Brand Engagement Network Appoints Janine Grasso as Interim CEO, Reduces Liabilities by $4.25 Million

Janine Grasso has been appointed Interim CEO of Brand Engagement Network (BEN), replacing Paul Chang. Grasso brings over two decades of experience in leading high-growth technology-driven organizations. She will lead BEN as it advances its innovation agenda and long-term growth plans, including the pending acquisition of Cataneo. The company reduced its total liabilities by $4.25 million in the second quarter.

WILMINGTON, Del., July 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brand Engagement Network Inc. (BEN) (NASDAQ: BNAI), a global provider of AI-powered customer engagement solutions, has appointed Janine Grasso as Interim Chief Executive Officer, replacing Paul Chang. Grasso brings over two decades of experience in leading high-growth technology-driven organizations. She will guide BEN as it advances its innovation agenda and long-term growth plans, including the pending acquisition of Cataneo.

Grasso, who has served on BEN's Board since February 2024, most recently as Chair of the Compensation Committee, brings a robust background in business development, operations, and mergers and acquisitions. She previously held senior roles at DocuSign, Verizon, and IBM, where she led the IBM Blockchain Strategy and Ecosystem Organization. Grasso's expertise in scaling emerging technologies and go-to-market platforms positions her well to lead BEN's next phase of growth.

"BEN is operating from a position of strength, with world-class talent and a deep foundation in AI innovation," said Janine Grasso. "I'm honored to help lead the company forward as we bring to market the Agentic AI platform we've been building over the past several years—unlocking new value for both our customers and shareholders."

In addition to the leadership transition, BEN announced a significant reduction in its total liabilities by $4.25 million in the second quarter. This milestone reflects the company's ongoing focus on operational discipline and long-term value creation. The company continues to advance its pending acquisition of Cataneo, a strategic milestone expected to enhance BEN's platform capabilities and international presence. The transaction remains on track for completion later this summer, subject to customary approvals.

About Brand Engagement Network (BEN)
Brand Engagement Network Inc. (BEN) innovates in AI-powered customer engagement, delivering safe, intelligent, and scalable solutions. Its proprietary Engagement Language Model (ELM™) and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architecture enable highly personalized interactions supported by customers’ curated data in closed-loop environments. BEN develops AI-driven engagement solutions for the life sciences, automotive, and retail industries, featuring AI-powered avatars for outbound campaigns, inbound customer service, and real-time recommendations. With a global AI research and development team, BEN provides secure cloud-based or on-premises deployments, granting complete control of the technology stack and ensuring compliance with GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, and SOC 2 Type 1 standards. The company holds 21 patents, with 28 pending, demonstrating its commitment to advancing AI-driven consumer engagement. For more information, visit www.beninc.ai.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this communication are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities laws. They are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect, among other things, BEN’s current expectations, assumptions, plans, strategies, and anticipated results. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements, which are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance.

There are a number of risks, uncertainties, and conditions that may cause BEN’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the risk factors described in Part I, Item 1A of Risk Factors in BEN’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and the other risk factors identified from time to time in the BEN’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Filings with the SEC are available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.

Many of these circumstances are beyond BEN’s ability to control or predict. These forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions on BEN’s part. These forward-looking statements may include words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "project," "should," "may," "will," "might," "could," "would," or similar expressions. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on BEN’s behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements that appear throughout this communication. Furthermore, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, which are based on the information currently available to the Company and speak only as of the date they are made. BEN disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements.

Media Contact
Amy Rouyer
P: 503-367-7596
E: amy@beninc.ai

Investor Relations
Susan Xu
P: 778-323-0959
E: sxu@allianceadvisors.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at [NUMBER:1] https://www.stocktitan.net/news/BNAI/brand-engagement-network-appoints-janine-grasso-as-interim-rvl2p2w2zm9z.html [NUMBER:2] https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/07/15/3116050/0/en/Brand-Engagement-Network-Appoints-Janine-Grasso-as-Interim-CEO.html

References:
[1] https://www.stocktitan.net/news/BNAI/brand-engagement-network-appoints-janine-grasso-as-interim-rvl2p2w2zm9z.html
[2] https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/07/15/3116050/0/en/Brand-Engagement-Network-Appoints-Janine-Grasso-as-Interim-CEO.html