their confidence to welcome them in 2021.”
While the Sportel Monaco trade fair will be postponed, the Sportel Awards will go ahead as planned from 26th to 28th October 2020 at the Grimaldi Forum.
Placed under the Honorary Presidency of HSH Prince Albert II, Sportel Awards recognises the best sporting achievements of the year at a prestigious ceremony open to the public and in the presence of many great sporting champions. Sportel Awards also includes a program of events dedicated to the public, where fans can meet their favourite sporting heroes.
The full Sportel Awards program will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Photo: 2019 Sportel Awards, courtesy Sportel Monaco
 
 

Foundations unite to fight plastic pollution

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/09/2020

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the Princess Charlene Foundation have joined forces to raise awareness about the dangers of plastic pollution.

As part of the Prince’s Foundation’s ongoing mission to raise awareness of the challenges of preserving the marine environment, they approached the Princess Charlene Foundation to jointly carry out to a morning of awareness events prior to the Water Bike Challenge on Saturday 12th September, organised by the Princesse’s Foundation.

Participants in both Monaco and the port of Calvi on the island of Corsica took time out to collect masses of garbage that had settled in or near the sea. The Animal Fund, the Monegasque Association for the Protection of Nature, Eco Angels, Stars’N’Bars, the Monegasque Sanitation Company (SMA), divers of the Underwater Explorations Club of Monaco, the Corps des Sapeurs-Pompiers de Monaco, the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince and the Oceanographic Institute all took part in the event on the Monaco side together with the Foundation and were able to collect and characterise the found waste.

Mare Vivu SAS © Eric Mathon Palais Princier

The top three culprits found on land were cigarette butts – of which there were nearly 1,400, food packaging and various pieces of plastic waste. Under the sea, it was an entirely different matter. There, some 70 bottles, 100 pieces of glass, 120 pieces of scrap metal, nylon fishing line and a scooter were fished out. 

In Calvi, the Corscian Association Mare Vivu, in conjunction with the BeMed initiative, carried out an awareness campaign that included a workshop aimed at encouraging young people to make works of art from collected and disinfected plastic waste.

A more technical workshop was also held which gave Prince Albert II a chance to see an experiment by Mare Vivu involving the local recycling of plastics collected on the beaches.

Plastic pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems affecting our seas today. Every minute, the equivalent of a garbage truck is dumped into the water, threatening both marine life and our health. The Mediterranean is particularly vulnerable as it is semi-closed and supports heavy maritime traffic, further amplifying the threats to it. Both the Prince and Princess’s foundations are active in their support of environmental programmes aimed at protecting the sea.

 

Related stories:

What will you be doing on World Clean Up Day

 

Top photo: © Eric Mathon Palais Princier

Sustainable development investment to take centre stage

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/09/2020

Organisers of the 4th global CC Forum, whose aim is to gather investors interested in “making the world a better place”, say the event is going ahead as planned later this month at the Fairmont Hotel in Monaco.

Under the patronage of Prince Albert II, the CC Forum will take place on the 24th and 25th September with a theme of ‘Investment in sustainable development’.  The event is a global platform that will highlight the “urgent need for humanity to come up with consistent solutions if we want to preserve our planet as we know it today.”

The forum is assembling impact investors, philanthropists, policy makers, and high-profile individuals to discuss topics pertinent to the environmental sectors of the world’s economies. On the agenda, presenters will speak out on renewable energy, climate change, healthcare, philanthropy, emerging technologies and government strategies. It will also feature the ‘Sustainability tycoon investors session’, which will put money people together with ideas people to make things happen.

High-flyers such as Deborah Montaperto, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley PWM, environmental author and campaigner Stanley Johnson and EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Viginijus Sinkevicius are all on the agenda to attend.

The grand finale of the forum is the Investors gala dinner and awards giving ceremony on Friday 25th. World-famous Spanish opera singer, conductor and arts administrator Placido Domingo is scheduled to perform, making the evening very special indeed.