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| Chairman's
Message:
Dear
Members of NAPBS APAC Region,
I take
this opportunity to salute NAPBS Global Annual Conference
that took place in Phoenix, AZ in September. So much enthusiasm,
so much participation, so many expectations and importantly
so much confidence. It was amply evident to global participants
that 'the worst is just left behind and all good tidings
are now just round the corner'.
I recall
the presentation in the inaugural address, which spoke about
how 13 members were a part of the 1st NAPBS General
Meeting10 years ago and this conference attendance was way
over 600. In comparison, the 1st AGM of the NAPBS
APAC Chapter held on March 15, 2010 had just 4, while the
upcoming APAC AGM on November 14, 2013 we are expecting
over 15 members, out of approximately 42 members of the
region.
The
difference is apparent, but the enthusiasm is as strong.
Our goal and mission is to make NAPBS in the Asia Pacific
region a thought leader in the industry and the respective
governments.
While
the APAC Region could boast of being the largest outside
the USA, I believe that 'we have only just begun.'
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My previous communication to you was the first, for me and
for the APAC Newsletter. This one is my last one as I hand
over the baton to a much more capable
team led by Nick Wright who takes over as the Chairman of
the Chapter on November 14 th, 2013.
On
that note, I wish to thank every one who crossed my way
to make things better for the association and for me. I
will look forward to meeting you at the AGM and to be a
part of the wave that is geared to taking the APAC Chapter
where it needs to be, now and for always.
Adios
Amigos and happy reading yet another newsletter for the
APAC region.
Nobby
Nazareth
Chairman and Founding Member
NAPBS APAC
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Inside
This Edition:
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APAC
Committee Updates
APAC 2nd Annual AGM, Singapore
Around the Region:
o
APAC
Chapter AGM Agenda
o
APEC's
Cross Border Privacy Rules System
o
Hong
Kong Issues Clearer Guidance on Privacy
Notice
o
Singapore
Drops 45 places in Global Ranking of
Labour and Human Capital
o
India-Future's
Bright for Recruitment in Coming
Months
o
The
Phillipines Data Privacy Act of 2012
o
Market
Awaits "Unprecedented" Reform in China
o
Second
Stage APP Consultation Begins
o
Employers
Report Positive Hiring Plans Across
Asia Pacific Region
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Executive
Committee Profile
Region
Map with APAC member firms
Calendar
of Events
NAPBS Contacts
APAC Available Positions
Advertising Media Kit |
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APAC
Committees:
| Executive
Committee
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Global
Advisory Council Update
APAC
Executive Team Nobby, Nipa and Vivek participated in the
Global Advisory Council (GAC) meeting at the Annual Conference.
We reviewed the recommended bylaws for the GAC and discussed
the proposed strategic direction. It was decided that the
GAC Chair position would be filled by a sitting Chapter
Chair on a rotational basis based on the date when the chapter
was approved. The bylaws are being submitted to the NAPBS
Board for approval.
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Membership and Marketing
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Our committee successfully launched the APAC Background
Screening Report in August 2013 and will continue to improve
on our quarterly publication. The committee welcomes member's
feedback and suggestions for improvement; and invite you
to submit articles for publication.
Our
committee set up a LinkedIn Group and it currently has over
22 members. The Group is called NAPBS APAC and
I urge all APAC members to join up as it is a great way
to network and discuss relevant issues.
The
committee has arranged for a guest speaker at this year's
AGM. In 2014 the committee's intention is to build on this
and have more speakers present at future NAPBS APAC meetings.
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Standards
- Elizabeth
Fritzell, Chair
-
Jan-Michael B. Espino, CEO, Vanguard Screening Solutions,
Inc.
-
Ficoal Dong, ISADAN
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The Standards Committee remains committed to their vision
of obtaining ISO approval for a quality standard on Background
Screening. As professional background screeners we want to
create a benchmark of minimum standards for screening to assure
clients their screening provides a robust people risk mitigation
solution. The goal is to provide a standard for background
screening that will answer the question - What should I check?
and ensure adequate risk mitigation. |
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Education
- Summa
McCosker, Chair, PeopleCheck, Australia
- Nipa
Modi, Member, CRP Technologies, India
- Tejas
Sanghvi, Member, SuperSoft Consultants, India
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The Education
Committee has just been formed and is seeking volunteers interested
in helping to shape the future of education programs in the
region. Interested individuals contact Summa at summa@peoplecheck.com.au.
