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The Sigourney Award-2024 Recipients Honored For Outstanding Work Advancing Psychoanalytic Principles Globally

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Four Recipients’ Work From Israel, Sweden, Canada and South Africa Earns The Sigourney Award-2024

SEATTLE, Nov. 12, 2024 /CNW/ — The Sigourney Award Trust annually recognizes outstanding work that advances psychoanalytic thought and principles throughout the world. Robin A. Deutsch, PhD and Analyst Co-Trustee of The Sigourney Award Trust, today announces three individuals and one organization whose work of the past decade earns The Sigourney Award-2024 and a substantial cash prize. Recipients include: Merav Roth, PhD (Tel Aviv, Israel); Björn Salomonsson, MD (Stockholm, Sweden); Dominique Scarfone, MD (Montreal, Canada); and The Ububele Educational and Psychotherapy Trust (Johannesburg, South Africa).

“The 2024 recipients’ work has uniquely and positively impacted populations, including the youngest among us, by expanding access and understanding of psychoanalysis as well as psychotherapy’s benefits to professionals and the general public,” says Dr. Deutsch. “The anonymous judges, who likewise conduct exemplary professional careers, evaluated work from 10 countries to select work that most closely aligned with Mary Sigourney’s original intent.”

Founded by Mary Sigourney in 1989, The Sigourney Award was established to recognize and promote exceptional work that advances psychoanalytic principles and their ability to better humankind.

Work Meriting The Sigourney Award-2024 (Alphabetical order)

Merav Roth, PhD (Tel Aviv, Israel)
Prof. Merav Roth’s exceptional interdisciplinary work included an unparalleled approach to psychoanalysis and literature, which gave readers a better understanding of the deep psychic processes involved in reading and earned her a reputation as a pioneering psychoanalytic thinker. Her notable work also expands to her impactful role as a writer and activist on trauma, ethics and culture in Israel and abroad.  Accomplishments in the past decade include her first book, A Psychoanalytic Perspective on Reading Literature – Reading the Reader (Routledge, 2020), where she described the unconscious processes involved in reading literature. As the former chair of the psychoanalytic psychotherapy program at Tel Aviv University, Roth established and still chairs “The Clinic For All” which provides pro-bono psychotherapy for deprived or disadvantaged populations. As a professor at the University of Haifa, Roth established a new philanthropic initiative, “Interweaving,” a culturally sensitive clinic for disadvantaged populations. Following the events of October 7 in Israel, Roth’s psychoanalytic work with trauma was swiftly employed to provide guidance and wide-reaching help, including establishing with two colleagues a philanthropic network of 450 psychoanalysts who provide long-term pro-bono support to survivors and their family members.

Björn Salomonsson, MD (Stockholm, Sweden)
Dr. Björn Salomonsson’s work has profoundly amplified psychoanalytic knowledge and infant caretaking techniques, and engaged non-psychoanalytic healthcare professionals participating in pre-, peri-, and post-natal care of mothers and infants. An Associate Professor at Swedish Psychoanalytic Institute, Salomonsson combined training in psychoanalysis and research to improve the early life of distressed babies by wholly refining Psychoanalytic Parent-Infant Psychotherapy (PIP) methodology. He also co-founded The A Primo Foundation, with successful courses for nurses, midwives and psychologists in Maternity Units and Child Health Centers. His work pioneered psychoanalytic techniques for working directly with child health nurses who had little to no prior psychoanalytic exposure. Nurses used the techniques to address perturbed infant-parent relationships and creatively and respectfully bring a psychoanalytic understanding of the infant’s and parents’ experience of troubled relationships. In his book Psychodynamic Interventions in Pregnancy and Infancy (2018), Salomonsson systematically describes how a therapist can practice treatment beyond the one-to-one model and deliver a multi-relationship-based psychoanalytic therapy model by actively engaging the infant during psychoanalytic therapy. Today, PIP is viewed as highly relevant for every analyst.

Dominique Scarfone, MD (Montreal, Canada)  
Prof. Dominique Scarfone’s influential work has advanced a veritable renaissance in the study and transmission of French psychoanalyst Jean Laplanche’s work and produced essential theoretical contributions in unconscious communication, temporality, and the translational model of the psyche. Providing a new approach to Freudian thinking, his endeavors bridge French, British and North American psychoanalytic culture. Scarfone’s work demonstrates how the marriage of tradition with radical thinking can expand the field of psychoanalysis. While maintaining a solid belief that Freud’s foundational method offers a common ground between these cultures, he has urged persistent questioning and reconsidering of Freud’s methods to liberate new thinking. Scarfone has illuminated a modern approach to how the psychosexual enters all these domains through work addressing clinical matters, questions of transference and repetition, one’s relationship to art and ethics, and the deep complexity of what it means to be human. Within the past ten years Scarfone has published three significant books including Laplanche (2014), The Unpast (2015), and The Reality of the Message: Psychoanalysis in the Wake of Jean Laplanche (2023).

