Eagle Eye appoints its first group-wide chief AI officer

Eagle Eye Group, the martech company which powers the data-driven activity of Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, John Lewis, Tesco, Coca-Cola, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer, has recruited its first chief artificial intelligence officer.

Jean-Matthieu Schertzer joins the group after spells as a senior data scientist at EDF Energy, Quantmetry and H20.ai, and will be based at the Paris office of the Untie Nots division, which the group acquired in January this year.

He will lead Untie Nots’ overall AI strategy, alongside the Eagle Eye Group’s leadership team and support the design, development, and implementation of AI technologies for retailers and brands worldwide.

The group claims the appointment signals its commitment to integrating AI into its solutions and reflects the rapid adoption of AI across the retail sector. With Schertzer at the helm, Eagle Eye and Untie Nots insists they will enable retailers and brands to create hyper-personalised omnichannel experiences and direct, one-to-one connections with their customers.

Schertzer, an alumnus of the École Polytechnique , one of France’s and Europe’s most prestigious scientific schools, brings a rich background in applied mathematics.

He will spearhead the next generation of AI-powered customer marketing solutions that Eagle Eye maintains will allow retailers and brands to predict shopping behaviours and develop personalised promotions at a scale not seen before.

Eagle Eye Group CEO Tim Mason, the former Tesco marketing chief, said: “Our decision to appoint a chief AI officer comes against a backdrop of retailers struggling to provide the personalised customer experiences that today’s consumers demand.

“We are using AI to augment the Eagle Eye nervous system, which enables the real-time matching and delivery of offers and communications to individual customers, with a ‘brain’ that can create personalised offers dynamically, on the fly. Even if you have 10 million customers, no two will receive the same offer or be engaged in the same way. Jean-Mattieu will help us bring this vision to life.”

The group cites McKinsey’s latest research, which forecasts that predictive and generative AI could contribute $22.1 trillion to the global economy. In parallel, the retail AI market is poised for explosive growth, with projections indicating an annual increase exceeding 30% from 2023 to 2032, highlighting the significant opportunity for businesses to harness AI for strategic advantage.

Schertzer said: “We stand on the cusp of a generational opportunity with AI and its applications in retail, among other sectors. I firmly believe that the brands that can implement AI-powered personalisation will come to dominate the future. Still, they need partners like Untie Nots and Eagle Eye that are committed to innovation and have the infrastructure and industry-specific background to execute it.”

Although AI adoption rates are high, 63% of retail organisations use AI to enhance customer interactions, but only 54% of retail marketers use AI for channel-specific personalisation.

Mason added: “We are working to place Eagle Eye as the go-to SaaS platform for retail brands worldwide looking to take their personalisation capabilities and loyalty scheme ROIs to the next level in the months and years to come.”