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NAPBS
APAC Chapter Second Annual AGM Meeting
November 14, 2013, Singapore
Meeting Agenda:
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10.00 a.m. |
Chairman's Address + Updates and events for the year +
Minutes of the previous AGM. This will be followed by
the Treasurer's Report |
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10.30 a.m. |
Know our members:- Brief introduction by each member attending
the program. This could be followed by related observations
and discussions. |
|
11.30 a.m. |
Guest
Speaker: Mr. Scott Graham, Founder & CEO, ethiXbase,
The FCPA Blog and Dataflow. He is a serial entrepreneur
with credits of founding other leadership firms like IntegraScreen
Limited and Quest Research Limited. The focus of his presentation
will be on The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, UK Bribery
Act and other anti-bribery/corruption legislation and
how this is both an opportunity and a risk for the screening
industry. Click
here to see speaker's biography. |
|
01.00 p.m. |
Lunch & Networking |
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02.00 p.m. |
Handover to the new Chair and the transitioning new team
+ Announcement of the newly elected Secretary + New Chair's
address to the members |
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This will be followed by interactive sessions and presentations
by Sub Committees (Membership & Marketing, Standards
and Education). |
Venue:
Clove Room,
Level 5
Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay
177A River Valley Road, Singapore 179031.
Join
the APAC Chapter Linkedin Group and network with other background
screening professionals
Around
the Regon:
 APEC's
Cross Border Privacy Rules System to Focus on Promoting
Consumer Privacy and Economic Growth Across the APAC region
In
today's digital economy, data is stored remotely and accessed
anywhere in the world. Emails could be stored on servers
in Australia by an American company and accessed in Singapore.
Buyers and sellers across different time zones purchase
goods, share personal data, and make financial payments
via the internet. These cross-border online data flows
are an integral part of today's international trade and
governments are working on how to regulate this data flow
to both promote e-commerce and protect consumers' data
privacy.
"The
global online marketplace knows no boundaries. In a split
second, data can move across borders with no regard to
jurisdiction," said Daniele Chatelois, Chair of APEC's
Data Privacy Subgroup under the Electronic Commerce Steering
Group, which has spearheaded APEC's decade-long work in
this area.
This
means personal data can be shared quickly across multiple
users, increasing the chances of fraud and other risks.
On the other hand, these technological advances also provide
new business opportunities. There is a fine balance between
protecting consumers' personal information and creating
unnecessary barriers to the flow of information.
"APEC's
Data Privacy Subgroup has been working to create a policy
environment that favours free flow of information across
borders while at the same time providing effective and
meaningful protection for personal information, essential
to trust and confidence in the online marketplace," said
Ms Chatelois.
To
date, 23 regulators from 8 economies have joined this
regional enforcement arrangement.
Read
more
Comments
or Suggestions
We’d
love to hear from you! If you have
a comment, suggestion, information
or an article idea that you would like
included in the APAC Background Screening Report,
please contact us at info@APACReport.com.
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|
 Hong Kong
Issues Clearer Guidance on Privacy Notices
On July
29, the Hong Kong Office of the Privacy Commissioner for
Personal Data ("PCPD") issued a new
guidance note (PDF) on preparing Personal Information
Collection Statements ("PICS") and Privacy Policy Statements
("PPS"). The guidance note is intended to help organizations
prepare clear and informative privacy notices in order to
comply with the requirements under the Personal
Data (Privacy) Ordinance (the "Ordinance") and the
Data Protection Principles ("DPPs").
Broadly,
a PICS statement sets out how a data subject's personal
data will be collected and used by the organization. A PPS
statement - which often incorporates a PICS - should also
set out the organization's policies on data retention, data
security, and how it will deal with requests for data access
and correction. The PICS and PPS statements are required
under DPP1 (which requires a data user to inform a data
subject of the purpose and manner of collection of their
personal data) and DPP5 (which requires a data user to take
steps to ensure that a data subject can ascertain the personal
data policies and practices of the data user), respectively.
Read
more
Singapore
Drops 45 Places in Global Ranking of Labour and Human Capital
Singapore
has tumbled 45 places to 56th in the world for
dynamic labour and human capital. Based on the Grant Thornton
Global Dynamism Index (GDI), weaker labour productivity
and slow economic growth also caused Singapore to drop six
places from the top spot in a global ranking of economic
dynamism.
In
addition, five of the top 10 economies in last year's report
also fell down the leader table this year. Finland slipped
from second to sixth and Sweden dropped from third to ninth.
Meanwhile, Australia, Chile and China rose to become the
three best economies for growing business. "We should be
clear what the index measures .. Singapore has not worsened
as an economy where dynamic businesses can flourish, but
rather, the six economies above us have seen their business
growth environments improve relatively more over the past
12 months," said Aw.
Meanwhile,
Singapore was still ranked first for its financing environment
and drew top scores for the quality of its financial regulatory
system, as well as for translating a high percentage of
its GDP from the private-sector credit.
Read
more |
|  India -
Future's Bright for Recruitment In Coming Months
Corporate
India's hiring plans are expected to witness a pick-up in
the coming months, as companies will not only hire for their
core business areas, but also for positions that were on
hold due to weak economic sentiments, experts have said,
reports the Economic Times India.
