Page 5 – SalesTech Star

Michele Meyers Joins Sprinklr as Chief Accounting Officer

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December 18, 2025

Michele Meyers Joins Sprinklr as Chief Accounting Officer

Sprinklr , the definitive, AI-native platform for Unified Customer Experience Management (Unified-CXM), announced that Michele Meyers is joining Sprinklr as Chief Accounting Officer, effective January 5, 2026. In this role, Meyers will oversee all accounting operations, financial reporting, and compliance functions, reporting directly to Anthony Coletta, Chief Financial Officer.

“It is a distinct honor to welcome Michele to the Sprinklr team,” said Anthony Coletta, Sprinklr Chief Financial Officer. “Her deep expertise in public company accounting and SEC reporting and her proven track record for building high-performing, highly efficient teams make her an ideal leader to strengthen our accounting functions as we continue to position Sprinklr for long-term success.”

Meyers brings more than 20 years of progressive accounting and finance leadership experience to Sprinklr, leading finance and accounting functions for global, publicly traded technology companies. Most recently, as Chief Accounting Officer at Coursera (NYSE: COUR), Meyers drove operational excellence during a period of transformation—building high-performing teams, accelerating close timelines, implementing SOX compliance, and delivering significant cost efficiencies through automation and process optimization. Previously, at Black Knight (NYSE: BKI), she guided the company through its IPO, spin-off, and multiple strategic transactions, including a $1B bond offering to enable a major acquisition. Her ability to lead through complexity and deliver results under pressure underscores her expertise in scaling organizations and building resilient, high-performing teams. Earlier roles include senior finance leadership at Altisource Portfolio Solutions (NASDAQ: ASPS) and audit management at Deloitte.

“This is truly a pivotal moment for Sprinklr, and I am excited to become a part of this story,” said Meyers. “Driving operational excellence and building high-performing teams has been a passion throughout my career, and I look forward to partnering across the organization to strengthen processes, scale efficiently, and support the company’s transformation journey.”

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NTT DATA acquires The Cloud People to expand ServiceNow expertise and strengthen global reach

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December 18, 2025

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NTT DATA acquires The Cloud People to expand ServiceNow expertise and strengthen global reach

NTT DATA announces the acquisition of The Cloud People Group AS, one of the largest pure-play ServiceNow partners in Europe. Founded in 2019, The Cloud People is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with offices across northern Europe, the USA and Brazil, and will become part of NTT DATA Business Solutions, a business unit of NTT DATA.

As a leading provider of ServiceNow solutions for medium and large enterprises, The Cloud People offer a focused value proposition covering the entire ServiceNow platform. The company delivers services across multiple workflows including IT service management, incident, problem and change management, automation of routine tasks, resource planning, onboarding and offboarding of employees, as well as customer service and security operations. The acquisition of The Cloud People will add 130 active customers to NTT DATA Business Solutions’ portfolio.

The Cloud People is at the forefront of ServiceNow’s AI evolution with its dedicated AI Center of Excellence. Having already delivered measurable results for more than 20 clients across Northern Europe, the company’s proven innovation capabilities—now strengthened by NTT DATA Business Solutions’ global expertise—are set to accelerate the development of smarter workflows and advanced AI solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of people and organizations.

“With the acquisition of The Cloud People, we are strengthening our presence in the Nordics and Central Europe,” says Norbert Rotter, CEO of NTT DATA Business Solutions. “SAP remains at the core of our business. By combining our more than 35 years of deep SAP expertise with The Cloud People’s proven strength in ServiceNow we are expanding our portfolio with complementary services. I am confident that The Cloud People’s dynamic growth and commitment to excellence perfectly align with our values of economic stability and outstanding service.”

Nicolaj Vang Jessen, Executive Managing Director Consulting GIIC and Nordics & Eastern Europe, NTT DATA Business Solutions, adds: “The Cloud People is an ideal addition to our ServiceNow portfolio and opens new opportunities for us in Northern Europe. Together, we will focus on leveraging synergies and integrating the expertise of The Cloud People’s more than 300 consultants into NTT DATA Business Solutions.”

“For The Cloud People, this means achieving growth with stability that no financial investor could provide, along with a platform for expansion that surpasses even our most ambitious expectations. NTT DATA Business Solutions is a Top Employer-certified organization with deep process and industry expertise, completing our ServiceNow proposition as the Platform of Platforms,” says Bjørn Jarl, CEO of The Cloud People.

