Blockchain-based global healthcare platform Solve.Care has made two new key appointments, as part of its strategic expansion.

The company has appointed Sandra Hannon as Global Head of Human Resources, and Eleanor Cahill as Regional Director, Southeast Asia.

Global Head of Human Resources

With more than 20 years’ of human resources, personnel management, and talent development experience, Hannon previously served as Global HR Business Partner of LR Energy Inspection, where she led the TR Talent Working Group.

In her new role with Solve.Care, Hannon will play a key role in ensuring the smooth operation of HRM activities, provide strategic counsel on all people-related matters, and oversee recruitment, training, and employee development.

Commenting on her appointment, Hannon said:

“Solve.Care is a fast-growing and truly innovative company, committed to putting power back into the hands of patients as they navigate their individual health journeys. I am delighted to be a part of Solve.Care’s immensely talented global team as we work towards the critical mission of transforming healthcare.”

Regional Director, Southeast Asia

Cahill is joining Solve.Care from global professional services firm Aon, where she held various positions over the past decade. With a proven track record in program management, business transformation, and operational efficiency, in her new role Cahill will be responsible for driving the development of Solve.Care in the Asia Pacific region.

Regarding her new appointment, Cahill said:

“Solve.Care’s commitment to transforming the delivery of healthcare and improving the lives of patients around the world is something to behold. Through partnerships with tech and pharmaceutical giants such as Uber Health and Boehringer Ingelheim, Solve.Care has solidified its position on the world stage and, following the opening of a new global headquarters in Singapore late last year, I am thrilled to be joining the company as we seek to build on this momentum and expand our presence in Asia.”

Accelerating healthcare processes and lowering costs

Solve.Care is a decentralised blockchain-based healthcare system, designed for the coordination, administration, and payments of healthcare benefits. The platform’s native programmable token is called SOLVE.

According to the company, using blockchain and smart contracts accelerates healthcare processes, reduces administrative burden, and lowers costs in healthcare and benefit programs. Decentralisation also gives stakeholders, including patients, doctors, insurers, pharmacies, laboratories, providers, and others more control.

350 million SOLVE tokens were sold through an early-adopter sale (ended 30 Nov. 2017), pre-sale (15 Jan. – 9 Mar. 2018), and token sale (31 Mar. – 30 Apr. 2018). Prices ranged from $0.07 – $0.20.

AYO.NEWS says:

With the current COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis dramatically highlighting some of the inefficiencies of traditional healthcare systems, especially in terms of response time and resource allocation, blockchain and smart contracts now have an opportunity to prove their worth in the sector, and we’re sure Solve.Care will be at the forefront of the revolution.

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

US President Donald Trump has appointed former Bakkt CEO and current Republican senator for Georgia, Kelly Loeffler, to a taskforce focused on re-opening the American economy.

Loeffler, who used to head Intercontinental Exchange subsidiary Bakkt, recently hit the headlines after being accused of ‘improper trading’ relating to COVID-19. Specifically, she was accused of dumping a large amount of stock in January, after learning of the coming pandemic at a closed-door Senate Health Committee briefing – something she has strongly denied.

Nevertheless, Trump has appointed Loeffler to the new bipartisan taskforce of lawmakers assembled to provide the president with advice on the reopening of America in the wake of COVID-19. Interestingly, the task force also includes fellow Georgian Republican David Perdue – who has also faced accusations of profiting from the crisis.

Thank you, @realDonaldTrump for appointing me to your task force on re-opening America safely in the wake of #COVID19.

With 22 million Americans filing for unemployment, it’s clear we must start working to revive our economy and get the American people back to work safely.

— Senator Kelly Loeffler (@SenatorLoeffler) April 16, 2020

AYO.NEWS says:

With many governments around the world seemingly paralysed and not even daring to talk about an exit strategy from lockdowns, while others enthusiastically embrace disturbing dystopian police state technologies, President Trump remains adamant that the United States will fully re-open for business, and won’t let COVID-19 destroy the American way of life.

Will Loeffler’s background in digital assets and blockchain help convince Trump to embrace the technology more to aid economic recovery?

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

The Singapore-based Global Esports Federation (GEF) has announced several key leadership appointments and eight new commissions.

According to an official release, after three months of “worldwide consultative sessions and research”, veteran Olympic executive Paul J. Foster has been named chief operating officer.

With more than fifteen years’ experience in the Olympic movement, Foster has held several positions including head of protocol, events and hospitality for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Switzerland.

Commenting on his new role at the GEF, Foster said:

“The GEF motto, #worldconnected, says it all. Through the power of connectivity, esports offers a platform of inclusive participation, learning, sharing, and enjoyment, regardless of physical distance. I am excited to continue contributing to Global Esports Federation in fulfilling its mission to convene the esports ecosystem and unleash the unlimited possibilities of sports in this Digital Age.”

Japan esports Union (JeSU) director and chairman of the board of SEGA Group Co., Ltd, Hideki Okamura, has also been appointed to the GEF board.

Chris Chan, GEF President, also announced eight commissions and their heads, as follows:

• Athletes and Players – Chair, Charmaine Crooks; Vice Chair, Koen Schobbers.
• Brand, Marketing, Commercial and Communications – Chair, Lorenzo Giorgetti (chief commercial officer for AC Milan).
• Digital, Technology, Innovation – Chair, Chris Overholt (CEO of Overactive Media, former CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee).
• Education, Culture, Wellness – Chair, Chester King (CEO of the British Esports Association); Vice Chair, Tyrone Seward.
• Finance, Legal, Administration – Chair, Adrian F. Lismore.
• Governance and Ethics Chair, T A Ganda Sithole (former IOC executive board member).
• Membership – Chairs Ramil Aliyev (Azerbaijan Cybersport Federation) and Mario Cilenti (Panam Sports).
• Technical and Development – Chairs Chong Geng Ng (president of the Singapore Esports Association) and Mars Hou.

