ATG Exco team

Leadership moves at Argility Technology Group

The Argility Technology Group (ATG) – this year celebrating 45 years of operations and latterly owned by Smollan, has a new CEO. Tanya Long takes over the role from Marko Salic, who now moves to the position of Chief Data Officer (CDO) for the Smollan Data & Technology cluster and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for ATG. Both appointments are with immediate effect.

Long, previously COO of ATG, is immensely experienced in the technology sector, where she commenced her career in 1988 supporting point-of-sale solutions. She moved formally into software development with UCS/Argility in 1989 as a developer, and progressed through to team leader – account management, project plus development management roles, which led her into various industries and corporations. She boasts three decades of experience at ATG, having begun as a Ceres developer. Her progression in the company saw her move into various roles and across many different clients. In the past seven years, she has served as COO and HR executive working alongside Salic to build and execute ATG’s vision for the group. “Tanya’s deep knowledge and care for the people, products, customers and processes, plus her passion to ensure ATG is filled with a skilled, engaged team of the best technical experts, has been instrumental in creating the organisation that ATG is today,” says James Collett, Smollan Chief Executive: Data & Technology.

As CEO, she will assume responsibility for all teams other than Data Science. Salic will continue to support Long during a transition period and will obviously remain available to the ATG teams from a CTO, leadership and advice perspective.

In moving to the position of Chief Data Officer (CDO) for the Smollan Data & Technology cluster and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for ATG, Salic will retain his current Data Science portfolio and will continue to lead the relevant teams. “Marko will also continue to drive and evolve the Google partnership and will also assume responsibility for the senior data engineers within the DataOrbis South Africa team. Marko’s primary focus will be to serve as Smollan Data & Technology CDO and to lead the development of our data/AI strategy, thereby evolving our data science and advanced analytics offerings across the cluster,” says Collett.

He further confirms that in moving to the position of CDO/CTO, Salic returns to his first love – technology. “He is an innovator, a passionate technologist as well as a respected leader with a strong followership. Marko has led ATG into a new era. His leadership augmented by his technical expertise, has been at the forefront of the evolution of Argility into a group of five software businesses focusing on software and data analytics solutions for retailers and brands. More recently, Marko has driven the integration of ATG into the Smollan Tech and Data cluster, matching ATG’s technical expertise with the Smollan retail and data powerhouse to create a new phase for all involved in the disruption of the retail landscape.”

Collett notes these appointments bode well for exciting times to come where ATG will continue to push boundaries and be the company of choice for retailers and brands in software solutions.

Source: IT Web | CIO-SA | Intelligent CIO

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Stefan Terblance ATG Client Success Manager

The Argility Technology Group Creates New Customer Service Role in the Business

The Argility Technology Group has established a new role in the business – Client Success Manager (CSM) and has appointed Stefan Terblanche, to the position. 

Stefan steps into the role with over two and a half decades experience in the retail industry having worked in various areas including operations; business optimisation; strategy and customer service.

The CSM will be tasked with building relationships by acting as the interface between the customer service teams and the company. 

This is a very exciting time in terms of ATGs market position and growth. The goal with this new position is to build on the existing strong customer relationships with the objective of entrenching ATGs service offerings to secure and maintain long-term agreements with the group’s client base. The CSM will work closely with ATG’s executive management team and clients to assist in understanding the customer’s needs; business objectives and the most appropriate technology solutions to meet those requirements. As such, the role required an appointee with an in-depth knowledge and understanding of Argility’s full suite of service/solution offerings. Stefan met this criteria having previously been an ATG client and then joining the group as a Retail Solutions Consultant for a number of years.

The appointment is effective immediately.  

For more information contact us on 011 712 1300, email info@argility.com or visit our website, www.argility.com

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Japie Saunders IS Manager | Cloud & Network Architect ATG

Argility Technology Group announces two more Google partnerships

The group’s strategic focus on Google is strengthened.

The Argility Technology Group (ATG), a leading developer of innovative software and technology solutions for the retail and supply chain sectors, has added Google Cloud Partner and Google Workspace Partner to its Google Build Partner certification.

“This move consolidates ATG’s strategy to focus on developing solutions on the Google Cloud Platform, and expands the range of services ATG can offer,” says Japie Saunders, IS Manager and Cloud Architect at ATG. “Becoming a Google Cloud Partner means that we can access the whole Google suite, which has an extensive range of products that can be used to create solutions that really solve the business challenges faced by our clients,” he says. “In similar vein, the Google Workspace partnership also opens up the full range of Google’s productivity and collaboration tools. These will allow ATG to craft powerful solutions that enable our clients to work together easily and effectively, something that’s become even more important since the pandemic turned the work environment upside down.”

