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Month: December 2020

Investment boost for Pastor's Venturi Racing team

by: Stephanie Horsman
10/12/2020

Rokit Venturi Racing, the Monaco-based Formula E team, has been bought by a US investor group, with founder Gildo Pastor still retaining an interest and the team remaining headquartered in the Principality.
Monaco’s Rokit Formula E team, who has shown steady and consistent progress in six short seasons, is now headed up by an investor group led by Scott Swid and José Aznar Botella, who bring decades of global investment experience to the table.
The new ownership will still retain Team Principal Susie Wolff, who also adds managing partner to her title, and founder Gildo Pastor. But they have appointed a new deputy team principal, Jerome d’Ambrosio.
The team will remain Monaco-based and will continue to race under the Venturi name.
“Their investment experience will strengthen our capabilities and provide us with new perspectives and opportunities for the future,” said Wolff. “This move also demonstrates the positive role that the forthcoming cost cap has to play in the commercial viability and therefore appeal of the sport to investors and partners.”
Rokit Venturi got its first victory in season five, which “came much earlier than we honestly expected”, said Wolff, adding: “It’s easy to say season six was challenging but there were highlights, even if I feel as a group, we were capable of much more.”
According to the team principal, the new ownership provides a solid foundation for the long term that the team can build on.

Outgoing driver Felipe Massa, Team Principal Susie Wolff, and driver Edoardo Mortara at the Mexico City E-prix in February 2020 (Photo by Sam Bloxham / LAT Images)

Wolff has been credited with much of Venturi’s success. It was on her watch that they won their first victory at Formula E’s 50th race in Hong Kong in 2019. This led to a partnership with telecom innovators Rokit and Mercedes Benz, who became the team’s powertrain supplier.
The team has one outright victory and six podium finishes as it enters its 7th season, as well as a hope that carbon neutral car racing is the way of the future.
The Venturi camp sees the injection of capital as a testament to the growing appeal of Formula E as well as its ability to be a money-maker. For Swid and Botella, it’s a chance to bring a fresh perspective to the team.
“Initially, we were looking at Formula 1 from an investment perspective – but understandably José is a big believer in the potential of Formula E and introduced me to Susie,” said Swid. “From our first meeting, I could see the unique business case the sport and the team present. Investing in Venturi, with its heritage as an original team guided by the visionary Gildo Pastor and competing in an exciting sport that promotes global sustainability and pioneering electric mobility is a great opportunity. Every forward-thinking corporate board in the world is cognisant of the importance of sustainability and is looking for ways to invest in its future.”
He added: “Formula E is in its intermediate stage, having successfully overcome the hurdles of its early period. With this strong foundation, it is a great time to invest when the championship is established and there is still so much growth to come.”
 
Top photo: Edoardo Mortara driving for Venturi during the Marrakesh E-prix at Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan Marrakesh in February  2020 (Photo by Sam Bloxham / LAT Images)
 
 
 

UN recognises role of sport

by: Cassandra Tanti
10/12/2020

The United Nations has accepted a resolution presented by Monaco to have sport recognised as a casualty of the Covid pandemic and the recommendation that members states should include sport in their recovery plans.
On 1st December during the General Assembly of the United Nations, Ambassador of Monaco to the UN Isabelle Picco presented the draft resolution entitled ‘Sport, a factor of sustainable development’.
It was adopted by consensus and co-sponsored by 95 Member States.
The resolution recognises the significant repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic on sport, in particular the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as its socio-economic impacts and consequences on physical and mental health.
The resolution also encourages member states to include sport and physical activity in their post-Covid-19 recovery plans and in their national sustainable development strategies.
This resolution echoes the Joint Declaration that was co-authored by Monaco and Qatar and signed by 118 Member States in June 2020.
The ambassador also spoke about the importance of unhindered access to sport, the acute need for solidarity in the current context, the central role played by sports associations, and
the contribution of digital technologies, using the digital application developed by Peace and Sport as an example.
 
Related stories:
Peace and Sport unveils new app
Monaco puts sport on the international agenda
 
Photo source: Pixabay
 
 

Christmas bonus for hospital workers

by: Stephanie Horsman
10/12/2020

The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation has donated €50,000 worth of vouchers to the Princess Grace Hospital staff.
The 2,000 workers at the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco have received an early Christmas present in the form of gift vouchers handed out by the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation on Wednesday.
“A small thank you gift to those on the front line of this pandemic, with our best wishes for a merry Christmas and a happy new year,” said Stelios Haji-Ioannou in a note accompanying the gift.
Every staff member received a booklet with vouchers issued by the company Eden Red for €25. This end of year treat comes on the heels of a similar donation made by the foundation in May of this year.
Mr Haji-Ioannou is best known for being founder and part-owner of low-cost airline EasyJet and its off-shoots. The Greek-Cypriot entrepreneur set up his foundation to “support a diverse range of charitable activities, primarily in places where (the founder) has lived and worked – the UK, Greece, Cyprus and Monaco.”
 
