Technology

Verndale Welcomes Max Fresen as Chief Experience Officer

Published

2 years ago

March 5, 2024

New CXO Brings Over Two Decades of Experience in Advertising and Marketing to Lead the Agency’s Experience Design Team

BOSTON, March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Verndale, a digital experience agency headquartered in Boston, MA, announced the appointment of Max Fresen as their Chief Experience Officer (CXO). Max joins Verndale from BRANDtho, where he successfully led as CXO, bringing with him over two decades of invaluable experience in the advertising and marketing industry.

Following 2023 investments in the strategy team, Verndale welcomes a new CXO to steward innovation in experience design.

As CXO at Verndale, Max will play a pivotal role in charting the agency’s future. He’ll lead the experience design team and drive initiatives that align with the organization’s strategic goals.

Chris Pisapia, CEO of Verndale, shares, “As we steer Verndale through our transformative growth as a company, our focus on delivering business value remains. Balancing technical expertise with strategic creativity is key. Following our investments in the agency’s strategy team in 2023, we’re thrilled to announce Max Fresen’s hire to steward innovation in experience design. This move expands our creative services and reflects our commitment to redefining digital experiences and propelling clients’ initiatives forward.”

Max’s recruitment reinforces the agency’s commitment to excellence and innovation. In his role as the head of experience design, Max will be responsible for delivering engaging and impactful experiences across all channels and platforms, contributing to Verndale’s evolution as a strategic partner to its clients.

“I’m thrilled to join Verndale at this pivotal moment in the evolution of communication arts. In an era where generative technologies have made the once impossible commonplace, capturing customers’ attention and building a brand has become more challenging than ever,” comments Max. “Navigating the intersection of art and science is now essential for a company’s success. With Verndale’s decades of experience crafting tech-enabled experiences at an enterprise scale, we’re uniquely positioned to be the ideal partner for this transformative journey. I’m excited to contribute to Verndale’s mission and drive impactful outcomes for our clients and their customers.”

Max’s extensive experience and leadership at previous agencies prime him to lead and grow the Experience Design team and drive outcomes for our clients. His passion for pushing the boundaries of technology and psychology and his commitment to making the world a better place through design and innovation make him a valuable addition to the Verndale team.

About Verndale

Verndale is a digital agency that designs, develops, and delivers high-performing websites and ecommerce experiences. The agency guides clients in creating more human experiences in a digital world and is committed to pushing boundaries, achieving growth objectives, and optimizing digital experiences for its clients and their customers. Verndale offers digital strategy, experience design, digital marketing, customer relationship management (CRM), and sales quoting solutions. The agency leverages best-in-class technologies to deliver clients custom solutions that stand above the rest.

As a recognized Optimizely Premium partner, Verndale has earned seven MVP awards, holds 60 certifications, and boasts 30 global accreditations. In 2023 and 2021, the agency was honored with the Optimizely Partner of the Year award. Verndale is also North America’s leading Sitecore Enterprise Solution provider and Platinum partner. With nine MVPs and 25 certified developers, Verndale’s specializations include Experience Platform, XM Cloud, OrderCloud, CDP & Personalization, and Content Hub.

For more information about Verndale’s innovative solutions and industry expertise, visit verndale.com. Get in touch with us at hello@verndale.com.

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SOURCE Verndale Corporation

Technology

Hexagon Composites ASA: Eirik Løhre appointed permanent CFO

Published

11 minutes ago

May 5, 2026

OSLO, Norway, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Reference is made to the stock exchange announcement dated 11 November 2025, where Eirik Løhre was appointed interim CFO in Hexagon Composites.

The Company is pleased to inform that Eirik Løhre has been appointed permanently to the role of CFO in Hexagon Composites, effective today.

Eirik Løhre has been with the Company since 2021 and prior to his role as interim CFO, he served as EVP Corporate Development on the Executive Team.

“Eirik has demonstrated strong financial leadership and execution, and he has been instrumental in strengthening our financial performance. I look forward to continuing our work together to develop and position Hexagon in this next phase of growth,” said Philipp Schramm, CEO, Hexagon Composites.

For more information:
Berit-Cathrin Høyvik, Senior Director, Communications, Hexagon Composites
Tel: +47 988 92 161, berit-cathrin.hoyvik@hexagongroup.com

About Hexagon Composites ASA
Hexagon delivers safe and innovative solutions for a cleaner energy future. Our solutions enable storage, transportation and conversion to clean energy in a wide range of mobility and industrial applications. Learn more at www.hexagongroup.com and follow @HexagonASA on LinkedIn.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

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Technology

LONGPORT Whale Enters Malaysian Market with Next Generation Trading Infrastructure for Local Brokerages

Published

11 minutes ago

May 5, 2026

LONGPORT Whale, with proven track record across 100+ institutional clients in Asia, makes its Malaysia debut at Bursa Malaysia Stockbroking Trade Fair 2026

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LONGPORT Whale, a provider of AI-Ready securities trading infrastructure, is making its entry into the Malaysian market at the Bursa Malaysia Stockbroking Trade Fair 2026. The move comes as Malaysia’s Capital Market Masterplan 2026–2030 (CMP4) continues to hone in on local brokerages to modernise core systems, balancing investor experience, regulatory compliance, and operational resilience simultaneously.

