Sid Vasili joins the TIME DISTRICT team as a Senior Advisor.

TIME DISTRICT is the ultimate destination for the watch collectors and connoisseurs’ community. TIME DISTRICT is redefining the art of collecting by changing the way watch enthusiasts interact and exchange.

TIME DISTRICT in an independent and verified mobile app built on the most secure Blockchain technology to ensure trust, security, and transparency.

TIME DISTRICT is the first Swiss Made* social marketplace to review, search, authenticate, buy, or sell timepieces in a truly trusted and secure environment.

"An unusual angle, the team at TIME DISTRICT have spotted an untapped opportunity, too often left behind, Watch Collectors are desperately seeking for an all-in-one toolbox to exchange and interact with each other in a safe and secure environment. TIME DISTRICT app provides collectors with a platform that looks and feels like them." comments Sid Vasili.

After 18 months of research and development, our Swiss-based team is launching a holistic, comprehensive, scalable digital solution designed by and for watch enthusiasts. In a few simple steps, TIME DISTRICT allows members to connect to a trusted community with verified onboarding, securely transact with an escrow shield, and grow their collection with a seamless authentication process integrated with the blockchain.

TIME DISTRICT is powered by and for watch collectors.

* Swiss-Made software label certified by the Swiss-Made Software Organisation supported by the Swiss Confederation.

For more details, visit TIME DISTRICT or contact Sid Vasili.

When companies manually check invoices, one of the main risks is falling for a phishing or invoice scam. CAIGROUP has developed AI machine learning systems which eradicate this concern, by checking invoice information, changes to invoice details and the originator’s email domain.

The company operates a subscription-based service to provide automated, touchless document processing and to eliminate external losses. At its heart is an OCR scanning system, which is configured to integrate with client ERP systems and to match documents against payment advice records – highlighting exceptions and fraudulent transactions.

According to Sid Vasili, “I have been involved with Firdaus Mogul and CAIGROUP for several years now and have seen the business grow from strength to strength by solving the invoice processing problem.  Their AI capability is unrivalled and offers significant ROI for companies processing and settling supplier invoices.”

A full suite of invoice, document, photo scanning and processing applications are available from CAIGROUP to support accounts departments, HR functions and management teams in any industry, from insurance and manufacturing to business process outsourcing.

For more details, visit CAIGROUP or contact Sid Vasili.

The CardUp payment platform allows consumers, SMEs, mid-size companies and large corporations to manage cash flow and earn rewards on spending. Users collect incentives such as air miles by paying rent, insurance premiums, payroll and supplier invoices using credit card finance. The platform is growing rapidly in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong and from March this year, the range of payment options has been expanded to include mortgage loans. 

Sid Vasili, an early investor in the company who was appointed to the board in 2018, comments “The CardUp platform allows savvy consumers to benefit from credit card incentives for settling payments for a massive range of products and services. Users accumulate thousands of air miles and can pay off credit card balances on time with no charge via simple, easy-to-use digital platform.”

The company is experiencing significant growth in the region, with further plans for expansion. For more details about the company or the platform, contact Sid Vasili.

C-Suite Executives and Directors in Global Business Services organisations are attending the largest European shared services outsourcing event, the SSOW conference, from 23^rd to 26^th May in Lisbon.

Leaders in the industry are meeting for the first time since the global pandemic to discuss The Road Ahead Towards 2030, with a theme of ‘Reconnect, Recalibrate, Rewire’.  

Sid Vasili is speaking about ‘Results from the Most Admired SSOs in the World’ and the full agenda will discuss opportunities for the industry, data and process standardisation, talent strategy and case studies of the new hybrid working environment.

The four-day conference is held at the Estoril Congress Center, Estoril, Portugal. For more details, contact Sid Vasili.

Social Shopper by INT:NT is a ready-to-deploy shopping experience for social media platforms. For sales enquiries and customer support, shoppers interact with automated chatbots which are driven by world-class AI technology.

This application has been developed as a bolt-on to Shopify and WooCommerce ecommerce platforms. It allows companies to extend commercial reach to WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook whilst automating customer interactions 24/7.  

The simple, turnkey solution makes use of AI-driven software to gauge customer sentiment and intent. The user-interface handles enquiries, ordering and after-sales support by responding dynamically to customer requests; without the need for expensive chatbot set-up and programming.    

Chairman of INT:NT, Sid Vasili comments, “Having developed AI software which recognises intent and emotion in conversations across social media, INT:NT is putting this core competence to work by automating the eCommerce sales process whilst improving the customer experience. We are investing in sales and marketing of the software globally, and the companies who have already installed Social Shopper are seeing an immediate uplift in sales across social media platforms”.

For more details about Social Shopper, visit INT:NT.AI or contact Sid Vasili.  

Two Minute Reads was launched in April 2022 in London to major publishers, journalists, and investors. It is a free-to-join media channel which will deliver concise, curated articles of less than 400 words to busy professionals.

Readers will be able to select from topics of interest ranging from AI, customer experience and digital marketing through to book reviews and luxury goods. Articles are vetted to save the reader time by presenting valuable insights and information about industries, issues and trends.     

