K-Beauty Pioneer Appoints a U.S. CEO
Olive Young, South Korea's top beauty retailer, named Gaeun Kwon as chief executive of its U.S. arm. The company will debut its first American store in Pasadena, California, in May 2026, followed by a preview location at Westfield Century City. A new logistics center in Bloomington, Calif., supports the rollout, while Olive Young will also launch a curated K‑beauty assortment through Sephora both online and in 650 stores. The expansion leverages Olive Young's AI‑driven skin analysis and omnichannel expertise to introduce Korean trends to the world’s largest beauty market.
Texas Carrier Serna’s Trucking Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Serna’s Trucking LLC, a San Marcos‑based carrier founded in 2006, filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition in the Western District of Texas. The filing lists debts under $3.4 million, qualifying it for a small‑business restructuring, and assets of roughly $545 k, dominated...
Why Fundraising Is Now More Crucial—And Risky—For Colleges Today
Colleges face intensified federal oversight of foreign gifts as data reveal billions flowing from nations like China and Qatar, while shrinking federal research dollars force institutions to lean heavily on private donors. High‑profile scandals—such as Bard College’s probe into ties...
Activist Investor Starboard Piles on Pressure for Lamb Weston
Lamb Weston, the global potato‑product supplier, is facing fresh activist pressure as Starboard Value, which now holds a sizable stake, urges a strategic review of its overseas operations. The New York‑based hedge fund recommends divesting select APAC assets and doubling...
Accor Announces Appointment of Laurent Choain as Global Chief People & Culture Officer
Accor has appointed Laurent Choain as its Global Chief People & Culture Officer, effective April 1, 2026. He will also sit on the Premium, Midscale & Economy Executive Committee, overseeing the group’s talent agenda and cultural transformation. Choain brings more...
Smartria Launches AI-Powered SmartReview and SmartAssist, Showcases New Capabilities at Future Proof Citywide
Compliance platform Smartria unveiled two AI‑powered tools, SmartReview and SmartAssist, integrated into its cloud solution for registered investment advisors and broker‑dealers. SmartReview automatically screens marketing materials for potential regulatory breaches, while SmartAssist provides a chatbot that answers SEC and FINRA...
Africa Gets Duty-Free Access to China – But Chinese Companies Win on Both Sides
Starting May 1, China will waive import duties on virtually all goods from every African nation except Eswatini, expanding a previous exemption for 33 least‑developed countries. The move, announced by President Xi at the African Union summit, is framed as...
Zimbra Appoints Cybersecurity Sales Veteran Anthony Chadd as CRO
Zimbra announced Anthony Chadd as its new Chief Revenue Officer, tasking him with scaling global sales, marketing and partner ecosystems. Chadd arrives with more than 15 years of experience driving growth in cybersecurity and SaaS, most recently at Vercara where...
Cotiviti Appoints Ric Sinclair as CEO; Dr. Emad Rizk Transitions to Senior Advisor
Ric Sinclair will assume the role of chief executive officer at Cotiviti on March 16, 2026, succeeding Dr. Emad Rizk, who moves into a senior‑advisor capacity after a decade of steering organic growth and major acquisitions. Sinclair arrives from Waystar,...
Hilton Garden Inn New York/Tribeca Sells for $69M
The Generation Essentials Group, a subsidiary of AMTD Digital, acquired the Hilton Garden Inn New York/Tribeca for $69 million and rebranded it as the AMTD IDEA Tribeca Hotel. The deal, announced jointly by AMTD Group, AMTD IDEA Group and AMTD Digital,...
Hutchison Sells Out of Macau as Losses Mount
Hutchison Telecommunications sold its 3 Macau unit to CTM for HK$110 million, ending two decades of operations in the region. The Macau business posted a full‑year 2025 loss of HK$43 million, nearly double the prior year, contributing to an overall group loss...
Nebius Names Dan Lawrence to Lead Expansion in the US as Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Americas
Nebius, the AI‑focused cloud provider, has appointed Dan Lawrence as Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Americas. Based in Boston, Lawrence will drive the company’s rapid U.S. expansion, scaling its go‑to‑market engine across strategic, enterprise, ISV and AI‑native...
