Singapore Genesys, a global AI-powered cloud platform, has announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Radarr Technologies, which specialises in AI-based social and digital listening, analytics, and consumer engagement.

Through the acquisition, Genesys will integrate Radar Technologies’ public social media capabilities with the Genesys Cloud platform to enhance customer experience (CX). This partnership enables the development of proactive, prescriptive engagement tactics aimed at increasing loyalty in the AI economy.

With the help of Radarr Technologies, Genesys helps businesses naturally interact with customers on the social media platforms of their choice. This is done by providing rich, simple, contextual, and tailored social media experiences. 

Following the expected completion of the acquisition in the first quarter of 2025, Genesys intends to utilise Radarr Technologies’ social media insights as a critical component in building its 360-degree customer view to improve Genesys AI. This integration will allow for the collection of interaction, sentiment, and attitudinal data across the CX continuum.

Businesses utilising Radarr Technologies’ capabilities on the Genesys Cloud platform will be freed from limitations and silos, enabling them to provide customers with individualised experiences across many channels. Loyalty is eventually fostered by using insights and capacities to accomplish this freedom. 

Through the integration of Radarr Technologies, Genesys Cloud users will gain direct access to supplementary conversation streams that are derived from publicly accessible social media posts across several platforms, including the Apple App Store, Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Google Play, Google My Business, and more. 

Together with the voice and digital capabilities of the Genesys Cloud platform—which includes its private social media messaging solutions—organisations will be able to interact with consumers on these channels that turn inquiries into loyalty-boosting dialogues.

By utilising Radarr Technologies’ response engine capabilities in conjunction with Genesys Cloud, the combined solutions will give agents access to customer journey context and tools, allowing them to interact with clients on the social media platforms of their choice.

This includes answering questions on open feeds or via direct messages. Furthermore, the Radarr Technologies solution’s unique AI-powered Multilingual Sentiment Models will improve the Genesys Cloud platform’s natural language processing (NLP) capabilities. 

Moreover, this extension improves an organisation’s ability to recognise regional slang and colloquialisms in more than 100 languages, including the top 10 languages spoken worldwide and more than 40 Asian languages and dialects. Consequently, this makes it possible for companies to comprehend client sentiment more thoroughly, which enhances their capacity to provide customised experiences on a large scale. 

Speaking about the acquisition, Tony Bates, Genesys CEO and chairman, said, “As consumers increasingly turn to social media platforms to connect with brands for support, these channels become a crucial and largely untapped opportunity for organisations to engage with customers and glean valuable business insights. Once the capabilities of Radarr Technologies are integrated into Genesys Cloud, Genesys can accelerate its transformation of the CX industry by helping organisations further connect every touchpoint into the end-to-end customer experience.” 

Meanwhile, Sheila McGee-Smith, president, McGee-Smith Analytics, said, “Organisations have struggled to tap into the potential that social media can play in delivering differentiated customer experiences — Genesys is now in a better position to change that. Connecting these public feeds with the orchestration of the customer journey will provide companies not only a more holistic understanding of consumer behaviour and sentiment, but the tools to take action through more enhanced personalisation and engagement.” 

She added, “In adding Radarr Technologies capabilities to Genesys Cloud, the company recognises the rising importance global enterprises are placing on social interaction management and analytics to achieve a complete unification of the customer experience.”

Manila, Philippines – Cable television service Sky Cable is set to make its final broadcast on February 26 following the approval of the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to PLDT to acquire Sky Cable.

In a text advisory sent out to its users, Sky Cable said that it will officially discontinue its cable TV business following its last broadcast day and in anticipation of the PLDT acquisition. Said advisory is also reflected in its official website.

“In anticipation of and pursuant to the closing conditions of the PLDT-SKY acquisition deal, SKY will now begin its transition into a dedicated internet service provider. With this deal, SKY will discontinue its cable TV operations effective February 27, 2024. The final broadcast and sign-off of SKYcable will be on February 26, 2024 at 11:59pm,” the company stated.

It is worth noting, however, that SKY Fiber will still continue operations, with the company promising that subscribers will be provided with the same level of service and customer experience.

“Thank you for your years of support and for making SKYcable a part of your home,” the company concluded.

Recent stock filings by ABS-CBN, the parent company of Sky Cable, and PLDT that the Philippine Competition Commission has already approved the acquisition, and is now subject to closing conditions and final approval through a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) by March 16.

