Returning CTO to drive Omilia’s transformation into an AI-first, agentic enterprise platform

Omilia is doubling down on its AI ambitions. The enterprise conversational AI leader has named Marios Fakiolas as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO), marking both a strategic leadership shake-up and a bold step toward evolving its platform into an “AI-first” powerhouse.

A familiar face at Omilia, Fakiolas rejoins the company after founding and scaling HelloWorld PC, a boutique AI consultancy known for modern engineering and advanced conversational solutions. His return signals Omilia’s intent to push beyond basic chatbots into the realm of intelligent, adaptive systems that can reshape how enterprises engage customers.

Leading the Agentic AI Evolution

“Conversational AI is no longer just about scripted bots,” said Fakiolas. “We’re entering a new era of agentic systems that understand context, adapt in real time, and deliver tangible business results.”

That’s more than marketing speak. Under Fakiolas’ leadership, Omilia will overhaul its architecture around four ambitious pillars:

• AI-Driven Engineering

• Cloud-Native Data Flywheel Architecture

• Full-stack GenAI Integration

• Agentic AI for Customer Service

It’s a roadmap aimed at putting Omilia at the forefront of enterprise-grade AI innovation—at a time when global interest in large language models and intelligent agents is hitting a fever pitch.

The Right Leader at the Right Time

With more than 20 years of experience across defense, enterprise software, and AI startups, Fakiolas blends deep technical fluency with executive-level vision. During his first stint at Omilia starting in 2017, he helped define the company’s early voice-first capabilities. Now he returns with fresh perspective and a track record of scaling AI-driven teams and systems.

“His previous work with AI-native architectures and proven ability to scale high-performance teams positions him well to lead us into the next era of Conversational AI,” said Dimitris Vassos, Omilia’s CEO and Co-founder.

Why This Matters

Enterprise CX leaders are under pressure to modernize call centers and digital channels—not with gimmicky bots, but with intelligent systems that resolve issues, anticipate needs, and deliver measurable ROI. Omilia’s appointment of a returning CTO with startup-hardened credentials suggests it’s serious about answering that call.

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AI isn’t just for the tech giants anymore. According to a new report from ActiveCampaign, small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are using AI to claw back time, cut costs, and take on enterprise-level competition with sharper marketing firepower. The report, titled “13 Hours Back Each Week,” finds that AI is helping SMBs recover an average of 52 hours and $4,739 monthly—giving them a fresh edge in a crowded digital landscape.

And it’s not just about saving time. It’s about leveling the playing field.

AI Is the Great Equalizer for SMBs

The report, based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. marketers and small business owners, paints a compelling picture: 75% of SMBs say AI is making them more competitive with large organizations. Those classified as “Power Users”—people who use AI at least once daily—are saving up to 57% more time and slashing operational costs by 36% compared to their more passive counterparts.

“Small businesses may work with tighter margins, but their size and agility provide a perfect opportunity for the strategic implementation of AI,” said Jason VandeBoom, ActiveCampaign’s CEO. “They're not just adopting AI—they're pioneering creative applications that deliver real ROI.”

From Task Automation to Strategic Insight

The study also highlights a key shift in AI adoption: SMBs are moving beyond simple automations to more strategic applications. 81% are leveraging AI for marketing, while 78% apply it to design and creative tasks, and 76% for analytics. In fact, SMBs are nearly neck and neck with enterprise firms when it comes to AI’s role in tasks like lead nurturing, follow-ups, and performance reporting—only a 3% gap separates them.

Among the most telling stats:

• 47% of SMBs now use AI daily.

• 77% of marketers say they feel more confident when supported by AI.

• 97% say AI has already reshaped how they view their work.

“The real opportunity arrives when marketers move from isolated AI use to embracing it as a long-term strategic partner,” said Amy Kilpatrick, CMO of ActiveCampaign. “That’s where real differentiation and leadership begin.”

What This Means for the MarTech Ecosystem

This isn’t just another “AI is coming” headline—it’s already here, and small businesses are wielding it with surprising sophistication. As AI tools become more user-friendly and integrated into mainstream platforms like ActiveCampaign, barriers to entry are collapsing. SMBs no longer need large teams or deep pockets to compete—they need smart workflows and the right tools.

For marketers in particular, the report suggests that we’re entering a second phase of AI maturity: moving from efficiency-driven use cases to predictive modeling, trend forecasting, and fully automated marketing funnels.

