Connect with us

Technology

Ukrainian-founded Preply Extends Leadership in Language Learning with First U.S. Office, Fresh Branding, and Two C-Suite Additions

Published

on

Sofia Tavares, Chief Brand Officer and Jerry Kingkade, Chief Revenue Officer will Spearhead Leadership and Growth from Preply’s New York City Office

NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Preply, a leading online learning marketplace, today announced a company rebrand and the appointment of two C-suite executives as it establishes its first office in the U.S. in New York City. The global online language learning market is set to reach $47 billion by 2025, due to globalization, technological advancements, and rising demand for bilingualism, all of which drive the demand for innovative language education solutions. With over 600 employees of 60 nationalities across New York, Kyiv and Barcelona, Preply has become a global e-learning powerhouse that connects 40,000 tutors with the world’s largest live language learning community in 180 countries. Preply revenues have grown tenfold over the last three years with this latest activity signifying the company’s doubling down to extend category leadership in what is already its largest market.

New Executive Leadership Drives Preply’s Growth in the U.S.

The two new executive hires; Sofia Tavares as Chief Brand Officer and Jerry Kingkade as Chief Revenue Officer, bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the organization. Both executives will be based in the New York office and have already played a key role in the rebrand and the establishment of the new office announced today.

Tavares will lead the company’s transformation into an iconic brand.  Having previously served as Senior Vice President of Brand at Delivery Hero where she was instrumental in the company’s transition to IPO, Tavares has over two decades of experience leading global marketing strategies for some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including PepsiCo, Cadbury plc, Bacardi, Black & Decker and PetroChina. Tavares is fluent in eight languages.

Kingkade will drive the company’s efforts to transform communications and culture through language at organizations across the world. Having led teams across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, Kingkade joins Preply from Flowspace, where he doubled revenue and tripled gross profit in his first year as CRO. Prior to Flowspace, Kingkade was VP of Sales and Marketplace Operations at Houzz, where he grew the sales organization from one rep to hundreds of employees.

New Identity Marks Next Phase of Preply’s Journey.

Having done extensive work on Preply’s vision and mission earlier in the year, Preply collaborated with London-based agency Koto to redefine the company’s identity and double down on what makes Preply unique.

The new identity introduces a fresh logo, vibrant color palette, and improved website design to improve the learning experience for users and tutors, helping millions more people make their language learning dreams a reality. The new brand is anchored around the theme of repetition, a powerful element of success for those studying a language that reflects how practice, progress and growth transform a learning journey.

“Our new vision, unlocking human potential through learning, has been the driving force behind this project. Today, more people than ever aspire to learn a new language. We believe that by strengthening our brand, we better serve everyone’s language learning needs and aspirations,” said Sofia Tavares, Chief Brand Officer of Preply. “I couldn’t be more excited to be on this journey with the Preply team, and I’m grateful to our wonderful tutors, students, employees and the wider language learning community for coming along for the ride.”

More information about Preply’s new brand can be found in Tavares’ blog post.

Helping U.S. Employers Gain a Competitive Edge

The U.S. is home to the headquarters of some of the largest multinational companies in the world with the American Council of Foreign Language Teachers reporting that 90% of U.S employers rely on a multilingual workforce. However, the demands are not being met and as a result, 25% of U.S. employers are losing out on business opportunities.

“The world is more connected than ever. We are hearing time and again from clients that communications mistakes are costly, both from a financial and reputation standpoint”, remarks Jerry Kingkade. “We’ve welcomed 200 new organizations to the Preply program in the last 12 months and more than doubled the number of clients we’re working within the U.S. so far this year. A staggering 75% of working Americans feel that foreign language skills are important for their career prospects[1]. As we establish our U.S. presence in New York, we look forward to picking up the pace, serving the needs of this hard-working population, and playing a part in addressing a specific skills gap in the labor market”.

Preply’s momentum surges with the introduction of its New York office

Preply is reinforcing its commitment to growth and to better serve its existing U.S.-based B2B customers and partners with the launch of its first office in the U.S.  The New York City location was chosen as a large number of multinational corporations are based in the Northeast.

The new office, The Malin, is now open, located at 134 Charles Street in the heart of New York’s West Village. Preply anticipates that by the close of 2023, 25+ employees will be working from the office complementing Preply’s existing two hubs in Barcelona and Kyiv.