Malaysian brokerages are increasingly confronted by a challenge that goes beyond front-end upgrades. Legacy architectures struggle to keep pace with digital-native investor expectations, rising cybersecurity standards, and the demand for multi-market expansion simultaneously. For many such brokerages, the question is no longer whether to modernize, but how to do so without adding complexity or disrupting the business continuity that clients depend on.

Zhong Hua, CEO, LONGPORT Whale, said, “Core trading infrastructure must support continuous evolution — in investor experience, compliance, and AI readiness — without adding unnecessary complexity. The brokerages that lead the next decade won’t be the ones with the best system today; they’ll be the ones whose systems are designed to keep getting better. LONGPORT Whale aims to bring its Asia-proven experience to help Malaysian brokers strike that balance.”

Built on a cloud-native microservices architecture and trusted by more than 100 institutional clients in Asia, Whale’s platform is engineered by industry professionals and refined through years of first-hand operational experience. For the Malaysian market, it addresses four priorities: a best-in-class trading experience validated across competitive, highly regulated markets in Asia; system resilience and performance built for institutional scale, with high system performance and output, real time risk management, and low system latency; global market connectivity spanning Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, US, and Japan without requiring system rebuilds; and an API-first, data-unified architecture that gives brokerages a practical foundation for AI adoption.

Hong Kong SAR and Singapore, where Whale serves online brokers, traditional banking firms, banks and wealth management institutes in a stringent regulatory environment, serve as the primary reference market for its Malaysia expansion. The company said it aims to work with local industry participants as both an infrastructure partner and a contributor to broader conversation on responsible modernization under CMP4.

About LONGPORT Whale

LONGPORT Whale provides integrated securities trading infrastructure to brokers, banks, fund houses, wealth managers, and family offices across Asia. Its cloud-native platform supports multi-market, multi-asset trading across front-, middle-, and back-office workflows, with a deployment model designed for regulatory alignment and long-term scalability. Website: www.longportwhale.com

Media Contact
LONGPORT Whale PR Team
Email: media@longportwhale.com

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SOURCE LONGPORT Whale

Technology

Thunes and Vodacom Tanzania Unite to Power Cross-Border M-Pesa Payments Across China and Uganda

Published

11 minutes ago

May 5, 2026

Collaboration revolutionises trade & financial convenience for Tanzanian merchants and consumers

SINGAPORE, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Thunes, the Smart Superhighway to move money around the world, has joined forces with Vodacom Tanzania, the country’s leading telco company, to transform cross-border trade and digital financial inclusion with Vodacom’s new M-Pesa Global Payment solution. Thanks to the collaboration, Vodacom customers in Tanzania can now seamlessly pay merchants in Uganda and China directly from their mobile phones.

This milestone solution responds to growing demand from Tanzanian traders who engage in commerce with Ugandan and Chinese markets but often face challenges with costly, slow, and insecure payment methods. With this innovation, leveraging the Thunes Direct Global Network, Vodacom aims to bridge those gaps, offering secure, real-time digital payments across borders and reinforcing its leadership in mobile money innovation in Africa.

The solution supports trade with two key markets for Tanzania. For eight consecutive years, China has been Tanzania’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade hitting $8.8 billion in 2024. In the same year, bilateral trade between Tanzania and Uganda reached approximately $2.23 billion, an increase of 64% on the previous year.

Epimack Mbeteni, M-Pesa Director at Vodacom Tanzania said: “This is more than just a payment feature, it is a catalyst for economic empowerment and a gateway for small and medium businesses and entrepreneurs in Tanzania to compete and thrive in regional and global markets. Through Thunes’ expansive and trusted Network we are enabling seamless, secure, and affordable cross-border payments that empower people, fuel trade and place M-Pesa at the center of Africa’s digital commerce future.”

Through Thunes’ Direct Global Network, customers can now send payments to merchants in Uganda using MTN MoMo and to Chinese merchants through the Alipay network, all through the M-Pesa USSD menu or the M-Pesa Super App. The process is secure, user-friendly, and eliminates the burden of traditional banking barriers for everyday traders and businesses.

Dawei Wang, SVP Network at Thunes, added: “Vodacom Tanzania joining the Thunes Direct Global Network to digitise cross-border payments is a game changer for local businesses. By combining Vodacom’s technology with Thunes’ trusted and proprietary Network, Tanzanian customers can pay partners in China and Uganda in real time. This innovation accelerates interoperability along with international trade and business growth and supports our vision of connecting the next billion end users to the global economy.”

This initiative stands as a strategic enabler for consumers and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) who need reliable and quick financial tools such as mobile money. A 2025 GeoPoll survey on Tanzania Financial Services and Usage found that 94% of the survey’s respondents use mobile money.

The Thunes and Vodacom Tanzania alliance is set to transform the lives of millions of consumers by dismantling cross-border barriers. By hyper-connecting Tanzania to global powerhouses like China and streamlining intra-African trade, the collaboration is helping to build an inclusive economy and grow Tanzania’s role as a force in the global market.

About Vodacom Tanzania

For more information, visit: https://www.vodacom.co.tz/

About Thunes

For more information, visit: https://www.thunes.com/

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/thunes-and-vodacom-tanzania-unite-to-power-cross-border-m-pesa-payments-across-china-and-uganda-302760085.html