Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken Franchisee Plans 6 More Units in South Carolina
Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken franchisee Harris Mullis announced plans to open six additional units across South Carolina, expanding the brand’s footprint in the state. Mullis, who revived the Rock Hill restaurant in 2010, has been recognized as an Operator of the Year award recipient in 2022. The chain now operates more than 130 locations and is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The new sites are part of Mullis’s long‑term strategy to become a multi‑unit operator.
Free Cash Flow: The Signal and Not the Noise
Investors are turning to free cash flow (FCF) as a clearer signal amid AI‑driven market hype that has inflated valuations and capital expenditures for the Magnificent Seven. VictoryShares highlighted its two ETFs—VFLO, which tracks large‑cap firms with strong FCF yields,...
How Scotts Miracle-Gro Evolves Marketing as Gardening Goes Year-Round
Scotts Miracle‑Gro is reshaping its marketing to treat gardening as a year‑round activity, allocating $25 million to media, digital and R&D. The company reported a 4% drop in U.S. consumer net sales to $328.5 million in Q1 2026, yet beat estimates and expects...
‘Cracks Show’ as CDRH Staff Contend with Heavy Workloads
One year after the Trump administration’s sweeping HHS layoffs, the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) is grappling with severe understaffing and morale issues. Between September 2024 and January 2026 the agency shed roughly 21 % of its workforce—over 4,400 employees—leaving...
The Iran War’s Impacts on Global Fertilizer Markets and Food Production
The Iran‑Israel‑U.S. conflict has throttled shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for roughly 30% of global fertilizer trade and 20% of LNG. Prices for nitrogen‑based fertilizers and phosphate have spiked sharply as export hubs in Qatar and Iran...
Unifor Members at Two GTA Hotels Vote to Strike if Necessary
Unifor Local 112 members at Toronto's Novotel North York and Delta Mississauga have voted to strike if their employer, Vrancor Group, does not present a fair wage offer. The union says the current proposal fails to keep pace with inflation...
Irish Drone Delivery Firm Manna Confirms $50m Raise, Plans 400 New Jobs
Irish drone logistics firm Manna announced a $50 million Series B round, lifting total capital raised to $110 million. The financing, led by ARK Invest, Schooner Capital and the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, will fund the creation of 400 high‑skill jobs—300 in Ireland...
Episolo Launches AI App Builder for Revenue-Ready Web Apps
Episolo unveiled an AI‑powered app builder that lets founders and product teams generate revenue‑ready web applications in minutes. Users simply describe the desired functionality in natural language, and the platform auto‑creates a working app with authentication, payments, database, email workflows,...
Why ‘Billions to Trillions’ Has Failed to Attract Investment in Infrastructure
New research estimates the median social rate of return to building a kilometre of two‑lane highway in emerging markets at 55%, with a mean of 97%, far outpacing the roughly 7% private‑capital return in the United States. Despite this eight‑to‑fourteen‑fold...
A Century-Old Hardware Store Continues Under New Leadership
Paschal Brothers Hardware & Lumber, a Jacksonville staple since 1924, has been purchased by longtime vice president Corey Hunt and renamed Hunt Lumber & Supply. Hunt, who started as a floor sweeper in 1998, will lead the business under the...
IG Hires Finalto Trading CEO Andy Biggs as Trading Director
IG Group has appointed Andy Biggs, former CEO of Finalto Trading, as its new Trading Director. Biggs, who spent over 14 years in the FX and CFD sector and most recently led Finalto’s trading arm, will oversee the optimisation and expansion...
Sapiens Selects Industry Leader as Chief Marketing Officer
Sapiens International Corp appointed Eva Skidmore as chief marketing officer. Skidmore, a veteran B2B SaaS marketer from JAGGAER, Salesforce, Microsoft, will lead the global marketing team and embed AI into the go‑to‑market strategy. Her mandate is to unify marketing, sales,...
Datassential One Brings Real-Time Clarity to What’s Trending in Food and Beverage
Datassential announced a major upgrade to its Datassential One platform, adding an AI‑powered intelligence engine that links real‑time social conversation to actual market adoption for food and beverage brands. The new capability curates a "foodie" lens on influencer chatter, updates...
