NANJING, China, April 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 26, 2025, the 2025 Industrial Technology Innovation and Investment Promotion Conference was held in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.
The event extended a warm invitation to global entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators, urging domestic and international stakeholders to "Choose Nanjing, Grow with Nanjing" under the theme "Innovate for Excellence, Invest in the Future."
Approximately 800 attendees participated, including representatives from globally renowned enterprises, universities, innovation platforms, foreign embassies, and international organizations.
The conference comprehensively showcased Nanjing's industrial investment environment, case studies of technological and industrial innovation, and achievements in technology and innovation financial reform.
A series of new initiatives to advance technological innovation and investment were announced. During the event, 102 major projects were signed, with a total planned investment exceeding 130 billion yuan (RMB; approximately $18 billion USD).
Several innovation platforms were inaugurated, including Jiangsu Provincial Concept Validation Center, Nanjing Academy for Scientific and Technological Achievements Transformation, and Nanjing (Jiangbei New Area) Disruptive Technology Innovation Center.
These initiatives underscored Nanjing's commitment to fostering cutting-edge and transformative technologies.
Additionally, four industrial task forces—dedicated to AI (software), robotics, biopharmaceuticals, and next-gen ICT—were established, alongside the Nanjing Industrial Investment Promotion Center, highlighting the city's resolve to concentrate resources on developing new-quality productive forces (innovative, high-end, and sustainable productivity).
Industry leaders and academic experts actively proposed strategies and shared insights to empower Nanjing's innovation-driven growth.
Keynote speakers included Dr. Xiangyang Shen, Chairman of the Council of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Hermann Simon, renowned as the "Father of Hidden Champions"; Dr. Nicolas Peter, Senior Vice President of BMW Group; Wu Wensheng, Chairman of Great Wall Strategy Consultants; Liu Suhua, President of Shenzhen Capital Group; and Liu Shuang, Chairman of Nanjing TetraBOT Electronic Technology.
Outside the venue, 52 high-tech exhibits from Nanjing's eight pillar industries were prominently displayed, featuring "world-first innovations" "domestic substitution achievements," and products leading in global market share.
The signed projects primarily focus on leading industries and high-quality initiatives with strong demonstration effects.
Moving forward, Nanjing will leverage the global resource connection platform established through this conference to continuously deepen collaboration with cutting-edge technologies and industries, accelerate the construction of an open innovation ecosystem, transform more scientific achievements into new-quality productive forces, and build itself into a globally influential primary hub and carrier zone for industrial technology innovation.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
The 2025 Industrial Technology Innovation and Investment Promotion Conference held in Nanjing
The 2025 Industrial Technology Innovation and Investment Promotion Conference held in Nanjing
Martin Sjolund appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, effective June 17, 2025
Vikram Atal to serve as senior advisor through December 31, 2025
NORFOLK, Va., April 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PRA Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: PRAA), a global leader in acquiring and collecting nonperforming loans, today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed President of PRA Group Europe Martin Sjolund to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective June 17, 2025. Sjolund succeeds current President and CEO Vikram Atal, who announced that he will retire and serve as a senior advisor through December 31, 2025. Sjolund will be appointed to the Board upon assuming the role of President and CEO, and Atal will retire from the Board at that time.
"On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Vik for his leadership of PRA Group during a pivotal time," said Executive Chair of the Board Steve Fredrickson. "Today's announcement is the culmination of the Board's ongoing succession planning process and commitment to enabling long-term, profitable growth."
"It has been a privilege to lead PRA Group through this transformative time in the company's history," said Atal. "Since March 2023, I have worked closely with Martin, and I am highly confident in his ability to further strengthen our global leadership position. His strong track record in our European business, extensive industry knowledge, thoughtful leadership and commitment to our culture and customers will build on our strengths and create meaningful value for our shareholders in the years to come."
"I am honored to have the opportunity to lead PRA Group as we enter our next phase of growth," said Sjolund. "As a team, we have already achieved record global portfolio purchases and double-digit cash growth, expanded our leadership team, improved operational processes and strengthened our capital structure. These actions have positioned us to continue driving the company forward while delivering value to our shareholders."
About Martin Sjolund
Sjolund has served as President of PRA Group Europe since 2018, providing leadership across 15 markets in Europe, Canada and Australia. During his tenure, Sjolund oversaw nearly $3 billion of successful portfolio investments across Europe, all while significantly improving the profitability of the European business. He led our expansion into two new markets, modernized the IT infrastructure and contact platforms, enhanced the data and analytics function and ultimately created one of Europe's most cost-efficient debt buying platforms.
Before being promoted to his current role, Sjolund served as Chief Operating Officer of Europe from 2015 until 2018. He was previously Director of Group Strategy and Corporate Development (Europe), a position he also held at Aktiv Kapital from 2011 until PRA Group acquired Aktiv Kapital in 2014.
Prior to joining Aktiv Kapital, Sjolund held leadership positions in global technology companies and was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company in Singapore and London. Sjolund holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and is a graduate of Georgetown University.
About PRA Group
As a global leader in acquiring and collecting nonperforming loans, PRA Group, Inc. returns capital to banks and other creditors to help expand financial services for consumers in the Americas, Europe and Australia. With thousands of employees worldwide, PRA Group companies collaborate with customers to help them resolve their debt. For more information, please visit www.pragroup.com.
News Media Contact:
Elizabeth Kersey
Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Policy
(757) 641-0558
Elizabeth.Kersey@PRAGroup.com
Investor Contact:
Najim Mostamand, CFA
Vice President, Investor Relations
(757) 431-7913
IR@PRAGroup.com
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
PRA Group Announces Leadership Succession Plan
