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LivePerson Founder Robert P. LoCascio Files Preliminary Proxy Statement, Nominates Two Highly Qualified Candidates Focused on AI and Enterprise B2B to the LivePerson Board of Directors

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Nominees Walter Bachtiger and Michal Czwarno Bring Much-Needed Expertise in Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge of LivePerson’s Operations and Deep Understanding of Evolving AI Market Dynamics

NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Robert P. LoCascio, Founder and former CEO of LivePerson, Inc. (“LivePerson” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: LPSN) and beneficial owner of approximately 2.4% of the outstanding shares of Company common stock, today announced that he has nominated two independent, highly qualified nominees (the “Nominees”) for election to the LivePerson Board of Directors (the “Board”) at the Company’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Mr. LoCascio has filed a preliminary proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

The nominees, Walter Bachtiger, Founder and CEO of TimeTrust, a Silicon Valley FinTech company and former LivePerson Vice President, and Michal Czwarno, a strategic technology business leader with substantial experience in global strategy formation and execution, would bring much-needed AI industry and Business to Business (“B2B”) experience to the Board.

LivePerson was at one time a leading AI company, but since August 2023, the value of its stock has fallen by approximately 80%, including a 47% single-day drop following the Company’s February 2024 earnings call in which management announced an unprecedented $100 million revenue loss due to customer churn. Further, Mr. LoCascio believes the Company undertook a debt restructuring plan in May 2024 that was dilutive to equity stockholders and increased the Company’s covenants restrictions and exposure to interest rates. There are also notable recent departures of key employees, especially from the Company’s data science team. The goal should be to reestablish LivePerson as a leading global provider in the conversational AI contact center space and the AI space overall.

Mr. LoCascio believes that a refreshed Board, with a deep understanding of LivePerson’s operations and the evolving market dynamics surrounding AI and the contact center sector, would allow the Company to regain a market-leading position and the confidence of its stockholders. Mr. LoCascio also believes that with the right strategic plan and Board composition, the Company can rapidly unlock the potential of its unique data and platform assets. Mr. LoCascio’s Nominees bring the relevant expertise, experience and knowledge to return the Company to its historical strategy of innovation, and bring an important and currently lacking stockholder mentality to the Board.

“I spent nearly three decades building LivePerson into an industry-leading conversational AI platform that was uniquely positioned to capitalize on the AI revolution, and the Company’s performance has not reflected that opportunity,” said Mr. LoCascio. “The current Board and management team would benefit greatly from a clear and cohesive plan around its operational and customer acquisition and retention strategy designed to reduce and prevent significant customer churn and restore value to the Company’s stock price.

“I remain confident in LivePerson’s business and am fully committed to helping restore the Company’s reputation. With the right strategic plan, spearheaded by the right Board and management team, LivePerson can regain its AI industry leadership and provide tremendous value to its stockholders. Walter and Michal both bring unique and direct understanding of the Company’s offerings, operations and rapidly evolving industry dynamics, along with relevant experience in key areas of the AI market. I know they would help quickly realign LivePerson’s focus to further drive innovation and reestablish it as the partner of choice for some of the world’s largest brands.”

Biographies of the Nominees follow:

Walter Bachtiger
A current LivePerson stockholder, Walter Bachtiger is a seasoned SaaS and B2B executive currently serving as Founder and CEO of TimeTrust, a Silicon Valley Fintech company. From 2022 to 2024, Mr.Bachtiger served as Vice President of Voice AI at LivePerson, where he researched and delivered chat support systems to Fortune 500 companies powered by various commercial and open source LLMs (Transformers/ChatGPT) AI systems. Previously, from 2009 to 2021, he served as Founder and CEO of VoiceBase, Inc.  before it was acquired by LivePerson. Since 2022, Mr. Bachtiger has also served on the advisory board of New Native AB, a fast growing Swedish AI investment and research company.

Michal Czwarno
Michal Czwarno is a strategic technology business leader, manager and entrepreneur with a proven track record in scaling software companies. Mr. Czwarno is the former Interim Head of GTM Operations, Enablement and Enterprise Strategy at Asana, a work management software company, where he served in 2023. Between 2014 and 2023, he served as President and Chief Revenue Officer at PageUp, where he led marketing, sales and sales development, professional services, customer success and renewals; and Vice-President of Expansion at DocuSign, a major document management software company, orchestrating key initiatives related to DocuSign’s vision, strategy, product marketing, operations and enablement efforts globally.

