Composable content platform Contentful has appointed Karthik Rau as its new CEO. He replaces Steve Sloan, who served as CEO since 2019. Before joining Contentful, Rau was CEO of SignalFx, a cloud monitoring company focused on DevOps teams that was acquired by Splunk for $1.05 billion.

“Karthik is exactly the right person to lead us on the next phase of our growth journey,” said Contentful’s Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder, Sascha Konietzke. “He is a successful, visionary entrepreneur skilled in both market creation and value creation for enterprises. Critical for us, Karthik is also an outstanding people leader. He galvanizes teams through active listening, collaboration, and decisiveness,” he added. 

Elsewhere, the MACH Alliance has expanded its certification scope to help guide buyers better, and Contentstack partners with Google Cloud.

Featured Stories

• Expanding MACH Certification Scope for Clear Buyer Guidance in a Complex Market: “Instead of solely focusing on standalone legal business entities, we are changing the criteria to recognize substantial independent offerings within larger vendors, where the MACH solutions are actively branded, offered and sold separately, and take part in an ecosystem of software from other MACH Certified® vendors.”

• Composable DXP Leader Contentstack Announces New Partnership with Google Cloud: "Brands will get even more flexibility, scalability, and security in their content and digital strategies. They can also take direct advantage of Google Cloud's AI models."

• LTIMindtree Introduces Composable Storefront Solution on Salesforce to Quick-Launch Digital Commerce Experiences: “With LTIMindtree’s Composable Storefront quick launch solution, businesses can reduce their go-to-market time allowing for strategic maneuvers to achieve business success.”

• The Sitecore Leadership Shift and the Impact on the Company's Trajectory: “The Sitecore leadership change may be for personal reasons, disagreements about the strategic direction of the company or pressure from EQT, a majority shareholder. We don't know exactly.”

New RFPs From DXP360

• [New] [RFP Value: Undisclosed] Corporate Website Support Renewal: Futures seeks a long-term development partner for its corporate website, to provide comprehensive support, development, and integration services. This contract will encompass resolving current issues, enhancing user experience, and ensuring the seamless integration of digital services. The partner must demonstrate value for money, agile and responsive service, and support Futures in its digital strategy journey. The contract will include proactive assistance in adopting new technologies and maintaining an integrated approach to website and digital service enhancements.

• [New] [RFP Value: $579,000]: University of Sunderland: CMS Solution via Digital Experience Platform: The University of Sunderland is in search of a CMS solution delivered through a DXP provider, aiming for scalability and future development. The contract is expected to start in June 2024, with invoicing from August 2024 to July 2027, and may extend to July 2029.

• [New] [RFP Value: $250,000]German Weight Loss Company: Nutrition Tracking App Development with B2B Solution: This weight loss company, with high 7-digit annual sales and a strong presence in German-speaking countries, seeks a developer for a groundbreaking app similar to Yazio/Myfitnesspal, with a unique B2B component. The project aims to serve both the company's customers and other professionals in the weight loss industry, enhancing client service capabilities. The company proposes a joint venture for app development, offering a significant opportunity to be part of a successful SaaS enterprise. They are looking for a developer who shares their vision to join their well-established team and contribute to creating a market-leading product.

• [New] [RFP Value: $20,000] Consultant Team Needed for Frontend/Backend Project: Organization seeking a team of experienced consultants for a 3 to 6-month contract to design, develop, and test a new web application. This project requires expertise in frontend and backend technologies, UI/UX design, and quality assurance. The ideal team should demonstrate strong skills in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Node.js, Python, and Ruby. This opportunity offers a platform for a team with a diverse skill set to contribute to the creation of a cutting-edge web application, ensuring a dynamic and functional user experience.

Stories that caught our eye

1. CrafterCMS Wins New G2 Awards: Five new awards across Headless CMS, DXP and WCM categories for Spring 2024.

2. EPAM Now a commercetools Platinum Partner: Increasing expertise in composable technologies. 

3. Bloomreach and Google Cloud Deepen Partnership: Enhancing Bloomreach Discovery with the power of Google Cloud AI.

4. Empowering Marketers in the Headless CMS Era: Uniform breaks down the shift from code-heavy processes to configuration-driven headless CMS solutions.

5. Cooling AI Hype?: Optimizely’s CEO points out that businesses are still learning how to apply AI to business functions despite the initial hype a year earlier. 

6. Headless CMS AI: Contento explores how headless CMSs have embraced AI.

The word on the street…

1. [LinkedIn]: Why businesses are moving from monolithic to headless commerce: Noibu’s co-founder and President Kailin Noivo explains the reasons. 

2. [Reddit]: Trying to replace a current CMS: This Redditor needs some headless CMS suggestions.