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Leo Burnett Launches First US Edition of the HumanKind Study–Exposing Reality of Today’s Consumer Climate

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Study confirms divisiveness and an overriding feeling across generations that things are not OK —but despite negative climate, insights show there’s an opportunity for brands to make a positive impact.

CHICAGO, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today Leo Burnett Chicago released the findings of the U.S. HumanKind Study, which draws on extensive primary market research to dive deep into the main issues shaping the nation. Developed in partnership with research company Maru/Blue, the study offers a panoramic view of the challenges facing Americans today and outlines opportunities for brands to address issues spanning mental health, finance, social media and other divisive topics.

“Our study not only sheds light on today’s prevailing issues but also shows a path forward for brands seeking to make a difference in the lives of Americans,” said Samantha Cescau, EVP, Head of Strategy, Leo Burnett. “By aligning their values with those of their consumers and embracing a spirit of empathy and innovation, brands can help solve real human problems.”

Among the key findings:

Society is collectively unhappy. Three in five (59%) respondents confirmed there is a lack of happiness in society, leaving a pessimistic view of the future.

Half don’t believe in the country’s healthcare system. Nearly half (47%) of all Americans lack faith in the healthcare system. Of the 23% of Americans who fear getting sick because of a lack of access to healthcare, Hispanics/Latinos index the highest at 43%.

Americans are NOT financially thriving. Despite economic indicators saying the economy is thriving, Americans, by and large across pay brackets, aren’t feeling it. Nearly three-fifths (59%) of those making less than $50K annually and nearly half (46%) of those making between $50K and $90K believe any financial setback could have major consequences in their lives.

Gen Z feels technology has hindered them. More than two-fifths (41%) of Gen Z respondents feel awkward in person due to living life primarily through screens, and three in five (58%) express concern about the negative effects of screen addiction on real-world relationships.

Americans do NOT trust the government and corporate America. Americans grapple with deep divisions on societal issues like climate change and gun violence, and while there is no consensus on what the #1 issue is plaguing our country, nearly three-fifths (59%) of respondents agree that the government is not doing enough to protect kids from gun violence.

Despite these challenges, Americans exhibit resilience and optimism, charting their paths toward personal fulfillment and well-being. Brands have a pivotal role to play in this narrative, offering support, empathy and solutions that resonate with people’s aspirations.

Among brand opportunities:

Help people fulfill their potential: Between inflation and the speed of culture, people feel less in control. Brands have an opportunity to add value through transparency and predictable and manageable products and solutions.

Brands can be the hero in a negative climate: While much of society feels negative, brands have an opportunity to be the shining light of positivity for consumers, nearly half (44%) of millennials and one-third (33%) of Gen Z respondents say their favorite brands help resolve issues in their lives. The most enjoyed brand platforms uplift people and turn talk into action.

Be a force for good: Brands play a pivotal role in societal discourse from well-being (or lack thereof) to social media. Inject good—protect and serve the consumer, have their best interests at heart, encourage community and be honest.

Originally launched in Canada by Leo Burnett Toronto, the HumanKind Study provides brand leaders with a comprehensive overview of the key issues and concerns affecting citizens, offering valuable insights into the people who matter most to their business.

“At Leo Burnett, we firmly believe in one universal truth: What helps people helps business. By uncovering where brands and individuals intersect authentically, companies and organizations can purposefully and successfully navigate the complexities of today’s world,” Samantha concluded.

To learn more about Leo Burnett’s U.S. HumanKind Study and how brands can incorporate these learnings into how they show up for consumers, please visit https://www.humankindstudy.com

 

ABOUT LEO BURNETT
Leo Burnett is a creative solutions company founded on the idea that “what helps people helps business.” By solving human problems with the power of creativity, Leo Burnett delivers value for people and prosperity for brands. To learn more about Leo Burnett and its rich 89-year history, visit LeoBurnett.com.

