WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., April 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Piedmont Advantage Credit Union (PACU) is proud to announce the promotion of Robert Payne to Chief Technology Officer (CTO), marking a significant milestone in a distinguished career spanning more than 30 years in the technology field.

Payne has served as PACU’s Senior Vice President of Information Technology for over a decade, leading with a vision to ensure that technology functions and works smarter to make financial services easier, safer and more seamless for members and employees alike.

“Technology should feel effortless for the people who rely on it, our members and employees,” Payne said. “In my new role, I look forward to building on that foundation and driving strategic technology decisions that add real, measurable value.”

Payne holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Security (now called Cybersecurity) from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky., and is certified in ISO/IEC 20000, the international standard for IT service management. His approach to leadership blends technical expertise with a deep understanding of how technology shapes member experiences and internal operations.

As CTO, Payne will align PACU’s technology infrastructure with its long-term strategic goals. His priorities include:

Fortifying cybersecurity, recognizing that trust is the foundation of all member relationships.Enhancing digital experiences to ensure members can bank anytime, anywhere seamlessly.Investing in automation and AI to increase operational efficiency and allow staff to focus more on members’ financial well-being.Ensuring resilience and scalability to support PACU’s continued growth.

“Robert has a clear vision for how technology can enable innovation and preserve the human connections that make our credit union so unique,” said PACU’s President & CEO, Dion Williams. “His leadership has been instrumental in building a technology strategy that puts our members first and empowers our employees to serve with confidence and ease. As CTO, he will continue to guide us toward a more secure, efficient and people-focused future.”

While artificial intelligence and automation are key areas of interest, Payne emphasizes that technology at PACU will always serve people, not replace them. “No technology can replicate the relationships, trust and sense of belonging that define who we are,” he said. “That’s priceless, and it will always be our priority.”

About Piedmont Advantage Credit Union
Headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., and founded in 1949 to meet the financial needs of Piedmont Aviation and Piedmont Airline employees, Piedmont Advantage Credit Union has grown to serve member-owners, who reside, work, worship, attend school or operate a business in one of the six counties it serves in North Carolina or who are employed by one of its many employer companies. These six counties are Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Iredell, Mecklenburg and Rockingham. A not-for-profit, cooperative financial institution, Piedmont Advantage still has a strong presence in aviation with its six branches and 10 ATMs throughout the service region.

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SOURCE Piedmont Advantage Credit Union

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Human Capability Development Program (HCDP), a Saudi Vision 2030 Realization Program, convened a ministerial roundtable on day one of the second edition of the Human Capability Initiative (HCI) conference. The HCI conference is held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of HCDP, on April 13 – 14 2025 in the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center under the theme of #BeyondReadiness

The closed-door ministerial roundtable meeting focused on “AI Literacy for All: Promoting Equitable Access for Resilient Capabilities” and engaged 20 ministers from around the world, as well as local and global experts in education and technology, including representatives from the Saudi Education and Training Evaluation Commission, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the World Bank, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). 

The roundtable explored the critical need for integrating digital skills as a cornerstone of human capability development and examined AI literacy’s central role in ensuring individuals can thrive in an AI-driven economy. 

The meeting also highlighted the need to establish inclusive strategies that promote digital education, and the importance of integrating AI skills into curricula and strengthening international collaboration to discover scalable solutions that can provide equitable access to AI tools and digital training worldwide. 

Participants in the roundtable agreed to issue a joint statement following the meeting, which highlighted key aspects of the discussion and outlined their main recommendations on next steps, which are as follows: 

Advocating for the inclusion of AI literacy in national education systems, ensuring future generations are equipped with the skills necessary to succeed in an AI-powered world. Encouraging initiatives that support continuous education and reskilling opportunities for AI literacy, enabling individuals to remain adaptable in the face of technological advancements. Continuing to support the strengthening of international collaboration, sharing resources, knowledge, and experiences to enhance access to AI education globally. 

The roundtable reinforces the Kingdom’s commitment to leading global efforts in human capability development in line with the Saudi Vision 2030, driven by its recognition of the central role of human capability development in achieving sustainable economic growth worldwide. Global participants in the roundtable identified innovative, concrete solutions to ensure that countries can remain competitive and achieve sustainable growth across various industries by enabling individuals and institutions to succeed in an AI-powered world.

