ZHENGZHOU, China, April 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 31, 2025, the Ancestor Worship Ceremony of the Yellow Emperor in the Year of Yisi was held in Xinzheng, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province. The Chinese from the globe gathered at the Yellow Emperor's hometown to pray for national rejuvenation and share common hopes of world peace. The grand ceremony was themed "Same Root, Same Ancestor, Same Origin", paying homage to the Ancestor of Chinese Civilization.
"The Yellow Emperor marks the beginning of Chinese civilization. A series of archaeological discoveries have confirmed that the Yellow Emperor's era was spanning from the origin to the initial formation of civilization," explained Wang Wei, former chairman of the Chinese Archaeological Society and director of the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
Chen Linchun, chief director of the Ancestor Worship Ceremony, stated that the ceremony contains the codes of Henan civilization: Zheng-Han Ancient City was the capital of the Zheng and Han states during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The costume designs for this year's ceremony were inspired by styles from the Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States periods; while the ceremonial music and dance performances were choreographed based on stone carvings, murals, and reliefs unearthed at Henan archaeological sites. "While there were innovations, they were all based on historical and cultural evidence," he explained.
The Ancestor Worship Ceremony serves as a spiritual bond that unites the Chinese nation. Wen Shanan, Secretary-General of the China-Thailand Cultural Exchange Association and President of the Wen Clan Association of Thailand, said, "As overseas Chinese, we have been promoting people-to-people exchange between the two countries, and we have kept in mind that Henan is our ancestral root."
Dato' Seri Ang Lai Hee, a fourth-generation Malaysian Chinese, attended the Ancestor Worship Ceremony. He has long been committed to protecting the heritage of Yellow Emperor culture in Malaysia.
Jason Dane Castleton, an American friend, was deeply moved when he saw the ceremony. He exclaimed, "Such Chinese culture is really amazing."
Recently, parallel worship ceremonies have been held in Sydney, San Francisco, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and other global cities. As global Chinese communities paid homage to their common ancestor, they not only reconnected with the roots of Chinese civilization but also built bridges for cross-civilization dialogue.
During the event, Zhengzhou Radio and Television Station collaborated with nearly fifty Chinese-language media outlets worldwide to broadcast the Ancestor Worship Ceremony, sharing this significant moment with a global audience.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Worship Ceremony for Yellow Emperor: Global Chinese Gathered to Strengthen Civilization Consensus
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