Last week, PLDT clarified news about the acquisition following media reports suggesting that the Sky Cable acquisition had already been closed by both parties.

“Once the approval of the PCC is obtained, the sellers will continue to work on the other closing conditions which include, among others, the termination or cessation of Sky’s pay TV and cable businesses, obtaining all other applicable government approvals and clearances, and obtaining all required consents and corporate actions,” it previously said.

Details about the merger first came into light when ABS-CBN, the parent company of Sky Cable, signed an agreement with PLDT back in March 2023 to sell off fully the business to PLDT. It is also worth noting that Cignal, the media firm under PLDT’s MediaQuest affiliate, had already a 34.99% stake in Sky Cable, which materialised back in 2022.

Manila, Philippines – The Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) company has clarified that its proposed acquisition of the broadband business of Sky Cable has yet to be approved by the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC).

This comes after multiple media reports stated that the PCC has approved PLDT’s acquisition of Sky Cable for PHP6.75b.

In a recent stock filing by PLDT, the company clarified that PCC has yet to conclude its review process of the proposed merger.

“Once the approval of the PCC is obtained, the sellers will continue to work on the other closing conditions which include, among others, the termination or cessation of Sky’s pay TV and cable businesses, obtaining all other applicable government approvals and clearances, and obtaining all required consents and corporate actions,” PLDT said.

Moreover, the company said that obtaining the closing conditions for the acquisition is necessary for the implementation of the proposed transaction.

Details about the merger first came into light when ABS-CBN, the parent company of Sky Cable, signed an agreement with PLDT back in March 2023 to sell off fully the business to PLDT.

“The proceeds from the sale of the shares of ABS-CBN and the settlement of Sky Vision’s obligations to ABS-CBN will be used by ABS-CBN to settle and fund its retirement obligations. The sale of the company’s ownership in Sky will also allow ABS-CBN to focus its resources on content creation,” ABS-CBN back then.

It is also worth noting that Cignal, the media firm under PLDT’s MediaQuest affiliate, had already a 34.99% stake in Sky Cable, which materialised back in 2022.

Jakarta, Indonesia – M&C Saatchi Indonesia, which has been set up previously as a joint venture by M&C Saatchi as well as with Anish Daryani, Dami Sidharta and Elki Hendria; has been officially acquired by Daryani after buying 55% of the local entity’s business equity for an undisclosed amount. With this, M&C Saatchi Indonesia is set to exit the group company and reorganise as an independent entity.

Cofounding partners Dami Sidharta, chief creative officer, and Elki Hendria, executive strategy and digital director, will continue to remain shareholders in the business, and an integral part of the leadership team.

Following the exit, Daryani stated that M&C Saatchi Indonesia will be rebranded to a new entity in January 2024. There will be complete continuity of business with all clients, talent, partners and vendors under the new entity. Moreover, the new entity will operate the business from the same premises in Menara Sentraya, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia.

It is worth mentioning that as the Indonesia creative, digital, PR and activation business goes independent, M&C Saatchi Performance, however, will continue to operate in Indonesia under a separate legal entity.

“It has been a mutually rewarding partnership over the last 6 years. During this time, there was a symbiotic relationship between the Indonesia entity and the Group. Indonesia contributed wholeheartedly to the Group’s ambitions with respect to driving growth, profits and recognition for the M&C Saatchi brand. However, with the local management’s ambitions of taking the Indonesia business independent, a joint decision was reached to sell the Group’s interest in the business to Anish Daryani,” the partners have stated in a joint statement.

Meanwhile, Daryani commented, “M&C Saatchi is one of the strongest brands in the business, and it has been my life’s honour to serve the group over the last 6 years. We started M&C Saatchi Indonesia with just the three of us (with Dami and Elki), and have grown to a team of hundred. We’ve earned many Agency of the Year titles over the years, among other awards including our first Cannes Lion, attracted the best talent, and built a formidable business. Here, I have learnt immensely, and forged strong bonds with friends I made the world over from across the network.”

He added, “However, as a creative entrepreneur, some of my ambitions can only be met as an independent entity, which regretfully involves my exit from the group. I’m grateful for all the good times we have shared together, and for Zillah’s keenness to agree to a deal that helps me race towards meeting my ambitions. For M&C Saatchi Group, I will continue to be a reliable friend. As we take our second first step, we wish to continue serving our clients with the same level of passion and integrity, and setting higher benchmarks in the industry.”