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SOURCE Leo Burnett

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Products That Count Announces the Winners of the 2026 CPO Awards, Honoring the Product Leaders Redefining Their Craft in the AI Era

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The annual Awards recognize Chief Product Officers whose scope, influence, and impact have expanded dramatically as AI reshapes every organization.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 1, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Products That Count, the world’s largest nonprofit community of product managers with over 600,000 members, today announced the winners of the 2026 CPO Awards. The Awards, produced in partnership with Mighty Capital, celebrate the Chief Product Officers whose leadership is shaping how products are built, shipped, and scaled in a moment of unprecedented change.

“The CPO mandate has fundamentally expanded,” said SC Moatti, Founder and Managing Partner of Products That Count. “Our winners this year are setting the standard for what the role becomes when AI is woven into every layer of the business. They are the builders other builders learn from.”

The role of the Chief Product Officer has never been broader. Today’s CPOs are architecting the systems, teams, and decisions that determine whether their companies win in the AI era.

The 2026 CPO Award Winners, by category:

President / CEO: Former CPOs who have elevated to the top role.

Eglae Recchia, CPO, Keyway

Maria Thomas, CEO (promoted from CPO), Rebrandly

Nabil Bukhari, President, Extreme Networks

Shiven Ramji, President & Chief Product Officer, Okta

Investor Mindset: Treating product like a portfolio of bets, with M&A as a strategic lever.

Achuth Rao, CPO, New York Life Insurance Company

Andrew Tsao, CPO & Analytics Officer, Audible

Dane Glasgow, CPO, Paramount/Skydance

Diana Benli, Chief Product Officer, Cognizant

Diego Dugatkin, Chief Product Officer, Box

Mike Bidgoli, CPO & CTO, Tubi

Vasu Murthy, CPO, Cohesity

Vrushali Paunikar, CPO, Carta

Ambrish Verma, Chief Product Officer, Ingram Micro

Enterprise Scale: Operating in complexity. Not speed alone, but transformation at scale.

Carla Guzzetti, Chief Product Officer, Cloud Applications, Extreme Networks

Eddie Garcia, Chief Product Officer, eBay

Gautam Shah, Chief Product Officer, Carelon

Ghazal Badiozamani, SVP of Product Management, Cengage

Kelli Fielding, Chief Product Officer, Europe, TransUnion

Mikhail Vaysbukh, Chief Product Officer, Elsevier

Monica Ugwi, GM, Copilot + Agents for Manufacturing & Mobility, formerly Microsoft

Randall Hounsell, SVP Connected Living Product, Comcast

Rita Khan, Chief Consumer & Digital Officer, formerly Optum

Ryan Bergstrom, Chief Product Officer, Paychex

Tim Simmons, Chief Product Officer, formerly Walmart International

Tina Tarquinio, Chief Product Officer, IBM Z and LinuxONE, IBM

Todd Garner, CPO, Sam’s Club

Trey Courtney, Global Chief Product & Partnerships Officer, Mood Media

Wyatt Jenkins, SVP Product, Intuit

Shayani Roy, SVP Product Management and Design, OpenTable

Scale Up: Growth-stage leaders putting the scale in place.

Aaron Seevers, Chief Product Officer, Noom

Avijit Sinha, SVP Corporate Development, EDB

Hannah Park, Chief Product Officer, Planned Parenthood

Joe Futty, CPO & CTO, Pipedrive

Jonathan Shottan, Chief Product Officer, Tonal

Kimberly Bloomston, CPO, 6sense

Kousthub Raghavan, Chief Product & Digital Officer, CLEAR

Natalia Williams, Chief Product Officer, Qonto

Nikita Miller, Chief Product Officer, Perk

Nilesh Khandelwal, Chief Product Officer, Rakuten Rewards

Paul Burke, CPO, Reveleer

Randhir Vieira, CPO, formerly Healthify

Renn Turiano, CPO, Gannett – USA Today Network

Sarah Turrin, CPO, Color

Emerging: On an amazing trajectory, regardless of tenure.