Saunders says achieving these certifications is an important milestone in ATG’s drive to develop a growing range of cloud-based solutions. Very early on, ATG realised that cloud offered businesses a game-changing way to access a range of technologies that would enable them to make the shift to a data-centric, highly personalised digital commerce experience with reduced risk and quicker implementation times. The cloud model also makes it much easier to manage costs, a key issue for organisations in a cost-constrained environment.

ATG has elected to base its solutions exclusively on Google Cloud Platform for a number of reasons, not least of which is access to industry-leading artificial intelligence and machine learning tools that can be easily integrated into its solutions. Google’s pioneering of Kubernetes is another plus, as is the quality and responsiveness of Google’s teams, both global and local.

“Our growing partnership with Google is a key strategy in our quest to continue developing technology solutions that will help retail and supply chain organisations digitally transform their businesses – it is vital they do so to compete successfully in an increasingly virtual world. We have the industry insight and experience to create these solutions and partnering with Google enables us to develop and implement them more quickly and cost-effectively,” concludes Saunders.

Source: IT Web

For further information – contact us today 

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Marko Salic CEO ATG

Smollan buys Argility Technology Group from Capital Eye Investment

South Africa’s Argility Technology Group has been snapped up by the Smollan Group, a global intelligent commerce solutions business that works to deliver growth for retailers and brand owners across five continents, including Africa.

Smollan acquired ATG from Capital Eye Investments – a private equity and venture capital company that invests in technology-driven businesses with a particular focus on emerging markets. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Smollan has a 90-year history of partnering with brands to create and execute insight-led solutions to deliver growth, wider distribution and operational efficiency, while ATG’s origins trace back to a 35-year-plus history as a prominent software developer and supplier to the retail and supply chain sectors.

Expanding data offering within retail and supply chain

James Collett, Smollan Chief Data Officer, emphasises the importance of the strategic acquisition. “ATG joining the Smollan Group is a significant step forward in our strategy to expand our technology and data offering within retail and supply chain. We are extremely excited about the synergies which exist between the businesses, and as a leading global commerce solution company, we will be looking to grow the ATG footprint internationally.

“An aligned and strong culture is always foundational to creating a successful partnership, and in ATG and its people, we believe that we have found just that. We look forward to welcoming ATG into the Smollan family,” says Collett.

Marko Salic ATG CEO  Q&A: Marko Salic on digitally transforming retail and supply chain solutionsRead more

Marko Salic, ATG CEO notes that the acquisition is one of the most important events in the history of Argility. “ATG is immensely excited about this new phase in the history of the group. Over the past five years, we have made notable strategic investments in the acquisition of companies that have served to augment our goal of partnering with retail and supply chain organisations to help them digitise and transition into industry 4.0.

“The purchase of ATG by Smollan represents a substantial investment in our business and an expanded pathway to global markets. The synergies between Argility’s vision and mission with that of Smollan made this a very appealing move for us and a good cultural fit for our group. Combining these strengths will serve to enhance ATG’s portfolio; expand our solutions, and service delivery for current and future customers,” says Salic.

The Smollan acquisition of ATG has been ratified by all regulatory bodies and is effective immediately.

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The Argility Technology Group

The Argility Technology Group is a leading innovator and implementer of digital commerce and supply chain software solutions in Africa. Our vast experience combined with a depth of proprietary software and skills enables us to address the multitude of challenges facing businesses in today’s era of digital transformation.

We solve complex business problems by supplying and supporting various customised software solutions such as: Point of Sale; ERP; Warehouse, Fleet, IoT and Proximity Management; Data Science (Artificial Intelligence) solutions and more. We strive to become a technology partner and an extension of our customers’ businesses and not just another solutions provider.

The group’s origins trace back over thirty years as a leading software supplier to the retail sector. Decades of long, prosperous customer relationships bear testament to our customer-centric culture, exceptional service, and innovative thinking. From single systems to the digital transformation of an entire organisation – we have the solutions, skills, and experience.

The Argility Technology Group is comprised of: Argility; Cquential Solutions, Fleet Domain; SkyData Communications, and strategic partner, Ashanti AI. All are foremost technology developers and suppliers of enterprise software solutions for the Retail, Supply Chain, Fleet industries as well as a comprehensive IoT framework that enables local enterprises to integrate, manage and optimise their growing IoT ecosystems.

For further information: www.argility.com

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Smollan

Founded in 1931, Smollan is a global commerce business, delivering growth for retailers and brand owners across five continents. We partner with brands to create and execute insight-led solutions to deliver growth, wider distribution, and operational efficiencies.

Internationally recognised for our exceptional human platform of over 80 000 people and our sophisticated systems, we drive sales and create brilliant shopper experiences for some of the world’s most loved brands. We work at the pivot point where retailers, brands and shoppers intersect.

Contact us at www.smollan.com.

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