LinkedIn crosses 50-million member mark in Asia Pacific

Top industries represented include IT & Services, Banking & Financial Services and Telecommunications Tech companies most followed by members in the region

Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA — 12 February 2014 — LinkedIn, the world’s largest online professional network with over 277 million members globally, today announced that it has crossed 50 million members in the Asia Pacific region.  Nine countries in the region now have over 1 million members - India (24+ million), Australia (5+ million), China (4+ million), Indonesia and the Philippines (2+ million each), Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and New Zealand (1+ million each).

This 50-million member milestone represents nearly a tripling of LinkedIn’s member base in the region from May 2011, when it opened its regional centre in Singapore. In 2013, LinkedIn welcomed more than 7 million new members in India, while 2 million joined the network in Australia and New Zealand. In Southeast Asia, the number of members jumped more than 50 percent to exceed 9 million.

“The strong growth we are seeing in our member base is a great encouragement for us.  We still have much to do in terms of connecting all professionals around the world. Accordingly, we are looking to introduce more features to deliver even more value to our members and customers,” commented Hari Krishnan, MD of LinkedIn Asia Pacific and Japan.

Since 2011, LinkedIn has also added six Asian languages to its offerings to offer a more localised experience for members in these markets.  It also introduced several Asia-based influencers to enrich the professional knowledge on its platform, including top executives such as Tony Fernandes (Group CEO, AirAsia), David Thodey (CEO & Executive Director, Telstra), Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (Chairman &  Managing Director, Biocon) and Nobuyuki Idei (Founder & CEO, Quantum Leaps, and Former Chairman & CEO, Sony).

As its member base continues to grow, LinkedIn was also able to help clients across the region reach out and engage with a broader audience.  These clients include Standard Chartered Bank, AirAsia, SingPost, Lenovo, University of Queensland and Van Heusen.

“Asia is a growth story. As the region increasingly consolidates its position as a key driver of the global economy, our aim is to help professionals and businesses in Asia become even more successful at what they do. Whether it’s expanding professional connections, tapping critical talent or marketing and selling to this influential audience, we’re excited to be able to help connect the dots and create economic opportunities for everyone,” Mr. Krishnan continued.

Some facts about LinkedIn’s 50 million members in Asia Pacific:

Top five companies followed   IBM Hewlett-Packard Accenture Google Tata Consultancy Services
In Singapore Google Standard Chartered Bank Hewlett-Packard Apple Shell   In Malaysia Shell Petronas AirAsia Schlumberger ExxonMobil	In Australia Google Rio Tinto Telstra Commonwealth Bank National Australia Bank   In New Zealand Air New Zealand Fonterra The University of Auckland Telecom New Zealand ANZ	In India Tata Consultancy Services IBM Accenture Hewlett-Packard Infosys In Indonesia Chevron Unilever BP TOTAL Shell	In Hong Kong HSBC Google Cathay Pacific Airways Standard Chartered Bank Apple   In Japan Google IBM DeNA Apple Microsoft

AT&T WINS US$1.6 BILLION GLOBAL DEAL WITH SHELL

Agreement Represents AT&T’s Largest Contract Win to Date with Company Headquartered outside the US

AT&T to connect thousands of locations and manage Shell’s mobility needs, delivering services/applications to 150,000 Shell employees worldwide



(Left) Norihiko Minato, vice president of AT&T Asia Pacific, and (Right) Goh Swee Chen, Vice President Global IT Infrastructure and Services, Shell

HONG KONG, March 31, 2008 — AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) announced today that Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) has selected AT&T to be its global provider of advanced communications services. The five year agreement, estimated to be worth US$1.6 billion, calls for AT&T to provide, manage and maintain Shell’s worldwide communications infrastructure while also managing the company’s global mobility needs. It is one of the largest commercial contracts ever signed by AT&T, and it’s the largest agreement signed with a company that is headquartered in Europe. The agreement is one of three outsourcing contracts signed by Shell with key suppliers for networking and IT services.