The Ububele Educational and Psychotherapy Trust (Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa)
The Ububele Educational and Psychotherapy Trust’s outstanding work addresses the country’s traumatic past and current uncertainties, major challenges to personal relationships, mental-health challenges related to poverty, unemployment, poor infrastructure, and other crises by ingeniously magnifying the accessibility and efficacy of psychoanalytic treatment in South Africa. Ububele’s approach is rooted in the lived experiences of Johannesburg and Alexandra’s community of over 500,000 people overburdened by harsh poverty, serious crime, corruption and the lesser recognized but lasting impact of apartheid. An essential awareness and acknowledgement of transference and the influence of the unconscious informs unique initiatives centered on promoting healthy parent-child attachment through the development of low-cost, replicable models of psychoanalytically informed interventions. Two examples include the Ububele Umdlezane Parent-Infant Programs focused on the first thousand days of life and the Therapy and Assessment Clinic which conducts psychoeducational assessments and psychotherapy services. Ububele’s capacity building methods offer initial and continuing training emphasizing the transference relationship and the necessity of working beyond the surface. The training provides youth and caregivers the psychoanalytically informed psycho-emotional support needed to succeed in breaking inter-generational cycles of emotional poverty and mental health despair. 

“The Sigourney Award’s canons are unwavering and the Trust works tirelessly to ensure that Mary Sigourney’s intent is honored with a wholly independent assessment of exceptional work with each year’s Awards. We are fortunate to attract applications and nominations from around the world representing ground-breaking work that has advanced psychoanalytic thought and principles,” says Michael J. Harrington, JD, Attorney Co-Trustee of The Sigourney Award Trust.

Visit The Sigourney Award to review all recipients’ announcements. Applications for The Sigourney Award-2025 open March 1, 2025 for qualifying work completed between 2015-2024. Follow social platforms on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn @SigourneyAward, and X @sigourney_the.

About The Sigourney Award
The Sigourney Award Trust, a wholly independent nonprofit organization established by Mary Sigourney in 1989, annually bestows The Sigourney Award as international recognition and reward for outstanding work that has advanced psychoanalytic principles. Ms. Sigourney was a psychotherapist, publisher, and community activist who had a passionate interest in psychoanalysis and understood its ability to benefit and extend human conversation across various disciplines. Since 1990, The Sigourney Award has rewarded and promoted outstanding work. To date, 149 Award recipients from 22 countries represent her global vision. Judges of The Sigourney Award remain anonymous to ensure an unbiased and thorough evaluation practice. Work honored by The Sigourney Award has significantly contributed to human affairs on topics ranging from clinical psychoanalysis, neuroscience, feminism, and political oppression.

Media Contact: Kelly Wisecarver, kelly@wisecarverpr.com

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WuXi Biologics Receives Double Honors at 2026 HERA for ESG Reporting and Environmental Excellence

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HONG KONG, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — WuXi Biologics (2269.HK), a leading global Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO), today announced it received two Grand Awards at the ninth Hong Kong ESG Reporting Awards (HERA), winning Best ESG Report (Large-Cap) and Excellence in Environmental Positive Impact.

HERA celebrates excellence in sustainability reporting and ESG practices, with award categories spanning ESG governance, environmental and social impact, carbon neutrality, and workplace well-being. The program is independently judged by a panel drawn from academia, finance, sustainability advisory and regulatory backgrounds, promoting transparency, accountability and stakeholder trust.

Selected from 120 entries, WuXi Biologics was the only pharmaceutical company to receive a Grand Award this year. Its two honors recognize WuXi Biologics’ continual efforts to advance transparent, high-quality ESG disclosure and deliver measurable environmental progress across its global operations.

Dr. Chris Chen, CEO of WuXi Biologics and Chairman of its ESG Committee, commented, “We are delighted to receive two HERA awards, which reflect our ongoing conviction that transparent ESG disclosure and strong environmental performance are integral to business resilience and long-term success. WuXi Biologics will continue to advance our ESG governance and Green CRDMO strategy, working with global partners to drive sustainable development across the value chain.”

Through its Green CRDMO solutions, the Company continues to embed sustainability principles throughout its biologics research, development, manufacturing, and operations. In 2025, WuXi Biologics’ near-term, long-term and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), covering Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and aligned with a 1.5°C pathway. Another honor WuXi Biologics recently received was being named to the 2026 Forbes China ESG 50 list for achievements in sustainable development, Green CRDMO solutions, and ESG digital innovation.

