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Industry Innovator Dave Meeker Joins S4 Capital’s Monks

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AI pioneer Monks taps Dentsu’s innovation executive to further AI transformation

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Monks, the global, purely digital, data-driven, unitary operating brand of S4Capital plc., is excited to announce the appointment of Dave Meeker as its new EVP, AI Innovation. Meeker brings over two decades of expertise at the intersection of business, design, and technology, and most recently served as Chief Innovation Officer and America’s Practice Lead for Experience Design & Innovation at Dentsu Creative and Head of Emerging Experiences for Merkle. In his new role as Monks EVP, AI Innovation Meeker will deliver immediate, practical AI solutions for clients reflecting an industry shift toward tangible transformation.

In addition to consulting on Monks’ global roster of clients, Meeker will advance innovation across the company’s AI-centric solution Monks.Flow, which automates workflows by linking talent, software and microservices. Monks.Flow helps marketers realize immediate benefits in key AI impact areas including visualization and copywriting, hyper-personalisation at scale, media planning and buying, general client and agency efficiency, and democratization of knowledge.

The digital transformation landscape is experiencing a significant shift as marketers recognize the advantages of agile, AI-forward organizations. Meeker’s appointment as EVP, AI Innovation at Monks exemplifies this evolution, as accomplished leaders seek environments that enable rapid innovation without institutional constraints.

“We’re not here to talk about AI; we’re here to deliver its commercial gains to our clients,” said Henry Cowling, Chief Innovation Officer at Monks. “Many marketers are stuck in the past, often blocked by outdated commercial models. We believe there is a better way, and I am thrilled that Dave has joined us as we continue to help marketers transform their business with AI, powered by our own AI solution Monks.Flow. Dave will put his decades-long expertise to use at Monks, delivering immediate, AI-enabled solutions our clients needed yesterday.”

“For marketers who understand AI’s transformative potential but find themselves constrained by legacy systems, Monks offers an opportunity to drive meaningful innovation in real-time,” said Dave Meeker, EVP, AI Innovation at Monks. “As the industry’s first AI Agency of the Year, we’re building a new model for how brands can leverage artificial intelligence to deliver measurable results.”

Meeker’s appointment further accelerates Monks’ mission to set the standard for how brands can use AI to reimagine creativity, deliver measurable outcomes, and build meaningful connections with consumers through consistent and timely touchpoints. As a trusted Orchestration Partner, Monks helps brands solve the complexity of modern marketing by connecting ideas, technology, and talent to ensure relevance and scale in a fragmented, fast-moving world.

Recognized as Adweek’s first-ever AI Agency of the Year, a three-time winner of the 2024 Business Intelligence AI Excellence Awards, and a Runner-Up for Adobe Firefly Partner Award—Monks continues its industry leading tradition in AI.

About Monks
Monks is the global, purely digital, data-driven, unitary operating brand of S4Capital plc. With a legacy of innovation and specialised expertise, Monks combines an extraordinary range of global marketing and technology services to accelerate business possibilities and redefine how brands and businesses interact with the world. Its integration of systems and workflows delivers unfettered content production, scaled experiences, enterprise-grade technology and data science fueled by AI—managed by the industry’s best and most diverse digital talent—to help the world’s trailblazing companies outmaneuver and outpace their competition.

Monks was named a Contender in The Forrester Wave™: Global Marketing Services. It has remained a constant presence on Adweek’s Fastest Growing lists (2019-23), ranks among Cannes Lions’ Top 10 Creative Companies (2022-23) and is the only partner to have been placed in AdExchanger’s Programmatic Power Players list every year (2020-24). In addition to being named Adweek’s first AI Agency of the Year (2023), Monks has been recognized by Business Intelligence in its 2024 Excellence in Artificial Intelligence Awards program in three categories: the Individual category, Organizational Winner in AI Strategic Planning and AI Product for its service Monks.Flow. Monks has also garnered the title of Webby Production Company of the Year (2021-24), won a record number of FWAs and has earned a spot on Newsweek’s Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplaces 2023.