Zillah Bing-Thorne, CEO of M&C Saatchi Group and chair of M&C Saatchi Plc., said, “We have enjoyed our relationship with Anish and wish him & colleagues all the very best for their new venture.”

Singapore – The Singaporean arm of multinational advertising and public relations company Publicis Groupe has recently announced the acquisition of Singaporean integrated communications agency AKA Asia.

The acquisition marks a significant step in expanding and diversifying Publicis Groupe’s capabilities in the Southeast Asian market, with AKA Asia bolstering the group’s strategic communications, PR and influence offering in the region.

Speaking on the acquisition, Amrita Randhawa, chief executive officer for Publicis Groupe Singapore and Southeast Asia, said, “We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of AKA Asia, which has a stellar reputation in Singapore and will complement our existing agency capabilities to deliver exceptional solutions for our clients.”

“The AKA founders, Kate O’Shea and Amy Wright, have built an incredible operation with a solid track record for conceptualising and delivering fearless creative communications campaigns to a broad range of consumer and corporate clients. We are excited to welcome them and the team into our family,” she added.

Meanwhile, Leya Teo, CEO of AKA Asia, also commented, “This is an exciting time for our agency, our growing team and our clients. Together we have worked tirelessly to build an agency dedicated to putting its people first, empowering them to deliver innovative work that’s fearlessly creative and anchored in an earned-first approach. We look forward to leveraging Publicis’s Power of One philosophy and its diverse ecosystem for clients across Asia, and the opportunities this provides our talented team.”

AKA Asia will also be joining Publicis Groupe’s regional Influence practice, led by Margaret Key, alongside full-service PR consultancy MSL Asia Pacific.

“We are both excited and proud to partner with AKA Asia. Kate and Amy have built an enviable workplace culture, evidenced by talent they have nurtured from within over the last 15 years. This union will enable us to offer more value to our clients in Singapore and across our global network”, mentioned Margaret Key, chief executive officer at MSL Asia Pacific.

Singapore – Customer service software company Zendesk has announced it has signed a definitive agreement to officially acquire AI-powered quality management platform Klaus as part of its commitment to future-proofing its AI-powered customer experience.

The acquisition is expected to provide the company with new and transformative quality management capabilities that can increase efficiency and customer loyalty.

As QA software, Klaus’ AI scores 100 percent of customer support satisfaction. Its platform can precisely identify positive and negative sentiments, outliers, churn risk, escalations, and follow-ups across all conversations, including those from outsourced teams.

Furthermore, its AI software can also spot knowledge gaps and coaching opportunities that can be utilised to improve agent performance and productivity, resulting in higher customer satisfaction.

Klaus will also be the latest addition to Zendesk’s existing workforce engagement management (WEM) solutions.

With Klaus, Zendesk customers will be able to power their everyday customer interaction with a more consistent, high-quality service across every channel and across both humans and digital agents or bots.

Commenting on the acquisition, Martin Kõiva, CEO and founder of Klaus, shared, “Zendesk and Klaus share a vision of AI-led, personalised CX with businesses fully anticipating and acting on their customers’ needs. QA software plays a critical role in this, ensuring consistency, assessing both human and digital agent performance, and providing actionable insights for strategic planning. As part of Zendesk, we will continue to build and deliver these crucial capabilities, but now at an even greater scale.”

Adrian McDermott, chief technology officer at Zendesk, also added, “As AI drives up the speed and frequency of customer engagement, only AI-powered quality assurance (QA) can keep up as companies work to identify and fix gaps in their customer service operations. The combination of Zendesk AI and Klaus’ capabilities will help businesses navigate greater complexity and volume and ensure both digital and human agents deliver highly personal and empathetic service.”

Zendesk’s acquisition of Klaus is expected to be finished by the first quarter of 2024, upon receipt of required regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysian aviation and travel services group and parent company of AirAsia, Capital A, has recently announced that it has entered into a non-binding letter of offer with AirAsia X Berhad (AAX) for the proposed disposal of its aviation businesses, which makes up AirAsia Berhad (AirAsia Malaysia) and AirAsia Aviation Group Limited (AirAsia subsidiaries in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and Cambodia).

