Month: September 2025

Las Vegas Sands

Marina Bay Sands held the 2025 Sands for Singapore Charity Festival Sept. 5-7 and raised more than $4 million for local charities and nonprofit organizations, bringing the total amount generated by the festival to over $35 million since its inception in 2013.

To commemorate Singapore’s 60th year of independence, the 11^th charity festival – themed Where Hearts Come Together – encompassed eight weeks of community engagement and creative fundraising activities that culminated in a weekend of entertainment, gourmet pop-ups by Marina Bay Sands’ signature restaurants, and booths presented by local nonprofits and social enterprises to raise funds for their causes at the resort’s Event Plaza.

Beneficiaries included the Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN), ART:DIS, Asian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA), Community Chest, Image Mission, Metta Welfare Association, Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD), The Food Bank Singapore, Touch Community Services and WE CARE Community Services.

These organizations address critical social needs, including food security, support and vocational training for people living with disabilities, empowerment of women to gain economic independence and treatment for people with addictions.

The festival opened Sept. 5 with performances by ART:DIS Cajon Musicians and APSN Student Dancers, who then joined in the festival’s official opening with Marina Bay Sands and Singaporean celebrity Glenn Yong. Later in the evening, Yong performed amid a symbolic activation that featured a sea of colorful lights representing hope and unity.

Throughout the festival, attendees enjoyed entertainment from local bands 53A, Jive Talkin’ and SuperSonic, as well as specially priced gourmet treats offered at pop-ups by the resort’s signature restaurants such as Black Tap and Bread Street Kitchen. Proceeds from the pop-ups benefited AWWA’s transitional shelter program.

In its fourth year, the festival’s Giving Marketplace featured handcrafted items, baked treats and lifestyle products created by the beneficiaries of 16 nonprofit organizations, social enterprises and small businesses, which retained proceeds to benefit their organizations.

An annual festival highlight is the Community Chest Heartstrings Walk, which drew over 3,000 participants, and the Race to the Sky Vertical Marathon in which 168 competitive racers ascended 57 stories up to the Sands SkyPark Observation Deck. Proceeds from these events are benefiting more than 200 programs supported by Community Chest, the philanthropic arm of Singapore’s National Council of Social Service.

New features added at the 2025 Sands for Singapore Charity Festival included The Sweet Collective, a charity dessert box that combined unique tarts from four of Marina Bay Sands’ signature restaurants – CUT by Wolfgang Puck, Maison Boulud, Origin + Bloom and WAKUDA Singapore. Dessert box sales began in late July, and proceeds supported vocational training programs for adults with special needs at the APSN Centre for Adults.

Another festival highlight was Play for a Cause, a life-sized digital game that Marina Bay Sands created to support The Food Bank Singapore’s mission of increasing food security. More than

1,000 food bundles assembled through game play were matched by Marina Bay Sands with physical food bundle donations to The Food Bank Singapore for people in need.

As in years past, Marina Bay Sands’ Team Members served as the engine behind the 2025 Sands for Singapore Charity Festival through their volunteer work over eight weeks of activities leading up to the festival as well as during festival weekend, resulting in more than 7,700 community service hours.

Team Member volunteer activities included befriending seniors on trishaw rides around Marina Bay to support the Cycling Without Age program, sewing blankets with beneficiaries from Singapore Red Cross, donating 50 cartons of new art supplies to support art therapy programs at 16 MINDS centers and assembling 30,000 hygiene kits as part of the 2025 Sands Cares Global Hygiene Kit Build with Clean the World.

These efforts increased the total number of volunteer hours contributed by Marina Bay Sands Team Members to more than 132,000 since the integrated resort’s opening in 2010.

“We are deeply heartened by the generosity of the public and our Team Members in rallying behind meaningful causes through the Sands for Singapore Charity Festival,” Paul Town, chief operating officer at Marina Bay Sands, said. “This strong show of collective support reflects the community’s enduring compassion and our long-term commitment. As Singapore goes beyond SG60, Marina Bay Sands will continue to deepen involvement in advancing social impact in Singapore through sustained philanthropic efforts and long-term community partnerships.”

