CMOtech UK

Designit has published a poll showing that employees value autonomy and flexibility more than workplace technology. The findings point to a gap between employee priorities and corporate investment in digital tools. A third of respondents, 33%, said autonomy was the most important element of a well-designed employee experience, while 30% chose flexibility. Better digital tools ranked lower at 21%, and 15% said listening leadership was the defining feature of a great workplace experience.

In my recent conversations with customers and prospects, a common theme is emerging. Several have recently told me that when transforming procurement with AI, the biggest risk is moving too slowly. In a recent webinar, for example, our customers Invesco and Bristol Myers Squibb both urged their peers in procurement to 'just get started'. So, what causes delays? One area where we see teams getting stuck is around the classic 'build vs. buy' question.

Ecommpay has been shortlisted for four honours at the Women in Tech Employer Awards 2026, with nominations for the company and two senior staff members. The payments company is shortlisted for Best Employer in the 250-1,000 employees category and Best Employer Network. Chief Marketing Officer Miranda McLean and Head of Compliance Alpa Jotangia were also shortlisted in the Outstanding Advocate for Women in Tech category.

Askable has launched a Figma connector built on the Model Context Protocol, allowing design and product teams to pull customer research into Figma. The tool is designed to bring research findings into the design process as product decisions are made, rather than leaving that material in separate reports or presentations. The release aims to address a gap between faster product development cycles and the slower way research is often accessed inside organisations.

Earthmark has published a ranking of UK businesses based on environmental performance, with London Metal Exchange topping the table. The Oxford-based company analysed publicly disclosed environmental information and applied its scoring method to 25,000 brands. In the UK rankings, RELX, PageGroup and TradingHub followed London Metal Exchange, while Charlotte Tilbury was the highest-ranked consumer brand. Penhaligon's, Experian, Wood Thilsted, Grainger and Alliance Healthcare completed the top 10.

More than half of UK marketers are failing to react fast enough to major cultural moments, according to Optimizely research that highlights a gap between consumer expectations and brands' ability to respond in real time. A survey of 1,000 UK consumers and 100 UK marketers found that 54% of consumers are more likely to engage with brands that deliver relevant, timely content around events such as the World Cup.

ECI Partners has outlined how it assesses artificial intelligence risks and opportunities during private equity due diligence, with AI now at the top of the agenda in deal reviews. Investors are looking beyond technical novelty to whether a business can defend its market position, retain customer trust and use AI in ways that strengthen pricing and growth. Management teams seeking backing also need to show a clear view of how AI is changing their market, operating model and product strategy.

Logile has partnered with ReThink Productivity across the UK and EMEA, linking workforce management software with productivity analysis for retailers. The partnership aims to help retailers turn productivity targets into changes in labour planning, scheduling and store operations. It also forms part of the LogileONE Partner Ecosystem, Logile's network of external partners focused on store-level operations.

Cisco and McLaren Racing have extended their partnership. The agreement covers the McLaren Formula 1 Team and the NEOM McLaren Electric Racing Team. The renewal keeps Cisco as an official partner across Formula 1 and electric racing. The companies will continue working on digital infrastructure, connectivity and collaboration tools used in race operations and team activities.

Google has previewed Android Halo, a new interface element for AI agents on Android. The feature is due to launch with Android 17 later this year. Android Halo is a dedicated space in the status bar that shows what an AI agent is doing and lets users respond without leaving their current screen. It will work with Gemini Spark and other supported agents, with added functions on selected devices using Gemini Intelligence.