The acquisition comes at a time when ServiceNow and NTT DATA are expanding their strategic partnership, which is aimed at accelerating AI-driven transformation for global enterprises. As part of this collaboration, ServiceNow named NTT DATA a strategic AI delivery partner. Both organizations are committed to co-developing and marketing AI-powered solutions that enable large-scale automation and operational efficiency. This strengthened alliance provides a robust platform for NTT DATA Business Solutions and The Cloud People to collaborate in driving innovation and delivering next-generation, AI-enabled ServiceNow offerings to customers worldwide.

The Cloud People will operate as an independent company after the acquisition, using the brand name “The Cloud People, an NTT DATA Business Solutions company”.

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Eagle Eye Power Solutions Appoints Brian Jurkiewicz to President; Founder, Ryan Sberna, Transitions to CEO Role

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December 18, 2025

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Eagle Eye Power Solutions Appoints Brian Jurkiewicz to President; Founder, Ryan Sberna, Transitions to CEO Role

Eagle Eye Power Solutions, a leading manufacturer and provider of DC power products, services, and education for utility, data center, and critical power applications, recently announced a strategic leadership transition effective January 1, 2026, to support continued growth and long-term scalability.

As part of this transition, Brian Jurkiewicz has been promoted from VP of Sales and Marketing to President of Eagle Eye Power Solutions, assuming responsibility for the company’s overall operations and day-to-day execution. Jurkiewicz will work closely with Eagle Eye’s executive team while partnering with Founder and CEO, Ryan Sberna, on the long-term direction and strategy of the organization.

Over the past three years, Jurkiewicz has played a central role in strengthening Eagle Eye’s operational foundation – transforming the Sales organization, elevating Marketing and Communications, establishing a formal Product Management department, and impacting all areas of the business. With years of business leadership experience in manufacturing and engineered solutions, Jurkiewicz has emerged as a trusted leader and a natural choice to step into the President’s role.

“Brian has exemplified the values and skills necessary to lead the organization as a whole, not just individual functions,” said Sberna. “He has an understanding and passion for the culture and vision of the company with the ability to drive execution day in and day out. This new structure gives our customers, partners, and team a clear operating leader as we continue to scale.”

“I’m grateful for the trust Ryan and the organization have placed in me,” said Jurkiewicz. “Eagle Eye has strong momentum and an exceptional team. My focus is on leading the business forward – supporting our people, strengthening execution, and delivering long-term value for our customers and partners.”

In conjunction with Jurkiewicz’s appointment, Sberna, who has served in a dual President and CEO role since founding the company in 2009, will transition into a singular role as Chief Executive Officer. Building on the company’s strongest overall year in its history in 2025, this transition reflects the company’s increasing need for dedicated and strategic executive leadership.

“At this stage of Eagle Eye’s evolution, and my life, I need to be fully committed to my vocation of creating empowering communities and cultures with strong identities,” said Sberna. “I’m a creative, and this is where I make the biggest impact at Eagle Eye –establishing vision, creating culture, and positioning the company for the continued empowerment of our employees, customers, and communities. With Brian leading the business day-to-day, I can stay focused on ensuring Eagle Eye is built to empower for many years to come.”

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ESW and Scholl Partner to Accelerate Cross-Border Ecommerce Expansion Across 50+ Markets

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December 18, 2025

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ESW and Scholl Partner to Accelerate Cross-Border Ecommerce Expansion Across 50+ Markets

Expansion leverages ESW’s cross-border capabilities alongside Shopify’s infrastructure and Arsenalia’s strategic consultancy to power Scholl’s global DTC growth.

ESW, the leading global direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce provider, announced an expanded partnership with Scholl, executed in close collaboration with Shopify and Arsenalia, to accelerate the brand’s international ecommerce rollout across more than 50 markets.

The partnership brings together Shopify’s platform infrastructure, Arsenalia’s strategic vision and operational excellence, and ESW’s Merchant of Record cross-border capabilities to enable Scholl to scale its global DTC footprint through a fully localised, compliant, and operationally streamlined model.

Scholl selected ESW as it sought a partner capable of simplifying cross-border complexity while maintaining full control of its platform and customer data. ESW’s native Shopify integration, combined with seamless coordination with Arsenalia, enables the brand to launch and scale international markets with speed and consistency. Rollout began with Scholl’s domestic market and Europe, including the United Kingdom and Switzerland, and will continue with more than 30 additional markets such as India, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, and key territories in the Middle East.

