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Cisive Joins Oracle’s Partner Program

As an Oracle partner, Cisive will leverage Oracle technologies to drive customer success

Cisive, a leading provider of technology and compliance-driven background screening, workforce risk management, and data services, announced it has joined Oracle’s enhanced partner program. For more than 40 years, Oracle has been working closely with partners to help drive joint customer success and business momentum. By joining Oracle’s partner program, Cisive has the opportunity to establish Oracle-related knowledge in delivering background checks, drug & health screening, and workforce monitoring solutions in highly regulated industries such as healthcare, transportation, and financial services.

By integrating directly with Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM, we’re making it easier for organizations to hire confidently.

Rooted in compliance, Cisive makes securing the right talent effortless through streamlined integrations, strong industry expertise, and a partnership mentality that helps clients navigate hiring and employee retention in highly regulated industries.

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By joining Oracle’s enhanced partner program, Cisive has opportunities to achieve Oracle Expertise, which can help validate its skills and capabilities around specific products, services, industries, and geographies. Partners achieve Oracle Expertise by meeting a series of qualifiers that underscore the potential impact to customer success. Cisive looks forward to taking advantage of these exclusive benefits to help further differentiate its offerings in the marketplace.

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“We’re thrilled to become an Oracle partner,” said Margaret Keane, CEO of Cisive. “This partnership expands our ability to deliver technology-first screening and workforce intelligence solutions to customers worldwide. By integrating directly with Oracle Fusion Cloud Human Capital Management (HCM), we’re making it easier for organizations to hire confidently, stay compliant, and manage risk—all within the systems they already trust.”

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Azul Acquires Payara, Strengthening Leadership in Enterprise Java Solutions

Azul logo

Strategic acquisition bolsters Azul’s Java platform with complementary products, deep Java expertise and accelerated go-to-market capabilities

AZIO AI Appoints Chris Young as Chief Executive Officer to Lead Global Expansion of AI Compute Infrastructure and Sovereign Data-Center Deployment

Leadership transition reinforces AZIO AI’s strategy as a newly independent high-performance computing company, accelerating its mission to deliver GPU clusters, modular AI data centers, and sovereign compute solutions across emerging global markets.

Strengthening AZIO AI’s Strategic Vision as a Newly Independent Company

Following its recent spin-off from AZIO Corp, AZIO AI was established as a standalone entity to meet global demand for high-density GPU infrastructure, sovereign compute systems, and modular AI-data center deployments.

The company is strategically positioned as a distribution-certified partner for Supermicro and NVIDIA GPU rack solutions, enabling AZIO AI to deliver turnkey enterprise GPU-server systems, high-density AI-compute clusters, modular data centers, government-grade infrastructure, and more.

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Chris Young: A Leadership Profile Built for High-Growth, Complex Global Markets

Chris Young brings a diverse background spanning venture capital, early-stage technology development, and international negotiation. He is widely recognized as a co-founder of Clubhouse Media, one of the earliest and largest digital talent and creator-economy firms. Under his leadership, Clubhouse Media became a cultural and industry-shaping force, giving Young operational and brand-building experience uncommon in the AI infrastructure sector.

Young has also served as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Lamppost Group and as both an EIR and Limited Partner at Amplify.LA Fund IV, where he supported high-growth technology companies. Across his career, Young has raised over $75 million in private capital, negotiated international commercial agreements, and managed large-scale deals, positioning him uniquely to guide AZIO AI’s expansion.

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Leadership Commentary

David Shiue commented: “AZIO AI was strategically created to address a historic shift in global AI infrastructure demand. With SMCI and NVIDIA certifications behind us and Chris leading AZIO AI, we are positioned to deliver complete AI-infrastructure solutions at global scale.”

Chris Young added: “AZIO AI sits at the intersection of one of the fastest-growing technology cycles of our era. I’m honored to join at this pivotal moment as we expand internationally and deliver full-stack AI-compute solutions to governments and enterprises worldwide.”

Positioning for Rapid Global Expansion

AZIO AI’s near-term priorities include deploying modular AI data centers, scaling GPU infrastructure, and establishing sovereign compute partnerships with government agencies across multiple regions.

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Andrew Ipson and Danna Stone Elected to Graybar’s Board of Directors

Graybar, a leading distributor of electrical, industrial, automation and connectivity products and provider of related supply chain management and logistics services, announced the election of Andrew C. Ipson and Danna B. Stone to its Board of Directors.

Ipson, who currently serves as Senior Vice President – Supply Chain Management, has 27 years of industry experience. He joined Graybar in 2008 as a Branch Manager in California, and was promoted to Director, Electrical Sales in 2017. He was named Vice President – Strategic Accounts in 2021 and later served as District Vice President in St. Louis. Ipson was promoted to his current role earlier this year, and he will assume the expanded role of Senior Vice President – Sales and Service on January 1, 2026.

