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AAF WELCOMES NEW INDUCTEES INTO THE ADVERTISING HALL OF ACHIEVEMENT

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ISSA RAE TO RECEIVE SECOND ANNUAL CULTURAL FORCE AWARD

Class of 2024 honors individuals from agencies to marketers, and digital to media, who are leading the industry forward 

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The American Advertising Federation (AAF), the “unifying voice for advertising,” announced nine new inductees into its prestigious AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement (AHOA). The AHOA celebrates those individuals aged 40 and younger who are helping to lead the industry forward. They were selected following a months-long process that involved a rigorous review of the candidates by an esteemed group of industry leaders including former inductees and top marketers representing media, agencies, consumer goods, and social platforms. The Hall of Achievement Induction ceremonies and dinner, presented by TikTok, will take place on Thursday evening, November 21 at Pier Sixty in New York City. And for the second year in a row, induction ceremonies will take place in “prime time.” 

AAF’s Advertising Hall of Achievement recognizes amazing industry leaders making an impact on the advertising community

“The AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement, now in its 32nd year, provides inspiration and motivation to our members, and is another great example of why our industry’s future is so bright,” said Steve Pacheco, President & CEO of the AAF.  “It is the gold standard in identifying and recognizing amazing industry leaders who are making a consequential impact on the advertising community as well as being a cultural force for good.” 

This year’s list of inductees cuts across industries, companies, business size, culture, social media and more. They join a distinguished list of past industry honorees and include (in alphabetical order): 

Imani Ellis, Founder & CEO, The Creative Collective. Through her detailed event design and community building, Imani is revolutionizing the relationship between Black creatives and the experiential advertising industry. CultureCon is the largest community in the country for Black and Brown creatives, offering network opportunities for nearly 30,000 creatives every year. Imani’s passion to pour back into her community and create something bigger than herself is what fueled the creation of The Creative Collective, the community and engine behind CultureCon. 

Imani will also be the recipient of the Jack Avrett Volunteer Spirit Award for industry service. 

Bianca Guimaraes, Partner & Executive Creative Director, Mischief @ No Fixed Address. Bianca is one of the lead architects behind what has become the most in-demand creative department in the world at the agency, Mischief @ No Fixed Address. A Founding Partner, her biggest strength is to play angel’s advocate – finding ways to make the impossible possible. What started out as six people behind a Zoom is today five times Agency of the Year, the most effective Independent Agency, and multiple Most Innovative Agency winner. A career that started in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Bianca is the American Advertising Dream.

Sanja Komljenovic, Founder, CEO & Executive Creative Director, ONA Creative.  ONA was born in 2015 based on Sanja’s desire to focus on social change, especially as it pertains to women’s rights and representation for other marginalized groups. Standing for “her” in Bosnian, ONA has grown to include global brands like the Nike Jordan Brand, Ulta Beauty, US Soccer, WNBA and more, as well as the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and notable women-led startups. Sanja recognized the importance of gender equality and sports early on. “I am trying to build up other women and people who have been left out of our industry.”

Danisha Lomax, EVP, Head of Client Inclusivity & Impact, Digitas. “Can we stand for something?” This compelling inquiry has been a torch for Danisha, driving her actions within her team, workplace, industry, and community. Inspired by this pivotal question, she has taken the reins in embedding DE&I as a systematic and recurring element in all aspects of business – from social marketing practices to Inclusive Tech. Proactive by nature, Danisha is deeply involved with Boards advocating community development, dedicated to her agency and clients, outspoken about her views and fully committed to her perpetual journey of self-growth.

Karen Land Short, Global Executive Creative Director & Managing Director, Sustainability, Accenture Song. Karen’s goal is to make sustainability relevant and actionable for everyone. She kicked off her career as a national winner in AAF’s National Student Advertising Competition. Her work has created impactful change in the space of sustainability, including areas like female empowerment and equity, improving the quality of food in America, youth efforts for climate action, helping solar energy to be adopted, and participating in our democracy. Quite simply, Karen believes in the power of creativity to do good.

