Industry news

Tech giants among others will have to disclose carbon emissions under new California law

A first of its kind Californian law will soon require companies with annual revenues above $1bn to disclose carbon emissions - both direct and indirect.

The law was signed last weekend by Governor Gavin Newsom and is catchily known as Senate Bill 253 (SB253.) It doesn't sound at first like a wildly exciting development, but SB253 is a radical piece of legislation and if enacted as intended it is likely to have a significant and positive impact on global emissions.

Accenture has acquired The Storytellers, a London-based creative management consultancy. 

Founded in 2003, The Storytellers focuses on helping business develop and deliver compelling narratives to support both the execution of internal transformation initiatives and the deployment of new business strategies. The firm employs more than 30 professionals with expertise covering facilitation, skills-building, creative communications, and immersive digital and live event production.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly visited the Smart Village, where he met with five of the largest international companies in the field of information technology and outsourcing services. He was accompanied by Amr Talaat, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology.

The Prime Minister emphasized that this visit reflects the government’s support and encouragement for foreign direct investment in Egypt, as well as its efforts to boost the export sectors and develop the outsourcing and cross-border information technology industries.

Read the full article on Daily News Egypt here.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has partnered with digital solutions company EXL and workforce development company EduBridge to impart cloud education to unemployed individuals in India and the Philippines, a statement said.

EduBridge in the statement said that the 12-week cohort-based workforce development programme equips learners with foundational knowledge and skills for entry-level positions across cloud technology, IT operations, site reliability, and infrastructure support.

Read the full article on India Retailing here.

Concentrix, a leader in customer service and technology, and Webhelp, a global provider of customer experience and business solutions, announced the completion of their merger on Tuesday. The new company will operate under the temporary name “Concentrix + Webhelp” until a new name is chosen.

The merger positions Concentrix + Webhelp as a global leader in the customer experience sector, with an expanded portfolio of AI solutions and digital capabilities. It also enhances the overall customer experience value proposition with one of the strongest and most balanced global footprints in the sector, helping the world's top brands transform customer experiences and reach their business goals.

CGI is continuing to invest heavily in sustainability initiatives, and the fight against climate change, in the UK. On Monday this week, it launched a new Sustainability Lab in partnership with the University of Leicester.

The University of Leicester is a founding member of CGI’s research initiative, Sustainability Exploration and Environmental Data Science (SEEDS).

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Artificial intelligence is a top investment priority for business leaders.

More than two-thirds of US CEOs rank investment in generative AI as a primary priority for their company, according to a new KPMG survey of 400 US chief executives.

"This is not hype," KPMG US chair Paul Knopp told Yahoo Finance Live. "It will be disruptive, and CEOs are paying close attention.

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna has made it clear that his intention is not to lay off any programmers due to AI but rather to increase hiring.

Speaking at the Fortune's CEO Initiative conference in Washington, DC, Krishna stressed the importance of dispelling the misconception that associates productivity gains with job losses.

He provided insight into IBM's own experience with this shift, arguing that the technology would in fact generate more jobs than it would eliminate and that AI would enhance the productivity of programmers by up to 30%.

The UK automation scene remains a maturing market that continues to change and develop rapidly, with users, buyers and suppliers of associated solutions all struggling to surface maximum business value among the confusion and hype.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

The practice of moonlighting in India’s tech sector dropped significantly due to a subdued job market, limited freelance gigs, and a return to office-based work.

Prasadh M.S., head of workforce research and analytics at staffing company Xpheno, said there is a 70-80% reduction in moonlighting compared to last year, mainly due to fewer projects available for software developers and UX designers.

Similarly, Sunil Chemmankotil, CEO of staffing firm TeamLease Digital, said the fall in moonlighting underlines that it is “no longer a candidate’s market.”