Episode 79

Written By zoe amar

The Year AI Changed Everything: 2024's Biggest Leadership Lessons

We chat to Alison Court, Chief Transformation Officer at Oxfam


In a special end of the year episode, Starts at the Top tackles the elephant in every boardroom: artificial intelligence. Paul and Zoe unpack how 2024 became the year AI moved from buzzword to business reality, revealing stark differences between how charities and companies are rising to the challenge.

Drawing on their vantage points across both sectors, Paul and Zoe deliver eye-opening insights: while grassroots charity workers are embracing AI with gusto (adoption soaring from 35% to 61% this year), many charity leaders remain hesitant. Meanwhile, the private sector is seeing AI reshape entire business models, backed by serious investment. The resulting discussion is both a wake-up call and a practical roadmap for 2025.

We discuss:

  • Why 2024 marks a turning point in AI adoption across sectors

  • The surprising truth about where AI innovation really happens in charities

  • How private equity is transforming the accountancy sector through AI investment

  • Essential lessons from Oxfam's pioneering approach to AI governance

  • What charity boards must do differently in 2025

  • Preview of game-changing AI guidance coming in the new Charity Digital Code of Practice

Featured Interview: Alison Court, Oxfam's Chief Transformation Officer, shares candid insights about getting board-level buy-in for AI innovation - a must-listen for anyone trying to drive digital change from the top.

Looking ahead to 2025, Paul and Zoe discuss their AI New Year's resolutions for leaders, including Zoe's insider preview of the updated Charity Digital Code of Practice and Paul's compelling case for putting AI at the heart of five-year strategies.

Don't miss this essential capstone to a year that changed everything about how we think about leadership and AI.

Note - The clip we discussed at the end of the episode hasn't been included. We'll add it to a future episode and share it on social media.

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Editing and production - Syren Studios with Paul Thomas

Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music

Full transcript of this episode (srt file)

Full transcript of this episode (.txt file)

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Episode 78