Our Digital & Operational Excellence Network gathered in person at member organisation Skipton Building Society for a day that combined fresh thinking, real‑world practice and open conversation. From visualising complex finance journeys to exploring how AI can free teams for higher‑value work, the event delivered exactly what our community values most: practical ideas that travel home with you.
From the outset, Network Leaders Joe Moya and Carrie Richardson grounded the day into two themes shaping operational excellence right now: building innovative organisations that thrive in uncertainty, and reimagining work with AI so people can focus on higher‑value impact. Rather than theory, the emphasis was on how to create capacity, simplify complexity and move change forward in the day‑to‑day reality of shared services.
A standout moment came from Skipton’s member spotlight, led by Andy Wilson, Analytics Engineering Senior Lead. Andy shared concept work from Group Finance that uses inspiration from Transport for London’s iconic tube map to create a visual roadmap. The approach aims to make complexity legible, signpost the direction of travel and guide the organisation towards a single, trusted source of financial truth. The room responded with thoughtful questions on stakeholder engagement, sequencing change and using visual artefacts to align teams quickly. It was a compelling example of design thinking applied to finance transformation.
Technology enabled the next big conversation in more ways than one. David Coxon, Solutions Strategist at Cogna joined us virtually to explore how AI acts as an enabler: removing repetitive, manual tasks; improving accuracy and speed; and creating capacity for analysis, partnering and problem‑solving. The format underlined the message 'when in‑person isn’t possible, the right tech keeps the right voices in the room'. David’s session was practical and focused, drawing out where AI can relieve day‑to‑day pressure and how to frame adoption so it feels like support, not “another system to manage”.
Throughout the day, discussion was lively and candid. In facilitated conversations, members reflected on two questions that resonated widely: what would make AI feel like a genuine enabler in your organisation, and how can it help teams balance BAU with the space to innovate, learn and improve? The responses surfaced common challenges—capacity constraints, clarity of ownership, pockets of process complexity—and equally, clear routes forward: start with the pain points that sap time, visualise the end‑to‑end system so everyone sees where value is lost, and keep governance simple enough to support experimentation safely.
What made the day work was the balance of structure and substance. Joe and Carrie kept the pace tight, drew out the detail where it mattered, and ensured conversations translated into takeaways. Skipton’s warm hospitality set a collaborative tone, thank you for the welcome, the refreshments and lunch, and the time we spent with your team on site. The in‑room energy carried through breaks and networking, with members swapping examples and comparing how different delivery models approach similar problems.
Several themes emerged repeatedly. First, clarity creates capacity: when people can see the system—visually and simply—they can coordinate faster, reduce duplication and move together. Second, AI’s value is human‑centred: the wins come when automation gives time back to the work only people can do. And third, adoption is a team effort: leadership behaviours, open communication and “minimum viable governance” are the conditions that let small wins compound into broader change.
Events like this depend on contribution, and we are grateful to everyone who made the day so strong. Thank you to Skipton Building Society for hosting and sharing your thinking; to Andy Wilson for bringing the finance roadmap to life; to David Coxon, Amber Lovell and Cogna for opening up new angles and practical ideas; and to our Network Leaders, Joe Moya and Carrie Richardson, for crafting and facilitating a focused, high‑value programme.
It was a brilliant day that blended inspiration with application, ideas you can put to work within your own organisation. The next event will be taking place online on June 24th and we look forwrad to sharing more information on hot topics in the coming months!!!
