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TONIES® APPOINTS MARK MCCOLGAN AS GENERAL MANAGER, NORTH AMERICA TO LEAD THE NEXT PHASE OF GROWTH IN ITS LARGEST MARKET

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Industry Veteran Joins from Mattel as Christoph Frehsee Moves Into the Global Role of Chief Revenue Officer

PALO ALTO, Calif., April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — tonies®, the globally leading interactive audio platform for children, today announced the appointment of Mark McColgan as General Manager, North America. Effective immediately, McColgan leads tonies’ largest market, overseeing operations with a focus on continuing the company’s rapid growth through retail expansion and partnerships, as well as deeper consumer engagement. He will report to Christoph Frehsee, who since 2020 has built tonies’ North American activities from the ground up into a more than $300 million net revenue business. Most recently, in 2025, tonies in North America sustained its growth rate above group average, increasing revenue by 40% year over year, in constant currency. In July 2025, Frehsee assumed the role of Chief Revenue Officer on tonies’ Management Board. In his new capacity, he is responsible for tonies’ global commercial strategy, enabling growth across all markets and driving international expansion.

“Mark is a dynamic leader with a proven track record of creating affinity for beloved brands. As we continue to deepen our footprint in North America, Mark’s expertise and deep understanding of the market will be instrumental in continuing our high-growth momentum, making the U.S. and Canada a key driver for tonies’ global growth,” says Christoph Frehsee, CRO of tonies. “I look forward to working with Mark as we scale established and new partnerships in North America and realize our full potential in tonies’ most important growth market.”

McColgan brings more than two decades of leadership experience in the toy and consumer products industries. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Mattel US, where he led strategy, sales and commercial growth. Having started his career in the industry as a store manager and buyer, he went on to scale major consumer brands and drove profitable growth in competitive markets in positions across the U.S. and U.K. With deep domestic expertise and international perspectives, McColgan contributed, among others, to the success of properties such as Mattel’s Hot Wheels, Barbie and Fisher-Price, Disney’s Cars, and Universal’s Wicked.

“With its unique audio-first approach, tonies has created a category of its own, scaled it, and continues to lead and redefine it. tonies’ focus on creating moments that really matter has earned the trust and love of families around the world and inspired me to join: Tonieboxes bring together freedom for engaging play with parents’ desire for a safe space that inspires growth,” says Mark McColgan, General Manager of tonies, North America. “Building on strong momentum, there is massive, untapped potential in North America, and I’m thrilled to be joining the team to bring the tonies’ unique experience to even more families across the country.”

“North America is key to our global growth strategy. We have big ambitions, and we are delighted to have Mark join us to lead the next phase of scaling this important market,” says Tobias Wann, CEO of tonies. “With his appointment and Christoph Frehsee fully moving into his CRO role, we are elevating our leadership to pursue our ambition of becoming a truly global icon – a brand trusted by families everywhere, with an ecosystem that grows along with kids as they get older.”

About tonies
tonies® is the globally leading interactive audio platform for children redefining how children aged 1 to 9+ play, learn and grow independently without screens. Since its founding in Germany in 2014, more than 11.8 million Tonieboxes have been activated and over 156 million Tonies sold worldwide.

On average, children engage with tonies for ~280 minutes per week, making it a trusted everyday companion that brings the joy and magic of interactive audio entertainment and education into family life worldwide.

The intuitive and award-winning system – centered around Toniebox 2 – offers a portfolio of around 1,500 Tonies figurines and two dozen Tonieplay games and more than 3,500 digital titles via mytonies (library and app) – ranging from tonies Originals® to licensed content from around 460 partners including Disney, Warner Bros., NBC Universal, Mattel, Marvel, Paramount, Hasbro, Universal, Sony Music.

tonies is rapidly expanding its platform globally. Besides DACH, central growth regions include tonies’ largest market, North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, France, Australia and New Zealand with Tonieboxes now active in over 100 countries. tonies employs more than 630 people and achieved USD 756 million (EUR 630 million) in group revenue in fiscal year 2025 (+31% YoY) and is listed in the SDAX segment of Frankfurt Stock Exchange (tonies SE).

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tonies-appoints-mark-mccolgan-as-general-manager-north-america-to-lead-the-next-phase-of-growth-in-its-largest-market-302747871.html

SOURCE tonies®

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Quote.com Announces New Senior Leadership Additions

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April 22, 2026

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Quote.com, a leading tech-enabled, omnichannel performance marketing organization, today announced the addition of two new executive team members to support the company’s continued growth and strategic expansion. Chase Nichols joins as Chief Marketing Officer and Ben Hochstetler as Senior Vice President of Marketing.

Quote.com announced the addition of two new executive team members, Chase Nichols and Ben Hochstetler.

The appointments strengthen Quote.com’s leadership team as the company continues to invest in execution, growth, and expanding its ability to help consumers access insurance solutions more easily and efficiently. “We are excited to welcome Chase and Ben to the Quote.com leadership team,” said Nick Stommes, Chief Executive Officer at Quote.com. “Both bring deep industry expertise, experienced execution capability, and a strong focus on operational excellence that will help accelerate our growth while improving how consumers access and compare insurance options. Their leadership will play a critical role at Quote.com as we continue scaling our platform and strengthening our partnerships.”

Chase Nichols joins Quote.com as Chief Marketing Officer; Chase is responsible for all performance marketing planning, organization, and execution, and is focused on driving efficient, measurable consumer touchpoints. With nearly two decades of experience in financial services and performance marketing environments, he brings a data-first approach to scaling growth while balancing brand development and direct-response marketing.