Empowerment or Exclusion? Navigating the EEOC’s New ‘Strict Neutrality’ Mandate
The EEOC sued Coca‑Cola Beverages Northeast, Inc. over a women‑only two‑day forum that provided paid travel, lodging and exclusive executive access, alleging sex discrimination under the agency’s new “strict neutrality” mandate. The lawsuit, filed on Feb. 17, 2026, challenges whether empowerment programs...
MSIG Takes Stake in Ancileo to Win Asia’s Travel Insurance Battle
MSIG Asia has taken an undisclosed equity stake in Singapore‑based travel insurtech Ancileo, forming a regional partnership to accelerate travel‑insurance distribution across Asia‑Pacific. The deal pairs Ancileo’s B2B2C platform—designed for seamless integration with airlines, OTAs and other travel sellers—with MSIG’s...
Polestar Hires Influencer Agency as Ad Reviews Kick Off
Swedish EV maker Polestar has appointed Pulse Advertising as its first long‑term influencer agency, tasking the firm with global creator strategy across EMEA, North America and APAC. The partnership follows a competitive pitch and coincides with Polestar’s ongoing review of...
Tisza Needs Supermajority Victory in Hungarian Elections to Unlock EU Frozen Funds
Hungary’s opposition Tisza party must secure a two‑thirds parliamentary supermajority in the April 12 election to reverse laws that have frozen roughly €18 bn ($19.44 bn) of EU funding. While polls show Tisza leading, merely ousting Prime Minister Viktor Orban will not suffice;...
WPP Media Launches AI-Driven YouTube Tool ‘YouTube 5K’
WPP Media, in collaboration with Google, launched YouTube 5K (YT5K), an AI‑driven solution that automates channel curation and creative versioning for YouTube advertising. The platform scans channels to generate a refreshed list of over 5,000 brand‑safe options and automatically creates...
Unilever Halts Global Hiring for Three Months
Unilever announced a three‑month global hiring freeze, effective immediately, as it grapples with uncertainty from the ongoing Middle East conflict. The pause follows a 2024 restructuring that cut about 7,500 office positions and reflects rising energy costs that are squeezing...
Our Voyage of Innovation: Reshaping Global Maritime Logistics
AELER has launched Unit One, a next‑generation shipping container built from advanced composite materials that boosts cargo capacity by 11% and cuts CO₂ emissions up to 20%. The container integrates an IoT‑enabled Control Tower platform delivering real‑time status and location...
NTG Nordic Transport Group Appoints Carsten Trolle as CEO of Air & Ocean Business
NTG Nordic Transport Group announced the appointment of Carsten Trolle as chief executive officer of its Air & Ocean business. The move follows NTG’s aggressive expansion, including the $70 million cash‑debt‑free acquisition of Aries Global Logistics last year. Trolle, a veteran...
How Dallas College Cut Hiring Cycle Time by 50%
Dallas College’s HR department, overseeing roughly 20,000 staff, slashed its hiring cycle time by more than half after a rapid AI‑driven transformation. By standardizing recruiting processes, eliminating 23 steps, and integrating Workday with Phenom’s AI‑powered CRM/ATS, the college boosted hire...
Banks Need to Get Serious About Climate Risk in Their Mortgage Books
Mortgage lenders are being urged to embed climate risk into underwriting as extreme weather events surge, threatening property values and insurance availability. In 2025, the United States experienced 23 billion‑dollar disasters, the third‑highest year on record, underscoring the financial stakes....
Digital Diplomacy: How Nations Are Collaborating on AI and Data
Nations are accelerating digital diplomacy to harmonize AI governance, data flows, and cybersecurity standards as the global digital economy surpasses $7 trillion. The Middle East is emerging as a strategic bridge, with the UAE launching a Regulatory Intelligence Office and Saudi...
Accounts in Transit: Matter Picks Up Clear Channel Outdoor
Matter has been appointed agency of record for Clear Channel Outdoor, tasked with expanding the out‑of‑home giant's earned media, social and thought‑leadership footprint. Marino will lead branding and executive storytelling for Hillpointe, a Sun Belt multifamily developer seeking greater market...
