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Research Reveals Insights into the Impact of Legal Tech on Australian In-House Teams

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Digitally mature teams have the highest productivity and the lowest headcount, while digitally immature teams have the lowest productivity, largest teams, and most FTEs. The surprising news: the most digitally mature are most at risk for talent attrition.

SYDNEY and NEW YORK, Nov. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Australia’s corporate legal teams are investing millions in legal tech, with the expectation that it will improve productivity, cut costs, and make work easier for their in-house legal teams. New research finds those expectations are valid and legal tech investments are paying off, but with unexpected human costs.

Digital transformation is delivering high productivity and efficiency gains to Australian corporate legal departments, but also leading to higher stress and flight risk among senior leaders and teams. Conversely, legal teams that aren’t on the digital cutting edge report the lowest productivity—but they also have high job satisfaction and the lowest flight risk (just 5% of employees in these firms are actively looking).

And legal teams of all maturity levels are increasing budgets to buy more legal tech—and not just AI—although AI is finding its way into every category of legal technology. In-house legal teams are investing in lawyer power as well as tech power, for a variety of reasons, but all related to their team size and tech savvy.

Those are just a few of many useful insights uncovered by a new Australian national study, The Impact of Digital Maturity on Australian In-House Legal Teams, designed and fielded by InsightDynamo and commissioned by Axiom.

“The data show that the money legal leaders are investing in legal tech is paying off—both in ways they wanted and ways they didn’t anticipate,” said Jacob Flax, Managing Director and Country Head of Axiom Australia. “They’re getting the automation and high output on lower-risk work they wanted, so their teams can focus more on the strategic, higher-risk work that requires human reasoning, creativity, and talent. The unintended consequence: Their small teams still feel overworked, are more stressed out, and most are actively looking for their next job. To counter this, respondents at all maturity levels are complementing legal tech investments with investments in FTEs, outside counsel, and flexible legal talent providers like Axiom.”

The researchers surveyed the use of 16 popular legal technologies across 16 Australian industries, gathering data that represents a cross-section of the Australian in-house legal sector. Researchers looked at the intersection of legal tech, productivity, and efficiency to determine what impact, if any, legal tech was having on Australian legal teams. The data was then used to analyse the digitally mature, digital centre, and digitally immature among Australia’s in-house legal industry.

Metrics reported include productivity, resourcing, stress, flight risk, alignment to the CTO/CIO and other C-suite members, budgets, talent and hiring, revenue, industry ranking, and tech profiles. The results were at times as unexpected as they were insightful. The study shows that in-house teams fall into one of three maturity levels:

Australia’s digitally mature legal teams (17% of sample) have embraced and actively use all 16 legal technologies, typically operate with smaller, highly efficient teams, and are most often led by Chief Legal Officers. They’re still investing in legal tech and actively engaging law firms and ALSPs to augment in-house skills and capacity.Australia’s teams at the digital centre are the norm: Most Australian legal teams are squarely in the digital centre, with 56% of respondents falling into this category. They have large, highly productive teams that don’t take full advantage of the substantial amount of legal tech at their disposal. The continue to invest in legal tech, while also relying on law firms and ALSPs to compensate for talent gaps and capacity constraints.Australia’s digitally immature legal teams (28% of sample) lag in technology adoption, productivity, have high job satisfaction and the lowest stress, are usually led by General Counsel or their deputies, and have large legal teams. Even though they’re digitally immature, they seem to recognize their position and are increasing investments in legal tech, while also leaning on law firms and ALSPs to support their in-house teams.

“While digital transformation drives efficiency, it can also drive in-house lawyers to the exits,” Flax said. “Transforming legal departments requires more than deploying new technologies. It’s about finding the right balance—using technology to improve productivity, while using legal service providers like Axiom to improve capacity and provide specialized skillsets that improve team success. Putting together the right combination of technology and talent has become critical to building a high-performing in-house team that will thrive over the long haul.”

For more insights, download a complete copy of the The Impact of Digital Maturity on Australian In-House Legal Teams,” suitable for reading on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer. It is available at no cost at https://www.axiomlaw.com/en-au/resources/articles/australian-in-house-legal-digital-maturity-report.

