NEW YORK, Nov. 12, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Yappn Corp. ("Yappn" or "Company") (OTCQB:YPPN), a leader in real-time language technology and translation is pleased to announce a new Board of Directors, starting immediately. C. Kent Jespersen will be the Chairman of the Board and Carrie Stone, David Fleck, Luis Vázquez Sentíes, Tracie Crook, David Berry, Neil Stiles, and David Lucatch will constitute the remaining members of the Board of Directors.
"Yappn is establishing a strong platform for future growth and revenue generation and we are excited to have the support of an exceptionally qualified and well connected Board," interim CEO Neil Stiles commented. "To be able to attract such a stellar team to support us in this very important transitional period gives us the assurance that our business plan is a solid one. Our customizable set of tools to engage consumers in up to 67 languages to support the entire sales cycle, in real-time, is gaining a lot of attention locally and internationally and their expertise will be instrumental to guide us through the execution of a successful business plan."
C. Kent Jespersen has extensive and diverse international experience in government, business, and executive leadership. Mr. Jespersen is also a Director of Axia NetMedia Corporation, Chairman and Director of Seven Generations Ltd. and Chairman and Director of Iskander Energy Corp. Mr. Jespersen holds a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Master of Science in Education from the University of Oregon.
Carrie Stone is the President of cStone & Associates, an international executive search firm. Prior executive experience includes positions with The Walt Disney Company and J Crew. Ms. Stone is a member of the Corporate Directors Forum and was named to the Agenda Compensation 100, identifying the 100 top candidates to serve on Compensation Committees. She also Co-Founded the San Diego Women Corporate Directors chapter in 2003. Ms. Stone holds a B.S. from the University of Vermont, attended Stanford Law School Director's College, and Harvard Business School's Executive Education, Compensation Committees.
David Fleck has spent over 25 years in the investment industry, most recently as President and Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Capital Markets Canada Ltd. Prior to this, he held the position of Executive Managing Director at BMO Capital Markets Ltd. Currently a Partner and Senior VP of Delaney Capital, Mr. Fleck is also a board member of Alamos Gold Inc. and has served as a director of a number of Canadian based charities. He is also Vice-Chair of Soulpepper Theatre Company and a board member of the Art Gallery of Ontario Foundation. Mr. Fleck received his MBA from INSEAD and recently completed the Institute of Corporate Directors program at the Rotman School of Management.
Luis Vázquez Sentíes is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Diavaz, a conglomerate of 15 companies, all related to the Mexican energy industry. He has been and remains an advisor for several national and international companies related to the energy industry. Mr. Vázquez was a member of the Board of Directors at TransAlta from 2001 to 2009 and is currently Vice President of Mexico's Chapter of the World Energy Council, as well as a Board Member of the Mexican Natural Gas Association. Mr. Vázquez is a chemical engineer and a graduate of Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada.
Tracie Crook is the Chief Operating Officer of McCarthy Tétrault LLP. Prior to that she was President and CEO of the ResMor Trust Company, a federally regulated mortgage provider, Director of Business Management for the TSX Group and Director of Management and Outsourcing with Sprint Canada. A Certified Director, Tracie currently sits on the Board of the Fraser Institute and was a former Board member of the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union, the Housing Services Inc., and the GMAC Residential Funding of Canada Limited. Ms. Crook holds a Master of Science from Central Michigan University, a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ferris State University and has taken executive courses at Harvard Business School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Queen's University.
David Berry previously ran the preferred share department at Scotia McLeod from 1995 – 2005, building it to become the largest profit centre at Scotiabank with a market share of 70%. Mr. Berry currently manages Winterberry Investments to provide financing to startup firms. Mr. Berry has a BSc Honours in Mathematics from Queen's University, an MBA in Finance and Accounting from Rotman School of Business as well as a CFA and CA.
Neil Stiles has more than 30 years experience in the Publishing and Media industry and was previously CEO and Publisher of Variety, Inc. Prior to take over Variety, Neil was a Managing Director and Director of Reed Business Information, CEO of eMedia, both divisions of Reed Elsevier. He also served on the Board of Directors of Randian LLC, LA's BEST, BritWeek and BAFTA LA. He was Chairman of BAFTA LA from 2011 to 2012.
David Lucatch, Founder and Head of Global Innovation, spent more than 25 years developing business concepts and taking them to market and has held senior management posts at both private and public media and technology firms. Throughout his business career he has been an active supporter of a number of organizations and has been recognized internationally for his service and support. David graduated in 1985 from the University of Toronto and continues to serve as mentor for both the university and the Management Economics Student Association programs. In 2010 David was a recipient of an Arbour Award from the University of Toronto, recognizing his continued activities and contributions to his alma mater.
Yappn is also implementing a new Advisory Committee focused in Technology, Linguistics and Global Business Practices and past directors Herb Willer and Marc Saltzman will be the first two members of the Advisory Committee.
About Yappn
Yappn Corp. (OTCQB:YPPN) empowers brands to globalize their offerings and build larger market share by efficiently removing the language barrier in real-time. Focusing on the Ecommerce market, Yappn is the only Language Service Provider to provide a complete customizable set of tools to engage consumers in up to 67 languages to support the entire sales cycle, in real-time, from online marketing to Ecommerce sales and customer care.
Yappn provides high fidelity language services, utilizing its 3 US patents and proprietary technology to understand the true meaning of the message. System integration is quick and cost-effective, increasing efficiency, effectiveness and customer satisfaction.
For more information, please visit http://www.yappn.com or contact:
Jeanny So, VP, Corporate Communications
T: 1.800.395.9943 x 228
To learn more about Why Language Matters to a growing global economy, visit our blog at www.whylanguagematters.com.
To be added to the news release distribution list, please email: jeanny@yappn.com with the word "News" on the subject line.
Forward Looking Information
Legal Notice and Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, and those preceded by or that include the words "believes," "expects," "given," "targets," "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "projects," "forecasts" or similar expressions, are "forward-looking statements." Although Yappn Corp.'s management believes that such forward-looking statements are reasonable; it cannot guarantee that such expectations are, or will be, correct. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company's future results to differ materially from those anticipated. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in the Company's filings with the SEC including the Current Reports on Form 8-K and the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Reports on Form 10-K. The Company assumes no obligation to update any of the information contained or referenced in this press release.