OryxAlign appoints Michelle Pontes as Head of Marketing & Market Intelligence

Senior leadership appointment strengthens OryxAlign’s market intelligence, brand positioning and commercial growth capability as the business enters its next phase of growth. 

LONDON, 28th September 2026: OryxAlign has appointed Michelle Pontes as Head of Marketing & Market Intelligence and a member of its Senior Leadership Team, strengthening the technology services provider’s commercial capability as it enters its next phase of growth. Michelle brings more than 20 years of experience spanning business development, business transformation and marketing across technology, financial services, energy and commodities.

Before joining OryxAlign, she spent almost a decade at CGI, where she held senior consulting and marketing leadership roles, including as Marketing and Communications Director within Global Technology Operations.

Earlier in her career, Michelle worked across financial services, energy and commodities, supporting multinational organisations and major financial institutions through commercial, technology and operational challenges. Her career has combined business strategy, transformation, customer understanding and marketing, and shaping an approach centred on using intelligence to make stronger commercial decisions.

Michelle is also the author of The Marketing Almanac, a practical guide to aligning marketing activity with business strategy. Alongside her corporate career, she has developed an independent decision-design practice and founded Human-Driven AI CIC, a social enterprise focused on widening access to artificial intelligence and helping people use the technology in practical, responsible and human-centred ways.

In her new role, Michelle will lead OryxAlign’s brand, communications, content, campaigns and digital experience, while developing a more connected market-intelligence capability across the business. Her remit will bring together customer, competitor, sector and performance intelligence to give OryxAlign a clearer view of where markets are moving, where the business has the strongest opportunity to compete and how that intelligence should shape positioning, investment and commercial activity.

The appointment follows Palatine’s recent investment in OryxAlign and comes at an important point in the company’s development. Founded in 2006, the business has grown into an award-winning technology services partner operating at the intersection of IT and operational technology. It supports clients across mission-critical sectors including Data Centres, the built environment and the general mid-market sector, delivering critical infrastructure services, cloud, cybersecurity and enterprise networking.

Carl Henriksen, Founder and CEO of OryxAlign, said:

“Michelle’s appointment reflects the scale of our ambition and the increasing importance of insight-led decision-making as OryxAlign enters its next phase of growth. We have built a strong reputation in the markets we serve, but our next chapter requires us to become even more deliberate about where we compete, how we differentiate and how we turn our knowledge of clients and markets into commercial opportunity.

“Michelle brings a rare combination of global technology marketing experience, strategic thinking, creativity and commercial understanding. Her remit goes beyond a traditional marketing role: she will help us develop a much stronger understanding of our markets and then translate that intelligence into compelling positioning. I am delighted to welcome her to OryxAlign and look forward to working closely with her.”

Michelle Pontes, Head of Marketing & Market Intelligence at OryxAlign, said:

“OryxAlign is at an exciting point in its growth journey. The business has deep technical expertise, long-standing client relationships, a strong position in complex, mission-critical environments and an enviable culture, with a clear opportunity to build on its position in the UK and internationally.

“What attracted me to OryxAlign was the ambition of the business and the opportunity to develop marketing as a source of intelligence as well as a driver for growth. My focus will be on building that capability while strengthening the OryxAlign brand and sharpening how we communicate the value of what we do. I want to create a clear connection between what we learn from the market, the decisions we make and where we choose to grow.”