Month: September 2023

Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

Participants in this year’s U.S. Bank Student Scholarship Program were among the first to experience the company’s new approach to personal finance education that delivers bite-size content on topics ranging from investing basics to paying for college – all through an app.

More than 30,000 college and college-bound students participated in the scholarship program this spring, completing a series of free, online modules covering a range of personal finance topics, in order to be entered into a sweepstakes to win up to $20,000 in scholarship funds. In addition, students can earn rewards as they complete modules that can be redeemed for small amount gift certificates at popular retailers.

“From social media stories to reels, the way the world receives information and engages with technology continues to evolve,” said Kaori Yamada, senior vice president, financial education strategy. “We know that to reach younger generations, we have to meet them where they are at and deliver an experience that is both familiar and impactful.”

U.S. Bank worked with Zogo, a financial technology company founded in 2018, that partners with over 200 financial institutions to provide new financial education modules within the U.S. Bank Scholarship program via a mobile app. The lessons are not only short and digestible, but feature a gamified element to encourage students to complete more modules to earn rewards. Additionally, the more modules students complete, the more scholarship funds they are eligible for via the sweepstakes.

“We know that to reach younger generations, we have to meet them where they are at and deliver an experience that is both familiar and impactful.”

– Kaori Yamada, senior vice president, financial education strategy

Thomas DeWitt is one of this year’s entry period one scholarship winners, completing more than 100 modules. While DeWitt grew up learning about finances from his own family, the scholarship program was the first exposure he had to any form of professional financial education content.

“I was a big fan of it… I appreciated that it was a series of short individual lessons” DeWitt said about his experience with the program content. “I was really interested in insurance, medical bills and the stock market, because I know those are things I will be dealing with in the future.”

In fact, DeWitt has kept the program app on his phone so he can look up financial lingo and terms he’s unfamiliar with as he continues to pursue his college degree at University of Minnesota.

In an effort to make financial education available to all, U.S. Bank utilized this same collaboration to develop a new financial wellness hub on the U.S. Bank Financial IQ website. The site is accessible to both U.S. Bank clients and non-clients, offering games and quizzes to enhance, reinforce and boost financial understanding and confidence. Topics range from taxes and insurance to saving and budgeting.

“Making financial education accessible to all continues to be a priority in how we serve both our customers and our communities,” said Yamada. “We continue to hear how important it is to have knowledge and support in building up savings to get through emergencies, finding ways to track expenses to live within a budget, and achieving dreams of homeownership.”

Throughout the year, U.S. Bank delivers financial education to clients and the community through philanthropy, volunteerism and programs. In 2022 alone, the company reached more than 1.5 million people with important financial education training.

For more information on financial wellness, visit Financial IQ. For more information on scholarships, visit the U.S. Bank Scholarship Program page.

Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

Participants in this year’s U.S. Bank Student Scholarship Program were among the first to experience the company’s new approach to personal finance education that delivers bite-size content on topics ranging from investing basics to paying for college – all through an app.

More than 30,000 college and college-bound students participated in the scholarship program this spring, completing a series of free, online modules covering a range of personal finance topics, in order to be entered into a sweepstakes to win up to $20,000 in scholarship funds. In addition, students can earn rewards as they complete modules that can be redeemed for small amount gift certificates at popular retailers.

“From social media stories to reels, the way the world receives information and engages with technology continues to evolve,” said Kaori Yamada, senior vice president, financial education strategy. “We know that to reach younger generations, we have to meet them where they are at and deliver an experience that is both familiar and impactful.”

U.S. Bank worked with Zogo, a financial technology company founded in 2018, that partners with over 200 financial institutions to provide new financial education modules within the U.S. Bank Scholarship program via a mobile app. The lessons are not only short and digestible, but feature a gamified element to encourage students to complete more modules to earn rewards. Additionally, the more modules students complete, the more scholarship funds they are eligible for via the sweepstakes.

“We know that to reach younger generations, we have to meet them where they are at and deliver an experience that is both familiar and impactful.”

– Kaori Yamada, senior vice president, financial education strategy

Thomas DeWitt is one of this year’s entry period one scholarship winners, completing more than 100 modules. While DeWitt grew up learning about finances from his own family, the scholarship program was the first exposure he had to any form of professional financial education content.