Adam Kelsey, EVP, Product Management, SignalWire

Apurva Garware, SVP, Head of Product, Invisible Technologies

Chai Atreya, Chief Product Officer, ActiveCampaign

Jack Brody, Chief Product Officer, Suno

John Barrus, VP of Product Management, Niobium

Kevin Swint, former Co-Founder & CPO, RemixAI

Nirmal Kumar, CPO, Aliaswire

Rafael Flores, Chief Product Officer, Treasure Data.ai

Sarah Jacob Singh, CPO & CTO, Medbridge

Sarosh Waghmar, CPO & Co-Founder, Spotnana

Vanessa Davis, CPO, LegalOn

Vikas Seth, CPO, ARIS

Platform: Multiplying impact beyond their own product by leveraging the ecosystem at scale.

Arnab Bose, CPO, Asana

Kishan Chetan, EVP & GM, Agentforce Service Cloud, Salesforce

Shardul Vikram, Chief Product Officer, SAP Application AI, SAP

Tom Occhino, Chief Product Officer, Vercel

Rohit Badlaney, CPO & General Manager, IBM Cloud Platform, IBM

Terre Layton, former CPO, BetterHealth

B.J. Boyle, Chief Product Officer, MacroHealth

Winners were selected by an Independent Advisory Council of seasoned product executives based on impact and leadership.

ABOUT PRODUCTS THAT COUNT

Products That Count is the world’s largest nonprofit community, engaging 600,000+ product managers and Chief Product Officers (CPOs) united by a mission: to empower everyone to build products that truly count. In a world flooded with products, only a few ignite passion, deliver value at scale, and transform lives. Behind those exceptional products are visionary CPOs and high-performing product teams driving innovation at the most bleeding-edge companies. We recognize these trailblazers through our coveted Awards, accelerate careers from PM to the C-suite and beyond through daily best practices, and serve as the trusted advisor to nearly all Fortune 1000 CPOs. Our Corporate Alliance includes Walmart, Ford, Cisco, Johnson & Johnson, Amplitude, and more. The most admired product leaders across industries serve on our Advisory Council, guiding the future of product leadership. Together, we’re shaping a future where every product counts. Learn more at productsthatcount.org

ABOUT MIGHTY CAPITAL

Mighty Capital is the VC firm that leverages the Product Alpha Effect, a data-backed framework for outperformance that proves great products drive great businesses. Founded in 2018 by SC Moatti, a product visionary and former Meta product leader, and Jennifer Vancini, a veteran of tech investing and M&A, we bring a differentiated edge to venture. Through Moatti’s 600,000-strong Products That Count network of product leaders, we see where the world is going before others do. That proprietary signal gives us an advantage in sourcing, diligence, and post-investment value creation. Our portfolio speaks for itself: 1 in 5 companies is a category leader like Amplitude (NASDAQ:AMPL), Groq, and Netskope (NASDAQ:NTSK). Founders consistently call us the most value-add investor on their cap table, and use our global product ecosystem as a marketplace to accelerate time to revenue, scale, and exit. Anchored by GCM Grosvenor, we’re deploying Fund III with both prior funds in top decile DPI and TVPI, more than $20B in value created, and 6 IPOs to date. Learn more at Mighty.Capital.

Media Contact

Emma Shirlin, Products That Count, 1 8287020154, emmashirlin@productsthatcount.com

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SOURCE Products That Count

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Thomson Reuters Announces Cash Distribution Per Share and Share Consolidation Ratio for Return of Capital and Share Consolidation Transactions

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Participating shareholders to receive cash distribution of US$1.435518 per common share

Shares to begin trading on a post-consolidated basis on May 4, 2026

TORONTO, May 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Thomson Reuters (TSX/Nasdaq: TRI) today announced the cash distribution per share and the share consolidation ratio for its return of capital and share consolidation transactions, which have received the requisite approvals and will be effective at 3:01 a.m. (Toronto time) on May 4, 2026. The company’s common shares will begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and the Nasdaq on a post-consolidated basis when the markets open on May 4, 2026. The company’s trading symbol will remain “TRI” on both exchanges. The new CUSIP number for the post-consolidated common shares is 884903881 and the new ISIN number is CA8849038812.