Beijing’s GL Capital Holds $385m First Close for Latest Flagship
Beijing‑based GL Capital announced a $385 million first close for its flagship GL China Opportunities Fund V, representing roughly 48% of the $800 million target. The fund, launched in September 2025, will focus on buyout investments across China’s high‑growth sectors. GL Capital...
New Balance’s Bruno Laroque Discusses the Brand’s TFL Takeover
New Balance launched its Ellipse running shoe with a 48‑hour takeover of Transport for London, converting Waterloo station’s Bakerloo platforms into an experiential zone. The activation featured a redesigned TFL roundel, run‑route maps, product sampling, and a dedicated homepage banner....
What Does Saab’s Operations Shake-Up Mean for Its New ‘Naval’ Chapter?
Saab announced that its Kockums and Naval Combat Systems divisions will merge into a single business area called Naval, effective 1 April 2026. The restructuring combines Kockums’ expertise in submarines, surface vessels and autonomous underwater vehicles with Naval Combat Systems’ combat management,...
The Iran War Hurts China Less than Its Rivals but More than It Admits
The article argues that the war in Iran harms China’s economy, but not as severely as its regional rivals, while China publicly understates the impact. It notes that Chinese officials continue to portray Beijing as a stabilizing force despite disruptions...
Inox Clean Energy Completes Acquisition of Vibrant Energy
Inox Clean Energy has completed the acquisition of Vibrant Energy for an enterprise value of roughly ₹5,000 crore (about $600 million), adding a 1,337 MW renewable portfolio spanning five Indian states. The deal closed in a record four months despite a volatile global...
GE Shipping Adds Medium Range Tanker to Fleet, Stock Closes up 2.92%
Great Eastern Shipping (GE Shipping) announced the purchase of a second‑hand Medium Range tanker of about 49,420 deadweight tonnes, built in 2014, with delivery slated for the first quarter of FY27. The acquisition will be financed entirely from internal accruals,...
Groupe Dynamite Delivers Record Fiscal 2025 Results, Revenue Surpasses $1.3 Billion
Groupe Dynamite reported record fiscal 2025 results, with revenue surpassing $1.31 billion, a 36.7% increase year‑over‑year. Comparable store sales jumped 26.7% for the year and 30.4% in Q4, while gross margin improved to 63.8% and adjusted EBITDA margin rose to 36.5%....
A Place for Mom's New CMO Has a Plan for the Millennial Caregiving Boom
A Place for Mom has appointed Chris Milone as chief marketing officer, tasking him with overhauling the brand’s outreach to the growing millennial caregiver segment. The company, which earns commissions by matching families with senior‑care services, plans to pivot from...
OpenAI Closes $122B Funding Round
OpenAI announced a record $122 billion funding round, pushing its valuation to roughly $852 billion. The round was led by Amazon, Nvidia and SoftBank, which together contributed $110 billion, with Amazon alone committing $50 billion. OpenAI said the capital will fuel compute expansion, research...
Keep Britain Working Update – Health a Shared Responsibility, Says GRiD
GRiD welcomed the latest Keep Britain Working update, highlighting that a growing number of UK employers are adopting scalable solutions to curb premature exits due to ill health. The government’s policy recommendation to create a national Workplace Health Standard is...
ISDA Responds to EC Call for Evidence on Tax Omnibus
On March 30, ISDA, the International Securities Lending Association and the Association for Financial Markets in Europe submitted a response to the European Commission’s call for evidence on the tax omnibus. They contend that divergent interpretations of “beneficial ownership” across...
Everest Group Taps Ross Tisnovsky to Lead CIO Practice Expansion
Everest Group has appointed Ross Tisnovsky as a partner to head the expansion of its CIO Research and Advisory practice. Tisnovsky returns after a 12‑year tenure at McKinsey, where he co‑founded the technology‑focused Solution Ignite unit. The move aims to...
AfDB Says Africa’s Growth Risks Were Tilted to Downside Even Before Iran Conflict
The African Development Bank warns that Africa’s growth outlook was already fragile before the Iran‑Israel conflict and could slip further. Chief economist Kevin Urama estimates a 0.2‑percentage‑point slowdown if the war ends within three months, rising to a 1.5‑point decline...
