Connect with us

Technology

Flagship Pioneering and Lean Business Services Company Announce Collaboration to Advance Healthcare Innovation and AI-Enabled Biomedical Research in Saudi Arabia

Published

on

Collaboration combines Saudi Arabia’s national health data capabilities with Flagship’s life sciences and AI-enabled innovation expertise to accelerate precision medicine, scientific discovery, and biomedical ecosystem development in support of Vision 2030.

SAN DIEGO, June 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Flagship Pioneering, the scientific innovation company behind Moderna, Generate Biomedicines, and more than 100 other life sciences ventures, and Lean Business Services Company, a Public Investment Fund company and the Kingdom’s national leader in digital health transformation, today announced a strategic collaboration to advance healthcare innovation and AI-enabled biomedical research in Saudi Arabia.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed at the BIO International Convention in San Diego, establishes a framework for collaboration that brings together Lean’s trusted digital health platforms, national health transformation capabilities, and secure health innovation ecosystem with Flagship’s expertise in life sciences, artificial intelligence, and venture creation. Together, the organizations aim to advance scientific research, accelerate healthcare innovation, and support the growth of a world-class life sciences ecosystem in the Kingdom.

The collaboration will explore opportunities to advance scientific research and healthcare innovation through the responsible application of artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and digital health capabilities. Any future project-specific activities will be subject to applicable approvals, privacy safeguards, regulatory requirements, and agreed governance frameworks in accordance with relevant laws and regulations within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“We are in a new era in which AI and health data are fundamentally reshaping how we understand disease, discover medicines, and improve patient outcomes,” said Junaid Bajwa, M.D., Senior Partner, Flagship Pioneering. “Flagship has been at the forefront of applying AI across scientific research, platform innovation, and company creation, and we believe the combination of Lean’s exceptional data infrastructure and Saudi Arabia’s ambitious vision creates a uniquely powerful opportunity. Together, we can build an innovation ecosystem that accelerates discovery and delivers meaningful impact for patients in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and globally.”

“Data and artificial intelligence are transforming how we understand disease, accelerate discovery, and improve patient outcomes. Saudi Arabia is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation through its investments in digital health, AI, and healthcare innovation,” said Eng. Mohanned Alrasheed, Chief Executive Officer of Lean Business Services. “As the Kingdom’s national leader in health transformation, Lean is committed to enabling innovation that improves health outcomes and advances scientific progress. Together with Flagship Pioneering, we aim to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s life sciences ecosystem and support the Kingdom’s ambition to become a global leader in health innovation under Vision 2030.”

Under the MoU, Lean and Flagship will jointly explore opportunities across scientific research, healthcare innovation, and artificial intelligence, while helping strengthen the capabilities and governance frameworks needed to support innovation at scale.

In its first twelve months, the collaboration will focus on evaluating priority initiatives, establishing foundational governance models, and identifying opportunities to strengthen the Kingdom’s life sciences ecosystem.

The partnership reflects a shared commitment to advancing innovation while maintaining the highest standards of privacy, security, governance, and regulatory compliance. It also supports Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives to strengthen research and development capabilities, attract global expertise, accelerate the adoption of AI in healthcare, and foster a globally competitive life sciences sector.

About Flagship Pioneering

Flagship Pioneering invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health, sustainability and beyond. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, operating with $14 billion of assets under its direction as of its latest capital raise, announced in July 2024. The current Flagship ecosystem comprises more than 40 companies, including Foghorn TherapeuticsGenerate BiomedicinesInariIndigo AgricultureLila SciencesModernaSana BiotechnologyTessera Therapeutics and Valo Health.

About Lean Business Services

Lean Business Services Company, a Public Investment Fund company, is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s national leader in digital health transformation and a key enabler of health data and artificial intelligence innovation. Through its national health platforms, interoperability infrastructure, advanced analytics capabilities, and AI-powered solutions, Lean empowers healthcare stakeholders across the Kingdom to accelerate innovation, enhance healthcare delivery, and improve patient outcomes. By unlocking the value of health data through secure, trusted, and responsible technologies, Lean is helping shape the future of healthcare and advancing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 ambition to become a global leader in health and life sciences innovation.

https://lean.sa

Media Contacts

Flagship Pioneering: press@flagshippioneering.com

Lean Business Services: media@lean.sa

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flagship-pioneering-and-lean-business-services-company-announce-collaboration-to-advance-healthcare-innovation-and-ai-enabled-biomedical-research-in-saudi-arabia-302807864.html

SOURCE Flagship Pioneering

Continue Reading

Technology

SiriusXM Names Sean Gibbons Chief Product and Technology Officer

Published

on

By

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.

Continue Reading

Technology

Bluepeak Names Ken Johnson as Chief Executive Officer

Published

on

By

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

Continue Reading

Technology

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

Published

on

By

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

Continue Reading

Trending