For more information or to talk to an Axiom representative, visit https://www.axiomlaw.com. For more information about Axiom, please visit our website, hear from our experts on the Inside Axiom blog, network with us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Axiom Helps In-House Legal Teams Mitigate Impact of Annual Law Firm Rate IncreasesMichael Fehser Joins Axiom Advice & Counsel as PartnerMore Global Brands Turn to Axiom to Tackle Large Legal Projects Cost-EffectivelyResearch: GCs Expect Bigger Budgets and a Shift to Agile Budgeting in 2025Axiom Advice & Counsel (AA&C) Introduces Fractional GC Services Purpose-Built for Private Equity and Venture-Backed Companies, and High-Growth Small BusinessesAxiom’s Expanded Portfolio Fuels Nearly 2,000 New Client Engagements Since JanuaryNew Study Finds Legals Ops Facing Alignment, AI, and Retention Issues Even as Budgets IncreaseAxiom’s Digital Legal Talent Marketplace Sees Exceptional GrowthAxiom Appoints Jacob Flax as Managing Director of Axiom AustraliaAxiom’s New Permanent Recruitment Solutions Now Available in AsiaAxiom’s AI Legal Talent Bench Surpasses 200 LawyersAxiom Completes Over 250 Large Legal Projects, Expands Program with Law Firm ServicesNational Study Reveals In-House Legal Teams Face a Perfect Storm of Rising Law Firm Costs and Talent Shortages Amidst Increasing Workloads and ComplexityAxiom Introduces New Permanent Recruitment SolutionsAxiom Achieves Industry-Leading Scores for Talent QualityAxiom Marks First Full Year of Innovative Law Firm Practice, Now Offers Industry’s Broadest Array of Law Firm Services and SolutionsAxiom Continues to Invest in C-Suite Leadership Team with New CFO Appointment

About Axiom

Axiom is where high-calibre legal talent meets full-service law firm work. We invented the alternative legal services industry 24 years ago and now serve more than 1,500 legal departments globally, including 68% of the Fortune 100, with 95% client satisfaction. Axiom gives small, mid-market, and enterprise clients a single trusted provider who can deliver a full spectrum of legal solutions and services across more than a dozen practice areas and all major industries at rates up to 50% less than national law firms. To learn how Axiom can help your legal departments do more for less, visit axiomlaw.com.

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Global AI Leader and Enterprise Transformation Visionary Zeya Ottomone Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Integrow

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Author of Empowered to Execute in the Agentic Era to Lead Next Generation of AI-Powered Enterprise Innovation

ATLANTA, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Integrow announced the appointment of Zeya Ottomone as Chief Executive Officer, marking a significant milestone in the company’s evolution as it accelerates its vision to become a global leader in Agentic AI-powered enterprise software and business transformation.

Integrow announced the appointment of Zeya Ottomone as Chief Executive Officer, marking a significant milestone in the company’s evolution as it accelerates its vision to become a global leader in Agentic AI-powered enterprise software and business transformation.

With more than three decades of executive leadership spanning Fortune 500 enterprises, global technology organizations, and enterprise software innovation, Ottomone joins Integrow at a defining moment in the evolution of artificial intelligence.

Widely recognized for helping organizations modernize operations, simplify complex business ecosystems, and deliver measurable transformation outcomes, Ottomone has led some of the industry’s largest enterprise modernization initiatives across ERP, CRM, workforce management, cloud computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and intelligent automation. His appointment signals Integrow’s commitment to redefining how enterprises execute strategy in the era of autonomous AI.

“Artificial Intelligence is no longer about automation alone, it’s about empowering organizations to execute faster, make smarter decisions, and fundamentally rethink how work gets done,” said Zeya Ottomone, Chief Executive Officer of Integrow. “We’re entering the Agentic Era, where intelligent AI agents become trusted digital teammates capable of planning, reasoning, collaborating and executing alongside people. At Integrow, we’re building the enterprise platform that makes that future practical, secure and measurable for every organization.”

Ottomone is internationally recognized as a leader in enterprise technology, SaaS transformation, digital modernization and AI-enabled business strategy. Throughout his career he has held executive leadership and C-level positions with ABB, Honeywell, AmerisourceBergen, Cable & Wireless, Chicago Tribune and Rimini Street, leading global organizations through large-scale transformation initiatives across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. His expertise spans enterprise applications, Salesforce ecosystems, ServiceNow, ERP modernization, customer experience, intelligent operations, data strategy, and the emerging field of Agentic AI.

Before joining Integrow, Ottomone led global SaaS Centers of Excellence focused on enterprise transformation, helping organizations modernize critical business operations while reducing technology complexity and accelerating innovation. A certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and recognized executive advisor, Ottomone has consistently delivered operational excellence by combining strategic leadership with emerging technologies to create sustainable business value.

His appointment also coincides with the upcoming publication of his new book, Empowered to Execute in the Agentic Era, which explores how organizations can bridge the gap between strategy and execution by leveraging AI, empowering people, and building intelligent enterprises capable of continuous innovation. The book reflects many of the same principles that will guide Integrow’s next phase of growth: human-centered AI, intelligent automation, operational excellence, and measurable business outcomes.