About WuXi Biologics

WuXi Biologics (stock code: 2269.HK) is a leading global Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO) offering end-to-end solutions that enable partners to discover, develop and manufacture biologics – from concept to commercialization – for the benefit of patients worldwide*.

With over 14,000 employees in China, the United States, Ireland, Germany, and Singapore, including experts and scientists in biologics R&D and manufacturing, technology innovation, and operational excellence, WuXi Biologics leverages its technologies and expertise to deliver efficient, cost-effective, and scalable biologics solutions tailored to meet clients’ needs. By embedding digital capability and infrastructure across the full biopharmaceutical value chain, the company turns data, computation, and prediction into transparent client experience, faster development, intelligent operations, and more efficient manufacturing. As of June 30, 2026, WuXi Biologics is supporting 1064 integrated client projects, including 78 in Phase III and 28 in commercial manufacturing, with complex modalities representing more than half of the entire project portfolio.

WuXi Biologics regards sustainability as the cornerstone of long-term business growth. The company continuously drives technology innovations to offer advanced end-to-end Green CRDMO solutions for its global partners while demonstrating exemplary Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. Committed to creating shared value, it collaborates with all stakeholders to foster positive social and environmental impacts, and promote responsible practices that empower the entire value chain.

For more information about WuXi Biologics, please visit: www.wuxibiologics.com.

*The winner of the “2026 Biologics CDMO of the Year” (Large CDMOs) (Life Science Connect / Outsourced Pharma)

*The winner of the “2026 Best Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization Award” (ABEA)

Contacts

ESG
esg@wuxibiologics.com

Media
PR@wuxibiologics.com

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Only 54% of Consumers Trust That Black Friday Discounts Are Lower Than Normal as Promotion Fatigue Grows

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November 4, 2026

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BCG’s Annual Black Friday Survey Finds 1 in 5 Consumers Actively Distrust Advertised Discounts22% Plan to Spend Less or Skip Year-End Sales EventsRetailer Reputation and Transparent Pricing Rank Among the Highest Factors for Building Consumer Trust; Influencer Recommendations Rank LastUse of Social Media as a Shopping Inspiration Source Falls 9 Points to 46%, While AI Rises Across All Surveyed Countries

BOSTON, Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Only 54% of consumers trust that advertised Black Friday prices are genuinely lower than usual, and one in five actively distrust them, according to a new survey from Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Promotion fatigue is also growing, with 22% of consumers planning to spend less or skip year-end sales events because they believe discounts are available all the time.

Despite growing skepticism around promotions, consumers haven’t raised the bar for what constitutes a good deal. The expected minimum discount for a good deal eased to about 30% (versus 32% in 2025).

These are among the findings of BCG’s sixth annual Black Friday Consumer Study, based on a survey of 10,220 consumers across ten countries. The report, titled For Year-End Sales Events, Trust Is the New Currency, examines shopping expectations and behaviors ahead of Singles’ Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.

“Shoppers no longer take Black Friday discounts at face value. Nearly half are unconvinced that prices are actually lower,” said Nate Shenck, a BCG managing director and senior partner, and coauthor of the report. “Retailers can’t discount their way past that. The question this season is how to earn shoppers’ trust.”

Credibility and Proof Build Trust, Persuasion Does Not

BCG determined the factors that build consumer trust using a net trust score (calculated as the share of consumers who say a factor increases their trust in a deal, minus the share who say it decreases it):

Retailer reputation and money-back guarantees ranked highest, each with a net trust score of 65%Verified purchase reviews also ranked among the top trust builders (59%), followed by clear comparisons between regular and discounted prices (58%)At the bottom of the ranking, real-time scarcity messages scored just 8%, AI-generated review summaries 4%, and influencer recommendations only 3%

AI Is Displacing Social Media as an Inspiration Channel

Social media as an inspiration source for consumers declined nine percentage points to 46%, falling in every market surveyed, whereas AI as an inspiration source increased across all ten markets.

Planned AI usage reached 56% of shoppers this year, up eight points from 2025. Around 86% of users find it helpful, and 78% say it raises their likelihood of completing a purchase.

Consumers trust AI most for comparing prices across retailers (39%) and comparing product features (37%). Transactional tasks, such as filling in checkout details, are still developing as a common use case.

“Shoppers facing promotion fatigue are turning to AI to do the work of finding and comparing deals. AI is already beginning to replace influencers as a go-to source for inspiration,” said Jessica Distler, a BCG managing director and partner, and coauthor of the report. “That means retailers need to think as carefully about how their offers are found and verified as they do about the discounts themselves.”

Download the report here:
https://www.bcg.com/publications/2026/trust-matters-year-end-sales-events

Media Contact:
Kendall Kosten
kosten.kendall@bcg.com 

About Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group bridges the gap between ambition and outcomes for the world’s leading companies and organizations. We are built for this era of unprecedented change — bringing strategic clarity rooted in over 60 years of deep domain knowledge, combined with applied AI shaped by our practitioners. BCG works shoulder-to-shoulder with CEOs across industries and geographies to deliver transformative impact at scale: stronger returns, transferred capabilities, and change that sticks. For more information, visit bcg.com.