For more information, contact the HCI Conference Media Team: media@humancapabilityinitiative.org  

Access the HCI Conference Website: https://humancapabilityinitiative.org/en/  

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SOURCE Human Capability Development Program (HCDP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, April 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — From April 12 to 13, Meizu partnered with Geely Auto to host a product launch event in Dubai, introducing its full ecosystem products to the Middle East market and accelerating its global expansion.

At the event, Meizu showcased multiple innovative products tailored for overseas markets, including smartphones such as the Meizu 21 series, Meizu Note 22 series, Meizu Mblu 21, Meizu Mblu 22 Pro, and the AI-powered Meizu Lucky 08. Smart wearable devices like the smart glasses StarV Air2 and StarV View, as well as the smart ring StarV Ring2, also made their debut.

To meet the cross-language communication needs of Middle Eastern users, the highly acclaimed multilingual real-time translation function of the StarV Air2 smart glasses added Arabic to its support list, which premiered at the event and will be officially launched in late April. With Arabic support, StarV Air2 now covers 14 real-time translation languages, broadening its user group and allowing more users to learn about Meizu’s vision of “AI Enlightening a Better Life.”

With the acceleration of its “overseas Flyme AI ecosystem strategy”, Meizu is swiftly and steadily expanding overseas markets. The Middle East, a strategic hub connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa, is a critical market for Meizu to seize global markets further.

Following its return to the global markets after releasing its overseas Flyme AI ecosystem strategy at MWC 2025, a global industry technology highland, Meizu partners with Geely Auto again to unveil overseas AI ecosystem products in the Middle East. This strategic move signifies a solid step in Meizu’s global resurgence and underscores its ambition and determination in worldwide expansion.

As overseas expansion accelerates, Meizu has achieved remarkable success with its ecosystem products. Its products are now available in over 30 countries and regions across Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe. Cars equipped with Flyme Auto are exported to the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Asia-Pacific, and the overseas ecosystem integrating “people, cars, and homes” has taken shape. In Q1 2025 alone, Meizu entered key frontier markets like the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Australia.

Currently, by virtue of its forward-looking ecosystem integrating “smartphones, glasses and cars”, Meizu has become the No.1 company in China in three aspects. Meizu has doubled the sales of AI-powered smartphones, achieved the top market share for smart glasses, and supported the largest number of cars on the market equipped with the Flyme Auto smart cockpit operating system.

In terms of Flyme AIOS, Meizu has deeply integrated AI capabilities into its operating system, redefining the neural network of the entire digital space. Its open architecture has access to advanced models like Tongyi Qianwen, Doubao, ERNIE Bot, and DeepSeek to deliver system-level, cross-device, open, and smart integrated AI experiences.

Meizu’s StarV series captured over 41.5% market share in a single quarter after its launch in September, ranking first in China in terms of market share in a single quarter. Technically, it pioneered the adoption of the most challenging optical waveguide technology in the industry, achieving top product maturity. According to iResearch’s 2024 Consumer AR Glasses Market Dynamics and Trends Report, Meizu leads China’s “Five AR Glasses Giants” as the only AR player with a full ecosystem.

And Meizu is the smartphone brand of DreamSmart Group, which carries AI eco-products in three product areas, which are smartphones, XR and smart cars. With deep technological expertise in multiple industries, DreamSmart is recognized as a leader in smart ecosystems.

In the smart cockpits, Meizu’s Flyme Auto saw 310,000 new vehicle installations in March (including upgrades for over 200,000 Geely Galaxy L6 and L7 users), with cumulative sales of exceeding 910,000 cars. It has ranked first in new users for six consecutive months. At present, Flyme Auto supports 23 models under Geely, Lynk & Co, Galaxy, and other brands, making it the most widely adopted, fastest-growing, and broadest-priced smart cockpit operating system.

These “three No.1 achievements” highlight Meizu’s domestic leadership and lay a foundation for global market expansion. As its globalization accelerates in the future, Meizu will deliver smarter, more convenient, and efficient digital life experiences to users worldwide.

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