Associate – Internal Audit

Shokz reveals open-ear headphones now account for 17% of global headphone sales. Shokz, the pioneer of open-ear headphones, has today unveiled new global consumer research conducted in partnership with NielsenIQ (NYSE: NIQ), the official IFA 2026 Global Insight Partner, offering a closer look at how listening habits, purchase priorities and expectations for personal audio are evolving. Drawing on NielsenIQ's market data and desk research, alongside a three-month quantitative and qualitative study involving more than 5,000 consumers worldwide, the findings provide a deeper look at why open-ear headphones are gaining momentum and what this growth could signal for the future of the category. The research points to a broader shift in how consumers evaluate headphones. While sound quality and price remain important, as headphones become devices people wear for longer periods and across more parts of the day, comfort, situational awareness and versatility are becoming increasingly influential. Open-ear is becoming one of the fastest-growing segments in personal audio According to market data presented by NielsenIQ, open-ear headphones are currently growing faster than in-ear true wireless headphones in both unit sales and sales value. The momentum is visible across nearly every major region. In the first half of 2026, some markets - including Latin America and Eastern Europe - recorded growth rates of more than 150%. This rapid growth is also translating into meaningful market scale. According to NielsenIQ market data, excluding North America and Russia, the global open-ear headphone market now accounts for approximately 17% of the overall headphone market by sale units, marking an important milestone in the category's transition from an emerging segment to a mainstream one. The research also highlights an important signal in how the category is expanding. Over recent quarters, sales value has consistently grown faster than unit sales, suggesting that growth is not only being driven by higher volumes, but by consumers placing greater value on open-ear products. Together, these trends point to open-ear moving beyond an emerging form factor and becoming an increasingly significant part of the broader personal audio market. Consumers are redefining what makes a good pair of headphones One of the clearest findings from the study is that early adopters of open-ear headphones are often heavy headphone users. They tend to be young professionals with growing careers and relatively strong purchasing power, with 51% of open-ear headphone users under the age of 35. Their listening habits are also notably intensive, with 64% using headphones for more than two hours a day. For these consumers, extended use changes the purchase equation. While sound quality and price remain major decision factors across the category, comfort and wearability are becoming increasingly important as headphones shift from occasional-use devices to products worn throughout the day. Among open-ear users, this shift is even more pronounced. This study also found that consumers switching away from traditional in-ear and semi-in-ear products are rarely doing so primarily because of sound quality. Instead, ear fatigue, discomfort during prolonged wear and the desire for a more natural long-duration listening experience are becoming important reasons to try open-ear alternatives. Lightweight comfort, situational awareness and ease of use are among the strongest factors driving that transition. For the industry, this suggests competition is beginning to move beyond individual product specifications. The next phase of innovation may increasingly be defined by the overall experience: how comfortably a product can be worn, how naturally it fits into everyday routines and how effectively it supports longer periods of use. Open-ear is evolving from a sports product into an all-day audio platform Open-ear headphones have historically been closely associated with running and exercise, with sports and fitness ranking as the No. 1 interest among 36% of open-ear headphone users. The research suggests, however, that this definition is rapidly expanding. While in-ear headphones continue to perform strongly in immersive entertainment, and over-ear headphones remain closely associated with focused work, open-ear devices show consistently high usage across sports, work, commuting and leisure - with consumers increasingly reaching for them at home, during commutes and in public spaces too. That broader usage reflects a fundamental change in what the category is becoming. Open-ear headphones are no longer solving only one problem, they are increasingly becoming all-day companions designed to move across different parts of consumers' lives. That shift also changes how innovation should be defined: the next generation of open-ear products may be judged less by a single standout specification, and more by their ability to combine all-day comfort, situational awareness, strong sound quality, intuitive design and reliable performance across multiple everyday scenarios. In AI audio, usefulness may matter more than capability The study also examined how consumers currently use and think about AI-enabled audio features. The findings suggest that adoption is still at an early stage, with 48% of respondents reporting that they have never used AI features on their headphones, and among those who have, AI-powered noise cancellation is the most commonly used function. At the same time, consumers have a relatively clear view of where AI could create more value in the future. Rather than novelty-driven functionality, respondents showed interest in practical applications such as real-time translation and smart assistants - tools that can improve efficiency and help solve real-world problems. This suggests that the next stage of AI audio may be defined less by the number of AI features a product can offer, and more by whether those features are useful enough to become part of everyday behaviour. As the research indicates, future competition may not be about how powerful the AI is, but how useful it is. Future: Open-ear is moving toward the mass market Looking ahead, NielsenIQ data suggests open-ear headphones are entering a new stage of development. After several years as a fast-growing emerging category, the segment is expected to move toward broader mass-market adoption. For Shokz, the significance of that shift goes beyond category growth. It suggests that the definition of a good pair of headphones is changing. The future of personal audio may be shaped not only by better sound or more advanced technology, but by how naturally a device fits into everyday life - how long people can wear it, how easily they can remain aware of the world around them, how many situations it can support, and whether technologies such as AI solve problems consumers genuinely care about. Shokz also indicated that more products integrating AI capabilities will be introduced in the future, with a focus on making these technologies genuinely useful in everyday listening experiences. That broader evolution is where Shokz sees the next opportunity for open-ear audio: moving from a specialist category into a more universal listening experience. Methodology The findings are based on a combination of NielsenIQ retail market measurement data, desk research, and a global consumer study commissioned by Shokz and conducted in partnership with NielsenIQ. The research was carried out over a three-month period in 2026 and included both quantitative and qualitative approaches, involving more than 5,000 consumers across multiple markets worldwide. Category and market insights are based on NielsenIQ analysis of global personal audio market trends. About Shokz Shokz is a global pioneer in open ear audio technology, delivering premium sound while keeping users aware of their surroundings. Since 2011, Shokz has developed open ear and bone conduction technologies across sport, lifestyle and communication headphones, offering comfort, safety and high quality audio. Learn more about the brand that inspires users to #be open at Shokz.com.au

