NOMINATION HIGHLIGHTS

Dr. Jess Tayel is the founder of the Transformation Leadership Institute and an award-winning global transformation executive with 26 years of experience advising some of the world’s most recognised organisations. She is ranked the #1 Global Thought Leader in Transformation by Thinkers360, is a LinkedIn Top Voice, and has spent recent years guiding global organisations through complex, high-stakes AI transformations.

What makes this nomination stand out is the completeness of Jess’s AI leadership. Many AI initiatives stall at the pilot stage or deliver technology without lasting business value. Jess leads the full lifecycle. Her work spans AI strategy and roadmap development, the design of governance frameworks that make adoption safe and sustainable, complete end-to-end business use case design, scaling solutions into production, workforce change and adoption, and go-live aftercare with ongoing governance so that value continues to compound long after launch. She builds AI capability inside the client organisation, ensuring the business strategy remains achievable and benefits are genuinely realised rather than promised.

Jess has recently completed multiple AI transformations with European clients. The most recent was delivered for a global aviation organisation with more than 150,000 employees, within its delivery operations and engineering function spanning sites across four continents. The transformation saved the organisation 23 million within three months of go-live and continues to deliver millions in ongoing savings. Alongside this financial impact, the programme achieved a 12% improvement in operational efficiency, a 27% reduction in late deliveries, and an 11% improvement in customer satisfaction. Critically, these results were paired with the internal AI capabilities, operating rhythms, and governance structures that will sustain and grow them over time.

This is what responsible AI leadership looks like in practice: measurable commercial results at significant scale, achieved through disciplined governance, thoughtful change adoption, and a genuine transfer of capability to the client. Jess demonstrates that well-governed AI transformation and rapid business impact are mutually reinforcing rather than competing priorities.

Her influence extends beyond client work. Through the Transformation Leadership Institute, Jess coaches and mentors transformation and change leaders worldwide, multiplying her impact across the profession. Her LinkedIn profile and client testimonials speak to the depth and consistency of this work.