Artificial intelligence and automation are entering a new phase, where agentic systems
and autonomous workflows are beginning to redefine how organizations operate. To
explore this evolution, Fabrice Bagniakana, AI Director for Europe at TD SYNNEX,
connected with Raj Mistry, EVP Sales EMEA at Automation Anywhere, a global
leader in intelligent automation.
In this conversation, Raj shares his perspective on the convergence of AI and
automation, the growing importance of agentic AI and AI agents, and the thinking behind
Automation Anywhere’s concept of Agentic Process Automation (APA). He also provides
insights from customer engagements across Europe, the challenges organizations face
when adopting AI-powered automation, and how the landscape is likely to evolve over
the next three years.
The discussion offers a clear and timely view of how businesses can prepare for the next
era of autonomous work. Here is the full interview.
Fabrice : Raj, could you introduce yourself and tell us about your role at Automation Anywhere?
Raj : “Thanks, Fabrice. First of all, thank you for inviting me to this podcast — I really appreciate it. My name is Raj Mistry, and I lead the EMEA business for Automation Anywhere. I’m delighted to be here today.”
Fabrice : Automation Anywhere has been a leader in intelligent automation for years.
How would you describe the company’s strategy today in combining AI with automation?
Raj : “That’s a very timely question, because everyone right now is talking about AI and AI agents. With close to 20 years of experience in automation, we’ve been able to take a significant leap forward in what we believe is the future: the shift toward autonomous enterprises.
Today, there’s a lot of buzz around AI. Many companies have essentially layered a thin
veneer of AI on top of existing knowledge bases and labeled that as innovation. We anticipated this evolution years ago. As far back as 2018, we began adding capabilities to our platform that would allow customers to move beyond simple augmentation and into true autonomy.
What we tell customers today is that the real value of AI emerges when you start enabling autonomous work — and that’s why we created a new category we call Agentic Process Automation. APA brings together our strong foundations in RPA, document automation, generative AI, and agentic AI so organizations can actually drive end-to-end autonomous work.
The next decade is going to be incredibly exciting. The transformation of work toward autonomy is exactly where AI will have its biggest impact, and everything we’re building
is designed to support that future.”
Fabrice : We hear more and more about agentic AI and AI agents. From your perspective, why should business leaders start paying attention to these concepts now?
Raj : “This really comes down to what companies expect AI to do. Early on, many organizations rushed into AI — buying tokens, signing deals with large language model providers, building knowledge bases — but without materially changing how work gets done. Now they’re stepping back and asking: ‘I invested in AI, but did I improve my business?’
What we’re seeing is a return to fundamentals. Companies are starting to rethink work from the ground up. Let me give you an example: a major UK utility we work with had already implemented modern platforms like Salesforce — in fact, they were a customer I personally worked with during my 17 years at Salesforce. Yet, despite adopting best-in-class systems, the way customer service was delivered had not fundamentally changed.
Our approach with them was to bring IT and business teams together and completely redesign their processes — not as technology projects, but as work redesign. We mapped their processes, applied an autonomous work lens, and asked: ‘How should this work function if automation and AI were the starting point?’ That shift breaks down silos and elevates both the employee and customer experience.
This is why business leaders need to pay attention now. Agentic AI is not about adding a chatbot or a layer of intelligence on top — it’s about rethinking the work itself and transforming how the organization operates.”
Fabrice : For those in our audience who may not be familiar, could you explain the difference between agentic AI and AI agents?
Raj : “That’s a great question, because there’s a lot of noise in the market.
The way we define it is this:
Agentic AI is the intelligence layer — the software that can think, act, and learn. This is what large language model providers excel at: building the knowledge base and reasoning foundation.
AI agents, on the other hand, are the doers — AI-powered assistants that take that intelligence and apply it. They make decisions, interact with humans, and execute actions across systems. Not all AI agents are created equal, and this distinction matters.
We see three categories emerging:
- Co-pilots for personal productivity — like what Microsoft does extremely well based on their heritage in tools such as Excel and Word.
- Application-specific agents — for example, within Salesforce, Workday, or SAP, where the agent supports tasks inside a specific platform.
- Cross-application, cross-business AI process agents — and this is where Automation Anywhere focuses. These agents manage end-to-end workflows across systems, departments, and business silos. They handle complex processes like order management, compliance, or multi-system case resolution.
It’s these AI process agents — the ones that span applications and orchestrate full workflows — that deliver step-change improvements such as 80% efficiency gains. They fundamentally transform work rather than just assisting within an app.”
Fabrice : Automation Anywhere recently introduced the concept of Agentic Process Automation, or APA. Could you explain what APA is ?
Raj : “Agentic Process Automation will become foundational to enterprise transformation over the next decade. In simple terms, APA analyzes workflows and orchestrates agents across end-to-end processes — not just within our platform, but across an organization’s entire ecosystem.
Think of APA as the conductor of an orchestra. It brings together multiple agents — and humans — at exactly the right time to deliver the best outcome. In fact, we’re using this orchestration concept in our platform: APA selects the right tools and the right capabilities, harmonizing them to deliver meaningful impact.
True transformation happens only when an enterprise can coordinate agents across systems, embed human judgment where it matters, and drive outcomes at scale. That’s where you see results like 80% reduction in manual work or dramatic improvements in efficiency and compliance.”
Fabrice : From your conversations with customers in Europe, where are you seeing the strongest demand for AI-powered automation today? And what are the main challenges organizations face when adopting AI agents?
Raj : “All we do is talk to customers about autonomous work, and a clear pattern has emerged. The biggest challenge organizations face isn’t the technology — it’s their internal orthodoxies. Most companies are deploying AI in isolated silos: someone in support has an idea, or someone in accounts payable wants to try something, or someone in customer service launches a pilot.
But AI used as a bolt-on tool will never transform a business.
The shift must be enterprise-wide. AI shouldn’t be something you enable around the edges — it should be infused into every process across the organization. When you take that perspective, end-to-end processes can be redesigned, reduced, and often completely reimagined.
We’re seeing particularly strong demand from highly regulated sectors — life sciences, healthcare, and financial services — where governance, security, and PII protection are paramount. These organizations are adopting APA to transform complex, high-risk processes safely and effectively. And their success shows that if they can do it, any organization can.
The key is finding leaders who are willing to break down internal barriers and champion true enterprise transformation.”
Fabrice : In the next 3 years, how do you see AI and automation evolving in EMEA, and what impact will agentic AI have on businesses?
Raj : “A few years ago, three to five years felt like a long horizon. Today, it’s incredibly short because AI and automation are advancing at unprecedented speed. This is a fundamental technology shift, and every organization — across every function — will need to adopt it.
This is also why we recently acquired Airsera. They’re an exceptional company transforming IT service management, HR, and customer service through rapidly deployable agentic solutions. When you combine Airsera’s capabilities with our autonomous enterprise platform, you get a powerful foundation for organizations to adopt autonomous work quickly and securely.
What we expect to see is:
- Immediate adoption of agentic solutions
- Rapid expansion into autonomous processes across departments
- A strong focus on measurable business results
The era of experimenting with AI without delivering impact is over. Within the next two years — not five — we anticipate widespread adoption across EMEA, driven by leaders who are now demanding real ROI from automation and AI.
And for anyone who wants to learn more, I encourage you to visit automationanywhere.com. We share a large volume of high-quality content at no cost because we see it as our responsibility to educate, inspire, and support the community moving through this transformation.”