The strategic move is aimed at streamlining the group and facilitating a business-centric valuation of the separate entities, potentially unlocking greater value to shareholders, and aiming to create a pure play entity that aligns with market preferences. 

In a press release, AirAsia stated that it is confident that by separating the aviation business from Capital A, the non-aviation businesses within the group, which we feel are currently undervalued by the market, will also be recognised for their intrinsic value and potential. 

Capital A’s companies, including Teleport (logistics), Capital A Aviation Services (MRO and Inflight), and MOVE digital, will also be raising capital, offering shareholders an uplift on their Capital A shares, complemented by shares in the enlarged aviation group under proposed shares distribution. 

Following the sale of the aviation business, Capital A shareholders will become shareholders of the two listed companies.

With the completion of the aviation disposal, Capital A is committed to presenting a comprehensive PN17 regularisation plan by June 2024. Furthermore, Capital A is dedicated to transparent communication and will provide all stakeholders with detailed information throughout this process.

Regarding this, Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A, said, “All businesses across Capital A have been thriving and we are ready to grow. We need to raise funds for business expansion, but gaining access to capital has been challenging due to Capital A’s Practice Note 17 (PN17) status. We have been engaging committed investors who have expressed a strong preference for a pure aviation play.”

Talking about the disposal, Fernandes mentioned, “To address this and to ensure a robust financial injection, we are strategically pursuing the sale of the aviation business to AAX to create an aviation pure play, consolidating both long and short-haul airlines under the AirAsia brand, subject to the negotiation of a definitive share sale and purchase agreement and its completion.”

“Following the disposal, the aviation business is poised to benefit from focused management and a well-defined strategic direction, which will boost the aviation business’s capacity to seize growth opportunities, expand market share, and ultimately achieve enhanced profitability,” he added.

Singapore – Havas has recently announced the acquisition of Klareco Communications, Singapore homegrown agency and Southeast Asian corporate, financial and strategic communications consultancy, to strengthen its global strategic communications advisory arm, H/Advisors, in Asia-Pacific.

This acquisition allows Singapore to become a critical base for H/Advisors to steer its international clients through this macroeconomic environment, and will also strengthen Havas’ presence in Singapore through its integrated Village approach.

With a power base in Southeast Asia, the addition of Klareco Communications represents an important next step in H/Advisors’ strategic growth plan. On closing, the agency will be renamed H/Advisors Klareco.

This addition represents another significant milestone, following the successful launch of H/Advisors in Dubai earlier this year and the recent acquisitions of Australian Public Affairs, one of Australia’s most prominent and successful public affairs agencies, and Cunha Vaz & Associados, Portugal’s leading PR and communications consultancy.

H/Advisors Klareco and its senior management team will take on a significant role within the strategic advisory network. The local leadership includes CEO and co-founder Ang Shih-Huei, and managing director and co-founder Mark Worthington who will join the Asia board to help direct and lead the expansion of H/Advisors in Asia-Pacific.

Speaking on the acquisition, Yannick Bolloré, chairman and global CEO, Havas, and chairman, Vivendi, said, “Our partnership with Klareco allows us to draw on their breadth of experience and knowledge of the Asian market as we continue to expand our Havas presence in APAC. We are delighted to welcome the well-respected Klareco team onboard and look forward to achieving great things together.”

Shih-Huei added, “As an independent firm, we have already been working with some of the largest MNCs and leading Asian headquartered companies. H/Advisors allows us to deepen our core communications offering across corporate, financial, digital and public affairs, and expand our expertise in fast growing areas such as sustainability and change communications, to ensure we continue to deliver best practice for our clients. Our teams are excited for this new chapter ahead.”

Worthington also mentioned, “We are delighted to partner with H/Advisors to enhance our standing as a landing point for international firms coming to, or expanding in Asia. Increasingly, boards and management face complex communications challenges as they expand internationally. We are excited to build on our offering to support these challenges, ensuring we have expertise and relationships in the markets our clients need.”

Meanwhile, Stéphane Fouks, executive chairman, H/Advisors, and vice president, Havas, commented, “2023 has been an outstanding year of growth for H/Advisors, with the opening of our Dubai office and the acquisitions of CV&A (Portugal) & APA (Australia) and now our partnership with Klareco, which will strengthen our offering not only in APAC but globally. Klareco is the leading communications advisory in Southeast Asia, and we are delighted to welcome Shih-Huei, Mark and the talent and experience they will bring to H/Advisors.”