About Preply
Preply is an online language learning marketplace, connecting tutors to hundreds of thousands of learners in 180 countries worldwide. More than 40,000 tutors teach over 50 languages, powered by a machine-learning algorithm that recommends the best tutors for each learner. Founded in the United States in 2012 by three Ukrainian founders Kirill Bigai, Serge Lukyanov, and Dmytro Voloshyn, Preply has grown from a team of 3 to a company of over 600 employees of 60 different nationalities with offices in Barcelona, New York, and Kyiv.

[1] Preply survey 2023 amongst 3000 global participants

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2256296/Preply_Logo.jpg
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2256298/Preply_Sofia.jpg
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2257267/Preply_Jerry.jpg
Video – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2256302/PMP_video_for_blog.mp4
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2256297/Preply.jpg
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2256321/Preply_language.jpg

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ukrainian-founded-preply-extends-leadership-in-language-learning-with-first-us-office-fresh-branding-and-two-c-suite-additions-301967282.html

SOURCE Preply

Continue Reading

Technology

OMNICOM TO PRESENT AT THE GOLDMAN SACHS COMMUNACOPIA + TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE

Published

on

By

NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) today announced that it will present at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference 2026 in San Francisco, California on Thursday, September 10, 2026 at 8:10 a.m. Pacific Time.  Live and archived webcasts will be available at the investor relations section of omc.com.

About Omnicom
Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) is the world’s leading marketing and sales company, built for intelligent growth in the next era. Powered by Omni and its proprietary data and identity, Omnicom’s Connected Capabilities unite the company’s world‑class agency brands, exceptional talent, and deep domain expertise across media, commerce, consulting, precision marketing, advertising, production, health, public relations, branding, and experiential to address clients’ most critical growth priorities. For more information, visit omc.com

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/omnicom-to-present-at-the-goldman-sachs-communacopia–technology-conference-302870076.html

SOURCE Omnicom Group Inc.

Continue Reading

Technology

Minister Hodgson highlights Western Canada’s role in Canada’s energy and economic future

Published

on

By

PRINCE GEORGE, BC, Sept. 4, 2026 /CNW/ — Today, the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, concluded a five-day tour across Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, highlighting how provinces, workers, Indigenous partners, researchers and industry are positioning Canada as a global energy superpower with the strongest economy in the G7. Across Western Canada, Canadians are turning global volatility into opportunities for strength: building a more prosperous economy; enhancing our national security; creating good-paying jobs; and unlocking Canadian resources and connecting them to global markets.

In Alberta, Minister Hodgson spent time with Todd Loewen, Alberta’s Minister of Forestry and Parks, visiting forest sector workers in the Grande Prairie region and meeting firefighters who have kept Albertans safe through wildfire seasons. They discussed supporting the forest products sector in the face of unjustified U.S. tariffs, pivoting Canadian industry to domestic and non-U.S. markets, and how Canada and Alberta can work together to keep communities in Alberta safe from wildfire.

The Minister also visited Suncor’s oil sands operations in Fort McMurray, meeting the people whose hard work powers Canada and reinforces our role as a reliable energy supplier amidst volatile global energy markets. Our government is working hard with our Albertan, industry and Indigenous partners to support our energy sector and build Canada into a prosperous, sovereign and sustainable energy superpower, including through the Canada–Alberta Memorandum of Understanding.

In Saskatchewan, discussions focused on the infrastructure, innovation and resources that will help power Canada’s future. Meetings with provincial counterparts, including Minister Chris Beaudry; municipal leaders; industry; and researchers at the University of Saskatchewan highlighted opportunities to strengthen electricity grids, unlock Saskatchewan’s critical minerals advantage and advance major projects. Visits to the Jansen Mine and the Saskatchewan Research Council’s Rare Earth Processing Facility demonstrated Saskatchewan’s and Canada’s growing strength across the critical minerals and nuclear energy sectors, from resource extraction and processing to advanced technologies and exports.

Minister Hodgson also joined the Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State for Rural Development, to announce nearly $12 million for businesses in Saskatoon, which are standing up against American tariffs by investing, growing and innovating in Canada, creating jobs, diversifying our supply chains and helping our nation become more economically independent.