“With this collaboration, Scholl is able to bring our products to more consumers around the world through a frictionless, high-quality direct-to-consumer experience,” said Barbara Freti, Chief Commercial Officer of Scholl. “ESW, Shopify, and Arsenalia have created a scalable foundation that supports our international ambitions and ensures our brand is represented with excellence in every market.”

As the partnership progresses, all three organizations are working together to ensure Scholl’s global expansion is supported by a scalable, future-proof foundation. This collaboration not only streamlines the technical and operational elements of cross-border commerce but also ensures each new market launch benefits from shared expertise, unified planning, and a commitment to delivering an exceptional consumer experience.

“At ESW, our goal is to deliver tailored solutions that enable brands to scale their direct-to-consumer businesses internationally,” said Federica Ronchi, Vice President of Sales at ESW. “Partnering with Shopify and Arsenalia has enabled Scholl to accelerate its scalability, shorten time-to-market, reduce operational complexity, and unlock new global revenue streams across markets.”

The partnership structure ensured a unified operating model across storefront experience, back-end workflows, and international compliance. This coordinated approach significantly reduced development time, improved launch quality, and enabled Scholl to enter new markets while delivering a consistent customer experience on day one.

“Shopify is proud to support Scholl in its global expansion,” said Paolo Picazio, Shopify’s Head of South Europe, Partnerships and Country Manager, Italy.

“By pairing Shopify’s flexible, resilient commerce infrastructure with ESW’s cross-border expertise and Arsenalia’s consultancy and technical experience, Scholl can focus on what it does best: delivering innovative products and building relationships with customers worldwide.”

The partnership reinforces ESW’s broader strategy of helping global brands unlock international growth while maintaining a strong local presence in customer care and operational management. It also demonstrates the strength of ESW’s ecosystem approach, in which platform providers like Shopify and system integrators such as Arsenalia play a coordinated role in accelerating global commerce activation.

“At Arsenalia, our goal is to lead brands towards scalable, future-ready revenue growth ecosystems at the global level,” said Marco Dalla Libera, partner at Arsenalia. “Working with Scholl, ESW, and Shopify allowed us to create a unified system that manages complexity behind the scenes so that Scholl can grow quickly, confidently, and efficiently.”

By adopting ESW’s end-to-end solution, including localisation of payments and checkout, duties and tax calculation, fraud management, compliance, and multilingual customer service, Scholl is positioned to deliver a seamless, high-quality customer journey across all active regions. The model offers the brand a scalable, low-risk foundation for future market entries supported by ESW’s Customer Success and Customer Service teams.

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Omniconvert Explore 3.0 Introduces Native App Testing on Ios/android and Shopify Price Testing

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December 18, 2025

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Omniconvert Explore 3.0 Introduces Native App Testing on Ios/android and Shopify Price Testing

Explore 3.0 brings mobile app testing, server-side experimentation, and Shopify pricing tests together with BrandFeel sentiment data and Crobenchmark insights.

Omniconvert Introduces Omniconvert Explore 3.0, BrandFeel, and CROBenchmark, helping ecommerce teams optimize with clarity

Omniconvert announced the release of Omniconvert Explore 3.0, along with two complementary tools – BrandFeel and CRO Benchmark – giving e-commerce teams deeper visibility into customer behavior and new ways to validate improvements directly with real shoppers.

Shopify merchants have long worked with tools that highlight potential issues or provide theoretical recommendations. Omniconvert Explore 3.0 takes the next step by enabling brands to test ideas with real customers in real conditions, measure the impact instantly, and refine the buying journey with confidence. This shift helps teams move from assumptions to evidence-based decisions.

“Merchants told us they want clarity,” said Valentin Radu, Founder and CEO of Omniconvert. “They want to stop guessing and start learning from real customers. Omniconvert Explore 3.0, BrandFeel, and CROBenchmark deliver that clarity through experimentation, feedback, and benchmarking.”

Why Omniconvert Explore 3.0 matters for e-commerce teams

1. Native mobile app testing for iOS and Android

Mobile experiences play an increasingly important role in retention and repeat purchases, yet experimentation inside native apps has traditionally been slow, expensive, and fragmented. Omniconvert Explore 3.0 introduces native mobile app testing for both iOS and Android, giving product and growth teams a practical way to optimize key interactions inside their apps.