Media Contacts:
ASC Advisors
Taylor Ingraham / Morgan Davis
tingraham@ascadvisors.com / mdavis@ascadvisors.com
203-992-1230

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in any state to any person.  The information herein contains “forward-looking statements”.  Specific forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and include, without limitation, words such as “may,” “will,” “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “estimates,” “projects,” “potential,” “targets,” “forecasts,” “seeks,” “could,” “should” or the negative of such terms or other variations on such terms or comparable terminology.  Similarly, statements that describe our objectives, plans or goals are forward-looking.  Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties and assumptions.  There can be no assurance that any idea or assumption herein is, or will be proven, correct or that any of the objectives, plans or goals stated herein will ultimately be undertaken or achieved.  If one or more of such risks or uncertainties materialize, or if the underlying assumptions of Robert P. LoCascio (“Mr. LoCascio”) and Ikon LP (collectively, the “LoCascio Parties”) prove to be incorrect, the actual results may vary materially from outcomes indicated by these statements.  Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Mr. LoCascio that the future plans, estimates or expectations contemplated will ever be achieved.  Mr. LoCascio has neither sought nor obtained consent from any third party to use previously published information in this press release, including any quotes used in this press release.

Important Information
The LoCascio Parties, Walter Bachtiger and Michal Czwarno (collectively, the “Participants”) intend to file a definitive proxy statement and accompanying form of WHITE proxy card with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) to be used in connection with the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of LivePerson, Inc. (the “Company”).  Stockholders of the Company are advised to read the definitive proxy statement and other documents related to the solicitation of proxies with respect to the Company by the Participants as they become available because they will contain important information.  They will be made available at no charge on the SEC’s website, https://www.sec.gov/.

Information about the Participants and a description of their direct or indirect interests by security holdings or otherwise can be found in the preliminary proxy statement filed with the SEC on Schedule 14A by Mr. LoCascio on August 20, 2024.

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SOURCE Robert LoCascio

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Global AI Leader and Enterprise Transformation Visionary Zeya Ottomone Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Integrow

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Author of Empowered to Execute in the Agentic Era to Lead Next Generation of AI-Powered Enterprise Innovation

ATLANTA, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Integrow announced the appointment of Zeya Ottomone as Chief Executive Officer, marking a significant milestone in the company’s evolution as it accelerates its vision to become a global leader in Agentic AI-powered enterprise software and business transformation.

Integrow announced the appointment of Zeya Ottomone as Chief Executive Officer, marking a significant milestone in the company’s evolution as it accelerates its vision to become a global leader in Agentic AI-powered enterprise software and business transformation.

With more than three decades of executive leadership spanning Fortune 500 enterprises, global technology organizations, and enterprise software innovation, Ottomone joins Integrow at a defining moment in the evolution of artificial intelligence.

Widely recognized for helping organizations modernize operations, simplify complex business ecosystems, and deliver measurable transformation outcomes, Ottomone has led some of the industry’s largest enterprise modernization initiatives across ERP, CRM, workforce management, cloud computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and intelligent automation. His appointment signals Integrow’s commitment to redefining how enterprises execute strategy in the era of autonomous AI.

“Artificial Intelligence is no longer about automation alone, it’s about empowering organizations to execute faster, make smarter decisions, and fundamentally rethink how work gets done,” said Zeya Ottomone, Chief Executive Officer of Integrow. “We’re entering the Agentic Era, where intelligent AI agents become trusted digital teammates capable of planning, reasoning, collaborating and executing alongside people. At Integrow, we’re building the enterprise platform that makes that future practical, secure and measurable for every organization.”

Ottomone is internationally recognized as a leader in enterprise technology, SaaS transformation, digital modernization and AI-enabled business strategy. Throughout his career he has held executive leadership and C-level positions with ABB, Honeywell, AmerisourceBergen, Cable & Wireless, Chicago Tribune and Rimini Street, leading global organizations through large-scale transformation initiatives across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. His expertise spans enterprise applications, Salesforce ecosystems, ServiceNow, ERP modernization, customer experience, intelligent operations, data strategy, and the emerging field of Agentic AI.

Before joining Integrow, Ottomone led global SaaS Centers of Excellence focused on enterprise transformation, helping organizations modernize critical business operations while reducing technology complexity and accelerating innovation. A certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and recognized executive advisor, Ottomone has consistently delivered operational excellence by combining strategic leadership with emerging technologies to create sustainable business value.

His appointment also coincides with the upcoming publication of his new book, Empowered to Execute in the Agentic Era, which explores how organizations can bridge the gap between strategy and execution by leveraging AI, empowering people, and building intelligent enterprises capable of continuous innovation. The book reflects many of the same principles that will guide Integrow’s next phase of growth: human-centered AI, intelligent automation, operational excellence, and measurable business outcomes.