Neil Waller, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Whalar Group. A complete outsider who decided to enter the advertising world, Neil has forged a path for himself and influencers and creators as an unmistakable force in the ad landscape. Whalar Group has become the world leader in professionalizing the entire process of collaboration between creators and brands. He’s applied neuroscience to his work, fielded a first-of-its-kind Media Mix Model, and his company has been recognized as Most Innovative, a Best Place to Work, and Social Media/Influencer Agency of the Year.  And more.

Melanie L. Washington, Esq., Principal, Head of Global Contract Advisory, MediaLink. Few marketing leaders want to spend their time in contracts. But that’s where Melanie not only thrives, but innovates. At MediaLink, she established a new specialty practice – Contract Optimization and Risk Evaluation (C.O.R.E.), which has completely reshaped how brands, agencies and their legal teams structure deals, drive growth, and navigate the economic, regulatory, geopolitical and environmental issues challenging the industry. Known as the “Contract Whisperer,” Melanie has architected contractual terms that have influenced $45 billion of global media spend.

Marques E. Zak, Head of Multicultural Marketing, American Express. From Deloitte to PepsiCo to American Express, Marques is an award-winning marketing strategist and brand builder who operates at the intersection of creativity, culture and commerce. In his role at Amex, he has led the development of programs supporting underrepresented business owners, as well as conceived and executed differentiated experiences celebrating Black chefs, creators and culture. He’s passionate about recruiting and developing talent and serves in volunteer leadership roles at ADCOLOR, arts organizations, and his alma mater.

“No one opens the aperture of advertising like the AAF with its recognition of achievement and talent of all kinds from founders, culture creators, creatives, and wave makers,” said Christena Pyle, Co-Chair of this year’s AHOA Council of Judges, Chief Equity Officer at dentsu Americas and an inductee of the AHOA in 2021. “This class stood out for their focus on innovation, but not at the expense of impact and giving back. These are the leaders transforming and architecting the future of advertising. November will be an emotional night to remember.” 

In 2023, the AAF introduced the Cultural Force Award, a special recognition given to an individual meeting the same age criteria whose brand, business, or programs have proven to be a cultural force that has influenced the way we advertise, market, or reach new audiences. The inaugural recipient was NBA All-Star, author, and entrepreneur, Chris Paul. The second recipient who will be part of the 2024 Class of Inductees is Issa Rae: writer, producer, actress and entrepreneur.

Tim Natividad, Co-Chair of the 2024 AHOA Council of Judges and GM, US Head of Enterprise Sales at TikTok, noted, “What makes this year’s Hall of Achievement class truly special is the diverse representation across all of the contributors in the greater advertising ecosystem. We also have inductees coming from the emerging and growing Creator community. No one represents this trend in creator-led cultural influence better than Issa Rae, whom we are excited to present the Cultural Force Award. Her journey from creator to entertainer represents the game changing contributions that other Hall of Achievement inductees have pioneered in their own respective fields.”

Each of the 2024 honorees will be featured on upcoming segments of Future Legends of Advertising, AAF’s hugely popular podcast series co-produced by iHeartMedia and Known, and in its third season.  The series pairs AAF Hall of Fame and Hall of Achievement honorees in toe-to-toe conversations focused on the most pressing industry issues of the moment.  Listen to Seasons 1 and 2 here.     

The November induction ceremonies bring the event’s first-ever presenting sponsor and one of AAF’s longtime corporate partners, TikTok. Amazon Advertising, ClearChannel Outdoor, dentsu, Digitas, Google, iHeartMedia, Known agency, MediaLink (a UTA Company), Omnicom and Spotify have also signed on as sponsors of the Ceremonies & Dinner. For further details about the AHOA dinner and ceremonies in November including sponsorship opportunities, visit www.aaf.org/ahoa

ABOUT AAF  

The AAF’s Board of Directors guides and oversees the Federation’s signature events and initiatives, including the Advertising Hall of Fame, Advertising Hall of Achievement, American Advertising Awards, Mosaic Awards, ADMERICA, Advertising Day on the Hill, Most Promising Multicultural Students Program, and HBCUs for Advertising – all serving the Federation’s 35,000+ professional members nationwide, 5,000+ students and educators, and more than 60+ corporate members spanning media and tech companies, advertisers and agencies. Established in 1905, the American Advertising Federation (AAF), acts as the “Unifying Voice for Advertising.” Visit https://aaf.org

