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CPG and Retail Leaders Are Bullish on AI, yet Most Haven’t Scaled It Where It Matters Most

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Report from BCG and The Consumer Goods Forum Finds Roughly 75% of CPG Companies Remain in Pilot Mode45% of Retailers Are Scaling AI, While a Similar Number Have Barely BegunMore Than Half of Surveyed Companies Do Not Formally Measure AI ROILeaders Are Pulling Ahead by Concentrating AI on Core Commercial Processes That Drive Growth

BOSTON, June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Many CPG and retail companies have yet to deploy AI broadly across the demand-generating processes that they consider most strategic. In a new survey, nearly half of CPG executives identified idea to market as the most strategic process for AI, yet only 11% have scaled AI in this space. Retailers exhibit a similar pattern: 46% named offer to assortment as their top priority, but only 34% have scaled AI significantly in that area.

These are among the findings of AI in CPG and Retail: How Winners Are Pulling Ahead, a new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF). Based on a survey of 39 senior CPG and retail executives worldwide, the report examines how companies are applying AI across the commercial processes that drive demand—from innovation and pricing to assortment, forecasting, and customer engagement.

“The reason that some CPG companies and retailers are pulling ahead isn’t necessarily that they started from a stronger position,” said Nicolas De Bellefonds, BCG’s global AI lead and a coauthor of the report. “They set higher ambitions, mobilize their organizations around a few focused priorities with discipline, and effectively manage their data and technology ecosystems.”

Real but Uneven Progress

Roughly 75% of CPG respondents remain in pilot mode or exploration mode, while only 18% are scaling impact.Retailers represent a two-speed world in which 45% are scaling impact but another 40% have barely begun.Across both sectors, more than half of companies do not formally measure the ROI of their AI investments.The most frequently cited barrier to scaling is that pilot economics did not translate into full-scale business results.

What Leading Companies Are Doing Differently

Although there are opportunities to deploy AI in support functions and to reset cost structures, the greatest potential for consumer companies lies in using AI to drive growth.

The value at stake is substantial. Scaling AI initiatives throughout the demand value chain could deliver 220 to 350 basis points of cumulative EBIT for CPGs and 180 to 360 basis points for retailers. Agentic capabilities could expand the opportunity nearly twofold over the next two to three years—up to 1.7x for CPG and retailers.

Six Questions for CEOs

The report identifies six questions that leaders should ask as they assess their AI readiness and transformation efforts:

Are we aligning AI investments with strategic priorities?Are we ambitious enough, and how do we measure impact?How do we improve the odds of successful and sustainable transformation?What are the broader impacts on the workforce and operating model?How should we think about our data assets and tech partnerships?How do we move quickly without losing control of risks and costs?

“For CEOs, the honeymoon phase with AI is officially over. It cannot be a tech experiment anymore; it is a direct lever for your bottom line,” said Wai-Chan Chan, managing director at CGF. “The next two years will separate the leaders who are actually scaling these systems from the ones who are just talking about them.”

Download the publication here:
https://www.bcg.com/publications/2026/how-cpg-retail-leaders-maximize-ai-roi

Media Contacts:
Eric Gregoire, gregoire.eric@bcg.com
Cesar Valadares-Colomb, c.valadares@theconsumergoodsforum.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

About The Consumer Goods Forum
The Consumer Goods Forum (“CGF”) is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of practices and standards that serves the consumer goods industry worldwide. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers and other stakeholders across 70 countries and reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 4.6 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cpg-and-retail-leaders-are-bullish-on-ai-yet-most-havent-scaled-it-where-it-matters-most-302808282.html

SOURCE Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

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SiriusXM Names Sean Gibbons Chief Product and Technology Officer

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Longtime SiriusXM leader will advance the Company’s product experiences and technology strategy 

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SiriusXM (NASDAQ: SIRI) today announced that Sean Gibbons has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Product and Technology Officer, reporting to Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Witz and joining the Company’s Executive Leadership Team. In this role, Gibbons will lead product and technology across SiriusXM and Pandora, with responsibility for product strategy and development, technology platforms and engineering, automotive and streaming distribution partnerships, and advertising technology.

“Sean has helped shape SiriusXM through some of our most important product and technology transformations, including the development and successful rollout of SiriusXM with 360L,” said Jennifer Witz, Chief Executive Officer, SiriusXM. “He brings more than two decades of experience, deep knowledge of our business and a strong track record of bringing together teams, technology and partnerships to deliver for consumers. Sean is a highly respected leader and the right person to help us accelerate innovation, improve the customer experience and advance the products, platforms and partnerships that will support our growth.”

