Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Participants of the Youth Parliament in the Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg
Volunteering is helping with specific actions, and an active life position is promoting and implementing initiatives for the benefit of society. This is the motto of the first deputy chairman of the student council of SPbGASU, head of the Open For Students project Ivan Baranovsky (a third-year student of the Faculty of Engineering Ecology and Urban Economy) and the editor-in-chief of the student council of SPbGASU Alexandra Polyanskaya (a second-year master’s student of the Faculty of Architecture). They have already accumulated a solid baggage of good deeds, successfully implemented many ideas and, as they admit, do not intend to stop there. We talk to them about their initiatives, supported by the Youth Parliament under the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, and the priority areas that they are developing.
– How did your path to social activity and the volunteer movement begin?
Ivan Baranovsky: The path of volunteering began in elementary school. What prompted it? Probably a simple desire to help. I realized that seeing happy faces in response, for whom you try to do something without asking for anything in return, is the most pleasant result. I get pleasure when I help people. Our university has a well-developed student government, thanks to which volunteering develops. In fact, we all do volunteering in one way or another throughout our lives: we help friends, the elderly, strangers. It became the starting point for me in active social activities.
Alexandra Polyanskaya: I started doing social work back in the St. Petersburg State Academy of Art and Industry named after A. L. Stieglitz, where I joined the team of a grant project to create a media center. I have always been attracted by the opportunity to turn ideas into real products that others see and appreciate. And when I entered the master’s program at SPbGASU, I decided to continue what I had started: I joined the student council, completed the POTOK and Open for Students training programs. I wanted not just to study, but to create events, help the guys from the university, and develop the media direction. Volunteering and activism gave me the tools for this – from organizing events to working with people whose stories inspire.
– What areas of volunteering are particularly in demand today and how are they developing in our university and city?
Alexandra Polyanskaya: Media volunteering and projects related to patriotic education are in high demand now. For example, our university requires organizers, content creators, photographers, videographers, and designers to hold the events of the Golden Faculty or Architectural Seasons. This is a large team of diverse specialists, primarily from the student council media center, which trains these specialists to join its team under the Open for Students program. In addition, we are actively developing the media direction: in the last year alone, we have launched websites for elections, Olympiads, and workshops using neural networks. Such skills help activists in life: thanks to them, they can find a decent part-time job while studying. In St. Petersburg, there is a growing demand for projects that unite young people around common values: for example, helping the families of SVO participants or preserving historical memory. The state supports and encourages activists. Thus, Ivan received two honorary medals for his active civic position and contribution to public life.
Ivan Baranovsky: When I learned about the awards, I was quite surprised: yes, I volunteered at the call of my heart, often went and collected humanitarian aid to the SVO zone, participated in charity events, helped the families of SVO participants, but I didn’t even think about any award. The first medal was awarded for assistance in conducting the Special Military Operation. The second medal, “Active Participant in the Volunteer Movement,” is for activities in the field of volunteerism.
– What skills does active social activity help to develop?
Ivan Baranovsky: Being active in public life develops communication and management skills, and most importantly, the ability to motivate your team to implement a project at the idea level. The student council is a small test drive of adult life: here you gain a lot of experience and expand your circle of acquaintances for the realization of yourself and others. The city has many opportunities for the comprehensive development of students, many youth organizations that also develop volunteering in one form or another.
Alexandra Polyanskaya: Working in the student council of our university allows you to discover incredible opportunities in yourself that you never even knew about! Student council events became one of the compelling reasons for me to enroll in the master’s program at SPbGASU. Self-development in these areas is inevitable. For example, for the needs of the student council to implement our collective ideas, I mastered web design and the basics of UX/UI, although I had no experience in this area before. Organizing a workshop on neural networks for Young Design forced me to immerse myself in the world of AI tools in order to explain them clearly even to beginners. In general, volunteering for me is an opportunity to live thousands of lives at once, try myself in completely different areas and improve in what I already understand. Recently, Ksenia Vitsina, chairperson of the student council of SPbGASU, noted that after the student council, our guys want to work in the same active team, with a developed corporate culture.
– You are taking part in the Youth Parliament of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg of the second convocation. It is appropriate to note your personal growth. What are your achievements in this area?
Ivan Baranovsky: The Youth Parliament of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg is an advisory and consultative body that works on a voluntary basis. Its goal is to facilitate the activities of the Legislative Assembly in the area of legislative regulation of the rights and legitimate interests of young people. Our team of four people put forward an initiative to completely update the design of contactless smart cards (BSC) and contactless electronic smart cards (BEPK). This initiative passed the second reading, now all that remains is to hold a competition for the best design. I hope that this summer the design of the cards in St. Petersburg will completely change.
I am also developing two initiatives for federal legislation: the first concerns the rules for advertising placement, the second is to supplement the Federal Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” (No. 2300-1). I will be able to tell you more about it later.
Alexandra Polyanskaya: The Youth Parliament is a structure that helps active young people influence the life of the city. Here we support youth projects, interact with the city administration and promote ideas that are aimed at improving the life of the city and, in the long term, the country. Now, for example, we are developing socially useful ideas for federal legislative initiatives. I am working on ideas for the Federal Law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage, including the topic of zoological parks, which overlap with my master’s thesis. This topic combines two areas that excite me at once – architecture as a life’s work and love for animals.
We have just started our activities in the Youth Parliament, but I am sure that there is a lot of good ahead, as we receive incredible support from the curator of the Youth Parliament, Advisor to the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Maryana Borisovna Yakovleva.
Vanya and I are on different committees, but I promote and defend his legislative initiatives, and Vanya helps me with project ideas. Our personnel reserve also includes the head of the SECOND HOM project, a student of the construction faculty, Olga Kostyleva.
– How do you manage to combine your studies with active social activities? And what plans have you outlined for yourself?
Ivan Baranovsky: It’s hard to combine. But I don’t intend to retreat: I need to successfully graduate from university, enroll in a master’s program, and implement all the ideas I have planned for 2025.
Alexandra Polyanskaya: Strict planning helps to combine studies with active social activities. Without it, everything turns into chaos from a large number of different tasks. In such cases, notepads and reminder apps help. Although in reality, sometimes it is extremely difficult to manage everything due to the workload and specifics of the faculty. I prioritize my studies.
At some point, there were so many tasks that I wanted to have a separate person to plan them, but nothing is impossible. You can contact Vanya and me on the topic of legislative and project initiatives: for example, now we are working on helping the SECOND HOM student council project hold the Russia-China festival. Vanya works more with projects, and I – in the field of legislation, mainly related to architecture and construction. Now I am also trying to improve my knowledge of legislation in general. At present, we are developing ideas for federal initiatives to solve certain problems. One of them is to provide students studying in a specialized field with the opportunity to participate in the examination of cultural heritage sites. I think it is very important for students to prove themselves in the professional field even before receiving a diploma, in order to gain initial experience. Then they are more likely to work in their profession, and good young people will come to the industry.
I plan to enroll in graduate school and do not rule out that I will stay to work at the university in order to motivate the younger generation to take an active life position both in the professional environment and in public life.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Note: The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports. SEL7
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 97 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 845 AM CDT Wed Apr 2 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Northern and Central Arkansas Southern Illinois Southern and Eastern Missouri
* Effective this Wednesday morning and afternoon from 845 AM until 400 PM CDT.
* Primary threats include… A few tornadoes likely with a couple intense tornadoes possible Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely Scattered large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible
SUMMARY…Broken clusters of storms and some embedded/semi-discrete supercells will spread east-northeastward across the region through early/mid-afternoon, with an increasing tornado risk aside from widespread damaging winds and hail.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles east and west of a line from 50 miles north northwest of Alton IL to 30 miles west southwest of Hot Springs AR. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 94…WW 95…WW 96…
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 1.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector 25040.
…Guyer
SEL7
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 97 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 845 AM CDT Wed Apr 2 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Northern and Central Arkansas Southern Illinois Southern and Eastern Missouri
* Effective this Wednesday morning and afternoon from 845 AM until 400 PM CDT.
* Primary threats include… A few tornadoes likely with a couple intense tornadoes possible Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely Scattered large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible
SUMMARY…Broken clusters of storms and some embedded/semi-discrete supercells will spread east-northeastward across the region through early/mid-afternoon, with an increasing tornado risk aside from widespread damaging winds and hail.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles east and west of a line from 50 miles north northwest of Alton IL to 30 miles west southwest of Hot Springs AR. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 94…WW 95…WW 96…
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 1.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector 25040.
…Guyer
Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas. SAW7 WW 97 TORNADO AR IL MO 021345Z – 022100Z AXIS..60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE.. 50NNW ALN/ALTON IL/ – 30WSW HOT/HOT SPRINGS AR/ ..AVIATION COORDS.. 50NM E/W /43N STL – 53NNE TXK/ HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..1.5 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS. MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25040.
LAT…LON 39568928 34309253 34309464 39569154
THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS FOR WOU7.
Watch 97 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.
Note: Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes
Probability of 2 or more tornadoes
Mod (60%)
Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes
Mod (50%)
Wind
Probability of 10 or more severe wind events
High (70%)
Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots
Low (20%)
Hail
Probability of 10 or more severe hail events
Mod (40%)
Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches
Low (10%)
Combined Severe Hail/Wind
Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events
High (90%)
For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Poultry Meat Marketing Regulations to be amended to support industry through bird flu outbreaks
Poultry meat marketing regulations amended
As announced by the Government today (02 April), free-range poultry meat producers and processors will no longer need to change how free-range poultry meat is labelled when mandatory housing measures are introduced.
Currently, when mandatory housing measures are introduced to protect poultry from the spread of disease, after 12 weeks, free-range poultry has to be labelled as indoor reared. The Poultry Meat Marketing Standards Regulation in England will be amended so that this time limit is removed, enabling free-range poultry meat to be marketed as such for the duration of any mandatory housing measure.
In recent years, outbreaks of avian influenza in England have led to the introduction of mandatory housing measures which on several occasions have exceeded the 12-week maximum derogation period.
The amendment to existing legislation, which will be introduced in England through a Statutory Instrument, will mean that free-range poultry meat can, as long as the rest of the criteria on which free-range is granted are met, continue to be labelled as such throughout mandatory housing measures.
The move will cut unnecessary red tape and costs for British producers while also strengthening supply chain and maintaining consumer confidence.
Daniel Zeichner, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs said:
Our priority is to support English free-range poultry farmers while ensuring clear and fair labelling for consumers. Amending the poultry meat marketing regulations will enable the sector to keep costs down and remain competitive.
This Government will restore stability and confidence in the sector introducing a new deal for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen food security alongside nature’s recovery.
Following the confirmation of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial poultry in England and subsequently in Scotland and Northern Ireland, in line with World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) rules, the UK is no longer free from HPAI. The risk of HPAI H5 in wild birds in Great Britain and across Europe is currently assessed as very high.
The proposal to remove this derogation period for England and Scotland was supported by the majority of respondents to an eight-week consultation undertaken late last year. Similar legislative changes are to be introduced by the Scottish Government.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HydroGraph Clean Power Inc. (CSE: HG) (OTCQB: HGRAF) (the “Company” or “HydroGraph”), a sustainable commercial manufacturer of pristine graphene, (the “Company”), today announced that President & CEO Kjirstin Breure will present live at the AI & Technology Virtual Investor Conference hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com, on April 3rd, 2025
DATE: April 3, 2025 TIME: 11:00a.m Eastern Time LINK:REGISTER HERE Available for 1×1 meetings: April 3 and April 8
This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.
It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.
HydroGraph provides high purity, functional and specialized graphene products through a proprietary “explosion synthesis” process, which allows for exceptional purity, low energy use and identical batches. In 2024, the Company’s graphene products were selected for testing and use in a number of key projects across the battery materials, supercapacitor, medical device and diagnostics, plastics manufacturing, construction and other industries across a global customer base. In 2025, the Company expects to begin commercializing these programs through its first major supply contracts with these customers and others, expanding its application development capabilities and introducing new product lines. The Company is positioned to open additional production capacity in sync with demand growth, access higher volume supply of key hydrocarbon inputs used in its patented explosion synthesis process and lay the groundwork for improved margin efficiency as it scales throughput volume.
Investors wishing to schedule a meeting should contact their respective conference representatives, or Matt Kreps, investor relations for HydroGraph, at mkreps@darrowir.com.
HydroGraph Clean Power Inc is a leading producer of pristine graphene using an “explosion synthesis” process, which allows for exceptional purity, low energy use and identical batches. The quality, performance and consistency of HydroGraph’s graphene follows the Graphene Council’s Verified Graphene Producer® standards, of which very few graphene producers are able to meet. For more information or to learn about the HydroGraph story, visit: https://hydrograph.com/.
For company updates, please follow HydroGraph on LinkedIn and X.
The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.
About Virtual Investor Conferences® Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.
Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains certain “forward looking statements” and certain “forward-looking information” as defined under applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, “upon” “anticipate”, “believe”, “continue”, “plans” or similar terminology. Forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to: closing of the Offering; anticipated use of proceeds; expected closing date of the Offering; payment of finder’s fees; ability to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals; the statements in regard to existing and future products of the Company; the Company’s plans and strategies. Forward-looking statements and information are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions that, while believed by management to be reasonable, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Forward-looking statements and information are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of HydroGraph to control or predict, that may cause HydroGraph’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein, including but not limited to: HydroGraph’s ability to implement its business strategies; risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; stakeholder engagement; marketing and transportation costs; loss of markets; volatility of commodity prices; inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; industry and government regulation; changes in legislation, income tax and regulatory matters; competition; currency and interest rate fluctuations; and other risks. HydroGraph does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-looking information represents management’s best judgment based on information currently available.
CONTACTS:
HydroGraph Investor Relations Matt Kreps, Darrow Associates IR mkreps@darrowir.com
HIGH RIVER, Alberta, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Western Financial Group (“Western”) today announced that Chief Executive Officer Grant Ostir unveiled a transformative growth strategy following his first 90 days in the role. The plan aims to double the company’s customer base over the next five years by enhancing service excellence, prioritizing customer convenience, and implementing innovative operational changes across the organization.
Grant brings over two decades of experience with Western to the position, is implementing cross-functional, journey-based teams designed to better align with how customers prefer to interact with the company—whether digitally, in-branch, or through specialized outbound services.
“The insurance landscape is rapidly evolving, and Western is positioning itself at the forefront of this transformation,” said Grant. “By reorganizing around customer journeys rather than traditional department silos, we’re creating a more responsive organization that can adapt quickly to changing customer expectations while maintaining the personal touch that has defined Western for over a century.”
This strategic shift comes at a pivotal time for the Canadian insurance industry, which faces record-setting climate challenges, the rise in use of AI, and a distinct contrast between commercial and personal line markets. Since assuming the CEO role in December 2024, Grant has been conducting a comprehensive review of operations, meeting with team members across Western’s 200+ locations, and refining the company’s approach to growth, performance and care.
