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OutRival’s “The New Normal” Podcast Goes Inside the AI Playbooks of the World’s Largest Brands, Including Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Azamara Cruises, SNHU and More

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The weekly show has published 13 episodes with the leaders of some of the largest organizations in higher education and travel, including Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Azamara Cruises, Southern New Hampshire University, Western Governors University, Miami Dade College and Dallas College, plus the U.S. Department of Labor. Thirty episodes are recorded, with 100 planned by 2027.

MIAMI, Oct. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The New Normal, the show about how enterprises are deploying AI agents and generating real ROI, today released its 13th episode and confirmed a weekly cadence through 2027. Presented by OutRival, the Miami-based company building AI digital workers for voice, SMS and email, the show has recorded 30 episodes with the leaders of some of the largest organizations in higher education, travel and government, and plans to have 100 recorded by 2027. New episodes publish every Thursday at thenewnormal.fm.

The New Normal is hosted by OutRival Co-Founder and CEO Ruben Harris and Co-Founder and President Timur Meyster. Vice President, Head of Travel Jeff Herzfeld, a 20-year cruise and hospitality sales operations veteran, co-hosts the travel episodes. The show’s next chapter is insurance: recordings with carrier, agency and brokerage leaders begin Q4 2026, co-hosted by OutRival’s Vice President, Head of Insurance, Eric Weinstein.

The Premise

Most AI coverage is about what might happen. The New Normal is about what already did. Every episode puts a senior operator in the chair to walk through the use cases they actually deployed, the numbers they actually saw, and the decisions they got wrong along the way. No vendor pitch, no futurism, just leaders who run large organizations explaining how the work is changing inside them.

How the Show Is Made

Every episode is recorded in person. The OutRival team gives each guest two options: fly to OutRival’s headquarters in Miami, or the hosts fly to the guest’s headquarters. The second option is the one the team prefers, because being on site is how you learn how a leader is actually thinking about these decisions, and it puts a light on the people behind the C-suite: the enrollment counselors, advisors, sales associates, contact center teams and technologists responsible for creating an amazing experience for every student, traveler and policyholder. The episodes are produced by Mike Landsberg and Thomas Risavy of Grove Station Studios.

The show was built for industries that live on the phone: higher education, insurance and travel, where the relationship between a brand and the people it serves runs through millions of calls, texts and emails. Nobody proves the point like Bob Becker, the cruise industry sales legend responsible for more than $50 billion in sales at Carnival, Norwegian and Celebrity, who filled ships primarily through the phone.

His episode, released today, is live here. Those are the industries where getting AI right matters most, because a human will always be in the loop at some point to create a delightful experience for the student, the traveler or the policyholder. The leaders on the show have already made the hard calls about where that point is, and they are thinking past the first call: how AI agents can help their people provide care through the entire journey, from the first inquiry to the trip after this one. Together, the institutions represented in the first 13 episodes serve more than one million students a year and millions of travelers.

Why the Show Exists

Every new normal begins as the risk most people avoid today and the standard everyone copies tomorrow. After conversations with more than 300 enterprise leaders, the OutRival team found that most companies are still not running AI in production at scale, and the few that are have a lead the rest of the market cannot see coming. The New Normal exists to put those leaders on the record. The guests are the ones putting digital workers on the org chart, writing job descriptions for them, and reorganizing teams so humans and AI work side by side.

Most companies still treat AI as reactive support, a smarter way to answer the phone once a customer finally calls. The leaders on the show flipped it. They use it to reach out first: the inquiry that never got a callback, the application someone almost finished, the policy up for renewal, the guest ready to book the next trip. The show covers inbound and back-office use cases too, but the questions it keeps coming back to are about where leaders stopped waiting and started the conversation themselves.

