Thomson Prometric Opens Singapore Regional Headquarters
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Thomson Prometric Opens Singapore Regional Headquarters
Ramesh Nava Joins Thomson Prometric as vice president and general manager, Asia Pacific With the Opening of the New Asia Pacific Headquarters
Singapore – February 19, 2004 – Thomson Prometric, the global leader in technology-enabled testing and assessment services and part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC), today announced its Asia Pacific headquarters transfer from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, and the appointment of Ramesh Nava, Thomson Prometric vice president and general manager, Asia Pacific. The Singapore office is Thomson Prometric’s Asia Pacific growth hub, but Ramesh’s team spans Asia Pacific.
Mr. Ko Kheng Hwa, managing director, Economic Development Board of Singapore said, "We are pleased to welcome Thomson Prometric's Asia Pacific headquarters to Singapore. Education is a big business and Thomson Prometric's presence will add breadth to the fast growing international education services industry in Singapore. Singapore is glad to be a partner as Thomson Prometric, a global leader in testing and assessment services, positions itself to tap regional opportunities and fuel its global expansion."
Thomson Prometric delivers exams in Asia Pacific and internationally for information technology leaders such as Microsoft and Cisco, and for academic and professional licensure clients delivering exams such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). In Asia Pacific, there are 823 Thomson Prometric testing centers. In 2003, Thomson Prometric delivered 621,818 exams in Asia Pacific for approximately 90 different test sponsors.
“We believe Singapore is the right place to bring our leadership in computer-based testing to Asia Pacific and actively continue with our business growth plan,” said Thomson Prometric President, Michael Brannick. “This location provides access to business partners and companies needing Thomson Prometric’s technology-based assessment. We are committed to furthering our relationships with our existing business partners and fostering new relationships in and around Asia Pacific.”
With more than eighteen years of business experience in Asia Pacific, Ramesh’s most recent position was with System Access Pte. Ltd. as senior vice president, Head of Operations, Asia Pacific. He developed a channel partner model growing its Asia Pacific business 300%. Ramesh served as CEO of iCentric Software and held positions with Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Netscape Communications and AOL/iPlanet, all based in Asia Pacific. Ramesh received his Bachelor of Engineering from the National University of Singapore and an MBA in strategic marketing from the University of Hull, United Kingdom.
“He brings a wealth of knowledge to the business,” said Jeffery L. McKnight, Sr., Thomson Prometric senior vice president of Global Operations. ”Under Ramesh’s leadership, we plan to actively pursue and promote our comprehensive testing services throughout Asia Pacific and make the Asia Pacific region Thomson Prometric's fastest growing region over the next five years. We are very pleased to add Ramesh’s leadership to our Singapore-based, aggressive Asia Pacific growth plan.”
The Singapore office is located at 80 Robinson Road, #15-00 with Thomson Financial and near other Thomson Learning businesses. Asia Pacific operations such as channel operations, finance, human resources, the contact center and helpdesk will continue from Thomson Prometric’s Kuala Lumpur office.
Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland USA, Thomson Prometric also has offices in Beijing, Tokyo, New Delhi, Cairo, Munich, Manchester, Lelystad, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Drogheda and Parktown, South Africa.
About The Thomson Corporation and Prometric
The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com), with 2002 revenues from continuing operations of $7.5 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson has approximately 43,000 employees and provides services in approximately 130 countries. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC). Its learning businesses and brands serve the needs of individuals, learning institutions, corporations and government agencies with products and services for both traditional and distributed learning.
Thomson Prometric (www.prometric.com) is the global leader in technology-enabled testing and assessment services for academic, professional, government, corporate and information technology markets. Thomson Prometric delivers standardized tests for 300 clients, in 26 languages, over the Web or through a global network of testing centers in 134 countries. Based in Baltimore, Md., Thomson Prometric employs 3,000 employees worldwide.
About the Singapore Economic Development Board
The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) (www.sedb.com) is the lead agency that plans and executes strategies to sustain Singapore as a compelling global hub for business and investment. It enables multinational and Singapore-based companies to enhance and upgrade to higher value-creating operations across manufacturing and internationally traded services, in a knowledge-driven globalised economy.
Set up in 1961, EDB acts as catalyst and facilitator to nurture a vibrant, self-sustaining enterprise ecosystem, a conducive total environment for startups and companies of all sizes. The Board works closely with other agencies to promote innovation and develop human, intellectual, financial and cultural capital in Singapore.
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