E-commerce teams can now:
• experiment with onboarding flows
• improve in-app purchase journeys
• optimize UI components and micro-interactions
• test screens, navigation paths, and in-app messaging

By bringing structured experimentation to the app environment, brands can better understand how mobile choices affect engagement, conversions, and loyalty.

2. Server-side testing for deeper experiments (for any website)

Many of the decisions that shape revenue live behind the storefront interface. Until now, testing backend changes required engineering-heavy workflows, custom infrastructure, or workarounds that were difficult to maintain. Omniconvert Explore 3.0 introduces a reliable way to run server-side experiments for any website

E-commerce teams can safely test:
• variations of backend logic
• recommendation rule changes
• discount and promotion conditions
• performance or caching strategies

Server-side testing helps merchants understand how deeper system-level adjustments influence the buying experience. What used to take weeks of development and manual testing can now be validated directly through Explore 3.0’s controlled infrastructure.

3. Pricing experiments designed specifically for Shopify

Pricing decisions influence average order value, conversion rate, and customer perception, but Shopify’s architecture has historically made pricing tests difficult due to caching, cart logic, and theme constraints.

Omniconvert Explore 3.0 adds native pricing experimentation for Shopify, giving merchants the ability to test different product price points and measure how shoppers respond.

These experiments run live on real traffic, giving teams immediate clarity on how shoppers respond to different price structures. Instead of debating pricing strategies internally, merchants can rely on actual customer data to guide decisions.

BrandFeel: Real-time customer sentiment insights for e-commerce stores

Alongside Omniconvert Explore 3.0, Omniconvert introduces BrandFeel, a lightweight experience and sentiment analytics tool that helps merchants understand how customers feel about their store compared to peers. BrandFeel aggregates and analyzes customer reviews and sentiment signals to highlight strengths and weaknesses in your experience, giving teams insight into issues that impact perception and buyer confidence.

BrandFeel helps teams understand:
• how customers talk about the store and products across review platforms
• sentiment patterns that reveal what shoppers praise or struggle with
• where customer experience falls short compared with competitors
• emerging customer issues before they significantly affect conversions

By combining sentiment data with actionable insights, BrandFeel allows merchants to identify opportunities to improve trust, clarity, and experience early in the optimization process, before those friction points translate into lost revenue.

CROBenchmark: See how your store compares to the market

Rounding out the launch is CROBenchmark, a lightweight auditing tool that helps merchants understand how their store performs compared to industry expectations. Instead of generic advice, CROBenchmark provides a clear view of what holds conversions back and where improvements will have the highest impact.

CROBenchmark offers:
• a structured breakdown of UX, speed, content, and performance gaps
• benchmarking across industries, platforms, and store maturity levels
• prioritized recommendations based on patterns observed across thousands of ecommerce experiences
• clarity on which issues influence trust, product discovery, and conversion

By highlighting the biggest opportunities, CROBenchmark acts as a strategic entry point into experimentation. It shows teams exactly what to test first with Omniconvert Explore 3.0 and where optimization efforts deliver the fastest returns.

Free A/B tests for 50,000 website visitors

To help merchants apply these new capabilities immediately, Omniconvert is offering free A/B tests for up to 50,000 website visitors. This gives Shopify teams a risk-free way to try Explore 3.0’s full-stack testing features, including native mobile app testing, server-side experiments, and Shopify pricing tests.

With this offer, merchants can:
• run real experiments on live traffic
• validate ideas before committing development or budget
• understand how changes influence conversion and AOV
• identify quick wins early in their optimization journey

This makes it easier for teams to adopt an experimentation mindset and experience the impact of Explore 3.0 from day one.

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Vercel Appoints Susan St. Ledger, former President of Worldwide Field Operations at HashiCorp, to Board of Directors

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December 18, 2025

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Vercel Appoints Susan St. Ledger, former President of Worldwide Field Operations at HashiCorp, to Board of Directors

Infrastructure and go-to-market leader joins following the company’s Series F at $9.3 billion valuation, amid rapid momentum with its AI offerings

Vercel, the AI Cloud platform, announced the appointment of Susan St. Ledger, former President of Worldwide Field Operations at HashiCorp, to its board of directors.