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Stone, who currently serves as Senior Vice President – Marketing, has 26 years of industry experience. She joined Graybar in 2014 as Vice President – Strategic Accounts. She became District Vice President in St. Louis in 2015 and was named Vice President – Category Management in 2022. She was named Vice President – Marketing in 2024 and promoted into her current role earlier this year.

“Andy and Danna are proven leaders who have extensive business experience and a strong commitment to Graybar’s values and employee ownership culture,” said Graybar’s Chairman, President and CEO Kathleen M. Mazzarella. “As they join Graybar’s Board of Directors, I am confident that they will continue to provide the strategic direction and valuable insights that are vital to our company’s long-term growth and transformation.”

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Graybar, a Fortune 500 corporation and one of the largest employee-owned companies in North America, is a leader in the distribution of high quality electrical, industrial, automation and connectivity products, and specializes in related supply chain management and logistics services. Through its network of more than 350 North American distribution facilities, it stocks and sells products from thousands of manufacturers, helping its customers power, network, automate and secure their facilities with speed, intelligence and efficiency.

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Grid Aero and A2G International Announce Strategic Partnership to Deliver Integrated Logistics and ISR Capabilities for Remote and Contested Environments

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Grid Aero and A2G International announces a strategic partnership to deliver integrated autonomous logistics and intelligence capabilities for defense and commercial customers operating in contested and remote locations.

Grid Aero, an aerospace startup building the world’s most resilient autonomous air cargo network, and A2G International, a trusted leader in manned and unmanned aircraft operations and ISR support, announced a strategic partnership to deliver integrated autonomous logistics and intelligence capabilities for defense and commercial customers operating in contested and remote locations.

“At Grid, our approach has always been to collaborate with companies that are the best at what they do rather than try to build everything in-house,” said Brandon Florian, Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Grid Aero. “A2G brings real-world mission experience in exactly the environments where our platform needs to operate. By integrating their ISR capabilities and flight operations expertise with Lifter Lite, we’re creating a complete solution—cargo, logistics, surveillance and mission execution in one autonomous platform.”

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The partnership will focus on combining Grid Aero’s low-cost autonomous cargo platform with A2G’s surveillance and operational expertise to develop dual-use concepts that address emerging operational challenges in increasingly distributed and remote missions. Initial collaboration will explore integrating ISR capabilities onto Grid Aero’s Lifter Lite, creating a dual-capability platform that delivers cargo while providing real-time surveillance to reduce operational complexity and cost.

“As threats and mission requirements evolve to become more remote, contested, and distributed, A2G is aligning with partners like Grid Aero to stay ahead of the curve,” said Scott McPhee, Chief Operating Officer at A2G. “Our value has always been helping clients operate in austere conditions with minimal footprint. Grid’s low-cost, heavy payload, autonomous platform opens new possibilities, but what makes this partnership work is combining their technology with A2G’s experienced mission operators and flight operations teams. It’s not just another piece of technology, it’s a complete, mission-ready capability.”

Beyond the initial ISR integration, the companies will explore additional applications including networked sensor operations, expeditionary logistics support, and rapid deployment scenarios where traditional crewed aircraft are impractical or unavailable.

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Deliverect Launches Industry First AI Agent Library to Automate Restaurant Operations

Developed in partnership with workflow automation leader n8n, Deliverect’s new customizable AI agents will help restaurants drive sales, boost efficiency and enhance guest experience.

Deliverect, the global food-tech SaaS company transforming restaurant and retail operations, announced the launch of its AI Agent Library, the first library of plug-and-play artificial intelligence agents designed specifically for the restaurant industry.

Developed in partnership with workflow-automation leader n8n and piloted by KFC, the AI Agent Library enables restaurants to integrate intelligent agents directly into their workflows to automate decision-making, optimize preparation times and elevate operational performance and marketing effectiveness across channels.

Powering the next wave of restaurant automation

The AI Agent Library connects to Deliverect’s MCP servers and n8n’s no-code automation engine, enabling restaurants to act on real-time data from their POS, delivery partners, CRM systems and marketing platforms.

At launch, seven AI agent templates will be available, focused on key use cases including:

  • Order throttling to maintain optimal average preparation times
  • Menu optimization to boost digital sales
  • Smart marketing automation for higher engagement
  • Guest-support escalation to deliver faster, more consistent service

Restaurants can duplicate and customize each agent to suit their brand, operations and channel mix, unlocking automation without needing in-house AI development.