“I was a big fan of it… I appreciated that it was a series of short individual lessons” DeWitt said about his experience with the program content. “I was really interested in insurance, medical bills and the stock market, because I know those are things I will be dealing with in the future.”

In fact, DeWitt has kept the program app on his phone so he can look up financial lingo and terms he’s unfamiliar with as he continues to pursue his college degree at University of Minnesota.

In an effort to make financial education available to all, U.S. Bank utilized this same collaboration to develop a new financial wellness hub on the U.S. Bank Financial IQ website. The site is accessible to both U.S. Bank clients and non-clients, offering games and quizzes to enhance, reinforce and boost financial understanding and confidence. Topics range from taxes and insurance to saving and budgeting.

“Making financial education accessible to all continues to be a priority in how we serve both our customers and our communities,” said Yamada. “We continue to hear how important it is to have knowledge and support in building up savings to get through emergencies, finding ways to track expenses to live within a budget, and achieving dreams of homeownership.”

Throughout the year, U.S. Bank delivers financial education to clients and the community through philanthropy, volunteerism and programs. In 2022 alone, the company reached more than 1.5 million people with important financial education training.

For more information on financial wellness, visit Financial IQ. For more information on scholarships, visit the U.S. Bank Scholarship Program page.

Originally published on HARMAN Newsroom

STAMFORD, CT., September 27, 2023 /3BL/ – HARMAN has been shortlisted for five awards in the Reuters D.R.I.V.E. Honours, a prestigious annual event recognizing automotive excellence globally, celebrating innovation, commitment, impact, and leadership within the industry.

Christian Sobottka, President of Automotive at HARMAN, has been shortlisted in the category of ‘Visionary Leader’ for the part he has played in transforming HARMAN’s business, processes and culture to position it as the in-cabin experience partner of choice for the automotive industry. Under his lead, the company has developed a full line-up of ‘Ready’ products that deliver compelling in-cabin experiences, resulting in remarkable commercial success. Key to this transformation has been a shift in organizational culture, enabled by Sobottka. He has been instrumental in nurturing an environment of trust and transparency where employees are empowered to bring their unique ideas to the table and play an active and purposeful role in the company’s transformation.

Also a finalist is Katrin Schneider, Senior VP of System Test & Validation, who has been recognized in the ‘Empowering Women’ category. Schneider was nominated for her outstanding leadership qualities and success in implementing a new agile organizational structure derived from the software development sector, as well as her mentorship to empower young women to strive for new roles within the company.

In addition to recognition for its team members, the HARMAN Global Automotive Mentoring Program has been shortlisted for the commitment it demonstrates to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The ‘DEI Commitment’ award recognizes projects and initiatives that foster progressive, diverse workforces. Since 2019, the HARMAN Global Automotive Mentoring Program has been developing employee skills globally through knowledge transfer, increasing staff engagement, promoting career development, boosting diversity and inclusion, and expanding the company’s leadership pipeline.

In the ‘Innovation’ category, both HARMAN’s Ready Care and Ready Upgrade products have been shortlisted for pushing boundaries and driving industry advancement. These are part of HARMAN Automotive’s expanding portfolio of products that are designed and built to deliver consumer experience at automotive grade.

Launched in September 2022, HARMAN Ready Care is the industry’s first closed-loop interior sensing and tailored interventions product that measures eye activity, cognitive load, and vital signs to gauge attention on the road. Utilizing advanced sensor technology, predictive artificial intelligence, learnings from neuroscience and personalized interventions, Ready Care enhances driver focus, wellbeing and occupant safety, and equips drivers with intelligent tools to promote safer behaviors while driving. More information about Ready Care can be found here.

Also in the running is HARMAN Ready Upgrade, a set of fully upgradeable, production-ready hardware and software products that allow OEMs to deliver updates throughout the life of the vehicle to meet consumer technology expectations. It empowers consumers to add and upgrade their in-vehicle experiences as easily as they would their smart phones, helping to equip vehicles for today and tomorrow. The innovative product has premium manufacturer Ferrari as its first confirmed customer, which will leverage it to deliver fully upgradeable consumer electronics-level experiences into the cabin across its vehicle line-up, quickly, and cost effectively. More information about Ready Upgrade can be found here.

HARMAN’s products, executives and initiatives will go up against OEMs and other automotive industry suppliers for the highly-competitive Reuters D.R.I.V.E. Honours, with the winners set to be announced on 19 October 2023.

