Latest news with #Infobip
Mail & Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
Strategy, storytelling and digital transformation – Business education to bridge creativity and commerce
Gugulethu Tshimanga is pursuing a Master's Degree in Digital Business to bridge her communications expertise with digital transformation, innovation and business strategy. For Gugulethu Tshimanga, returning to university wasn't about perfect timing — it was about purpose. As the senior regional social media specialist for EMEA at Infobip, a global communications platform, she leads social media strategy across multiple markets. 'I'm a curious thinker, a collaborative leader and someone who genuinely values authenticity and meaningful connection,' she says. With more than a decade of experience in marketing and communications, Tshimanga has carved out a niche at the intersection of digital strategy, brand storytelling and innovation. In 2020, she completed her honours in Communication Theory at the University of Johannesburg, focusing on new media's transformative role in modern communication. Now enrolled in the master's in Digital Business at Wits Business School, she is building on her foundation in communications by expanding into innovation and strategic business thinking. 'I wanted to bridge my communications expertise with a solid understanding of digital transformation, innovation and business strategy.' Creating the moment 'I was ready to stretch beyond my comfort zone and invest in my long-term vision,' Tshimanga says of her decision to return to study. 'There is honestly no right time. Life doesn't pause. But my desire to grow outweighed my fear. That was my signal.' In a world increasingly shaped by automation, analytics and artificial intelligence, Tshimanga felt a responsibility to stay ahead of the curve. 'It was critical to equip myself with future-facing skills that blend creativity and commerce so that I can continue to lead with insight and drive digital growth in spaces where technology, people and purpose intersect.' She says the programme has expanded her toolkit and her mindset. Exposure to concepts like agile leadership and customer-centric design has deepened her ability to think strategically and act decisively. 'What's been most impactful is learning to connect strategic thinking with real-world application, which has enhanced my ability to lead teams, advise cross-functional stakeholders and make informed decisions rooted in both creativity and commercial insight.' A collaborative mindset Learning hasn't been limited to the classroom. Tshimanga says her fellow students — professionals from a wide range of industries — have played a critical role in her growth. 'Whether it's sharing insights on market trends, exploring joint ventures, or simply having a strong support system of ambitious individuals, the network I am cultivating will continue to grow with me throughout my career.' That spirit of collaboration has also transformed her leadership approach. She is passionate about building 'learning organisations' that embed innovation and knowledge-sharing into company culture. 'Effective leadership goes beyond directing tasks and involves inspiring teams, fostering collaboration and cultivating a culture of continuous learning and innovation,' she says. 'When people feel their ideas matter, they take ownership. That's when real creativity and collaboration thrive.' Leading with empathy She believes active listening and emotional intelligence are essential, especially in dynamic, cross-cultural teams where clear communication makes all the difference. 'Understanding diverse perspectives and motivations helps build trust and empowers individuals to contribute their best.' But the journey hasn't been without challenges. 'During the first few weeks of my qualification, I struggled with imposter syndrome and doubted my abilities,' she admits. 'I spoke openly about these feelings and practised self-affirmations, and before I knew it, I was thriving.' Balancing study, work and parenting has required discipline. 'There have been late nights, early mornings and missed family moments,' she says. 'But I've built routines, leaned on my support system, and kept my eyes on the bigger picture.' A future-ready leader That bigger picture? A leadership style rooted in authenticity, adaptability and shared success. 'It's been demanding, but also incredibly rewarding.' Her advice to others considering postgraduate study is clear: 'Approach your studies with a clear purpose and realistic expectations. Think temporary sacrifice for long-term rewards. And remember to stay connected to your support systems — they'll help you carry the weight.' And for those still on the fence? 'Growth begins the moment you choose courage over comfort.'
New York Times
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Has Monaco Grand Prix lost its crown to Miami, Las Vegas for F1's elite spenders?
