Akibia, Inc. Capitalizes On New York Market Demand For eCRM Solutions; Company Opens Regional New York Office; Names Ben Hughes Vice President of Consulting Operations, New York.

Business/Technology Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 5, 2000

Akibia, Inc., a total customer relationship management (eCRM) solutions provider, today announced the opening of a Manhattan office to address the New York metropolitan area's escalating demand for eCRM solutions. To best capture existing market opportunities, the Akibia office will function as a Manhattan area consulting service and sales operation and has named Ben Hughes vice president of consulting operations for this office.

As head of the Manhattan operation, Hughes will be responsible for establishing Akibia's New York presence and diversifying the company's eCRM solutions offerings. He will oversee the entire eCRM practice, from initial design and implementation to ongoing consulting, support, hosting and maintenance services, with focus on the needs of high-growth Wall Street and Silicon Alley clients. In addition, Hughes will manage new business and partnership development, fuel sales and marketing efforts, as well as direct the regional consulting team to fortify overall customer satisfaction.

"To remain ahead of intense customer demand, we are ramping up operations quickly and will hire an additional 30 sales and consulting professionals by the end of the year," said Ben Hughes, vice president of consulting operations. "The pace of new economy companies creates the right environment for firms like Akibia to thrive. The leaders in the new economy, the ones with distinct competitive advantage, will not only have speed and agility on their side, but also precision and accuracy. Our RightNow methodology is designed to execute quickly and effectively, putting us in complete alignment with our high-growth clients on both Wall Street and in Silicon Alley. Akibia's record for rapid, customer-centric service is just what this fast-paced, individualized environment demands."

Prior to joining Akibia, Hughes was director of strategy for the Planning and Market Development Group of Cambridge Technology Partners, where he was responsible for designing and implementing strategic initiatives for all of the company's service lines. Before this position, he was the regional operations director at Cambridge Technology Partners, a role in which he created and managed a new strategic business unit within the New York and Mid-Atlantic regions.

"We are taking our RightNow methodology that has worked so well at companies like Monster.com, Akamai and Bose, and applying it to new customers in the New York market," said Adam Honig, president of Akibia's application consulting business. "With his strategic vision and extensive customer care consulting experience, Ben is ideally suited to lead our New York operation. Ben knows the New York market, and we are confident that he and his team will raise Akibia's visibility in the region and successfully capture the thriving market for fully serviced eCRM technology."

Akibia's New York office is located at The Woolworth Building, 233 Broadway, New York, NY, 10279. The office can be reached by calling [phone] or by fax [phone].

About Akibia

Akibia is an expert provider of total eCRM solutions for high-growth technology and financial service corporations worldwide. The company designs, implements and hosts eCRM applications and infrastructure that enhance business relationships and deliver competitive advantage. Akibia was formed in 2000 and is headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts with US offices in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Fremont (CA), and New York, and international offices in London, Amsterdam and Arnhem. The company employs more than 375 multi-talented people worldwide. As a Siebel Premier Consulting Partner, Akibia, Inc. works closely with Siebel Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEBL) to implement its application and complementary technologies and tools to provide customers with effective and tailored eCRM solutions. Customers include Akamai Technologies, Inc., West Deutsche Landesbank, Citibank, Monster.com, Goldman Sachs, Cisco and Parametric Technologies. For more information call 508-460-1800, or visit the Akibia web site at www.akibia.com.