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KFC pilot drives 118% sales uplift seamlessly with AI Agent 

KFC was the first brand to deploy Deliverect’s AI agent capabilities, using the Dynamic Promotion Agent to power its “Secret Box Meal” campaign for a pilot in the Netherlands.

The activation invited guests to solve an online treasure hunt to unlock a free Box Meal. Once a participant found a code, the AI Agent—built through Deliverect’s MCP server and n8n’s workflow engine—automatically generated and activated the reward in KFC’s ordering app.

The results were immediate:

  • Over 1,000 promotional codes generated within hours of launch
  • 118% uplift in sales on the campaign day
  • Fully automated campaign management with zero manual intervention

“This was one of our fastest and most effective digital activations,” said Oussama Badidi, Digital Director, KFC Netherlands. “Deliverect’s AI agents allowed us to automate the entire promotion, from detection to delivery, creating a seamless experience for our guests while driving real business impact.”

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A new era of intelligent restaurant operations

“The restaurant industry is entering an age of intelligent automation,” said Zhong Xu, co-founder and CEO of Deliverect. “We’ve already connected millions of orders through our platform, but now we’re helping restaurants act on that data in real time. In partnership with n8n, our AI Agent Library gives every QSR operator access to scalable, customizable automation that can make proactive decisions across sales, operations and marketing. That’s a first, and transformative for the industry”

Built for scale, speed and security

The AI Agent Library is designed for global enterprise deployment, with ISO-compliant governance, role-based access, audit logs and per-location guardrails. Agents can be rolled out across hundreds of stores in days through Deliverect’s secure MCP APIs and n8n’s visual workflow builder.

The AI Agent Library is available immediately to restaurants using the Deliverect platform. All public templates will be available for immediate deployment and charged on a usage basis. In addition to existing templates, restaurants will also be able to design their own bespoke agents using the platform to address their specific needs and customize to their own unique use cases.

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RELEX Named a Leader in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Retail Price Optimization Solutions 2025 Vendor Assessment

RELEX Solutions Logo

RELEX offers unified, AI-driven pricing and promotions capabilities that help retailers achieve higher margins and sell-through, while improving transparency and collaboration across teams

RELEX Solutions has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Retail Price Optimization Solutions 2025 Vendor Assessment (1). The IDC MarketScape evaluates solution providers on both capabilities and strategy, focusing on subsets of this market sector within retail, including lifecycle price optimization, price intelligence, and price analytics.

According to the report, “RELEX’s strategic shift towards building a unified pricing and promotions platform is a critical piece of their ongoing strategy. The aggressive roadmap they present is highly focused on building an integrated pricing and promotions system within a single dashboard and enabling a one-stop shop across base pricing, promotions, and markdowns.” (1)

RELEX Price Optimization brings together base pricing, promotions management, and markdown optimization into one unified solution. Powered by AI and advanced analytics, RELEX helps retailers balance competitiveness and profitability by aligning pricing with demand, inventory levels, and business goals in near real time. The platform integrates seamlessly with the RELEX broader retail and supply chain planning platform, enabling retailers to connect pricing decisions with forecasting, replenishment, and assortment strategies.

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“RELEX brings together strong automation and data-driven insights that help retailers make smarter, faster pricing and promotions decisions,” said Ananda Chakravarty, Research Vice President, Retail Merchandising and Marketing Analytics Strategies, IDC. “Its focus on usability and process improvement makes it easier for retailers to simplify complex workflows and drive better business results.”

“We’re proud to be recognized as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for Retail Price Optimization Solutions,” said Mikko Kärkkäinen, co-founder and group CEO of RELEX Solutions. “We believe this recognition shows the strength of our unified approach to pricing and promotions. By connecting pricing with the rest of the value chain, we help retailers improve sales and profitability, while also making their work more efficient and less complex.”

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Higher Logic Names Former IBM Leader Marius Ciortea as Chief Community Officer, Accelerating a New Era of AI-Powered Community Engagement

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Higher Logic, the leading community and engagement platform for enterprise companies, announced the appointment of Marius Ciortea as Chief Community Officer (CCO). At IBM, Marius oversaw the evolution of IBM’s global community ecosystem, working closely with Higher Logic as an enterprise-scale customer and strategic platform partner. A recognized leader in enterprise community strategy and AI-driven engagement, Ciortea joins Higher Logic as the company accelerates its mission to deliver smarter, outcomes-focused community experiences.

“Community is entering a new chapter, one where AI and human connection work together to deliver measurable value, deeper relationships, and scalable outcomes.” – Marius Ciortea

“Marius is a visionary leader with a proven track record of transforming large-scale community ecosystems,” said Rob Wenger, CEO of Higher Logic.

