Group Head, AI Center of Excellence

Role Purpose

Our client is establishing a Group-wide Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence. The Head of the Center will define the enterprise AI vision, governance, operating model, technology roadmap, talent strategy and value realisation framework, and lead the adoption of AI across every business in the group — spanning engineering, manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, technology services and financial services.

The appointment is the chief architect of the group's AI transformation: accountable both for responsible deployment and for measurable business outcomes delivered through generative and agentic AI, predictive analytics, machine learning, automation, digital twins and industry-specific solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and transformation. Define and execute the Group AI strategy, establish a multi-year transformation roadmap, and identify the opportunities that deliver productivity, revenue growth, risk reduction and improved customer experience.

Establishing the Center. Operationalise the CoE — structure, governance, process and delivery model — with domain practice teams across engineering, manufacturing, enterprise functions, supply chain, finance, customer experience and cyber risk.

Governance and responsible AI. Establish the frameworks, policies and controls covering ethics, privacy, security, bias mitigation, regulatory compliance and model risk management, and chair the AI Governance Council.

Products and platforms. Set architecture and standards for generative and agentic AI, enterprise AI platforms, MLOps and LLMOps, knowledge management and data platforms, and drive reusable accelerators, agents and coplots.

Innovation and ecosystem. Build partnerships across the major cloud, silicon and model providers, academic institutions and the startup ecosystem, and lead innovation programmes and an experimentation fund.

Talent and capability. Create the group AI workforce strategy, establish academies and certification programmes, and develop a pipeline of AI architects, data scientists, ML engineers and AI product managers.

Portfolio and investment. Govern the AI investment portfolio, prioritise programmes by business value and strategic impact, and manage budget, resourcing, the vendor ecosystem and executive reporting.

Key Deliverables

First Six Months

• CoE operating model established

• AI governance framework approved

• Enterprise AI roadmap published

• Top 25 AI use cases identified

Twelve Months

• AI platform deployed across businesses

• 100+ AI champions trained

• 10 to 15 strategic programmes launched

• Value realisation dashboard operational

Twenty-Four Months

• Group-wide adoption framework scaled

• Multiple AI products and reusable assets deployed

• Measurable productivity and automation impact

• AI established as a competitive differentiator

Leadership Expectations

• Influence at CXO and business-leader level across multiple companies

• Drive enterprise-wide transformation and cultural change

• Build and lead high-performing multidisciplinary teams

• Balance innovation with governance and risk management

• Act as the group's AI evangelist, internally and externally

Experience

• 18 to 25+ years across technology, engineering, digital transformation, data and AI, or innovation leadership

• Proven experience establishing an AI, analytics or digital Center of Excellence

• A record of leading enterprise transformation programmes at scale

• Experience operating across multiple business units and with executive stakeholders

• Demonstrated success in large-scale AI, data, cloud or automation initiatives

Education & Certifications

• A bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, technology, mathematics or a related discipline, together with a master's degree.

• Certifications in AI, data science, cloud or digital transformation are preferred.