Insurance moves: HDI, USAA, Davies, WTW and ISC Group. HDI Global US has a new chief commercial officer with 30 years of distribution leadership - and the appointment is the most visible signal yet of the carrier's intention to make the US its primary international growth market. Several insurance organizations announced leadership changes this week, spanning carrier commercial strategy, professional services finance, actuarial consulting and board governance. HDI Global US names chief commercial officer. HDI Global US has appointed Uwe Schoberth (pictured, left) as chief commercial officer, where he will lead the carrier's distribution and broker management, and marketing and communications functions, reporting to CEO Shadi Albert. Schoberth brings more than 30 years of distribution leadership experience, most recently as chief distribution officer, US/Bermuda at Canopius Group, with prior roles at Joyn Insurance, Lloyd's of London, Blackboard Insurance, QBE Insurance and 13 years at XL Group. The appointment continues a broader reorganization since Albert himself took over as CEO in July, which is part of HDI Global's four-year Xcelerate29 strategy aimed at making the US its primary international growth market. That leadership transition followed the departure of Jim Clark after 23 years leading the US business, and coincided with HDI Global's improved first-half 2026 results, with its combined ratio improving to 90.7% from 91.6% a year earlier. A chief commercial officer role explicitly built around distribution and broker management, arriving alongside a stated strategy of bringing underwriting, claims and service teams closer to brokers, suggests retail and wholesale brokers with existing HDI Global US relationships should expect more proactive engagement from the carrier on appetite, capacity and service commitments in the coming months. USAA adds a retired Navy vice admiral to its board. USAA has appointed retired Vice Admiral Craig Clapperton (pictured, center) to its board of directors, effective September 1. Clapperton brings 36 years of military leadership, including command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, along with senior roles at US Cyber Command and US Navy Space Command. Agents competing for military-affiliated clients may note Clapperton's cyber and technology background as a signal of where USAA's governance priorities are heading, but no near-term change to distribution or underwriting appetite should be expected as a result. Davies names a new group CFO from NielsenIQ. Davies, a specialist professional services and technology business serving the insurance sector, has appointed Alban de Vatteville (pictured, right) as group chief financial officer. De Vatteville joins from NielsenIQ, where he served as deputy CFO and CFO of its Activation business, and previously led finance for NielsenIQ's acquisition and integration of GfK, along with its separation from Nielsen under Advent International ownership. Saulter said de Vatteville's public and private capital markets experience would support Davies' Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to double the size of the business, including continued investment in AI and automation across its ClaimPilot claims technology suite. Davies provides outsourced claims, adjusting and technology services to carriers and MGAs rather than working directly with retail brokers, so this hire has limited immediate broker relevance. That said, brokers whose carrier or MGA partners rely on Davies' ClaimPilot platform for claims handling may see downstream improvements in claims speed and customer experience as the company's AI investment accelerates under new finance leadership, worth watching if claims turnaround has been a pain point with any Davies-serviced carrier. WTW adds two directors to its reserving and capital team. WTW has appointed Gary Rohrig and Justin Rosile as directors within its Property and Casualty Reserving and Capital team. Rohrig joins from Akur8, where he led reserving specialist work on the actuarial platform's global P&C solutions, and will focus at WTW on its ResQ reserving technology and Unify automation platform. Rosile joins from Grange Insurance, where he oversaw analysis and adequacy of roughly $1 billion in reserves as AVP of corporate actuarial. Brokers advising carrier or MGA clients on reserve adequacy or capital modeling engagements, particularly in program or MGA-fronted business where reserving transparency is often scrutinized by capacity providers, may find WTW's expanded bench relevant when recommending outside actuarial resources to those clients. USAA's P&C president becomes ISC Group's first US male ambassador. ISC Group, an organization focused on advancing women in insurance, has named Randy Termeer, president of USAA's Property and Casualty Group, its first US male ambassador. Carmen Powell, ISC Group's CEO, said the appointment builds on USAA's longstanding support for the organization's work developing female leadership pipelines. Termeer said he looked forward to serving as an active ally in developing future industry leaders. ISC Group's ambassador model and USAA's continued backing of it offer a template other carriers and brokerages might consider for their own diversity and leadership-development initiatives.

Morrisons partners with NIQ for market insight. By Lizzy O'Riordan September 1, 2026 Supermarket Morrisons has announced a partnership with the insight and market research company NielsenIQ (NIQ). Aiming to gain more data on consumer behaviour, the duo said that the collaboration is designed to create growth for the supermarket through access to advanced analytics, omnichannel intelligence and decision-making tools. NIQ continued that by leveraging NIQ's insights, Morrisons would be able to build a comprehensive understanding of market dynamics spanning supermarkets, online grocery, convenience and emerging retail channels. In turn, the insights should result in Morrisons being able to streamline workflows and respond quickly to category intelligence. Not the first supermarket to work with NIQ, the insight company already has collaborations with US supermarkets including Whole Foods Market and Walmart. Many of the UK's largest retailers also partner with the insight company, primarily to access retail market data on a smaller scale. On the partnership, Jen Price, customer director at Morrisons, said: "We're excited to be launching this new collaboration with NIQ, which will deliver product and category intelligence across the full breadth of our retail channels, unlocking value through great insights and helping us make the right decisions quickly, to drive our future growth." Meanwhile, Russell Sylvester, NIQ retail vertical lead UK & IRE, said: "By combining market measurement, consumer intelligence, omnichannel analytics and advanced capabilities within a single ecosystem, we aim to support Morrisons in building a robust platform for future growth."