Month: May 2026

Key Takeaways:

• Think of EHS compliance as a growth enabler, rather than just a box to check. For tech companies eyeing rapid expansion or IPO readiness, a structured compliance program signals maturity to regulators and investors alike.
• Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. Generic legal registers may miss the regulations that actually apply to your specific operations, facilities, and locations.
• Tech companies face increasing and industry-specific EHS risks as E-waste, data center emissions, and R&D chemicals all come under growing scrutiny.
• Going global means navigating a maze of rules on international, federal, state, and local levels. Understanding which level of government owns a given requirement is crucial for building an accurate compliance picture.
• On-demand compliance expertise can cost less than in-country EHS staff without sacrificing local regulatory knowledge.
• Non-compliance costs tend to surface at the worst possible moments, like during audits, lawsuits, and IPO reviews.

The global market is full of fast-growing tech companies trying to make a mark and push themselves into unicorn status (privately held companies that are valued $1 billion or more). While these businesses try to be agile and lean, keeping pace with ever-changing EHS regulations can feel like a full-time job.

In fact, the number of environmental regulations is increasing to address new concerns in the workplace, as well as pollutants. Between rapid expansion, managing global operations, navigating diverse work environments, and increased regulatory scrutiny, staying on top of these policies—as essential as they are—can be downright overwhelming, not to mention costly.

However, there are ways to combat the strain of constant EHS updates. By leveraging structured legal registers and Antea Group’s Global RegSupport Helpdesk, tech companies have achieved proactive EHS compliance, reduced risk, and maintained agility across diverse jurisdictions. Below, we’ll outline exactly how to bring these practices to life.

The Evolving EHS Compliance Landscape for Tech

The current EHS landscape can be particularly challenging for emerging start-ups. Rapid growth often means speedy opening of new facilities and product lines. Each operational change presents new EHS obligations.

For tech companies operating on the global market, regulations change between international, national, and local levels. As a growing company, the focus may not be on EHS compliance, but a company that “never thought about EHS” signals immature controls and overlooked risk exposure. When implemented early, EHS programs, including well-structured legal registers, support scalable growth by helping teams understand applicable regulations before expansion occurs. Rather than driving growth directly, legal registers provide clarity on jurisdiction-specific requirements across a company’s portfolio, reducing compliance surprises as operations scale. Remember: EHS compliance programs aren’t simply about preventing accidents and fines—they’re about preventing unplanned business disruption, regulatory exposure, and IPO risk.

Tech companies have EHS regulatory risks specific to them, such as e-waste, electrical safety and noise concerns at data centers, ergonomics in offices, and chemical use in R&D. With the rising environmental impact of these practices, the high-growth sector is under increased scrutiny. In FY 2024 alone, inspections rose by 10% compared to FY 2023. Today, fines for non-compliance can cost a company up to $16,550 per charge, and those fines add up quickly when your EHS policies are not up to code.

Foundational Tool: The EHS Legal Register

One of the first tools to incorporate when managing an enterprise EHS program is an EHS Legal Register. This dynamic database is full of applicable EHS regulations and required, internationally recognized standards for Environmental Management Systems (EMS) like ISO 14001 or ISO 45001. One critical observation is that a non-customized register may cause confusion or a lack of prioritization of critical regulations that are specifically applicable to the company’s operations. Having the register tailored to your company’s geographic footprint, facility type and operational risks will make it a tremendous resource for the management team. Not only do you have a place of centralized knowledge, but using these master lists demonstrates to regulators and investors that you are focused on EHS risks and controls. Legal registers also help businesses identify emerging requirements to stay ahead of the curve.

Making sure you have the regulations from the right level of government is also important. Many companies have operations that are covered by supranational (European Union), federal, state/province, and local regulations. Having a partner to properly identify where the applicable requirement sits within the government structure can make the development of the register easier. Through the Inogen Alliance, Antea Group works with in-country experts around the world to identify applicable requirements at the appropriate level of government, supporting accurate legal register development across global operations.

Another key point is to remember that an EHS Legal Register needs ongoing maintenance. This requires continuous review and updating of new or proposed EHS regulations, and as the company expands, it should also include new jurisdictions or increasing headcounts. An EHS legal register is the starting point for development of internal programs, training, and audit focus, so constant monitoring and updating are essential to compliance.

Beyond the Register: Proactive Compliance Management

With access to your own EHS legal register, you have the knowledge needed to stay ahead of emerging policies and maintain a proactive mindset for upcoming regulatory changes. Being proactive rather than reactive allows you to lower the risks of fines, shutdowns, and even reputational damage. Here are some areas where you can apply proactive compliance management:

• Health and Safety: Knowing when there are new management requirements to address to keep your employees safe and thriving, such as psychosocial survey and reporting requirements
• Permit Management: Tracking, renewal, and adherence to air, water, and waste permits 
• Waste Management: Proper classification, storage, and disposal of hazardous, universal, and electronic waste
• Air Quality: Emissions monitoring, reporting, and control for data centers
• Chemical Management: SDS management, chemical inventory, and hazard communication
• Emergency Planning: Development and testing of response plans 

Scaling Compliance Globally with Global RegSupport Helpdesk

Language barriers, varying legal systems, and local interpretations are all challenges businesses face when engaging global markets. The Global RegSupport Helpdesk is a unique tool, designed as a companion to legal registers, to address those issues. 