SOLUM America Names Tim McCracken Chief Revenue Officer
SOLUM America has appointed Tim McCracken Jr. as chief revenue officer, merging sales and partner leadership under one executive. McCracken brings over 15 years of enterprise and channel sales experience, including a decade at Samsung where he managed $350 million in...
International Business Briefs | Saudi Arabia Joins Neighbours in Cutting Oil Output
Saudi Aramco has begun curbing output at two fields as the Strait of Hormuz bottleneck from the US‑Israeli war with Iran rattles global oil supplies. Meanwhile, Roche’s breast‑cancer drug giredestrant failed a late‑stage trial, sending its shares down more than...
TikTok Is Now a Search Engine. Here Is What That Means for Your Affiliate Program
TikTok is rapidly becoming a genuine search engine, with more than two‑in‑five Americans and 64% of Gen Z using it to find product information. Adobe Express research shows 62% of users favor video tutorials, while 39% seek product reviews, indicating a...
Europe Shouldn’t Fear Trade War with China, EU Agency Says
The EU Institute for Security Studies recommends an “escalate to de‑escalate” approach toward China, urging faster use of the Anti‑Coercion Instrument (ACI), the bloc’s most powerful trade‑defence tool. The report notes China’s growing trade surplus of €359.3 billion and its leverage...
KIVI CTV Names Felipe Cortelezzi as CEO to Scale Next Phase of Streaming TV Monetization and Expansion
KIVI CTV, a Latin‑American and U.S. ad‑tech firm, announced Felipe Cortelezzi as its new chief executive officer. The appointment comes as the company deepens its FAST (Free Ad‑Supported Streaming TV) footprint, leveraging exclusive partnerships with SOFA DGTL and a new...
Job Board Talk: Daniel O’Neill From Job Today
Job Today, a decade‑old Spanish job board founded by CEO Eugene Meesin after a food‑delivery staffing crisis, markets itself as a modern Craigslist for hiring. The platform streamlines direct communication between hiring managers and job seekers, reducing time‑to‑fill. It currently...
Langham Names Michele Grosso U.S. Operations Lead
Langham Hospitality Group has appointed Michele Grosso as regional vice‑president of U.S. operations, while he continues as managing director of The Langham Boston. In his expanded role he will oversee the company’s two U.S. brands—The Langham Hotels & Resorts and Eaton—working closely with...
Exit Interview: Marriott CFO Leeny Oberg Reflects on Decades-Long Career
Marriott International CFO Leeny Oberg is retiring after 26 years, including a decade in the finance chief role. She oversaw the 2016 Starwood acquisition that birthed the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program and guided the company through the COVID‑19 crisis. Oberg...
Any Attack on Innocent Seafarers Unacceptable: IMO Secretary-General
International Maritime Organization Secretary‑General Arsenio Domínguez condemned a series of attacks on merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, noting at least seven seafarer deaths and multiple injuries. He highlighted the missile strike on the tug Mussafah 2, which killed four...
Jump Expands AI Operating System for Advisors With New Products Powering Growth and Operations
Jump announced an AI Operating System for Advisors, bundling three new products—Meet, Grow and Operate—on a unified data and orchestration platform. The suite transforms meetings, emails and documents into structured, compliance‑ready intelligence and automates workflows across the client lifecycle. Over...
Scale Your Hybrid Teams With 7 Calendar Tips
Hybrid work’s promise of flexibility is being undermined by chaotic scheduling and uneven meeting experiences. A recent Owl Labs survey shows 59% of hybrid employees cite calendar conflicts as the top friction point. Experts from Atlassian and Slack argue that...
Fact of the Week – 3/9/2026
A recent ABC study shows that 90% of construction workers in 24 states were non‑union in 2025, amounting to roughly 9 million non‑union employees versus just under 1 million union members. The report also highlights a projected 349,000 worker shortage for 2026....