Ben Hochstetler joins as Senior Vice President of Marketing, leading digital marketing strategy and execution across Quote.com’s omnichannel performance marketing footprint. He brings more than 15 years of experience building and scaling performance marketing execution in highly competitive and regulated markets.

About Quote.com

Quote.com is a tech-enabled omnichannel performance marketing organization that delivers high-quality, mission-critical demand at scale to industry-leading partners. The company serves customers across multiple insurance verticals, including auto, home, life, and Medicare insurance. Quote.com provides significant value to consumers by providing an independent, third-party comparison-shopping experience.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quotecom-announces-new-senior-leadership-additions-302749492.html

SOURCE Quote.com

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Young Voices Across Oceans: Telling China’s Story Fiji Special Showcases GDI Achievements

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April 22, 2026

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SHENZHEN, China, April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This year marks the 5th anniversary of the Global Development Initiative (GDI). Shenzhen Media Group’s “Telling China’s Story” program presents a special Fiji season, taking the perspective of young Chinese people to the Pacific island nation of Fiji. It documents the implementation of numerous cooperative projects which are smaller in scale but well-designed, showcasing the heartwarming stories and broad prospects of China and Fiji working together to promote common development and share the fruits of cooperation, vividly illustrating the practical achievements of the GDI.

 

The program will air from April 20th to 22nd, 2026. The first episode features Chinese actor Zhao Xiaotong, food blogger Yang Beichuan, and Wu Dongwei, a doctoral student at China Agricultural University, who visit the China-Fiji Juncao Technology Demonstration Center in Nadi, Fiji, to explore how this “Happiness Juncao” from China has taken root and grown in the South Pacific island nation, benefiting people’s livelihoods.

This “Happiness Juncao” has yielded “win-win results” in Fiji, bringing tangible changes to local families. Internet technology engineer Ashmir not only gained a stable income by learning Juncao (a type of grass cultivation) to grow mushrooms, but also successfully paid off his car loan.

During this filming, a “Mushroom Team” of young Chinese people joined Ashmir in a Fijian market to promote mushroom dishes and introduce locals to various new ways to enjoy mushrooms. The humble mushroom became a bond of friendship across mountains and seas, conveying the warm sentiments of mutual understanding between the Chinese and Fijian people amidst the bustling market atmosphere.

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/young-voices-across-oceans-telling-chinas-story-fiji-special-showcases-gdi-achievements-302750267.html

SOURCE Shenzhen Media Group

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Laminar Wins Gold 2026 Edison Award for Physical AI that Powers the Self-Driving Factory

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April 22, 2026

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Top honor recognizes Laminar’s innovation and transformation in the CPG manufacturing industry

BOSTON, April 22, 2026 /CNW/ — Laminar, a physical AI solution helping the world’s leading manufacturers run more productive and sustainable factories, announced that it received a Gold 2026 Edison Award in the Manufacturing & Logistics category. The award recognizes Laminar for enabling food and beverage manufacturers to unlock new levels of productivity and sustainability through innovation – running faster production lines while cutting water, chemicals, and downtime.

“Laminar is leading the way CPG manufacturers implement physical AI on the factory floor with first-of-their-kind self-driving processes,” said Annie Lu, Laminar Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder. “Our patented spectral sensors and complete library of ML models enable a new, transformative approach to closed-loop automation, making the goal of the self-driving factory achievable today. We are honored the Edison Awards recognized our commitment to building a new category of technology and reshaping the future of manufacturing.”

Laminar’s physical AI transforms operations by enabling CPG manufacturers to transition from manual, timer-based operations to self-driving. Deployed across six continents for Coca-Cola, AB InBev, Danone, and Unilever, Laminar delivers measurable sustainability and profitability gains from the same investment. Laminar’s self-driving processes include:

Self-Driving Clean-in-PlaceSelf-Driving Product ChangeoverSelf-Driving Batch OptimizationSelf-Driving Quality ControlAnd more

The Edison Awards, established in 1987 and named in honor of inventor Thomas Edison, celebrates game-changing innovation across industries worldwide. Drawing a global community of innovators across 60+ countries, the Edison Awards elevate solutions that reimagine our future.

Recognition for Laminar’s Innovation

Headquartered at Greentown Labs in Somerville, MA – North America’s leading cleantech incubator – Laminar is a woman-founded startup backed by top-tier investors, including Greycroft, Construct Capital, 2048 Ventures, and Flybridge Capital.

Recognized for its innovation and impact, Laminar received AB InBev’s 2024 Cheers Award for outstanding startup partnership and was named Unilever’s 2023 Supplier Startup of the Year. Laminar’s solution is also deployed in World Economic Forum Lighthouse factories recognized for their leadership in cutting-edge technology.

About Laminar

Laminar’s physical AI helps the world’s leading manufacturers run self-driving factories with more sustainable, efficient operations. Our patented spectral sensors and complete library of ML models transform manual operations into self-driving processes that cut water, chemicals, and downtime in real-time. Deployed in factories across six continents and trusted by global leaders like AB InBev, Coca-Cola, and Unilever, Laminar is building a new category of physical AI that will power the future of process manufacturing. Learn more at runlaminar.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/laminar-wins-gold-2026-edison-award-for-physical-ai-that-powers-the-self-driving-factory-302749392.html

SOURCE Laminar

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