The tour also featured two landmark moments that underscored Canada’s ambition to build major projects and strengthen long-term economic prosperity, national security and sustainability. In Saskatchewan, Minister Hodgson announced progress achieved at the McIlvenna Bay copper and zine mine since its referral to the Major Projects Office one year ago. In British Columbia, he joined federal, provincial and Indigenous partners for the groundbreaking ceremony of the North Coast Transmission Line, a transformative infrastructure project that will more than double the availability of clean, low-cost electricity on the West Coast; unlock natural resources projects like the Ksi Lisims LNG facility and critical minerals developments in the Golden Triangle; and create $10 billion in new economic activity and nearly 10,000 jobs.

Western Canada is helping drive a new era of Canadian prosperity, sovereignty and sustainability through responsible resource development, made-in-Canada innovation and a world-class workforce. By advancing projects of national interest, the region is unlocking Canada’s full potential and helping us build Canada Strong.

Quote

“In many ways, Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia are the beating heart of our energy and natural resource sectors. This week, I saw first-hand the people, projects and partnerships that are building Canada Strong amidst the unjustified trade war we are experiencing. From responsible resource development and world-class research to critical infrastructure and energy innovation, Canadians are creating the conditions for long-term prosperity, security, sustainability and sovereignty.”

The Honourable Tim Hodgson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

Quick Facts

Minister Hodgson toured Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia from August 30 to September 3, 2026.Canada’s natural resources sector is a cornerstone of the national economy, contributing $459 billion (16 percent) to Canada’s GDP in 2024 and supporting 1.8 million direct and indirect jobs across the country.Western Canada is the powerhouse of Canada’s natural resources economy. In 2022, Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan together accounted for approximately 62 percent of Canada’s natural resources GDP.

Related Products

Canada celebrates progress on the McIlvenna Bay mine: production underway, jobs created, supply chains strengthenedCanada breaks ground on North Coast Transmission Line to deliver clean power and reduce emissions

Associated Links

Canada’s Critical Minerals StrategyNuclear Energy Strategy for Canada

Follow Natural Resources Canada on LinkedIn

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Continue Reading

Technology

Surfshark launches beta tester program, inviting users to shape the future of cybersecurity

Published

on

By

Users can now gain exclusive early access to unreleased features and communicate directly with Surfshark’s development team via a dedicated Discord hub.

VILNIUS, Lithuania, Sept. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Surfshark, a cybersecurity company, has officially announced the launch of its updated beta tester program, offering users early access to new features, design changes, and updates before they are released to the general public. Currently available for Windows and Android app users, the program invites community members to play a direct role in testing, refining, and shaping the future of Surfshark’s services.

The importance of user feedback

“Our mission is to build the most beloved security product for everyone – but for that, we need input from our community. Surfshark’s development team and I are genuinely excited to always receive feedback from our users. Oftentimes, we are buried so deep into our product that we don’t see the small details or inconveniences – and that’s why we need users’ input to be a part of how Surfshark services are being shaped,” says Gabriele Sinkeviciute, Head of Product at Surfshark.

The beta tester program creates a collaborative environment where users worldwide can test unreleased tools, report bugs or quirks, and provide real-time feedback. Participant feedback will directly influence feature improvements and the development of new products based on user needs.

Initiative works through a closed Discord group designed for direct, two-way communication between beta testers and Surfshark’s product developers.

“Our updated beta tester program allows us to build features aligned with what our community actually needs,” Sinkeviciute continues. “While early versions may occasionally contain bugs, the insight provided by our beta community is invaluable in helping us fine-tune tools before public releases.”

How to join Surfshark’s beta tester program

Any active Surfshark subscriber on Windows or Android can join the program today:

On Windows: Open the Surfshark app, navigate to Settings > App settings, scroll to Beta Testing, and click Join Beta.On Android: Visit the Surfshark app page in the Google Play Store, scroll to the Join the beta section, and tap Join.

Enrolled participants will be invited to join the private Discord hub to connect with developers and fellow beta testers.

To learn more or sign up today, visit: https://surfshark.com/beta-tester-program

ABOUT SURFSHARK

Surfshark is a cybersecurity company offering products including an audited VPN, certified antivirus, data leak warning system, and a tool for generating an online identity. Recognized as a leading VPN by CNET and TechRadar, Surfshark has also been featured on the FT1000: Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies ranking. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Surfshark has offices in Lithuania and Poland. For information on Surfshark’s operations and highlights, read our Annual Wrap-up. For more research projects, visit our research hub.

Contact: media@surfshark.com 

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/surfshark-launches-beta-tester-program-inviting-users-to-shape-the-future-of-cybersecurity-302870080.html

SOURCE Surfshark B.V.

Continue Reading

Trending