ABOUT HARMAN

HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Originally published on HARMAN Newsroom

STAMFORD, CT., September 27, 2023 /3BL/ – HARMAN has been shortlisted for five awards in the Reuters D.R.I.V.E. Honours, a prestigious annual event recognizing automotive excellence globally, celebrating innovation, commitment, impact, and leadership within the industry.

Christian Sobottka, President of Automotive at HARMAN, has been shortlisted in the category of ‘Visionary Leader’ for the part he has played in transforming HARMAN’s business, processes and culture to position it as the in-cabin experience partner of choice for the automotive industry. Under his lead, the company has developed a full line-up of ‘Ready’ products that deliver compelling in-cabin experiences, resulting in remarkable commercial success. Key to this transformation has been a shift in organizational culture, enabled by Sobottka. He has been instrumental in nurturing an environment of trust and transparency where employees are empowered to bring their unique ideas to the table and play an active and purposeful role in the company’s transformation.

Also a finalist is Katrin Schneider, Senior VP of System Test & Validation, who has been recognized in the ‘Empowering Women’ category. Schneider was nominated for her outstanding leadership qualities and success in implementing a new agile organizational structure derived from the software development sector, as well as her mentorship to empower young women to strive for new roles within the company.

In addition to recognition for its team members, the HARMAN Global Automotive Mentoring Program has been shortlisted for the commitment it demonstrates to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The ‘DEI Commitment’ award recognizes projects and initiatives that foster progressive, diverse workforces. Since 2019, the HARMAN Global Automotive Mentoring Program has been developing employee skills globally through knowledge transfer, increasing staff engagement, promoting career development, boosting diversity and inclusion, and expanding the company’s leadership pipeline.

In the ‘Innovation’ category, both HARMAN’s Ready Care and Ready Upgrade products have been shortlisted for pushing boundaries and driving industry advancement. These are part of HARMAN Automotive’s expanding portfolio of products that are designed and built to deliver consumer experience at automotive grade.

Launched in September 2022, HARMAN Ready Care is the industry’s first closed-loop interior sensing and tailored interventions product that measures eye activity, cognitive load, and vital signs to gauge attention on the road. Utilizing advanced sensor technology, predictive artificial intelligence, learnings from neuroscience and personalized interventions, Ready Care enhances driver focus, wellbeing and occupant safety, and equips drivers with intelligent tools to promote safer behaviors while driving. More information about Ready Care can be found here.

Also in the running is HARMAN Ready Upgrade, a set of fully upgradeable, production-ready hardware and software products that allow OEMs to deliver updates throughout the life of the vehicle to meet consumer technology expectations. It empowers consumers to add and upgrade their in-vehicle experiences as easily as they would their smart phones, helping to equip vehicles for today and tomorrow. The innovative product has premium manufacturer Ferrari as its first confirmed customer, which will leverage it to deliver fully upgradeable consumer electronics-level experiences into the cabin across its vehicle line-up, quickly, and cost effectively. More information about Ready Upgrade can be found here.

HARMAN’s products, executives and initiatives will go up against OEMs and other automotive industry suppliers for the highly-competitive Reuters D.R.I.V.E. Honours, with the winners set to be announced on 19 October 2023.

ABOUT HARMAN

HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Originally published on 3M News Center

At 3M, we know ideas have the power to lead to breakthrough innovations.

But even the best ideas need support to take root and grow. After a century of cultivating ideas into real-world technologies, we’ve mapped our idea-nurturing expertise into a digital platform designed for the world’s new hybrid work model.

3M FastTrack is a first-of-its-kind application that uses a peer-to-peer funding model to expedite the innovation process.  

3M has been using this platform internally for several years and is now making it commercially available.

As work teams become more distributed and less in-person, there’s a greater need for new ways of collaboration – especially around funding for early-stage ideas, when delays can stifle innovation.

“The world doesn’t lack great ideas. What’s missing is a clearer path to commercialization,” said John Banovetz, 3M’s chief technology officer. “More than ever, the world needs groundbreaking innovation to solve tough global challenges and we believe 3M FastTrack has the potential to unlock those great ideas.”

3M FastTrack gives innovators a way to quickly gain development resources and connect in a remote world with the people who can help move their ideas forward.

