Cisco, a global leader in security and networking, has announced the AI Renewals Agent, the first jointly developed AI solution from its strategic partnership with Mistral AI, a leading European AI provider.

The AI-powered solution automates and optimizes the renewal proposal process by analyzing structured and unstructured data from over 50 signals and sources. With real-time sentiment analysis, summarized recommendations, and intelligent automation, the AI Renewals Agent helps Cisco teams focus on customer engagement, satisfaction, and retention while driving business growth.

"The AI Renewals Agent is an important milestone and the first of many innovations we’ll build with Mistral AI," said Liz Centoni, EVP & Chief Customer Experience Officer at Cisco.

Benefits of the AI Renewals Agent

Time Savings – Reduces time spent on renewal proposals by 20%, with more automation expected.
Data-Driven Insights – Processes 50+ data sources for real-time analysis and personalized recommendations.
On-Premises Security – Ensures data privacy, compliance, and performance tuning.
AI-Driven Automation – Enhances customer interactions with proactive, predictive, and personalized engagement.

"GenAI is revolutionizing how businesses interact with rich and complex data sources," said Arthur Mensch, CEO of Mistral AI. "This collaboration showcases the power of AI in delivering critical value to Cisco’s customers and ecosystem."

Cisco’s AI-Driven Customer Experience Strategy

The AI Renewals Agent aligns with Cisco’s broader AI strategy to enhance Customer Experience (CX) by:

Eliminating workflow inefficiencies to reduce friction for teams.
Leveraging AI-driven insights for improved customer engagement.
Accelerating AI adoption in enterprise environments for scalable, secure automation.

With the launch of the AI Renewals Agent, Cisco and Mistral AI are reshaping the future of customer engagement through AI-driven automation and insights. This milestone highlights Cisco’s commitment to innovation, efficiency, and exceptional customer experience in the AI era.

monday.com Ltd. has officially launched monday service, its AI-powered Enterprise Service Management (ESM) platform, now available to all customers. Designed to centralize and streamline workflows, monday service empowers service teams across IT, business, and customer support to resolve issues faster and more efficiently.

Since its beta launch in January 2024, monday service has already facilitated the resolution of over 215,000 tickets, making it monday.com's highest annual contract value product to date.

"Service teams struggle with manual workflows and disconnected systems. monday service enables them to stay ahead of operational challenges and streamline service delivery," said Daniel Lereya, Chief Product & Technology Officer at monday.com.

Benefits of monday service

AI-Powered Ticket Resolution – Automates responses using ticket history and a built-in knowledge base, reducing manual workloads.
Smart Ticket Classification & Routing – AI categorizes tickets by urgency, sentiment, and department, ensuring faster resolution.
Advanced Analytics & Insights – Dashboards provide real-time visibility into service trends, request volumes, and performance metrics.
Seamless Cross-Department Collaboration – Centralized platform integrates ticketing with projects, business data, and teams.
No-Code, Scalable Implementation – Easily deploy without extensive development, making it cost-effective and adaptable.
Customizable Customer Portal – Enables self-service, ticket tracking, and communication, improving the end-user experience.

Why It Matters

With rising demand for software consolidation, monday service extends monday.com’s Work OS, enabling organizations to use one platform for multiple departments. This AI-first approach reduces manual efforts while enhancing efficiency, collaboration, and service performance.

"For the first time, we have real-time visibility into IT performance across all areas," said Grant De Waal-Dubla, CIO at Cape Union Mart. "monday service helps us improve response times and optimize operations."

With monday service, businesses can modernize service operations, leverage AI-driven automation, and drive efficiency without increasing resources. This marks a major step forward in Enterprise Service Management for organizations of all sizes.

Quickplay, a leading OTT solutions provider, has announced the appointment of Jordan Bartow as General Manager, North America. With over 15 years of expertise in AI, media, and enterprise cloud transformations, Bartow's leadership aligns with Quickplay's vision of driving next-gen streaming innovation.

"Quickplay is redefining streaming profitability with an innovation-first mindset," said Bartow. "I’m excited to refine our go-to-market strategy and shape the future of Quickplay’s portfolio, including Quickplay Shorts."