Contributors benefit from distribution of news content to readers and editors, on a platform which is carefully optimised for web search to amplify content distribution and grow backlinks for client websites.  

A wide range of media content is being written by topic experts, bloggers and journalists and opportunities exist for product manufacturers, start-ups, service suppliers and major corporations to sponsor content and provide valuable, easy-to-digest articles about business issues.   

The .com website www.twominutereads.com is part Chat React Ltd, which was founded by Sid Vasili, Balil Sadiq and Ian Tomlin; all professionals with vast experience in growing successful organisations involved in digital transformation, marketing and media.

Early bird offers and opportunities for headline topic sponsorship are now available. Contact me on this form if you would like to register your interest.  

INTNT.AI has applied powerful emotions analytics software to improve the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), by analysing social media conversations and ranking words to describe the emotions caused by pain.

The MPQ, created in 1971, is one of the most frequently used methods of measuring the extent of pain a medical patient suffers. The English language has evolved since the questionnaire was developed; its pain descriptors have never been updated to reflect modern vocabulary.

In a study sponsored by the National University of Singapore, INTNT.AI analysed a dataset of all conversations on social media for a full year. The experts analysed over 2 million posts on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, referencing words related to the impact of pain to shortlist relevant conversations. The use of specialist AI software carried out further screening to detect and remove sarcastic comments and ensure that all posts analysed were serious conversations.

As a result of the research, 11 words were deleted from the questionnaire and 13 new words were added, 9 of which form a completely new category that identifies psychological impact.
The top 10 new descriptors in descending order of frequency are anxiety, depression, fear, excruciating, anger, discomfort, depression, sadness, low and fever.

It is estimated that 40% of individuals suffer from chronic pain, with a total impact on the United States economy alone exceeding $500 billion p.a. This amplifies the risk of depressive disorders the ability to identify specific psychological symptoms. The project will support healthcare professionals in prescribing suitable interventions - thereby reducing the impact of pain on the individual and the wider economy.

The report, “Contemporary English Pain Descriptors as Detected on Social Media Using Artificial Intelligence and Emotion Analytics Algorithms: Cross-sectional Study”, was authored by: Ming Yi Tan, BDS, MDS; Charlene Enhui Goh, BDS, MPH, DrPH; Hee Hon Tan, BDS, MDS and published by JMIR Formative Research (JMR), associated with the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR). The team at INTNT.AI leading the analysis project were Mr Manuel Ho, Mr Xuyuan Kee, Dr Murphy Choy, and Dr Yang Yinping.

Sid Vasili joins the SSON Analytics team as a Principal Consultant. SSON Analytics is the global data analytics centre of the Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON), the largest community of shared services, outsourcing, and transformation professionals globally. The analytics organisation provides valuable metrics, benchmarks, research and insights for existing operators, suppliers and new entrants to the SSC and GBS industry.

Based in the UK and with business interests in Europe, USA and APAC, Vasili will be providing strategic support for innovation and market development - Sharing expertise in the industry based on his track record as a serial entrepreneur in the Business Process Outsourcing, Global Payments, Global Business Services and Shared Services Sector.

“I am thrilled to collaborate with our community to bring the utmost critical data and insights to the forefront and help pave the way for continued maturity across the GBS community. I look forward to working with Naomi Secor, Tom Bangemann, the team, and the entire SSON community”, comments Sid.

With 180,000 members and a global database of over 7,000 shared services centres (SSCs) and more than 3,000 business process outsourcing companies (BPOs), SSON Analytics provides digestible data insights into the shared services and outsourcing industry by city and region throughout the world. Metrics include numbers of shared services centres with industry function, company revenue breakdowns, job market metrics, availability of talent, employee accreditations, average salaries, cost of living, cost of labour and risk probability index.

More details about the platform can be seen here: www.sson-analytics.com.

Applying artificial intelligence to gain insight into customer intentions, the INTNT-ENGINE monitors customer interactions with chatbots 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to predict behaviour and intentions. This data is then used to train chatbots to be more responsive and customer-focused, resulting in improvements to customer service and increased sales for insurance companies and similar organisations.   

As a serial entrepreneur with a track record in implementing new technology in blue-chip companies and shared services organisations, Vasili is an Investor in Start-Ups, including INTNT.AI.

Vasili is on the Main Board to support business strategy and challenge INTNT.AI to apply leading-edge AI solutions to improve business efficiency by changing legacy processes and systems.

Working alongside Founder and CEO Manuel Ho and a strong team of board members including KC Lai, Ian Tomlin and Michael Hyltoft, Vasili leads the expansion into Europe and the opening of the London office.  

Manuel Ho founded INTNT.AI in 2018 following a successful career as Head of Customer Marketing at the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Strategy Director at Wolf Olins and CXO at various start-ups in the UK and Asia.

Sid Vasili has been invited to chair The "AP Automation" Digital Summit 2020 on 10-11 November 2020, organised by The Shared Services and Outsourcing Network (SSON). Over 1000 delegates are expected to attend. 

