Alteryx has appointed Julie Irish as Chief Information Officer, adding a new technology leader to the data and analytics company’s senior ranks.

Irish joins from Couchbase, where she held the same role. At Alteryx, she will lead the global IT organisation and oversee technology strategy, systems and processes as the company continues its broader digital transformation.

Her remit includes internal AI use across the business, with a focus on connecting data, analytics and AI more closely across operations as Alteryx develops its analytics products and expands internationally.

Alteryx serves more than 8,000 customers worldwide, including UK brands such as BT, Kingfisher and London Northeastern Railway.

Career background

Before joining Alteryx, Irish held senior technology roles at New Relic and Harvard Business Publishing. At Couchbase, she oversaw IT, data, business technology and security.

That breadth of experience appears to have been a factor in her appointment, particularly as businesses increase spending on AI tools and look to embed data-led decision-making into routine operations. The role puts Irish at the centre of how Alteryx manages its internal systems while supporting the company’s wider direction.

Her appointment also reflects how the Chief Information Officer role has broadened across software companies. Once focused largely on internal infrastructure, it now often spans data governance, automation, security and the use of AI in finance, sales, support and product operations.

As a result, technology leadership appointments have become more significant for software companies trying to streamline internal processes while keeping pace with customer demand for AI-related products. At Alteryx, internal IT is being positioned as a driver of operational change as well as day-to-day systems management.

Irish outlined that view in her first public comments after taking the role.

“We’re at a moment where AI is fundamentally reshaping how businesses operate. What energizes me about Alteryx is not just the pace of innovation, but its unique approach to enabling AI through governed, analyst-driven workflows-equipping lines of business to own their logic while scaling across the enterprise. Internally, we have an opportunity to apply that same philosophy to how we build and operate, advancing our technology capabilities to better scale and support the business. By strengthening how we connect data, analytics, and AI across our operations, we can move faster, operate more intelligently, and continue delivering impact for our customers,” said Irish.

Wider push

The appointment comes as Alteryx continues to emphasise AI in its business strategy. Organisations are increasingly turning to AI and analytics in pursuit of competitive advantage, and Alteryx has been investing in what it describes as agentic analytics alongside trusted tools for larger organisations.

In the enterprise software market, that trend has increased the importance of internal technology leadership. CIOs are being asked not only to maintain stable systems but also to show how AI can be adopted responsibly inside the business before similar ideas are taken to customers.

Chief Executive Officer Andy MacMillan said Irish brings both strategic planning and delivery experience to the role.

“Julie has an incredible ability to balance strategic vision with execution. She is a thoughtful, results-oriented leader who builds strong partnerships and delivers meaningful impact. I’m eager to see the impact she will have across the Alteryx organization and for our global community,” said MacMillan.

Irish’s background in pricing model change and the end-to-end revenue lifecycle may also prove relevant as software companies refine subscription structures, sales operations and customer retention. Combined with her oversight of data and security functions in previous roles, that experience gives her a remit that extends beyond back-office IT.

The move follows a broader pattern across the software industry, where companies are recruiting senior technology executives with experience in data platforms, internal automation and AI adoption. In many cases, the goal is to tighten links between corporate systems and commercial strategy, especially as software groups face pressure to show practical returns on AI investment.

At Alteryx, that responsibility now falls to Irish as she takes charge of the company’s global IT organisation after previous leadership roles at Couchbase, New Relic and Harvard Business Publishing.

Openreach, who act on behalf of British Telecommunications (BT), wants to install two fixed line broadband electronic communications apparatus (poles) in Ambrosden, a village near Bicester.

It notified Cherwell District Council, the planning authority, of its intention to install one 9m light wooden pole in Church Walk and one 10m light wooden police opposite South View, approximately three miles from Bicester.

The planning authority has until Monday, April 13, to give the operator written notice of any reasonable conditions which it wishes the operator to consider regarding the installation.

Openreach maintain telecommunications network infrastructure that connect nearly all homes and businesses in the UK to various national broadband and telephone networks.

Omniscient has raised USD $4.1 million in pre-seed funding led by Seedcamp, and says Renault is already using its platform.

The Paris-based startup sells an AI system for boards and senior executives, initially focused on corporate reputation and risk monitoring. Other investors in the round included Drysdale, Plug and Play, MS&AD, Raise, Anamcara and xdeck, while Bpifrance also supported the fundraising.

Founders Arnaud d’Estienne and Mehdi Benseghir previously worked at McKinsey, where they saw large companies struggle to turn fragmented information into timely decisions. Omniscient argues that many big organisations still rely on monitoring systems built around analyst workflows, manual setup and disconnected data sources.

The startup’s pitch is that reputation now directly affects shareholder value, while the tools used to track threats and opportunities have failed to keep pace with the volume of information available to senior management. It cites an estimate that corporate reputation accounts for an average of 30% of market capitalisation among the world’s largest listed companies.

Its system draws on more than 100,000 sources across press, social media, web, video, audio and internal data feeds. It is built around specialist AI agents assigned to areas such as regulation, supply chain, competition and stories, with the output brought together in what Omniscient describes as a management cockpit for executives.

The software is designed to work in natural language and does not require manual configuration. Omniscient says the platform also adapts over time to an organisation’s priorities.

Board focus

Omniscient is entering a market that includes media monitoring, corporate intelligence and risk analysis providers, but it aims to distinguish itself by targeting the boardroom rather than communications teams or research analysts. The product is meant to give senior leaders a short executive recap of emerging issues, while allowing operating teams to track developments across a company’s wider network of suppliers, customers, competitors and partners.

That reflects a broader shift in how companies treat reputational issues. Once handled mainly as a communications matter, they are increasingly framed as a strategic issue for directors and senior management, particularly when supply chain allegations, regulatory changes or online campaigns can spread across markets within hours.

Omniscient argues that legacy approaches leave companies reacting only after a problem becomes visible, rather than spotting weak signals earlier. It also says large organisations often use more than 150 separate platforms across functions and geographies, making it harder to build a single view of risk.

Use of funds

The new capital will be used for engineering hires, product development and commercial expansion. Omniscient also plans to work with additional partners as it broadens adoption of the platform.

The funding gives Seedcamp another bet on AI software for business users, as European investors continue to seek specialist tools built around large language models and autonomous agents. Omniscient’s syndicate stretches across France, Japan and the United States, reflecting the increasingly international nature of early-stage fundraising for AI startups.

d’Estienne set out the company’s case for the product in remarks accompanying the announcement. “Across dozens of engagements at McKinsey, the same pattern kept emerging,” said Arnaud d’Estienne, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Omniscient. “Organisations were sitting on vast amounts of data, but with no reliable way to turn it into decisions at the speed the market demands. The cost of that gap – in missed signals, missed opportunities, damaged reputations and reactive crisis management – is enormous. Omniscient exists to close it. It gives executive teams the intelligence they need, and frees the operational teams around them to focus on what actually moves the needle, rather than manually chasing information. The C-suite deserves better than yesterday’s news.”

Seedcamp said the startup had identified a common problem inside large companies, where decision-makers face too much information but have limited ability to separate urgent developments from background noise.

“Omniscient is tackling a problem that every large organisation faces but few have solved well – the ability to cut through the noise and surface what actually matters, in real time. Arnaud and Mehdi have built something technically differentiated and commercially validated from day one, and the calibre of their early design partners speaks for itself. We’re excited to back them as they bring the platform to market,” said Sia Houchangnia.