How does AI adoption expose strengths and weaknesses in team culture? This panel would explore the interplay between mindset, organisational readiness, and the cultural shifts needed for teams to thrive alongside AI.

This presentation introduces a novel approach designed to help Enterprise Architects' (EAs) create more of an impact in the boardroom. It highlights the critical need for EAs to adapt their messaging for various functional leaders in a business so they can effectively convey the value of their work.

Lorne Mitchell will present the "Three Es Framework", which outlines three areas which define the emotional architecture of an organisation.

By understanding and working within this framework, EAs can significantly enhance their relevance and influence in board-level discussions as well as better align technology strategies with overall business objectives to ensure success.

A Service Design Approach to Digital Transformation and Organisational Change: What’s Your Problem?!

Your answer to someone else’s problem is not the solution...
This workshop explores how service design methodologies can drive sustainable digital transformation and organisational change.

Session Outline:

• Defining a Service: Understanding what a service is and how it relates to organisational dynamics.
• Understanding the Problem: Exploring techniques to uncover and define core challenges.
• The Knowledge Board: What do you know versus what you think you know?
• Service Design and Organisational Agility: Examining the interplay between service design principles and agile practices.

In this practical session, participants will gain hands-on experience with easy-to-use tools that help identify what’s working, what’s not, and where the real issues lie. By leveraging these tools, teams can quickly identify, test, and refine solutions to create impactful, lasting change.

Key Takeaways:

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Recognise that within any organisation, every staff member delivers a service to their colleagues.
• Appreciate the critical importance of thoroughly understanding the problem before driving change.
• Easily distinguish between what is known, what is assumed, and what is unknown.
• Quickly adopt a ‘testing’ mindset.
• Understand the importance of iteration in driving digital transformation and organisational change.

In an era shaped by AI, quantum computing, and data-driven disruption, today’s C-suite must evolve from strategic oversight to dynamic transformation leadership. This session explores how executive leaders can future-proof their organizations by embracing agility, embedding ethical innovation, and aligning tech adoption with long-term resilience goals. With real-world insights from across industries, delegates will leave with an actionable framework for navigating uncertainty and leading responsibly in the face of rapid technological change.
Key Takeaways:
• Understand the emerging tech landscape and its implications for executive decision-making
• Learn how to embed agility and continuous innovation into C-suite leadership culture
• Explore responsible tech adoption strategies balancing innovation with risk
• Gain a practical framework to align emerging technologies with ESG and resilience goals
• Discover real-world lessons from C-level leaders navigating digital transformation

The Standard Bank Group (SBG) has leveraged Enterprise Architecture (EA) to navigate the complexities of modern business and technology landscapes. Over the past two years, SBG has successfully introduced generative AI and an API strategy into its operations. Despite facing numerous challenges—including a lack of understanding, clashing priorities, stakeholder buy-in, funding issues, vendor interference, and lack of clear business requirements—these initiatives have thrived through the application of mature EA practices. These practices have evolved over five years, emphasising collaboration, transparent governance, reference architectures, and an agile approach to emerging concepts.
This presentation will delve into the strategies that have enabled EA to effectively address and overcome these challenges, showcasing the benefits of collaborative efforts and innovative solutions within SBG.
Key takeaways:

• How reference architectures can guide implementation and ensure consistency.
• The role of governance in aligning goals and educating stakeholders.
• The importance of collaboration between architecture and engineering teams.

How does AI adoption expose strengths and weaknesses in team culture? This panel would explore the interplay between mindset, organisational readiness, and the cultural shifts needed for teams to thrive alongside AI.

• Discover how transforming your mindset can turn AI from a challenge into a strategic partner in HR.
• Learn practical steps to build confidence and embrace AI-driven innovation.
• Gain insights into a clear, step-by-step approach to implementing AI solutions effectively.

A new era of intelligence is here. But who will actually build, manage, and ensure these advanced AI systems work correctly and reliably? The traditional lines of engineering are blurring, demanding skillsets that are both deeper technically and broader in scope than ever before. What if the engineer of tomorrow isn't just coding features, but orchestrating complex ecosystems of specialized AI agents? And when these powerful systems inevitably hit edge cases, produce unexpected outputs, or require deep validation, who will have the expertise to dive in, debug, and ensure they stay on track?

A fundamental shift is happening in tech. While there's plenty of predictions about automation replacing engineers, the reality is different: a new type of expert is becoming indispensable. These are the engineers who can truly get under the hood of AI systems, rigorously validate their outputs, and troubleshoot the toughest problems. They won’t just be ‘needed’, they’ll be the critical go-to people in this AI-driven landscape.

We'll explore why Data and AI Engineers are set to become some of the most vital and in-demand roles in the industry. We’ll dive into the future of data engineering that is now critically intertwined with AI, demanding new levels of expertise in architecting and managing the high-throughput, real-time systems that intelligent applications depend on. Join us to understand the evolving challenges and opportunities, and how you can become a key player in building the future of intelligent systems.

In an era shaped by AI, quantum computing, and data-driven disruption, today’s C-suite must evolve from strategic oversight to dynamic transformation leadership. This session explores how executive leaders can future-proof their organizations by embracing agility, embedding ethical innovation, and aligning tech adoption with long-term resilience goals. With real-world insights from across industries, delegates will leave with an actionable framework for navigating uncertainty and leading responsibly in the face of rapid technological change.
Key Takeaways:
• Understand the emerging tech landscape and its implications for executive decision-making
• Learn how to embed agility and continuous innovation into C-suite leadership culture
• Explore responsible tech adoption strategies balancing innovation with risk
• Gain a practical framework to align emerging technologies with ESG and resilience goals
• Discover real-world lessons from C-level leaders navigating digital transformation

AI Test Labs:

• We launched AI Test Labs as hands-on, interactive workshops enabling employees to explore and apply AI tools in real-world scenarios.
• Demand exceeded expectations, leading us to schedule additional sessions. Participant feedback was highly positive, with an average satisfaction rating of 4.75 out of 5
• Over 20% of our workforce has now received AI-related training, building foundational knowledge across the business
• The sessions cover critical topics such as deepfakes, data privacy and protection, AI hallucinations, and responsible AI use, ensuring employees understand both opportunities and risks
• AI Test Labs serve as a launchpad for advanced training and help identify practical use cases for rolling out AI tools and technologies across the organisation
• Feedback highlights strong relevance and usability of AI tools, with an average effectiveness rating of 4 out of 5 and ease-of-use scoring 4.77 out of 5

Government AI Programme:

• We are proud to be one of only 20 UK companies selected to join the Alan Turing Institute’s national AI programme
• The programme runs from September 2025 to March 2026, focusing on ethical, secure, and impactful AI adoption.
• Our participation includes the Turing Way Practitioners Hub, which addresses:
• AI sustainability
• Human-centric design
• Legal and governance frameworks
• Cybersecurity and ethics
• Tooling for AI strategy and roadmapping
• This collaboration positions us at the forefront of responsible AI innovation and strengthens our ability to integrate best practices into our operations.