Under Ottomone’s leadership, Integrow will accelerate investment across:

Agentic AIEnterprise AI PlatformsIntelligent ERPAI-powered CRMHuman Capital ManagementIT Service ManagementPredictive AnalyticsAutonomous WorkflowsEnterprise CopilotsIndustry-specific AI Solutions

The company’s vision is to deliver a unified enterprise platform where AI is embedded into every business process, enabling organizations to eliminate operational silos, automate decision-making, increase productivity, and create competitive advantage through intelligent execution. “Zeya represents exactly the type of visionary leader required for the next generation of enterprise software,” said Harvey Nicholson, Chair of Corporate Governance and Member of Integrow’s Board of Directors. “His global experience, deep understanding of enterprise technology, and forward-looking vision for Agentic AI position Integrow to become one of the industry’s most innovative AI-powered enterprise software companies.”

Wayne Gadson, Chair of Growth Strategy, added: “The future belongs to organizations that can execute strategy with intelligence, speed and confidence. Zeya has spent his career helping enterprises achieve exactly that. His appointment marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Integrow, our customers and our partners worldwide.” As enterprises face mounting pressure to modernize operations, reduce costs, improve workforce productivity and harness the power of artificial intelligence, Integrow is uniquely positioned to help organizations transform through a single AI-powered enterprise platform that unifies finance, operations, customer engagement, workforce management, projects and service delivery.

“Our mission is simple,” Ottomone concluded. “We don’t believe AI should replace people. We believe AI should elevate people. The organizations that will define the next decade won’t simply adopt AI—they’ll empower every employee to execute better decisions every day. That’s the future Integrow is building.”

About Integrow

Integrow is a global enterprise software company delivering next-generation AI-powered business applications built on Salesforce. The platform unifies ERP, CRM, Human Capital Management, IT Service Management, Project Management, Field Service, Finance and Operations into a single intelligent ecosystem enhanced by Agentic AI.

By embedding artificial intelligence into every workflow, Integrow enables organizations to modernize operations, accelerate innovation, improve decision-making and execute strategy with confidence.

For more information, visit www.integrow.com.

Media Contact

Media Team, Integrow, Inc., 1 855-333-4769, info@integrow.com, www.integrow.com 

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SOURCE Integrow, Inc.

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Lufax Announces Board and Management Changes

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SHANGHAI, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lufax Holding Ltd (“Lufax” or the “Company”) (NYSE: LU and HKEX: 6623), a leading financial services enabler for small business owners in China, today announced changes to its board of directors and senior management, effective July 25, 2026.

Ms. Fangfang Cai (“Ms. Cai”), Mr. Shibang Guo (“Mr. Guo”) and Mr. Peifeng Li (“Mr. Li”) have resigned as non-executive directors of the Company and from their respective positions on the Board’s committees. Mr. Tongzhuan Xi (“Mr. Xi”) has resigned as an executive director, the chief financial officer and the authorised representative of the Company (“Authorised Representative”) under Rule 3.05 of the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (“Hong Kong Listing Rules”), with effect from July 25, 2026. Each of the four directors cited personal work arrangements as the reason for their resignation and confirmed there is no disagreement with the Board and no matter relating to their departure that needs to be brought to shareholders’ attention.

The Company has begun a search for a new chief financial officer. During the transition, the CFO’s duties will be temporarily assumed by the Company’s internal team to ensure continuity of the Company’s financial functions. Mr. Xiang Ji, an executive director and the Company’s chief executive officer, has been appointed as the Authorised Representative, the Company’s designated liaison with the Stock Exchange under the Hong Kong Listing Rules, in place of Mr. Xi, with effect from July 25, 2026.

The Board has appointed Mr. Wai Kin Chim (“Mr. Chim”) as an independent non-executive director for an initial three-year term commencing July 25, 2026.

Mr. Chim, aged 65, has over 40 years of experience in international banking and extensive board experience in Asia Pacific, having worked in Hong Kong, Singapore and Beijing. He specializes in risk management and internal control, with a strong emphasis on corporate governance, credit risk, market risk and capital management.

Mr. Chim served as a loan officer at Standard Chartered Bank, Hong Kong Branch, from October 1985 to August 1988. He was then employed by Bankers Trust Company, Hong Kong Branch, as a vice president of the Asia Credit Department from September 1988 to October 1996. He subsequently served as the managing director and the chief credit officer for Deutsche Bank AG, a company listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under ticker symbol DBK, for Asia Pacific (non-Japan Asia), from October 1996 to November 2006. He joined Bank of China Limited, a company listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange under stock code 3988, as the chief credit officer from March 2007 to March 2015.