“I’m confident and excited about the goals we can achieve and the great work we can do to continue being a leader in the insurance brokerage industry,” Grant added. “It’s an honor to work with such passionate, hard-working, and caring people, who understand the importance of putting our customers first, providing them with the best advice and the most care, while making it as easy and convenient as possible. We always think about what the customer wants, bettering the customer experience across on-site and off-site experiences. Our structure is built around how customers want to do business with us, whether it’s through digital, in-branch, or specialized outbound teams. This reflects Western’s innovative strength, allowing us to mobilize and adapt quickly to meet customer needs.”
A Western veteran who previously served as Chief Growth Officer since 2022, Grant brings unique insights from his experience across Commercial, Personal, Employee Benefits, and Financial Services product lines. His leadership group is focusing on empowered employee engagement and introducing operational efficiencies that will support frontline team members in delivering exceptional service.
“Overcoming great challenges leads to the most fulfilling rewards, and we have the people here who I’m confident will help us reach these audacious goals,” said Grant. “You only get to live once—why not be a person who drives change and impacts the lives of others for the better?”
About Western Financial Group Inc.
Headquartered in High River, Alberta, Western Financial Group is a diversified insurance services company that has provided over one million Canadians with protection for over 100 years. Western is committed to community service, customer service, innovation, growth, and people while providing personal and business insurance through our engaged team of over 2,000 people in over 200 communities, affiliates, and various connected channels.
Since the very beginning, supporting our local communities has guided everything we do—it’s who we are. In 2001, the Western Financial Group Communities Foundation (our non-profit charity) was created as a way for our team members to give back and positively impact the people and pride in the places where we live, work, and play. To date, we have granted over $9 million back into our communities.
Western Financial Group is a subsidiary of Trimont Financial Ltd., a subsidiary of The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company. Visit https://westernfinancialgroup.ca for more.
For more information, please contact: Nichola Petts, PR Manager: Nichola.petts@westernfg.ca
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Mashupye Herbert Maserumule, Professor of Public Affairs, Tshwane University of Technology
South Africa’s goal since 2012 has been to build a capable and developmental state to address the twin challenges of poverty and inequality. The country’s National Development Plan defines a capable state as “well-run and effectively coordinated state institutions with skilled public servants”. A transformative and developmental role is about “consistently delivering high quality services” for the good of society.
To meet these goals, the country requires people in government with the necessary technological skills. This has been shown to be true in analysis of how governments from various regions worldwide have responded to technology as part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
A lesson that has emerged, particularly from most countries in the global north, is that technology skills are not simply a trend but a means to manage public affairs more effectively. Examples of areas they are used in include big data, artificial intelligence and robotics.
A new study has looked at how South Africa is faring in developing skills for the future of work in the public sector. The National Development Plan had earlier highlighted that planning for skills development in this sector was inadequate.
We were part of the research team for this project, as academics affiliated with various universities who have also written extensively on public administration and building state capacity.
The study found that most South African government officials were familiar with the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. But they were not familiar with how these technologies could be used to improve the efficiency of the state. In addition, officials in government departments that interact directly with citizens lacked the technologies and tools essential to take advantage of the new breakthroughs in technology.
We caution in the report that as much as technology skills have helped improve state efficiency, mainly in the global north, they can’t make up for all administrative inadequacies – including thievery from the state, which besets South Africa’s democracy.
Equally important are human cognitive skills and ethical competencies. The report found that these too were a challenge in the public service.
The report concludes that the government needs to urgently invest in revamping the way civil servants are trained. In particular, it must invest in continuous professional development. While technological capabilities are key, the report recommends that basic human skills and competencies are equally essential. To achieve this will require the development of a dynamic human resources system.
The gaps
The research found that civil servants were aware of technologies available in the market. But they didn’t connect them to their jobs, or have a view on how they could make the state more efficient.
For example, they didn’t know how big data, artificial intelligence, robotics, or the automation of public administration could be used to improve public service. Being aware of these technologies and using them to the maximum advantage of public administration are two distinct things.
The study also found that officials in some departments that interact directly with citizens – like home affairs and social development – lacked the technological tools and devices that could improve service delivery.
The study also showed that technology skills alone cannot create public value in a digitally illiterate society.
Interviewees emphasised the need for strategic and critical thinking skills, the ability to discern right from wrong and the commitment to do what is right.
These skills remain essential in a constantly evolving world that faces complex policy challenges related to, among other things, climate change, demographic shifts, poverty, unemployment and inequality.
They argued that technology should be viewed as a tool to complement human effort.
Related to this, they emphasised fundamental human values that must underpin the character of the public service, like respect, care, human dignity, compassion and altruism.
Another problem that was identified was the state’s human resources system said to be ineffective. HR Connect was initiated in 2009 as an integrated human resources system.
The report found that human resources management practices were compliance-driven. They were primarily geared to demonstrate how the budget allocation for training and development had been used rather than also examining the impact of these interventions.
However, the report concludes that the system “has failed to fulfil its central promise of efficiency” where this was measured only as the economic value rather than social effectiveness, foregrounding the wellbeing of citizens.
This points to the need to replenish public service skills and competencies. This is where continuous professional development becomes critical.
Some say HR Connect is inactive, implying it is inherently flawed. If that is the case, it must be replaced with a better personnel management system.
The study was conducted by the Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA), in partnership with the Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW).
– South Africa’s civil servants are missing skills, especially when it comes to technology – report – https://theconversation.com/south-africas-civil-servants-are-missing-skills-especially-when-it-comes-to-technology-report-253277
A critical turning point for both industries, with innovation, AI integration, and operational efficiency identified as key success drivers in a competitive landscape.
Despite challenges like rising interest rates and tightening regulations in 2024, Alpha FMC’s outlooks predict a year of transformation for both industries, where firms focused on adaptability and technology will thrive.
NEW YORK, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The financial services industry is at a pivotal moment in 2025, with innovation as a key success factor. Yet, Alpha FMC, a leading global provider of specialist consulting services to the financial services industry, highlights a significant challenge in its 2025 Asset & Wealth Management [AWM] & Alternatives Outlooks, both published today. The reports reveal a concerning gap: only one in three firms consider themselves “good” innovators, underscoring the urgency for transformation in an increasingly competitive and evolving market.
Despite rising interest rates, liquidity pressures, and regulatory shifts, firms, particularly in the U.S., have shown resilience over the past year. Going forward, success will depend on operational efficiency, adaptability, and innovation. AWM and Alternatives firms face shared challenges in AI integration, private market expansion, and evolving regulations. Those embracing transformation will be best positioned to thrive.
Key Areas Shaping AWM:
AI & Automation: AI-powered investment strategies, risk management, and client engagement are enhancing efficiency and competitiveness. Cloud-based solutions support scalability and long-term growth.
Private Market Expansion: Increasing demand for private market investments is driving firms to diversify portfolios and expand retail access to alternative assets, blurring public-private market lines.
Operational Optimization: Firms are centralizing operations, outsourcing, and utilizing AI to improve profitability, compliance, and service quality while fueling sustainable growth.
Regulatory Responsiveness and Agility: Shifting regulatory landscapes are prompting firms to refine compliance strategies and governance structures.
Transformative Forces in the Alternatives Industry
Tech-Driven Transformation: AI, automation, and data-driven decisions and strategies are revolutionizing operations, enabling scalable business models, and enhancing client engagement. This challenge is especially acute for firms investing across multiple asset classes, but those that master it will reap the rewards through greater efficiencies.
Convergence of Private Markets: Traditional investment structures are evolving as demand for private market exposure grows, from both institutional and retail investors.
Scalability & Cost Efficiency: Firms are using automation and infrastructure upgrades to support larger asset bases while maintaining cost efficiency, ensuring long-term growth.
Evolving Investor Profiles: As firms expand into retail markets, they are redefining product offerings and engagement models. FinTech disruptors are pushing for greater accessibility and transparency.
Looking Ahead: Seizing Opportunities in a Changing Landscape:
Joe Morant, Global Head of Asset & Wealth Management Consulting, commented:
“In 2024, rising interest rates and regulatory changes tested the Asset and Wealth Management industry, but firms proved resilient. Going forward, the focus will be on operational efficiency and transformation. Success will depend on leveraging AI, expanding private markets, adapting to regulations, and prioritizing operational efficiency. Firms that do this will be well-positioned to thrive.”
Nick Fienberg, Global Head of Alternatives Consulting, added:
“In our 2025 Outlook, we see cautious optimism in the Alternatives industry, driven by improving market sentiment. Despite 2024’s challenges, firms have remained agile and navigated adversity. The lines between private market asset classes are blurring as firms expand their offerings to meet client needs. Disruptions from FinTech and traditional asset managers entering the Alternatives space are driving structural shifts.AI and automation are key to improving operations and scalability. In this dynamic environment, innovation and adaptability will be critical for long-term success.”
Alpha Financial Markets Consulting is a leading global consultancy to the financial services industry. Alpha combines highly specialist sector-focused strategy, management consulting and technology expertise to support the client transformation lifecycle. Founded in 2003, it now has over 1,180 consultants across North America, UK, Europe, MENA and APAC.
Paul Allen (L) and Bill Gates in 1970 at Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington state, US. Microsoft was created five years later.Author unknown/Wikimedia
Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary. This article was written using Microsoft Word on a computer running Microsoft Windows. It is likely to be published on platforms hosted by Microsoft Azure, including LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary with over one billion users. In 2024, the company generated a net profit of $88 billion from sales worth $245 billion. Its stock market value is close to $3,000 billion, making it the world’s second-most valuable company behind Apple and almost on a par with NVidia. Cumulative profits since 2002 are approaching $640 billion.
And yet, 50 years ago, Microsoft was just a tiny computer company founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico by two former Harvard students, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, aged 19 and 22. The twists and turns that enabled it to become one of the most powerful companies in the world are manifold, and can be divided into four distinct eras.
First era: Bill Gates rides on IBM’s shoulders
At the end of the 1970s, IBM was the computer industry’s undisputed leader. It soon realized that microcomputers developed by young Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, such as the Apple II, would eventually eclipse IBM’s mainframes, and so the IBM PC project was launched. However, it soon became clear that the company’s hefty internal processes would prevent it from delivering a microcomputer on schedule. It was therefore decided that various components of the machine could be outsourced using external suppliers.
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Several specialized companies were approached to provide the operating system. They all refused, seeing IBM as the enemy to be destroyed, a symbol of centralized, bureaucratic computing. Mary Maxwell Gates, who sat on the board of an NGO next to the IBM chairman, suggested the name of her son William, nicknamed Bill, who had just founded Microsoft, and the first contact was established in 1980.
The problem was that Microsoft was focused on a programming language called BASIC and certainly not specialized in operating systems. Not that this was ever going to be a problem for Bill Gates, who, with considerable nerve, agreed to sign a deal with IBM to deliver an operating system he didn’t have. Gates then purchased the QDOS system from Seattle Computer Products, from which he developed MS-DOS (where MS stands for Microsoft).
Gates, whose father was a founding partner of a major Seattle law firm, then made his next move. He offered IBM a non-exclusive contract for the use of MS-DOS, which gave him the right to sell it to other computer companies. IBM, which was not used to subcontracting, was not suspicious enough: the contract brought fortunes to Microsoft and misery to IBM when Compaq, Olivetti and Hewlett-Packard rushed to develop IBM PC clones, giving birth to a whole new industry.
Success followed for Microsoft. It not only benefited from IBM’s serious image, which appealed to businesses, but also received royalties on every PC sold on the market. In 1986, the company was introduced on the stock market. Bill Gates, Paul Allen and two of their early employees became billionaires, while 12,000 additional Microsoft employees went on to become millionaires.
Second era: Windows, the golden goose (courtesy of Xerox)
In the mid-1980s, microcomputers were not very functional: their operating systems, including Microsoft’s MS-DOS, ran with forbidding command lines, like the infamous C:/. This all changed in 1984 with the Apple Macintosh, which was equipped with a graphic interface (icons, drop-down menus, fonts, a mouse, etc.). This revolutionary technology was developed in Xerox’s research laboratory, even though the photocopy giant failed to understand its potential. On the other hand, Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, was largely inspired by it: to ensure the success of the Macintosh computer, Jobs asked Microsoft to develop a customized version of its office suite, in particular its Excel spreadsheet. Microsoft embraced the graphic interface principle and launched Windows 1 in 1985, which was soon followed by the Office suite (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
Over the following years, Windows was further improved, culminating in Windows 95, launched in 1995, with an advertising campaign costing over $200 million, for which Bill Gates bought the rights of The Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up”. At the time, Microsoft’s world market share in operating systems exceeded 70%. This has hardly changed since.
In 1997, Microsoft even went so far as to save Apple from bankruptcy by investing $150 million in its capital in the form of non-voting shares, which were sold back three years later. During one of his famous keynote speeches, Steve Jobs thanked Bill Gates by saying: “Bill, thank you. The world’s a better place.” This bailout also put an end to the lawsuit Apple had filed against Microsoft, accusing it of copying its graphic interface when designing the Windows operating system.
Third era: bureaucratization, internal conflicts and a failed diversification strategy
In the mid-1990s, computing underwent a new transformation with the explosion of the World Wide Web. Microsoft was a specialist in stand-alone PCs, with a business model based on selling boxed software, and it was ill-prepared for the new global networks. Its first response was to develop Internet Explorer, a browser developed from the takeover of the Mosaic browser designed by the Spyglass company, a bit like MS-DOS in its day. Internet Explorer was eventually integrated into Windows, prompting a lawsuit against Microsoft for abuse of its dominant position, which could have led to the company’s break-up. New competitors, such as Google with its Chrome browser, took advantage of these developments to attract users.
In 2000, Bill Gates handed over his position as Microsoft CEO to Steve Ballmer, one of his former Harvard classmates, whose aim was to turn the company into an electronics and services company. Over the next fifteen years, Ballmer embarked on a series of initiatives to diversify the company by including video games (Flight Simulator), CD encyclopedias (Encarta), hardware (mice, keyboards), MP3 players (Zune), online web hosting (Azure), game consoles (Xbox), phones (Windows Phone), tablets and computers (Surface).
While some of these products were successful (notably Azure and Xbox), others were bitter failures. Encarta was quickly swamped by Wikipedia and Zune was no match for Apple’s iPod. Windows Phone remains one of the greatest strategic blunders in the company’s history. In order to secure the company’s success in mobile telephony and compete with the iPhone, Microsoft bought the cell phone division of Finland’s Nokia for $5.4 billion in September 2013. The resulting integration was a disaster: Steve Ballmer wanted Microsoft’s phones to use a version of Windows 10, making them slow and impractical. Less than two years later, Microsoft put an end to its mobile phone operations, with losses amounting to $7.6 billion. Nokia was sold for just $350 million.
One of the outcomes of Microsoft’s multiple business initiatives has been an explosion in the number of its employees, from 61,000 in 2005 to 228,000 in 2024. Numerous internal disputes broke out between different business units, which sometimes refused to work together.