The annual Sands for Singapore Charity Festival is the cornerstone of Marina Bay Sands’ charitable efforts and part of the global Sands Cares community engagement program, which orchestrates philanthropic giving, nonprofit capacity-building and Team Member volunteerism to ensure Sands’ regions remain great places to live, work and visit.

To learn more about the community endeavors spearheaded by Sands Cares, read the company’s latest ESG report: https://www.sands.com/resources/reports/.

Yum! Brands

Since its founding in 1997, Yum! has been Serving Up Good with its brands by investing in initiatives that enable team members, employees and communities to thrive. Yum! remains committed to using its capital – financial and human – to reduce food insecurity and to help individuals gain the skills and capabilities they need to build meaningful careers. This series highlights both the stories of Yum! leaders who are driving meaningful change and shaping a better future for all, as well as the beneficiaries of the many community impact programs Yum! leads around the world.

When Andrew German was a sophomore, he dropped out of college, unable to pay for another semester. Since he wasn’t going to class, his aunt asked him to accompany her to their local Taco Bell for a job interview, serving as her translator. By the end of the interview, the manager was so impressed that both German and his aunt left with jobs.

Less than a year into his new role, German’s manager recalled how he often talked about practicing with a local dance company that he started outside of work and was aware of the obstacles that German faced with his first attempt at college. Taking both into consideration, she encouraged him to re-enroll in school and apply for the Live Más Scholarship to help make his educational goals possible. While this scholarship offers financial support for school, it’s a passion-based scholarship —applicants submit a video showcasing what they care about, rather than writing a traditional essay.

“My manager saw so much potential in me and encouraged me to apply,” German said. “After my first college experience, I didn’t feel very confident about going after new opportunities. But she truly believed in me and encouraged me to take the leap, so I did.”

A few weeks later, German’s manager asked to meet with him; he thought it was to interview for a shift lead position. But instead of an interview, she surprised him with a $25,000 Live Más Scholarship.

German is just one of over 3,000 Live Más scholars. Continue reading to learn how he advanced from a restaurant team member to an analyst with the Taco Bell Foundation, where he now manages the Live Más Scholarship program.

How did your experience as a Live Más Scholar help you understand the impact and mission of the Taco Bell Foundation?

I had never heard of the Taco Bell Foundation until I applied for the Live Más Scholarship, but I now know that the Taco Bell Foundation is on a mission to fuel bold ambitions, inspiring the next generation to Live Más.

The scholarship opens doors in fields like food, arts, trades and entrepreneurship by focusing on each recipient’s story, strengths and dreams. Live Más goes beyond financial aid, providing scholars with career resources, mentorship and connections with professionals to help achieve their goals.

As an employee managing this program, I’ve learned that everyone has talent and potential. We help individuals realize and utilize their abilities to grow. Our organization has the resources and expertise to make these experiences accessible to young people facing barriers.

Is it fair to say the foundation changed your life?

One thousand percent yes! After I was awarded the scholarship, the foundation kept me engaged with various opportunities that aligned with my love for dance, from a music video cameo to national campaign features.

The Live Más Scholarship offered numerous workshops and conferences where I met Taco Bell senior leadership, learned about internships and got a first look at corporate jobs, I’d have to say that the mentorship was my favorite part. As a Live Más scholar, I was mentored by Zach Trail from the People & Culture team. His story mirrored mine, and his guidance helped me silence my imposter syndrome. With his encouragement, and the support of Mikerra Spoon with the Talent Acquisition team, I applied for a role I was interested in at the corporate office. Although I didn’t get the first role I applied to, Mikerra thought I’d be a great fit for another open role with the Taco Bell Foundation and with Zach’s continued motivation, I tried again, and this time I got it! The program’s exposure and support were instrumental in my career growth, reinforcing my mantra, “Alone you can do so little, but together we can do so much.”

What key insights have you gained in your role that others should know?