“Susan has scaled go-to-market organizations through every major shift in cloud computing.”

Susan brings more than two decades of enterprise go-to-market leadership across the world’s most innovative technology companies, including HashiCorp, Okta, Splunk, Salesforce, and Sun Microsystems. A computer scientist by training, she began her career as a software engineer at the National Security Agency.

At HashiCorp, Susan oversaw all aspects of the customer journey, from sales to initial deployment and into expansion, maximizing customer value across the company’s infrastructure automation and security products. Before joining HashiCorp, she served as President of Worldwide Field Operations at Okta and at Splunk, where she helped the company more than triple its revenue, from approximately $700M to nearly $2.5B.

Susan currently serves on the board of directors at Klaviyo and served on the HashiCorp board from pre-IPO and through their 2025 acquisition by IBM.

“I’ve followed Susan’s legendary career for many years, and she personifies the Vercel value of ‘iterating to greatness’,” said Guillermo Rauch, founder and CEO at Vercel. “She has repeatedly built at the highest levels of the enterprise, and she knows the work is never finished.”

“Susan has scaled go-to-market organizations through every major shift in cloud computing,” said Jeanne Grosser, Vercel’s Chief Operating Officer. “She understands how to win in the enterprise without losing sight of developers. She’s an incredible addition to the Vercel board.”

Vercel recently announced its $600M Series F funding round at a $9.3B valuation as it scales the AI Cloud, an AI-native infrastructure platform adopted by emerging AI startups to global enterprises. Vercel also powers some of the world’s most popular frontend and AI frameworks, including Next.js and AI SDK, and pairs them with self-driving infrastructure to build and deploy full-stack apps and agents. Along with v0, the company’s popular AI coding assistant used by eBay, Stripe, and WPP, Vercel has doubled its user base over the past year and achieved 82% year-over-year top-line growth.

“The cloud has evolved from the shift to SaaS, the abstraction of infrastructure, and now the abstraction of operating that infrastructure,” said St. Ledger. “Vercel represents this next phase, where AI does the manual work so developers focus on propelling their ideas forward. I’m excited to work with them to help their customers navigate this journey and get the full value of what Vercel is enabling.”

Susan joins a distinguished group of leaders who support Vercel’s mission to enable the world to build with the speed, security, and scalability required to win with AI, including Stripe CFO, Steffan Tomlinson.

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Versance.ai Announces Partnership with QuoteMedia Establishing First Platform Distribution Agreement for its Compliance-Grade AI Platform

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December 18, 2025

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Versance.ai Announces Partnership with QuoteMedia Establishing First Platform Distribution Agreement for its Compliance-Grade AI Platform

Agreement follows the recent launch of Versance Agency and advances Versance’s multi-channel distribution strategy across IR firms and IR platforms

Versance.ai, the compliance-grade AI platform built for public companies, announced a partnership with QuoteMedia, Inc., a leading provider of market data and investor relations solutions. The agreement establishes Versance’s first platform distribution agreement and marks a commercial milestone as Versance begins scaling distribution through established investor relations platforms and ecosystem partners.

“Versance brings an evidence-first approach designed for public-company communications, and we’re pleased to partner with Versance as part of the solutions we make available to issuers.”

Public-company communications operate under a different standard than consumer or general-purpose AI. Investor-facing tools must be grounded in official disclosure, time-aware, and auditable, and built for verification, not improvisation. Versance was designed for this environment, using evidence-first reasoning and strict provenance discipline so responses can be traced back to the issuer’s source materials.

Under the partnership, QuoteMedia will make Versance available through its investor relations ecosystem, expanding access to the Versance IR Agent for issuers seeking a disclosure-aligned investor engagement experience. Versance is now featured on QuoteMedia’s Investor Relations page.

“QuoteMedia is a trusted leader in investor relations solutions, and this agreement is an important milestone as we begin scaling distribution through established IR platforms,” said George Fleming, Founder and CEO of Versance Technologies Inc. “We recently launched Versance Agency to enable IR firms to manage multiple issuer clients in a governed environment, and partnership with QuoteMedia establishes a complementary distribution channel through a leading IR platform. Together, these channels are how compliance-grade AI reaches issuers at scale, through the providers and workflows they already rely on.”

