From Curiosity to Capability: How CIOB Built an AI-Ready Organisation

AI adoption is accelerating across organisations—but for many membership bodies, the reality is still uncertain. Staff are already experimenting with AI tools, leadership knows a strategy is needed, yet few organisations are clear on how to move forward in a structured and responsible way.

This practical webinar explores how The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) moved from informal experimentation to a structured, organisation-wide approach to AI adoption. Join Jenny Watkins, Director at Intercloud9, and David Hancox, Chief Operating Officer at CIOB, as they share how the organisation assessed its readiness, built leadership confidence, and developed a practical framework for purposeful AI adoption.

Drawing on CIOB’s experience, this session will explore how membership organisations can move from curiosity to capability—balancing governance, experimentation, and long-term strategic value.

Discussion Themes:

From Informal Experimentation to Organisational Strategy
Explore how CIOB navigated the moment when AI was already being used across the organisation but lacked clear direction or governance.

Understanding Real AI Readiness
Learn what a rigorous readiness assessment revealed about capability gaps—and why confronting them openly helped build leadership and board-level support.

Building Governance Without Killing Momentum
Discover how CIOB developed policies, governance, and guardrails that support responsible AI adoption while still encouraging experimentation.

From Reactive to Purposeful Adoption
See how membership organisations can transition from scattered experimentation to a coordinated AI strategy aligned with mission and long-term value.

What You’ll Take Away:

You’ll leave with practical insights into assessing AI readiness, building governance and capability across teams, and creating a clear path from informal experimentation to confident, mission-aligned AI adoption.

Featured Speakers:

Jenny Watkins
Director at Intercloud9, Jenny works with membership and non-profit organisations on digital strategy, AI adoption, income growth, and large-scale transformation. She has more than 30 years of experience supporting leading UK membership bodies and charities.

David Hancox
Chief Operating Officer at The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), David works with the CEO, leadership team, and board to turn the organisation’s strategic vision into effective delivery across finance, digital, data and technology, HR, and operations.