While the Scholarship isn’t exclusively for Gen Z applicants, my close work with this generation — through my dance studio, youth-centered volunteer work, and professional relationships with restaurant team members — revealed clear gaps in how organizations connect with them. I saw an opportunity to ensure our program didn’t just include Gen Z but truly reflected and supported their needs. Rather than relying on outside interpretations, I’ve found the most effective insights come from direct engagement. By treating Gen Z as collaborators, not just recipients, we’ve been able to build a scholarship experience shaped by their voices — one that resonates across generations and is especially impactful for the next one.

Whether through a passion for dance or a dedication to inspiring the next generation, teaching is at the heart of what fuels German. You can support the journey of ambitious individuals, like him, aspiring to live their dreams, by donating to the Taco Bell Foundation Live Más Scholarship program.

Safety isn’t just a responsibility – it’s a promise. At DP World, this year’s Global Safety Day served as a powerful reminder of that truth. Building on last year’s theme, “Don’t Forget Why,” which saw employees receive heartfelt letters from loved ones, the 2025 campaign embraced a new message: “Every Day is Safety Day.”

The theme was inspired by one of those family letters, which read: “Today on Global Safety Day AND ON EVERY OTHER DAY AFTER THAT, please don’t forget why it’s so important to take care of them.” Those words underscore the real reason safety matters: the husbands, wives, children, siblings, and friends waiting for each of us to come home at the end of the day.

A Day of Connection and Reflection

On September 17, DP World executives fanned out across sites in the Americas to engage directly with employees. These conversations reinforced that safety is more than procedures – it’s about people, trust, and care.

A new video released for the occasion shows employees alongside their loved ones, spotlighting the personal “why” behind DP World’s relentless focus on safety. These intimate moments capture the essence of Global Safety Day: safety is not just a workplace value, but a life promise.

Introducing The Safety 7

To further embed this culture, DP World launched The Safety 7, a framework of seven actions guiding how safety is led across all business areas:

1. CARE for each other and embed safety into everything you do.
2. UNDERSTAND the commitments we live by and make sure you apply them every day.
3. LEAD safety discussions and encourage others to actively participate.
4. TALK about your concerns and ask questions with confidence.
5. USE Take time and Stop Work Authority processes to prevent harm.
6. RECOGNIZE your responsibility in keeping yourself and your coworkers safe.
7. ELIMINATE risks from unsafe conditions, unsafe behaviors, and unsafe mindsets.

These principles create accountability and awareness, ensuring safety is everyone’s responsibility – every day.

Safety in Action Across the Americas

The Safety 7 framework is already shaping change through investments in technology and training, including:

• Collision Prevention: Pedestrian detection systems at DP World Fraser Surrey, Canada, and a collision avoidance system for ITVs in Caucedo, Dominican Republic.
• Driver Awareness: Fatigue and distracted-driving cameras installed in ITVs across multiple sites.
• Equipment Safety: A 360-degree alert system for reach stackers in St. John, Canada, reducing blind spots.
• AI Innovation: A hazard identification platform piloted in Perris, CA, Palmetto, GA, and York, PA, using CCTV to continuously detect risks.
• Leadership Training: A bi-weekly safety training platform for contract logistics leaders across the Americas, ensuring consistent and continuous safety education.

These initiatives complement ongoing employee engagement efforts, such as workshops reviewing results of the dSS+ Safety Perception Survey in Posorja, Ecuador, and Santos, Brazil, with more sessions scheduled.

Building a Zero-Harm Culture

For DP World, safety is a journey toward zero harm. That journey depends on trust—between colleagues, leaders, and teams. It also means shifting from being compliance-focused to becoming collaborative partners in safety.

Safety isn’t just a job, it’s a promise. A promise to every family that their loved one will return home at the end of the day.

As Global Safety Day reminds us, safety is not one day on the calendar. At DP World, Every Day is Safety Day.

Learn more about our global safety culture here.

Lenovo’s strategic focus on “Lenovo powers Lenovo” harnesses AI, infrastructure and sustainability to enhance the performance and resilience of its global supply chain

September 25, 2025 /3BL/ – Lenovo, a global technology powerhouse, has retained the No.1 position in the Gartner^® Asia/Pacific Supply Chain Top 10 for 2025, marking its fourth consecutive year^[1] at the top among APAC leaders across industries. The top 10 list spotlights supply chain excellence, including adapting the network to support growth, driving efficiency and resilience through technology adoption, and promoting sustainability through circular innovation. Lenovo’s operational excellence continues to transform its global supply chain and manufacturing footprint. According to The Gartner^® Supply Chain Top 25 for 2025, Lenovo also achieved a significant global milestone by moving up to No.8 in Gartner’s Global Supply Chain Top 25, improving by two places from 2024.