The return of capital and share consolidation transactions consist of a distribution of US$1.435518 per common share (US$605 million in the aggregate) and a consolidation of the company’s outstanding common shares (or “reverse stock split”) at a ratio of 1 pre-consolidated share for 0.984560 post-consolidated shares. The share consolidation is proportional to the special cash distribution and the share consolidation ratio was based on the volume weighted average trading price of the shares on the Nasdaq for the five trading day period which ended today.Eligible shareholders who duly exercised their right to opt out of the return of capital will not receive the cash distribution. Each opting-out shareholder will still participate in the transactions through a share exchange and the share consolidation, but will continue to hold the same number of shares that it currently holds. Such opting-out shareholders will realize a proportionate increase in their equity and voting interests in the company by virtue of the consolidation of the participating shares under the share consolidation.

As promptly as practicable after the transactions are effective, Computershare Investor Services Inc., the company’s depositary for the transactions, will deliver cash distribution amounts to registered participating shareholders, subject to the terms and conditions of the transactions. The effects of the share consolidation will be reflected in the company’s share register. Beneficial or non-registered shareholders participating in the return of capital will receive cash distributions from their intermediary and the effects of the share consolidation will be recorded in their accounts.

Fractional shares will not be issued as part of the return of capital and share consolidation transactions and shareholders will receive the value of any fractional shares in cash, subject to certain exceptions described in the company’s management proxy circular dated March 13, 2026 (the “Circular”).

The Canadian and U.S. tax consequences of the return of capital and share consolidation transactions are complex. Shareholders are encouraged to review the Circular and related materials carefully and to consult their financial, tax and legal advisors.

Further details of the return of capital and share consolidation transactions are described in the Circular and related materials, which are available on www.thomsonreuters.com/2026specialmeeting. The return of capital and share consolidation documents were previously filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR+ and are available at www.sedarplus.ca. The documents were also furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission through EDGAR and are available at www.sec.gov.  

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters (TSX/Nasdaq: TRI) informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. The company serves professionals across legal, tax, audit, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Its products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s leading provider of trusted journalism and news. For more information, visit thomsonreuters.com.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the completion of the return of capital and share consolidation transactions and the anticipated tax treatment for shareholders participating in the return of capital and those opting out. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and reflect our company’s current expectations. As a result, forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including the risk factors discussed in materials that Thomson Reuters from time to time files with, or furnishes to, the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. There is no assurance that the return of capital and share consolidation transactions will be completed or that other events described in any forward-looking statement will materialize. Except as may be required by applicable law, Thomson Reuters disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

CONTACTS
MEDIA
Zoe Zanettos
Director, Corporate Affairs
+1 647 202 8948
zoe.zanettos@thomsonreuters.com 

INVESTORS
Gary E. Bisbee, CFA
Head of Investor Relations 
+1 646 540 3249
gary.bisbee@thomsonreuters.com 

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SOURCE Thomson Reuters

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Lockheed Martin Awarded U.S. Space Force Space-Based Interceptor Contracts to Meet Layered Missile Defense Demand

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HUNTSVILLE, Ala., May 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has been selected by U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command to develop capabilities supporting the Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) program. These agreements mark progress toward fielding core elements of an integrated, layered homeland defense solution. 

This work will accelerate development, testing and integration of SBI capabilities, delivering an early engagement layer that expands coverage, enhances survivability and strengthens deterrence against emerging missile threats.

Lockheed Martin’s SBI system leverages our experience with combat-proven interceptors like THAAD and PAC-3 as well as the Next Generation Interceptor, hypersonic strike systems and missile warning and tracking systems.

The result is an early, additional layer to the multi-domain, layered shield that protects the homeland and critical infrastructure from evolving missile threats.

“Lockheed Martin is already making next generation integrated air and missile defense a reality with our proven capabilities and the expertise across our entire network,” said Robert Lightfoot, Lockheed Martin Space president. “We’re investing in technology and infrastructure, while bringing together the strength of the full industrial base, to deliver advanced capabilities like SBI faster and are committed to delivering an integrated demonstration by 2028.” 

About Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin is a global defense technology company driving innovation and advancing scientific discovery. Our all-domain mission solutions and 21st Century Security® vision accelerate the delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve always stay ahead of ready. More information at www.Lockheedmartin.com.

The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government.

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SOURCE Lockheed Martin

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