Irenic Hires Apollo’s Wang in Private Equity Push for Hedge Fund
Irenic Capital Management, a hedge fund known for activist campaigns, is expanding into private equity by hiring former Apollo Global Management principal E‑Fei Wang as managing director and head of private equity. Wang will lead efforts to execute buyouts and...
RNA Editing Startup Tacit Therapeutics Launches with $19M for Brain Diseases
Tacit Therapeutics, an RNA‑editing startup focused on neurological disorders, announced its launch backed by a $19 million financing round. The capital, led by Andreessen Horowitz and DCVC, will fund the development of ADAR‑based therapeutics targeting diseases such as ALS, Huntington’s, and...
Zoho MCP: Launching the Future of Work
Zoho unveiled the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a shared communication layer that lets AI agents orchestrate actions across Zoho’s suite and over 300 third‑party applications with a single natural‑language prompt. By exposing a standard API, MCP translates user intent into...
You Weren’t Born to Blend In — Here’s Why the Best Leaders Are the Ones Who Stand Out
The article argues that the most effective leaders distinguish themselves through authentic differentiation rather than blending in. It highlights how cognitive diversity, calculated risk‑taking, and strategic visibility create a competitive edge and foster innovation. Real‑world examples show that leaders who...
Artificial Intelligence and Aggregate Productivity
Recent speeches by Federal Reserve officials highlight artificial intelligence as a key driver of future productivity growth. They differentiate labor productivity—real GDP per hour worked—from total factor productivity (TFP), both illustrated in a FRED series covering 1988‑2024. Economists contend AI...
UHS to Acquire Talkspace for $835M as Hospital Operator Pursues Behavioral Health Growth
Universal Health Services (UHS) announced an $835 million acquisition of virtual behavioral‑health platform Talkspace at $5.25 per share, a 10% premium. The deal brings roughly 6,000 clinicians into UHS’s network, addressing chronic staffing shortages that have limited growth in its behavioral‑health...
Oil Prices Soar to $120 a Barrel as Iran Names New Supreme Leader
Oil prices surged to near $120 a barrel as Iran’s conflict intensified following the appointment of a new supreme leader, then retreated to about $106 for Brent and $103 for WTI. The fighting threatens production and shipping in the Persian...
Paramount Could Face a High Cost for Changing CNN
Paramount Skydance is pursuing the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s portfolio, which includes the news network CNN. CNN projects $1.8 billion in revenue for 2026, making it a valuable asset. Critics warn that CEO David Ellison’s close relationship with former President...
Leverage Launches AI Workforce Productivity Platform to Help Employees Find Information and Work Faster
Leverage announced an AI‑powered workforce productivity platform that links information across an organization’s existing applications and data sources. The solution lets employees ask natural‑language questions and receive answers, summaries, and automated outputs drawn from emails, documents, CRM, chats and more....
3 Giants Across Sectors Lift Dividends 15% or More
American Express, Waste Management, and Dell Technologies each announced dividend hikes of 16%, nearly 15%, and 20% respectively. The increases push yields to roughly 1.3‑1.7%, positioning the stocks as attractive income plays amid strong earnings momentum. Dell highlighted a record...
Reverse-Engineering the UniFi Inform Protocol
A former UniFi hosting provider discovered that the UniFi inform protocol includes an unencrypted MAC address in the first 40‑byte header. By extracting this MAC, he built a lightweight Go proxy that routes device inform packets to the correct tenant...
Air Cargo Turns to Trucks as Middle East Disruption Sends Rates Soaring
Air cargo networks across the Gulf are crippled by flight cancellations and airspace closures, prompting forwarders to reroute freight by truck, especially through Saudi Arabia. Freight rates have surged, with southern‑Asia to North America lanes up 36% and Asia‑Europe lanes...
CEAT Expands Workplace Policies to Support Women Across Career & Life Stages
CEAT, the tyre manufacturer under the RPG Group, has rolled out a suite of workplace policies aimed at supporting women throughout their careers and personal lives. The new measures include a paid menstrual wellness leave, 26 weeks of maternity pay,...