One of the best details about Global RegSupport Helpdesk is that it’s an on-demand service. You have access to EHS regulatory experts from the Inogen Alliance whenever you need them. The EHS compliance team can help you interpret local laws, answer applicability issues, confirm deadlines, and support you in entering a new market. Global RegSupport Helpdesk also helps your bottom line as it is a cost-effective alternative to in-country EHS staff.

Benefits of Streamlined EHS Compliance  

There are numerous benefits for your business growth in knowing the applicable EHS regulations to your operations. This starts with a scaled and maintained EHS Legal Register and can be augmented with the Global RegSupport Helpdesks. With these tools, you can focus on the highest priorities for EHS program development, risk mitigation and training, which reduces the overall risk to employees and potentially expensive fines and penalties. The cost of basic EHS compliance is predictable. The cost of ignoring it shows up during audits, lawsuits, or IPO scrutiny—when it’s too late and far more expensive.

These tools also help support global expansion strategies, assisting businesses as they push into new territories and enabling them to do it the right way the first time. They also protect businesses’ reputations. No company wants to be known for the number of fines they have; that kind of reputation can cost future opportunities and erode trust among existing customers.

Most importantly, streamlining EHS compliance improves your employee safety and well-being. Keeping staff safe and healthy is a crucial part of any thriving business. Companies should think of EHS policies as an investment in their employees as much as an investment in the business.

An EHS legal register shows that you have a structured, risk-based system to identify, manage, and monitor EHS obligations across a global footprint, which signals that you are ready to expand quickly.

Streamlined EHS Compliance in Action

These EHS tools aren’t all talk. Antea Group has customized and maintained registers for many technology companies as they have grown and scaled. When one technology firm needed to expand its regulatory information to cover international policy, it turned to Antea Group. The firm also needed help creating content in multiple languages and developing a tool to assist clients in assessing EHS regulations applicable to their facilities. For this client that needed industry-specific regulations for specialty forms, EHS Legal Register was the answer to all its pain points.

With the help of our partners at Inogen Alliance, Antea Group was able to produce an EHS Legal Register scope and workflow that trained the technology firm on how to collect facility-based EHS regulations. With this tool, we used EHS regulations to generate a legal register for almost 100 countries around the world. Antea Group also created compliance protocols specific to each jurisdiction that the client interacted with to allow site managers to assess their current program.

As a result, the technology firm was able to expand its customer base confidently and increase the regions it supports through an EHS Legal Register. They were also able to strengthen their focus on supporting facilities in new industries. From compliance to actionable protocols to global third-party assessments, with a legal register, the technology firm demonstrated their commitment to EHS compliance and managed their risk.

How Antea Group Elevates Your EHS Compliance  

Just as it did for the technology firm above, Antea Group can help your company streamline its EHS compliance. Along with our partners at Inogen Alliance, we have cataloged EHS Legal Registers for more than 141 countries and jurisdictions. We tailor content to meet each tech company’s specific needs. Our Global RegSupport Helpdesk is a pay-as-you-go service that delivers fast answers to global compliance questions.

Our team has a deep understanding of the unique EHS needs of the tech sector. Proactive and scalable EHS compliance is not just a necessity, it is a strategic enabler for growth and innovation. Jumpstart your EHS efforts today with the help of our auditing and compliance services.

Originally published on newsroom.marykay.com

For more than 60 years, the Mary Kay business opportunity has been at the heart of everything we do. We believe every woman deserves the chance to build something of her own, on her own terms. It is about empowering women to run their small businesses independently, unlocking potential, and building communities that thrive.

Powered by The DEC Network and hosted at the James M. Collins Executive Education Center at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in collaboration with the SMU Cox William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, the celebration brought together entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders, and ecosystem builders from across North Texas thriving entrepreneurial community.

What sets the State of Entrepreneurship Awards apart is that they are entirely community-nominated and community-voted. That is why being recognized as “Large Corporation of the Year” at the 11th Annual State of Entrepreneurship event is both a profound honor for Mary Kay and a meaningful reflection of the real impact women entrepreneurs are making in communities every day.

The 2026 awards honored individuals, companies, institutions, and civic leaders whose work is advancing innovation, access to capital, and equitable economic opportunity throughout North Texas. The energy in the room was unmistakable, a shared commitment to innovation, resilience, and inclusive growth that continues to define North Texas as one of the most dynamic entrepreneurial hubs in the country.