Bartow’s Industry-Leading Track Record

Formerly at Google Cloud, where he led AI-driven media initiatives for global entertainment and sports leaders.
Played a key role in deploying AI-powered streaming solutions to 150M+ users at a top streaming giant.
Worked with LIV Golf on AI-powered fan engagement strategies and digital distribution.
Proven ability to cut through corporate inertia and accelerate AI, cloud, and streaming adoption.

Quickplay’s Continued Growth & Expansion

This executive hire follows strategic leadership appointments in 2024, including:

• Prabu Chelladurai as Managing Director, EMEA – Platform Solutions & Delivery
• Sean Lynch as Director of Business Development
• Adam Mitchell as Global Head of Customer Success & Analytics

"At Quickplay, we encourage risk-taking and bold decision-making," said Paul Pastor, Co-Founder & CBO. "Jordan embodies that challenger mindset, and we’re thrilled to have him on board."

With Bartow at the helm, Quickplay is poised for expansion, focusing on AI-driven media strategies, innovative streaming solutions, and enhanced customer engagement.

AdMaven, a global leader in digital advertising, has launched its new Self-Serve Advertising Platform, designed to empower advertisers and agencies with performance-driven tools for campaign management and optimization.

"Our Self-Serve Platform will help thousands of advertisers create and manage more effective campaigns, reaching the right audiences with ease," said Noam Cohen, Co-CEO of AdMaven.

Features of AdMaven’s Self-Serve Platform

Smart-CPA Optimization – AI-driven automation reduces exploration costs, eliminates manual adjustments, and improves campaign performance.
Advanced Targeting – Reach premium direct traffic with filters for ad format, geography, device type, OS, carrier, and audience engagement levels.
Real-Time Campaign Management – A clean, user-friendly dashboard simplifies setup, fine-tuning, and performance tracking.
Enhanced Customer Support – Dedicated account management ensures a seamless experience at every stage.

Empowering Advertisers with Smarter Digital Advertising

AdMaven’s rebranded platform offers data-driven solutions to help advertisers maximize performance across desktop and mobile traffic.

TSG (The Strawhecker Group), a globally recognized analytics and intelligence firm in the payments industry, has announced the appointment of Shelley Joyce as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Her leadership will focus on advancing TSG’s technology stack and delivering innovative solutions to clients.

Highlights of the Appointment

• Leadership Role & Vision

  • Shelley Joyce will oversee and execute TSG’s technology strategy.
  • Her role includes consulting, developing customized software products, and modernizing payment technology.

• Industry Expertise & Past Roles

  • Previously served as CTO of Merchant Acquiring Technologies at Global Payments (NYSE: GPN).
  • Led the development and operation of global payment processing platforms.
  • Experience in point-of-sale (POS) applications, financial applications, and money transfers.

• Notable Achievements in Payment Technology

  • Former CEO of Monetary, leading the development of an omnichannel commerce platform.
  • As VP of Product at Total Merchant Services, played a key role in launching Groovv POS.
  • Early career as CTO of Mercury Payments, managing software development, ISV integrations, and product management.

• Strategic Vision for TSG

  • Focus on leveraging data-driven insights for technology solutions.
  • Commitment to empowering clients with transformative payment technology.
  • Strengthening TSG’s consulting and technology capabilities for future growth.

Shelley Joyce’s appointment reinforces TSG’s commitment to innovation and excellence in payment technology. With her expertise and strategic vision, TSG aims to continue delivering cutting-edge solutions that drive growth and success for its clients in the evolving digital payments landscape.

Ant International has announced the appointment of Jiang-Ming Yang as its Chief Innovation Officer (CIO), effective immediately. In this role, he will lead the CIO Organisation, overseeing the development of innovative product and technology strategies to enhance global financial solutions.

Highlights of the Appointment

• Leadership Role & Vision

  • Jiang-Ming Yang will drive the synergized development of Ant International’s product and technology teams.
  • He will focus on advancing cross-border payments, trade solutions, and digital financial services for SMEs.

• Strategic Goals & Industry Impact

  • Reduce costs and improve efficiency in cross-border payments and settlements.
  • Democratize advanced fintech solutions for SMEs.
  • Enhance user experiences with AI-driven innovations for cross-border transactions.

