Kore.ai hires Paul Rilstone as ANZ VP

US conversational and generative AI (GenAI) platform vendor Kore.ai has appointed Paul Rilstone as its vice president for Australia and New Zealand (ANZ).

Rilstone has more than 20 years’ experience in the IT industry, including more than 10 years in the customer contact centre market.

He joins Kore.ai from Amelia where he served as senior delivery executive, having previously worked for Telstra as head of assisted digital and at the Commonwealth Bank managing the company’s virtual assistant program. 

Kore.au said Sydney-based Rilstone will be responsible for increasing the company’s ANZ presence and sales growth in the GenAI enterprise market, as well as leading its ANZ partner strategy.

“Kore.ai is one of the fastest growing AI companies globally and is reshaping the way companies harness the power of AI, simplifying and enhancing accessibility. Today’s dynamic business leaders in Australia and New Zealand are moving quickly toward an AI-first framework, making it critical to provide the best AI solutions to every employee," Rilstone said.

“I’m looking forward to working with our partners and customers and providing our no-code platform which provides for exceptional multichannel conversational experiences across automation AI, contact centre AI and search AI to deliver end-to-end automation that drive business value.”

Orlando, Florida-headquartered Kore.ai said it is planning significant expansion in ANZ following the company securing US$150 million in a funding round.

The company’s platform allows enterprises to build GenAI applications to deliver customer and employee experiences.

Kore.ai claims over 200 partners and a customer base including 400 Fortune 2000 companies, and has locations in India, the UK, Middle East, Japan, South Korea and Europe.

“Paul understands the unique challenges which customers in Australia and New Zealand face when it comes to putting AI to work to deliver end-to-end automation that drives business value, and he knows how to execute successful customer engagement,” said Sreeni Unnamatia executive VP at Kore.ai.

“We look forward to the important role he will play in further establishing Kore.ai in empowering organisations with AI powered tools for greater productivity.”