November 18, 2021 – The Board of Directors of Afiniti, Ltd. (“Afiniti”) announces that Mr. Zia Chishti has stepped down from his role as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Afiniti, effective immediately. The Board will make additional organizational announcements in the coming days.
HAMILTON, Bermuda, November 2, 2021 – Afiniti, the world’s leading provider of AI that pairs customers with contact center agents, has appointed Dr. Caroline O’Brien as its first Chief Data Officer.
Caroline will be responsible for leading data strategy and data engagement across Afiniti’s fast-growing client base as it develops new applications of its patented Behavioral Pairing technology. With deep technical knowledge in data science and vast experience deploying AI in enterprise environments, Caroline is uniquely positioned to advocate for the role of high-quality, secure and ethically sourced data in AI models.
“The pandemic has accelerated the need for brands to connect with their customers remotely, which has been a key driver of Afiniti’s growth in the last year,” said Dr. Caroline O’Brien. “I am excited to continue working closely with clients to develop joint data strategies that are robust, effective and secure — so we can deliver even more value for them and their customers.”
Previously, Caroline served as Senior Vice President of Data Science and was responsible for leading a global team of AI and data science experts dedicated to advanced analytics. During her four years with Afiniti, she has also been responsible for Afiniti’s new product pipeline and has contributed to Afiniti’s growing patent portfolio.
“Caroline has delivered exceptional results for our clients over the past four years and I can’t think of a better person to lead Afiniti’s data strategy,” said Zia Chishti, CEO and Chairman of Afiniti. “As a global company, clients trust us to use their data responsibly and in compliance with local regulation everywhere we operate around the world. Caroline has a strong track record for governance and, as our first Chief Data Officer, I know she will be a major force in Afiniti’s continued growth and success.”
Before joining Afiniti in 2017, Caroline was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a data scientist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Through her research affiliation with Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences, Caroline is the author of over 18 academic papers, has co-authored two books and remains active in the academic community, researching the application of engineering, data science and mathematics for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. She also advocates for the advancement of women in AI and data science, and is on the advisory board of Creatable, a female-focused STEM educational initiative.
An Australian now based in Bermuda, Caroline holds a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelors of Mechanical Engineering and Arts with majors in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Queensland.
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About Afiniti
Afiniti is improving the quality of human interactions around the world. It uses patented, award-winning artificial intelligence to identify subtle and valuable patterns of human interaction in order to pair individuals on the basis of behavior, leading to happier, more loyal customers and measurable increases in enterprise profitability. Afiniti’s unique benchmarking and precise measurability allow clients across industries including healthcare, telecommunications, travel, hospitality, insurance, and banking to only pay for a percentage of the value delivered. It has over 150 deployments in major enterprises and has optimized more than 600,000 agents and 700 million customers. Afiniti’s technology continually learns and improves, analyzing 1.3 million interactions every day to refine its pairings. Behavioral Pairing is proven to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in incremental revenue to clients each year. To learn more, visit www.afiniti.com.
We are thrilled to welcome Alicia Richart as our new General Manager of Iberia, whereby she will lead the company strategy and operations in Spain and Portugal.
Previously, Alicia served as the founder and CEO of DigitalES, a nonprofit start-up that promotes digital transformation, and advocates for the telecommunications and technology industries in Spain.
Alicia will be taking over the position of General Manager of Iberia from Alonso Aznar. As the new GM, she will be responsible for driving growth, managing client relationships, and leading Afiniti’s strategy and operations in Spain and Portugal. Alonso now is part of Afiniti’s management team as SVP & Head of Growth, where he oversees the delivery and acceleration of revenue, including operational management and expansion of Afiniti’s client base across 22 countries.
With Industrial Engineering MSc and BS degrees from Instituto Químico de Sarria, and an MBA from ESADE Business School, Alicia’s career spans Total, Accenture, the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, and Cellnex Telecom.
Alicia brings Afiniti a strong command of the Iberian business ecosystem. Under her leadership, the Afiniti team in Spain will keep on soaring in parallel with Afiniti’s growing international clientele and evolving regional operations.
Afiniti is proud to welcome Consuelo Remmert as its General Manager of France.
Previously, Consuelo worked at the CEO’s Office of Palantir Technologies for five years, where she led business development efforts globally, and participated in investor relations and strategic internal missions.
Before Palantir, Consuelo was an Aide to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, first as Multilateral Affairs Adviser at the French Presidency’s Diplomatic Unit, and then as Head of International Affairs in the President’s private office.
Consuelo started her career in the United Nations Department of Public Information after graduating from Columbia College in the city of New York with the honors of Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude. She later held positions in strategic communications at WPP and the Brunswick Group.
Consuelo will be taking over the General Manager position in France from Jérôme de Castries. As the new French GM, she will be responsible for the continued success of Afiniti’s third-largest global market. Jérôme will join Afiniti’s Senior Leadership Team as SVP & Head of Growth, where he will lead engagement with a global portfolio of clients as well as oversee Afiniti’s expansion in the insurance industry.
The changes reflect Afiniti’s continued global expansion. Over the past few months, Afiniti has added a number of key executives and hundreds of new team members to help meet the demands of its growing global client base.