 

“We are rooted in our mission of enriching women’s lives everywhere. We believe in direct sales as a unique pathway to entrepreneurship,” said Virginie Naigeon-Malek, Director of Corporate Communications and Public Relations at Mary Kay. “Our Independent Beauty Consultants run their small businesses with a deep passion for our brand and their customers, guided by integrity and powered by grit. Today, that mission has never felt stronger. We dedicate this award to our Independent Beauty Consultants here in North Texas and around the world. They are living proof of the power of entrepreneurship creating meaningful impact in their communities every day.”

“North Texas is entering a new era where entrepreneurship is not just an economic driver, but a unifying force for innovation, inclusion, and long-term community prosperity,” said Bill Chinn, CEO of The DEC Network. What we’re seeing today is a powerful convergence of bold ideas, diverse talent, and collaborative leadership. Organizations like Mary Kay demonstrate how established companies can actively help shape the future by empowering the next generation of business leaders. Together, we are building an ecosystem where opportunity is expanding, barriers are shrinking, and the entrepreneurial spirit is stronger than ever.”

At Mary Kay, we see ourselves not just as a corporate leader, but as an active participant in the broader entrepreneurial journey. From our independent beauty consultants to our community partnerships and programs, entrepreneurship is embedded in our DNA. We are committed to supporting entrepreneurship at every level, whether it’s through creating opportunities for our independent sales force or investing in initiatives that strengthen the broader business community. Because when women entrepreneurs succeed, communities prosper, and that’s a future worth building together.

Recent Recognition and Impact Data on Mary Kay:

• #1 Direct Selling Brand of Skincare and Color Cosmetics in the World by Euromonitor International^[1] in 2023, 2024 and again in 2025.
• Ranked #2 on Forbes 2026 Best Customer Service list^[2].
• Ranked #8 on Forbes 2026 Best Brands for Social Impact list. Mary Kay is the only beauty brand, only direct selling brand in the Top 10^[3].

Did You Know:

• Over six million Americans are engaged in direct selling^[4] and 73% of direct sellers in the U.S. are women^[5]. In the U.S, direct selling achieved 34.7 billion in retail sells in 2024^[6].

Learn more about Mary Kay’s work in empowering women entrepreneurs around the world in the 2025 Sustainability Report.

***

About Mary Kay

One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty brand in Texas in 1963 with one goal: to enrich women’s lives. Learn more at marykayglobal.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or follow us on X.

About The DEC Network:

The DEC Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that fuels the success of entrepreneurs across North Texas by connecting you to the resources, education, and support you need to launch, grow, and scale your business. Through innovative co-working spaces, high-impact accelerator programs, mentorship opportunities, and community-driven events, you have access to a strong ecosystem designed to help you succeed. With locations in Dallas, Fort Worth, and beyond, you’re never far from the support you need.

###

---

^{[1] Source: Euromonitor International Limited; Beauty and Personal Care 2023 Edition, value sales at RSP, 2022, 2023 and 2024 data.}

^{[2] Alan Schwarz, Forbes Staff. (October 14, 2025). “2026 Best Customer Service.” https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-customer-service/}

^{[3] Alan Schwarz, Forbes Staff. (March 17, 2026). “2026 Best Brands for Social Impact.” https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-brands-social-impact/}

^{[4] 2025 DSEF Growth & Outlook Report}

^{[5] U.S. Direct Selling Association}

^{[6] U.S. Direct Selling Association}

Originally published on newsroom.marykay.com

For more than 60 years, the Mary Kay business opportunity has been at the heart of everything we do. We believe every woman deserves the chance to build something of her own, on her own terms. It is about empowering women to run their small businesses independently, unlocking potential, and building communities that thrive.

Powered by The DEC Network and hosted at the James M. Collins Executive Education Center at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in collaboration with the SMU Cox William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, the celebration brought together entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders, and ecosystem builders from across North Texas thriving entrepreneurial community.

What sets the State of Entrepreneurship Awards apart is that they are entirely community-nominated and community-voted. That is why being recognized as “Large Corporation of the Year” at the 11th Annual State of Entrepreneurship event is both a profound honor for Mary Kay and a meaningful reflection of the real impact women entrepreneurs are making in communities every day.

The 2026 awards honored individuals, companies, institutions, and civic leaders whose work is advancing innovation, access to capital, and equitable economic opportunity throughout North Texas. The energy in the room was unmistakable, a shared commitment to innovation, resilience, and inclusive growth that continues to define North Texas as one of the most dynamic entrepreneurial hubs in the country.

 

“We are rooted in our mission of enriching women’s lives everywhere. We believe in direct sales as a unique pathway to entrepreneurship,” said Virginie Naigeon-Malek, Director of Corporate Communications and Public Relations at Mary Kay. “Our Independent Beauty Consultants run their small businesses with a deep passion for our brand and their customers, guided by integrity and powered by grit. Today, that mission has never felt stronger. We dedicate this award to our Independent Beauty Consultants here in North Texas and around the world. They are living proof of the power of entrepreneurship creating meaningful impact in their communities every day.”