13 Episodes, Three Industries, One Format

The show launched in June 2026 with higher education, added the U.S. Department of Labor as its first government guest, and opened its travel chapter in October. Published episodes, in order:

Kermit Cook, CEO, Penn Foster: thenewnormal.fm/episodes/penn-foster-kermit-cookMadeline Pumariega, President, Miami Dade College: thenewnormal.fm/episodes/miami-dade-college-president-madeline-pumariega-on-deploying-ai-at-scale-in-higher-educationScott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University: thenewnormal.fm/episodes/wgu-scott-pulsipherDavid Andrews, Chancellor, UMass Global: thenewnormal.fm/episodes/umass-global-david-andrewsMark Milliron, President, National University: thenewnormal.fm/episodes/national-university-mark-millironLisa Marsh Ryerson, President, Southern New Hampshire University: thenewnormal.fm/episodes/snhu-lisa-marsh-ryersonGregory Fowler, President, University of Maryland Global Campus: thenewnormal.fm/episodes/umgc-gregory-fowlerTaylor Stockton, Chief Innovation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor: thenewnormal.fm/episodes/dol-taylor-stocktonRaghu Krishnaiah, Chief Operating Officer, University of Phoenix: thenewnormal.fm/episodes/university-of-phoenix-raghu-krishnaiahJustin Lonon, Chancellor, Dallas College: thenewnormal.fm/episodes/dallas-college-justin-lononMike Flaskey, President and COO, Marriott Vacations Worldwide: thenewnormal.fm/episodes/marriott-vacations-worldwide-mike-flaskeyDondra Ritzenthaler, CEO, Azamara Cruises: thenewnormal.fm/episodes/azamara-cruises-dondra-ritzenthalerBob Becker, the King of Outbound, former sales executive at Carnival, Norwegian and Celebrity, released today: thenewnormal.fm/episodes/bob-becker-king-of-outbound

Insurance episodes, co-hosted by Eric Weinstein, will cover how carriers, agencies and brokers are putting AI agents to work. Additional higher education, travel and insurance executives are already recorded and scheduled.

What the Guests Are Saying

“I want more of our people to be able to do the heart work, and I want to offload the hand work,” said Lisa Marsh Ryerson, President of Southern New Hampshire University, on where AI belongs at a university serving 300,000 learners.

“A pilot is an initiative. Scale is a transformation,” said Madeline Pumariega, President of Miami Dade College, on why the college went all in rather than piloting.

“You don’t have the reach that these digital workers do,” said Mike Flaskey, President and COO of Marriott Vacations Worldwide, on what AI adds to a 1,400-person sales organization.

“So if AI’s coming and it can help us, let’s go,” said Dondra Ritzenthaler, CEO of Azamara Cruises.

“Hope is a pretty poor strategy in business,” said Bob Becker, the sales leader who built the outbound model used across the cruise industry, on why he started AI with one use case.

What the Hosts Are Saying

“The most useful conversations about AI were happening in private, between operators, and nobody was recording them,” said Ruben Harris, Co-Founder and CEO of OutRival. “Thirteen episodes in, the pattern is clear. The leaders winning with AI did not wait for a perfect pilot. They put it to work on the conversations they were already having with students, travelers and policyholders, and they measured it. We have 30 of those stories recorded, and we will have 100 by 2027.”

“Every enterprise is being told to deploy AI. Almost nobody is being shown what it looks like when it works,” said Timur Meyster, Co-Founder and President of OutRival. “We built OutRival to put digital workers into production at scale, so we know the difference between a demo and a deployment. The New Normal exists to make that difference public. The leaders on this show are not forecasting. They are reporting results, and they are putting their names on them.”

“I started on the phones at Carnival and spent twenty years running sales floors, so I know how this industry reacts to a pitch about the future. We’ve heard it. We’ve bought it. Most of it didn’t work,” said Jeff Herzfeld, Head of Travel at OutRival. “This show skips the pitch entirely. It’s leaders in cruise, vacation ownership and hospitality telling you what they actually did with this technology and what happened next. Honest, specific, and on the record. That conversation used to happen behind closed doors. Now you’re in the room.”

Who Should Watch

The show is built for presidents, chancellors, provosts and enrollment leaders in higher education; CEOs, contact center and revenue leaders in cruise, vacation ownership and hospitality; carrier, agency and brokerage executives in insurance; and anyone responsible for deciding how AI shows up in front of a student, a traveler or a policyholder.