Gibbons’ key priorities will include advancing SiriusXM with 360L and the Company’s next generation of in-car experiences; shaping the long-term technology roadmap supporting SiriusXM’s satellite, broadcast and streaming platforms; applying AI to improve personalization, discovery and customer service; and creating more dynamic, connected and participatory experiences across SiriusXM’s in-vehicle and streaming platforms.

“SiriusXM has a unique set of assets and a tremendous opportunity to make them work together even more powerfully for listeners,” said Gibbons. “We can pair the reach and reliability of satellite with the flexibility of streaming and the intelligence of AI to make it easier for people to discover what they love, stay connected wherever they listen and participate more deeply in the content and moments that matter to them. I’m excited to take on this role and help shape the next generation of the SiriusXM experience.”

Gibbons joined Sirius in 2000, before the company’s first satellite launch, and has held leadership roles spanning product management, engineering, automotive, streaming, content technology and strategic partnerships. During his tenure, he established SiriusXM’s first formal Product Management organization and later founded and led its first Streaming organization, expanding the SiriusXM experience across mobile, web and connected-home platforms.

Most recently, Gibbons led SiriusXM’s Automotive organization, bringing together product, user experience, engineering and automotive partnerships to advance the company’s in-vehicle experiences and relationships with leading automakers. Across more than two decades at SiriusXM, he has played a central role in many of the Company’s most significant product and technology transformations, including its evolution toward connected, software-defined vehicle experiences and hybrid satellite-and-IP services.

About Sirius XM Holdings Inc.
SiriusXM is the leading audio entertainment company in North America, with a portfolio of audio businesses including its flagship subscription entertainment service SiriusXM; the ad-supported and premium music streaming services of Pandora; an expansive podcast network; and a complete ecosystem of advertising solutions through SiriusXM Media and AdsWizz. SiriusXM offers live, on-demand, and human-curated programming across music, talk, news, sports, and podcasts, and the company reaches approximately 255 million monthly listeners across its platforms. With deep automotive manufacturer relationships and unique spectrum assets, SiriusXM is built to reach listeners wherever they are. The company connects fans to the voices, creators, and moments they love – creating communities where listeners engage, participate, and belong. For more about SiriusXM, please go to: https://www.siriusxm.com/

Source: SiriusXM

Investor Contact:
Investor.Relations@siriusxm.com

Media Contact: 
Zak Paget
zak.paget@siriusxm.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/siriusxm-names-sean-gibbons-chief-product-and-technology-officer-302872401.html

SOURCE Sirius XM Holdings Inc.

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Bluepeak Names Ken Johnson as Chief Executive Officer

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Rich Fish to Retire After Leading Bluepeak’s Growth into a Multi-State Fiber Provider

DENVER, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bluepeak, a leading provider of fiber internet, today announced that Ken Johnson has been named the company’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective October 19, 2026. Johnson joins Bluepeak from Cable One, Inc., where he most recently served as Chief Operating Officer. He succeeds Rich Fish, who will be retiring after leading Bluepeak for six years, during which time he guided the company’s growth into a fast-expanding, multi-state fiber internet provider, and will be transitioning to an advisory role with the company.

Johnson brings more than 30 years of telecommunications and broadband industry experience to the role, with a career-long focus on operational excellence, technology-driven growth, and expanding connectivity. At Cable One, he oversaw Residential and Business Services, Technology Services, Field and Call Center Operations, and Digital Evolution and Integration for a company serving more than one million customers across 24 states. He joined Cable One in 2018 following its acquisition of NewWave Communications, where he served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer. Earlier in his career, Johnson held Chief Technology Officer roles at SureWest Communications and Everest Broadband. He was inducted into the Cable TV Pioneers Class of 2025.

“Bluepeak has built a strong foundation and a clear reputation for delivering fast, reliable fiber internet with a local, customer-first approach,” said Johnson. “I am honored to lead this team into its next chapter. I look forward to building on the momentum Rich and the entire Bluepeak organization have created, to completing the fiber transformation of Bluepeak communities, and to continuing to expand access to best-in-class connectivity across the communities we serve.”

“Ken’s deep operational expertise and his track record of scaling broadband businesses make him the right leader for Bluepeak’s next phase of growth,” said Mark Prybutok, Managing Director and Head of Data Infrastructure at GI Partners. “His experience revitalizing and expanding networks, combined with his focus on the customer experience, align closely with what Bluepeak has built under Rich’s leadership. We are confident he will carry that work forward.”

Rich Fish has served as Bluepeak’s Chief Executive Officer since the company’s acquisition by GI Partners in early 2021, leading the company through its rapid buildout across North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Texas, and overseeing its evolution into a whole-home connectivity provider offering speeds up to 5 Gig for residential customers and 10 Gig and beyond for businesses. 