Suze Orman Says the Stock Market Is ‘Absolutely Being Destroyed’ by Oil Crisis — What Investors Can Do Right Now
Suze Orman warned that the U.S.–Iran war‑driven oil crisis is "absolutely destroying" the stock market, with crude prices soaring over 50% to about $100 a barrel. The S&P 500 has slipped 8.7% from its peak, while the Dow and Nasdaq sit...
CoinShares Starts Trading on Nasdaq Stock Market
CoinShares PLC, the digital‑asset manager with over $6 billion in AUM, began trading on Nasdaq on April 1, 2026 under the ticker CSHR. The listing resulted from a business combination between CoinShares International, the SPAC Vine Hill Capital Investment Corp, and a newly...
Power Plants, Politics and Profitability: PWM Tea Break
In PWM’s latest Tea Break, a senior executive discusses her investments in energy and water companies across Brazil and the Philippines, emphasizing confidence in developing economies. She notes that emerging markets are projected to generate the majority of global GDP...
There’s a Specific Kind of Exhaustion that Comes From Being the Person Everyone Relies on but No One Actually Checks...
The article highlights how individuals who become the emotional anchor in families, workplaces, or spaceflight crews face a hidden form of burnout that mirrors a single overloaded bridge cable. Research on caregiver burden, emotional labor, and emotional granularity shows that...
InterCosmos Bags Early Stage Funding From IAN Angel Fund for Its Non-Toxic Propulsion Technology
InterCosmos, a Chennai‑based space‑tech startup, secured early‑stage capital from the IAN Angel Fund to fast‑track its HyperX non‑toxic propulsion system. The undisclosed investment will fund development and flight qualification, positioning HyperX as a safer, high‑performance alternative to conventional toxic propellants....
How (and Why) to Give Your Team Time to Think
Modern workplaces are saturated with meetings, emails, and instant messages, leaving little room for deep thought. Microsoft research shows employees spend about 60% of their day on communication, while a Dropbox survey found only 8% regularly generate new ideas. This...
Nissan Urges that Low-Cost US Cars Can only Be Made in Mexico
Nissan Americas Chairman Christian Meunier told an industry forum that entry‑level cars cannot be built profitably in the United States without tariff relief, citing margins eroded by a $2,500‑$3,000 per‑vehicle duty. The automaker has already discontinued the Versa, leaving the...
Press Release: AccessPay Accelerates Growth with Majority Investment From Leading Software Investor, Accel-KKR
AccessPay, a UK‑based bank integration and payment automation SaaS, has secured a majority investment from private‑equity firm Accel‑KKR. The capital infusion will fund product development, scale operations and enable strategic acquisitions, positioning AccessPay to meet rising demand for AI‑ready finance...
Nike Cuts Tech Roles, Continues IT Efficiency Drive After Finops Wins
Nike announced continued IT efficiency measures, cutting additional technology roles after a $230 million severance bill tied to recent supply‑chain and tech layoffs. The company dismissed its chief technology officer in January and placed the new chief operating officer in charge...
Press Release: SAP Taulia Comments on UK Government’s Latest Crackdown on Late Payments
The UK government has introduced its toughest crackdown on late payments in over 25 years, mandating large corporations to report payment performance in annual filings. SAP Taulia highlighted that only 37% of suppliers are paid on time, a decline from...
Kingfin Affiliate Program Review: Deep Dive Into the Olymptrade Partnership Experience
Kingfin runs the direct affiliate program for Olymptrade, a licensed online broker operating since 2014. The platform offers a low $10 minimum deposit, 250 tradable assets and 24/7 support, making it attractive for emerging‑market audiences. Affiliates can choose from four...
Press Release: Afreximbank Launches Inaugural Accelerator Programme Cohort to Scale Africa’s Digital Trade Ecosystem
Afreximbank has launched the inaugural cohort of its Accelerator Programme, bringing together eight high‑potential startups from across Africa and the diaspora after a competitive selection from over 1,600 applications. The intensive kick‑off week in Cairo runs from March 23‑27 and...