The show is also tailored towards established vendors and startups who are obsessed with learning how their customers and potential customers think. New episodes publish every Thursday, with short clips released across YouTube Shorts, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Where to Watch and Listen

Show hub: https://thenewnormal.fmTravel hub: https://thenewnormal.fm/travelYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutRival_Presents_TheNewNormalApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outrival-presents-the-new-normal/id6783387190Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033Dp83sQVBUkustC0WiARSoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/newnormalpodcastNewsletter (Substack): https://outrivalpresentsthenewnormal.substack.com/RSS: https://rss.buzzsprout.com/2625410.rss

Executives interested in appearing on the show can apply at https://thenewnormal.fm/be-a-guest.

About The New Normal

The New Normal is the weekly show about how enterprises are deploying AI agents and generating real ROI. Presented by OutRival, it features candid, in-person conversations with presidents, chancellors, CEOs and operating executives across higher education, travel, insurance and government on the AI use cases they have put into production, what worked, what did not, and what comes next. The show has published 13 episodes, has 30 recorded, and will have 100 recorded by 2027. Episodes, clips and a press kit are available at

https://thenewnormal.fm.

About OutRival

OutRival makes it possible for brands to genuinely care about every single person they serve. The Miami-based AI company builds digital workers that call, text and email on behalf of brands in industries that live on the phone, including higher education, insurance and travel. Every person a brand serves gets a dedicated assistant that remembers every conversation, keeps every promise, and brings in the right human at the moments that matter. Founded by Ruben Harris and Timur Meyster and backed by Y Combinator, Google Ventures, Initialized Capital, Top Tier Capital Partners, Opportunity Fund, and more, OutRival handles millions of conversations a month from its headquarters at Ampersand Studios in Miami. Learn more at https://www.outrival.com.

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SOURCE OutRival, Inc.

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Canada to advance global nature conservation and climate action at upcoming United Nations conferences

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October 16, 2026

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OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 16, 2026 /CNW/ — In a more uncertain and increasingly unstable world, Canada is stepping up to build a safer and more resilient future. Addressing climate change and biodiversity loss requires ambitious action at home and around the world. By advancing progress on both, Canada will protect nature, build resilient communities, and create lasting prosperity for future generations. International cooperation is key to achieving these goals.

That is why the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, will lead Canada’s efforts as Head of Delegation at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) and the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31).

At COP17, Minister Dabrusin and the Honourable Nathalie Provost, Secretary of State (Nature), will work with international partners to accelerate implementation of the Kunming–Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework. From October 19 to 30, 2026, in Yerevan, Armenia, Canada will champion the critical role of Indigenous peoples in conservation and advocate for practical solutions to mobilize global resources for biodiversity finance. Canada will showcase its leadership through two Canadian-led official side events focused on innovative nature finance and the essential role of Indigenous leadership in advancing conservation efforts at home and around the world. The delegation will also take part in strategic bilateral meetings, high-level roundtables, and civil society events to strengthen cooperation, advance solutions, and drive action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

From November 9 to 20, 2026, in Antalya, Türkiye, Canada will participate in the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31). Building on multilateral engagements, including the 10th Ministerial on Climate Action, Canada will continue working with international partners, Indigenous representatives, civil society, youth, and other stakeholders to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities; reduce methane emissions; accelerate electrification; and mobilize finance and investments from public and private sources. For the fifth consecutive year, Canada will host a national pavilion at COP31, showcasing Canadian climate leadership and innovation. The Canada Pavilion will serve as a hub for connection and collaboration.

Canada’s international leadership is backed by action at home. To accelerate electrification, Canada is building major clean energy projects across the country, including with the largest clean energy investment in North American history in Churchill Falls. Through A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature and $3.8 billion in investments and funding, Canada is advancing its commitment to conserve 30% of lands and waters by 2030 through strong partnerships and innovative approaches to conservation. Canada recently reinforced this commitment by joining the 30×30 for Nature and People Ministerial Declaration at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Prime Minister, Mark Carney, recently announced a historic investment of $1.2 billion to better protect Canada’s oceans and the life they sustain. This will increase monitoring, strengthen ocean science and ecosystem protections, and improve marine incident prevention and preparedness. These priorities will be a key focus at both upcoming conferences.

Canada’s delegations to COP17 and COP31 will bring together the diverse perspectives from across Canadian society, including Indigenous representatives, civil society, the private sector, youth, and provincial and territorial government representatives. Working with international partners, these delegations help advance practical solutions to protect nature, strengthen resilience, and support sustainable economic prosperity.