These turf wars, coupled with pervasive bureaucratization and effortless profitability (for each Windows installation, PC manufacturers pay around $50, while the marginal cost of the license is virtually zero), have hindered Microsoft’s capacity for innovation. Its software, including Internet Explorer 6 and Windows Vista, was soon mocked by users for its imperfections, which were continually plugged by frequent updates. As some people noted, Windows is equipped with a “safe” mode, suggesting that its normal mode is “failure”.
Fourth era: is Microsoft the new cool (thanks to the Cloud and OpenAI)?
In 2014, Satya Nadella replaced Steve Ballmer as head of Microsoft. Coming from the online services division, Nadella’s objective was to redirect Microsoft’s strategy online, notably by developing the Azure online web hosting business. In 2024, Azure became the world’s second-largest cloud service behind Amazon Web Services, and more than 56% of Microsoft’s turnover came from its online services. Nadella changed the company’s business model: software is no longer sold but available on a subscription basis, in the shape of products such as Office 365 and Xbox Live.
Along the way, Microsoft acquired the online game Minecraft, followed by the professional social network LinkedIn, in 2016, for $26.2 billion (its largest acquisition to date), and the online development platform GitHub in 2018 for $7.5 billion.
Between 2023 and 2025, Microsoft invested more than $14 billion in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, giving it a particularly enviable position in the artificial intelligence revolution. ChatGPT’s models also contribute to Microsoft’s in-house AI, Copilot.
Over the past 50 years, thanks to a series of bold moves, timely acquisitions and failed strategies to diversify, Microsoft has evolved significantly in its scope, competitive advantage and business model. Once stifled by opulence and internal conflicts, the company seems to have become attractive again, most notably to young graduates. Who can predict whether Microsoft will still exist in 50 years? Bill Gates himself says the opposite, but he may be bluffing.
Frédéric Fréry ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.
The war in Ukraine is often marked by specific dates, like February 24, 2022 – the day of the full-scale invasion. But for many Ukrainians, that February never really ended. For me, then a 22-year-old master’s student in construction engineering, that day shattered everything I understood about my future. I was glued to my phone, refreshing news updates in a frantic attempt to make sense of the chaos.
The distant echoes of explosions rumbled through the city, shaking windows and setting off endless car alarms. Air raid sirens wailed, their sound slicing through the early morning stillness. Outside, people hurried past with suitcases, their faces pale and tense, while others lined up at pharmacies and ATMs, their hands trembling as they stocked up on essentials.
My family and friends sent frantic messages (Are you safe? Are you leaving? What do we do?) but no one had an answer. Fear settled in like a second skin, thick and suffocating. The streets, once familiar, now felt unrecognisable, transformed by the weight of uncertainty.
We were all touched by the war, including my family. My father, who is a scientist and professor of Mykolaiv University of Shipbuilding, voluntarily joined the military forces to fight for Ukraine and give my family the possibility to work and study while the war raged outside.
Meanwhile, my hometown, Mykolaiv – previously a strategically important shipbuilding and port city on the Black Sea – became a key stepping-stone for Russian forces on the road to Odesa. It is very close to currently occupied territories and the frontline.
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Controlling access to the city and its bridges was crucial in the battle for Ukraine. The destruction of these bridges cut off vital supply routes, leaving Mykolaiv isolated and struggling to hold the line. What were once ordinary crossings became symbols of survival, as the city fought to stay connected and withstand the siege.
As my home was attacked, I realised something fundamental: bridges were not just engineering projects. They were lifelines.
Engineering hope
Rebuilding bridges and roads is about more than repairing physical structures; it is about restoring security, economic stability and vital connections between communities. A collapsed bridge isolates people from essential services, disrupting supply chains and deepening vulnerability. The war has exposed just how critical Ukraine’s infrastructure is for survival.
Mykolaiv is one of the hardest-hit regions. According to the Ukrainian government, more than 20 bridges were destroyed or severely damaged by Russian attacks, including the Inhul Bridge, a vital artery for the city.
The Snihurivka Bridge, another key crossing, was also wiped out, leaving thousands stranded without reliable access to healthcare and supplies. For months, humanitarian aid and commerce were forced onto alternative, unreliable routes, further isolating communities. The reconstruction of key bridges in my home region has allowed life to resume, but the scale of the challenge across the country remains immense.
Elsewhere, the destruction has been just as devastating.. The Irpin Bridge, north-west of Kyiv, which once carried 40,000 vehicles a day, became a symbol of both loss and survival. Ukrainian forces had to destroy the bridge to stop Russian advances on Kyiv. Thousands of civilians fled across its wreckage under fire.
Science: a light in the dark
Fast forward to the autumn of 2022. Ukraine’s power grid was under relentlessattack. Entire cities were plunged into darkness. I sat at my desk in Lviv, in western Ukraine, where I have been working on my PhD thesis. My laptop battery was draining and a single candle flickered beside me. I was writing a research paper on strengthening methods for buildings and infrastructure. Yet, all around me real infrastructure was collapsing, making my work feel disconnected from reality.
Laptop battery draining and a single candle flickers during one of the regular power cuts. Nadiia Kopiika
The city had endured weeks of missile strikes targeting critical infrastructure and power cuts became part of daily life. Simple tasks like boiling water for tea, charging a phone, or even sending an email became unpredictable challenges. The hum of generators filled the streets and people lined up at charging stations trying to stay connected. The darkness wasn’t just outside, it seeped into everything, a constant reminder that the war was never far away.
At that moment, a question struck me: what if science could help rebuild Ukraine? Could research, something that had once felt so theoretical, actually make a difference in the aftermath of war?
The project aimed to not only repair what was damaged but to build better infrastructure: homes that are more resilient, more sustainable and ready for future crises. Mitoulis recalled that the whole idea for BridgeUkraine was born out of a deeply personal moment:
I first thought of BridgeUkraine when I spoke with my former MSc student, Marat Khodzhaiev, who was in Ukraine when the war started. He was stranded in his house and at risk of missing the opportunity to graduate from his MSc course in the UK. All bridges around him had collapsed, there was no escape route. His wife was pregnant at the time. That call made me realise the urgent need, not only to rebuild infrastructure, but also to support and empower Ukrainian engineers to build their future. BridgeUkraine became more than just a research alliance, it became a mission that ensures that Ukraine’s recovery will be driven by its own people, equipped with the best knowledge and tools to rebuild their country.
The KSE Institute estimates that more than 300 bridges across Ukraine require urgent reconstruction, with damages exceeding US$2.6 billion. But this isn’t all about infrastructure; it is about securing Ukraine’s independence and ensuring that its economy and society can function even under the most difficult conditions. Every bridge rebuilt is a step toward recovery, a restored connection between families and communities, and a symbol of resilience.
To address these challenges, rebuilding Ukraine’s infrastructure cannot follow conventional methods. The sheer scale of destruction demands a new approach, one that not only restores what was lost but strengthens the country for the future.
At BridgeUkraine, we are developing solutions that prioritise resilience over quick fixes. Instead of rebuilding vulnerable structures, we are integrating sustainable materials, climate-adaptive engineering, and strategic planning to ensure that Ukraine’s transport networks are built to last.
Rebuilding fairly and efficiently
A comprehensive assessment conducted by the government of Ukraine, the World Bank Group, the European Commission, and the United Nations estimates that the total cost of Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery stands at approximately €506 billion (US$524bn) over the next decade. This underscores the necessity for continued and enhanced international support to address the extensive needs arising from the conflict.
There are no academic guidelines on how to rebuild after such destruction. What is the most effective way to approach reconstruction in this context? We quickly came to the realisation that conventional methods were too slow and rigid to address the urgent and widespread damage.
Our research team wanted to re-imagine how to rebuild infrastructure and homes that are resilient to future challenges, from war-related destruction to climate-induced disasters. As Mitoulis told me:
Rebuilding infrastructure is not just about restoring roads and bridges, it’s about rebuilding lives. Our approach is centred on people, ensuring that the infrastructure is designed by Ukrainians, for Ukrainians. It must not only reconnect communities but also support economic recovery and long-term resilience.
But such ethical reconstruction must be inclusive, sustainable and community-driven, ensuring that those who depend on infrastructure have a say in how it is rebuilt.
Reconstruction must be a participatory, creative effort – one that rebuilds cities with beauty and meaning, connecting them to their past while preparing for the future. Too often, post-war recovery efforts have been dictated by external donors, prioritising short-term economic gains over long-term resilience.
People like me, who have grown up in these places, understand the culture, the rhythm of daily life, and the importance of preserving identity as well as buildings. We want to see our cities restored in a way that reflects our history and spirit.
For example, in post-second world war Warsaw, reconstruction efforts initially ignored the city’s historical character in favour of Soviet-style urban planning. It was only through the persistence of local architects and historians that parts of the Old Town were painstakingly restored to reflect their original designs.
Ukraine cannot afford such myopic, profit-driven decision-making. Instead, it must empower local communities, integrating their knowledge, needs and skills into the reconstruction process.
This vision started to take shape through workshop discussions with experts in geography and urban planning. Everyone agreed on the need for an adaptable transportation system where modular designs and relocatable, prefabricated bridges (like the Mabey bridge in US) could respond to evolving demands and disruptions.
Similarly, at the ReBuild Ukraine 2024 conference leading engineers, policymakers and researchers showcased groundbreaking technologies designed to accelerate reconstruction while reducing long-term environmental and economic risks (for example, nature-based solutions, 3D-printing, Virtual Reality and Building Informational Modelling).
Revolutionising damage assessment with AI, radar and satellite imagery
But to effectively plan for recovery and reconstruction, it’s crucial to first accurately characterise the damage. A clear picture of what has been destroyed allows for smarter decisions, prioritising the most urgent repairs and using resources effectively.
Our latest research, published in Automation in Construction, introduces a faster, more precise way to assess damage to key infrastructure, particularly bridges. Bringing together expertise from a large multidisciplinary team, we developed a new approach that combines satellite images and radar and artificial intelligence to swiftly and accurately analyse damage.
This technology allowed us to assess the condition of bridges remotely, without having to be onsite in dangerous or inaccessible areas. By providing rapid, data-driven insights, our method helps ensure that reconstruction efforts start where they are needed most, speeding up recovery and making rebuilding efforts more effective.
We tested this approach on numerous bridges in the Irpin region of Ukraine, and the results were striking. It significantly improved both the speed and accuracy of damage assessments. Using Sentinel-1 SAR images (radar satellite images from the European Space Agency’s Copernicus program), crowdsourced data (photos and reports from people on the ground), and high-resolution imagery, we developed a comprehensive approach for damage detection and classification.
This approach works on multiple levels: it provides a big-picture view of damage across entire regions while also zooming in on specific structural issues in individual bridge components. By combining satellite data with detailed images, our method makes damage assessments more precise, faster and safer, ensuring that reconstruction efforts focus on the most critical areas first.
These findings can play a crucial role in damage and needs assessment such as those conducted by the World Bank.
Sustainable infrastructure
In war zones, destruction often affects vital humanitarian and evacuation corridors, making it essential to prioritise reconstruction based on factors such as the national importance of a bridge, its role in border crossings, and its impact on social services.
But rebuilding after a disaster is also an opportunity to create something stronger, smarter, built to last – and with a sustainable focus.
From the first day of the invasion, Nadiia began volunteering at Lviv Polytechnic National University helping to weave camouflage nets. @kathryn_moskalyuk
Given Ukraine’s commitment to net-zero emissions and resilience, we expanded our research [and published a study] which introduced an innovative model for rebuilding infrastructure that can withstand future hazards while minimising carbon emissions. At its core, the model features a “smart prioritisation system” that helps decision-makers allocate resources effectively. It assesses key factors such as repair urgency, community impact and long-term durability, ensuring that rebuilding efforts provide the greatest benefits where they are needed most.
For example, when assessing damaged structures, the system prioritises projects that will provide the most long-term benefits. That might mean restoring energy systems to prevent future blackouts or repairing bridges that serve as key evacuation routes and economic lifelines.
As Stanislav Gvozdikov, deputy director of Euro-integration Process at Ukraine’s State Road Research Institute, told me: “Every bridge we restore, every road we reopen, isn’t just about infrastructure, it’s about restoring life, reconnecting families and ensuring that communities have the resilience to withstand whatever comes next.”
This is already a reality near my home town, Mykolaiv, where newly rebuilt bridges have restored transport links and also revived local economies, giving people hope for the future.
But no one rebuilds a country alone.
The UK-Ukraine 100-year agreement, announced in February 2025, underscored a deep commitment to Ukraine’s security, economic resilience, and post-war reconstruction. The partnership recognises the importance of cooperation between the UK and Ukraine to strengthen technological innovation and to increase collaboration in transport more widely.
I’ve also had the privilege of working with some of the brightest minds in the field, including more than 50 practitioners, consultants, academics, institutions and international bodies. This alliance of experts was united by a shared vision: to change the way the world approaches post-war reconstruction.
A key part of this mission is training engineers, equipping them with the latest knowledge in damage assessment, resilience-based and people-centred design and international standards to lead Ukraine’s reconstruction.
We come from different backgrounds – engineering, economics, policy, humanitarian efforts, and governmental bodies. But we all share the same motivation in wanting to help our country.
Leading researchers from Ukraine specialising in AI technologies, infrastructure engineering, sustainable and energy-saving buildings or climate change, are also members of BridgeUkraine. AI-specialist, Ivan Izonin has spoken passionately about how he believes that the collaborative efforts we have started “will lay the foundation for large-scale scientific projects that will be pivotal in post-war reconstruction…”. While Natalya Shakhovska , also a specialist in AI, recalled: “My activity in the BridgeUkraine alliance gave me the opportunity to align my research to critical infrastructure assessment, enabled by my AI modelling…Today I really feel included, I understand that my expertise is helping [my country’s recovery]”
Another enthusiastic Ukrainian researcher, Khrystyna Myroniuk, who specialises in building physics, told me how the collaboration had given her the opportunity to continue her “research on sustainable housing solutions for Ukraine”.
Stopping the brain drain
One of the most critical challenges facing Ukraine today, aside from the physical destruction, is the brain drain – the mass exodus of skilled professionals who left the country in search of safety and better opportunities abroad.
This trend has had a significant impact on the country’s ability to rebuild. Engineers, architects and other highly trained specialists have long been a pillar of Ukraine’s development. But the war has forced many to leave, with no clear path back to contribute to the reconstruction effort. BridgeUkraine is helping to reverse this trend by offering a compelling reason for these skilled professionals to return.
Our engagement with Ukrainian engineers then sparked another idea: what if we trained local professionals to apply our expertise, equipping them to drive this transformation within their engineering communities?
This ensures that Ukraine’s recovery is driven by its own people, equipped with the latest global knowledge. By bridging the knowledge gap and integrating the best methods and ideas from across Europe, Ukraine can position itself as a leader in resilient infrastructure design.
Our research was taken up by the Ministry of Restoration of Ukraine. Stanislav Gvozdikov collaborated with us to launch a joint programme of Continuing Professional Development seminars for engineers designed to help them stay up to date with the latest knowledge and skills in their field. To date, our expertise has been shared with over 1,500 Ukrainians.