Bangkok, Thailand – In pursuit of advancing creativity and personalised digital interactions, Accenture has announced the acquisition of Rabbit’s Tale, a creative and digital experience agency based in Bangkok. This move signifies the inaugural presence across the entire customer lifecycle, specifically the growth in Thailand. 

Through this acquisition, Rabbit’s Tale brings forth a comprehensive portfolio encompassing impactful brand strategies, digital content, and data-driven experiences.

Said initiative integrates digital customer experience solutions, spanning from retail experiences to customer relationship management and loyalty programmes, hyper-personalised marketing to experience designs, and digital platform development.

As it is distinguished among Thailand’s leading advertising agencies, it will also harness the increasing significance of digital ad spending for brand differentiation and customer connection.

In particular, the two are poised to enhance regional creative, brand, and data capabilities for Accenture Song, with the shared goal of assisting clients in constructing and optimising digital experiences, driving growth in Thailand.

Talking about the project, Thomas Mouritzen, Southeast Asia lead at Accenture Song, said, “Consumer and employee expectations have drastically changed, leading businesses to seek partners with the scale and skills for delivering unique yet powerful engagement and connections. They are also looking for creative solutions and transformative programmes to advance growth.”

“Rabbit’s Tale will add more firepower to Accenture Song’s regional market excellence and business strategy, leveraging data, innovation, and creativity. This reaffirms our unwavering investment and commitment in Southeast Asia, enhancing our offerings, capabilities, and talent base to help clients achieve tangible outcomes in their brand, marketing, and experience transformation journeys,” he added.

Meanwhile, Patama Chantaruck, country managing director, Thailand at Accenture, commented, “This acquisition will help Accenture empower local businesses and nurture homegrown talent to create meaningful and highly personalised digital experiences that cater to the unique needs and preferences of the local market. Technology, when integrated with creativity, can significantly enhance how businesses interact with their customers and people, driving differentiation and fostering greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.

“Rabbit’s Tale’s talent and expertise will strengthen our positioning to help grow Thailand’s private sector with unparalleled solutions to some of its most complex challenges. Our combined talent and expertise will propel Thailand as a thriving hub of technological advancement and digital innovation in the region,” she concluded.

Following this milestone, Sunard Thanasanaksorn, CEO at Rabbit’s Tale, also said, “To combine unconventional creativity and breakthrough technology to solve our clients’ problems has always been our aspiration. We are thrilled that our next chapter of growth will be with Accenture Song, where its industry-leading position and creativity-led approach backed by data and technology have helped businesses across industries set new benchmarks.” 

Established in 2010, the Rabbit’s Tale team is set to work together with Accenture Song in Thailand, leveraging the agency’s world-class strategy, design, performance, technology, and large-scale operations capabilities.

Notably, this also marks the third acquisition by Accenture Song in Southeast Asia after Romp and Entropia.

Jakarta, Indonesia – Citi has announced that it has completed the sale of its Indonesian consumer banking business to UOB, effective November 20 this year. The sale includes retail banking, credit card, and unsecured lending businesses, as well as the transfer of employees.

This is the latest completed deal by UOB after it entered into an agreement with Citi January 2022 as part of a broader sale agreement covering consumer banking across Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Sales in Malaysia and Thailand were completed on November 1, 2022, and the sale in Vietnam was completed on March 1, 2023.

The sale excludes the bank’s institutional businesses, and Citi remains focused on serving institutional clients in Indonesia locally, regionally and globally.

Batara Sianturi, country officer for Indonesia at Citi, said, “Citi is proud to have a long history in Indonesia, and we are intently focused on growing Citi’s institutional businesses in Indonesia, serving clients in the market, regionally and globally through our network to support cross-border needs.”

Meanwhile, Titi Cole, head of legacy franchises at Citi, commented, “Completing our final divestiture of a full consumer franchise in Asia marks a significant milestone in simplifying the firm. This is a testament to the commitment of our employees across these markets and a clear demonstration of Citi’s ability to execute on our strategy. We are sincerely grateful to our former employees in Indonesia and wish them the very best in their careers with UOB.”

Since announcing its intention to exit consumer banking across 14 markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Mexico as part of its strategic refresh, Citi has now closed sales in nine of those markets including Australia, Bahrain, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, in addition to Indonesia.