“North Texas is entering a new era where entrepreneurship is not just an economic driver, but a unifying force for innovation, inclusion, and long-term community prosperity,” said Bill Chinn, CEO of The DEC Network. What we’re seeing today is a powerful convergence of bold ideas, diverse talent, and collaborative leadership. Organizations like Mary Kay demonstrate how established companies can actively help shape the future by empowering the next generation of business leaders. Together, we are building an ecosystem where opportunity is expanding, barriers are shrinking, and the entrepreneurial spirit is stronger than ever.”

At Mary Kay, we see ourselves not just as a corporate leader, but as an active participant in the broader entrepreneurial journey. From our independent beauty consultants to our community partnerships and programs, entrepreneurship is embedded in our DNA. We are committed to supporting entrepreneurship at every level, whether it’s through creating opportunities for our independent sales force or investing in initiatives that strengthen the broader business community. Because when women entrepreneurs succeed, communities prosper, and that’s a future worth building together.

Recent Recognition and Impact Data on Mary Kay:

• #1 Direct Selling Brand of Skincare and Color Cosmetics in the World by Euromonitor International^[1] in 2023, 2024 and again in 2025.
• Ranked #2 on Forbes 2026 Best Customer Service list^[2].
• Ranked #8 on Forbes 2026 Best Brands for Social Impact list. Mary Kay is the only beauty brand, only direct selling brand in the Top 10^[3].

Did You Know:

• Over six million Americans are engaged in direct selling^[4] and 73% of direct sellers in the U.S. are women^[5]. In the U.S, direct selling achieved 34.7 billion in retail sells in 2024^[6].

Learn more about Mary Kay’s work in empowering women entrepreneurs around the world in the 2025 Sustainability Report.

***

About Mary Kay

One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty brand in Texas in 1963 with one goal: to enrich women’s lives. Learn more at marykayglobal.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or follow us on X.

About The DEC Network:

The DEC Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that fuels the success of entrepreneurs across North Texas by connecting you to the resources, education, and support you need to launch, grow, and scale your business. Through innovative co-working spaces, high-impact accelerator programs, mentorship opportunities, and community-driven events, you have access to a strong ecosystem designed to help you succeed. With locations in Dallas, Fort Worth, and beyond, you’re never far from the support you need.

###

---

^{[1] Source: Euromonitor International Limited; Beauty and Personal Care 2023 Edition, value sales at RSP, 2022, 2023 and 2024 data.}

^{[2] Alan Schwarz, Forbes Staff. (October 14, 2025). “2026 Best Customer Service.” https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-customer-service/}

^{[3] Alan Schwarz, Forbes Staff. (March 17, 2026). “2026 Best Brands for Social Impact.” https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-brands-social-impact/}

^{[4] 2025 DSEF Growth & Outlook Report}

^{[5] U.S. Direct Selling Association}

^{[6] U.S. Direct Selling Association}

As organizations navigate evolving expectations, audit readiness, and operational risk, food safety leaders are looking for practical ways to strengthen systems and drive consistent execution across teams.

This summer, SCS Global Services is offering a complimentary three‑part webinar series focused on strengthening food safety performance, with sessions addressing key drivers of effective programs—change management, environmental monitoring, and sanitation culture.

The series is designed to provide practical, real‑world insights that support stronger day‑to‑day execution across food safety and quality systems.

Webinars in the Series include:

Driving Food Safety Results through Effective Change Management

Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 9 AM PT (12 PM ET)

Sustainable food safety programs are more than new procedures—they require effective change management. This session explores what change management is, why it is critical to food safety and quality systems, and how it drives consistent, meaningful outcomes across an organization. The webinar highlights the role of clear, consistent communication—from senior leadership to frontline employees—and provides practical strategies to reduce execution gaps that can lead to audit nonconformances, recalls, and other significant food safety events.

Register Here

Developing a Risk-Based and Effective Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP)

Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at 9 AM PT (12 PM ET)

An effective Environmental Monitoring Program is more than a sampling plan—it is a critical risk management tool. This webinar focuses on understanding risks associated with food, people, and processing environments and translating that knowledge into a targeted, actionable EMP. Participants will learn how to design and implement an EMP that supports decision‑making and consumer protection, while avoiding common practices that contribute to program failure.

Register Here

Creating a Culture of Sanitation from Compliance to Commitment

Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 9 AM PT (12 PM ET)

The final session in the series focuses on one of the most critical—and often misunderstood drivers of food safety performance: sanitation culture. Designed for FSQA leaders and senior management, this webinar examines why sanitation failures are often cultural rather than technical and how clearly defined behaviors, expectations, and reinforcement shape consistent performance.

Register Here

View the full webinar series and register

For inquiries, contact:

Shyama Devarajan 
Senior Marketing Analyst, SCS Global Services 
sdevarajan@scsglobalservices.com

As organizations navigate evolving expectations, audit readiness, and operational risk, food safety leaders are looking for practical ways to strengthen systems and drive consistent execution across teams.

This summer, SCS Global Services is offering a complimentary three‑part webinar series focused on strengthening food safety performance, with sessions addressing key drivers of effective programs—change management, environmental monitoring, and sanitation culture.