Argyroudis emphasised to me how critical the role of engineers will be in Ukraine’s reconstruction, saying: “It’s about rebuilding Ukrainian identity as a country.”
The ultimate goal is to build a culture of innovation and self-reliance among local professionals who have the expertise and passion to drive this change.
Professionals can now contribute to projects and be part of a larger community of practice, which brings together engineers, academics and international partners.
I am, personally, incredibly proud to have had the privilege, over the past two years, to help empower Ukrainians to develop world-leading research that accelerates their country’s recovery.
Shaping tomorrow
My hometown, Mykolaiv, still bears the scars of war. Returning there, I saw firsthand what was lost. But also what could be rebuilt. War has taken, and continues to take so much, but it has also forged a new generation of engineers who understand that our profession is no longer just about calculations and designs. It is about resilience, survival and national recovery.
Three years ago, I would have imagined a very different career for myself. But today, I know that engineering is more than my profession, it is my mission.
I am committed to ethical and inclusive infrastructure recovery in Ukraine, because science must be the foundation of national resilience. Ethical reconstruction must prioritise people over profits, creating systems that empower and strengthen communities.
Ukraine’s recovery is about setting a global precedent for post-conflict reconstruction. Our research, training programs and commitment to innovation are laying the groundwork for a stronger, more connected Ukraine, offering a paradigm shift to the war-torn world. Because rebuilding is about more than replacing the past. It is about creating a future that can withstand whatever comes next.
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Nadiia Kopiika receives funding from British Academy. She is affiliated with University of Birmingham, UK and Lviv Polytechnic National University, Ukraine.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nigel Mulligan, Lecturer in Psychotherapy, School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University
Imagine a therapist could live in your pocket. They’d be on hand for every wobble, every meltdown, every crisis – no matter where or when. They’d be cheap and accessible, so no more worries about finding the money for expensive therapy or lingering on a waiting list for months for NHS treatment. Sounds too good to be true?
Maybe, but few can deny the appeal of AI therapy, which uses artificial intelligence, like chatbots and digital platforms, to provide mental health support, guidance, coping strategies and structured exercises, often mimicking talk therapy.
The growing popularity of AI therapy may be troublingsome experts but it’s understandable why so many people are turning to this convenient and cost-effective resource for mental health support.
In the UK, an NHS mental health referral can take 18 weeks or longer. According to 2025 data from the British Medical Association: “Services are not currently resourced to meet the increased demand, resulting in long waits and high thresholds for treatment; latest estimates put the mental health waiting list at one million people.
It’s perhaps no wonder then that a growing number of young people, in particular, are turning to AI chatbots to help them cope with mental health issues.
But, while AI can prove beneficial for some – often as a supplement to human therapy – it isn’t an effective substitute for a human therapist. And it could even prove dangerous.
Psychotherapy, known as the “talking cure”, uses dialogue to explore thoughts and feelings to help clients understand and address mental health challenges. Psychotherapists are now using AI tools to improve their work in mental health treatment. For example, software such as ChatGPT is being used by therapists to carry out client assessments. They enter details of the client, such as their sex, age, and psychological issues. In response, the chatbot collates the information to create a treatment plan for the therapist to follow.
But, although AI is proving helpful for some therapists, people turning to chatbots for help with mental health crises might find the lack of human supervision and input far less useful.
Lack of Humanity
Chatbots can simulate empathy, but don’t understand or feel emotions. Human therapists can provide emotional nuance, intuition and a personal connection, which chatbots currently cannot replicate in a meaningful way. Chatbots also have a limited ability to understand complex emotions and can struggle with understanding the complexity of human emotions, particularly when the situation involves deep trauma, cultural context or complex mental health issues.
Chatbots, then, are unsuitable for those with severe mental health issues. The software may provide some support for less severe cases, but they aren’t equipped to deal with severe mental health crises, such as suicidal thoughts or self-harm. Human therapists, however, are trained to recognise and respond to these situations with appropriate interventions.
While chatbots can be programmed to provide some personalised advice, they may not be able to adapt as effectively as a human therapist can. Human therapists tailor their approach to the unique needs and experiences of each person. Chatbots rely on algorithms to interpret user input, but miscommunication can happen due to nuances in language or context. For example, chatbots may struggle to recognise or appropriately respond to cultural differences, which are an important aspect of therapy. A lack of cultural competence in a chatbot could alienate and even harm users from different backgrounds.
So while chatbot therapists can be a helpful supplement to traditional therapy, they are not a complete replacement, especially when it comes to more serious mental health needs. Human psychotherapy provides a supportive, safe space for clients to slow down, reflect, and explore their thoughts and feelings with expert guidance. Human therapists are held accountable through ethical guidelines and professional standards.
Some people might become overly dependent on chatbot therapists, potentially avoiding traditional therapy with human professionals. This could lead to a delay in receiving more comprehensive care when needed, making vulnerable people more isolated rather than easing their suffering.
The talking cure in psychotherapy is a process of fostering human potential for greater self-awareness and personal growth. These apps will never be able to replace the therapeutic relationship developed as part of human psychotherapy. Rather, there’s a risk that these apps could limit users’ connections with other humans, potentially exacerbating the suffering of those with mental health issues – the opposite of what psychotherapy intends to achieve.
Nigel Mulligan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
SAN DIEGO, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LPL Financial LLC announced today that eight financial advisors with Horizon Capital Advisors have joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and custodial platforms. They reported serving approximately $450 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets* and join LPL from Osaic.
Led by Partners Brett Deuth, CRPC®, J. Brock McClain, CFP®, and Brian Watts, CFP®, Horizon Capital’s roots date back more than 50 years. The ensemble practice is headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., with additional offices in Clinton and Van Buren, Mo., and Baxter Springs, Kan., and includes fellow financial advisors Brian Perley, CFP®, Bennett Long, CIMA®, AIF®, CRPS®, Cindy Gettel, Melissa Proffitt and Michael Sisson.
“Our team is unified by a shared vision and synergy,” Deuth said. “We take a holistic approach to providing goals-based proactive wealth management with clear direction. We work with families, business owners and executives to create personalized financial plans and disciplined investment strategies to help clients work toward their financial goals.”
The move to LPL was driven by the Horizon team’s desire for enhanced service experiences, office efficiencies and a more robust technology platform.
“LPL has the right tools to add new services and create more value with our clients, as well as the stability we were looking for from a Fortune 500 company,” Watts said. “LPL invests heavily in industry-leading capabilities and strategic business resources that will create streamlined experiences for both our team and our clients.”
McClain added, “We also appreciate LPL’s client-centric mission and forward thinking. LPL is driven by advisor feedback, making the business much more intuitive. We are excited about the future as we grow our team and evolve the practice.”
Scott Posner, LPL Executive Vice President, Business Development, said, “We welcome the entire team at Horizon Capital Advisors. As a leading wealth management firm, LPL is committed to delivering innovative technology and comprehensive business solutions to help advisors differentiate their practices and increase value for their clients. We look forward to supporting Horizon for years to come.”
LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) is among the fastest growing wealth management firms in the U.S. As a leader in the financial advisor-mediated marketplace, LPL supports nearly 29,000 financial advisors and the wealth management practices of approximately 1,200 financial institutions, servicing and custodying approximately $1.7 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets on behalf of approximately 6 million Americans. The firm provides a wide range of advisor affiliation models, investment solutions, fintech tools and practice management services, ensuring that advisors and institutions have the flexibility to choose the business model, services, and technology resources they need to run thriving businesses. For further information about LPL, please visit www.lpl.com.
Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial LLC (“LPL Financial”), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC.
Throughout this communication, the terms “financial advisors” and “advisors” are used to refer to registered representatives and/or investment advisor representatives affiliated with LPL Financial. Horizon Capital Advisors and LPL Financial are separate entities.
We routinely disclose information that may be important to shareholders in the “Investor Relations” or “Press Releases” section of our website.
*Value approximated based on asset and holding details provided to LPL from end of year, 2024.
New York, NY, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — With the rapid development of financial technology, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology is reshaping the landscape of global trading markets. As a leading smart trading platform, Global Assets is focusing on technological innovation to drive the market into an “automated trading” era of intelligence and decentralization.
Technology-Driven, Building an Intelligent Trading Ecosystem Global Assets has created a secure, efficient, and transparent trading environment by deeply integrating AI and blockchain technology. Its AI trading system is capable of analyzing market data in real time, optimizing trading processes, automating the execution of trading strategies, and reducing human factors that influence trading, thereby enhancing market operational efficiency.
Core features of the AI intelligent trading system include:
Real-Time Market Analysis: AI robots can analyze market data around the clock, identifying market trends.
Automated Trade Execution: The system can execute trades at the millisecond level, enhancing efficiency.
Multi-layer Risk Management: Built-in risk management mechanisms ensure the safety of trading funds.
Blockchain Collateral Lending to Enhance Asset Liquidity Global Assets’ blockchain collateral lending service offers users an innovative asset management method, helping them release instant liquidity without selling their assets. Through blockchain technology, the collateralization process is more transparent and does not require cumbersome credit checks.
Advantages of blockchain collateral lending include:
No Traditional Credit Checks Required: Users only need to provide digital assets as collateral to secure funding.
Fast Automated Loan Disbursement: The system automatically assesses the value of collateralized assets, enhancing liquidity.
Transparent and Trustworthy Blockchain Mechanism: Transaction records are recorded on the blockchain, ensuring transparent and public information.
Diverse Trading Ecosystem to Meet Global User Needs Global Assets provides a one-stop trading solution by supporting diverse asset trading. The platform covers multiple asset classes to meet different users’ asset allocation requirements.
Supported trading categories include:
Digital Currency Trading: Supports mainstream cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, XRP, and more.
Forex Trading: Covers major fiat currencies such as USD, EUR, and JPY.
Commodity Trading: Offers trading opportunities for commodities like gold and crude oil.
Stocks and ETFs: Connects to major global stock markets, providing investment opportunities in international markets.
Why Choose Global Assets?
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As the financial market evolves towards intelligence and automation, the combination of AI and blockchain technology is leading the global trading market into a new era of “automated trading.” As a promoter of this transformation, Global Assets is committed to creating an efficient, secure, and transparent trading platform for global users, helping them maintain a leading position in the future trading market.
To learn more about the Global Assets AI Intelligent Trading System, please visit the official website and embark on a new era of intelligent trading!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities.
SOMERSET, N.J., April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —CareCloud, Inc. (the “Company”) (Nasdaq: CCLD, CCLDO), a leading provider of practice management, healthcare technology and AI-driven solutions to medical practices across the country, today announced the acquisition of RevNu Medical Management (“RevNu”), an emerging audiology-focused revenue cycle management (“RCM”) company based in Westminster, California.
“We’ve spent years building trusted relationships within the audiology community, and we couldn’t be more excited to join forces with CareCloud,” said Clay Gililland, founder of RevNu. “That experience has given us a deep understanding of the industry’s needs—insights we’re excited to put into action as RevNu joins CareCloud. As both the founder of RevNu and the owner of more than 30 hearing health clinics across Southern California, I’m confident that our clients and the broader industry will benefit greatly from CareCloud’s technology, automation, and scale.”
“The closing of RevNu marks a significant milestone in our acquisition strategy and a strategic expansion into a specialty care market lacking a clear leader,” said Stephen Snyder, Co-CEO of CareCloud. “RevNu’s deep expertise in audiology and strong, trusted client relationships make it an exceptional addition as we accelerate growth in underserved markets. By deploying our AI-powered revenue cycle management and advanced technology infrastructure in the hearing healthcare space, we are well positioned to expand our footprint, capture new market share, and accelerate CareCloud’s overall growth.”
The U.S. audiology market is believed to include approximately 24,000 employed audiologists and hearing aid specialists, with annual spending on hearing aids exceeding $5 billion. Despite this scale, the segment remains minimally penetrated by outsourced RCM and practice management vendors. RevNu—while still relatively small—is among the leading RCM providers in this space. With the added resources and technological depth of CareCloud, the combined entity is well-positioned to accelerate growth.
“Through this combination, our clients will gain access to CareCloud’s powerful suite of tools, advanced infrastructure, and culture of innovation—all of which will improve outcomes and unlock new growth potential,” said Daniel Davis, former CEO of RevNu, who will lead CareCloud’s growth as President of its new hearing healthcare division. “I’m excited to spearhead the expansion of CareCloud’s audiology and hearing aid billing division and build on the foundation RevNu has created to capture new market share and drive growth.”
The RevNu acquisition, like the MesaBilling acquisition closed a month ago, is expected to be accretive within ninety days. Consideration will be paid quarterly, based on retained revenue.
About CareCloud
CareCloud brings disciplined innovation and generative AI to the business of healthcare. Our suite of technology-enabled solutions helps clients increase financial and operational performance, streamline clinical workflows and improve the patient experience. More than 40,000 providers count on CareCloud to help them improve patient care while reducing administrative burdens and operating costs. Learn more about our products and services including revenue cycle management (RCM), practice management (PM), electronic health records (EHR), business intelligence, patient experience management (PXM) and digital health at www.carecloud.com.
This press release is for information purposes only, and does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains various forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to anticipated future events, future results of operations or future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “shall,” “should,” “could”, “intends,” “expects,” “plans,” “goals,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “possible,” “potential,” “target,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology.
Our operations involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, and any one of which, or a combination of which, could materially affect our results of operations and whether the forward-looking statements ultimately prove to be correct.
Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements reflecting management’s expectations for future financial performance and operating expenditures, expected growth, profitability and business outlook, the impact of pandemics on our financial performance and business activities, and the expected results from the integration of our acquisitions.
These forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are only predictions, are uncertain and involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our (or our industry’s) actual results, levels of activity or performance to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity or performance expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of the risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements, including without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to the Company’s ability to manage growth, migrate newly acquired customers and retain new and existing customers, maintain cost-effective global operations, increase operational efficiency and reduce operating costs, predict and properly adjust to changes in reimbursement and other industry regulations and trends, retain the services of key personnel, develop new technologies, upgrade and adapt legacy and acquired technologies to work with evolving industry standards, compete with other companies’ products and services competitive with ours, and other important risks and uncertainties referenced and discussed under the heading titled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, even if subsequently made available by the Company on its website or otherwise. The Company does not assume any obligations to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.
SOURCE CareCloud
Company Contact:
Norman Roth Interim Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Controller CareCloud, Inc. nroth@carecloud.com
Investor Contact:
Stephen Snyder Co-Chief Executive Officer CareCloud, Inc. ir@carecloud.com
ATLANTA, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fullstory, a leading behavioral data company, today announced the launch of its suite of cutting-edge solutions designed to help businesses surface deep customer and employee insights, drive decisions, boost performance, and optimize digital experiences at scale.
As digital interactions grow more complex, businesses often struggle to extract meaningful insights from vast behavioral datasets. Fullstory’s new solutions solve this challenge by leveraging AI agents across multiple products, providing organizations with the tools to act on customer and employee behaviors, eliminate friction, and power smarter AI models.
