Head-to-Head with Christine Charlotte Akselsen, CEO at Kezzler and Maryann Moschides, Managing Director at Scanbuy-A Kezzler Company

Kezzler’s recent acquisition of Scanbuy marks a major milestone in the evolution of product transparency, traceability, and consumer engagement. As two industry pioneers join forces, they are set to deliver enhanced smart packaging solutions, leveraging AI-driven insights and seamless end-to-end traceability. To explore what this means for the industry, we sat down with Christine Charlotte Akselsen, CEO of Kezzler, and Maryann Moschides, Managing Director at Scanbuy, to discuss their vision, opportunities, and what the future holds for their combined expertise.

Q: What excites you most about this acquisition and how does it align with Kessler's long-term vision?

Christine: That’s a great question. What excites me the most is simply reaching this milestone. Mergers and acquisitions are complex, with many moving parts and stakeholders - sellers, buyers, investors and employees - all of whom play a role in making it happen. Throughout the process, there are moments of uncertainty and potential setbacks, so successfully completing the acquisition is something I’m incredibly proud of.

Beyond that, this is a perfect fit. Kezzler and Scanbuy have long been pioneers in our respective fields, and as friends in business, and it feels that this acquisition has been a natural progression. Now we get to bring our expertise together under one roof.

On a personal level, I’m thrilled to welcome Maryann and the team as colleagues. From a strategic perspective, this acquisition strengthens our ability to meet the growing demand for product traceability and transparency.

Consumers are becoming more sophisticated in their expectations, and regulatory requirements are evolving rapidly. By combining our expertise, we are positioning ourselves at the forefront of this transformation, helping brands navigate these changes while delivering innovative solutions. Bringing two industry leaders together creates endless opportunities for innovation and impact.

Q: What opportunities do you see for Scanbuy now that it's part of Kezzler?

Maryann: Joining Kezzler has opened up a world of opportunities for Scanbuy, our technology, our clients, and both of our companies. Like Christine just said, we're both excelled at what we do, and when we come together as one, it allows Scanbuy to capitalize and start leveraging Kezzler's infrastructure and global footprint.

We've been so great at consumer engagement and smart packaging, and when you combine that with Kezzler’s expertise in serialization and traceability projects, we see the ability to scale our technology and smart packaging solutions in ways that we simply couldn’t do alone. The idea of gaining more together – being bigger, better, and stronger - is something that excites us not only from the perspective of our clients but also the wider industry.

Furthermore, we're excited about entering new markets. Kezzler has expertise with pharmaceuticals, apparel, and industrial goods - sectors that we haven't even started conversations with yet. This will enable both of our companies to do so much more.

Q: How will this acquisition create value for customers in different regions?

Christine: By combining our traceability capabilities with Scanbuy’s smart packaging and on-product QR engagement solutions, we’re able to deliver something truly unique. We will be able to provide a more advanced and comprehensive suite of solutions to our clients worldwide.

Together, we will have an expanded global footprint, with teams positioned in key regions. We will have people in all time zones across the world to support our clients, from China, India, Singapore, the APAC region, Europe, and now also a much stronger footprint in the US.

And we will have a bigger pool of expertise because there are some brilliant minds in both companies. There’s no doubt that combining them into a larger knowledge base will create incredible value. Plus, with our combined experience, having worked across multiple industries for years, we’ll be able to apply best practices from one sector to another - helping clients across industries like pharmaceuticals, agriculture, industrial goods, apparel, footwear, consumer packaged goods, and fresh foods. Coming together creates significant value, unlocking new opportunities for growth, innovation, and impact.

Maryann: Bringing our technologies together enables us to deliver significantly more. From a consumer engagement perspective, our QR codes already resonate across regions. But when we tie that into Kezzler’s traceability backbone, we can deliver richer experiences, not just for consumers, but for retailers, brands, and even regulators.

And I believe that creating this value together, across any region, regulation, and industry, is going to position us very differently in the marketplace. It’s about enabling transparency and compliance seamlessly - something that’s becoming increasingly crucial for businesses worldwide.

Q: Let’s talk about cultural alignment. Mergers and acquisitions present exciting opportunities, but how do you plan to bring the teams together, foster collaboration, and embrace both companies’ unique aspects?

Christine: The advantage here is that we now have a larger pool of brilliant minds who are genuinely interested in the same things. We've been working on complementary and even some overlapping solutions. I’ve already seen extraordinary enthusiasm on both sides - engineers are pitching commercial ideas, and commercial teams are keen to explore new technological approaches.

We need to manage that balance between excitement and ensuring we continue delivering exceptional services. Our values - transparency, trust, and adventure - will guide us. We openly share our challenges, so new colleagues can step in and help solve them, whether they’re client-facing issues or technological challenges. We also have to be a bit adventurous - willing to evolve, innovate, and build an even stronger company together.

Q: How do you expect to create strong relationships between the teams and inspire innovation?

Maryann: I believe it’s about fostering a one-team mentality. We’ve already started this process, with transition teams and employee introductions. Recently, we had the honor of hosting Kezzler employees in our New York office, and I expect some of us will head to Norway soon.

Building strong relationships between the teams will encourage open communication and collaboration We’re bringing our shared passion for this industry along with our commitment to transparency, trust, and innovation into a much larger group.

Ensuring we merge best practices from each organization will drive innovation and position us for the next five to ten years.

Q: Finally, if businesses want to learn more about how this acquisition benefits them, what’s your message to them?

Christine: Transparency, traceability, and trust are no longer optional, they’re essential. Whether it’s regulatory compliance, supply chain efficiency, or consumer engagement, our combined expertise makes us the perfect partner for businesses navigating these challenges. We're here to help organizations prepare for the future of smart packaging and traceability. Ultimately, smart labels just got a lot smarter!