MONACO — There was a point not too long ago when the Monaco Grand Prix stood alone on the Formula One calendar, as the undisputed 'crown jewel' event. The street track had a pull for big spenders, celebrities and VIPs unlike any other round on the F1 calendar. If there was a place to be seen, it was Monaco. Advertisement Questions around the race's sporting spectacle — or lack thereof — have grown even louder in the era of F1's current wide, heavy cars. It prompted the FIA to introduce a new mandatory two-stop strategy rule for this year in the hope of spicing things up. Yet off the track, with partners and sponsors placing such an emphasis on the American races in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas, Monaco is no longer in the rarified air it once enjoyed. 'If you look at some of our sponsors who want to target America, or they have big business interest in America, they want to be attached to those American races,' Mark Morrell, the director of marketing at Haas F1 Team, told The Athletic. F1 has inextricably been connected to the business world through its 75-year history, being far more than a racing series and just what the fans see on the race track. Big brands not only want to be seen as part of such a glamorous, appealing sport, but teams also rely on sponsorship dollars to help them go racing. Haas used its first of three home races in the United States in Miami earlier this month to announce a new partnership with Infobip — a communications service used by companies such as Uber and Google. Haas also had sponsors who signed deals to cover the 2025 season late last year asking to bring forward the announcements to Austin and Las Vegas, in October and November, to capitalize on the American interest. Morrell said Haas has around half as many partner guests with the team in Monaco compared to Miami, and that the sheer busyness of an F1 race weekend had been 'shifting over the last couple of years towards Miami.' Although Silverstone and Monza stand as two major European races for sponsorship events and showcases, 'those U.S. races are the ones.' The off-track events scheduled for those in the paddock is typically full-on during the Miami and Las Vegas races, with sponsor activations and events, in part thanks to their settings in major cities with an array of hotel rooms, dinner locations and event spaces. In Monaco, a cramped location at the best of times and so F1 teams and sponsors are often reliant on the extra space offered on the super yachts moored in the harbor for extra hosting duties, and with Nice a 20-minute train ride away, it's not quite so straightforward. 'There's just more options available to sponsors when they look at the entire calendar now,' Morrell said. 'Whereas, Monaco in the past may have been the one iconic milestone event. They now see more opportunities where they can address their marketing budgets and activate.' Oliver Hughes, the chief marketing officer for Red Bull Racing, agreed that the Miami Grand Prix was 'really up there now as one of the pinnacles because the U.S. is booming,' noting the influx of American company CEOs at the event. More than half of Red Bull's F1 sponsorship portfolio is made up of American brands. For those considering their travel from the States, picking a race closer to home instead of crossing the Atlantic to Europe makes more logistical and financial sense. Advertisement Yet Hughes still feels that Monaco provides a 'huge draw' that was difficult to match given its location on the French Riviera. While Miami is a better race to speak to prospective partners and try to do new business, Monaco is more about impressing existing partners and their guests by making a lasting impression. 'What you'll find is if they go (to Monaco) in year one of a partnership, they'll definitely go in year two,' Hughes told The Athletic. 'It's a long way to go. But once they've been, they come back.' Hughes explained that Monaco was able to offer unique aspects that other races could not match, such as attending events on yachts, arriving at the track on a tender boat, or even enjoying hospitality on Red Bull's one-off floating energy station. Instead of taking up space in the cramped confines of the paddock next to the other eight teams, squeezing onto the harborside, the two Red Bull-owned teams have their normal hospitality unit placed on a barge that is moored in the harbor for the weekend. There are some extra additions, including a large patio area to host guests next to a vertically-suspended Red Bull F1 car, a prototype of the RB17 hypercar and even a swimming pool on the top floor. Hughes said it had become something of an 'accidental legacy' for Red Bull that the novelty of the floating energy station was so popular in the paddock, given it was done initially for logistical reasons. From 2026, temporary, uniform hospitality units that serve as a F1 team bases at the track will be used in the Monaco paddock — similar to how the paddock is arranged for events outside of Europe — instead of the motorhomes for other European races. But Red Bull still plans to bring its 'floaterhome,' given it does not rely on the paddock space. The Monaco paddock space will be even smaller in 2026 when Cadillac joins the grid as an 11th team. The novelty of Red Bull's floating hospitality meant rival teams' partners are also keen to sample its offering in Monaco, claimed Hughes. 'We are sneaking in our partners' CEOs left, right and centre on this platform,' he said. 'They'd rather be here than over there, sitting in the shade. They want to be in the sun by the pool. Obviously the other teams will probably tell you the complete opposite, that they're all in their place…' Advertisement Red Bull used the 2025 Monaco weekend to make another major partner announcement — extending and expanding its relationship with Visa, a title sponsor of the sister Racing Bulls team. This will be increased branding on the Red Bull Racing cars as a result. Visa's president first attended the 2024 Monaco race and was eager to return, even holding an event for other CEOs, including Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, on Thursday night in the principality. 'Visa have their biggest banking CEOs here this weekend,' Hughes said. 