“Agentic AI isn’t about replacing human decision-making—it’s about accelerating it,” said Scott Voigt, CEO of Fullstory. “At Fullstory, we see a future where AI intelligently handles the busywork, spots patterns faster than any team could, and helps you act with clarity and speed. It’s not magic — though it might feel like it. It’s just better, faster ways to work.”
Introducing: StoryAI StoryAI, Fullstory’s collection of proprietary AI agents, is infused throughout its products. It helps businesses achieve more with their existing data, giving clients deep analytics–without the need for manual investigation–so they can accelerate personalization, optimization, and growth. With Fullstory StoryAI, customers can use AI agents to:
Streamline multiple-session reviews, simplify reporting, and identify funnel drop-offs
Proactively spot problems to prevent churn and accelerate revenue
Ask questions in natural language and get actionable answers instantly
Predict what users will do next and deliver personalized experiences that boost revenue
Detect fraudulent activity and take appropriate action
“StoryAI’s multi-session Summaries have transformed how we work,” said John Serrano, manager of IT digital operations at JetBlue. “No more hours of replays—Fullstory’s StoryAI instantly pinpoints where our users struggle, saving us time, improving our decisions, and helping us fix friction to give our customers the best experience possible.”
Introducing: Workforce Workforce gives Fullstory customers visibility into their employees’ digital tools and provides insights needed to optimize workflows for better productivity, reduced frustration, and improved digital employee experience. With Fullstory Workforce, customers can:
Understand the usage of internal tools, reduce under-utilized licenses, and consolidate redundancies
Identify employee workflows across tools, reduce process friction, optimize employee experience, and improve efficiency and productivity
Streamline internal support by providing IT with tools and context to help employees quickly and with ease
“Workforce gives me power through transparency. I now know the footprint of what applications are out there, how many, who’s using them, and the frequency in which they’re being used,” said Justin Hauschildt, director of enterprise applications and delivery enablement at Slalom Consulting. “It gives me compelling, objective data to demonstrate the business case behind spend and roadmapping decisions.”
Additional Product Updates Fullstory’s product suite delivers digital behavioral data and insights when and where their customers need them, giving businesses a comprehensive view of how users interact with their digital properties, and also now includes:
Fullstory Analytics – Fullstory’s flagship product assesses a customer’s mobile and web experiences, surfacing insights from digital behaviors that allow for experience optimization, improved satisfaction–and, ultimately, increased revenue.
Fullstory Anywhere – Can send Fullstory’s behavioral data directly into a customer’s warehouse of choice or can stream it in real-time anywhere in the customer’s ecosystem. With Fullstory Anywhere, customers can:
Integrate rich insights into other business data by exporting structured digital behavioral data into their data warehouse or cloud storage infrastructure
Leverage the power of their data warehouse to analyze massive datasets, uncover hidden trends, and use those insights to segment customers and personalize experiences at scale
Create intelligent applications and personalized experiences across any digital touchpoint by activating real-time behavioral signals and event streams
“Never before have business leaders had this level of holistic insights and the ability to act on them, all in one place,” said Claire Fang, chief product and technology officer at Fullstory. “Our new solutions completely reimagine what value behavioral data can bring to businesses. They are focused on driving timely actions with the power of behavioral data and AI. Spending days or weeks analyzing data and figuring out what to do is a thing of the past. I am very excited to share these capabilities with our customers to transform their digital experiences.”
Fullstory’s suite of AI agent-powered products is now available for enterprises looking to transform their customer and employee experiences. To learn more about Fullstory’s behavioral data products, visit www.fullstory.com/platform.
About Fullstory Fullstory is on a mission to help technology leaders make better, more informed decisions by injecting behavioral data into their analytics stack. The company’s patented technology unlocks the power of quality behavioral data at scale by transforming every digital visit into actionable data and insights. With Fullstory, enterprises can get closer to their customers’ true sentiments and intentions to predict what they want, create personalized experiences, and drive conversion, loyalty, and revenue. Fullstory is headquartered in Atlanta, USA, with regional teams across North America, EMEA, and APAC. For more information, visit www.fullstory.com.
Fullstory Media Relations Alexandra King Director of Communications pr@fullstory.com
Advanced capabilities strengthen data security, streamline workflows and accelerate document collection by nearly 3.5x
BURLINGTON, Mass., April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Progress (Nasdaq: PRGS), the trusted provider of AI-powered digital experience and infrastructure software, today announced purpose-built AI in Progress® ShareFile®, the SaaS-native document collaboration platform. Designed to enhance efficiency and strengthen data security, these features empower businesses to optimize workflows and boost productivity so they can accomplish far more with existing staff.
The ShareFile platform uses AI for powerful, purpose-built features, turbo-charging existing document-centric workflows and providing tangible business outcomes. While many businesses worry that AI could diminish human connections, ShareFile takes a customer-centric approach—automating low-value, repetitive tasks so teams can spend more time on what truly matters: building meaningful customer relationships. ShareFile enables its users to collect documents nearly 3.5x faster and extract the information they need from documents up to 96% faster.
“With ShareFile we are able to provide our customers with tools that significantly boost efficiency and quality in day-to-day work,” said Loren Jarrett, EVP & GM, Digital Experience, Progress. “We’ve developed AI-powered features that eliminate repetitive tasks, strengthen security and free up time for employees to focus on their most valuable work—collaboration, client relationships and strategic tasks.”
New AI-powered benefits include:
Minimize Accidental Data Leaks: With the secure share recommender, organizations can standardize secure data practices by automating safer share settings. This feature makes it effortless for employees to protect sensitive information with Personal Identifiable Information (PII) when sending and sharing files.
Accelerate Time to Insights: Eliminate tedious document analysis to focus on more revenue-generating work with document summarization and Q&A. Quickly analyze and transform lengthy documents into concise insights with a single click or question with document summarization and Q&A. By analyzing large documents instantly, these features help users extract key information without sifting through excess data, enhancing productivity and decision making.
Collect Documents More Easily: Document request list generation uses Generative AI (GenAI) to instantly create ready-to-send document request lists. This tool reduces the need for manual processes and Excel-based lists, allowing users to efficiently generate, standardize and scale document collection workflows up to 3.5x faster.
“We have a screening process which requires us to analyze tax returns of prospects to ensure we’re a good fit. With tax returns reaching around 200 pages, ShareFile’s AI document summarization quickly gives us the information needed, instead of spending an hour reading,” said Paul Nylen, Partner, Nylen & Partners, LLC. “Multiply that by numerous clients a week and you’re significantly creating business impact and productivity gains.”
The ShareFile platform leverages AI to boost front-office efficiency with automation and templates that streamline and help secure document workflows, while deeply embedding it into business processes for lasting impact. By automating tedious administrative tasks, the AI-powered platform frees professionals to focus on high-value work that drives success.
About Progress Progress (Nasdaq: PRGS) empowers organizations to achieve transformational success in the face of disruptive change. Our software enables our customers to develop, deploy and manage responsible AI-powered applications and digital experiences with agility and ease. Customers get a trusted provider in Progress, with the products, expertise and vision they need to succeed. Over 4 million developers and technologists at hundreds of thousands of enterprises depend on Progress. Learn more at www.progress.com.
Progress and ShareFile are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Press Contacts: Kim Baker Progress +1-800-477-6473 pr@progress.com
COLUMBIA, Md., April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tenable®, the exposure management company, today announced that it achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP®) authorization at the Moderate impact level for its Tenable One Exposure Management Platform as well as Tenable Cloud Security, underscoring its commitment to strengthening government infrastructure and reducing cybersecurity risk to support national security.
Tenable released Tenable One FedRAMP and Tenable Cloud Security FedRAMP to enable U.S. federal agencies to unify security visibility, insight and action from IT to the cloud to OT and everywhere in between. Tenable is a long-time trusted government partner with a deep understanding of the public sector’s unique needs and requirements. The new authorizations come just months after the availability of Tenable Enclave Security was announced. This solution supports the needs of customers operating in highly secure environments, such as those that are classified or otherwise air-gapped, and is built to support the strictest security requirements, including FedRAMP High and Impact Level 5.
Tenable One FedRAMP is a revolutionary cloud-based exposure management platform that unifies discovery and visibility into all types of assets and assesses their exposures and vulnerabilities across the entire attack surface. The platform unifies one view of risk across all assets, connects the dots between the lethal risk relationships that span solution silos, and brings together disparate teams with the intelligence they need to protect against attacks.
Tenable Cloud Security FedRAMP, the actionable cloud security platform, enables federal agencies to strengthen their cloud infrastructure by rapidly exposing and closing security gaps caused by cloud misconfigurations, risky entitlements and vulnerabilities. Tenable Cloud Security FedRAMP is a leading Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) solution that isolates and minimizes these risks at scale across infrastructure, workloads, identities and data in the cloud.
“As a trusted provider to the federal government, Tenable is dedicated to helping agencies advance their mission and modernize their approach to security,” said Bob Huber, chief security officer and president of Tenable Public Sector, LLC. “This FedRAMP authorization reinforces our commitment to continued innovation and accelerated adoption of cloud technologies in the U.S. government. We’re eager to work with federal agencies to evolve their approach to security and eliminate exposures that drive up cyber risk.”
About Tenable Tenable® is the exposure management company, exposing and closing the cybersecurity gaps that erode business value, reputation and trust. The company’s AI-powered exposure management platform radically unifies security visibility, insight and action across the attack surface, equipping modern organizations to protect against attacks from IT infrastructure to cloud environments to critical infrastructure and everywhere in between. By protecting enterprises from security exposure, Tenable reduces business risk for approximately 44,000 customers around the globe. Learn more at tenable.com.
SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, announced that it will hold a conference call to discuss its first quarter 2025 financial results on Wednesday, May 7, at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (4:30 p.m. Eastern Time).
Fortinet’s financial results conference call will be broadcast live in listen-only mode on the company’s investor relations website at http://investor.fortinet.com. While not required, it is recommended that you join at least 10 minutes prior to the event start.
The CEO and CFO’s prepared remarks, supplemental slides and a call replay will be accessible from the Quarterly Earnings page on the Investor Relations page of Fortinet’s website at https://investor.fortinet.com/quarterly-earnings.
About Fortinet (www.fortinet.com) Fortinet (Nasdaq: FTNT) is a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security. Our mission is to secure people, devices, and data everywhere, and today we deliver cybersecurity everywhere our customers need it with the largest integrated portfolio of over 50 enterprise-grade products. Well over half a million customers trust Fortinet’s solutions, which are among the most deployed, most patented, and most validated in the industry. The Fortinet Training Institute, one of the largest and broadest training programs in the industry, is dedicated to making cybersecurity training and new career opportunities available to everyone. Collaboration with esteemed organizations from both the public and private sectors, including Computer Emergency Response Teams (“CERTS”), government entities, and academia, is a fundamental aspect of Fortinet’s commitment to enhance cyber resilience globally. FortiGuard Labs, Fortinet’s elite threat intelligence and research organization, develops and utilizes leading-edge machine learning and AI technologies to provide customers with timely and consistently top-rated protection and actionable threat intelligence. Learn more at https://www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, and FortiGuard Labs.
Fortinet has not independently verified statements or certifications herein attributed to third parties and Fortinet does not independently endorse such statements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing herein constitutes a warranty, guarantee, contract, binding specification or other binding commitment by Fortinet or any indication of intent related to a binding commitment, and performance and other specification information herein may be unique to certain environments.
LEWES, Del., April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — John Snow Labs, the AI for healthcare company, today announced the release of Generative AI Lab 7.0. The update enables domain experts, such as doctors or lawyers, to evaluate and improve custom-built large language models (LLMs) with precision and transparency. New capabilities include no-code features to streamline the process of auditing and tuning AI models.
While the Generative AI Lab already exists as a tool for testing, tuning, and deploying state-of-the-art (SOTA) language models, this upgrade enhances the quality of evaluation workflows. With the ability to compare LLM outputs side-by-side, annotate specific text spans, apply structured scoring, and export results, domain experts can quickly and easily train or fine-tune LLMs downstream.
Key features of the release include:
Customizable project templates for LLM output evaluation with support for HTML content, including hyperlinks to references. Two modes are supported: individual and side-by-side response evaluation. Inter-Annotator Agreement (IAA) charts are also available for those projects.
Support forHierarchical Condition Category (HCC) coding enables users to streamline clinical risk adjustment workflows by automatically linking International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes to HCC categories, prioritizing high-value tasks, and validating codes more efficiently.
Comprehensive and configurable framework forevaluating AI models across dimensions like accuracy, bias, robustness, fairness, and performance—enabling users to identify model weaknesses, improve reliability, and streamline iterative model enhancement through automated test management, visual insights, and data augmentation capabilities.
Domain experts are often best positioned to develop AI-driven solutions tailored to their specific business needs. However, limited technical skills and resources can pose significant barriers to the adoption of AI solutions. The Generative AI Lab addresses this challenge by providing a user-friendly, no-code platform that empowers teams to build reliable models, identify potential failures, evaluate output quality, and responsibly integrate AI into essential workflows.
“Evaluating custom-built AI models and LLMs for specific use cases is complex and goes beyond relying solely on public benchmarks. Determining their efficacy, safety, and value requires targeted, context-aware testing to ensure models perform reliably in real-world applications,” said David Talby, CEO, John Snow Labs. “With the new structured evaluations and detailed feedback included in the Generative AI Lab, domain experts can improve model quality, reduce errors, and accelerate safe, scalable AI deployments without the support of a data scientist.”
Click here to learn more about Generative AI Lab 7.0 or register for our upcoming training session to see the new side-by-side response evaluation feature in action.
About John Snow Labs John Snow Labs, the AI for healthcare company, provides state-of-the-art software, models, and data to help healthcare and life science organizations put AI to good use. Developer of Medical LLMS, Healthcare NLP, Spark NLP, Spark NLP, the Generative AI Lab No-Code Platform, and the Medical Chatbot, John Snow Labs’ award-winning medical AI software powers the world’s leading pharmaceuticals, academic medical centers, and health technology companies. Creator and host of The NLP Summit, the company is committed to further educating and advancing the global AI community.
Contact Gina Devine Head of Communications John Snow Labs gina@johnsnowlabs.com
On Wednesday, Parliament adopted its 2024 annual report on human rights and democracy in the world, warning against the deteriorating global human rights situation.
Denouncing the rise of authoritarianism, totalitarianism, and populism, MEPs are deeply concerned by the increase in violations of democratic values and disregard for international humanitarian law.
They condemn the weakened protection of democratic institutions and procedures, and deplore the frequent political attacks on international institutions, censorship, threats towards independent media, and shrinking space for civil society worldwide.
They reiterate the strong support of the EU for the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court (ICC) as essential, independent and impartial jurisdictional institutions amid a particularly challenging time for international justice. MEPs also express their deep concern about the sanctions imposed on the ICC, which constitute ‘a serious attack on the international judicial system’. They call on the Commission to activate the blocking statute as a matter of urgency.