Recent
initiatives by the government and Reserve Bank of India
to stabilise the rupee seem to have improved market sentiment
and created a sense that better times are ahead. Investors
and entrepreneurs have welcomed the moves.
The
latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey also paints a
bullish picture. According to the survey, India has emerged
as the most optimistic nation in terms of hiring plans for
the next three months after four consecutive quarters of
relatively lack luster forecasts.
The
dramatic turnaround in employer confidence was mainly due
to the recovery made by IT firms and allied companies.
Read
more
The Philippines Data Privacy Act of 2012
On
September 8, 2012, the Data Privacy Act of 2012 went into
effect in the Philippines. The Act, which establishes privacy
as a fundamental human right, creates a National Privacy
Commission responsible for implementing the law, monitoring
compliance and investigating complaints. The Act generally
applies to the processing of all personal information by
individuals and public and private organizations in the
Philippines, or about Philippine residents where there is
a connection with the Philippines, with several exemptions.
In addition, the Act requires that personal information
be processed in a lawful manner, and includes traditional
fair information practices such as notice and consent, and
access and corrections. Organizations are responsible for
personal information under their control and custody, including
information that has been transferred to a third party (whether
the third party transfer is domestic or international),
and must implement reasonable physical and technical measures
to protect personal information. When sensitive personal
information has been, or is reasonably believed to have
been, acquired by an unauthorized person, and such acquisition
is likely to give rise to a serious risk of harm, an organization
must promptly notify the National Privacy Commission and
affected individuals. Failure to comply with the Act can
result in criminal and administrative penalties ranging
from PHP 500,000 (approximately U.S.$12,000) to PHP 5 million
(approximately U.S.$120,000).
Read
more |
|
 Market Awaits
'Unprecedented' Reforms In China
What
are investors going to learn next month about China's new
growth strategy?
Yu
Zhengsheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political
Bureau of the Party's Central Committee, said the meeting
of the 200 member Central Committee would be about "unprecedented"
reforms. "The reforms this time will be broad, with major
strength, and will be unprecedented," Xinhua news agency
reported Yu saying.
Yu's
comments on the reforms are among the first from China's
leaders about the Third Plenum, where President Xi Jinping
is expected to press for greater economic reforms. The idea
is to steer China from a reliance on government investment
to a more balanced growth model driven more by consumption,
services and innovation rather than exports. China's economic
challenges are growing, and so most pundits agree that changing
the way China does business is critical for containing risks
and achieving sustainable growth. The upcoming meeting provides
an opportunity for the new leadership to provide guidance
both to Chinese businesses and foreign investors on how
Beijing plans to address these challenges.
China's
strains arise from a development strategy heavily reliant
on government investment in infrastructure and the relocation
of surplus labor from the countryside to urban factories.
"Implementing these significant measures is a tall order
and involves tough choices . . .[however] starting now will
allow China to sustain its convergence to the level of higher
income economies and deliver the benefits of growth to an
ever-wider cross section of its population."
Read
more
Article
Submission
We are
interested in content about current issues, affairs, new
laws, etc. that impact the background screening industry
in the Asia Pacific Area Countries.
If
you are interested in submitting an article for the NAPBS
APAC Background Screening Report, please click
here to read more information and to see the guidelines. |
Second
Stage APP Consultation Begins
The Office
of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has released
the second stage of Draft Australian Privacy
Principle (APP) Guidelines for public consultation. This
stage includes Apps 6-11. The Australian Privacy Commissioner,
Mr Timothy Pilgrim, said the second stage of these draft guidelines
gives guidance about new requirements for agencies and organisations
in areas such as how they use or disclose personal information,
undertake direct marketing activities and send data off-shore.
A significant
area of change is the off shore disclosure of data covered in
app 8. New accountability requirements will apply to organisations
(including australian government agencies) that send personal
information to an overseas recipient. Australian organisations
will generally remain accountable for the handling of the personal
information by the overseas recipient.
These guidelines
will outline how the office of the Australian Information Commissioner
(OAIC) will interpret and apply the Apps which are central to
new privacy laws that commence on 12 march 2014. the consultation
on apps 6 to 11 is open until close of business monday 21 october
2013. please send submissions to consultation@oaic.gov.au
.
Read More
Employers
Report Positive Hiring Plans Across Asia Pacific Region
Positive
forecasts are reported throughout the Asia Pacific region, with
hiring plans growing stronger in three countries quarter-on-quarter
– India, Taiwan and Singapore, according to the Q4 2013
Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
Q4 hiring
plans in India are the most optimistic across the globe. Job seekers
are likely to benefit from a surge in demand for talent among
firms in IT/ITeS, banking and construction. Employability skills
remain a challenge for a number of Indian hiring managers. Many
acknowledge that there is an abundance of business and engineering
graduates, but that too many of them lack the soft skills that
are increasingly necessary as India becomes even more interconnected
to the global marketplace.