Lenovo is pleased to receive this continued recognition, which reflects Lenovo’s unwavering commitment to AI innovation, operational excellence, and ESG leadership. The company’s strong performance across all scoring criteria reinforces its standing as a global leader in supply chain transformation.

Advancing resiliency through global expansion

Lenovo’s global, flexible and resilient supply chain remains a cornerstone of its ability to navigate geopolitical and economic uncertainties. With its operations touching 180 markets and a manufacturing network spanning more than 30 manufacturing sites across 11 markets, Lenovo continues to scale its operations for greater agility and resilience.

As part of this growth, Lenovo will expand its manufacturing footprint into Saudi Arabia to support customers in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. The move strengthens Lenovo’s regional presence, leverages market growth, and enables faster delivery of products, services, and solutions to MEA customers.

These strategic investments support Lenovo’s ability to adapt quickly to global shifts while maintaining high service standards and operational flexibility.

Driving efficiency through AI-enabled autonomous operations

At the heart of Lenovo’s supply chain innovation is its “Lenovo Powers Lenovo” strategy that harnesses its own technology, infrastructure solutions and intellectual capital to transform internal operations. Through this, Lenovo is rapidly infusing AI into every aspect of its global supply chain, from manufacturing and logistics to sustainability and customer service.

For example, Lenovo has developed a new AI-enabled tool that offers extensive visibility across its supply chain, offering real-time risk alerts, automation, and decision-making support. If logistics are impacted by congested lanes, the system automatically detects and flags the disruption, evaluates alternatives and their costs, and recommends the optimal course of action.

“It’s an honor to be named No. 1 in Asia Pacific for the fourth year and moving up in the global rankings is a powerful validation of our efforts to build a smarter, more resilient supply chain,” says Amar Babu, President of Lenovo Asia Pacific. “From AI-powered tools to sustainable logistics, our innovations are helping customers and partners gain an operational edge in a dynamic world.”

Advancing sustainability through circular innovation

Sustainability continues to be on the agenda for Top 10-ranked Asia/Pacific supply chain leaders, with circular innovation emerging as a core strategy.

Lenovo also leads in circularity, integrating recycled materials into over 298 product lines, including the use of aircraft by-product carbon fiber. The company has also advanced sustainable packaging through innovative materials like sugar cane and bamboo, reinforcing its commitment to responsible product development.

Lenovo also ranked #3 in the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 and Masters for 2025: High Tech Top 10 ranking.

Read more: Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 ranking and methodology

Gartner Subscribers can read more in The Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2025: Insights on Leaders. 

^[1] https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/6750034

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Source of attribution
The Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2025: Insights for APAC,  Teh Leng Tan, Sergio Coelho, 21 July 2025

The Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2025: High Tech, Alejandro Santalo, Teh Leng Tan, Cori Masters, 8 July 2025

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Lenovo

Lenovo is a US$69 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #196 in the Fortune Global 500, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver Smarter Technology for All, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s largest PC company with a full-stack portfolio of AI-enabled, AI-ready, and AI-optimized devices (PCs, workstations, smartphones, tablets), infrastructure (server, storage, edge, high performance computing and software defined infrastructure), software, solutions, and services. Lenovo’s continued investment in world-changing innovation is building a more equitable, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. Lenovo is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange under Lenovo Group Limited (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY). To find out more visit https://www.lenovo.com, and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.  

In just two hours, our Gen team in Pune came together for a Recycled Notebook-Making Volunteer Activity. They showed up to fold pages, design covers and create something meaningful — transforming what was once waste into beautiful notebooks. All of the notebooks were donated to kids in need in India.

This initiative was more than just a fun activity; it was a commitment to sustainability, teamwork and creative problem-solving.