VisitBritain and, which is funded by the Government, said it “strongly supports” the Puy du Fou proposal to be built north of Bicester near junction 10 of the M40.

It said the operator “offers a truly distinctive visitor experience through its historic theme park concept” and said it “can see the potential for this project to generate significant interest and excitement among domestic and international visitors alike.”

In the supporting letter, Andrew Stokes, director of the British Tourist Authority, said the agency has been impressed by its established track record in France and Spain and its collaborative approach in working with Experience Oxfordshire, the VisitEngland-accredited local visitor economy partnership for the county.

READ MORE: Residents meet scientists on ‘chemicals’ near former RAF base

Puy du Fou says that by the time the park is fully developed, it will directly employ around 2,000 people, support a further 6,000 jobs in hotels, restaurants, suppliers and other local businesses, and deliver a £500m annual boost to the local and regional economy.

Mr Stokes detailed the anticipated long-term economic benefits for Oxfordshire and the Cherwell district, noting a published report in January which highlighted that tourism activity contributed to a Gross Domestic Product impact of £147b, supporting 2.4 million jobs in 2024.

“Tourism has a significantly positive regional economic impact across the UK”, he said, “Relevant to Oxfordshire and Cherwell, the South East region is the second largest recipient, accounting for £17 of economic activity in 2024.”

JOSEPH GABRIEL LAGONSIN

News Editor

Vertesia and Florence Consulting Group have formed a strategic partnership in Europe focused on rolling out AI systems for large organisations.

The partnership combines Vertesia’s AI software with Florence Consulting Group’s integration and delivery capabilities to help businesses move AI projects into live operations.

Italy-based Florence Consulting Group works with large organisations in sectors including financial services, infrastructure, manufacturing, automotive, pharmaceuticals, the public sector and retail. It has offices in Florence, Milan, Rome, Cosenza and Madrid, and employs nearly 200 professionals.

Under the agreement, the companies will focus on document-heavy and data-intensive workflows that span core business systems. The work will cover AI strategy, integration and deployment across cloud, on-premise and hybrid environments.

The aim is to address a common problem in corporate AI programmes, where projects remain limited to chatbots or proof-of-concept work rather than being integrated into business processes.

“Organisations have spent years investing in AI, but many initiatives remain stuck at the stage of simple chatbots or proofs of concept,” said Niccolò Francini, chief executive of Florence Consulting Group.

“Our partnership with Vertesia allows us to provide enterprises with the best foundation for integrating AI into core processes and decision-making to make agentic AI truly operational,” Francini said.

Platform update

The announcement coincides with a product update from Vertesia, which has released more than 50 new skills and more than 50 new tools for its platform.

The additions are intended to expand the range of tasks AI agents can handle within business workflows. Vertesia describes its platform as software for intelligent content processing, context-aware workflows and automated task execution with governance and compliance controls.

In Europe, demand for AI systems that can be deployed within existing regulatory and operational requirements has become a central issue for technology suppliers and their consulting partners. Companies are under pressure to show returns on AI spending while maintaining oversight of data use, security and internal controls.

This has helped drive more partnerships between service providers and software firms. Platform vendors are seeking local delivery partners with established relationships with large enterprise customers, while system integrators want access to specialist AI software that can be embedded into broader transformation programmes.

Tim Hood, senior vice president for EMEA at Vertesia, said the partnership reflects the complexity of deploying AI in large organisations.

“AI transformation in the enterprise is not a product decision; it is a program,” Hood said.

“It requires partners who understand complex architectures, long-term client relationships, and what it takes to make technology work in production. FCG is exactly that. Modern enterprises need AI-native solutions built for complexity, not bolted on after the fact, and we are proud to partner with a team that shares that standard,” he said.

Florence Consulting Group says it has more than 10 years of experience in enterprise IT consulting and works across cloud and digital transformation, data and AI, digital process automation, cyber security, networking and DevOps.

For Vertesia, the deal adds a European consulting and systems integration partner with an established position in Italy and operations in Spain. For Florence Consulting Group, it provides access to a platform aimed at customers that want AI embedded in core processes rather than used as a standalone assistant.

The joint work will target secure, compliant and governable AI deployments in production environments for enterprise customers across Europe.

ICS.AI has appointed Andy Logan as Head of Education Sales, expanding its education team in the UK and overseas.

He joins as the business looks to deepen its work with universities and colleges facing financial and operational strain. Logan will work with Dr Crispin Bloomfield, Education Sector Leader, who joined last year.

The appointment brings in a senior executive with more than 25 years of experience across technology, education and enterprise markets. Logan has worked on projects designed to improve operational resilience and help organisations respond to cyber and technology risks.

ICS.AI has built a presence in further and higher education through work with institutions including King’s College London, Nottingham Trent University and Coleg y Cymoedd. That focus has grown in importance as education providers look for ways to manage costs while maintaining services.

Sector focus

Bloomfield linked the hire to growing pressure on the sector, citing financial forecasts for higher education providers in England.

“Education is under multi-faceted pressure, at all levels of study. For example, 45% of higher education providers in England forecast a deficit in 2025/26 (up 2% on the previous year). Almost universally the pressures are becoming more acute. ICS.AI provides a unique combination of AI strategy, proven AI transformation methodology and leading platform and products. This puts the company in a strong position to support institutions and to enable them to realise the potential of AI to deliver positive outcomes and sustained financial benefits. Andy joining us comes at just the right time to support those institutions looking to realise the potential,” said Dr Crispin Bloomfield, Education Sector Leader at ICS.AI.

ICS.AI pointed to its work at Coleg y Cymoedd as an example of its education business. In that project, it said, the company changed the college’s student recruitment process with an AI-based recruitment assistant.

According to ICS.AI, the collaboration produced record enrolment numbers and a financial impact of £5.9 million. It did not provide further detail on how that figure was calculated.

Leadership hire

Logan said institutions were under growing pressure as they tried to balance budgets, standards and security requirements.

“Education is at a critical inflection point, where institutions are under increasing pressure to do more with less while maintaining quality and security. ICS.AI is uniquely positioned to help organisations navigate these challenges with practical and impactful AI solutions. I’m looking forward to working alongside Crispin and the wider team to deliver meaningful change across the sector,” said Logan.

His remit suggests ICS.AI sees education as a growth area beyond its existing public sector customer base. The company describes itself as a profitable AI business focused on public sector organisations including councils and universities.

Martin Neale, chief executive officer and founder, framed the appointment as part of a broader expansion of the education operation.

“Andy’s depth of experience and understanding of both the education and technology landscapes makes him an exceptional addition to our team. As we continue to scale our education capabilities in the UK and internationally, his expertise will be instrumental in helping institutions unlock the full potential of AI and achieve measurable outcomes,” said Neale.