Being data-driven is essential for companies that want to maintain a competitive position in the market
Jakala, a European leader in data transformation, which uses data and intelligent technologies to support customers from all sectors in achieving their strategic objectives, announces the launch of Digital Coffees, a series of exclusive meetings dedicated to the world of Artificial Intelligence: the initiative aims to create a space for comparison and discussion on the transformative potential of AI in modern business contexts. With a significant impact on various industrial sectors, Artificial Intelligence represents one of the most revolutionary technologies, marking a true ‘Big Bang’ for innovation. In an age where data has become the new oil, being data-driven is essential for companies that want to maintain a competitive position in the market. Implementing AI enables organizations to improve operational efficiency, optimize strategic decisions and personalize the customer experience – in essence, drive change.
A technology so important for the impact it has on the global market that Jakala has dedicated an international Center of Excellence to it within its headquarters in Milan with a team of a thousand professionals committed to its development. The Center has a triple objective: to act as a centralized knowledge management that incorporates best practices from the over 30 countries in which Jakala operates, to release and share them in a global exchange of knowledge; be an international training and recruiting hub; encourage hybridization between different sectors, with a view to cross fertilization which sees the declination of projects in markets other than those in which they were born.
Through its Digital Coffees, Jakala intends to leverage its expertise to offer a space where business leaders can share experiences and future visions on the use of AI, to address contemporary challenges and create new growth opportunities. The first Digital Coffee was held today, Thursday 6 June, at the prestigious Jakala headquarters in Palazzo Mellerio, in Corso di Porta Romana 15, in Milan. The inaugural event was moderated by Andrea Cabrini, director of Class CNBC, and saw the participation of representatives of leading Italian and international companies: Marco Di Dio Roccazzella, Shareholder and General Manager of Jakala, Antonio Bencini, Head of Data Culture of Generali Italia, Simone Dominici, CEO of Kiko, Massimo Ferro, Corporate Strategy of Nestlé, Alessandra Gritti, co-founder and CEO of TIP – Tamburi Investment Partners, Luca Pronzati, Chief Digital Technology Officer of MSC Cruises and Stefania Saviolo, Management teacher by Sda Bocconi.
Marco Di Dio Roccazzella, Shareholder and General Manager of Jakala, declared: “These meetings demonstrate JAkala’s commitment to promoting a culture of innovation and helping companies navigate the complexities of the digital world. The data-driven approach has been the beating heart of Jakala since its inception. Over the years, through partnerships with the main players in the field of data and analysis (Google, AWS, Microsoft, Oracle) and the acquisition of companies that were already working on generative open AI, we have grown, bringing together the best professionals in the company between Data Engineers, Data Experts, Insight Specialists, Data Scientists, linguists and Cloud expert engineers. A team of 500 professionals forms the operational core of our Center of Excellence, while the hiring of another 500 people who will join the team within the next three years is underway.”
“In Jakala, we always start from the resolution of a business problem – he explained – through a mix of consultancy, technologies and data, but in reality then, thanks to the Center of Excellence, we come to design new products and solutions, always with a dual objective: increasing customer performance and optimizing marketing or commercial costs. Some examples of technology that allows you to generate emails for communication campaigns in an automated manner, increasing the efficiency of branding and marketing activities positioning; J-Next, which manages loyalty and engagement programs supported by Ai Generativa; J-Hexagon, which allows media spending activities to be planned according to the presence of the target audience; , which allows you to identify potential risks on suppliers that could negatively influence the reputation of customers”.
Simone Dominici, CEO of Kiko, recalled: “We had an enormous amount of data that we were not fully exploiting. Every day, 300,000 people visit our stores and 140,000 use our e-commerce. Using this wealth of information to improve the customer experience, through Revenue Management and the study of Artificial Intelligence, price elasticity and promotion dynamics were better understood. We identified the most effective activities and implemented a selective pricing strategy, with significant results in terms of profit margins, which allowed us to reinvest in other strategic areas of the company. We were able to see first-hand the added value that Artificial Intelligence can offer and recorded an increase of over 450 bps, of which 80% in the first 18 months”.
Luca Pronzati, Chief Digital Technology Officer of MSC Cruises, said: “Following the global events of recent years, we have recorded a change in our consumer behaviour. We have started a digital transformation program in the sales and marketing sectors, aimed at involving customers in the various countries with differentiated attention and logic. All of this would have been impossible without Artificial Intelligence, which in fact plays and will play an increasingly important role in supporting the company in its critical path of digital transformation.”
Alessandra Gritti, co-founder and CEO of TIP – Tamburi Investment Partners, said: “Digitalization is of fundamental importance: 12 years ago we realized how much our sector was lagging behind in this area and we decided to invest in first Italian incubator specialized in digital which was Digital Magics. To date we have invested 130 million in technological innovation in Italy. Evaluating the possibility of an investment requires solid digital literacy, without the necessary skills you risk a lot. Artificial Intelligence is a phenomenon still in its infancy, comparable to a 3-year-old child, and needs to be studied and understood thoroughly. However, those who want to be part of this innovation must start preparing now to select projects and understand the true impact. This is why we have chosen to invest internally in this area: finance and innovation must necessarily coexist”.
Antonio Bencini, Head of Data Culture at Generali Italia, underlined: “The problems of applying AI are also of a philosophical nature. This is why we introduced the concept of Data Culture in a group like Generali. Insurance companies live on data, so we were already in a ‘privileged’ position. We have helped Generali become a data-driven company, also thanks to a significant wealth of information. We have introduced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to face the challenges of modernity and, at the same time, we have spread the culture of data within the company. This has created a real engine of internal change, helping to evolve the entire organization.”
Stefania Saviolo, professor of Management at SDA Bocconi, observed: “Today’s customer lives in a new world compared to a few years ago. He asks to be listened to in his diversity and in his needs. He needs simplification, inspiration and to co-create his experience of himself with the brand. Hence the concept of ‘Signature Experience’, a distinctive model developed by Jakala and Sda Bocconi, the result of years of analysis, research and applications with companies and groups at the forefront of innovation, with the aim of understanding how brands can create unique and personalized experiences across human, physical and digital touchpoints. Signature originates from purpose: why does a brand exist? What are its values? The Signature Experience, then, takes on aesthetic and emotional aspects, to involve customers in the high-end sector. With particular attention to new technologies such as augmented reality and artificial intelligence which allow the experience to be “augmented”, radically transforming the way in which companies interact with their customers”.
Massimo Ferro, Corporate Strategy at Nestlé, remarked: “The data we possess is a precious resource, which must be protected. We have worked intensely on data literacy, considering data a fundamental asset of our business, built over many years of work. Our first concern is therefore to guarantee their safety and protect them, as one protects a precious heritage.”