Quotes

“Climate change and biodiversity loss are global challenges that no country can solve alone. At COP17 and COP31, Canada will work with partners from around the world to strengthen implementation of the Kunming–Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement and collective efforts to address nature protection and climate change. Through international cooperation, Indigenous leadership, innovative solutions, and a collective commitment to conservation and climate action, we will build a sustainable future for people and nature alike.”
– The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature

“Nature loss is a global challenge that requires countries to work together and turn shared commitments into action. At COP17, Canada will share its experiences in advancing nature finance, including innovative approaches to valuing natural capital and mobilizing private investment for conservation. By exchanging ideas, lessons learned, and practical solutions with international partners, we can accelerate progress toward our global biodiversity goals and recognize nature as a foundation of long-term economic prosperity and resilience.”
– The Honourable Nathalie Provost, Secretary of State (Nature)

Quick facts

As the second largest country in the world, Canada has a vast amount of natural capital, including 24% of the world’s boreal forest, 37% of lakes, 25% of wetlands, and approximately 80,000 species. We have both a responsibility to steward these resources as well as a competitive advantage because of these assets.Canada hosted the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) in Montréal in 2022, which resulted in the adoption of the Kunming–Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework: an ambitious global plan to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.Canada supports the Armenian COP17 presidency and its approach to strengthen implementation of the Kunming–Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework toward meeting the Framework’s goals and targets.In September 2026, Canada and China co-chaired the Kunming Dialogue in Kunming, China. The Dialogue was a multilateral working-level meeting to discuss progress and challenges in the implementation of the Framework ahead of COP17.The Canada Pavilion at the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) is a key space to show Canadian climate leadership and innovation.Reducing methane emissions remains one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to limit the rise of near-term global temperatures. Canada serves as co-convenor of the Global Methane Pledge, which counts 159 participating countries and the European Commission, with participants agreeing to take voluntary actions toward a collective goal of reducing global methane emissions at least 30% by 2030 (from 2020 levels).In April 2026, Canada announced a new goal of delivering $13 billion in international climate finance over the next five years.

Associated links

A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect NaturePrime Minister Carney Announces Historic Investment to Protect Canada’s OceansCanada Pavilion at the Conference of the Parties (COP)

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s X page
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Facebook page
Environment and Natural Resources in Canada’s Facebook page
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s LinkedIn page
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Instagram page

SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

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DGEN TECHNOLOGIES (FORMERLY CHINA KELI ELECTRIC COMPANY) COMPLETES ACQUISITION AND NAME CHANGE AND FILES CSE LISTING STATEMENT

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October 16, 2026

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VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 16, 2026 /CNW/ — DGEN Technologies Corp. (formerly China Keli Electric Company Ltd.) (the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of DGEN Financial Holdings Corp. (formerly DGEN Technologies Corp.) (“DGEN”) pursuant to a share exchange agreement dated December 9, 2025, as amended on August 17, 2026 (the “SEA”) on October 14, 2026 (the “Transaction”).

Pursuant to the Transaction, the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of DGEN in exchange for the issuance of an aggregate of 9,550,360 common shares of the Company (“Common Shares”) and 7,000,360 Common Share purchase warrants (“Warrants”) to certain former shareholders of DGEN. Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.25 until October 14, 2028. As a result of the Transaction, DGEN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. As of the date hereof, the Company has 29,161,364 Common Shares and 7,000,360 Warrants issued and outstanding.

In connection with the completion of the Transaction, the Company changed its name from “China Keli Electric Company Ltd.” to “DGEN Technologies Corp.” and, hereinafter, will carry on the business of DGEN.

Listing Statement

Following the closing of the Transaction, the Company has filed a CSE Form 2A listing statement dated October 14, 2026 (the “Listing Statement”) on SEDAR+ under its profile relating to the Transaction and the proposed CSE listing. Investors are encouraged to review the Listing Statement, which provides detailed information about the Transaction, the Company and its operations.

The Company has received conditional approval to list the Common Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the “CSE”) and has delisted the Common Shares from the TSX Venture Exchange in anticipation of listing on the CSE. The Common Shares are expected to commence trading on the CSE under the symbol “DGEN” on or about October 20, 2026.