ABOUT AAF ADVERTISING HALL OF ACHIEVEMENT (AHOA)

For over 30 years, the Advertising Hall of Achievement has long been the gold standard in recognizing professionals aged 40 and younger making a notable impact on the advertising industry. Individuals who meet the given criteria are nominated for consideration for induction, and a Council of Judges made up of AHOA alumni and top industry executives elects the inductees after two rounds of voting. The Advertising Hall of Achievement was established and is executed by the AAF, the same organization that carries out the Advertising Hall of Fame. 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aaf-welcomes-new-inductees-into-the-advertising-hall-of-achievement-302227855.html

SOURCE American Advertising Federation

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Marquis Who’s Who Honors Rupin Chothani for Engineering Leadership

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UNIONDALE, N.Y., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Marquis Who’s Who honors Rupin Chothani for his leadership in engineering and project management. With more than two decades of professional experience to his credit, Mr. Chothani leverages a unique expertise in fire and petrochemical solutions to find success in his field. As project manager, project engineer and proposal manager at Technip Energies N.V., Mr. Chothani ensures effective results.

Drawn to Engineering

Coming from a family of engineers, Mr. Chothani was naturally drawn to the profession. This inclination was reinforced by comprehensive aptitude and attitude tests administered at the age of 14, which highlighted his strengths in engineering and architecture. Ultimately, this direction reinforced his determination to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.

By 2003, Mr. Chothani earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Mumbai. After a brief role as a junior manufacturing engineer at Artech Cooling Tower Pvt. Ltd., he completed a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bridgeport in 2006. In addition to these degrees, Mr. Chothani later achieved AutoCAD certification.

Following his graduation in 2006, Mr. Chothani joined CB&I Lummus / ABB Lummus Heat Transfer (now Lummus Technology) as a thermal engineer. Though his work at Lummus Technology lasted only three years, Mr. Chothani was greatly influenced by mentor figures at the company. These mentors, including Ken Catala, Peter Harvard, Chin Dang and Miller Alanath Carter, provided essential guidance.

Building a Family

In December 2008, Mr. Chothani married his wife, Cathy. Along with his son and daughter, his family has contributed richly to his success in engineering and they continue to inspire him to excel. In addition to their support, Mr. Chothani recognizes that there is no alternative to hard work and dedicated learning.

From Lummus Technology to Technip Energies N.V.

Following his work at Lummus Technology, Mr. Chothani worked with Maco Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. By 2011, he joined Complete Heat Transfer Solutions – Environ Energy Systems as a thermal and mechanical engineer. By 2013, Mr. Chothani became a part of Technip Energies N.V. as a furnace mechanical engineer. By 2023, he added to this role and became a project manager, project engineer and proposal manager at the company.

In his current role at Technip Energies N.V., Mr. Chothani is responsible for a variety of essential duties. He manages and executes on engineering projects for ethylene cracking furnaces and heaters, and oversees proprietary technologies. Additionally, he actively coordinates with procurement, logistics, mechanical engineering and process engineering teams to ensure effective results.

Plans for the Future

Moving forward, Mr. Chothani hopes to advance his project management skills, particularly within the firejet industry. At the same time, he aims to share his knowledge of the industry with the next generation of professionals. Outside of his professional ambitions, Mr. Chothani intends to prepare his children to find success, inspiring them and their peers with hands-on experiments and full-day events.

About Marquis Who’s Who®:

Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms worldwide. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

Marquis Who’s Who
Uniondale, NY
(844) 394 – 6946
info@marquiswhoswho.com
www.marquiswhoswho.com

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COALITION OF INDEPENDENT INTERNET PROVIDERS ASKS CRTC TO FIX ERRORS IN WHOLESALE FIBRE RATES

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Coalition of competitive ISPs say current fibre rates make competition impossible and threatens to harm millions of Canadian consumers

CHATHAM, ON, July 23, 2026 /CNW/ — A coalition of independent internet service providers (the Coalition) led by TekSavvy Solutions Inc. (TekSavvy) today applied to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to review and vary Telecom Order 2026-77, which set final wholesale rates for fibre internet services. In that decision, the CRTC approved wholesale rates for fibre internet services that are higher than the retail prices charged by the large carriers. This makes competition impossible, as independent providers are forced to either sell at a loss or set prices above the large carriers, leaving millions of Canadian consumers without competitive options for essential internet services.