Photo source: Stelios Foundation
 
 

Giant cheque for CSM cancer research

by: Cassandra Tanti
09/12/2020

Research at the Scientific Centre of Monaco into pediatric cancers has received a major boost thanks to a 100,000€ donation from the Flavien Foundation.
For several years, the ‘Mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies’ team at the Medical Biology Department of the Scientific Centre of Monaco (CSM) has focused its research on developing effective therapies adapted to pediatric cancers.
Thanks to continued support by the Flavien Foundation, significant advances in research have emerged.
On Monday 7th December, the foundation handed over another major donation – 100,000€ – in the presence of Prince Albert and a host of other Monegasque personalities.
Teams from the Department of Medical Biology presented their work during the event to highlight the importance of research and to thank the Flavien Foundation and the Prince’s Government for their active support.
 

Photo credit: Manuel Vitali / Government Communication Department

 

 

Prince’s Foundation supports Ocean X

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/12/2020

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation has signed an agreement with the ocean exploration non-profit organisation Ocean X to develop marine conservation activities and support joint projects.
Prince Albert II joined Vice-President and CEO of the Prince Albert II Foundation Oliver Wenden and Ocean X father-son co-founders Ray and Mark Dalio in an online signature meeting on 4th December to cement a partnership between the two entities.
“The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation is really proud to partner with the Dalio family, whose passion and talent for showcasing the treasures of the sea is a real added value to inspire people and raise awareness,” said Mr Wenden. “We believe that we naturally protect what we know and love: positive feeling being far more impactful to open minds and change habits. The collaboration with Ocean X meets another mission of the Foundation which is to support the scientific community by collecting and giving access to relevant data. We are particularly happy to contribute to this essential dimension of marine preservation that is the key to implement efficient actions in return.”
Ray Dalio added: “We are on a mission to advance global understanding of and passion for the ocean. We do this through exploration and by making compelling media so that hundreds of millions of people will see the ocean and be thrilled by it. This work requires great partners who share our excitement for and commitment to the ocean, and we are excited to be working with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation given both the Principality’s century-long legacy in ocean exploration and its current global leadership in raising awareness of the need for ocean conservation.”
Ocean preservation is at the heart of the Prince’s foundation, which has been involved in projects relating to coral reef protection, marine protected area creation, fights against pollution, and the protection of endangered species through awareness and action.
This collaboration means they will be able to pool resources to help Ocean X continue their scientific research via their exploration ship the OceanXplorer. Missions will be undertaken to discover unknown parts of the sea, as well as collect data to better help scientist preserve and protect the oceans.
 
Photo source: Pixabay
 
 

Who is Monaco’s new police division?

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/12/2020

Monaco’s new police division, called the Events and Environment Preservation Division, promises to modernise the force through more foresight and greater cross-functionality between departments.

The Events and Environment Preservation Division of the Monaco Police (DEPVC) is the 10th public security division in the force. The 42-person team hopes to optimise the deployment of field forces for security purposes during local events, as well as be a more far-reaching cross-divisional entity.

In addition to the event security, they will also be in charge of “quality of life” issues for the citizens of the Principality. This broad-reaching category includes things such as investigating noise pollution complaints from vehicles, construction sites or individual homes, investigating poorly maintained bins that cause visual and olfactory pollution, and management of the impound yard to name but a few.

“It is the Sovereign’s priority that civic-mindedness in Monaco be something respected, integrated and practiced. We must ensure that these rules are applied while being a force of proposal. In this, the most visible element is the UPCV,” said Director of Public Security, Richard Marangoni to Monaco Matin. “Thanks to the DEPCV we now have the means to mount punching operations where we will hit quite hard on certain plagues, such as cars with excessive exhaust noises. Instead of reprimanding three or four in the afternoon, we will have the opportunity to target a number of them. It is a much more effective and efficient strike force, the results of which we will see in a shorter timeframe.”

This division is broken down into four categories and include the 10 officer UPCV unit, who are in charge of road traffic flow and the fight against public incivilities such as throwing cigarette butts on streets or those who park in dedicated delivery zones.

There is also the event management centre who look after things including how many additional security personnel should be brought in for high-risk sporting events, concerts or congresses.

Then there is the Secretariat of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, who collect and record reports as well as bring those who habitually don’t pay fines before the courts.

Finally, there is the legal litigation team for road, maritime or rail transport. This team is dedicated to accidents and incidents, with the primary goal to lessen them both.