“QuoteMedia is focused on helping public companies deliver better investor experiences through dependable IR solutions,” said Dave Shworan, CEO of QuoteMedia Ltd. “As issuers evaluate AI, they want tools that respect disclosure discipline and governance expectations. Versance brings an evidence-first approach designed for public-company communications, and we’re pleased to partner with Versance as part of the solutions we make available to issuers.”

The partnership reflects Versance’s broader go-to-market approach, combining direct adoption with partner-led distribution. Following the launch of Versance Agency for IR firms and service providers, Versance expects to pursue additional platform partnerships to expand distribution across the investor relations ecosystem.

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Picsart and Zazzle Power the Creator-to-Commerce Evolution with Print-On-Demand Integration

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December 18, 2025

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Picsart and Zazzle Power the Creator-to-Commerce Evolution with Print-On-Demand Integration

Partnership Gives Creators an End-to-End Solution to Create A Range of Products in the $205 Billion Creator Economy

Picsart, the world’s leading digital creation platform with over two billion downloads and more than 100 million monthly active users, is partnering with Zazzle, the global leader in customized products and designs, to deliver an end-to-end printing solution for Picsart users. The new “vibe-design-to-print” integration works seamlessly with Picsart’s recently expanded suite of AI products, including AI Assistant and Flows, enabling creators to ideate, iterate, design, and bring their work to life as physical art and products.

“At Picsart, our mission has always been to give creators the tools they need to bring their ideas to life,” said Hovhannes Avoyan, Founder and CEO of Picsart. “As we enter what we believe will be the year of the creative entrepreneur, creators are increasingly focused on turning their content into revenue. Our partnership with Zazzle is designed to meet that moment by making it effortless for anyone, especially our core Gen Z community, to transform digital creations into physical products. Through this seamless integration, we are empowering creators to commercialize their creativity at scale and participate fully in the growing creator-to-commerce economy.”

“At Zazzle, we’ve always believed that creativity is more than just design – it’s about empowering individuals to transform their ideas into tangible experiences,” said Jeff Beaver, Zazzle Co-founder. “Our partnership with Picsart gives creators a seamless pathway from digital inspiration to physical reality. For Gen Z who live and breathe digital, Zazzle provides an electric moment of discovery when pixels suddenly become products, when a digital spark ignites into a real-world creation that you can hold, wear, or share.”

This digital-to-physical transformation is particularly pronounced among Gen Z, which represents more than half of Picsart’s users across more than 150 countries. As this generation moves beyond content creation toward entrepreneurship, Picsart continues to evolve its platform to support creator-led, intentional design – combining AI-assisted tools with professional-grade customization that preserves creative control and craft. This momentum is reflected in a 110% year-over-year increase in users creating customized edits on Picsart’s web platform, highlighting growing demand for scalable personalisation without compromising design integrity. The partnership with Zazzle builds on this trend by enabling everyone from those with creative hobbies, emerging creators, even professional designers to seamlessly translate customised designs into high-quality, made-to-order products.

According to the 2025 Creator Economy Market Report by Grand View Research, the global creator economy was valued at $205 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to more than $1.3 trillion by 2033. The report attributes this growth to “rising demand for personalized content, direct-to-fan monetization, and the widespread adoption of digital platforms that empower individuals to become content entrepreneurs.” Additionally, a 2025 survey conducted by Kajabi and Qualtrics found that 59% of creators now identify as entrepreneurs, representing a 16% increase compared with the previous year and reinforcing the shift from content creation to commerce.

This integration also marks Picsart’s first mini app, extending its platform with an embedded experience that allows creators to move seamlessly from design to printing with Zazzle without leaving Picsart. The integration is now live on Picsart for creators to produce a wide range of physical products, including art/photo prints, t-shirts, bags, business cards, flyers, invitations and other items. New products will continue to be added, so creators will always have fresh ways to bring their designs to life.

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INVNT® Appoints James Nicholas Kinney as Global Chief AI Officer, Advancing a New Era of AI-Powered Brand Storytelling

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December 18, 2025

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Alum from .Monks (S4Capital), Ogilvy, Mother, and Giant Spoon joins INVNT in the inaugural role

INVNT, the innovation-led global brand storytelling agency, announced the appointment of James Nicholas Kinney as its first Global Chief AI Officer, a role designed to bring new AI-powered solutions directly to clients while expanding the agency’s AI ecosystem and strengthening its data, insights, and tooling infrastructure.

