Hong Kong – International health and beauty retailer AS Watson Group has strengthened its technology ecosystem with the appointment of 31 global strategic technology partners to support the next phase of its AI-powered O+O (offline-plus-online) transformation.
The appointments were announced at Technology Partner Day 2026 as part of AS Watson’s ongoing efforts to expand its global technology ecosystem and support innovation, cyber resilience, and growth across its international operations.
Under its Technology Partnership Programme, the company continues to invest in technology, data, and AI, with a focus on enterprise productivity, personalisation, cybersecurity, and digital commerce. The strategy aims to integrate AI across business functions—including customer engagement, operations, analytics, and employee productivity—rather than applying it to standalone use cases.
Launched in 2017, the Technology Partnership Programme has evolved from a solution delivery initiative into a broader collaboration model supporting AS Watson’s digital and O+O strategy across its markets. The company said the programme now positions technology partners as long-term collaborators aligned with its business priorities, with future efforts centred on AI-led automation, personalised O+O experiences, data and analytics, cyber resilience, scalable technology platforms, and productivity.
Dr. Malina Ngai, Group CEO of AS Watson, said, “AI is not a standalone technology layer. It is a core capability that runs across the organisation. Our priority is to use AI to remove friction, accelerate execution and help our people focus on creating value for customers. Our 31 global technology partners play a critical role in this journey. Together, we are combining data, technology and human judgement to build a more agile, scalable and future-ready organisation.”
Several technology partners also commented on the collaboration and its role in supporting AS Watson’s digital transformation.
Willy Wong, partner at Ernst & Young Advisory Services Limited, highlighted the long-standing partnership: “For many years, EY has been honoured to serve as AS Watson’s trusted technology consultant. The journey has evolved from building state-of-the-art mobile experiences and loyalty programmes that connected markets across Asia and streamlined internal operations to leveraging data, advanced analytics and AI to drive comprehensive business transformation today. It remains a privilege to witness this incredible growth firsthand and to have played a part in this shared success.”
Pedro Yip, Partner and Head of Consumer, Telco and Technology Practice (Asia Pacific) at Oliver Wyman, shared insights on the partnership’s impact: “It has been a privilege to collaborate with AS Watson over the years to push the boundaries of innovation. Oliver Wyman combines agentic AI with advanced analytics and retail expertise to unlock the full power of data together with AS Watson teams. We look forward to further advancing AS Watson’s O+O customer proposition to create connected, frictionless experiences for millions of shoppers worldwide.”
Kelvin Tse, Enterprise Sales Director of Microsoft Hong Kong, also commented on the collaboration, “Microsoft is honoured to partner closely with AS Watson in transforming the retail landscape. We are deeply committed to helping AS Watson co-invent new processes through the power of AI and the development of agentic platforms. By collaborating on these AI opportunities and leveraging innovative tools like GitHub Copilot, we look forward to empowering the next-generation retail experience together.”
Dora Lui, Senior Vice President of Customer Success Services at Oracle, said, “We are incredibly excited about this relationship with AS Watson, focusing not only on platform redesign but also on process optimisation. We look forward to delivering innovative solutions, incorporating AI and best practices to leverage the data within our cloud platform, ultimately enhancing the well-being of AS Watson’s workforce.”
Jorinde Timmerman, Vice President of large accounts at Slimstock, described the partnership as standing out for its strong foundation in collaboration and continuous challenge.
“We don’t just engage – we actively stimulate each other to push boundaries and improve. By combining AS Watson’s scale and innovation mindset with Slimstock’s supply chain expertise, we jointly ensure that the right products are available at the right time and place. This partnership goes beyond technology; it’s about driving measurable impact together and continuously evolving to meet the future of retail.”
Serhat Soyuerel, co-founder and CRO of Insider One, emphasised that the partnership goes far beyond a traditional technology collaboration.
“Over the years, we have built a true co-innovation model in which AS Watson’s vision, feedback, and evolving business needs help shape capabilities that benefit not only its brands in Europe but also all Insider One customers. Through a strong global governance framework, we have continuously adapted to support AS Watson’s scale while delivering excellence across every customer touchpoint.”
John Bradshaw, CTO of Akamai, noted the evolution of the partnership. “Since 2014, our collaboration has successfully evolved from a tactical product implementation into a highly strategic, forward-looking alliance. Over the years, we have steadily expanded our security footprint to match the incredible scale of AS Watson’s digital acceleration. Our recent agreement marks a shift from shorter-term cycles to a long-term strategic commitment, proving that our partnership has matured into a resilient foundation for the future.”
Tarun Madan, Account Director at Nagarro, reflected on the partnership’s shared commitment. “What distinguishes AS Watson is the exceptional level of trust and openness it extends to its partners, creating an environment where ideas can be shared freely, innovation can flourish, and long-term value can be created together. The Technology Partnership Programme is a powerful example of this collaborative approach, and we are excited to continue advancing the next generation of retail experiences through AI and agentic AI innovation.”
Darren Wilson, President of Retail and Payments at NCR Voyix, highlighted the long-standing partnership between the two companies. “AS Watson and NCR Voyix have built a strong partnership over many years, working closely together to support store operations and deliver customer experiences. We are excited to enter this next phase of our collaboration, bringing innovative technologies into stores that simplify operations, empower store teams, and create stronger connections between physical and digital retail.”