Parliament is concerned by the threat that artificial intelligence (AI) poses for democracy and human rights when not properly regulated, and MEPs are worried about how the internet is being used to restrict political freedom and undermine the integrity of elections.
The report also stresses the importance of protecting women’s rights, the respect of which is in decline, and MEPs deplore the discrimination and violence to which women and girls are subjected, including during conflicts.
It is the EU’s responsibility to defend universal democratic values
The text underscores the EU’s responsibility to continue defending universal democratic values and principles, human rights, international justice, and peace. It also outlines the tools available for that purpose, such as suspending European Neighbourhood policy projects that contribute directly or indirectly to human rights violations in non-EU countries, adding human rights clauses to trade agreements with third countries, and enforcing the EU’s global human rights sanctions regime (the EU Magnitsky Act). The EU has the means to promote and defend universal values, MEPs point out, and it is time to use them.
The text recommends increasing the resources available to the EU’s Special Representative for Human Rights. It also calls on the European institutions and member states to work more closely together on promoting and defending human rights.
The text was adopted with 390 votes in favour, 116 against and with 126 abstentions.
Quote
The rapporteur Isabel Wiseler-Lima (EPP, Luxembourg) stated: “Our world is entering a new era, one where international courts, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights are being constantly undermined. The EU must stand its ground and reaffirm these values, which are central to creating a world built on justice and respect. The European Parliament will never stop calling out these abuses and will do everything possible to support those who strive to protect democracy. The report we voted on today takes stock of the current situation of democracy and human rights, sets out the means we already possess to act, and outlines new measures to put in place”
Background
Every year, Parliament adopts three reports on foreign, security, defence, and human rights policies. These form the basis of Parliament’s contribution to shaping EU foreign policy.
On Tuesday, MEPs discussed the 2024 annual report on human rights and democracy in a plenary debate with the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. For a video recording of the debate click here (1.4.2025).
The voices of children across the continent will be amplified when more than 1000 children from the African region take part in the upcoming 2nd Biennial Africa Children’s Summit.
South Africa through the Department of Social Development, in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, will be hosting the second Africa Children’s Summit, scheduled to take place at St John’s College in Parktown, Johannesburg, from 4-7 April 2025.
The summit forms part of a series of activities during the country’s Presidency of the Group of 20 (G20), which will culminate in the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November this year.
The summit aims to promote child-centred dialogue and advocacy; empower children as agents of change and ensure inclusive and equitable participation.
It also aims to provide evidence-based policy recommendations; strengthen collaboration across sectors and regions on the continent; review and advance progress; raise awareness and mobilise for national and regional action.
The child-led summit, which aims to amplify the voices of children in policymaking and decision-making processes across the continent, is also aligned to the African Union (AU) Agenda 2040, and the recent Bogotá 2024 Global Commitment to Ending Violence Against Children.
With just one day remaining before the highly anticipated summit, Social Development Minister, Nokuzola Tolashe, said it was all systems go, ahead of the start of the summit on Friday.
Addressing the media on South Africa’s state of readiness to host the summit in Cape Town on Wednesday, Tolashe said of the 54 states in Africa, 17 have confirmed participation.
“The Summit will bring together 1 300 children from 10-17 years from all five African regions, with around 300 children expected to attend in-person and about 1000 children expected to participate virtually.”
She added that the landmark gathering is aimed at championing child participation and shaping the future trajectory of the African continent with inputs from children.
This follows the inaugural summit held in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2023.
The child-led summit emphasises the importance of children’s agency under the saying “Nothing about us without us”.
“The summit creates a platform … for accelerated action needed to realise the full enjoyment of the human rights and freedoms of all children on the African continent. Because it is led by children themselves, it gives them a collective voice to share their views and hold African leaders and governments to account on key issues affecting them.
“These include democracy, emerging technologies and climate change, promoting inclusive education for all children, [the]role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, addressing school violence [and] gender-based violence (GBV) against children, amongst others,” Tolashe said.
The Minister also highlighted that the child-friendly programme will feature a dynamic and inclusive structure that is designed to maximise engagement, encourage meaningful participation, and foster intergenerational dialogue.
The structure includes a blend of plenaries, panels, workshops, exhibitions, and cultural events, with hybrid components to enhance accessibility.
Children living with disabilities
The host has also ensured the inclusion of about 50 children with disabilities in the summit.
“Children with disabilities are among the most vulnerable people on the continent. Recent reports point to the harsh realities of their daily lives and that children with disabilities are twice as likely to be victims of sexual abuse as their non-disabled peers.
“Both the CRC [United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child] and the African Children’s Charter, put an obligation on the African State to promote the development of all children, [and] where possible prevent disabilities, and realise the rights of children with disabilities,” Tolashe said.
The CRC is a human rights convention that sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. It was the first international convention that the newly elected democratic government ratified on 16 June 1996.
Tolashe ensured the safety and well-being of the children attending the summit, as the State Security Agency conducted a thorough security vetting, including background checks of 82 caregivers who will be accompanying child delegates at the summit. – SAnews.gov.za
NEW YORK, NY, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The trading industry has long suffered from a gap in structured, personalized education. While information is widely available, traders are often left in a sea of fragmented resources, outdated strategies, and generic advice that fails to address the realities of live market conditions. Without direct feedback, many struggle with risk management, execution, and psychological barriers, leading to repeated failures in trading challenges and inconsistent performance. Hola Prime is taking a significant step by offering a level of personalized guidance that is virtually unheard of in the industry – one-on-one mentorship with seasoned trading professionals.
For the first time, traders will have direct access to some of the most experienced minds in the financial markets. This initiative is not about passive learning; it is about real-time assessment, expert feedback, and actionable improvement strategies tailored to each trader’s needs. Over 85% of traders report improved confidence and decision-making abilities after personalized mentorship. One-on-one mentorship provides traders with an opportunity to analyze their trades with professionals, identify weaknesses in their strategy, and develop a structured, data-driven approach to the markets. Whether it is understanding why a challenge was failed, adjusting risk parameters, or refining execution tactics, these sessions offer an unprecedented level of support.
Unlike generic trading courses or group webinars, these sessions are fully tailored to the individual trader. There is no other firm in the industry offering this level of direct, personal engagement with professional traders.
The initiative is backed by a panel of 20 elite trading professionals, each with decades of experience across multiple asset classes. Howard Friend, with over 30 years in financial markets, specializes in FX market trap trading and algorithmic strategies. Jannie Barwise, an expert in CFDs and futures, provides deep insights into asymmetric trading and volatility adaptation. Sam Saleh, a former institutional trader, shares his expertise in S&P 500 futures and order flow execution. Igor Milosevic, a quantitative strategist and PhD in machine learning, helps traders integrate algorithmic techniques into their trading systems. Michael Keller, a Forex day trading expert, guides traders in disciplined execution and structured risk management. Walter Anga, a gold and crypto trading specialist, teaches systematic, non-discretionary approaches to high-volatility markets. Richard Krugel, a recognized authority in Nasdaq and crude oil trading, helps traders refine technical analysis and market timing strategies.
Beyond mentorship, Hola Prime is also enhancing its educational offerings through live trading sessions and in-depth trading courses, focusing on real-market conditions and execution. Additionally, traders gain access to execution reports that provide full transparency on market conditions, including spreads, liquidity flows, and order execution dynamics. This ecosystem of education, mentorship, and live market insights represents a fundamental shift in how trading knowledge is delivered and applied.
Somesh Kapuria, CEO of Hola Prime, emphasized the firm’s commitment to bridging the knowledge gap in trading education: “Financial literacy extends beyond theoretical learning – it requires real-world application. Traders need structured guidance from professionals who have gained success in the markets, and we are committed to providing that through direct, hands-on mentorship.”
Himanshu Chandel, Marketing Director at Hola Prime, highlighted the industry-first nature of this initiative: “No one in the trading industry is offering this level of personalized mentorship. Traders don’t just need information; they need precise, expert-led feedback on their trading decisions.”
To mark Financial Literacy Month, Hola Prime is offering a 25% discount on $10K to $100K accounts.. Traders interested in personalized coaching can book sessions through Discord or the Hola Prime website. Given the exclusive nature of these sessions, early booking is advised as availability is limited.
TORONTO, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — POET Technologies Inc. (“POET” or the “Company“) (TSX Venture: PTK; NASDAQ: POET), a leader in the design and implementation of highly-integrated optical engines and light sources for artificial intelligence networks, today announced it has partnered with Lessengers, an innovative optical solution provider based in South Korea, to offer a differentiated 800G DR8 transceiver. The transceiver will include POET’s transmit and receive optical engines and Lessenger’s “Direct Optical Wiring” (DOW) technology for a cost-effective solution for AI and hyperscale data center applications.
POET will supply the highly integrated POET Infinity™ transmit and receive optical engines configured in an 800G DR8 architecture, which includes electronic and photonic components.
Lessengers expects to have transceiver samples ready for its customers to review in the second half of 2025.
“Like POET, Lessengers is bringing cutting-edge innovation to the market. It is a perfect partnership of companies that are finding new solutions by unlocking the vast abilities of optical technology. We’re thrilled to continue our growth in the industry through a co-development arrangement with a likeminded and truly inventive company,” commented Raju Kankipati, POET’s Chief Revenue Officer.
Lessengers Chief Marketing Officer Taeyong Kim added: “POET’s production-ready optical engines provide Lessengers with a high-quality component that allows us to bring more value to our transceiver customers. POET offers a complementary technology to Lessengers’ direct optical coupling that saves on costs and improves efficiency.”
The two companies’ booths are situated next to each other at the Optical Fiber Communications (OFC) Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California. POET is at Booth 5315 through the show, which ends on Thursday, April 3.
About POET Technologies Inc. POET is a design and development company offering high-speed optical modules, optical engines and light source products to the artificial intelligence systems market and to hyperscale data centers. POET’s photonic integration solutions are based on the POET Optical Interposer™, a novel, patented platform that allows the seamless integration of electronic and photonic devices into a single chip using advanced wafer-level semiconductor manufacturing techniques. POET’s Optical Interposer-based products are lower cost, consume less power than comparable products, are smaller in size and are readily scalable to high production volumes. In addition to providing high-speed (800G, 1.6T and above) optical engines and optical modules for AI clusters and hyperscale data centers, POET has designed and produced novel light source products for chip-to-chip data communication within and between AI servers, the next frontier for solving bandwidth and latency problems in AI systems. POET’s Optical Interposer platform also solves device integration challenges in 5G networks, machine-to-machine communication, self-contained “Edge” computing applications and sensing applications, such as LIDAR systems for autonomous vehicles. POET is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with operations in Allentown, PA, Shenzhen, China, and Singapore. More information about POET is available on our website at www.poet-technologies.com.
About Lessengers
Lessengers is an innovative optical solution provider, powered by its patent DOW technology, which enables cost effective direct optical coupling without the use of lens optics. This provides the most suitable solution for data center applications such as 800G/1.6T optical transceivers, active optical cables (AOCs), on-board, near packaged, or co-packaged optics.
Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains “forward-looking information” (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws) and “forward-looking statements” (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Such statements or information are identified with words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “potential”, “estimate”, “propose”, “project”, “outlook”, “foresee” or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding any potential outcome. Such statements include the Company’s expectations with respect to the success of the Company’s product development efforts, the performance of its products, operations, meeting revenue targets, and the expectation of continued success in the financing efforts, the capability, functionality, performance and cost of the Company’s technology as well as the market acceptance, inclusion and timing of the Company’s technology in current and future products and expectations regarding its successful development of high speed transceiver solutions and its penetration of the Artificial Intelligence hardware markets.
Such forward-looking information or statements are based on a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions which may cause actual results or other expectations to differ materially from those anticipated and which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the completion of its development efforts with its customers, the ability to build working prototypes to the customer’s specifications, and the size, future growth and needs of Artificial Intelligence network suppliers. Actual results could differ materially due to a number of factors, including, without limitation, the failure to produce optical engines on time and within budget, the failure of Artificial Intelligence networks to continue to grow as expected, the failure of the Company’s products to meet performance requirements for AI and datacom networks, operational risks in the completion of the Company’s projects, the ability of the Company to generate sales for its products, and the ability of its customers to deploy systems that incorporate the Company’s products. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information or statements are reasonable, prospective investors in the Company’s securities should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because the Company can provide no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information and statements contained in this news release are as of the date of this news release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise this forward-looking information and statements except as required by law.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
PALM BEACH, Fla., April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media GroupNews Commentary – Global and north American building products distribution market has been steadily increasing in past years and is expected to continue for the years to come. A building product report said that: “Looking forward to 2025 and beyond, there is cautious optimism for the building products sector following a year of foundational growth in 2024. The Federal Reserve has heeded data indicating lower inflation and a cooling labor market, opting to cut the benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points in mid-September. This was the FOMC’s first decision to ease monetary policy in four years, which, overlaid with market expectations for an additional 50 basis points of cuts by year-end 2024, has improved the outlook for construction spending and activity in both residential and non-residential markets moving forward.” It continued saying that; “The building products distribution market in North America and Europe is massive, topping $800 billion, and is expected to grow 5-9% through 2031, driven by private and public investment and economic growth. The building materials distribution market in North America and Europe is a massive market, topping $800 billion.” Active companies active in the markets include: Capstone Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: CAPS), QXO, Inc. (NYSE: QXO), CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: CX), Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS), Titan America SA (NYSE: TTAM).
The report added: “Through mid-October 2024, the residential building products market has been characterized by muted demand resulting in continued underperformance. The rapid rise in mortgage rates in 2022 and 2023 has created “gridlock” in the housing market – whereby existing homeowners, who would be sellers in a lower interest rate environment, have deferred transacting due to the historic differential between their existing mortgage rate (sub-4% for most), and current market rates (~6.5%). This “gridlock” has limited the supply of homes available-for-sale, keeping prices elevated. Record-high prices of homes available-for-sale, combined with higher mortgage rates, continues to put homeownership out of reach for many prospective first-time buyers, forcing them to remain on the sidelines until conditions improve. This has resulted in lower home sale activity, which has driven down renovation spending – much of which is performed in connection with the purchase or sale of a home. However, there is optimism on the horizon – September’s rate cut has the market on the precipice of a seismic shift, supported by structural long-term demand. As of the end of 2023, the shortage of single-family housing was estimated at more than 7.2 million units. With over 100 million individuals set to cross the median homebuying age of thirty-four by 2040, there is likely to be strong, sustained demand for new residential construction. “
Capstone Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: CAPS) Targets $100M Run Rate Increases Q4 Revenue and Executes Strategic Brand Expansion –Revenue Up over 8% in Q4 Year-Over-Year – Toro Stone Launched in 6 New States– Capstone Holding Corp. (the “Company” or “Capstone”), a national building products distribution company that has successfully grown its business organically and through well-timed acquisitions, announced financial results for the full year ended December 31, 2024.
Matt Lipman, CEO of Capstone, said, “I’m proud of the team’s execution and focus on growth in the second half of the year. As the parent company, our mission is clear: double the size of the business through targeted, strategic acquisitions – and we believe we’re well on our way. We remain focused on scaling efficiently.”
