Expert Events

Enterprise AI: Where’s the Value and How Do You Get There?

Name: Enterprise AI: Where’s the Value and How Do You Get There?
Start: 2026-05-21T18:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-05-21T21:00:00+01:00
Location: The Ivy Market Grill

Blend, IBM and AWS bring together senior enterprise leaders in London to explore how organizations are moving beyond AI experimentation to deliver measurable business value, align initiatives to strategy, and scale AI impact across the business.

The Ivy Market Grill

May 21, 2026

to May 21, 2026

6:00 pm

- 9:00 pm

About this event

AI has rapidly moved from experimentation to expectation. Across the enterprise, leaders are under pressure to demonstrate tangible value, yet many organizations are still struggling to translate ambition into measurable outcomes.

The challenge is not a lack of investment or intent. It’s alignment. Disconnected data, unclear ownership, and competing priorities across functions often prevent AI initiatives from scaling beyond isolated use cases. At the same time, executives are being asked to balance innovation with cost discipline, governance, and risk.

Join Blend, IBM, and AWS for a private executive dinner in London bringing together senior leaders across finance, data, technology, and operations to explore how organizations are closing the gap between AI potential and business value. This discussion will focus on how to align AI initiatives to enterprise priorities, operationalize use cases at scale, and build the foundations required to deliver sustained impact.

Through a candid, peer-led conversation, attendees will share what’s working, where challenges persist, and how leaders are navigating the path from experimentation to execution in an increasingly AI-driven enterprise.

Our speakers

Jan-Paul Groeneboom

Partner, AWS Partnership Leader, UKI Consulting | IBM

Jan-Paul Groeneboom is a senior cloud and transformation leader who helps large enterprises turn AI and cloud innovation into measurable business value. As the IBM AWS Partnership Lead for IBM UK & Ireland and a former leader at AWS, he has spent his career at the intersection of strategy, technology and execution, guiding enterprise teams through complex digital and AI-enabled change. Drawing on deep experience in global alliances, enterprise architecture and industry-specific transformations, Jan-Paul focuses on practical ways to move from AI experimentation to scaled outcomes.

Julia Belle

Head of Community - London

Julia is a broadcaster, political commentator, corporate event host and business trainer. She has been covering news, current affairs and entertainment for BBC Three for three years and before this she featured weekly on BBC 5 Live – discussing the newspaper headlines and the latest breaking news.

She hosted a BBC election show, diving into key voter topics, as well as a TED Talk titled “The Secret to Being Right” which was instantly selected amongst TED’s “Editor’s Picks.”

She has interviewed some of the most influential figures in politics and business, on a range of topics from general elections to generative AI.

She runs the London community of Blend as well as the members’ exclusive Blend Book Club, interviewing prolific business authors and sharing key learnings from a range of titles covering topics like leadership, negotiation, DEI, productivity and handling difficult issues.

Seb Weir

Executive Partner, AI, Analytics and Automation Practice Leader UKI | IBM

Sebastian Weir is the Executive Partner and AI & Analytics Practice Lead for the UKI market, helping enterprises across the FSS sector lead and deliver AI solutions. Over his 10+ year career at IBM, Sebastian’s key focus is on driving growth and nurturing teams to deliver excellence.

Tom Sainsbury

Specialist Leader | AWS

Coming soon.

Key themes & discussion topics

Turning AI into Measurable Business Value
How organizations are linking AI initiatives to tangible financial outcomes, from revenue growth to cost efficiency and risk reduction.

Moving from Experimentation to Scaled Execution
What it takes to transition AI from isolated pilots to enterprise-wide impact, and the barriers leaders must overcome.

Aligning Teams, Data, and Strategy
Breaking down silos across business, data, and technology functions to create shared ownership and accountability.

Building Sustainable AI Foundations
The role of data quality, governance, and operating models in enabling AI to scale while balancing risk, cost, and innovation.

Event agenda

Cocktails & networking

6:00 – 6:30 PM

Opening remarks & panel discussion

6:30 – 7:15 PM

Dinner & guided discussion

7:15 – 8:45

Event wrap-up & group reflection

8:45 – 9:00PM

Why should you attend?

Hear how senior leaders are actually delivering measurable value from AI, beyond theory and hype.

Understand what it takes to move from pilots to production and embed AI into core business operations.

Explore how organizations are overcoming challenges around data, ownership, governance, and alignment.

Join a curated group of executives across finance, technology, data, and operations for candid, high-value discussion.

Who should attend

CFOs, CIOs, Chief Data & AI Officers, and COOs responsible for driving AI strategy, investment, and outcomes.

Executives working across finance, data, and operations to align AI initiatives with core business priorities.

Companies looking to move from experimentation to enterprise-wide execution and measurable impact.

Venue

The Ivy Market Grill

1a Henrietta Street
London
WC2E 8PS
United Kingdom

Apply to participate