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Board

In this section, delve into technology from a board perspective. Discover articles that illuminate key areas such as governance, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence. These insights are designed to equip board directors with the knowledge to lead effectively in the digital boardroom, ensuring technology decisions are aligned with strategic goals and enhance organizational success.

Rethinking Business Cases in the Age of AI: What Boards Need to Know

London | Published in AI and Board | 11 minute read |    
A group of business professionals in a futuristic Boardroom analyse AI investment data, with glowing holographic charts, ROI metrics, dollar signs, and an upward-trending arrow pointing toward a central “AI” node, symbolising growth and financial impact in the age of artificial intelligence. (Image generated by AI).

In today’s AI-driven landscape, traditional business case methods fall short when evaluating AI investments. Drawing from my experience developing AWS’s cloud business case tools, I explore why conventional ROI models struggle with AI’s parallel, multi-speed adoption patterns. Unlike cloud’s sequential journey, AI initiatives exist simultaneously across different maturity stages, creating valuation challenges that standard metrics can’t capture. Boards need new evaluation approaches that account for AI’s diverse cost structures, varying timelines for returns, and how investments in one area often enable value in entirely different parts of the business.


Upskilling for the AI Era: Building a Future-Ready Workforce

London | Published in AI and Board | 15 minute read |    
A conceptual digital illustration showing a workforce transitioning from traditional learning to AI-driven training — with one side depicting analog tools and classroom settings, and the other featuring holographic interfaces and futuristic technology. (Image generated by AI)

As I discussed in my article on building and managing AI-capable teams, organisations face a critical challenge in acquiring the right talent for AI transformation. This reminds me of the early days of cloud adoption, when I advised enterprises on their migration strategies. Back then, I witnessed the same scramble for scarce talent, which led me to advocate strongly for upskilling existing teams rather than relying solely on external hiring.


Implementing Decision Analytics: A Practical Guide for Boards

London | Published in AI , Board and Data | 11 minute read |    
A diverse business team collaboratively building an AI decision analytics engine in a modern boardroom, with digital data displays and construction tools on a sleek conference table. (Image generated by ChatGPT-4o).

In my previous article, Transforming the Board: Using Decision Analytics for Strategic Advantage, I introduced the concept of AI-powered decision analytics as a transformative approach to board decision-making. I explored how these capabilities can help directors move beyond traditional backward-looking metrics to embrace predictive indicators that model potential futures and enhance strategic decision-making.


Transforming the Board: Using Decision Analytics for Strategic Advantage

Seattle | Published in AI and Board | 13 minute read |    
A contemporary boardroom scene with executives thoughtfully engaging with futuristic holographic visuals above a polished table, displaying graphical analytics and predictive indicators, symbolising the strategic shift toward decision analytics and AI-driven insights. (Image generated by ChatGPT-4o).

In my article The Board in the machine, I argued that “Boards will find that there are no barriers to making the right decisions at the speed of light”. More recently, in AI is transforming governance: Six key Boardroom priorities, I observed that boards “are moving from overseeing hundreds of decisions made per day to millions made per second”. This acceleration of business decision velocity presents both an unprecedented challenge and opportunity for Directors and the Boards they serve.


Navigating the AI Regulatory Maze: A Boardroom Survival Guide

Llantwit Major | Published in AI and Board | 14 minute read |    
Illustration of a maze split into two halves: one side representing traditional regulatory complexity with stone walls and paperwork, and the other depicting modern AI innovation with futuristic digital pathways. Board members strategically stand in the centre, navigating between regulation and AI. (Image generated by ChatGPT 4o)

The EU AI Act, which came into force on August 1, 2024, establishes significant penalties for non-compliance, including fines of up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover for serious violations. As regulatory frameworks for artificial intelligence rapidly evolve worldwide, Boards face a new imperative: navigating complex compliance requirements while maintaining the innovation speed necessary to compete.


From Shadow AI to Strategic Asset: Building Your AI Centre of Excellence

London | Published in AI and Board | 16 minute read |    
The image shows a modern business setting where AI is seamlessly integrated into operations, enhancing productivity while being governed by ethical guidelines. Executives collaborate with a digital assistant, with subtle guardrails symbolizing responsible AI use in a professional and balanced environment. (Image generated by ChatGPT 4o)

In my previous articles about the AI Stages of Adoption and the Five Pillars of AI maturity and capability, I briefly touched on the role of the AI Centre of Excellence (AI CoE). Since publishing those pieces, I’ve spoken with numerous Boards and business leaders about AI adoption and the importance of board-level AI governance. A recurring question emerges in almost every conversation: “What are the practical steps to establishing an AI CoE in our business?”


Increasing AI Maturity: Navigating the AI Stages of Adoption with the Five Pillars

Llantwit Major | Published in AI and Board | 9 minute read |    
A futuristic digital painting depicting the increasing maturity of AI. A glowing blue bridge symbolises progress, supported by five distinct pillars representing different stages of AI development. The left side of the image is darker, illustrating early AI with basic automation, while the right side transitions into an advanced AI-powered city, illuminated with intricate blue light networks, symbolising intelligence and connectivity (Image generated by ChatGPT 4o).

In my previous article on the AI Stages of Adoption (AISA), I outlined how organisations progress through their AI journey—from Experimenting to Adopting, Optimising, Transforming, and ultimately Scaling. Since publishing that piece, many readers have asked the same follow‐up question: “How do we know when we’re truly ready to move from one stage to the next?”


Demystifying data monetisation: Insights for private equity portfolio companies

Spring, London | Published in AI , Board and Data | 3 minute read |    
Mario Thomas presenting to private equity portfolio company executives on data monetisation and driving exit value through digitisation.

Last night, I had the pleasure of returning to the Chief Wine Officer event series on behalf of AWS, this time addressing leaders from private equity portfolio companies on a topic close to my heart: turning organisational data into strategic value. The evening, hosted at Spring at Somerset House, brought together executives eager to explore how to accelerate value creation through data monetisation within PE timeframes.


AI is transforming governance: Six key Boardroom priorities

London | Published in AI and Board | 10 minute read |    
The image shows a futuristic boardroom with diverse professionals engaged in discussion around a central table, surrounded by holographic AI displays showing analytics and decision metrics, set against a bright cityscape and greenery, symbolizing collaboration, innovation, and ethical AI governance. (Image generated by ChatGPT 4o)

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the velocity of business decision-making and how organisations operate, compete, and create value. With AI, boards are moving from overseeing hundreds of decisions made per day to millions made per second - and they must be confident that each of those decisions is transparent, explainable, and correct.


The enterprise data advantage: Turning information assets into strategic value

New York | Published in AI , Board and Data | 15 minute read |    
The image features a sophisticated office setting with futuristic holographic data displays and digital streams. In the background, there are subtle visuals of historical newspapers and documents, including folded stacks and old headlines, seamlessly integrated with the modern tech environment. The image uses vibrant blue and white tones for the tech elements and sepia accents for the newspaper visuals, symbolizing the convergence of past and present in digital transformation. (Image generated by ChatGPT 4o)

In 1998, I walked into the headquarters of our newly acquired newspaper group in Leeds, a result of a private equity-backed management buyout of United News & Media’s regional newspaper and magazine titles. Tasked with ‘doing the internet’, I found a small semblance of online activity in the form of a basic advertising website for the Yorkshire Post. A couple of weeks of getting my feet under my desk yielded a digital goldmine - 271 years of content waiting to be transformed into digital assets.