The Company is targeting an operating company revenue run rate by the end of 2025 of $100 million and Adjusted Instone EBITDA of at least $10 million. (The $100 million revenue and $10 million Adjusted Instone EBITDA numbers are targets for 2025 that include anticipated acquisitions. As these targets are dependent on closing acquisitions during 2025, the Company is unable to include a reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP results to the corresponding GAAP measures as they are not available without unreasonable effort due to the uncertainties regarding the future identification and closing of acquisition targets.)
Kevin Grotke, CEO of TotalStone, LLC (dba “Instone”), a wholly owned operating subsidiary of Capstone and its primary business activity, said, “I’m incredibly proud of our team’s execution and their sharp focus on customer acquisition and top-line growth. Their efforts have laid a strong foundation for continued success, and I’m excited to see the momentum carry into 2025 as we work toward achieving our ambitious goals – particularly the growth of our proprietary brands.”
Capstone continues to position itself as a premier, national platform in the building products space. The Company is expanding its geographic footprint, strengthening its portfolio of proprietary brands, and delivering exceptional value to customers and stakeholders alike.
FY 2024 Corporate and Operational Highlights – Set Acquisition Strategy for 2025:
Focused on Tuck-In Acquisitions, Sister Companies, and Platform Acquisitions
Deal environment and structures remain favorable
Acquisition multiples of 4-6x EBITDA
20%- 45% of consideration as non-cash
Majority of activity centers around strategic Tuck-In Acquisitions to accelerate Instone’s earnings. Multiple sister company opportunities currently under review
Q4 Revenue and Unit Volume Growth:
Instone delivered over 8% year-over-year revenue growth in the fourth quarter of 2024
Successful Launch of Toro Stone:
Installed 90 displays across 6 new states
Received orders from over 50 customers
Operational Efficiencies:
Completed targeted cost reduction initiatives
Achieved improved gross margins
For more details, see Capstone’s annual report on the Form 10-K, available online, here. A detailed power point presentation of the Fiscal 2024 Update and targets for 2025 can be found online, here. Matt Lipman has also recorded a discussion of the presentation that is available at the same website. CONTINUED… Read this and more news for Capstone Holding Corp. at:https://capstoneholdingcorp.com/news/.
In other developments and happenings in the markets recently include:
QXO, Inc. (NYSE: QXO)announced recently that it is extending its all-cash tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN) and amending the terms of its pending tender offer to reflect the terms of the previously announced definitive merger agreement between Beacon and QXO, including to increase the offer price to $124.35 per share in cash and reflect such other changes as contemplated by the merger agreement.
Beacon’s board of directors unanimously recommends that all shareholders tender their shares into the offer, and has amended its recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9 in support of the amended offer. The tender offer will remain open until 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on April 14, 2025.
CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: CX)presented its 2024 Integrated Report recently, titled Our Future in Action: Accelerating a Sustainable World, showcasing its operational and strategic performance in 2024. The year 2024 was marked by solid financial results, the recovery of Cemex’s investment-grade rating, and progress in its decarbonization agenda in alignment with Cemex’s 2030 targets.
In 2024, Cemex achieved the second-strongest sales and Operating EBITDA in its recent history, alongside the highest free cash flow after maintenance capital expenditures since 2017. The company also made significant progress on its decarbonization targets through its Future in Action program, continuing to lead the industry in profitable decarbonization efforts.
“Our global team’s focused and committed efforts have advanced a business model with sustainable attributes, seeking to ensure both environmental progress and long-term value creation for Cemex,” said Fernando A. González, CEO of Cemex. “This year’s report demonstrates strategic progress in executing our growth strategy, reinforces our commitment to our Future in Action program, and underscores the power of going beyond traditional social responsibility to support our climate action goals.”
Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS)announced recently that it will hold a conference call regarding 2025 first quarter results on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. ET. The conference call will be hosted by Masco President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Allman. Participants in the call are asked to register five to ten minutes prior to the scheduled start time by dialing 800-549-8228 or 289-819-1520. Please use the conference identification number 30320.
The 2025 first quarter results and supplemental material will be distributed at 7:00 a.m. ET on April 23 and will be available on the Company’s website at www.masco.com.
The conference call will be webcast simultaneously and in its entirety through the Masco Corporation website. Shareholders, media representatives and others interested in Masco may participate in the webcast by registering through the Investor Relations section on the Company’s website.
Titan America SA (NYSE: TTAM), a leading fully-integrated producer and supplier of building materials, services and solutions in the construction industry operating along the U.S. East Coast, recently announced its fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 financial results. Titan America SA, including its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, Titan America LLC, shall be referred to herein as “Titan America.”
“In our first earnings announcement as a public company, we are pleased to report strong full-year financial results, while continuing to invest in Titan America’s future growth,” said Bill Zarkalis, President & CEO of Titan America. “Our uniquely vertically integrated business model, comprehensive logistics network, and strategic positioning led to record full-year 2024 results, with our sales volumes outperforming the broader market. We’re confident about the long-term secular trends in our markets, including infrastructure modernization, resilient urbanization, and manufacturing reshoring along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. Looking ahead, we are poised for another solid year of growth and enhanced profitability in 2025.”
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DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM’s market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM was compensated twenty five hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by Capstone Holding Corp. by a non-affiliated third party. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.
This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected,” “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company’s annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.
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Omer, Israel, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Odysight.ai Inc. (Nasdaq: ODYS), a pioneering developer of AI systems for Predictive Maintenance (PdM) and Condition-Based Monitoring (CBM), today announced its participation in MRO Americas 2025, which will take place from April 8-10 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Company will present its cutting-edge aviation maintenance technology at Booth #5333 in the Main Hall (adjacent to Lounge B).
MRO Americas is one of the premier global events for the commercial air transport maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry, bringing together industry leaders, decision-makers and innovators. At the event, Odysight.ai will demonstrate how its AI/ML-driven solutions seek to revolutionize aviation safety and mission readiness through advanced visual sensing and analytics.
“We are excited to participate in MRO Americas 2025 and present our AI-powered predictive maintenance technology,” said Yehu Ofer, Odysight.ai’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our solutions empower airlines, MROs and defense operators to enhance operational efficiency, reduce downtime and improve safety with real-time, data-driven insights.”
Attendees are invited to visit Odysight.ai at Booth #5333 to meet the team and experience firsthand how its state-of-the-art AI/ML solutions aim to transform aviation maintenance.
For more information, please visit: https://www.odysight.ai. Investors interested in scheduling a meeting at the event, please contact Miri Segal at msegal@ms-ir.com.
About Odysight.ai
Odysight.ai is pioneering the Predictive Maintenance (PdM) and Condition Based Monitoring (CBM) markets with its visualization and AI platform. Providing video sensor-based solutions for critical systems in the aviation, transportation and energy industries, Odysight.ai leverages proven visual technologies and products from the medical industry. Odysight.ai’s unique video-based sensors, embedded software and AI algorithms are being deployed in hard-to-reach locations and harsh environments across a variety of PdM and CBM use cases. Odysight.ai’s platform allows maintenance and operations teams visibility into areas which are inaccessible under normal operation, or where the operating ambience is not suitable for continuous real-time monitoring.
We routinely post information that may be important to investors in the Investors section of our website. For more information, please visit: https://www.odysight.ai or follow us on Twitter,LinkedIn and YouTube.
Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 relating to future events or our future performance. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the Company’s intention to participate in the MRO Americas 2025 and revolutionize/transform aviation maintenance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Those statements are based on information we have when those statements are made or our management’s current expectation and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward- looking statements. Factors that may affect our results, performance, circumstances or achievements include, but are not limited to the following: (i) market acceptance of our existing and new products, including those that utilize our micro Odysight.ai technology or offer Predictive Maintenance and Condition Based Monitoring applications, (ii) lengthy product delays in key markets, (iii) an inability to secure regulatory approvals for the sale of our products, (iv) intense competition in the medical device and related industries from much larger, multinational companies, (v) product liability claims, product malfunctions and the functionality of Odysight.ai’s solutions under all environmental conditions, (vi) our limited manufacturing capabilities and reliance on third-parties for assistance, (vii) an inability to establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities to commercialize our products, (viii) an inability to attract and retain qualified personnel, (ix) our efforts to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection covering our products, which may not be successful, (x) our reliance on a single customer that accounts for a substantial portion of our revenues, (xi) our reliance on single suppliers for certain product components, including for miniature video sensors which are suitable for our Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor technology products, (xii) the fact that we will need to raise additional capital to meet our business requirements in the future and that such capital raising may be costly, dilutive or difficult to obtain, (xiii) the impact of computer system failures, cyberattacks or deficiencies in our cybersecurity, (xiv) the fact that we conduct business in multiple foreign jurisdictions, exposing us to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, logistical, global supply chain and communications challenges, burdens and costs of compliance with foreign laws and political and economic instability in each jurisdiction and (xv) political, economic and military instability in Israel, including the impact of Israel’s war against Hamas. These and other important factors discussed in Odysight.ai’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 26, 2025 and our other reports filed with the SEC could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Odysight.ai undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.
SHANGHAI and BURLINGTON, Mass., April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC) (“Cerence AI”), a global leader pioneering conversational AI-powered user experiences, today announced that it has received a Best Contribution Award at the 2025 ECARX Partnership Conference, held on March 11, 2025, in Hangzhou, China. ECARX, a global automotive technology provider partnering with OEMs to accelerate the future of software-defined vehicles, presented the award in recognition of Cerence AI’s extensive contributions as a trusted, long-term partner delivering cutting-edge, AI-driven solutions to ECARX and its OEM customers. This is the second consecutive year that Cerence AI has been recognized with this award.
ECARX and Cerence AI are long-term partners, having collaborated since ECARX’s founding in 2017 on automotive programs across a range of Geely brands, including innovative Audio AI solutions and multilingual support in vehicle infotainment systems – all contributing to Geely’s global expansion. This joint effort has also delivered advanced AI-powered voice assistants to enhance the driving experience in Geely’s Proton-, smart-, and Lotus-brand vehicles, as well as equip the entire Lynk & Co lineup with AI capabilities to appeal to the European market.
Most recently, the companies expanded their partnership to enable ECARX to deploy Cerence’s generative AI-powered solutions to create a more intuitive and integrated experience for smart drivers. In addition, leveraging Cerence AI’s extensive global language capabilities, the ECARX Antora 1000 platform – deployed in the Hongqi 007/009 models – featured enhanced voice functionalities, including English language speech recognition and text-to-speech capabilities in 17 languages, supporting Hongqi’s expansion into global markets.
“It’s an honor to be acknowledged for the second year in a row by our long-term partners at ECARX for our continuous effort and innovation,” said Christian Mentz, Chief Revenue Officer, Cerence AI. “Cerence’s AI-powered, intuitive solutions are a core component of ECARX’s innovative computing platforms. Together, we aim to consistently deliver unparalleled value to automakers, fostering the evolution of AI-driven user experiences across China and in global markets.”
To learn more about Cerence AI, visit www.cerence.ai, and follow the company on LinkedIn.
About Cerence Inc. Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC) is a global industry leader in creating intuitive, seamless, AI-powered experiences across automotive and transportation. Leveraging decades of innovation and expertise in voice, generative AI, and large language models, Cerence powers integrated experiences that create safer, more connected, and more enjoyable journeys for drivers and passengers alike. With more than 500 million cars shipped with Cerence technology, the company partners with leading automakers, transportation OEMs, and technology companies to advance the next generation of user experiences. Cerence is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, with operations globally and a worldwide team dedicated to pushing the boundaries of AI innovation. For more information, visit www.cerence.ai.
About ECARX ECARX (Nasdaq: ECX) is a global automotive technology provider with capabilities to deliver turnkey solutions for next-generation smart vehicles, from the system on a chip (SoC), to central computing platforms, and software. As automakers develop new electric vehicle architectures from the ground up, ECARX is developing full-stack solutions to enhance the user experience, while reducing complexity and cost.
Founded in 2017 and listed on the Nasdaq in 2022, ECARX now has over 1,800 employees based in 12 major locations in China, UK, USA, Sweden, Germany and Malaysia. To date, ECARX products can be found in over 7.3 million vehicles worldwide.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc. (TSX-V: DMGI) (OTCQB: DMGGF) (FRANKFURT: 6AX) (“DMG” or the “Company”), a vertically integrated blockchain and data center technology company, today announces its preliminary operational results for March 2025:
Bitcoin Mined: 32 BTC (vs 27 BTC in Feb 2025)
Hashrate: 1.82 EH/s (vs 1.71 EH/s in Feb 2025)
Bitcoin Holdings: 458 BTC (vs 443 BTC in Feb 2025)
Days non-firm power curtailed: 0 (vs 3 in Feb 2025)
DMG’s expected growth to 2.1 EH/s has experienced a slight delay. Currently, the Company operates 2 megawatts of S21 Hydro and S21+ Hydro miners, achieving a total fleet hashrate of nearly 1.9 EH/s. The next 2 megawatts are expected to be deployed by mid-April, following a minor delay in S21+ Hydro miner shipments, with the remaining 2 megawatt capacity scheduled for deployment by the end of April to accommodate the replacement of defective mining infrastructure components.
DMG’s CEO, Sheldon Bennett, commented, “Despite a several-week delay relative to our prior guidance in achieving our 2.1 EH/s hashrate goal, we are pleased with the performance of our hydro mining equipment and expect to complete this phase of expansion shortly. While we continue optimizing the growth and efficiency of our Bitcoin mining fleet, our primary focus remains on securing high-value AI offtake agreements and attracting new clients for Systemic Trust and Terra Pool to advance our carbon neutral Bitcoin ecosystem. We believe these investments will maximize long-term shareholder value as we execute our strategy.”
Grant of Stock Options and RSUs
DMG announces the granting of stock options and RSUs to employees and directors of the Company. A total of 428,170 stock options (“Options”) and 1,050,000 restricted stock units (“RSUs”) have been granted. The Options are exercisable over five years at a price of $0.24 per share, with vesting in 25% increments on the six-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month anniversaries of the grant date. The RSUs vest in one year; these grants are designed to create an incentive structure that aligns longer-term performance with the Company’s growth.
About DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc.
DMG is a publicly traded and vertically integrated blockchain and data center technology company that manages, operates and develops end-to-end digital solutions to monetize the digital asset and artificial intelligence compute ecosystems. Systemic Trust Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of DMG, is an integral component of DMG’s carbon-neutral Bitcoin ecosystem, which enables financial institutions to move Bitcoin in a sustainable and regulatory-compliant manner.
For additional information about DMG Blockchain Solutions and its initiatives, please visit www.dmgblockchain.com. Follow @dmgblockchain on X, LinkedIn and Facebook, and subscribe to the DMG YouTube channel to stay updated with the latest developments and insights.