The Global Esports Federation was formed in December 2019, and is backed by Chinese game publisher Tencent. Its stated aim is to be a single “voice and authority” for global esports, and is planning to hold a major global tournament towards the end of this year.

AYO.NEWS says:

Clearly the GEF has the ability to attract heavyweight business and sporting talent, and is obviously extremely well-connected and financed. But – and this is a big ‘but’ – its highly corporate style, not to mention obvious close associations to the Olympic movement and IOC, will likely make many fans and organisations deeply suspicious of it.

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

Kent Wakeford, Vice Chairman and Co-founder of esports organisation Gen.G, has been appointed to TeamSpeak’s board of advisors.

In addition to his time at Gen.G, Wakeford has been COO of mobile games companies Kabam a Aftershock. He is currently also on the board of directors at FanAI and Skillz, and is on the advisory board of Influential.

Michael Howse and Greg Ballard, General Partners of Eleven Ventures, have also been appointed to the board of the online communications company. Howse is also former CEO of Bigfoot Networks and an executive board member of UCLA Ventures. While Ballard is also a board member of Turtle Beach, former executive at Warner Interactive, and former CEO of Glu Mobile.

TeamSpeak recently launched the TeamSpeak Tournament Edition (TST) of its platform – designed specifically for online, local network, and virtual gaming events. TST has already been adopted by Overwatch League and iRacing.

CEO of TeamSpeak, Ian Bamford, introduced the new version, saying:

“The debut of our exciting TST offerings are now available to events, leagues and broadcasters as either a self-hosted option or hosted through TeamSpeak. Seamless in-game communications are critical on every level, and we’re thrilled that this superior technology is already being used by some of the largest and most successful teams and leagues in the world — all taking full advantage of the highest quality performance possible.

“We know that top players and teams demand the best ‘equipment’ and our products and services have been specifically designed to meet their exacting needs.”

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

MGM Resorts International has thanked the support shown by many of its well-known resident entertainment partners during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis.

With casinos and venues across Las Vegas and other gambling destinations closed due to the pandemic, entertainers including David Copperfield, Jay Leno, Bill Maher, Kathleen Madigan, David Spade, Boyz II Men, Brad Garrett, Carrot Top, Terry Fator, Ray Romano, Jabbawockeez, Shin Lim, Thunder from Down Under, Hans Klok, Australian Bee Gees, Fantasy and Bill Blumenreich Presents have all made donations to the MGM Resorts Employee Emergency Grand Fund.

Commenting on the generosity, MGM Resorts’ Acting CEO and President, Bill Hornbuckle, said:

“During these difficult and uncertain days, weeks and months, we are working tirelessly to support the tens of thousands of employees who were furloughed or laid off due to the closures of our properties across the country.

“We are incredibly humbled by the support of our entertainment partners, who have come together to assist the people who, during normal times, are committed to creating incredible experiences for our guests from around the world.

“With donations from this extraordinary line-up of entertainers, commitments from MGM Resorts and its leadership team, our own employees, and a number of other generous contributions, we have already raised approximately $11 million to assist our employees during this time of unprecedented challenges and hardship.”

While Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity & Sustainability Officer for MGM Resorts International, Jyoti Chopra, added:

“Our focus during this crisis is people, first and foremost, followed by compassion and care. We are proud to join our entertainment community to lend humanitarian assistance to those in need. We are incredibly grateful for the generous donations by our entertainers, a vital part of our ecosystem at MGM Resorts, which will be used to provide emergency relief.”

AYO.NEWS says: 

Though times are tough, the COVID-19 crisis is also bringing out the best in many people, and its great to see well-known celebrities and entertainers stepping up to help those employees who are struggling while furloughed.

Over the past few weeks we’ve seen many examples of individuals and businesses from across the gaming, esports and emerging tech sectors do their bit to help in COVID-19 crisis relief.

Last week Denise Coates, owner of betting giant bet365, awarded a GBP £10m grant to a local hospital trust, while the Virtual Grand National – a collaboration between Inspired Entertainment and UK Betting and Gaming Council Members raised GBP £2.6m for the UK’s National Health Service. Camelot, the UK’s National Lottery organiser also announced a huge GBP £300m contribution towards COVID-19 relief.

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

North American esports organisation Complexity Gaming has appointed Ashley Chalk as Vice President of Partnerships.

Chalk was most recently Senior Director of Global Partnerships for production company Feld Entertainment, and has built a career in sales and marketing spanning almost two decades.

She has also served as Partnership & Promotions Manager at Merlin Entertainments, which included developing and overseeing partnerships for LEGOLAND theme parks in California and Florida, and as Group Sales Manager for the International Speedway Corporation.

Commenting on her new position with Complexity Gaming, Chalk said:

“During this trying time, the esports industry can bring a glimmer of hope to brands. I’m looking forward to working with the entire Complexity Gaming team to develop holistic partnerships that will foster growth and innovation beyond our own organization and benefit the esports industry overall.”

Complexity Gaming, which currently competes in CS:GO, Fortnite, FIFA, Apex Legends, Madden, MTG: Arena, and Hearthstone, has commercial partnerships in place with several well-known brands, including Extra Life, GameStop, H4X, Herman Miller, Limit, MillerCoors, MSI, Panini, WinStar, World Casino, and the US Army.

AYO.NEWS says:

Its great to see that, at a time of unprecedented global crisis, esports organisations are still investing in new business talent. Earlier today we reported that Ohio-based esports operations company Esports Engine has appointed Arica Kress as new Head of Strategic Partnerships.

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.