Mr. Chim was an independent non-executive director of Standard Chartered Bank (China) Limited from October 2015 to October 2017. He served as an independent non-executive director of HDR Global Trading Limited, owner and operator of the BitMEX digital asset trading platform, from February 2021 to February 2022. Mr. Chim served as a non-executive director of China Chengtong Hong Kong Company Limited from July 2022 to June 2025. Mr. Chim is currently an independent non-executive director of OCBC Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, since November 2017; an independent non-executive director of Banco OCBC (Macau), S.A., since August 2023; an independent non-executive director of China Intellogis Technology Co., Ltd., since June 2024; and a director of Hong Kong Dance Company Limited since June 2026.

Mr. Chim obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1983 and an MBA degree from Indiana State University, USA, in 1985. He also graduated from the Senior Executive Program at Columbia University in 2000.

In connection with these changes, with effect from July 25, 2026, Ms. Cai will step down from the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, and Mr. Koon Wing Ernest Ip has been appointed as a member to that committee. The Company’s Special Committee will comprise Mr. Dicky Peter Yip, Mr. Koon Wing Ernest Ip and Mr. Siu Hong Cheng, continuing under the chairmanship of Mr. Dicky Peter Yip, with effect from July 25, 2026.

The Board would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Cai, Mr. Guo, Mr. Li and Mr. Xi for their service during the tenure of their office and warmly welcome Mr. Chim to the Board.

About Lufax

Lufax is a leading financial services enabler for small business owners in China. The Company offers financing products designed principally to address the needs of small business owners. In doing so, the Company has established relationships with 85 financial institutions in China as funding partners, many of which have worked with the Company for over three years.

Investor Relations Contact

Lufax Holding Ltd
Email: Investor_Relations@lu.com

ICR, LLC
Robin Yang
Tel: +1 (646) 308-0546
Email: lufax.ir@icrinc.com

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lufax-announces-board-and-management-changes-302834065.html

SOURCE Lufax Holding Ltd

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UMD Smith School Researchers Warn AI Security Lapses Highlight Urgent Need for Independent Oversight

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COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A series of recent AI security lapses—including the OpenAI–Hugging Face breach—raises a fundamental question, say a pair of researchers at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business: Can tech companies safely govern the powerful AI systems they build, or is stronger outside oversight now essential?

In its incident report, OpenAI confirmed that one of its experimental AI agents exploited a weakness in its testing environment while working on a routine benchmark task. The system wasn’t instructed to behave maliciously; instead, its persistence turned a small design flaw into a real escape. Earlier tests showed similar behavior, including agents that learned to bypass security checks by manipulating authentication tokens.

This pattern echoes findings from Dean’s Professor of Information Systems Siva Viswanathan at the Smith School, who studies how large technology platforms enforce rules. His research on mobile app privacy—published in Management Science—examined Google’s rollout of Android 6.0, which gave users more control over what data apps could collect. Developers were granted a flexible window to update their apps. Many used that flexibility to delay compliance for months, continuing to gather user data until Google imposed consequences such as lower search rankings and reduced visibility in its app store.

Viswanathan’s takeaway: when companies rely on voluntary compliance, self‑interested actors often exploit the slack. Real accountability requires pairing flexibility with firm, enforceable penalties.

That lesson now reverberates across the AI sector. As companies race to build increasingly capable systems, Viswanathan says oversight must treat these AI systems as strategic actors and must include strong safeguards that can pause or reverse a system before harm occurs.

He notes that a separate study from Anthropic underscores the stakes. In controlled tests, even an AI system designed to monitor another AI inherited the same flaws it was supposed to catch. In some cases, the “judge” model failed to flag clear sabotage because it agreed with the agent’s goals, allowing dangerous behavior to pass without human review.

Balaji Padmanabhan, Dean’s Professor of Decisions, Operations and Information Technologies and director of the Smith School’s Center for Artificial Intelligence in Business, extends Viswanathan’s governance argument into the realm of autonomous AI agents, warning that the same structural weaknesses now carry far higher stakes.

“The fact that this breach occurred organically without the AI agent being asked to be malicious is itself notable. Imagine what someone who actually intends to do harm can do. It’s also not terribly reassuring that the same firms we depend on for AI infrastructure, who are facing these issues, are the ones assuring enterprises that their systems with guardrails are perfectly safe,” says Padmanabhan. “We have to wake up to the fact that we’ve created capabilities that let software become as powerful as we want it to be—and then some. It’s time we seriously ask what’s needed to create an infrastructure to play defense well.”

Across the independent studies, the pattern is consistent, says Viswanathan: Voluntary compliance fails when the governed actor is more capable than the regulator. And AI systems cannot be governed by trust or good intentions alone. Oversight must be preventive, independent and capable of stopping harmful behavior before it spreads.

About the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

Contact: Greg Muraski, gmuraski@umd.edu

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SOURCE University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business

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