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Most Robots Still Aren’t Insured. YAS and Robolist Are Changing That.

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YAS and Robolist.ai partner to bring a free Risk Score and a path to insurance to robotics companies, giving firms, investors, and buyers a safer, more transparent foundation for an industry entering mass production

HONG KONG, Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Artificial intelligence’s next phase is getting a body. Humanoid robot shipments are up sharply in 2026, with global shipments reaching roughly 30,000 units in the first half of the year alone, nearly 300% higher than a year earlier. But humanoids are only the headline category. Robolist.ai (“Robolist”), an independent market intelligence layer for robotics used by investors worldwide, tracks more than 4,200 robots from over 1,300 manufacturers across categories including industrial arms, warehouse AMRs, cobots, commercial cleaning, delivery, hospitality, and home robots, and growth is accelerating across nearly all of them.

Across every one of those categories, most of what is shipping today carries no insurance. YAS, a data risk intelligence platform that helps insurers underwrite EV, robotaxi, and now robotics risk, today announced a strategic partnership with Robolist to close that gap — starting with a free Risk Score for the companies Robolist already ranks, and a path to coverage for those who want one.

Putting safety first, for an industry still finding its footing

Robotics is moving from pilots to mass production, and that shift changes who is exposed and what’s at stake. YAS and Robolist both see the same underlying problem: an industry growing faster than the risk infrastructure built to support it. Pairing YAS’s risk intelligence with Robolist’s independent market data gives the industry one more layer of transparency, a shared, safety-first foundation that the companies believe is necessary for robotics to grow into a trusted, durable category rather than a fast-moving one with uneven guardrails.

What it means for robotics firms

Every manufacturer listed on Robolist is already independently ranked. Starting with this partnership, any of them can also request a free Risk Score, built with YAS, covering their systems across whichever category they operate in, not just humanoid. A strong, transparent risk profile is becoming a competitive advantage in its own right, a signal to enterprise buyers and partners that a company takes safety seriously. There is no cost to check it and no obligation attached.

What it means for investors

Robolist’s independent data has always given investors a clear picture of what a company has actually raised and shipped. Adding YAS’s Risk Score introduces a second, forward-looking signal: a working estimate of operational risk exposure, sitting alongside funding and deployment evidence. Together, the two offer a more complete basis for diligence, and support the kind of informed, patient capital that helps the category grow in a healthy, sustainable way rather than on hype alone.

What it means for buyers

Enterprises deciding whether to deploy a robot fleet have historically had almost no independent way to compare risk across vendors. The Risk Score gives buyers a transparent reference point alongside Robolist’s existing rankings, and a direct route to insurance for the deployments they choose to move forward with, so adoption decisions can be made with more confidence and less guesswork.

Status

The partnership is in its exploratory phase under a signed Memorandum of Understanding, beginning with Hong Kong, with other markets under consideration as it develops. The Risk Score is an indicative analytical tool, not a safety certification or a guarantee of coverage; insurance, where available, is issued by licensed carriers.

Quotes

“Robotics is scaling faster than the risk infrastructure around it. You can’t insure what you can’t measure — so we start by measuring. A free Risk Score, built on live operating data, gives every robotics company a transparent read on their exposure and, when they want it, a path to coverage. That’s how a fast-moving category becomes a durable one.”— Andy Ann, Founder, YAS

“We built Robolist as an independent market intelligence layer for robotics. Partnering with YAS deepens that layer. There’s a lot of natural overlap between what we do. Robotics insurance is a long-term project that benefits everyone in the industry, and it matters more now that the category is moving into mass production. Part of that is simply caring about what happens to the people and businesses actually using these machines.” — Matthew Cheung, Co-founder, Robolist.ai

About YAS

YAS is a Hong Kong-based risk intelligence platform for the machine economy, turning live operating data from vehicles, fleets, and robots into real-time risk scores used by licensed insurers to underwrite fairer, faster coverage. YAS works with insurance carrier partners across robotics and humanoids, EV and commercial fleets, with autonomous vehicles next.

About Robolist.ai

Robolist.ai is an independent market intelligence layer for robotics, used by investors to track what manufacturers actually raise, ship, and deploy. Robolist tracks more than 4,200 robots from over 1,300 manufacturers across categories from humanoids and industrial arms to cleaning, delivery, and home robots.

Learn more

Manufacturers can claim their profile and request a free Risk Score, and investors and buyers can explore the data, at robolist.ai. To learn more about YAS’s risk intelligence platform, visit yas.io.

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