Veteran Fintech Executive Keith Todd Launches Sapphire Technology Group
Veteran fintech leader Keith Todd has launched Sapphire Technology Group Ltd., a London‑based firm built around the “Sapphire Doctrine” – a repeatable framework for high‑growth, stakeholder‑aligned transformation. The company will run two core initiatives: Sapphire Leadership, a C‑suite coaching program...
Survey: How Rising Review Expectations Are Reshaping Brand Reputation Strategies
The BrightLocal 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey reveals that 74% of shoppers now trust reviews from the past three months, while demand for 4.5‑star ratings has jumped from 17% to 31%. Consumers also expect at least 20 reviews before considering...
Taiwan's February Exports Rise for 28th Straight Month, Hit New High
Taiwan’s February exports surged 20.6% year‑on‑year to US$49.8 billion, marking the 28th consecutive month of growth and pushing the trade surplus to US$12.77 billion. The first two months of 2026 recorded US$115.57 billion in exports, up 44.5% – the strongest bi‑annual performance in...
ADP, Workday Top Best Companies for Women List
Comparably’s 2025 Best Companies for Women list placed ADP at the top and Workday at third, reflecting strong employee approval. ADP earned nearly 2,000 reviews with 91% positive, while Workday garnered about 900 reviews and a 94% positive rating. Both...
Fertilizer Prices Are Skyrocketing, Are Food Prices Next?
Fertilizer prices are soaring as the United States, Israel and Iran become entangled in a new geopolitical conflict, disrupting key Middle‑East supply chains. The spike mirrors the 2022 commodity shock triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which sent grain, fertilizer...
Bank CEO Earns Roughly a Year’s Worth of the Average Worker’s Pay in About a Workday
Royal Bank of Canada disclosed that CEO Dave McKay earned $22.09 million in 2025, roughly 30 percent above his target and equivalent to a year’s average Canadian worker pay in a single workday. The bank posted record earnings of $20.4 billion, a 25 percent...
EQB Nears Takeover of PC Financial Arm After Competition Bureau Approval
EQB Inc. received Competition Bureau clearance to acquire President’s Choice Bank and related PC Financial assets from Loblaw, moving the deal closer to completion. The transaction still requires sign‑off from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions and the...
Bond Supply, Issuance on the Upswing in 2026
The Bond Buyer’s 2026 Predictions report forecasts municipal bond issuance to surpass $500 billion, with many respondents arguing $750 billion or more is required to fund looming infrastructure needs. Overall supply, tax‑exempt and revenue bonds are all expected to grow, driven by...
What Successful Corporate Venture Capital Funds Do Differently
Corporate venture capital (CVC) units are proliferating as firms chase digital disruption, yet many dissolve within a few years despite solid investment performance. Research shows the primary cause is internal tension—balancing strategic insight, financial returns, speed, and risk compliance—rather than...
Richmond Sausages Cooks up Masterbrand Campaign
Pilgrim’s Europe has commissioned agency Joint to launch a masterbrand campaign for Richmond sausages, rolling out across out‑of‑home (OOH) and social platforms. The initiative, titled "The Big Richmond Sit Down," showcases real families and friends enjoying the product in everyday...
Islamic Development Bank to Fund Uganda’s Standard Gauge Railway
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is set to provide a €405 million concessional loan and co‑financing for Uganda’s first Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) phase, a 272 km electrified line linking Kampala to the Kenya border at Malaba. The €2.7 billion project, with a...
What Next for Chrysler and Alfa Romeo NA Following CEO Exit?
Christine Feuell, the chief executive of Chrysler and Alfa Romeo North America, resigned abruptly on March 5, citing personal reasons. Stellantis appointed Matt McAlear as her successor, giving him immediate control of both Chrysler and Alfa Romeo NA while he continues to...
CPP Wants More ‘Established’ Data Centre Platforms After Latest $4bn Buy
The request did not include the article text, only a placeholder indicating a pay‑wall prompt. Without the actual content, no details about CPP's interest in more established data centre platforms or the referenced $4 billion acquisition can be extracted.