Alasdair Redmond is the Chief Information Officer at Endava, recognised in the UK CIO 100 for driving digital transformation in the education sector. With a law degree from UCLan and executive education from Harvard Business School, he brings a strategic, business-led approach to technology. Before joining Endava, Alasdair was a Board Member and Technology Director at Intuitus, where he oversaw over 400 technology due diligence projects and post-deal value creation. Earlier in his career, he led global IT services and solutions at Convergys, a $2bn BPO, delivering technology and digital services to Fortune 100 clients. He has also held leadership roles in consultancy and systems integration. Passionate about building high-performing teams, Alasdair continues to shape technology strategies that drive innovation, efficiency, and sustainable value in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. In a recent interview with CIO Magazine, Alasdair Redmond discussed his experience with technology and digital advice. He shared his views on technology and digital transformation, integrating AI, exciting trends in AI and digital transformation, and many more. How is AI reshaping digital transformation strategies across industries, and what are some of the most significant advancements you've seen? As with any emerging technology, it’s been fascinating to witness AI drive change across industries, revealing opportunities that were unimaginable just a few years ago. In healthcare, we recently worked with SOPHiA GENETICS, a software company that leverages AI to advance cancer and rare diseases research and treatment. Recognising that modernised IT infrastructure was key to improving user experience, they called on us to mitigate platform inefficiencies, optimise their IT service management tool, and refine internal workflows. The impact of this is a stronger foundation that empowers researchers, accelerates breakthrough and ultimately, saves lives. It was a similarly inspiring story with the English National Opera who devised a form of singing therapy for patients with long Covid, turning to us to scale the programme and help thousands of sufferers at once. In the payments space, we’ve been working with a global B2B payments company to create a cloud-based platform that saves them money and provides an improved customer experience. With rising consumer expectations, companies using AI to differentiate themselves are prioritising personalisation. I expect this shift will be significant in raising standards across industries in years to come. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Advancements in AI are making waves across all industries, and the value add for individuals, business, and society, is only going to grow. What are the key challenges organizations face when integrating AI into their digital transformation roadmap, and how can they overcome them? A fundamental issue that we see companies facing as they embrace AI is lack of access to strong data, without siloes or legacy technology standing in the way. I should highlight that there are ways to embrace AI without a data-based, modern infrastructure; at Endava, we’ve seen the direct impact of AI’s capabilities when working with smaller data sets, from analysing documents to placing checks on back-end processes. However, without full understanding of their core data assets, it becomes difficult for companies to experience the full value of AI. To overcome this, companies can begin their digital transformation journey by analysing and modernising their core systems, creating a solid, data-based foundation to support with the integration of emerging technologies. Another key challenge with AI adoption is digital friction, where employees struggle to work with new technologies, leaving a lasting impact on company productivity. To proactively combat any digital friction concerns, business leaders should introduce training sessions for employees and start with easy-to-use technology that feeds into company goals and simplifies workflows. With AI playing a greater role in decision-making, how can organizations ensure ethical AI usage and mitigate risks related to bias and transparency? Agentic AI can enhance transparency in these scenarios. Despite regulations already in place, it’s understandable for both companies and workers to be apprehensive about changing entire workflows as they embrace AI. Agentic AI doesn’t operate solely within a ‘black box’ like regular AI systems. Instead, data can be recorded and presented in a way readable by the user, acting as a layer of reassurance for those reluctant to ‘trust the process’ or concerned about related pitfalls, like hallucinations. This can be assured without agentic AI too. The key is to build a culture of responsibility and accountability, with organisations providing guidance and training to their employees. By proactively addressing ethical AI concerns, organisations can reduce risks over time. At Endava we formed a cross functional AI Committee early on and this has helped to set the standards and security for responsible use of AI. How do you see AI transforming job roles, skill requirements, and workplace dynamics in the next decade? I believe increased AI use will lead to a boost in strategic thought. As AI tackles the more repetitive, everyday tasks, workers will be able to focus more on activities that require human input. In industries like healthcare, we’ll see more emphasis on the ‘human’ aspects of roles, improving patient care through providing medical professionals with more time for quality face-to-face interactions. The use of AI has already driven unprecedented change across industries. I won’t claim to be able to guess what the workplace will look like in 10 years, but I’m excited to see how the increased focus on human thought and strategy drives industries forward. What are some of the most exciting trends in AI and digital transformation that businesses should prepare for in the near future? Agentic AI is the one to watch right now. It’s set to be impactful across industries, from banking to healthcare. Agentic AI needs less human intervention than Gen AI does, making it easier for businesses to scale operations and align progress with company goals. For encouraging stakeholder buy-in, this growth potential will be a key selling point. With a recent study from Microsoft highlighting a fundamental gap between companies embracing AI and those without a strategy in place, now is the time to be curious. Through talking to experts and exploring how agentic AI is impacting industries, leaders can learn how the technology’s capabilities will be best suited to improving efficiency and meeting goals in their organisation. Those that don’t risk being left behind. What advice would you give to business leaders and professionals looking to drive AI-led digital transformation successfully? A third of companies surveyed for The Next Wave of Digital Transformation in the Era of the AI-Powered Digital Shift cited issues with poor quality of data or poorly labelled data sets within their organisations. To combat this, transformation should begin at the foundation of any technology stack, the core; modernising to facilitate the adoption of emerging technologies in years to come. Through building a flexible infrastructure, enabling data to be fed into centrally located solutions, you can create a solid foundation for innovation. It's important to note that, to bring about truly transformational change, you should feel confident discussing plans with industry experts, following their advice to inform the journey ahead. This step is especially important if their knowledge is industry specific and tailored to your corporate objectives. Begin by considering business goals and align your adoption of solutions with them. Choose solutions that work for the company, not just those claiming to be a ‘silver bullet’. Above all, prioritise clear communication. Keep your team informed, address their concerns, and create opportunities for open dialogue. What keeps you passionate about AI and digital transformation, and what is one lesson or philosophy that has guided you throughout your career? Curiosity. I switched from Law to Technology early in my career and it’s been fascinating to see the challenge, impact and value of each wave of transformative technology. That value though, starts with the business opportunity or problem you’re solving and not the technology. This intersection is an interesting place to explore.   It may not be a philosophy, but I have always put people at the centre of success. Throughout my career what I’ve most valued is seeing team members grow into leaders and shape their own story. High performing teams become more than the sum of their parts and in my experience can achieve great things.