INVNT, the innovation-led global brand storytelling agency, appoints its first Chief AI Officer, marking a pivotal moment for the industry as AI becomes central to how agencies create, scale, and operate both internally and for client solutions.

In establishing this role, INVNT is accelerating the integration of AI across every department and division at the agency — from strategy and creative to production, and operations — building the internal systems, data lakes, and intelligent capabilities that will shape the next generation of experience and brand engagement.

Kinney brings a professional profile defined by AI certifications from MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and Wharton – the program led by LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman. Blending extensive experience as a Global Chief People Officer with deep technological fluency, he has centered his career on people, culture, talent, and large-scale AI evolution. His leadership background spans .Monks, part of S4Capital, and Ogilvy, as well as shaping people-first cultures at Giant Spoon and Mother.

Scott Cullather, Chairman and Chief Growth Officer, INVNT, commented on the significance of the role: “Business transformation happens when you connect the dots across industries, technologies, and the experience ecosystem. INVNT has always been at the forefront of innovation-led brandstory™. Adding a Global Chief AI Officer to our leadership team marks the next step in that evolution for our clients, our agency and the industry at large. James is uniquely qualified for this role, one of the foremost minds in AI-enabled organizational design with a rare blend of HR leadership, agency experience, and advanced AI training. He understands how humans and machines can coexist to drive meaningful progress, from operational maximalism to predictive analytics and client-forward solutions. His leadership will accelerate INVNT’s future as the best-in-class experience agency enhanced by AI.”

Over the last 17 years, INVNT has partnered with the world’s leading brands to merge bold creativity with state-of-the-art innovation, positioning the agency at the forefront of next-generation, AI-driven brand storytelling.

Microsoft: INVNT partnered with Microsoft to introduce CoPilot to the world and designed Microsoft’s 50^thAnniversary event leveraging CoPilot throughout.
Oracle: INVNT developed the AI-powered creative and programmatic elements for Oracle AI World 2025 with over 60,000 attendees, featuring a keynote by Larry Ellison.
SHRM: As creative and media buying agency of record, INVNT delivers AI-powered content and strategic media buying.
Xero: INVNT engineered a proprietary AI Music Factory that generated full albums from simple voice commands.
COP28: INVNT debuted the award-winning AI-powered Tree of Life installation in Dubai.
ABB: INVNT developed “ABB-e“, a real-time interactive AI mascot using 3D animation that scaled across global events.
Lamborghini: INVNT designed the AI-powered strategy and marketing campaign for the last naturally aspirated Lamborghini Aventador paired with the world’s first 1:1 supercar NFT, designed in collaboration with Steve Aoki and Krista Kim which auctioned at RM Sotheby’s for $1.6M
Proprietary INVNT Technology: Developed patent-pending AI powered next-generation XR learning and engagement experiences across Apple Vision Pro and other extended reality devices.

Kinney will be responsible for leading client-facing AI innovation, helping global brands scale their experiences and campaigns through intelligent machine learning, and driving new business opportunities grounded in AI-powered transformation. He will report directly to Scott Cullather, Chairman and Chief Growth Officer of INVNT.

Kristina McCoobery, CEO, INVNT, emphasized the agency’s historical approach to innovation: “INVNT has always believed in building what comes next. From AI-powered product launches to immersive global experiences and campaigns, we’ve proven that storytelling and technology elevate each other in extraordinary ways. James will partner across all our divisions and regions, to strengthen INVNT’s AI operations, create greater efficiencies, and expand the agency’s data, tooling, and automation ecosystem leading our efforts to scale that vision across every corner of the business, touching every client experience, ultimately supercharging the creative solutions we develop for our clients”.

James Nicholas Kinney, Global Chief AI Officer, stated his vision for the role: “INVNT is an innovation led brand story agency full of high performers. We dream big and build boldly. My role is to bring AI into that ethos, to create greater impact for our clients and drive operational acceleration for our employees around the world.

We will enable global cultural alignment with clear language, shared understanding, and unified execution.”

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IFS To Acquire Softeon, Supercharging the Warehouse Management Systems Category

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December 18, 2025

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IFS To Acquire Softeon, Supercharging the Warehouse Management Systems Category

Strategic acquisition to bring Industrial AI and next-generation robotics integration to warehouse operations

IFS, the leading provider of Industrial AI software, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Softeon, a Gartner Visionary and leading provider of cloud-native Warehouse Management, Warehouse Execution and Distributed Order Management solutions. This strategic move extends IFS’s Industrial AI capabilities into the $8.6 billion warehouse management systems market, creating an integrated platform that connects manufacturing operations seamlessly with intelligent warehouse execution.