“His background working across global community teams gives him a unique understanding of how enterprise organizations operate and what they need from an engagement platform to be successful and in the future. We’re excited to welcome him to our executive team.”

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In his role as CCO, Ciortea and his team will guide Higher Logic’s community strategy and vision, collaborating closely with product, customer success, and innovation teams as the company expands its AI capabilities and elevates customer engagement at scale. Ciortea’s appointment reinforces Higher Logic’s commitment to innovation, customer partnership, and industry leadership. As the engagement landscape evolves, his experience applying AI to community ecosystems brings an unmatched perspective to Higher Logic’s strategic roadmap.

“Community is entering a new chapter, one where AI and human connection work together to deliver measurable value, deeper relationships, and scalable outcomes,” said Ciortea. “Higher Logic is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation. I’m excited to help shape the next generation of engagement technology and work alongside customers who are redefining what community can achieve.”

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S&P Global Advances AI-Powered Enterprise Transformation Through Strategic Partnership with Google Cloud

Multi-year strategic partnership accelerates the unification of S&P Global’s data distribution for Aand expands agentic capabilities

S&P Global announced a multi-year strategic partnership with Google Cloud to accelerate its enterprise-wide transformation across agentic innovation, data distribution and workflow automation. This expansion marks yet another milestone in S&P Global’s strategic AI and cloud journey.

“Our partnership with Google Cloud is a powerful milestone in our ongoing data and AI journey,” said Martina Cheung, President & CEO, S&P Global. “By integrating Google Cloud’s cutting-edge capabilities with our deep market expertise and essential intelligence, we’re unlocking greater agility and resilience— empowering our teams to navigate an increasingly complex global landscape for our clients with increased speed, precision and confidence.”

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The partnership leverages Google Cloud’s data and AI capabilities to further expand S&P Global’s ability to develop and deliver innovative solutions and essential intelligence services to customers worldwide, with two main objectives:

Advancing data and agentic AI for customers

The partnership will advance S&P Global’s data distribution by unifying its proprietary data on BigQuery, Google Cloud’s data to AI platform. This streamlined, strengthened data foundation will deliver faster, deeper, AI-ready insights through BigQuery Data Sharing.

S&P Global will also expand its agentic offerings on Gemini Enterprise, where customers can interact with proprietary S&P Global data. This builds on a more recent collaboration, including the launch of an S&P Global Data Retrieval Agent, developed by Kensho, which brings S&P Global’s trusted, citation-backed data into Gemini Enterprise.

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Empowering S&P Global’s workforce with agentic capabilities

S&P Global will continue to empower its workforce to increase productivity and efficiency with Gemini Enterprise, Google Cloud’s agentic platform, and other AI tools, as well as the development of data agents that integrate S&P Global data into client workflows.

“Our strategic partnership with S&P Global showcases the power of advanced AI and data distribution to drive large-scale enterprise transformation,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud. “We are committed to equipping S&P Global with the platform it needs to turn its essential intelligence into faster, more secure, AI-ready insights for its workforce and customers.”

This multi-year strategic collaboration underscores both S&P Global’s commitment to a multi-cloud strategy for driving flexibility and readiness for future growth, and Google Cloud’s role as a strategic cloud partner in the financial services sector’s digital evolution.

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Honeywell Appoints Indra Nooyi to Board of Directors

Honeywell announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Indra Nooyi, 70, former Chair and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo, to its Board of Directors as an Independent Director, effective January 1, 2026.

Nooyi served as Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo from 2006 through 2018 and Chair of its board of directors from 2007 to 2019. Prior to that, she spent five years as President and Chief Financial Officer and was a member of the PepsiCo board of directors. During her tenure at PepsiCo, Nooyi was the chief architect of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo’s pledge to deliver sustained growth by making more nutritious products, limiting the company’s environmental footprint, and empowering its associates and people in the communities it serves.

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“We warmly welcome Indra to our Board of Directors. She brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record leading diverse, global businesses and accelerating long-term growth,” said Vimal Kapur, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Honeywell. “Her strategic insights, commitment to innovation and financial and operational expertise will complement the experience of our current board and help support continued value creation for our shareholders.”

Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994 and held roles in finance and corporate strategy and development. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Ms. Nooyi held management positions at ABB, Motorola, and The Boston Consulting Group.

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Nooyi currently serves on the board of directors of Amazon, where she chairs the audit committee. She also sits on the supervisory board of Philips where she is a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee.

Nooyi holds a bachelor’s degree from Madras Christian College, a Master of business administration degree from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta, and a Master of Public and Private Management from the Yale School of Management.

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