If you’re running an SMB and haven’t yet embraced AI in your day-to-day ops, the clock is ticking—and competitors may already be weeks ahead in saved hours.

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ON24 taps Performars to drive AI-powered digital engagement for B2B marketers across APAC

In a move that underscores the growing demand for AI-driven marketing in Asia, ON24 has partnered with digital transformation specialist Performars to fuel its expansion into South Korea and Taiwan. The partnership, announced today, is aimed at helping regional enterprises transform customer engagement and accelerate revenue through ON24’s Intelligent Engagement Platform.

For ON24, a Nasdaq-listed player (NYSE: ONTF) known for powering webinars, virtual events, and content experiences, the collaboration represents a key milestone in its Asia-Pacific growth strategy. Performars, a HubSpot Diamond partner with expertise in RevOps and CRM consulting, brings local market fluency and execution muscle—two things global tech platforms often lack when entering nuanced, high-context regions like Korea and Taiwan.

Why This Matters

The APAC market, particularly South Korea and Taiwan, is heating up in the B2B digital engagement space. With privacy regulations tightening globally and third-party cookies on the way out, the ability to capture and activate first-party data through direct digital engagement is now mission-critical. ON24’s platform, with its AI-powered Analytics and Content Engine (ACE), offers a timely solution.

“Performars brings deep local market knowledge and executional strength that complements our APAC growth strategies,” said Daniel Harrison, VP and Managing Director of ON24 for APAC & Japan. “Together, we’re enabling businesses in Korea and Taiwan to transform how they engage prospects and customers.”

In other words: ON24 is betting on local enablement to beat global rivals in one of the most digitally mature markets in the world.

What’s In It for Marketers

The partnership promises more than just webinars. Performars will offer a full suite of services—from running digital experiences to automating post-event workflows. That includes analytics, follow-up content creation, and integrating ON24 into CRMs for actionable sales insights. For marketers in life sciences, IT, finance, and electronics—industries already data-heavy and engagement-starved—this is a welcome turnkey approach.

“ON24 is a global leader in intelligent, AI-driven digital engagement,” said Jake Nobler, Sales Director at Performars. “This partnership allows us to help more organizations in Korea and Taiwan harness the full potential of first-party customer engagement.”

The Road Ahead

Starting July 2025, ON24 and Performars will roll out a series of digital campaigns and virtual events showcasing the capabilities of ON24’s platform across key industries. Expect success stories, live demos, and a heavy push to convert local marketers into AI-powered engagement believers.

With this expansion, ON24 joins a growing list of U.S.-based martech players strengthening their foothold in Asia through strategic local alliances. Given Performars’ regional experience and ON24’s technology stack, this could be one to watch.

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Deloitte is giving its global audit and assurance platform, Omnia, a significant AI-powered upgrade. In a move that reflects the evolving demands of audit complexity and client transformation, the firm announced the rollout of new Generative AI capabilities and a future roadmap that includes intelligent AI agents—all designed to reimagine how modern audits are conducted.

It’s a major step toward transforming audits from document-heavy retrospectives into proactive, AI-augmented processes that help auditors move faster, deeper, and smarter.

"With the rapid advancement of AI technology, the audit profession is undergoing an exciting transformation," said Dipti Gulati, CEO of U.S. Audit & Assurance at Deloitte. "These new capabilities enhance agility without compromising our focus on trust and quality."

GenAI in the Audit Trenches

The new suite of capabilities builds upon Omnia’s foundation to target real auditor pain points with GenAI-powered solutions:

• Documentation Review: GenAI scans audit files and recommends improvements in clarity and consistency.

• Financial Statement Navigation: Auditors can query draft financials in natural language to streamline tie-outs.

• Data Summarization: Pull insights from volumes of audit documents in a fraction of the time.

• First-Draft Automation: Accounting memos and audit communications are generated using intelligent prompts.

• Smarter Research: GenAI-powered tools surface guidance on complex accounting topics and improve turnaround.

• Proactive Risk Management: External data sources are scanned to flag emerging risk events in real time.

These capabilities are more than bells and whistles—they represent a practical overhaul of traditional processes, giving audit teams new speed, flexibility, and accuracy under pressure.

"These tools are not replacing auditors—they’re empowering them," said Chris Griffin, Deloitte’s Audit & Assurance talent and transformation leader. “By merging experience with automation, we’re helping professionals meet higher expectations with sharper tools.”