'So it's all timed in nicely.' Red Bull was not alone in using Monaco for major sponsor activations this year. Aston Martin used the track to give its new F1-inspired supercar, the Valhalla, its public debut. F1's official cruise partner, MSC, has moored the luxury Explora II cruise ship in the harbor, with VIP packages running into the tens of thousands of dollars. There's still a desire to impress and F1 and MSC also used the weekend to announce their partnership contract length has been extended. On Wednesday, McLaren and OKX, a cryptocurrency platform that is one of the team's major partners, held an event on the $50 million Coral Ocean yacht. They launched a new campaign including a tweaked F1 livery design that was revealed on a full-scale car — which had been lifted onto the yacht for the unveiling. Drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were on hand to lift the covers off the car, while McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown commented it was probably the first unveiling he'd ever attended in his socks, shoes not being allowed on expensive yachts. 'Monaco is still the jewel in the crown of the European calendar,' Lou McEwan, McLaren's chief marketing officer, told The Athletic. 'If you look back through from a fan point of view, I think last year's race was still third in the most-watched race in the U.S. ever. We know it resonates with fans. 'We've got double the number of B2B (business-to-business) guests that we had last year as a team — doubled it — and of that, we've probably got more C-suite and CEOs than any other race in the calendar. So, it's a really big focus race for us as well.' Haider Rafique, the chief marketing officer at OKX, said the history and significance within F1 of Monaco made it the perfect place to launch the campaign, particularly with a livery alteration. 'If you're going to do something that's making a fashion statement, which this livery absolutely is, I think Monaco's a great place,' he said. 'People come in, fans come in, they want to dress up, they want to really enjoy the environment. It's the crown jewel of F1 in my view as a fan.' Advertisement Morrell agreed that despite the 'logistical headaches' that come with activations in Monaco, the race remained iconic within F1. 'It's still an invite you can probably never turn down,' he said. Hughes argued that Monaco's star had not diminished at all amid the presence of the new, American races, but instead had risen with F1's commercial tide. 'We've just got these new shiny toys like Vegas and Miami that are perfectly placed, and perfectly timed, to grab the attention of the new audience that has come into the sport,' he said. 'I think Monaco is still growing. There's just other shiny toys around it now.' As impressive as those 'shiny toys' may be for F1, the teams and their sponsors, Monaco still has an appeal those events cannot buy: its history, its prestige, and its location. 'You look at the backdrop of this race, for all the people that watch it on TV or on social media —it's just spectacular,' Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said on Friday. 'In terms of guest activation programs or sponsors coming, it's huge. And, especially for the European market, very important. 'Monaco needs Formula One, and Formula One needs Monaco.' Top photo: ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images
Business Wire
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Infobip Enhances AI Capabilities With NVIDIA DGX B200
VODNJAN, Croatia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global communications platform Infobip has deployed NVIDIA DGX B200 systems in its data center infrastructure, marking a significant step forward in its commitment to advancing artificial intelligence capabilities. Infobip will utilize the supercomputer for the IPCEI-CIS project, an EU initiative focused on developing a next-generation global communications platform to enhance Europe's competitiveness. The project aims to safeguard Europe's digital sovereignty by ensuring better alignment with EU regulations on data protection and transparency. The combination of Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) platform features with AI provides powerful tools to enhance customer experience. According to Gartner®, 'By 2028, generative AI will drive conversational CX in 80% of enterprises, up from 20% in 2024' [1]. NVIDIA DGX B200 systems are equipped with eight NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs and an impressive 1.4TB of GPU memory, along with two fifth-generation Intel Xeon CPUs per module. This supercomputer serves as an AI accelerator, specializing in both the training and inference of AI models. Damir Prusac, vice president of Research Alliances at Infobip, said: "At Infobip, we're excited to begin utilizing NVIDIA DGX B200, harnessing its capabilities for the IPCEI-CIS project. This system allows us to advance our AI model development and deployment, enabling us to deliver faster and more efficient AI-driven solutions, and strengthening our position as a leader in innovation and technology." 'Global communications platforms face increasing demands for secure, efficient and scalable AI solutions,' says Carlo Ruiz, vice president of Enterprise Solutions at NVIDIA. 'The NVIDIA Blackwell-powered DGX platform delivers the performance and flexibility needed to tackle the most complex AI workloads, empowering innovators like Infobip to accelerate development and deployment of transformative solutions for the next generation of digital communications.' About Infobip Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Infobip Enhances AI Capabilities With NVIDIA DGX B200