The application identifies key errors that led the CRTC to approve severely inflated final wholesale rates, which make it economically impossible for independent providers to compete. The Coalition argues that the CRTC’s incorrect rates negate the very purpose of Canada’s wholesale framework, which is to foster competition in retail broadband markets. Specifically, the Coalition asks the CRTC to make three key changes to Telecom Order 2026-77:

Eliminate one cost factor that is inconsistent with the CRTC’s established costing principles, which artificially increased fibre wholesale rates by an estimated 25% to 30% (the Adjustment Factor).Reduce another element of the costing that is inflated above reasonable levels: The Coalition calls on the CRTC to reduce the markup applied to wholesale fibre services from 30% to 15%, reflecting declining costs, operational efficiencies, and the need to support competition.Correct technical errors relating to certain wholesale fibre speed descriptions.

“Canadians were promised greater competition for fibre internet services, but these rates make competition impossible.” said Andy Kaplan-Myrth, TekSavvy’s Vice President of Regulatory and Carrier Affairs. “The CRTC must correct these errors to ensure its wholesale rates promote broadband competition that challenges the market power of monopoly incumbents, lowers prices, and increases consumer choice.”

About the Coalition

The Coalition consists of competitive telecommunications providers and industry associations advocating for fair wholesale access to fibre networks and a competitive broadband marketplace that delivers affordable, high-quality Internet services to Canadians, including: TekSavvy Solutions Inc., BC Broadband Association (“BCBA”), Canada-Wide Internet Service Providers Association (“CanWISP”), Fibernetics Inc., ISP Telecom Inc., National Capital FreeNet Inc., Novus Entertainment Inc. and Purple Cow Internet Inc.

About TekSavvy Solution Inc.

Based in Chatham, Ontario, TekSavvy is Canada’s largest independent telecom service company. TekSavvy has been proudly delivering award-winning services and fighting for consumers’ rights for nearly 30 years. TekSavvy is committed to providing quality competitive choice and closing Canada’s digital divide.

SOURCE TekSavvy Solutions Inc.

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Monk Launches Voice Collections, Bringing AI Phone Calls and Callbacks to Accounts Receivable

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Monk’s collections agent, Julia, can now place outbound collection calls and answer inbound AR questions from a dedicated business number, so finance teams can use the channel that collects best without adding headcount.

Multimedia: Watch Voice Collections in action: https://youtu.be/w09PoN1yACE 

NEW YORK, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Monk, the AI-native accounts receivable platform, today launched Voice Collections. Its collections agent, Julia, can now place outbound collection calls and answer inbound customer questions about invoices and payments from a dedicated phone number for each organization. The feature brings the phone, long the most effective collections channel and the hardest one to scale, into Monk’s Intelligent Collections.

Roughly $10 trillion sits in unpaid invoices worldwide, and the average invoice now takes 59 days to clear (Allianz). Most accounts receivable runs on email, and most of it waits. More than half of B2B invoices in the United States are overdue at any given time, and 92% of businesses are typically paid after their due date (Chaser, 2026). Phone calls recover overdue invoices two to three times better than email (Dunwise), yet 91% of finance teams still rely on email as their main follow-up channel and only 56% use the phone, because calling every overdue account by hand does not scale and a single human dunning call can cost $12 to $18 (HighRadius).

Voice Collections gives teams that coverage. Julia can call on the accounts a playbook flags for phone follow-up, and answer when a customer calls the same number back to ask about an invoice, a payment, or a bank detail. Businesses that follow up on 100% of overdue invoices are 76% more likely to be paid within a week (Chaser), and a voice agent is what makes full coverage possible.

