AS Watson Group, the world’s largest international health and beauty retailer, announced the appointment of 31 global strategic technology partners to accelerate the next phase of its AI‑powered O+O (Offline plus Online) transformation.
The appointments were unveiled at Technology Partner Day 2026, reinforcing
AS Watson’s long-term commitment to building a tightly integrated global technology ecosystem that supports faster innovation, stronger cyber resilience and scalable growth across its international operations.
AS Watson’s long-term commitment to building a tightly integrated global technology ecosystem that supports faster innovation, stronger cyber resilience and scalable growth across its international operations.
AI as a Strategic Growth Engine
As part of its Technology Partnership Programme, AS Watson continues to increase investment in technology, data and AI, with a clear focus on enterprise productivity, personalisation, cyber security and digital commerce. Rather than deploying AI as isolated use cases, AS Watson is embedding it horizontally across functions, from customer engagement and digital commerce to operations, analytics and colleague productivity, enabling enterprise‑wide value creation at scale.
Dr. Malina Ngai, Group CEO of AS Watson, said, “AI is not a standalone technology layer. It is a core capability that runs across the organisation. Our priority is to use AI to remove friction, accelerate execution and help our people focus on creating value for customers. Our 31 global technology partners play a critical role in this journey. Together, we are combining data, technology and human judgement to build a more agile, scalable and future ready organisation.”
From Partnerships to a Global Innovation Ecosystem
Since its launch in 2017, AS Watson’s Technology Partnership Programme has evolved from solution delivery into a strategic collaboration model, supporting its long term digital and O+O strategy across markets.
Since its launch in 2017, AS Watson’s Technology Partnership Programme has evolved from solution delivery into a strategic collaboration model, supporting its long term digital and O+O strategy across markets.
Today, AS Watson works with technology partners not simply as vendors, but as trusted advisors and co innovators, aligned with its growth priorities and operating model. Going forward, the Programme will focus on AI led automation, personalised O+O experiences, data and analytics, cyber resilience, scalable technology platforms, and productivity at scale.
Co-Creating the Future of Retail
Willy Wong, Partner of Ernst & Young Advisory Services Limited highlighted the long-standing partnership, “For many years, EY has been honoured to serve as
AS Watson’s trusted technology consultant. The journey has evolved from building state-of-the-art mobile experiences and loyalty programmes that connected markets across Asia and streamlined internal operations, to leveraging data, advanced analytics and AI to drive comprehensive business transformation today. It remains a privilege to witness this incredible growth firsthand and to have played a part in this shared success.”
Willy Wong, Partner of Ernst & Young Advisory Services Limited highlighted the long-standing partnership, “For many years, EY has been honoured to serve as
AS Watson’s trusted technology consultant. The journey has evolved from building state-of-the-art mobile experiences and loyalty programmes that connected markets across Asia and streamlined internal operations, to leveraging data, advanced analytics and AI to drive comprehensive business transformation today. It remains a privilege to witness this incredible growth firsthand and to have played a part in this shared success.”
Pedro Yip, Partner and Head of Consumer, Telco and Technology Practice (Asia Pacific) of Oliver Wyman, shared insights on the partnership’s impact, “It has been a privilege to collaborate with AS Watson over the years to push the boundaries of innovation. Oliver Wyman combines agentic AI with advanced analytics and retail expertise to unlock the full power of data together with AS Watson teams. We look forward to further advancing AS Watson’s O+O customer proposition to create connected, frictionless experiences for millions of shoppers worldwide.”
Kelvin Tse, Enterprise Sales Director of Microsoft Hong Kong is delighted about the AI collaboration opportunities to embrace the next generation workforce landscape through innovation products and process. “Microsoft is honoured to partner closely with AS Watson in transforming the retail landscape. We are deeply committed to helping AS Watson co-invent new processes through the power of AI and the development of agentic platforms. By collaborating on these AI opportunities and leveraging innovative tools like GitHub Copilot, we look forward to empowering the next-generation retail experience together.”
Dora Lui, Senior Vice President, Customer Success Services of Oracle is glad to collaborate with AS Watson to assist in business transformation via its fusion cloud. “We are incredibly excited about this relationship with AS Watson, focusing not only on platform redesign but also on process optimisation. We look forward to delivering innovative solutions, incorporating AI and best practices to leverage the data within our cloud platform, ultimately enhancing the well-being of AS Watson's workforce.”
Jorinde Timmerman, Vice President, Large Accounts of Slimstock, described the partnership as standing out for its strong foundation in collaboration and continuous challenge. “We don’t just engage - we actively stimulate each other to push boundaries and improve. By combining AS Watson’s scale and innovation mindset with Slimstock’s supply chain expertise, we jointly ensure that the right products are available at the right time and place. This partnership goes beyond technology, it’s about driving measurable impact together and continuously evolving to meet the future of retail.”
Serhat Soyuerel, Co-Founder & CRO of Insider One, emphasised that the partnership goes far beyond a traditional technology collaboration. “Over the years, we have built a true co-innovation model in which AS Watson’s vision, feedback, and evolving business needs help shape capabilities that benefit not only its brands in Europe but also all Insider One customers. Through a strong global governance framework, we have continuously adapted to support AS Watson’s scale while delivering excellence across every customer touchpoint.”
John Bradshaw, CTO of Akamai, noted the evolution of the partnership, “Since 2014, our collaboration has successfully evolved from a tactical product implementation into a highly strategic, forward-looking alliance. Over the years, we have steadily expanded our security footprint to match the incredible scale of AS Watson's digital acceleration. Our recent agreement marks a shift from shorter-term cycles to a long-term strategic commitment, proving that our partnership has matured into a resilient foundation for the future.”
Tarun Madan, Account Director of Nagarro, reflected on the partnership’s shared commitment, “What distinguishes AS Watson is the exceptional level of trust and openness it extends to its partners, creating an environment where ideas can be shared freely, innovation can flourish, and long-term value can be created together. The Technology Partnership Programme is a powerful example of this collaborative approach, and we are excited to continue advancing the next generation of retail experiences through AI and agentic AI innovation.”
Darren Wilson, President, Retail and Payments of NCR Voyix, highlighted the long-standing partnership between AS Watson and NCR Voyix, "AS Watson and NCR Voyix have built a strong a partnership over many years, working closely together to support store operations and deliver customer experiences. We are excited to enter this next phase of our collaboration, bringing innovative technologies into stores that simplify operations, empower store teams, and create stronger connections between physical and digital retail."
To learn more about AS Watson Technology Partnership Programme, please visit:
A Global Ecosystem of Partners | AS Watson Group - A member of CK Hutchison Holdings