Reframing User Engagement at the CITEA Digital Cyprus Conference 2025

The Digital Cyprus Conference 2025, organised by CITEA and IMH, brought together business leaders, policymakers, and technology experts to explore how organisations in Cyprus are adapting to digital change. From artificial intelligence and automation to customer insight and platform design, the agenda focused on how these technologies are being used—not just discussed. Capacitor Partners joined as a sponsor for the fourth consecutive year, continuing its support for practical and user-centred transformation across sectors.

One of the more engaged conversations of the day took place during the panel “Experience Reimagined: Winning Customers in the Digital Era,” featuring Michael Tyrimos (Managing Director, Capacitor Partners), Tania Pantazi (COSMOTE eValue), Nikolas Kolokasides (CBS IT Systems Cyprus), and moderator Marios Kapiris (Kyndryl Cyprus). The panelists explored how companies are redesigning customer journeys using automation, AI, and real-time data.

A core theme that emerged was the importance of reconnecting digital efforts with real user needs. While most organisations involve product, finance, and operations teams when launching a new service or tool, Mr. Tyrimos pointed out that the user perspective is often left out of that equation. “We talk a lot about features, processes, and internal KPIs,” he noted, “but we don’t always ask: who is our customer, what do they want, and how do we stay in constant communication with them?”

His remarks came in response to a discussion on cross-functional collaboration, during which he shared insights from the Digital Cyprus Survey 2024, which found that only 48% of local businesses considered user experience a priority in their digital strategy. This, he said, highlights a mindset gap—technology is often adopted with the hope of improvement, but without always anchoring those efforts in what the user actually values.

As the panel moved into the topic of AI, participants discussed how organisations are using it to streamline backend processes and personalise front-end interactions. Mr. Tyrimos highlighted current use cases in ERP and CRM systems—such as demand forecasting, behavioural segmentation, and optimised outreach—and emphasized that while these tools are increasingly common, what matters most is how they’re embedded into day-to-day decisions and workflows.

Looking ahead, he also introduced the concept of agentic AI—autonomous systems that can make decisions and execute tasks without constant human input. This includes everything from managing replenishment cycles to dynamically adjusting customer engagement flows. Referring to projections by Gartner, he noted that one-third of enterprise applications are expected to include this type of AI by 2028, a sharp rise from under 1% in 2024.

Still, the panel acknowledged that while interest in AI is high—71% of Cypriot businesses view it as a core enabler—actual readiness remains low. Mr. Tyrimos shared that only 34% rate their organisation’s AI knowledge as average, while 35% report having low or no understanding. He stressed that without solid data infrastructure, reworked internal processes, and team-wide training in analytical thinking and data literacy, the potential of AI will remain untapped.

We congratulate CITEA and IMH for hosting yet another successful edition of the conference—bringing together diverse perspectives and driving forward the national conversation on digital transformation in meaningful and actionable ways.