Monk’s collections agent is already proven on the accounts it handles by email. Across Monk’s first 100 customers, Julia reaches customers with a 24% higher response rate than standard dunning and resolves 88.2% of collections with zero human intervention. Voice extends that reach to the phone.

“For years the assumption was that customers would not talk to an AI on the phone,” said George Kurdin, Founder and CEO of Monk. “The evidence now points the other way. People engage with a good voice agent, and in AR the phone was always the channel that collected best. We built Voice Collections so finance teams can finally use it at the scale email gave them.”

That assumption is worth retiring. In a University of Chicago Booth field study of roughly 70,000 interviews, people interviewed by a voice AI agent were 12% more likely to receive an offer, 18% more likely to start, and 17% more likely to still be there after 30 days, and 80% chose the voice AI over a human when given the choice. The setting was recruiting rather than collections, but the finding travels: given a capable voice agent, people lean in rather than hang up. A call also does something email cannot, which is secure a verbal promise to pay in the moment.

Built for finance, with the phone agents kept with strict guardrails

Voice in finance has to be constrained, and Monk designed Voice Collections around that from the start. The agent is read-only on the phone. It answers questions, confirms details, and routes the next step. It will not rewrite an invoice, change a payment status, or accept a sensitive payment change by voice.

The agent is also reference-based. If a caller asks about an invoice, Julia asks for both the company name and the invoice number before looking anything up, and it will not search broadly from a single detail. Every inbound and outbound call is kept in the collection record alongside the email history, so a callback is part of the same thread the team already sees, and anything that needs judgment escalates to a person.

“Voice in finance has to be careful by design,” said Joe Zhou, Co-Founder and CTO of Monk. “Julia will not browse across accounts or move money over the phone. A caller has to bring the company name and invoice number before it confirms anything, and every call lands in the record. In finance a 1% mistake is still unacceptable, so we built for that first and added the reach second.”

Teams run autonomous collections on Monk

Monk runs collections for finance teams at companies like Unify, Pump, Siro, and Elate, and Voice Collections extends what those teams already do by email onto the phone.

“We chose Monk to help automate our collections, a process previously demanding several hours a week of manual, one-off outreach,” said Will Stewart, Head of Finance and BizOps at Unify. “Today, our Monk agent is always running in the background and I have a single dashboard to manage AR from.”

At Pump, which manages volume across more than 1,500 customers, Monk has helped collect over $10 million in recent months.

Voice AI is now infrastructure

The timing reflects how far voice AI has come. It has moved from demo to infrastructure: Vapi has processed more than 1 billion calls, Bland handles over 3.5 million calls a week, and ElevenLabs raised a $500 million round at an $11 billion valuation in early 2026. Monk builds Voice Collections on that foundation and adds the part finance actually needs, which is the AR context, the controls, and the audit trail.

Voice Collections is available now as an opt-in feature. Monk configures the dedicated number and call behavior with each organization before turning it on in Collections. See it in action: https://youtu.be/w09PoN1yACE.

About Monk

Monk is the AI-native accounts receivable platform that helps finance teams turn revenue into cash. Its agent, Julia, runs collections, cash application, and forecasting as one connected system. Monk resolves 88.2% of collections with zero human intervention, reaches customers with a 24% higher response rate than standard dunning, reduces DSO by more than 40%, automatically matches 80% of incoming payments with a full audit trail, and gives finance teams back roughly 26 hours a month. Teams onboard in under a week and see results in their first month. More than $1.5 billion in receivables is managed on the platform, including for customers like Profound and ElevenLabs. Monk has raised $25 million and is based in New York.

Media contact
Kendall Warson
kendall@monk.com
+1 415-827-6585

Sources: Chaser 2026 Accounts Receivable research; Dunwise dunning research; HighRadius collection call cost analysis; University of Chicago Booth field study on AI in recruiting; voice AI figures compiled by Enterprise DNA; Federal Reserve data; Allianz Worldwide DSO survey.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/monk-launches-voice-collections-bringing-ai-phone-calls-and-callbacks-to-accounts-receivable-302833768.html

SOURCE Monk

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