The series is designed to provide practical, real‑world insights that support stronger day‑to‑day execution across food safety and quality systems.

Webinars in the Series include:

Driving Food Safety Results through Effective Change Management

Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 9 AM PT (12 PM ET)

Sustainable food safety programs are more than new procedures—they require effective change management. This session explores what change management is, why it is critical to food safety and quality systems, and how it drives consistent, meaningful outcomes across an organization. The webinar highlights the role of clear, consistent communication—from senior leadership to frontline employees—and provides practical strategies to reduce execution gaps that can lead to audit nonconformances, recalls, and other significant food safety events.

Register Here

Developing a Risk-Based and Effective Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP)

Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at 9 AM PT (12 PM ET)

An effective Environmental Monitoring Program is more than a sampling plan—it is a critical risk management tool. This webinar focuses on understanding risks associated with food, people, and processing environments and translating that knowledge into a targeted, actionable EMP. Participants will learn how to design and implement an EMP that supports decision‑making and consumer protection, while avoiding common practices that contribute to program failure.

Register Here

Creating a Culture of Sanitation from Compliance to Commitment

Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 9 AM PT (12 PM ET)

The final session in the series focuses on one of the most critical—and often misunderstood drivers of food safety performance: sanitation culture. Designed for FSQA leaders and senior management, this webinar examines why sanitation failures are often cultural rather than technical and how clearly defined behaviors, expectations, and reinforcement shape consistent performance.

Register Here

View the full webinar series and register

For inquiries, contact:

Shyama Devarajan 
Senior Marketing Analyst, SCS Global Services 
sdevarajan@scsglobalservices.com

by Vicki Hyman
Director, Global Communications, Mastercard

“Plans of action, not empty platitudes.” That’s how Shamina Singh, the founder and president of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, opened Wednesday’s Global Inclusive Growth Forum in Washington, D.C., and it became an unofficial through-line.

From small business resilience to the promise (and risks) of AI and digital assets, speakers returned to the same practical questions: What does inclusion look like at scale, who gets left out when innovation moves fast, and how do we develop the policies and partnerships needed to expand opportunity for families, entrepreneurs and markets rather than deepen divides?

One path, announced by Singh and Antonio Silveira of CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean at the close of the summit: increasing access to credit in Latin America for the micro, small and medium-sized businesses that comprise more than 99.5% of enterprises in the region and employ about 60% of people in the formal economy there. Mastercard is partnering with CAF to mobilize $100 million in CAF financing over four years, with a focus on women-led and underserved businesses and climate finance. It’s a significant step toward the company’s recently-announced commitment to connect and protect 500 million people and small businesses on the path to financial health, Singh said.

Across the standing-room-only forum, held on the sidelines of the World Bank Spring Meetings, the talk often snapped back to one message: Durable growth has to be built for the people and small firms who feel volatility first — and it has to be powered by technology we can trust. Here are three takeaways.

For small businesses today, it’s not how to grow but how fast — or perhaps, how slow.

Small business owners aren’t chasing explosive growth so much as steady, dependable progress, said Tim Ogden, managing director of the Financial Access Initiative at NYU Wagner. They want to keep their doors open, pay their workers and support their families and communities without risking everything, he said in a session drawing on his insights from Small Firm Diaries, a research initiative using financial diaries to understand how small business owners manage cash flow, costs and uncertainty. They want simpler, more flexible financial products and practical tools to help them manage day-to-day cash flow, he said. “They don’t need to go 60 miles an hour,” he said. “What they’re doing is trying to survive and at least stay in place.”

Intentionality of growth surfaced again in a session with two artisan entrepreneurs and Rebecca Van Bergen, the founder and executive of Nest, a global nonprofit that supports artisans by promoting fair labor practices, providing training and market access, and helping handmade businesses grow sustainably. Elias Morr, the Maryland candlemaker who with his wife runs Peacesake Candles & Co, and Morgan Buckert, a custom bootmaker based in Idaho and Texas, spoke about prioritizing the quality of their products, their own mental health and their legacy over scale.

For entrepreneurs, growth has always been viewed as the default setting, said Morr: “You get that big order, you take it, you don’t ask questions … So we did get these big retail orders, and it was extremely stressful for us. Something we learned the hard way is just focusing on growth, taking all that money and making these sales sometimes can break your business.”

That’s a more recent shift, Van Bergen said. “People just thought that supporting makers meant placing a huge order and not coming behind them and supporting them. And we’re seeing so many creative models, from pop-ups to licensing to a whole host of ways you can support small business without overwhelming them.”

AI’s promise for inclusion and financial health is not automatic — but it can be unlocked.

The developed world may be awash in AI anxiety, but panelists at a discussion on how AI could transform developing markets were far more bullish (with a few caveats).

Without building local infrastructure, technical capacity and proper governance, AI can be extractive, gathering local data but creating value elsewhere, said Vilas Dhar, president of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a philanthropy that develops AI and data science for good.

