EPAM Launches AI-Native Agency Empathy Lab, Helping Brands Navigate the Next Frontiers in Commerce, Marketing and Experience

The new Europe-based agency will help address the complex Tech and CX challenges faced by today's modern CMOs. Empathy Lab by EPAM reimagines customer engagement through AI-native commerce, omni-modal and next-generation marketing experiences, to help deliver value and customer loyalty.

LONDON and AMSTERDAM and BRUSSELS and NEWTOWN, Pa., Feb. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- EPAM Systems, Inc.  (NYSE: EPAM), a leading digital transformation services and product engineering company, today announced the launch of Empathy Lab in Europe, an AI-native agency built upon EPAM's 30-year foundation of pioneering advanced technology solutions for global brands. Powered by industry-leading data scientists, technologists, AI experts, marketing strategists and creatives, Empathy Lab by EPAM addresses the challenges that brand and business leaders face in a market shaped by artificial intelligence.

"The role of today's Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) has expanded far beyond traditional marketing, requiring mastery of data, technology, customer experience and business strategy, with higher accountability for revenue and ROI," said Elaina Shekhter‎, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, EPAM. "To help CMOs with this increasing complexity, we're launching Empathy Lab – a digital agency with an AI-first foundation and top creative and technical talent – to empower senior marketing and digital leaders with personalized hybrid experiences that deepen customer engagement and deliver measurable growth results."

Inspired by the belief that true brand connection is rooted in empathy, Empathy Lab was created to help brands harness the power of AI, connected data and human creativity to foster deeper connections with consumers. By anticipating needs and detecting emotional cues, brands can design personalized, human-centered interactions that turn empathy into brand differentiation and growth.

While rolling out as a new brand across all major European markets, Empathy Lab's launch involves the rebranding of EPAM's existing digital and marketing agency, Emakina, in Belgium and the Netherlands. Having become part of EPAM through the acquisition of Emakina Group in 2021, Emakina's network of agencies has since played an instrumental role in driving the growth of EPAM's Digital Engagement Practice, strengthening the Company's expertise in creative services and data-driven customer experience.

With a focus on strategic consultancy and the development of new tech and data-enabled capabilities, Empathy Lab will offer Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) and Chief Digital Officers (CDOs) a suite of revenue-accelerating solutions, including:

• Total commerce: Building revenue and margin by creating the opportunity for customers to transact on their terms, making every interaction a potential shoppable moment. 
• Intelligent products: Driving business growth by creating smart products and services that fill gaps in the market.
• Omni-modal experiences: Designing unique and personalized customer experiences at every point of contact, whether online, in-store or in virtual spaces.
• Generative loyalty: Growing customer lifetime value by pairing creativity with cutting-edge tech to offer personalized rewards and incentives at the right time.
• Next-gen marketing: Transforming fragmented marketing capabilities into responsive ecosystems that speak to each customer, even when reaching millions.

"We believe the industry has been headed in the wrong direction," said Kevin Labick, SVP, Digital Engagement, EPAM. "The true power of AI isn't simply the automation of tasks; it's the elevation of human creativity and connection. Empathy Lab's mission is to set brands and brand leaders free to create, listen and engage more deeply than ever before."

For more information about Empathy Lab, visit: www.empathylab.com.

For more information about EPAM, visit www.epam.com.

About Empathy Lab, An EPAM Company

Empathy Lab is an Al-native agency launched by EPAM, a leading global provider of digital strategy, engineering, cloud and AI-enabled transformation services. This foundation gives us something rare: world-class creativity paired with true technology mastery. 

Our passionate and curious team of data scientists, technologists, Al experts, strategists, and creatives are driven by the belief that technology should be used to make experiences more human, not less.  

We enable brands to listen to their customers at every touchpoint, understand their context, behaviors and preferences, adapt to the individual, and engage with them in the moment through next-gen marketing, omni-modal experiences, total commerce, generative loyalty and intelligent products. 

Our goal is to help brands understand and serve consumers like never before, by building of genuine empathy at scale. 

Learn more at www.empathylab.com and follow us on LinkedIn

About EPAM Systems

Since 1993, EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE: EPAM) has used its software engineering expertise to become a leading global provider of digital engineering, cloud and AI-enabled transformation services, and a leading business and experience consulting partner for global enterprises and ambitious startups. We address our clients' transformation challenges by focusing EPAM Continuum's integrated strategy, experience and technology consulting with our 30+ years of engineering execution to speed our clients' time to market and drive greater value from their innovations and digital investments.

We leverage AI and GenAI to deliver transformative solutions that accelerate our clients' digital innovation and enhance their competitive edge. Through platforms like EPAM AI/RUN™ and initiatives like DIALX Lab, we integrate advanced AI technologies into tailored business strategies, driving significant industry impact and fostering continuous innovation.

We deliver globally but engage locally with our expert teams of consultants, architects, designers and engineers, making the future real for our clients, our partners, and our people around the world. We believe the right solutions are the ones that improve people's lives and fuel competitive advantage for our clients across diverse industries. Our thinking comes to life in the experiences, products and platforms we design and bring to market.

Added to the S&P 500 and the Forbes Global 2000 in 2021 and recognized by Glassdoor and Newsweek as Most Loved Workplace, our multidisciplinary teams serve customers across six continents. We are proud to be among the top 15 companies in Information Technology Services in the Fortune 1000 and to be recognized as a leader in the IDC MarketScapes for Worldwide Experience Build Services, Worldwide Experience Design Services and Worldwide Software Engineering Services.

Learn more at www.epam.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes estimates and statements which may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the accuracy of which are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Our estimates and forward-looking statements are mainly based on our current expectations and estimates of future events and trends, which affect or may affect our business and operations. These statements may include words such as "may," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate" or similar expressions. Those future events and trends may relate to, among other things, developments relating to the war in Ukraine and escalation of the war in the surrounding region, political and civil unrest or military action in the geographies where we conduct business and operate, difficult conditions in global capital markets, foreign exchange markets and the broader economy, and the effect that these events may have on client demand and our revenues, operations, access to capital, and profitability. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include general economic conditions, the risk factors discussed in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the factors discussed in the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, particularly under the headings "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors" and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe that these estimates and forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, they are subject to several risks and uncertainties and are made based on information currently available to us. EPAM undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities law.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/722474/EPAM_Logo1.jpg