On 19 November, Savant brought together senior leaders for a discussion on AI Adoption Toolkit and Governance for Tangible Business Growth, held in partnership with Grant Thornton UK and Mechanical Rock. With insights from Tony Scott, Alex Hunt and Mark Sheldon, the conversation explored how organisations are aligning strategy, data and governance to achieve practical outcomes and long-term impact.
Opening Perspective – Mark Sheldon, Founder, Savant
AI is moving rapidly into the centre of organisational strategy, yet many companies still find it difficult to turn interest into measurable progress. Leaders feel the pressure to act, but without clarity, readiness and strong governance, AI risks becoming activity rather than value.
Mark opened the webinar by acknowledging that AI is not a typical technology upgrade. It influences decision making, customer expectations, organisational capability and the way work is designed. The potential is significant, but so is the responsibility. AI strengthens an organisation only when leadership defines its purpose, sets clear boundaries and creates the right conditions for adoption. It is not something to bolt on; it is something to be led with intent.
Purpose, Readiness and the Role of People – Tony Scott, Managing Director, Mechanical Rock UK
Tony began with the question he asks every organisation he advises: Why do you want AI? It is revealing how often this cannot be answered clearly. He described companies exploring AI because competitors claim to be using it, rather than because they have identified a specific business problem. This reflects a broader trend of adoption driven by external pressure instead of internal purpose. Tony’s point was direct. AI delivers value only when it is tied to a defined commercial or operational outcome. Without purpose, organisations risk investing in tools with no direction.
He compared AI adoption to building a house, noting that many leaders want advanced capabilities before the foundations are in place. Those foundations include clean and reliable data, meaningful dashboards, modern infrastructure, clear data roles and maturity in privacy and GDPR controls. The longstanding principle of “garbage in, garbage out” has become even more relevant. AI magnifies weaknesses. What looks like an AI challenge is often a data maturity issue.
Tony also challenged the view that AI should reduce headcount. Earlier automation cycles showed that removing roles without redesigning work weakens capability and customer experience. A better approach is to automate tasks rather than jobs, allowing people to focus on judgement, creativity and customer understanding. As Tony put it, organisations may become AI first, but must not become human last.
He emphasised that AI must be led by the business. Technology enables it, but strategy directs it. Mechanical Rock’s approach reflects this discipline: think big, start small and scale quickly. Focusing on a small number of high value use cases prevents the common pattern of many pilots that never progress. AI should enhance strategic priorities, not compete with them.
Tony also raised a growing risk. Employees often place sensitive information into public AI tools without realising the consequences. Once information leaves the organisation, it cannot be retrieved. Mechanical Rock developed Snowvault to address this by providing a secure environment connected to internal data sources. The principle is clear. If safe tools are not provided, employees will use unsafe alternatives. Data protection is now a leadership responsibility as much as a compliance requirement.
Governance, Value and Organisational Maturity – Alex Hunt, Data & AI Service Leader, Grant Thornton UK
Alex shifted the conversation to governance, noting that many organisations still underestimate how deeply AI intersects with finance, operations, risk and customer experience. Oversight must reflect this influence. He outlined challenges that appear consistently across organisations: limited internal expertise, unclear ownership of AI related risks, inconsistent governance frameworks and difficulty demonstrating compliance during due diligence. These issues become especially visible during investment rounds or acquisitions, where AI maturity can strengthen or weaken valuation. Governance is not a barrier to innovation. It is what makes innovation responsible and scalable.
Alex referred to the MIT findings showing that while generative AI has been widely adopted, only a small minority of organisations have achieved meaningful outcomes. Common causes include using generic tools that improve productivity but do not reshape workflows, deploying custom solutions on processes that are not ready, piloting widely but failing to scale, investing in visible areas rather than those with the greatest return and external partnerships often outperforming internal builds. Organisations that progress treat AI as an integrated capability, empowering managers, redesigning workflows and committing to continuous improvement rather than isolated experiments.
He also outlined a practical governance approach that organisations can adopt immediately: assign clear accountability, map where AI is used and what decisions it influences, establish principles such as fairness, transparency and security, introduce review processes for high impact use cases and equip teams with training in responsible use. This provides clarity, reduces risk and strengthens confidence among regulators, investors and stakeholders.
Alex closed with the reminder that AI leadership cannot sit with one individual. It requires coordination across the C-suite. AI influences every part of the organisation and must be treated as a collective leadership responsibility.
Conclusion
A clear theme ran throughout the webinar. AI will not reward organisations that move first. It will reward those that move with discipline, clarity and purpose. Data foundations must be strong. Governance must be robust. People must remain central. Purpose must guide every decision.
When these elements align, AI becomes a source of stronger decisions, better performance and long term organisational value. Without them, it becomes noise. This is the moment for the C-suite to define how AI will support their organisation with maturity, responsibility and intent.
Savant Search provides tailored recruitment solutions across the tech and finance sectors, with a focus on executive and senior-level roles. With deep industry knowledge and a commitment to long-term value, we build trusted partnerships that support organisational growth, strengthen competitive advantage, and advance top-tier talent. As part of this commitment, Savant continues to support senior leaders across technology and finance in building the capability, governance and clarity required for responsible adoption and sustained organisational performance.