Under Ottomone’s leadership, Integrow will accelerate investment across:

Agentic AIEnterprise AI PlatformsIntelligent ERPAI-powered CRMHuman Capital ManagementIT Service ManagementPredictive AnalyticsAutonomous WorkflowsEnterprise CopilotsIndustry-specific AI Solutions

The company’s vision is to deliver a unified enterprise platform where AI is embedded into every business process, enabling organizations to eliminate operational silos, automate decision-making, increase productivity, and create competitive advantage through intelligent execution. “Zeya represents exactly the type of visionary leader required for the next generation of enterprise software,” said Harvey Nicholson, Chair of Corporate Governance and Member of Integrow’s Board of Directors. “His global experience, deep understanding of enterprise technology, and forward-looking vision for Agentic AI position Integrow to become one of the industry’s most innovative AI-powered enterprise software companies.”

Wayne Gadson, Chair of Growth Strategy, added: “The future belongs to organizations that can execute strategy with intelligence, speed and confidence. Zeya has spent his career helping enterprises achieve exactly that. His appointment marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Integrow, our customers and our partners worldwide.” As enterprises face mounting pressure to modernize operations, reduce costs, improve workforce productivity and harness the power of artificial intelligence, Integrow is uniquely positioned to help organizations transform through a single AI-powered enterprise platform that unifies finance, operations, customer engagement, workforce management, projects and service delivery.

“Our mission is simple,” Ottomone concluded. “We don’t believe AI should replace people. We believe AI should elevate people. The organizations that will define the next decade won’t simply adopt AI—they’ll empower every employee to execute better decisions every day. That’s the future Integrow is building.”

About Integrow

Integrow is a global enterprise software company delivering next-generation AI-powered business applications built on Salesforce. The platform unifies ERP, CRM, Human Capital Management, IT Service Management, Project Management, Field Service, Finance and Operations into a single intelligent ecosystem enhanced by Agentic AI.

By embedding artificial intelligence into every workflow, Integrow enables organizations to modernize operations, accelerate innovation, improve decision-making and execute strategy with confidence.

For more information, visit www.integrow.com.

Media Contact

Media Team, Integrow, Inc., 1 855-333-4769, info@integrow.com, www.integrow.com 

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SOURCE Integrow, Inc.

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Lufax Announces Board and Management Changes

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SHANGHAI, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lufax Holding Ltd (“Lufax” or the “Company”) (NYSE: LU and HKEX: 6623), a leading financial services enabler for small business owners in China, today announced changes to its board of directors and senior management, effective July 25, 2026.

Ms. Fangfang Cai (“Ms. Cai”), Mr. Shibang Guo (“Mr. Guo”) and Mr. Peifeng Li (“Mr. Li”) have resigned as non-executive directors of the Company and from their respective positions on the Board’s committees. Mr. Tongzhuan Xi (“Mr. Xi”) has resigned as an executive director, the chief financial officer and the authorised representative of the Company (“Authorised Representative”) under Rule 3.05 of the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (“Hong Kong Listing Rules”), with effect from July 25, 2026. Each of the four directors cited personal work arrangements as the reason for their resignation and confirmed there is no disagreement with the Board and no matter relating to their departure that needs to be brought to shareholders’ attention.

The Company has begun a search for a new chief financial officer. During the transition, the CFO’s duties will be temporarily assumed by the Company’s internal team to ensure continuity of the Company’s financial functions. Mr. Xiang Ji, an executive director and the Company’s chief executive officer, has been appointed as the Authorised Representative, the Company’s designated liaison with the Stock Exchange under the Hong Kong Listing Rules, in place of Mr. Xi, with effect from July 25, 2026.

The Board has appointed Mr. Wai Kin Chim (“Mr. Chim”) as an independent non-executive director for an initial three-year term commencing July 25, 2026.

Mr. Chim, aged 65, has over 40 years of experience in international banking and extensive board experience in Asia Pacific, having worked in Hong Kong, Singapore and Beijing. He specializes in risk management and internal control, with a strong emphasis on corporate governance, credit risk, market risk and capital management.

Mr. Chim served as a loan officer at Standard Chartered Bank, Hong Kong Branch, from October 1985 to August 1988. He was then employed by Bankers Trust Company, Hong Kong Branch, as a vice president of the Asia Credit Department from September 1988 to October 1996. He subsequently served as the managing director and the chief credit officer for Deutsche Bank AG, a company listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under ticker symbol DBK, for Asia Pacific (non-Japan Asia), from October 1996 to November 2006. He joined Bank of China Limited, a company listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange under stock code 3988, as the chief credit officer from March 2007 to March 2015.