About S4Capital 
S4Capital plc (SFOR.L) is the tech-led, new age/new era digital advertising, marketing and technology services company, established by Sir Martin Sorrell in May 2018.

Our strategy is to build a purely digital advertising and marketing services business for global, multinational, regional, and local clients, and millennial-driven influencer brands. This will be achieved by integrating leading businesses in two synchronised practices: Marketing services and Technology services, along with an emphasis on ‘faster, better, cheaper, more’ execution in an always-on consumer-led environment, with a unitary structure.

The Company now has approximately 7,300 people in 33 countries with approximately 80% of net revenue across the Americas, 15% across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 5% across Asia-Pacific. The longer-term objective is a geographic split of 60%:20%:20%. At the Group’s last full year results, Content accounted for approximately 60% of net revenue, Data&Digital Media 24% and Technology Services 16%. The long-term objective for the practices is a split of 50%:25%:25%.

Sir Martin was CEO of WPP for 33 years, building it from a £1 million ‘shell’ company in 1985 into the world’s largest advertising and marketing services company, with a market capitalisation of over £16 billion on the day he left. Prior to that Sir Martin was Group Financial Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Company Plc for nine years.

Media Contact:
Sarah Murraysarah.murray@monks.com

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Caladium Systems Launches Happiffie, India’s First AI-powered Celebration Platform

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CHENNAI, India, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Caladium Systems today announced the launch of Happiffie, India’s first AI-powered Celebration Growth Platform, introducing a smarter way for customers to discover, compare, book, and manage celebrations while helping businesses connect with high-intent customers through intelligent technology.

Designed for weddings, birthdays, corporate events, social celebrations, parties, festivals, and more, Happiffie brings together over 400 celebration occasions and 1,000+ celebration experiences on a single AI-powered platform.

India’s celebrations industry continues to rely heavily on referrals, manual coordination, inconsistent pricing, and fragmented vendor discovery. Happiffie addresses these challenges by combining AI-powered recommendations, transparent price discovery, secure bookings, payments, and event management into one seamless platform.

A key innovation is Happiffie’s Reverse Auction, where customers simply submit their celebration requirements and verified vendors compete by offering customised proposals. Instead of spending hours searching and negotiating, customers can compare multiple qualified offers and choose the vendor that best matches their preferences and budget.

“Customers can now book the experience of their choice with the vendor of their choice, in the budget of their choice. At the same time, vendors receive qualified business opportunities matched to their category, location and capabilities, creating value for both sides of the marketplace,” said Pradhyumna T Venkat, Founder & CEO, Happiffie.

“Every major industry eventually reaches a point where technology fundamentally changes how it operates. Travel did. Hospitality did. Mobility did. We believe celebrations are next,” added Pradhyumna.

The platform is powered by Experience Intelligence™, a proprietary framework that combines over 15 years of celebration industry expertise with Artificial Intelligence to deliver smarter recommendations based on customer intent, preferences, and celebration needs.

Whether planning a wedding, birthday, corporate event, baby shower, anniversary, or festival celebration, customers can manage the entire journey—from vendor discovery and quotations to payments and execution—through a single platform.

Alongside its launch, Happiffie has opened registrations for vendor partners across Chennai and Tamil Nadu, with a phased expansion planned across India. The platform aims to build one of the country’s largest AI-powered celebration ecosystems, helping businesses generate qualified leads and grow more efficiently.

“Our vision is not simply to build another marketplace but to create the technology infrastructure that powers celebrations. Reverse Auction is the first step towards building a smarter, more transparent, and AI-driven celebration economy that benefits both customers and businesses alike,” added Pradhyumna.

Built on the experience of planning and executing over 5,000 weddings and celebrations, Happiffie combines deep industry expertise with AI to simplify celebration planning and transform how India celebrates.

For more information, visit www.happiffie.com. Vendor registrations are now open at www.happiffie.com/vendor-registration.