How to flip the script? Right-sizing models that can run on low-cost devices and connect to users through text messages can reach more people and reduce risk, said Olubayo Adekanmbi, the CEO and co-founder of the African startup EqualyzAI, which works with thousands of data collector and hundreds of language experts to develop Small Language Models to open up AI opportunities in local languages in sectors including health care, agriculture and education.

“The biggest problem we have is that the foundational layer is very thin, which seems to want to build, you know, a penthouse on a sandcastle. The foundation is missing,” Adekanmbi said about the data currently available to create these local models. “But are we going to give up on that? Never.”

At another session on AI and financial health, panelists positioned the tech as a way to lower the cost of banking services and personalize guidance that otherwise would have been prohibitively expensive to scale. But speakers also warned against plug-and-play AI: Deployment requires governance, guardrails and investment in the underlying infrastructure.

The next leap in inclusion won’t come from a single product or technology, but from payment systems that can connect and work together across borders.

When payment systems don’t connect seamlessly, we all pay the price in time and uncertainty. “How useful would your email be if you couldn’t send an email from one domain to the next?” said Dante Disparte, chief strategy officer and head of Global Policy and Operations at the stablecoin giant Circle. “That is just the operating reality of what we’re talking about.”

Digital assets hold the potential to become a shared financial infrastructure that could be incredibly empowering, particularly for small businesses, but he also stressed “payment systems optionality,” saying progress should be defined by expanding choice and resilience, not forcing everyone into a single channel.

Making interoperability work also means designing for real constraints, including providing affordable services and simple user experiences, said Sabine Mensah, deputy CEO of the AfricaNenda Foundation, which helps governments, economic development organizations and the private sector plan for instant, inclusive payment systems. And the hardest part, she argued, isn’t the technology. It’s aligning the rules across markets.

Moderator Jesse McWaters, Mastercard’s head of Global Policy, agreed, pointing to the difficulties in harmonizing regulations in the G20 roadmap for improving cross-border transactions. “If we can’t get that data layer better aligned, then we’re still going to be dealing with frictions no matter what technology we’re going to be using,” he said. When we get regulators on board, he said, “these types of inclusive innovations will really have the opportunity to grow.”

Continue reading here

Follow along Mastercard’s journey to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere.

by Vicki Hyman
Director, Global Communications, Mastercard

“Plans of action, not empty platitudes.” That’s how Shamina Singh, the founder and president of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, opened Wednesday’s Global Inclusive Growth Forum in Washington, D.C., and it became an unofficial through-line.

From small business resilience to the promise (and risks) of AI and digital assets, speakers returned to the same practical questions: What does inclusion look like at scale, who gets left out when innovation moves fast, and how do we develop the policies and partnerships needed to expand opportunity for families, entrepreneurs and markets rather than deepen divides?

One path, announced by Singh and Antonio Silveira of CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean at the close of the summit: increasing access to credit in Latin America for the micro, small and medium-sized businesses that comprise more than 99.5% of enterprises in the region and employ about 60% of people in the formal economy there. Mastercard is partnering with CAF to mobilize $100 million in CAF financing over four years, with a focus on women-led and underserved businesses and climate finance. It’s a significant step toward the company’s recently-announced commitment to connect and protect 500 million people and small businesses on the path to financial health, Singh said.

Across the standing-room-only forum, held on the sidelines of the World Bank Spring Meetings, the talk often snapped back to one message: Durable growth has to be built for the people and small firms who feel volatility first — and it has to be powered by technology we can trust. Here are three takeaways.

For small businesses today, it’s not how to grow but how fast — or perhaps, how slow.

Small business owners aren’t chasing explosive growth so much as steady, dependable progress, said Tim Ogden, managing director of the Financial Access Initiative at NYU Wagner. They want to keep their doors open, pay their workers and support their families and communities without risking everything, he said in a session drawing on his insights from Small Firm Diaries, a research initiative using financial diaries to understand how small business owners manage cash flow, costs and uncertainty. They want simpler, more flexible financial products and practical tools to help them manage day-to-day cash flow, he said. “They don’t need to go 60 miles an hour,” he said. “What they’re doing is trying to survive and at least stay in place.”

Intentionality of growth surfaced again in a session with two artisan entrepreneurs and Rebecca Van Bergen, the founder and executive of Nest, a global nonprofit that supports artisans by promoting fair labor practices, providing training and market access, and helping handmade businesses grow sustainably. Elias Morr, the Maryland candlemaker who with his wife runs Peacesake Candles & Co, and Morgan Buckert, a custom bootmaker based in Idaho and Texas, spoke about prioritizing the quality of their products, their own mental health and their legacy over scale.

For entrepreneurs, growth has always been viewed as the default setting, said Morr: “You get that big order, you take it, you don’t ask questions … So we did get these big retail orders, and it was extremely stressful for us. Something we learned the hard way is just focusing on growth, taking all that money and making these sales sometimes can break your business.”

That’s a more recent shift, Van Bergen said. “People just thought that supporting makers meant placing a huge order and not coming behind them and supporting them. And we’re seeing so many creative models, from pop-ups to licensing to a whole host of ways you can support small business without overwhelming them.”