Read
more
APAC
Members by Country
Click
on Map for APAC Members by Country
APAC
Membership Totals: Please note that it was incorrectly
reported in August that there were 53 members as of 10 July, 2013
in the previous edition. The actual number of members should have
been reported as 35. As of September 2013 there are 41 members.
Click
here to see the full list of members
| Welcome
New Members of the APAC Chapter:
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Lynn Zhu, Join Business Consulting
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Souniya Khurana, Stern Advisory Pvt. Ltd
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Martin Lawrence, National Crime Center
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James Sutherland, Resume Check Limited
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Executive
Committee Member Profile:
 |
Nobby
Nazareth
Chairman & Managing Director
EVAluationz India Pvt. Ltd.
Bangalore, INDIA
email: nobby@evaluationz.com
www.evaluationz.com
With
over 28 years of HR experience both in India and overseas,
Nobby has been closely involved in the Executive Search
practice in India since 1995. His extensive experience
in Human Resources has been key in adding value to the
area of employee verification from an organization's perspective.
Prior
to founding Leader Prospects in 2001, Nobby was the Chief
Recruitment Officer of the Microland Group in Bangalore
assisting in the incubation of new businesses through
sourcing of management and functional heads worldwide.
He spent a significant part of his career with Personnel
Search Services / Ray & Berndtson in Mumbai and Bangalore.
He subsequently spearheaded the Executive Search practice
for Hewitt Associates based out of Bangalore.
At
Leader Prospects and Evaluationz, Nobby works to build
a vision of leadership for the firms in India. He is also
a Member of the Board of Directors for the firms in India.
He has been instrumental in working with NAPBS APAC Chapter
during the founding stages since 2010 and is currently
serving as the Chairman of the Chapter.
Married
to Lynn, Nobby is an avid squash player and a regular
sportsman.
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APAC
Committees Need Your Help. NAPBS is an association that
is driven by the work of volunteers working in Committees. The
Committees are the backbone of the association and the way we
get work accomplished.
Membership
and Marketing Committee.
With Nick
moving into the Chapter Chair Role there is a need for a new Chair
for the Membership and Marketing Committee. This committee is
critical to future of the chapter because it will lead the effort
to recruit new members. In addition, the Committee is responsible
for increasing awareness about background screening across the
region.
This is a
great opportunity to step into a leadership role that can make
have a significant impact on the success of the chapter. To join
the committee contact Nick Wright at Nick@idsgroup.com.au.
Standards
Committee
The creation
of standards for the background screening may be the single most
important factor that distinguishes NABPB APAC members from other
firms in the region, thus creating a competitive advantage and
also attracting employers that want to use firms that are providing
'best practices' base on established standards. Join this Committee
to help build the standards that will set the framework for background
screening in the future. To join the committee contact Elizabeth
Fritzell at elizabeth.fitzell@risqgroup.com.
Education
Committee
This newly
formed committee needs volunteers to help develop an education
plan for members. Continuous improvement is driven by continuous
learning and you can be part of shaping the learning plans for
the chapter.
To join this
committee contact Summa McCosker at summa@peoplecheck.com.au.
Calendar
of Events
- HRM
Congress - 5th Annual Talent Management Asia,
6-7 November 2013, Singapore,
Learn more
- APAC
AGM, November 14, 2013 in Singapore
- 7th
Asia-Pacific Security Forum and Exhibition , December
3-5, 2013 | Macau, China, read more information, read more information
- IAPP
ANZ Annual Privacy Summit 2013, 25 November 2013,
Sydney, Australia, Learn more
NAPBS
Resources and Information:
Find
out more about APAC Chapter and Membership: Visit our web page
NAPBS
Managing Director – Stevie Kernick, Direct: 1-919.459.6096,
Fax: 1-919.459.2075, stevie@imiae.com
Administrative Manager – Debra Bickford,
Direct: 1-919.459.6084, Fax: 1-919.459.2075, debra@imiae.com
NAPBS®
Mission Statement
The National Association of Professional Background
Screeners (NAPBS) exists to promote ethical business
practices, promote compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting
Act and Equal Employment Opportunity Laws and foster
awareness of issues related to consumer protection and
privacy rights within the background screening industry.
The
Association provides relevant programs and training
aimed at empowering members to better serve clients
and to maintain standards of excellence in the background
screening industry.
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Advertise
with NAPBS – APAC Chapter
Want
a way to easily share your products and services with the
background screening industry in the Asia Pacific Area?
Advertise in The APAC Background
Screening Report and start reaching the
expanding marketplace in this emerging region.
For
more information about advertising in The
APAC Background Screening Report download
the Media
Kit or contact info@APACReport.com.
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