About Happiffie

Happiffie is India’s first AI-powered Celebration Platform, connecting customers, venues, event professionals, and celebration businesses through one intelligent ecosystem. Built on over 15 years of industry expertise, the platform combines Artificial Intelligence with Experience Intelligence™ to deliver smarter celebration planning across more than 1,000 celebration experiences spanning weddings, corporate events, birthdays, social celebrations, parties, and festivals.

Contact

Pradhyumna T Venkat
Founder & CEO
pradhyumna@happiffie.com
+91-7299002990

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/3007635/Happiffie_Logo.jpg

 

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Beko Publishes 2025 Integrated Report, Charting Years of Progress Toward Net Zero

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As Beko releases its 2025 Integrated Report, the company’s third consecutive inclusion on TIME’s global sustainability ranking — retaining the #1 position in its industry — underscores the progress documented within it.

ISTANBUL, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Beko published its 2025 Integrated Report, offering a comprehensive account of the company’s financial, environmental and social performance over the past year. In parallel, Beko has been named one of TIME Magazine’s World’s Most Sustainable Companies for the third year running, retaining the #1 position in its industry. The recognition, awarded in partnership with Statista, independently corroborates years of deliberate, measurable progress.

The report documents concrete results across Beko’s global manufacturing footprint. In 2025:

Energy efficiency projects across production sites saved 69,562 GJ of energy, avoiding 5,297 tonnes of CO₂e emissions.Waste recycling across all manufacturing facilities reached 98.6%, against a target of 99%.Renewable energy installed capacity reached 96 MWp, up from 90.2 MWp the prior year. Beko also reached 63.5% green electricity on the path to 100% across all manufacturing by 2030.Water efficiency and rainwater harvesting projects across locations delivered total water savings of 219,114 m3.

Behind these figures is a broader manufacturing transformation. Three of Beko’s manufacturing facilities have been recognised within the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network, with the Ulmi plant earning the additional, and rarer, designation of Sustainability Lighthouse. The principles behind Ulmi’s approach are being extended across Beko’s broader manufacturing ecosystem, as the company scales low-impact production. Beko currently operates 13 smart factories globally — equipped with artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics capabilities — with a target of 17 by the end of 2026.

On the circular economy side, Beko’s refurbishment centres across multiple locations reintroduced more than 148,000 appliances into the market in 2025 alone. The company recycled 1.98 million WEEE units through its own recycling facilities since 2014, and used 31,665 tonnes of recycled plastics in its products in 2025.

Across its product portfolio, 72.6% of Beko’s turnover in 2025 came from low-carbon products — a figure that reflects both the scale of the company’s energy-efficient product range and growing consumer demand for appliances that address environmental concerns.

“Being recognised by TIME three years in a row matters because it reflects that sustainability is a foundational part of Beko’s business,” said Can Dinçer, CEO of Beko. “Our factories undergo a twin transformation where we encounter both decarbonization and digitalization. That progress is deliberate and measurable, and our Integrated Report sets out exactly how. As the world prepares for COP31, the most credible thing a company can do is demonstrate its work rather than declare it. That is what we are doing.”

TIME’s annual list evaluates more than 5,000 companies worldwide across environmental and social performance, transparency and ESG reporting. Beko’s continued inclusion under increasingly rigorous standards points to a business model where sustainability is structurally embedded across operations, supply chains and product portfolios.

In addition to its Integrated Report, the Company has also published its second TSRS-compliant sustainability report, prepared in accordance with the Türkiye Sustainability Reporting Standards (TSRS), Türkiye’s adoption of the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). The report is publicly available and provides detailed disclosures on the company’s climate-related risks, opportunities, governance, strategy and performance.

