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KT&G CEO candidate Kyung-man Bang receives positive evaluations from major financial institutions

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– Morgan Stanley and Meritz Securities expect Mr. Bang’s appointment to drive growth in core business areas and strengthen shareholder returns

SEOUL, South Korea, March 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Major financial institutions, such as Morgan Stanley and Meritz Securities have recently published analyst reports offering positive evaluations of Kyung-man Bang, KT&G’s CEO candidate. His official appointment is pending approval at the upcoming Annual General Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for March 28, 2024, as per the company’s recent disclosure.

Since last December, KT&G Board of Directors initiated a CEO appointment process. The Governance Committee and the CEO Candidate Recommendation Committee of the Board meticulously narrowed down the pool of CEO candidates from an initial longlist of 24 individuals to a first shortlist of 8, and to a final shortlist of 4 candidates. Ultimately, the CEO Candidate Recommendation Committee selected Kyung-man Bang, the current Chief Operating Officer and Senior Executive Vice President of KT&G as the final CEO candidate on February 22, 2024. The Governance Committee implemented open recruitment as one of the channels to form the CEO candidate pool, allowing individuals who meet the eligibility criteria to apply for the CEO position, and also accepted candidate recommendations from search firms.

KT&G Board of Directors explained that Mr. Bang is the most qualified candidate to navigate the company through market challenges and towards achieving its long-term vision of becoming a ‘Global Top-tier’ company, citing his extensive experience in the company’s overall business operations and significant contributions in shaping the company’s future vision. These qualities have also been highlighted in the recent analyst reports released by Morgan Stanley and Meritz Securities.

The Morgan Stanley report published on February 23, 2024 provides a favorable assessment of Mr. Bang’s nomination as the final CEO candidate and suggests a positive outlook for investors regarding his potential appointment. The report highlights that Mr. Bang has held various management positions since joining KT&G in 1998. His extensive experience includes roles such as Managing Director of Brand Management, Executive Managing Director of Global Headquarters, and Executive Managing Director of Strategy and Planning Headquarters. According to the report, Mr. Bang’s proactive engagement in investor relations activities, particularly his efforts to incorporate investors’ feedback to the company’s shareholder return policy, is highly esteemed.

Meritz Securities also issued an analyst report commenting that the company’s long-term growth strategies and shareholder return policies would be strengthened once Mr. Bang is appointed CEO. Meritz Securities pointed out that Mr. Bang played a pivotal role in formulating the company’s mid-to-long term growth strategies and shareholder return policy (2024-2026) unveiled last year. According to the report, Mr. Bang’s appointment would allow for leadership committed to expanding the global market presence and driving profitability of the company’s combustibles, Next Generation Product, and Health Functional Food business sectors.

KT&G faithfully executed on its three-year shareholder return policy worth KRW 2.75 trillion from 2021 to 2023, with Mr. Bang playing a crucial role in its implementation. As a result of proactive shareholder return initiatives, KT&G’s stock price has surged by around 13% over the past three years while the KOSPI index has dropped by approximately 12% during the same period. Last November, KT&G announced its New Shareholder Return Policy worth KRW 2.8 trillion that is in effect from 2024 to 2026. The new shareholder return policy encompasses KRW 1.8 trillion in cash dividend and KRW 1 trillion allocated for share buyback and cancellation. In addition to immediately cancelling newly acquired shares, KT&G also plans to cancel approximately half of its existing treasury shares over the next three years, resulting in the cancellation of approximately 15% of its shares issued.

 

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SOURCE KT&G Corporation

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2026 Canton Fair Design Award Winners Showcase China’s Innovation Strength

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the 140th Canton Fair opens, the winners of the 2026 Canton Fair Design Award (CF Award) have also been announced. Winning products are now on display in Area D of the Canton Fair Complex, offering visitors a closer look at some of the latest advances in Chinese manufacturing and industrial design.

Among this year’s top honorees, a domestically developed high-performance sport motorcycle and an intelligent navigation capsule robot gastric endoscopy system received the Best of the Best Award, the competition’s highest recognition.

The Canton Fair also enhanced the visitor experience with a themed showcase area within the award exhibition. Built around four application-oriented concepts, namely Outdoor Pleasure, Smart Living, Cozy Home and Kitchen Elegance, the immersive displays demonstrate how innovative designs can be integrated into everyday life, helping visitors better understand the practical value behind these award-winning products.

This year, 4,218 products from 2,112 companies competed for the award. Following multiple rounds of evaluation, 222 products from 174 companies were selected.

The award-winning products reflect several key trends shaping the next stage of Chinese manufacturing. Innovation remains a defining theme, with breakthrough technologies ranging from upper limb motor function assistance and enhancement system to exoskeleton robots, underscoring the growing momentum of high-end manufacturing.