Board of Directors and Management

Following completion of the Transaction, the directors and officers of the Company are Cole Goodwin, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Philip Lo, Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Secretary and Director, Sean Webster, Director, and Yee Man Cheung, Director.

Mr. Goodwin is a business executive with over 10 years of experience in alternative and traditional investment markets, financial technology and corporate operations. His experience includes senior management and board roles with publicly traded companies, including as Chief Operating Officer of Hyper Bit Technologies Ltd. Mr. Goodwin provides the Company with strategic and operational oversight in respect of its technology platform, including development and commercialization of payment infrastructure, integration of payment gateways, technology deployment and vendor management.

Escrow

At the time of listing, the Company will have 2,496,000 Common Shares and 1,000,000 Warrants held by related persons subject to escrow pursuant to an escrow agreement dated October 14, 2026 among the escrowed securityholders, the Company and Odyssey Trust Company, as escrow agent, subject to a 36-month release schedule pursuant to National Policy 46-201 – Escrow for Initial Public Offerings.

About DGEN Technologies Corp.

DGEN Technologies Corp. is a Vancouver-based technology company developing a cloud-based payment platform intended to integrate point-of-sale, kiosk and mobile payment systems into a unified and scalable solution. The Company’s platform is currently in beta stage and is operational, but has not yet been commercialized or generated revenue.

The CSE has not reviewed, approved, or disapproved, and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including, without limitation, statements with respect to: the expected listing of the Common Shares on the CSE; the satisfaction of any remaining conditions to listing; the business and operations of the Company following completion of the Transaction; the Company’s platform, including its development, commercialization, functionality, market adoption and ability to generate revenue; the Company’s intended business objectives; the escrow arrangements applicable to certain Common Shares and Warrants; and future plans and expectations of the Company. Forward-looking information is based on management’s current expectations, estimates, projections, beliefs and assumptions as of the date of this news release.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the possibility that the Common Shares may not commence trading on the CSE when expected or at all; risks relating to the Company’s early stage of development; the fact that the platform is in beta stage, has not yet been commercialized and has not generated revenue; risks associated with development, commercialization and market adoption of the platform; competition from established payment technology providers; reliance on third-party contractors and service providers; additional financing and dilution risks; market volatility; regulatory, compliance, cybersecurity and data privacy risks; risks relating to escrowed securities; and the other risks described in the Listing Statement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE DGEN Technologies Corp.

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ASSA ABLOY sells PKI business unit to Vista Equity Partners

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October 16, 2026

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STOCKHOLM, Oct. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ASSA ABLOY has signed an agreement to sell HID’s PKI business unit to Vista Equity Partners (“Vista”).

The PKI business unit (Public Key Infrastructure) provides digital trust, identity, authentication, encryption, and certificate management solutions. The business unit includes PKI SaaS – IdenTrust and HydrantID – credential management, and ZeroSSL.

“I find it very satisfying that with Vista, the PKI business unit and its employees and customers gain a committed long-term investor, creating new opportunities for the future and I wish them every success,” says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY.

“Our PKI team has built a strong business with a strong customer base, and Vista has the expertise to take it forward as the market evolves,” says Björn Lidefelt, EVP and Head of HID. “We are pleased with this outcome for our customers, our employees, and for HID.”

The divested business had sales in 2025 of MUSD 58 (approx. MSEK 570) with a strong operating margin.

The divestiture is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2026.

For more information, please contact: 
Nico Delvaux, President and CEO, tel. no: +46 8 506 485 82
Erik Pieder, CFO and Executive Vice President, tel. no: +46 8 506 485 72
Björn Tibell, Head of Investor Relations, tel. no: +46 70 275 67 68, e-mail: bjorn.tibell@assaabloy.com

About ASSA ABLOY
ASSA ABLOY is the global leader in access solutions. Every day we help people feel safe, secure and experience a more open world. We operate worldwide with 64,000 employees and sales of SEK 152 billion, with leading positions in areas such as efficient door openings, trusted identities and entrance automation. Our innovations enable safe, secure and convenient access to physical and digital places.

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

https://news.cision.com/assa-abloy/r/assa-abloy-sells-pki-business-unit-to-vista-equity-partners,c4410007

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