Next: AI Agents as Audit Assistants

Looking ahead, Deloitte is embedding agentic AI into Omnia—digital specialists that can execute tasks, remember information, and collaborate with other agents. Think of them as autonomous coworkers who don’t sleep.

These AI agents will assist with:

• Cross-source data collection

• Anomaly detection in complex data

• Audit project orchestration and workflow management

It’s an evolution toward what Will Bible, Deloitte’s U.S. leader for audit innovation, describes as an interconnected ecosystem—a “network of adaptive, cross-functional AI tools” that complements, not replaces, human judgment.

Built with Trust in Mind

All of this AI horsepower is built under Deloitte’s Trustworthy AI™ framework—ensuring responsible development, governance, and compliance. In an industry built on assurance, this framework adds an essential guardrail against GenAI’s known risks, such as hallucinations or model drift.

“We're not just bolting AI onto legacy workflows,” said Bible. “We’re reshaping what auditors can do with a platform designed for modern complexity.”

A Decade of Investment, Millions of Prompts

Omnia has evolved since its 2015 launch into Deloitte’s core audit engine—serving 85,000 professionals globally. The firm’s GenAI chatbot has logged over three million prompts in its first year, and more than 120,000 professionals have been trained via the Deloitte AI Academy™. Meanwhile, Deloitte is actively deploying agentic AI not just for clients—but internally across its own operations.

It’s this blend of infrastructure, investment, and upskilling that positions Deloitte ahead of the curve in modern audit automation.

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SearchStax is putting the power of generative AI directly into the hands of brands and institutions with the launch of Smart Answers, a new feature designed to transform how people interact with onsite search. Announced today, Smart Answers delivers instant, natural language summaries directly atop search results—giving users exactly what they’re looking for, faster and without the fluff.

Think Google’s AI Overviews, but built specifically for your website’s own content. That’s the experience SearchStax is aiming to deliver.

“Today’s search users expect answers, not just links,” said Sameer Maggon, Founder and CEO of SearchStax. “With Smart Answers, we’re closing the gap between modern expectations and the typical, outdated onsite search experience.”

From Keyword Chaos to Conversational Clarity

Traditional site search often leaves visitors navigating through multiple links to piece together answers. Smart Answers changes that by letting users type full, natural language questions into the search bar—and receive direct, AI-generated answers pulled from the organization’s trusted, indexed content. Each summary is cited, contextual, and built to respond to the kind of queries users are increasingly comfortable asking: long-form, nuanced, and conversational.

The feature arrives at a pivotal time: AI-native search behavior is becoming the norm. Gone are the days of typing cryptic keyword strings like “economics or finance -remote -virtual.” Today’s users ask full questions like, “What can I do with a finance degree?”—and they expect smart, precise answers in return.

Easy for Users, Effortless for Teams

Despite the complexity under the hood, Smart Answers is refreshingly straightforward to implement. Marketing and web teams get a developer-ready widget with customizable UI that can be deployed without heavy coding or infrastructure changes. It’s plug-and-play AI with enterprise-grade accuracy.

Smart Answers intelligently determines when a generative response is needed, scans the content indexed in SearchStax Site Search, and delivers a clean, digestible summary at the top of the results page. It’s built to enhance engagement, reduce bounce rates, and help users find what they need—faster.

Built for the Modern Web Experience

Key benefits of Smart Answers include:

• AI-Summarized Responses: Instant answers synthesized from your content

• Trusted, Source-Cited Summaries: Built on your indexed data

• Natural Language Support: Encourages question-based search behavior

• Increased Engagement: Higher satisfaction from intuitive, modern UX

• Low-Lift Implementation: Deployable without major site changes

The announcement also strengthens SearchStax’s partnership with Acquia, with Smart Answers integrated into Acquia Search. “It’s a powerful step forward,” said Leslie Persaud, VP of Product Management at Acquia. “Our customers can now deliver smarter, faster search experiences that align with how people expect to find information.”

The Bottom Line

In an AI-first world, traditional onsite search just doesn’t cut it. With Smart Answers, SearchStax is giving websites the tools to match the intelligence and speed of today’s leading search engines, but with the added benefit of full content control and brand alignment.