• Expertise & Past Contributions

  • Formerly Chief Product Officer at Ant International, leading fintech and growth tech solutions.
  • Instrumental in expanding AI-powered fintech solutions to support business growth.
  • Key driver of operational efficiencies across Ant International’s business pillars:
    • Alipay+: Unified digital gateway for mobile payments.
    • Antom: Payment services for global merchants.
    • WorldFirst: Account services for SMEs.
    • Bettr: Embedded finance and SME credit tech solutions.

• Pioneering AI & Fintech Solutions

  • A+ Rewards by Antom: AI-powered marketing solution serving 230M users across eight markets.
  • Antom Copilot: AI-driven operations assistant reducing payment integration time from 10 days to minutes.
  • Antom EasySafePay: One-click checkout solution ensuring seamless digital wallet transactions.
  • AI Foreign Exchange Model: Predicts currency needs with 90% accuracy, optimizing treasury management.
  • Whale Platform: Blockchain-powered treasury management solution enhancing transparency and efficiency.

Jiang-Ming Yang’s appointment underscores Ant International’s commitment to innovation, AI-driven financial solutions, and global SME empowerment. His leadership will drive the company’s vision for the future of fintech and digital payments.

Kite Hill, an award-winning B2B communications and tech PR agency, has been recognized on the Observer’s PR Power List in the New Tech category. This prestigious acknowledgment highlights the agency’s influence in shaping industry trends and public discourse.

Highlights of the Recognition

• Industry Recognition & Expertise

  • Honored for the fourth time by Observer’s PR Power List.
  • Recognized for driving impactful communications in adtech, retail media, climate tech, and AI-powered sectors.

• Notable PR Campaigns in 2024

  • Orange Apron Media (The Home Depot): Led a rebrand and Upfronts-style event, positioning The Home Depot as a retail media leader.
  • Caddis Cloud Solutions: Executed a successful brand relaunch and PR strategy, driving significant media engagement and business leads.
  • Sapphire Technologies & Horizon Shores Nigeria Ltd.: Facilitated a strategic partnership advancing Nigeria’s sustainable energy transition, increasing brand visibility by 50%.

• CEO’s Statement on Recognition

  • Tiffany Guarnaccia, Founder & CEO, attributes success to the team’s passion for innovation and impactful storytelling.

• Future Growth Plans

  • Expanding beyond earned media to integrate paid and social media strategies in 2025.

Kite Hill’s recognition on the PR Power List underscores its continued excellence in tech PR and strategic communications. With a commitment to innovation and expanding service offerings, the agency remains a leader in shaping industry narratives.

3D Cloud, a leader in 3D digital asset management and visualization for furniture and home improvement, has partnered with Common Sense Machines (CSM.AI), an innovator in AI-driven 3D asset creation. This collaboration aims to transform how retailers and manufacturers create accurate 3D representations of real-world products, addressing the growing demand for immersive digital experiences.

Highlights of the Partnership

• Industry Challenges & Innovation

  • Retailers require full digital catalogs to enhance online shopping experiences.
  • AI-driven 3D model creation reduces production timelines by 50%.
  • 3D models must maintain precise dimensions, materials, and details to reflect real products accurately.

• Technology Integration & Benefits

  • 3D Cloud’s enterprise platform combines with CSM’s AI breakthroughs for faster, scalable 3D asset creation.
  • Enables seamless alignment between 3D catalogs and merchandising priorities.
  • WebAR-enabled products drive 2-3x higher shopping cart conversions.

• Expert Insights & Future Outlook

  • Beck Besecker (CEO, 3D Cloud): "This partnership accelerates 3D adoption, making it easier for retailers to scale immersive experiences."
  • Tejas Kulkarni (CEO, CSM.AI): "We are bridging AI innovation with 3D commerce to make high-quality 3D visualization accessible to all retailers."
  • The partnership debut will take place at the 3D Commerce Summit 2025 (Feb 17-19, St. Petersburg, FL), where industry leaders will discuss AI’s role in 3D content creation.

With AI transforming 3D workflows, this partnership sets a new standard for digital commerce. Retailers and manufacturers can expect reduced costs and enhanced 3D capabilities within the next 12-18 months.