AI’s promise for inclusion and financial health is not automatic — but it can be unlocked.

The developed world may be awash in AI anxiety, but panelists at a discussion on how AI could transform developing markets were far more bullish (with a few caveats).

Without building local infrastructure, technical capacity and proper governance, AI can be extractive, gathering local data but creating value elsewhere, said Vilas Dhar, president of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a philanthropy that develops AI and data science for good.

How to flip the script? Right-sizing models that can run on low-cost devices and connect to users through text messages can reach more people and reduce risk, said Olubayo Adekanmbi, the CEO and co-founder of the African startup EqualyzAI, which works with thousands of data collector and hundreds of language experts to develop Small Language Models to open up AI opportunities in local languages in sectors including health care, agriculture and education.

“The biggest problem we have is that the foundational layer is very thin, which seems to want to build, you know, a penthouse on a sandcastle. The foundation is missing,” Adekanmbi said about the data currently available to create these local models. “But are we going to give up on that? Never.”

At another session on AI and financial health, panelists positioned the tech as a way to lower the cost of banking services and personalize guidance that otherwise would have been prohibitively expensive to scale. But speakers also warned against plug-and-play AI: Deployment requires governance, guardrails and investment in the underlying infrastructure.

The next leap in inclusion won’t come from a single product or technology, but from payment systems that can connect and work together across borders.

When payment systems don’t connect seamlessly, we all pay the price in time and uncertainty. “How useful would your email be if you couldn’t send an email from one domain to the next?” said Dante Disparte, chief strategy officer and head of Global Policy and Operations at the stablecoin giant Circle. “That is just the operating reality of what we’re talking about.”

Digital assets hold the potential to become a shared financial infrastructure that could be incredibly empowering, particularly for small businesses, but he also stressed “payment systems optionality,” saying progress should be defined by expanding choice and resilience, not forcing everyone into a single channel.

Making interoperability work also means designing for real constraints, including providing affordable services and simple user experiences, said Sabine Mensah, deputy CEO of the AfricaNenda Foundation, which helps governments, economic development organizations and the private sector plan for instant, inclusive payment systems. And the hardest part, she argued, isn’t the technology. It’s aligning the rules across markets.

Moderator Jesse McWaters, Mastercard’s head of Global Policy, agreed, pointing to the difficulties in harmonizing regulations in the G20 roadmap for improving cross-border transactions. “If we can’t get that data layer better aligned, then we’re still going to be dealing with frictions no matter what technology we’re going to be using,” he said. When we get regulators on board, he said, “these types of inclusive innovations will really have the opportunity to grow.”

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LEEDS, England, May 6, 2026 /3BL/ – Antea Group UK is pleased to welcome Andrew Sweetman as Practice Director of Mergers & Acquisition within our Transaction Support practice.

Andrew brings 20 years of experience delivering EHS and ESG due diligence for M&A in the UK and overseas across a broad range of sectors. Andrew’s expertise focusses on the identification of material EHS and ESG risks, liabilities, and opportunities in the context of a transaction. These engagements often involved tight timelines, multi-asset portfolios, and cross-border considerations.

In his role as Service Line Director, Andrew will lead the continued strategic development of Antea Group UK’s M&A service line. He will work closely with transaction advisers, investors, and Antea Group’s technical specialists to deliver commercially focussed advice to clients navigating complex transactions.

“I’m excited to take on this role at Antea Group UK and to continue developing our environmental and ESG due diligence services,” said Andrew. “There is a clear opportunity to support clients with more integrated, commercially focused insight as environmental and ESG considerations become increasingly central to transactions.”

“Andrew’s experience and leadership in environmental and ESG due diligence is a strong addition to our team,” said Graham Duffield, Practice Director, Transaction Support. “He brings a deep understanding of how environmental and sustainability risks translate into real business and transaction impacts. His ability to provide clear, actionable insight will be invaluable to our clients.”

About Antea Group UK 

Antea® Group is an environment, health, safety, and sustainability consultancy. By combining strategic thinking with technical expertise, we do more than effectively solve client challenges; we deliver sustainable results for a better future. We work in partnership with and advise many of the world’s most sustainable companies to address ESG business challenges in a way that fits their pace and unique objectives. Our consultants equip organisations to better understand threats, capture opportunities and find their position of strength. We maintain a global perspective on ESG issues through not only our work with multinational clients, but also through our sister organisations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and as a founding member of the Inogen Alliance.   

LEEDS, England, May 6, 2026 /3BL/ – Antea Group UK is pleased to welcome Andrew Sweetman as Practice Director of Mergers & Acquisition within our Transaction Support practice.

Andrew brings 20 years of experience delivering EHS and ESG due diligence for M&A in the UK and overseas across a broad range of sectors. Andrew’s expertise focusses on the identification of material EHS and ESG risks, liabilities, and opportunities in the context of a transaction. These engagements often involved tight timelines, multi-asset portfolios, and cross-border considerations.