“Leading Bluepeak has been one of the great privileges of my career,” said Fish. “Together, this team built a company defined by speed, reliability, and genuine local service, and we did it while expanding Bluepeak’s operating footprint into twenty-eight new markets across six states and now reach over 515,000 homes passed. I’m proud of what we’ve built and confident that Ken is the right person to lead Bluepeak forward. I want to thank our employees, our customers, and our communities for the trust they’ve placed in us.”

About Bluepeak

Bluepeak is a new kind of internet provider bringing fast, reliable, affordable internet to places that have needed better options for too long. The company has roots serving Great Plains and Midwest communities going back more than 30 years. As the need for internet in the region has evolved, so has Bluepeak, upgrading and expanding service to several markets in Oklahoma, South Dakota, southwest Minnesota, Wyoming, North Dakota and Texas with the newest cutting-edge technology. These expansion efforts include multi-million-dollar infrastructure projects, community involvement, and growth through local hires. Bluepeak is earning the trust of customers and businesses through simple, affordable offerings, responsive, reliable customer service, and transparent pricing. The company’s unique approach to delivering internet service has earned Bluepeak accolades for customer satisfaction, network performance, workplace culture, and meaningful community partnerships.

About GI Partners

Founded in 2001, GI Partners is a private investment firm with over 150 employees and offices in San Francisco, New York, Dallas, Chicago, Greenwich, Scottsdale, and London. The firm has raised more than $50 billion in capital and invests on behalf of leading institutional investors around the world through its private equity, real estate, and data infrastructure strategies. The private equity team invests primarily in companies in the healthcare, services, and software sectors. The real estate strategy focuses primarily on technology and life sciences properties as well as other specialized types of real estate. The data infrastructure team invests primarily in hard asset infrastructure businesses underpinning the digital economy. For more information, please visit www.gipartners.com.

Media Contact:

Jaime Gardner
jgardner@novitascommunications.com
or 970-597-0696

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bluepeak-names-ken-johnson-as-chief-executive-officer-302871666.html

SOURCE Bluepeak

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ValleyStar Credit Union Celebrates Denise Ratliff’s Graduation from Southeastern Regional Credit Union School

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Denise Ratliff, Senior Vice President of Lending, has successfully graduated from the Southeastern Regional Credit Union School

MARTINSVILLE, Va., Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — ValleyStar Credit Union is proud to announce that Denise Ratliff, Senior Vice President of Lending, has successfully graduated from the Southeastern Regional Credit Union School (SRCUS) and earned her Certified Credit Union Executive (CCUE) designation.

The CCUE designation is awarded to graduates who complete the rigorous three-year SRCUS program, an immersive leadership development experience designed to strengthen operational knowledge, strategic thinking, and leadership skills for credit union professionals. Throughout the program, participants engage in weeklong classroom sessions, online coursework, team projects, and examinations while learning from University of Georgia faculty and experienced credit union executives.

“Denise’s achievement is a reflection of her unwavering commitment to professional growth and to serving our members with excellence,” said Woody Windley, Interim President/CFO of ValleyStar Credit Union. “Throughout her career, Denise has demonstrated strong leadership, dedication, and a passion for continuous learning. We are incredibly proud of this accomplishment and know the knowledge and experience she has gained through SRCUS will continue to strengthen our organization, our team, and the exceptional service we provide to our members.”

Reflecting on her experience, Ratliff shared how the program challenged and inspired her throughout the past three years.

“The last three years of SRCUS have been a challenging and wonderful experience. I have gained a wealth of knowledge from incredibly talented professors and instructors while developing relationships with my classmates that will last a lifetime. I am truly grateful for the experience and am excited to put everything I’ve learned into practice.”

ValleyStar Credit Union believes investing in employee development is an investment in its members and communities. By supporting continuing education opportunities like SRCUS, ValleyStar equips its team with the knowledge and leadership skills needed to deliver exceptional service and meet the evolving financial needs of its members.

About ValleyStar Credit Union

Serving businesses and families across Virginia since 1953, ValleyStar Credit Union is committed to making banking simple, convenient, and focused on what matters most to its members. Whether helping members purchase a home, finance a vehicle, grow a business, or achieve long-term financial goals, ValleyStar is dedicated to providing trusted financial solutions with exceptional service.

As a member-owned financial cooperative, ValleyStar returns earnings to its members through competitive loan rates, higher returns on deposits, and fewer fees. The credit union is equally committed to strengthening the communities it serves through financial education, community partnerships, and volunteerism, helping members and neighborhoods thrive together.

Media Contact

Kristen Roberson, ValleyStar Credit Union, 1 800.475.6328, kristenr@valleystar.org, https://www.valleystar.org/

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/valleystar-credit-union-celebrates-denise-ratliffs-graduation-from-southeastern-regional-credit-union-school-302868684.html

SOURCE ValleyStar Credit Union

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