“You see the world differently when you can be an entrepreneur at work,” said Mike Swenson, a 3M FastTrack developer. “Every challenge sparks a ‘what if’ moment when you have the seed funding and support to get started quickly.”

Originally published on 3M News Center

At 3M, we know ideas have the power to lead to breakthrough innovations.

But even the best ideas need support to take root and grow. After a century of cultivating ideas into real-world technologies, we’ve mapped our idea-nurturing expertise into a digital platform designed for the world’s new hybrid work model.

3M FastTrack is a first-of-its-kind application that uses a peer-to-peer funding model to expedite the innovation process.  

3M has been using this platform internally for several years and is now making it commercially available.

As work teams become more distributed and less in-person, there’s a greater need for new ways of collaboration – especially around funding for early-stage ideas, when delays can stifle innovation.

“The world doesn’t lack great ideas. What’s missing is a clearer path to commercialization,” said John Banovetz, 3M’s chief technology officer. “More than ever, the world needs groundbreaking innovation to solve tough global challenges and we believe 3M FastTrack has the potential to unlock those great ideas.”

3M FastTrack gives innovators a way to quickly gain development resources and connect in a remote world with the people who can help move their ideas forward.

“You see the world differently when you can be an entrepreneur at work,” said Mike Swenson, a 3M FastTrack developer. “Every challenge sparks a ‘what if’ moment when you have the seed funding and support to get started quickly.”

Last week, I had the privilege of attending UNGA and Climate Week NYC, where I was immersed in conversations about the most pressing issues facing our planet and the urgency to come together to help drive climate action. I’m proud that McDonald’s is part of these ongoing conversations – both to share our progress and learn from others.

It was an energizing and thought-provoking week, and as I continue to reflect on this experience, I want to share five takeaways from my time in New York.

1 – The conversation is shifting from ambitions to proof points. The tone in New York last week was decidedly more urgent than years’ past, as discussions evolve from “What can we do?” to “Here’s what we’re doing – and here’s what’s working.” I appreciated the opportunity to share a glimpse into McDonald’s progress and learnings, from our steadfast dedication to sourcing food responsibly to our partnerships with suppliers, farmers, ranchers, growers and producers to help build a more resilient food system with regenerative agriculture.

2 – Collective action is necessary for meaningful change. We know that every industry must fundamentally transform to become more sustainable. At McDonald’s, we also understand that no individual entity can substitute for the power of collective action. It’s why we partner so closely with our suppliers, franchisees, governments and NGOs to move the needle on our climate work – and we’re excited by the momentum we’ve seen across our network. It was insightful to learn about the unique ways other industries are coming together to address the challenge of reaching a 1.5°C future.

3 – Regenerative agriculture is a critical pathway forward. Unsurprisingly, there were many encouraging conversations last week about building a more resilient food system that can feed our growing global population and support farmers’ livelihoods. At both the Concordia Annual Summit and Goals House, I spoke about our efforts to partner with suppliers, farmers, ranchers, producers and growers within our supply chain to adopt regenerative agriculture practices. While we’re still in the early stages of this work, I’m optimistic. We are learning from projects across categories, ecosystems and regions – and have seen the impact these initiatives can have, helping increase plant and animal biodiversity, enriching soils, improving watersheds and optimizing water availability.

4 – Financing is an essential piece of the puzzle: There is undoubtedly an opportunity to protect and restore the environment through regenerative agriculture. The agricultural sector is responsible for roughly one-third of carbon emissions yet receives a far smaller percentage of climate funding. We must continue to advocate for new financing solutions and practical policy that opens up funding for farmers, ranchers, growers and producers to adapt with confidence.

5 – We must keep the “doers” at the center of the conversation: Of course, we can’t discuss regenerative agriculture without the farmers, ranchers, producers and growers who are the ones implementing these practices. We must work together to make it as easy as possible to adopt, scale and measure these initiatives – and provide support and funding as farmers transition to regenerative practices. Farming is the foundation of the food we serve, and the resilience of our farmers – as well as the long-term health of their communities – is crucial to our path forward.

We know we need to continue taking action so that we can responsibly feed and foster the communities we serve and source from for generations to come. I’m always grateful to attend these events and share a glimpse into McDonald’s progress, our partnerships, and the challenges we face as we strive to work together on behalf of our climate. Our work is never done, but I returned to McDonald’s HQ feeling hopeful about our shared future and the collective willingness to drive change.

View original content here.