Accounts Payable departments will review tools, techniques and investment priorities for improving efficiency within AP departments. Expert presentations will cover the use of AI, robots, data analytics, distributed teams, remote working and other solutions to streamline E2E invoice processing. The conference will also discuss the industry's approach to customer and vendor relationships.

As an industry leader with extensive experience in Accounts Payable outsourcing and technology, Sid Vasili will challenge the industry to adapt by driving forward innovation.

The conference is sponsored by check an invoice, ABBYY, basware and Kofax. 

PrinSIX Technologies, the dynamic lending platform founded by Julian Graham Rack (CEO), past President of the Consumer Finance Association and Richard Cornelius (CTO), has appointed Sid Vasili as Chairman.

PrinSIX exists to support lenders of personal finance to comply with the Financial Conduct Authority’s Principle Six; “A firm must pay due regard to the interests of its customers”. The software interacts dynamically with borrowers, asking questions and replying automatically, whilst fairly assessing the circumstances of every borrower.

Julian Graham-Rack says “We are delighted to be joined by Sid Vasili as an investor and shareholder. Sid’s direction and vast experience in the financial industry will strengthen our approach, supporting businesses in all sectors which offer credit to customers.”

As a legacy for Stephen Weiss who sadly passed away in March this year at the age of 94, we are continuing to support sales of his books ‘The Invisible Scars of War’ and ‘Allies in Conflict’.

As well as being a very dear friend, Stephen will be remembered as a WWII veteran who fought for the French Resistance, was made commandeur of the Légion d’honneur. Following a successful post-war career in Holywood, Stephen dedicated his life to understanding war and PTSD. As well as writing books and speaking about the realities of war at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, Stephen was a awarded a PhD in War Studies by King’s College London in 1995, was a highly praised lecturer into his 90’s and became a fellow of the university in 2019. 

More about Steve’s extraordinary life can been read in his Guardian obituary.

Check an Invoice, an innovative invoice fraud detection platform for local and global corporates, has appointed Sid Vasili as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Vasili will be working alongside CEO Firdaus Mogul, who is highly experienced in commercial payments following 18 years at Standard Chartered and American Express.  Together, Vasili and Mogul will drive Check an Invoice forward, to become the leading software platform in invoice fraud detection and prevention.

Following the success of his first book “The Invisible Scars of War”, I am delighted that my good friend Stephen Weiss has just published “Allies in Conflict.”

As a WWII veteran, Stephen has a remarkable life story. From being a ‘boy’ soldier on the front line experiencing the harrowing effects of war and developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Stephen used his experiences to qualify as a clinical psychologist and was awarded a doctorate and a masters in War Studies from King’s College London.

A highly regarded academic, Stephen’s new book examines the unifying and destructive forces that affected the relationship between the UK and the USA as a strategic solution to the war in Europe was desperately searched for. Powerful and insightful, Allies in Conflict assesses the different methods of leadership and underlying tensions, delving into the very depths of war and game playing to unearth the truth about war time strategy and its relevance today.

I have been fascinated with the concepts that my friend Matthew Cule has developed within his range of CuleM Watches – the world’s first luxury watch brand to correctly display 24 world time zones in both GMT and BST on an open case back – allowing you to set the local and destination time on your GMT watch accurately.

As a watch collector, Sid Vasili curates the ‘Complicated Elegance’ column in I-M magazine and has been interested in the Craftsmanship of Independent Watchmakers, and how Matthew Cule, CuleM Watches’ founder since 2012, has developed The World GMT collection of Swiss-made watches.

CuleM brand combines two passions; mind-expanding travel and luxury watches of the highest craftsmanship. There will only be a limited number of these precision timepieces, each made to order, and available from Kickstarter on 7th May 2019.

EMO Technologies, a leading emotion analytics company based in Singapore, has appointed two new key advisors – Sid Vasili, Serial Entrepreneur and active investor in AITech, InsurTech, RegTech, and FinTech Companies and Wolff Olins’ MD Charles Wright.

Both will be working alongside EMO’s Founder and CEO Manuel Ho, who was previously Head of Customer Marketing at the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. With Charles’ experience of guiding teams to deliver breakthrough thinking and Sid’s position as an industry visionary and thought leader in the global finance industry, EMO Technologies will be able to harness the full power of AI to provide the most accurate sentiment and emotion analytics engine for social media.

"The credit card enablement platform CardUp has appointed Sid Vasili as a board member. It has also created a new advisory committee to drive CardUp’s growth and expansion"...

Read the full announcement here. 

I had the honour of being invited to the first edition of I-M Formidable Women Awards, hosted by journalist Kat Brown on 9th of October at ETHOS in central London.

I-M Intelligent Magazine launched these Awards to celebrate wants celebrate the success and worth of women in Britain. Read the full I-M Magazine article on nominees and winners.

My friend Stephen Weiss served in the US infantry to liberate Europe. Months of front line danger and a daily fear of death resulted in severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

He found the strength to recover and eventually qualify as a psychotherapist, scholar of war & expert on the psychology of soldiers in battle.

The editor I-M Intelligent Magazine and I had the privilege of interviewing Stephen and share his story and insights ahead of the publication of his book “the Invisible Scars of War”. Read the full interview with Stephen Weiss.