The acquisition represents a natural evolution of IFS’s manufacturing industry capabilities. As global enterprises face mounting pressure to modernize supply chains, rebuild aging infrastructure, and navigate persistent labor shortages, the connection between production and distribution has never been more critical. Softeon’s sophisticated WMS and WES capabilities are essential for IFS customers in complex industries where warehouse operations must match the precision and intelligence of their manufacturing processes. Softeon customers include world-class organizations such as Sears Homes Services, Sony DADC and DB Schenker Logistics.

IFS and Softeon are positioned to challenge the traditional WMS segment by applying Industrial AI directly into warehouse operations. Where legacy systems rely on manual processes and paper-based workflows, the combined solution will embed agentic AI and physical AI orchestration into every aspect of warehouse management, from fulfillment and labor optimization to real-time yard visibility and automation integration.

Industrial AI Comes to the Warehouse

The acquisition builds directly on IFS’s vision unveiled at Industrial X Unleashed: AI succeeds in complex industries not through generic productivity tools, but through contextual, industry-specific intelligence, embedded where work happens. Softeon’s cloud-native platform provides the ideal foundation for IFS.ai to transform warehouse operations with the same approach that is already multiplying workforce capacity across field service, asset management, and manufacturing.

The combined solution will leverage IFS’s partnerships with leading robotics companies including Boston Dynamics and 1X Technologies to create fully autonomous warehouse environments. Physical AI in the form of humanoid robots and autonomous mobile robots will work alongside IFS Loops Digital Workers to orchestrate complex warehouse workflows. All within a single integrated platform designed for mission-critical industrial operations.

Softeon’s native integrations with robotics, voice systems, and automation technologies, combined with IFS.ai’s agentic capabilities, unlock significant opportunities for warehouse intelligence. IFS Loops Digital Workers will process orders and manage inventory around the clock. Robotic systems will handle physical tasks and capture operational data. Human workers will be elevated to higher-value judgment calls and exception management, multiplying total warehouse capacity exactly when labor shortages have reached crisis levels.

A New Market Challenger Emerges

The WMS segment, growing at 12% annually, is primed for disruption. Traditional vendors have struggled to integrate modern AI and robotics capabilities into legacy architectures. The combination of Softeon’s cloud-native platform with IFS’s Industrial AI and robotics partnerships creates a fundamentally different offering – one where warehouse intelligence isn’t bolted on, but architected from the ground up for autonomous, intelligent operations at enterprise scale.

For IFS customers across aerospace and defense, energy, engineering and construction, manufacturing, and transport, the acquisition delivers immediate value. Sophisticated global enterprises require warehouse capabilities that match the intricacy of their production systems. Softeon’s proven WMS and WES solutions, now enhanced with IFS.ai, provide exactly that – enabling end-to-end supply chain orchestration where manufacturing, warehouse execution, and field service operations work as one intelligent system.

Executive Perspectives

Mark Moffat, CEO of IFS, commented: “The warehouse is the next frontier for Industrial AI. As we work with increasingly complex global manufacturers and asset-intensive enterprises, warehouse operations must become as intelligent and autonomous as the production lines they support. Softeon brings proven warehouse expertise to IFS, and we deliver next-generation AI, robotics orchestration, and deep industrial domain knowledge. Together, we’re redefining what’s possible when you apply Industrial AI where it matters most: on the warehouse floor, in real-time, with measurable impact on throughput, accuracy, and workforce capacity.”

Jim Hoefflin, CEO of Softeon, said: “Joining forces with IFS represents an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate our innovation in warehouse management. Our customers have been asking for advanced AI capabilities, seamless integration with robotics, and stronger connection between warehouse operations and broader supply chain processes. IFS brings exactly that, along with unmatched experience serving the demanding, mission-critical industries where precision and reliability are non-negotiable. This partnership allows us to deliver the next generation of warehouse intelligence while maintaining the deep domain expertise and customer focus that has made Softeon a trusted partner to leading enterprises worldwide.”

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Strategic acquisition to bring Industrial AI and next-generation robotics integration to warehouse operations

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