This agreement with Shell follows a series of other large and strategic wins AT&T has secured in the past year, including deals with Starbucks, General Motors, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and IBM. All of these wins underscore AT&T's position as the leading global telecommunications service provider within the industry. The agreements with GM and the Department of the Treasury are each worth up to US$1 billion; the IBM agreement is worth up to US$5 billion.

Once the contract with Shell has been implemented, AT&T will provide managed network services to Shell and its subsidiary companies in more than 100 countries. AT&T will deliver wide area and local area networks, voice services (including Internet-based telephony), managed security solutions and mobility services. Shell will benefit from access to AT&T’s advanced global Internet Protocol (IP) network to deliver cost effective, consistent, secure and highly reliable services.

AT&T will provide direct connectivity to 1500 Shell corporate and operating unit locations underpinning a range of services critical to Shell’s operations. AT&T will also manage more than 600 separate third party contracts with more than 300 vendors around the world. These contracts include agreements for local connectivity provided by regional telephone companies, contracts with individual service providers and various other maintenance and operations deals.

Shell employees will have access to AT&T’s industry-leading position in the wireless space both within and outside the United States and AT&T will manage the cellular services contracts provided by other mobile operators. AT&T will also support remote data access to Shell’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) service for more than 50,000 traveling users and home-based workers.

Shell signed master service agreements with AT&T, EDS and T-systems to manage a significant part of its IT infrastructure and telecommunications services. Contract signing ceremony took place in Malaysia today.

AT&T offers the largest integrated GSM network in the U.S., covering 290 million people, and has the largest international coverage of any U.S. wireless carrier. Customers can make calls on six continents and in more than 200 countries – with wireless data-roaming in more than 145 countries for laptops, PDAs and other data services and third-generation (3G) service in 60 countries.
Shell chose AT&T after an extensive evaluation and procurement process. AT&T was able to offer Shell a world-class portfolio of IP-based products and services, a consistent global approach to its operations, and the significant local support Shell needs around the world. In addition, AT&T, a world-class networking provider, will be able to offer IT professionals who are expected to transfer to AT&T as part of the agreement the opportunity to further develop their skills and careers.

“This important agreement with AT&T reflects our determination to accelerate Shell’s essential IT capability, optimize our operations and ensure we can provide best-in-class IT services to support our global business,” said Alan Matula, Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer for Shell.

Shell will retain core skills within its own IT organization, while being able to access AT&T’s world-class expertise in networking. Plus Shell will benefit from AT&T’s significant economies of scale. Approximately 560 Shell networking professionals located predominantly in the Netherlands, Malaysia, the U.K. and the U.S. are expected to transfer to AT&T, joining the company’s worldwide workforce of 300,000. AT&T will create dedicated service units in these key hubs to ensure that Shell receives continued support at these locations.

“We are delighted that Shell has chosen AT&T as its leading global networking solutions provider,” said Ron Spears, AT&T president, Global Business Services. “We are committed to connecting Shell’s worldwide employees, partners and suppliers, while delivering and managing the array of managed network services needed for the company to accelerate its business performance.

“Providing connectivity and applications to world-class companies like Shell is AT&T’s core mission,” said Spears. “I have every confidence that AT&T will exceed Shell’s expectations for anytime, anywhere global communications.”

AT&T provides advanced communications services to every company on the Fortune 1000 listing. Large global corporations and organizations are entrusting AT&T to build IP-based networks that will serve as the telecommunications and I.T. backbone for the achievement of their strategic business goals. Through the agreements with companies and agencies like GM, IBM, and the Department of the Treasury, AT&T has been able to demonstrate that it has the scale and scope required to execute these complex arrangements on a worldwide basis.

Additionally, the contracts reflect how AT&T is capitalizing on the ongoing shift in network traffic from voice to data — and more importantly to IP-based data — as customers migrate from legacy packet networks to Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)-based VPNs and managed applications. The company offers its multinational customer base consistent, resilient, standardized IP services around the world. These services include IP-based VPNs, which use the latest MPLS technology, and are complemented by an advanced portfolio of data-hosting services, applications and leading IP security offerings.