Mr. Chim was an independent non-executive director of Standard Chartered Bank (China) Limited from October 2015 to October 2017. He served as an independent non-executive director of HDR Global Trading Limited, owner and operator of the BitMEX digital asset trading platform, from February 2021 to February 2022. Mr. Chim served as a non-executive director of China Chengtong Hong Kong Company Limited from July 2022 to June 2025. Mr. Chim is currently an independent non-executive director of OCBC Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, since November 2017; an independent non-executive director of Banco OCBC (Macau), S.A., since August 2023; an independent non-executive director of China Intellogis Technology Co., Ltd., since June 2024; and a director of Hong Kong Dance Company Limited since June 2026.

Mr. Chim obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1983 and an MBA degree from Indiana State University, USA, in 1985. He also graduated from the Senior Executive Program at Columbia University in 2000.

In connection with these changes, with effect from July 25, 2026, Ms. Cai will step down from the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, and Mr. Koon Wing Ernest Ip has been appointed as a member to that committee. The Company’s Special Committee will comprise Mr. Dicky Peter Yip, Mr. Koon Wing Ernest Ip and Mr. Siu Hong Cheng, continuing under the chairmanship of Mr. Dicky Peter Yip, with effect from July 25, 2026.

The Board would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Cai, Mr. Guo, Mr. Li and Mr. Xi for their service during the tenure of their office and warmly welcome Mr. Chim to the Board.

About Lufax

Lufax is a leading financial services enabler for small business owners in China. The Company offers financing products designed principally to address the needs of small business owners. In doing so, the Company has established relationships with 85 financial institutions in China as funding partners, many of which have worked with the Company for over three years.

Investor Relations Contact

Lufax Holding Ltd
Email: Investor_Relations@lu.com

ICR, LLC
Robin Yang
Tel: +1 (646) 308-0546
Email: lufax.ir@icrinc.com

 

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SOURCE Lufax Holding Ltd

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UMD Smith School Researchers Warn AI Security Lapses Highlight Urgent Need for Independent Oversight

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COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A series of recent AI security lapses—including the OpenAI–Hugging Face breach—raises a fundamental question, say a pair of researchers at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business: Can tech companies safely govern the powerful AI systems they build, or is stronger outside oversight now essential?

In its incident report, OpenAI confirmed that one of its experimental AI agents exploited a weakness in its testing environment while working on a routine benchmark task. The system wasn’t instructed to behave maliciously; instead, its persistence turned a small design flaw into a real escape. Earlier tests showed similar behavior, including agents that learned to bypass security checks by manipulating authentication tokens.

This pattern echoes findings from Dean’s Professor of Information Systems Siva Viswanathan at the Smith School, who studies how large technology platforms enforce rules. His research on mobile app privacy—published in Management Science—examined Google’s rollout of Android 6.0, which gave users more control over what data apps could collect. Developers were granted a flexible window to update their apps. Many used that flexibility to delay compliance for months, continuing to gather user data until Google imposed consequences such as lower search rankings and reduced visibility in its app store.

Viswanathan’s takeaway: when companies rely on voluntary compliance, self‑interested actors often exploit the slack. Real accountability requires pairing flexibility with firm, enforceable penalties.

That lesson now reverberates across the AI sector. As companies race to build increasingly capable systems, Viswanathan says oversight must treat these AI systems as strategic actors and must include strong safeguards that can pause or reverse a system before harm occurs.

He notes that a separate study from Anthropic underscores the stakes. In controlled tests, even an AI system designed to monitor another AI inherited the same flaws it was supposed to catch. In some cases, the “judge” model failed to flag clear sabotage because it agreed with the agent’s goals, allowing dangerous behavior to pass without human review.

Balaji Padmanabhan, Dean’s Professor of Decisions, Operations and Information Technologies and director of the Smith School’s Center for Artificial Intelligence in Business, extends Viswanathan’s governance argument into the realm of autonomous AI agents, warning that the same structural weaknesses now carry far higher stakes.

“The fact that this breach occurred organically without the AI agent being asked to be malicious is itself notable. Imagine what someone who actually intends to do harm can do. It’s also not terribly reassuring that the same firms we depend on for AI infrastructure, who are facing these issues, are the ones assuring enterprises that their systems with guardrails are perfectly safe,” says Padmanabhan. “We have to wake up to the fact that we’ve created capabilities that let software become as powerful as we want it to be—and then some. It’s time we seriously ask what’s needed to create an infrastructure to play defense well.”

Across the independent studies, the pattern is consistent, says Viswanathan: Voluntary compliance fails when the governed actor is more capable than the regulator. And AI systems cannot be governed by trust or good intentions alone. Oversight must be preventive, independent and capable of stopping harmful behavior before it spreads.

About the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

Contact: Greg Muraski, gmuraski@umd.edu

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SOURCE University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business

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