Whether your audience is students, patients, members, or consumers—Smart Answers helps them ask real questions and get real answers, without wading through a sea of irrelevant links.

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Attain, a leader in permissioned commerce data, is giving marketers a serious upgrade with its relaunch of OutcomeHQ—a unified platform that turns $700 billion in verified consumer spend into real-time, actionable insight. No more guesswork. No more post-campaign regrets. With OutcomeHQ, brands can plan smarter, activate faster, and optimize campaigns while they’re still in flight.

Once known mostly for outcomes measurement, Attain has expanded its mission. OutcomeHQ now combines audience building, performance optimization, retail intelligence, and sales lift measurement into a single, intuitive interface. Think of it as an operating system for outcome-driven media.

"OutcomeHQ isn't just about data—it's about what marketers can do with it," said Brian Mandelbaum, CEO of Attain. “We’re moving from retrospective analytics to real-time decisioning. That changes everything.”

A Platform Built for Today’s Marketer

The revamped OutcomeHQ delivers three standout features:

• Premium Insights: Real-time, always-on purchase intelligence across Amazon, Walmart, Target, and thousands of other retailers—no longer gated behind custom reports or third-party vendors.

• One Click Audiences: Turn any insight into a targetable audience with a single click. With integrations across Meta, TikTok, The Trade Desk, and 20+ others, activation is immediate and platform-agnostic.

• AI-Powered Planning: Ask OutcomeHQ to build audience strategies using natural language prompts or PDFs. Whether it's “tech dads who buy Starbucks weekly” or custom behavioral cohorts, the system returns verified insights and recommended plans—fast.

Real Purchases, Not Proxy Signals

Most platforms still rely on digital intent signals or modeled data to inform strategy. Attain plays a different game. Its edge comes from actual, verified purchases made by 10 million+ permissioned consumers, representing over $700 billion in annual spend.

And it’s not just raw volume—it’s what the data reveals: recency, frequency, brand-switching behavior, psychographics, and more. That depth gives marketers what they’ve always wanted: the ability to understand who their customers are, what they’re buying, and why.

Michael Treon, Head of CTV & Video Strategy at PMG, praised the platform’s ability to turn complex datasets into clear, immediate value:

“The speed and accuracy of insights—especially around switching behavior and recency—are a big leap forward. OutcomeHQ gives us an end-to-end view that’s both actionable and precise.”

A New Operating Model for Media

OutcomeHQ’s power lies not just in its data, but in its integration across teams. Planning, analytics, activation, and measurement can now work in sync from one system—with shared visibility and aligned goals. No more fragmented workflows or delayed performance reads.

It also removes the dependency on external measurement vendors, which often add latency and cost. Brands now have direct, immediate access to data that ties media investment to actual sales—as they happen.

Bigger Picture: Reshaping the Data Economy

Attain’s broader strategy with OutcomeHQ goes beyond platform functionality. It’s about building a more equitable, permissioned data-sharing ecosystem, one that puts power back in the hands of marketers and consumers—rather than opaque intermediaries.

In a privacy-centric future where third-party cookies and modeled guesswork are fading fast, platforms like OutcomeHQ could define the new standard: real signals, real shoppers, real results.

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PebblePost, known for pioneering Programmatic Direct Mail, is stepping into the connected TV spotlight—literally. Today, the company launched Performance CTV, a major platform expansion that brings its outcome-obsessed performance marketing philosophy to the booming $33 billion CTV landscape.

For a sector often stuck in awareness mode, this could be a game-changer. Rather than chasing impressions or relying on click-through proxies, PebblePost’s new CTV product zeroes in on incremental revenue and verified ROAS—the metrics that actually move the needle for marketers.

"CTV has traditionally been viewed as a top-of-funnel awareness tool, but marketers today need more than eyeballs—they need results,” said Jacob Ross, CEO of PebblePost. “This is performance marketing, redefined for the TV screen.”

From the Mailbox to the Living Room

Backed by over a decade of innovation in Programmatic Direct Mail, PebblePost’s Performance Marketing Engine is now powering screen-based campaigns for major retail, travel, financial services, and commerce brands. But instead of relying on flimsy digital signals, PebblePost is leaning on $100B+ in verified transactions and high-intent CRM data sourced from hundreds of top brands.