About Beko

Beko is an international home appliance company with a strong global presence, operating through subsidiaries in more than 55 countries with a workforce of around 45,000 employees and production facilities spanning multiple regions—including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Beko has 22 brands owned or used with a limited license (Arçelik, Beko, Whirlpool*, Grundig, Hotpoint, Arctic, Ariston*, Leisure, Indesit, Blomberg, Defy, Dawlance, Hitachi*, Voltas Beko, Singer*, ElektraBregenz, Flavel, Bauknecht, Privileg, Altus, Ignis, Polar). Beko is the largest white goods company in Europe with its market share (based on volumes) and reached a consolidated turnover of 10.7 billion Euros in 2025. Beko’s 28 R&D and Design Centers & Offices across the globe are home to over 2,000 R&D employees and hold more than 4,500 international registered patent applications to date. The company has achieved the highest score in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) in the DHP Household Durables industry for the seventh consecutive year (based on the results dated 16 October 2025).** The company has been recognized as the 89th most sustainable company on TIME Magazine and Statista’s 2026 list of the World’s Most Sustainable Companies and has been the sector leader for three consecutive years. Beko’s vision is ‘Respecting the World, Respected Worldwide.’ 

www.bekocorporate.com

*Licensee limited to certain jurisdictions.
**The data presented belongs to Arçelik A.Ş., a parent company of Beko.

 

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SOURCE Beko

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JustMarkets Releases Market Analysis on How Foreign Exchange Markets React to CPI Surprises

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HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — JustMarkets today released a new market analysis examining how foreign exchange markets react to Consumer Price Index (CPI) surprises and outlining key considerations for traders preparing for inflation data releases. The analysis explains why the gap between actual CPI data and market expectations, rather than the headline inflation figure itself, is often the primary driver of currency market movements.

What people often miss on CPI day is that the number itself isn’t what moves the market. The common reaction is to check whether the headline number is high or low, but it’s all priced in advance. According to JustMarkets, the real driver of EUR/USD is the gap between the actual number and what the market was positioned for.

Even an unchanged reading can cause dollar weakness if traders expect higher inflation, while weaker numbers that beat consensus expectations may drive dollar strength. Citing Federal Reserve research, the price driver is a surprise component rather than the headline.

Why the Expectation Gap Is More Important Than the Level

Forex is driven by expectations for interest rate decisions, with inflation impacting central bank policy. Key factors influencing this reaction include:

Main factors:

Monthly CPI and core CPICore services inflationRevisions to the previous period dataCentral banks policy pricing

Year-over-year data is less important in terms of price impact than monthly and core data.

How to Calculate Surprise

Start with the simplest metric: Surprise = Actual CPI − Consensus CPI. 

Consensus comes from the economic calendar’s forecast and reflects the market positioning. And then you need to check the market reaction through rates. The sequence typically runs: CPI surprise → change in front-end yields → USD movement → the sentiment adjustment.

Traders frequently employ this methodology in combination with the JustMarkets Economic Calendar to track high-impact releases in real time.

What the Intraday Move Actually Looks Like

CPI reactions usually happen in three stages. The first one is a headline shock with the potential algorithm’s reaction within a few seconds. Then comes the interpretation stage, with a time frame of 15-60 minutes and analysis of core numbers and yield confirmation. And then either continuation or reversal happens.

Approaches to Trading CPI Day

There are two common approaches to CPI.

The momentum approach requires the consistency of headlines and core surprises with yields’ confirmation. Most traders wait until the first minute’s candle is closed to avoid false signals.The fade approach requires dislocations like the absence of yield confirmation to FX movement or dislocations between headlines and core numbers. In this case, traders wait 10−20 minutes for exhaustion of the initial move and reversal setup search.

Risk management is crucial. Most traders limit their position size to 0.25%-0.50% of their equity because of widening spreads and slippage. Sometimes the decision to trade off is more optimal during extreme volatility than forced entry.

One Way to Prepare for the Next CPI Day Release

A simple way to get ready is to monitor EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY pairs and an economic calendar with events’ importance. The workflow is simple: Economic calendar → release → Trading platform.

The final step brings traders to the execution platform. Many turn to JustMarkets, which offers CFDs on these currency pairs, with execution stability and fast market access that make it well suited for high-volatility macro events.

Disclaimer: For informational purposes only. Trading financial instruments involves significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Ensure you understand the risks involved and trade responsibly.

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SOURCE Just Global Markets Ltd

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