LONDON, July 2026 – Artefact today announces the appointment of Athena Vooght as CEO of Artefact UK, effective 1 August 2026. Athena succeeds co-founder Pascal Coggia, who steps down after more than a decade with the firm to pursue new business interests.
The appointment comes at a formative moment as London solidifies its standing as one of the world’s premier AI hubs. Since joining Artefact UK in 2022 as its first AI and data consulting leader, Athena has been central to the firm’s rapid expansion. Under her leadership, UK consulting revenue has more than doubled, headcount has tripled to over 120 specialists, and Artefact has become the AI and data partner of choice for several major global enterprises.
The UK firm now forms a key growth engine for the broader Group, a global team of 2,500 people across 25 countries, backed by Cinven with the ambition of tripling the business by 2030.
Driving the next chapter of AI consulting
In a crowded, fast-moving market where basic technical capability has become a baseline expectation, Athena’s strategy centers on deep expertise, rapid reinvention, and pragmatic value creation. Looking ahead, her immediate focus is scaling the UK team beyond 200 specialists while deepening strategic relationships with leading AI technology pioneers, including Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI.
“Our ambition is to be the UK’s leading pure-play AI and data partner, creating lasting advantages for our clients and powered by exceptional people. We want to be known as the premier destination for AI visionary leadership and pragmatic execution, fundamentally reimagining how enterprises function and deliver meaningful impact” — Athena Vooght, CEO of Artefact UK
A decade of vision: Honoring Pascal Coggia
Pascal Coggia’s tenure at Artefact spans nearly the entire history of the company. As a co-founder, he helped establish the business in France before launching the Dubai office from scratch and scaling it into one of the group’s fastest-growing regions. Seven years ago, he brought that same entrepreneurial drive to London, building the UK office into the powerhouse it is today with his signature charm and trademark good humor.
He will step down from his role at the end of the year to embark on a new business venture rooted in his Corsican heritage. As Pascal put it: “I leave for olives and cannelés, which is a change of pace but not, I would argue, of philosophy. Good things, made properly, by people who care. Artefact UK is in excellent hands, and I shall be watching with great interest and no small amount of pride.”
Reflecting on his decade with the firm across France, Dubai, and the UK, Pascal credited Artefact’s extraordinary success entirely to the brilliant teams he worked alongside. He leaves with great pride, noting that starting small teams and guiding them to maturity has been the highlight of his career, and expressed complete confidence in Athena’s leadership, guided by the enduring philosophy of producing good things, made properly, by people who care.
Artefact extends its deepest thanks to Pascal for ten years of outstanding vision and leadership, and warmly congratulates Athena as she leads Artefact UK into its next era.