The PebblePost Difference: Real People, Real Results

While many CTV solutions still chase vanity metrics, PebblePost is building its product on three differentiators:

• Scalable Identity Resolution: With an 80% match rate across U.S. streaming households, PebblePost maps online and offline signals to real people—not anonymous cookies—enabling precise targeting and attribution.

• Granular Targeting with Verified Purchase Data: No guesswork here. Audiences are created using real transaction data—not proxies like clicks or interests—and updated daily with real-time intent signals. AI-driven models continually re-score households to stay in step with shifting consumer behavior.

• True Incrementality Measurement: Every campaign includes a holdout group, enabling marketers to isolate actual lift. PebblePost also integrates with leading measurement providers to deliver third-party validation and complete transparency.

Proven Performance in the Wild

If you're wondering whether all this adds up to impact, ask Blue Nile. After success with PebblePost’s direct mail programs, the company tested Performance CTV and found it delivered the highest incremental ROAS of any channel in a head-to-head internal test.

“We’re excited to continue leveraging PebblePost's innovative approach to connect with our audience in impactful ways,” said Megan Sturdivant, Senior Director of Marketing at Blue Nile.

Rethinking CTV as a Performance Channel

CTV’s meteoric rise has been marred by fragmentation and identity challenges, often leaving marketers with high reach but unclear returns. PebblePost’s entry comes at a pivotal moment—offering a solution that treats CTV not as a digital billboard, but as a performance-driven channel where every impression is measured against business outcomes.

In doing so, PebblePost is not just expanding into streaming—it’s aiming to reframe how CTV is used altogether.

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In a world where a single cloud outage or cybersecurity lapse can paralyze enterprise operations, GlobalMeet is stepping up with a solution designed for the new era of business continuity. The company today announced CORE (Communications and Operational Resiliency), a turnkey platform engineered to keep communication flowing when it matters most—during system failures, security breaches, or any disruption to primary communication channels.

Available as both an annual service and on-demand event offering, CORE is built on GlobalMeet’s private streaming infrastructure and more than two decades of experience in mission-critical communications. The goal: ensure executive teams, employees, and stakeholders can securely and reliably deliver high-stakes messages at scale, regardless of the status of their primary tools.

No App, No Problem: Secure Communication When Platforms Fail

With no software to install, CORE bypasses the friction common with traditional platforms. It provides access through the internet or even traditional phone lines—ensuring delivery when other systems fail. As Trent Waterhouse, CMO of GlobalMeet, put it:

“The frequency of problems with popular video conferencing platforms is driving CIOs, CISOs, and corporate communications leaders to seek a reliable, scalable, and secure alternative.”

That’s not an exaggeration. From Zoom outages to Teams degradation during critical company meetings, disruptions are increasingly common—and expensive. In industries like aviation, healthcare, energy, or financial services, downtime can cost millions per hour.

CORE aims to be the safety net that keeps communications intact, even as your primary stack falters.

Full-Service, From Setup to Execution

This isn’t just another platform; it’s a communications continuity program. CORE includes:

• Onboarding, scenario planning, and practice sessions

• Network testing and presenter coaching

• Built-in transcription, captioning, and multilingual translation for accessibility and compliance

• Robust analytics covering engagement, attendance, Q&A, polling, and collateral downloads

The system also supports SSO and CRM integrations, so only the intended audience—whether employees or external partners—can access sensitive briefings.

And when it’s go-time, you’re not alone. GlobalMeet provides 24/7 tech support and seasoned event producers to ensure delivery runs without a hitch.

Meeting Regulatory Demands with Built-In Resilience

Enterprises are also facing rising pressure from regulators to embed operational resilience into core functions. Frameworks like the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and the UK FCA/PRA requirements are no longer optional, especially in sectors like banking, utilities, and tech.

Ken Roberts, CTO of GlobalMeet, summed it up:

“Large enterprises must invest in proactive measures to ensure communication remains uninterrupted when primary systems are compromised.”

By enabling pre-approved message templates, clear chains of command, and omnichannel capabilities, CORE helps organizations stay audit-ready while staying connected.

A CXO-Ready Answer to a Growing Risk

The broader message here is simple: your communications strategy needs a contingency plan—and GlobalMeet CORE is aiming to be the gold standard.

Whether the risk comes from geopolitical instability, cybercrime, or platform outages, CORE gives companies the confidence to communicate without interruption. For executive leadership that increasingly must weigh travel risks and platform reliability, it’s not just a backup—it’s a mission-critical asset.

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