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AI & The People – Perth, September 2026
Lindsay Every • September 23, 2026
By most measures, this is the fastest adoption of a transformative technology in human history, and the pace itself, more than the tools, is what's testing leaders right now.
The question we explored at our AI & The People event in Perth last week wasn't whether to engage with AI, it was how quickly leaders could learn to work through the ambiguity it creates – adapting their leadership style and their team's dynamics on the move, without the luxury of mastering every technical detail first. A shift which asked a lot more of leaders than most changes they've led before.
We were lucky to have both Peter Tonagh, Executive Chair at Quantium, and Jacky Connolly, Chief People Officer at CBH Group, join the conversation. Five key themes stood out.
The energy is there. The paradox is what happens next.
Most people aren't resistant to AI, they're cautious, and the caution has more to do with job security than the technology itself. Some roles changed materially enough to bring the challenge of redeployment. For most people though, roles simply changed shape, and the job for leaders is to harness that energy rather than manage it down.
Underneath that sits a harder problem. The productivity paradox. Individuals are getting faster and better at their jobs with AI, but those personal gains rarely show up as enterprise level returns. Team members without proper support will find their own workaround – bringing in their own unsanctioned tools or leaving for an organisation who gives them a better one – so the case for organisations investing properly is not really a choice.
Lead it from the top. Guard it just as fast.
This is an organisational problem before it's a technology one. Business models are set by leaders, not technologists, and senior people being visibly comfortable using the tools is what gives everyone else permission to engage with them.
The common myth is that graduate roles are most at risk, however the real risk sits with middle management – executives will become more productive and carry more direct reports, resulting in fewer layers in between.
Guardrails need to be set fast rather than perfected in advance, particularly around the risk of losing intellectual property. Starting with a small set of approved tools, and expanding as trust builds, is better than waiting for a comprehensive policy before allowing any use at all. Boards need to be brought in early too, so they understand their own obligations from the start rather than being briefed after the fact.
AI tools tend to agree too readily. Adjusting the settings to instruct the tool to push back and challenge assumptions, instead of defaulting to agreement, was raised as a small fix that can help improve decision quality.
Bring the whole workforce. Not just the office.
AI tools in organisations work when technology and people are treated as one problem. Leaders need to understand the tools well enough to drive change through them, rather than leaving it to IT alone.
Frontline and operational team members matter just as much as corporate functions: practical wins like rostering and attendance carry real weight, and leaving teams behind undermines the case for AI everywhere else in the business.
There is also a real shift reshaping recruitment. Hiring is moving away from purely skills-based selection towards attributes: curiosity, critical thinking, persistence, agility, and optimism. It's a genuine move back toward classical study, backed by heavier investment in structured training to bring people onto the same page.
Claim the gain. Then change how you measure people.
The strongest examples of AI delivering enterprise value tend to be simple and specific – one tool that is purposefully built and applied across the organisation, is better than everyone building their own individual version of the same thing. But individual productivity gains don’t redirect themselves. Organisations need to actively claim the time being freed up and decide what it's used for, rather than leaving the decision to individuals.
That same discipline needs to extend to how performance is measured. Early adopters should be rewarded for bringing others along and sharing what they’ve learned, not just for their own output. A cost-out mentality, or pitting people against each other, will corrode culture quickly.
Redesign the work. Don’t just hand out the toolkit.
The most common mistake organisations make is retooling an existing process rather than redesigning the work itself. Give someone an AI tool without rethinking their role, and the result is usually chaos, not efficiency. The real gains come from pairing someone who understands the AI tools with someone who deeply understands the work, then letting them rebuild roles and workflows together from first principles. New competitors are already emerging built exactly this way – a key consideration for any organisations still only automating.
One example was given of a leader building a personal "digital twin", an AI trained specifically on their tone, feedback style, and decision-making patterns. It was developed over approximately 200 hours, though the benefit was felt within the first couple of hours of use. Six leadership principles had already been documented; the AI was then used to interview and draw out roughly 30 more. The tool is now used for communications, coaching a wider team, and personally – including when weighing a difficult decision while tired.
The organisations that get this right won't be the ones with the best AI. They'll be the ones whose leaders go first – closing the gap between individual and enterprise gains, setting guardrails fast, bringing the whole workforce with them, and redesigning the work rather than just the toolkit.
_________________________________________________________________________
Our thanks to Lindsay Every, Group Managing Partner at Derwent, for hosting the morning, and to Peter and Jacky for such generous, on-the-ground insight into what AI adoption looks like.
A special thanks to Julie Colvin, Managing Partner – Perth, and our Perth team for their support in bringing this event to life.
Continue the conversation
For further insights or to explore how Derwent can support your organisation's approach to AI and workforce transformation, connect with our team at perth@derwentsearch.com.au
To register your interest in future Derwent events, please reach out to us at
events@derwentsearch.com.au.
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