Infobip is among the first in central Europe to use NVIDIA's powerful data center Blackwell GPU VODNJAN, Croatia, May 20, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global communications platform Infobip has deployed NVIDIA DGX B200 systems in its data center infrastructure, marking a significant step forward in its commitment to advancing artificial intelligence capabilities. Infobip will utilize the supercomputer for the IPCEI-CIS project, an EU initiative focused on developing a next-generation global communications platform to enhance Europe's competitiveness. The project aims to safeguard Europe's digital sovereignty by ensuring better alignment with EU regulations on data protection and transparency. The combination of Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) platform features with AI provides powerful tools to enhance customer experience. According to Gartner®, "By 2028, generative AI will drive conversational CX in 80% of enterprises, up from 20% in 2024"[1]. NVIDIA DGX B200 systems are equipped with eight NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs and an impressive 1.4TB of GPU memory, along with two fifth-generation Intel Xeon CPUs per module. This supercomputer serves as an AI accelerator, specializing in both the training and inference of AI models. Damir Prusac, vice president of Research Alliances at Infobip, said: "At Infobip, we're excited to begin utilizing NVIDIA DGX B200, harnessing its capabilities for the IPCEI-CIS project. This system allows us to advance our AI model development and deployment, enabling us to deliver faster and more efficient AI-driven solutions, and strengthening our position as a leader in innovation and technology." "Global communications platforms face increasing demands for secure, efficient and scalable AI solutions," says Carlo Ruiz, vice president of Enterprise Solutions at NVIDIA. "The NVIDIA Blackwell-powered DGX platform delivers the performance and flexibility needed to tackle the most complex AI workloads, empowering innovators like Infobip to accelerate development and deployment of transformative solutions for the next generation of digital communications." [1] Gartner 'Seize AI Trends to Enhance CPaaS and CCaaS Platforms in 2025' (By Manoj Bhatia - 3 January 2025 - ID G00823112) GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved About Infobip Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey. View source version on Contacts For more information, contact:Marcelo Bojana Mandić Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
National Post
19-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Infobip and Clerk Chat Partner to Deliver Next-Generation RCS Messaging for a Professional Football Team
Article content CHICAGO — Infobip, a global leader in omnichannel communications, is proud to announce its strategic partnership with Clerk Chat to deliver a groundbreaking Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging experience for a Los Angeles based football team. This collaboration brings together Infobip's robust messaging platform and Clerk Chat's innovative conversational technology, enabling the team to engage with their fans in a more dynamic, interactive, and personalized way across all major mobile carriers. Article content Article content By seamlessly integrating Infobip's enterprise-grade RCS and Conversational Experience technology with Clerk Chat's advanced Conversational AI platform, the team can now offer fans a richer, app-like experience directly within their native messaging apps. This solution empowers the team to share multimedia content, interactive updates, and real-time engagement opportunities, all while ensuring secure and reliable delivery at scale. Article content 'We are thrilled to join forces with Clerk Chat to set a new standard for fan engagement in sports,' said Ivan Ostojić, Chief Business Officer at Infobip. 'Our collaboration demonstrates the power of combining Infobip's global messaging infrastructure with Clerk Chat's conversational expertise, delivering innovative and immersive experiences that connect brands and audiences like never before.' Article content This partnership marks a significant milestone in the evolution of conversational messaging, showcasing how two industry leaders can work collaboratively to bring next-generation solutions to market. Together, Infobip and Clerk Chat are redefining how sports organizations engage with their communities, setting the stage for broader adoption of RCS technology across industries. Article content 'RCS for business is transforming the way brands engage with customers. We see it as an ideal platform for AI, enabling brands to deliver richer, more dynamic conversations,' says Alexander Haque, co-founder and CEO of Clerk Chat. 'This shift has the potential to democratize access to AI-powered services, offering everyone a concierge-like experience directly within their messaging app.' Article content Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey. Accessed through a single platform, Infobip's omnichannel engagement, identity, user authentication and contact centre solutions help businesses and partners overcome the complexity of consumer communications to grow business and increase loyalty. It offers natively built technology with the capacity to reach over seven billion mobile devices and 'things' in 6 continents connected to over 9,700+ connections of which 800+ are direct operator connections. Infobip was established in 2006 and is led by its co-founders, CEO Silvio Kutić, Roberto Kutić and Izabel Jelenić. Article content Infobip ranked an Established Leader in the Juniper Research Conversational AI Leaderboard (Feb 2025) Infobip named a Leader for the third time in the IDC MarketScape (Feb 2025) Infobip named one of the top CPaaS providers in Metrigy's CPaaS MetriRank Report (Dec 2024) Infobip named number one among Established Leaders in RCS Business Messaging in Juniper Research's RCS Business Messaging Competitor Leaderboard 2024 (Nov 2024) Infobip recognized as the number one provider in the AIT Fraud Prevention market by Juniper Research (Oct 2024) Infobip named a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) 2024 for the second year running (June 2024) Infobip named to Fast Company's Annual List of the World's Most Innovative Companies (March 2024) Omdia Ranks Infobip as Leader for the second year running in its CPaaS Universe Report (Nov 2023) Article content Clerk Chat is an AI-driven conversational messaging platform that enables businesses to stay connected and respond to client and customer requests through seamless, real-time communication. Designed for businesses aiming to enhance their customer engagement, Clerk Chat integrates with major platforms like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, Salesforce, HubSpot and more. It supports connections with telecom providers such as Verizon, Twilio, Bandwidth, Sinch and Infobip, ensuring compliance with industry standards. Trusted by thousands of businesses looking for messaging services, Clerk Chat handles millions of messages daily, delivering a streamlined solution for sales, support and marketing in one intuitive interface. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