Meanwhile, intelligent technologies continue to gain traction across industries. Smart products account for more than 30% of this year’s winners, with AI-powered glasses, intelligent conference terminals and smart healthcare devices extending AI applications across home, office, medical and outdoor environments.

Sustainability is also becoming increasingly embedded throughout the product lifecycle. Green products represent over 40% of the winning entries, while innovations such as integrated energy-saving panels and sugarcane paper demonstrate how environmentally conscious practices are being incorporated into product design, materials selection and manufacturing processes.

Established in 2013, the Canton Fair Design Award is widely regarded as a benchmark for design innovation in China’s foreign trade sector. The award recognizes products that combine design excellence with commercial value, promoting the transformation and upgrading of Chinese manufacturing and supporting high-quality trade development. Entries are evaluated across five dimensions: innovation, quality, functionality, aesthetics and sustainability.

For more convenient attendance, please click here for pre-registration:
https://buyer.cantonfair.org.cn/register/buyer/email?source_type=16

 

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SOURCE Canton Fair

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InstaMall Launches Same-Day Fashion Delivery Experience, Bringing 80+ Brands to Shoppers’ Doors in Miami

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First-of-its-kind shopping app pairs artificial intelligence with same-day delivery, bringing luxury
and contemporary brands directly to customers’ doorsteps 

Featured luxury and contemporary brands include AllSaints, John Varvatos and Aritzia

MIAMI, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — InstaMall, a first-of-its-kind shopping app offering same-day delivery and access to real-time inventory across luxury and contemporary fashion, launches today in Miami, Florida. Now available via iOS and Android, InstaMall provides access to more than 80 contemporary and luxury fashion brands across Miami’s five premier retail clusters, including Balmain, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Ganni, Coach, Diesel, Reformation, Aritzia, Cult Gaia, Prada and more. InstaMall will add more brands within the app in the coming weeks and seasons. 

Sitting at the intersection of fashion, technology and commerce, InstaMall brings inspiration and purchase together through a more dynamic way to discover and shop for fashion. The experience combines access to luxury and contemporary brands with the convenience of same-day delivery, bringing the speed customers have come to expect across categories like food and groceries to fashion while maintaining the brand experience retailers and shoppers expect.

Within the app, customers will have access to InstaMall’s AI-powered stylist and virtual try-on features, making it easier to browse, discover and shop styles online. InstaMall’s AI Stylist serves as an intelligent shopping assistant that responds to customers’ preferences in real time. Customers can use the AI Stylist to receive product recommendations, build outfits, ask questions and discover new styles, while its virtual try-on feature allows them to visualize select items on themselves before making a purchase.

“InstaMall was founded on the belief that the convenience customers have come to expect from same-day delivery should extend to the way they shop for fashion,” said Elliot Aboud, Founder and CEO of InstaMall. “As fashion and technology continue to evolve together, we saw an opportunity to create a more seamless shopping experience that brings customers closer to the brands they love, combining a curated assortment, AI-powered styling and virtual try-on with the ease and convenience of same-day delivery.”

Prior to founding InstaMall, Elliot Aboud helped build the Aroma360 and Hotel Collection brands, overseeing the launch of the first retail store and expanding the retail footprint to more than 30 stores across the United States and two in Dubai. InstaMall is bringing fashion and luxury to the next generation with its seamless shopping experience and wide selection of brands.

Customers can download InstaMall through the Apple App Store or Google Play, or by going to instamall.co.

About InstaMall 

InstaMall is a same-day fashion shopping and discovery app reimagining how consumers shop for luxury and contemporary brands. Sitting at the intersection of fashion, technology and commerce, InstaMall brings inspiration and purchase together in an experience that gives consumers a more dynamic way to discover and shop. Where on-demand delivery has long existed for categories like food and groceries, InstaMall brings that same convenience to luxury fashion for the first time, delivering the same day without compromising the brand experience fashion retailers and their customers expect. The company launched publicly in Miami on October 16, 2026, and plans to expand nationally. For more information, please visit instamall.co.

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SOURCE InstaMall

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PTC to Announce Fourth Fiscal Quarter and Full Year 2026 Results on Wednesday, November 4, 2026

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BOSTON, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) will release its fiscal 2026 fourth quarter and full year results on Wednesday, November 4th after the stock market closes. As previously announced on October 5th, 2026, PTC entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Schneider Electric. In light of the pending transaction, PTC is suspending quarterly earnings conference calls and is no longer providing quarterly or annual guidance.

The earnings press release and accompanying financial data tables will be accessible on the Investor Relations section of the company’s website at PTC Investor Relations.

About

PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) is a global software company that enables manufacturers and product companies to digitally transform how they design, manufacture, and service the physical products the world relies on. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, PTC employs over 7,000 people and supports more than 30,000 customers globally. For more information, please visit www.ptc.com.

Investors

Michael Maguire
mmaguire@ptc.com
investor@ptc.com

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SOURCE PTC Inc.

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