In his role as Service Line Director, Andrew will lead the continued strategic development of Antea Group UK’s M&A service line. He will work closely with transaction advisers, investors, and Antea Group’s technical specialists to deliver commercially focussed advice to clients navigating complex transactions.

“I’m excited to take on this role at Antea Group UK and to continue developing our environmental and ESG due diligence services,” said Andrew. “There is a clear opportunity to support clients with more integrated, commercially focused insight as environmental and ESG considerations become increasingly central to transactions.”

“Andrew’s experience and leadership in environmental and ESG due diligence is a strong addition to our team,” said Graham Duffield, Practice Director, Transaction Support. “He brings a deep understanding of how environmental and sustainability risks translate into real business and transaction impacts. His ability to provide clear, actionable insight will be invaluable to our clients.”

About Antea Group UK 

Antea® Group is an environment, health, safety, and sustainability consultancy. By combining strategic thinking with technical expertise, we do more than effectively solve client challenges; we deliver sustainable results for a better future. We work in partnership with and advise many of the world’s most sustainable companies to address ESG business challenges in a way that fits their pace and unique objectives. Our consultants equip organisations to better understand threats, capture opportunities and find their position of strength. We maintain a global perspective on ESG issues through not only our work with multinational clients, but also through our sister organisations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and as a founding member of the Inogen Alliance.   

Behind every advanced system we design, manufacture, install and service are the people who make it work. And behind those people is a culture of training and mentorship that ensures valuable knowledge is passed forward. That commitment is at the heart of our new Advanced Technology Training Center (ATTC) in Davidson, North Carolina — the world’s largest and most advanced facility of its kind dedicated to the training and development of HVAC service and control technicians.

The world’s most advanced HVAC technology training center

Through the ATTC, apprentices from our Technician Apprenticeship Program, early career, and experienced service and control technicians, will learn on a wide range of systems, including the latest in HVAC technology, digital controls and building intelligence systems, gaining hands-on experience that mirrors the very real and complex environments they serve — from hospitals and schools, to data centers and office towers.

Spanning 45,000 square feet, the new center can accomodate 4,500 students and deliver over 100,000 hours of training annually. It expands on our current training centers in La Crosse, WI, and White Bear Lake, MN, and more than doubles the number of technicians we can train each year.

Closing the skilled labor gap

With the largest HVAC services footprint in our industry and continuous growth and expansion in our HVAC business, this investment comes at an important time. A large percentage of skilled workers are expected to retire within the next decade, even as demand for HVAC technicians in the US is projected to grow 8% over the next ten years (faster than the average for all other occupations). With more than 40,000 job openings each year, the need for training and upskilling has never been greater.

Our expanded training capabilities aims to help close the talent gap by providing unparalleled education and hands-on experience, strengthening the pipeline of highly skilled HVAC experts.

As the industry and world advance into a new digital era, so do our learnings paths, with digital control training programs and continuously evolving learning pathways for advanced AI-enabled control and service tools. With an eye toward the high-tech future, we’ve also built dedicated training for mission critical service needs, including Data Centers, ensuring our team members can thrive in these highly-specialized spaces and deliver energy and resource optimization capabilities for all our customers.

“Experience isn’t just counted on a calendar. It’s something we carry forward.”

Holly Paeper
President, Commercial HVAC Americas, Trane Technologies

Passing on generations of experience

The ATTC represents our continued investment and commitment to our teams, and our customers, ensuring that our deep bench of technical expertise flows outward, strengthening our communities and our industry.

Serving the ATTC center in Davidson are instructors and training leaders who bring more than 300 years of collective industry expertise. Their careers span decades of technological change, and their role now is to ensure current and future generations of technicians inherit the technical knowledge, problem-solving instincts, customer focus and leadership that define the Trane Technologies’ service legacy.

Robert Collins is one of the experienced trainers. Beginning his career as a Trane apprentice in 1992, Robert worked his way up to a team leader role, where he chose to stay and mentor younger techs in the field for a few decades before officially becoming a fully dedicated technical trainer in the ATTC. For him, the most valuable lessons aren’t just about equipment, but about people — listening, encouraging and helping others grow.

More knowledge, greater innovation

This culture of learning from one another runs deep at Trane Technologies. Many of our longest-serving technicians can trace their careers through one another, connected by years of mentorship, encouragement and support – speaking to the fact that careers at Trane Technologies are rarely built alone. They’re formed through colleagues who become mentors, mentors who become friends and friendships that last lifetimes; reminding us that experience isn’t just counted on a calendar. It’s something we carry forward.

That’s what makes this training center and approach special. It embodies what has always set Trane Technologies apart: the belief that systems are only as strong as the people behind them, and people are only as strong as the knowledge they share.

By investing in a state-of-the-art space where our technicians’ valuable collective expertise can be passed on, we’re ensuring that the next generation of technicians won’t just keep world running, they’ll keep pushing it forward, together.

The future is ours to create. Explore technician roles at Trane Technologies.