For further information, please contact:
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Sheldon Bennett, CEO & Director Tel: +1 (778) 300-5406
For Investor Relations: investors@dmgblockchain.com
For Media Inquiries: Chantelle Borrelli Head of Communications chantelle@dmgblockchain.com
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains forward-looking information or statements based on current expectations. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release include statements regarding DMG’s strategies and plans, energizing the remaining 2 MW of hydro miners in April 2025, increasing DMG’s hashrate to 2.1 EH/s, securing highvalue AI off-take agreements and attracting new clients for Systemic Trust and Terra Pool to advance DMG’s carbon neutral Bitcoin ecosystem, the opportunity and plans to monetize bitcoin transactions and provide additional products and services to customers and users, the continued investment in Bitcoin network software infrastructure and applications, the expected allocation of capital, developing and executing on the Company’s products and services, increasing self-mining, increasing hashrate, efforts to improve the operation of its mining fleet, the launch of products and services, events, courses of action, and the potential of the Company’s technology and operations, among others, are all forward-looking information.
Future changes in the Bitcoin network-wide mining difficulty rate or Bitcoin hashrate may materially affect the future performance of DMG’s production of bitcoin, and future operating results could also be materially affected by the price of bitcoin and an increase in hashrate mining difficulty.
Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as “may”, “expect”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “believe” and “continue” or the negative thereof or similar variations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including but not limited to, market and other conditions, volatility in the trading price of the common shares of the Company, business, economic and capital market conditions; the ability to manage operating expenses, which may adversely affect the Company’s financial condition; the ability to remain competitive as other better financed competitors develop and release competitive products; regulatory uncertainties; access to equipment; market conditions and the demand and pricing for products; the demand and pricing of bitcoin; the demand and pricing of Gen AI data centers and usage; security threats, including a loss/theft of DMG’s bitcoin; DMG’s relationships with its customers, distributors and business partners; the inability to add more power to DMG’s facilities; DMG’s ability to successfully define, design and release new products in a timely manner that meet customers’ needs; the ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel; competition in the industry; the impact of technology changes on the products and industry; failure to develop new and innovative products; the ability to successfully maintain and enforce our intellectual property rights and defend third-party claims of infringement of their intellectual property rights; the impact of intellectual property litigation that could materially and adversely affect the business; the ability to manage working capital; and the dependence on key personnel. DMG may not actually achieve its plans, projections, or expectations. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the demand for its products, the ability to successfully develop software, that there will be no regulation or law that will prevent the Company from operating its business, anticipated costs, the ability to secure sufficient capital to complete its business plans, the ability to achieve goals and the price of bitcoin. Given these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The securities of DMG are considered highly speculative due to the nature of DMG’s business. For further information concerning these and other risks and uncertainties, refer to the Company’s filings on www.sedarplus.ca. In addition, DMG’s past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, failure to obtain regulatory approval, the continued availability of capital and financing, equipment failures, lack of supply of equipment, power and infrastructure, failure to obtain any permits required to operate the business, the impact of technology changes on the industry, the impact of viruses and diseases on the Company’s ability to operate, secure equipment, and hire personnel, competition, security threats including stolen bitcoin from DMG or its customers, consumer sentiment towards DMG’s products, services and blockchain and Gen AI technology generally, failure to develop new and innovative products, litigation, adverse weather or climate events, increase in operating costs, increase in equipment and labor costs, equipment failures, decrease in the price of Bitcoin, failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations, government regulations, loss of key employees and consultants, and general economic, market or business conditions. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Additionally, the Company undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of or statements made by third parties in respect of the matters discussed above.
LAS VEGAS, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ESET, a global leader in cybersecurity, is growing its Corporate Solutions business in North America with the appointment of Charles (Chuck) Everette as Field Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Following the recent appointment of ESET’s global Chief Corporate Solutions Officer Martin Talian, today’s news marks a significant milestone as the division looks to rapidly gain further traction in North America.
ESET’s Corporate Solutions division was launched globally in 2022 to deliver custom solutions and high-value threat intelligence for Fortune 500 companies and large enterprises to proactively defend against advanced threats. Featured at ESET World 2025, the Corporate Solutions team in North America and globally delivers highly configurable, scalable, and innovative solutions for customers operating critical infrastructure, providing financial services as well as government and defense organizations. This includes highly configurable, scalable, and innovative solutions designed for organizations delivering mission critical services. Specialized solutions offered by Corporate Solutions include but are not limited to:
Air-gapped instances for local sandboxing and threat analysis
Advanced scanning solutions for complex and high-volume environments
Long-life support aligned with customer’s product lifecycles
Integrated solutions for both homes and businesses
High-value cybersecurity advisory services
ESET Corporate Solutions excels in the design, delivery, and operation of these solutions and services, offering various levels of customization.
“Large Fortune 500 companies and North America enterprises have incredibly complex cybersecurity requirements, and Chuck brings the rare combination of visionary leadership, relationships, and hands-on expertise to drive momentum for Corporate Solutions locally,” said Martin Talian. “His deep technical knowledge and ability to communicate complex ideas to diverse audiences make him an invaluable asset to our organization and a trusted voice in the industry. We are thrilled to welcome him to the ESET team and to see this business reach its full potential in North America.”
Everette is an accomplished cybersecurity veteran with more than two decades of global IT security leadership. After starting his career as a hands-on practitioner in manufacturing and finance, he rose through the ranks to become a Deputy CISO of Fidelity National Information Services, where he oversaw 80% of the United States’ financial traffic and built a 60-person Security Operations Center (SOC) from the ground up. Everette has acted as a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 companies, municipalities, and venture capital firms evaluating cybersecurity investments. He has also worked extensively with federal agencies, including Homeland Security, and has been involved in addressing many of the most significant data breaches over the past 15 years.
“As a CISO and security practitioner myself, it’s important to me that I work with vendors known for technology excellence — and that’s what led me to ESET,” said Everette. “ESET is recognized across the industry for the strength of its products, in-house innovation, and unwavering commitment to its customers. I’m not coming in as a salesperson but as a peer who can relate to other CISOs because I’ve been in their shoes. I’m excited to help grow ESET’s presence in the North American market.”
A respected voice in the cybersecurity industry, Everette has spoken at prestigious conferences such as RSA and Black Hat, and has authored articles for Forbes and Dark Reading. His deep network of industry professionals and unwavering commitment to advancing cybersecurity make him a pivotal figure in the field.
ESET® provides cutting-edge digital security to prevent attacks before they happen. By combining the power of AI and human expertise, ESET stays ahead of known and emerging cyber threats — securing businesses, critical infrastructure, and individuals. Whether it’s endpoint, cloud, or mobile protection, our AI-native, cloud-first solutions and services remain highly effective and easy to use. ESET technology includes robust detection and response, ultra-secure encryption, and multifactor authentication. With 24/7 real-time defense and strong local support, we keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. An ever-evolving digital landscape demands a progressive approach to security: ESET is committed to world-class research and powerful threat intelligence, backed by R&D centers and a strong global partner network. For more information, visit www.eset.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.
LAS VEGAS, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — (ISC West Booth #29061), April 2, 2025:LVT (LiveView Technologies, Inc.), the leader of rapidly deployable security solutions, today announced multiple new capabilities powered by proprietary AI models that empower security teams to implement proactive, data-driven security strategies for 24/7 coverage in any environment. The capabilities, currently in beta, include industry-first agentic AI-powered personalized audio messages that automatically detect, validate, and deter by referencing identifiable features of an individual, a pan/tilt spotlight that intelligently points at a detection area, and an intuitive forensic search to find footage with simple keywords.
“Everything we’ve built at LVT and the countless hours we’ve spent training our AI has led to this moment,” said Steve Lindsey, LVT CTO. “For the last 20 years, our mission has always been to help make communities safer and empower security personnel to secure any environment across every industry. LVT’s proprietary AI models deliver on this promise and offer first-of-their-kind features that will forever reshape how teams optimize their resources to proactively deter crime and save lives.”
New LVT Unit features include:
Agentic AI-powered audio talk down uses situational context to issue a personalized audio message to potential bad actors, identifying the individual who triggered the alert by what they are wearing or holding. The lifelike audio comes in multiple voice options, and the fully automated capability minimizes the necessity of human intervention in order to detect, validate, and deter.
Intuitive forensic search in the LVT Platform allows personnel to find footage by searching with natural language, greatly accelerating the ability to analyze situations, gather evidence, and successfully prosecute.
Dynamic pan/tilt spotlight points at the detection area, providing greater visibility and drawing attention to where on-the-ground security personnel may need to respond. The optimal lighting also ensures the unit cameras capture the highest quality evidence of a situation while deterring bad actors from committing the crime.
Configurable strobe lights with settings for color, pattern, and intensity create distinct visual cues for security teams while enhancing the overall unit experience.
“LVT’s AI features redefine what’s possible in mobile security, and our proprietary detection models will continue to evolve rapidly in the coming months,” said James Bangerter, LVT VP of Product Development. “Security teams can now access more advanced deterrence features that provide 24/7 coverage and keep personnel aware of risks or incidents so they can make informed and effective responses. Simply put, no other mobile security solution offers AI of this caliber.”
ISC West attendees can visit LVT in booth #29061 to see these features and more in action, including SafeNow, a mobile-first experience currently in beta that allows customer employees to access LVT Unit features directly from their phones. Learn more about LVT and these new product updates at www.lvt.com/beta.
About LVT LVT (LiveView Technologies, Inc.) is a leader in life safety and security and the premier developer and manufacturer of mobile, solar-powered and cellular/satellite-connected surveillance solutions and software. Headquartered in American Fork, Utah, LVT’s enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution is used by retailers, critical infrastructure and utilities, construction projects, warehouse and distribution centers, police, municipalities, and more. LVT is proud to be made in the USA and manufactured in Utah. For more information, visit www.lvt.com.
Media Contacts: Matthew Deighton LiveView Technologies media@lvt.com
ATLANTA, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Monarch Private Capital (Monarch), a nationally recognized impact investment firm that develops, finances, and manages a diversified portfolio of projects generating both federal and state tax credits, welcomes James O. (Jimmy) Etheredge, former CEO of Accenture – North America, as a member of the firm’s Executive Management Committee and a Managing Director of Corporate Solutions.
With nearly four decades of experience working with Fortune 500 companies to transform their businesses, Etheredge brings deep expertise in corporate transformation and strategic growth. As CEO, he grew Accenture’s North America business to $30 billion. He will lead a strategic initiative to optimize renewable energy, historic rehabilitation, and affordable housing tax strategies and solutions for institutional and corporate investors. His board roles at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Southern Company, Encora, and Grant Thornton further position him to add long-term value to Monarch’s mission of delivering financial and social benefits through impact investment strategies.
“Joining Monarch is the culmination of a long-standing passion I have had for driving positive change through smart and innovative investments,” said Etheredge. “This opportunity allows me to leverage decades of financial experience, passion, and leadership to positively impact corporate America. I am honored to help Monarch scale its mission and align capital with real-world impact.”
“Jimmy’s ability to build lasting relationships and drive strategic innovation makes him an invaluable addition to Monarch,” said Robin Delmer, Partner, Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Monarch Private Capital.“His expertise in corporate growth and leadership in navigating evolving markets will strengthen our ability to deliver value to investors and the communities we serve.”
Beyond his executive leadership, Etheredge contributes to the Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta Police Foundation, and the Boy Scouts of America through nonprofit board service. A Georgia native, Etheredge holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he is a trustee and member of the university’s Hill Society.
Etheredge’s hire reinforces Monarch’s commitment to attracting proven business leaders who can help the company deliver unparalleled solutions to corporate tax equity investors.
Monarch Private Capital manages impact investment funds that positively impact communities by creating clean power, jobs, and homes. The funds provide predictable returns through the generation of federal and state tax credits. The Company offers innovative tax credit equity investments for affordable housing, historic rehabilitations, renewable energy, film, and other qualified projects. Monarch Private Capital has long-term relationships with institutional and individual investors, developers, and lenders participating in these federal and state programs. Headquartered in Atlanta, Monarch has offices and professionals located throughout the United States.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Advanced Flower Capital Inc. (Nasdaq:AFCG) (“AFC”) today announced that it has committed to a $14 million senior secured credit facility to various subsidiaries of Standard Wellness Holdings (“Standard Wellness”), a privately held multi-state operator of cannabis cultivation, processing, and retail facilities. $10.5 million of the senior secured credit facility was funded at close. Standard Wellness intends to use the proceeds from the loan to acquire a dispensary in Missouri, relocate a dispensary in Utah, and refinance and consolidate various debt facilities.
“Jared and the Standard Wellness team have proven to be astute capital allocators, and we are excited to support them as they continue to expand and optimize their business. As we continue to diversify our portfolio, Standard Wellness has many of the characteristics we are looking for in borrowers: a stable business in attractive limited license states, led by a battle-tested management team with a track-record of success,” said Daniel Neville, AFC’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Having closed on several debt facilities in the cannabis space, our team was extremely impressed with AFC’s working knowledge of the complexities of our industry. Their focus on meeting a tight timeframe to close and efficient approach to due diligence validated our decision to work with them and allowed us to cost effectively simplify our capital structure.” stated Jared Maloof, CEO of Standard Wellness.
AFC will hold the entire credit facility, which is secured by a first lien on all of Standard Wellness’s Utah operations and its dispensaries in St. Louis, MO and Cincinnati, OH, and a second lien on its Ohio cultivation facility. The collateral assets include owned real estate in Utah and Ohio and the value of those subsidiary’s cannabis licenses. AFC Agent LLC served as agent for this transaction.
In connection with the transaction, Gramercy Capital Group, LLC (through INTE Securities LLC) served as financial advisor to Standard Wellness.
About Advanced Flower Capital
Advanced Flower Capital Inc. (Nasdaq:AFCG) is a leading commercial mortgage REIT that provides institutional loans to state-law compliant cannabis operators in the U.S. Through the management team’s deep network and significant credit and cannabis expertise, AFC originates, structures, underwrites and manages loans ranging from $10 million to over $100 million, typically secured by quality real estate assets, license value and cash flows. It is based in West Palm Beach, Florida. For additional information regarding the company, please visit https://advancedflowercapital.com/.
About Standard Wellness
Founded in 2017 in Ohio, Standard Wellness is a vertically integrated cannabis company operating across Ohio, Missouri, and Utah, with cultivation, processing, and dispensary licenses in Maryland. The company operates five retail locations under The Forest brand and has been a pioneer in the industry, including making the first-ever legal marijuana sale in Ohio through its dispensary The Forest Sandusky and the first ever delivery to a Utah pharmacy in February 2020.
With approximately 350 employees, Standard Wellness is dedicated to improving quality of life by providing safe and legal access to cannabis for medical and adult use.
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that reflect the company’s current views and projections with respect to, among other things, market expansion and borrower activity and growth initiatives. All statements, other than historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Words such as “believes,” “expects,” “will,” “intends,” “plans,” “guidance,” “estimates,” “projects,” “anticipates,” and “future” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions and are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results. Certain factors, risks and uncertainties discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in AFC’s most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings, could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements.
