PALLADIUM DIGITAL & SURECLOUD · INVITATION ONLY AI BREAKFAST BRIEFING
Seizing the AI Advantage
From experimentation to operational leverage
Why do promising AI initiatives stall, and what does it take to turn early success into scalable, measurable value? Join private equity professionals and portfolio leaders for a candid discussion on moving AI beyond isolated pilots and embedding it where it can create meaningful operational impact.
Hosted by Palladium Digital and SureCloud.
Thu 8 Oct 2026
08:00–10:30
12th Knot, Sea Containers
WHY ATTEND
AI is becoming a material driver of portfolio value.
Join us twelve floors above the Thames for for Palladium Digital and SureCloud’s second invitation-only AI breakfast briefing, bringing together private equity professionals and portfolio leaders for a candid, practical conversation about what it really takes to scale AI.
Promising pilots often prove what is possible – but many never progress beyond experimentation. The challenge is rarely technology alone. Creating lasting value requires the right operating model, governance, data, leadership and commercial focus.
Together, we’ll explore how funds and portfolio companies can move from fragmented initiatives to governed, scalable AI adoption – turning early success into measurable operational leverage.
Making AI stick - from experiment to enterprise value.
Why successful AI pilots stall before reaching scale
What effective AI governance looks like in practice
The operating models, data and capabilities required to scale
How to measure impact, demonstrate ROI and maintain momentum
Who should attend
Built for those driving AI value across the fund and its portfolio.
Designed for senior private equity professionals, operating partners, portfolio leaders and executives responsible for AI, technology, transformation and value creation.
PE professionals
Operating partners
Portfolio leaders
AI & technology execs
Transformation & value creation
Speakers
Featuring leading speakers from across European private equity.
Our panel brings together operators and investors who have taken AI from pilot to measurable impact.
Nick Rafferty
CEO & Co-Founder
SureCloud
Matthew Owen
Partner
Sovereign Capital
Jessica Clavette
ESG Manager
Equacy Capital Partners
Michael Ede
CFO / COO
Perwyn
Rich Klee
Senior Director
Palladium Digital
AGENDA
A focused two-and-a-half hours.
Tuesday, 8 October 2026 · 12th Knot, Sea Containers, London
08:00 – 08:20
Guest Check-in: Coffee, Breakfast, Connect
Check-in, grab a coffee and breakfast, connect with industry peers and AI leaders ahead of the discussion.
08:20 – 09:55
From Experimentation to Operational Leverage: Expert Talks
Seize the AI Advantage. Hear candid perspectives from private equity, technology and AI leaders on moving beyond experimentation to measurable impact. From adoption and governance to scaling AI across firms and portfolio companies.
09:55 – 10:30
The AI Advantage: Panel Discussion & Audience Q&A
Our speakers come together for a candid discussion and audience Q&A, exploring the opportunities, challenges and realities of operationalising AI. Moderated by Isabel Berwick, Financial Times.
10:30 – 11.00
Networking & Closing Conversations
Continue the conversation over coffee, connecting with speakers and peers navigating AI transformation.
Event details
Everything you need to know.
Date
Thursday, 8 October 2026
Time
08:00–10:30
Venue
12th Knot, Sea Containers, London SE1 9PD
Hosted by
Moderated by
Moderated by award-winning Financial Times editor Isabel Berwick.
Featuring
Leading speakers from across European private equity.
The overhang
AI can already do far more than most businesses are getting from it.
The gap between what AI can do today and the impact it’s having on the business keeps widening. That gap – the overhang – is the opportunity. Closing it isn’t about waiting for better technology; it’s about how quickly and how well you apply what already exists.
THE CAPABILITY OVERHANG
What AI can do, today
Impact on business
The opportunity
Illustrative – adapted from “The Overhang”, Palladium Digital.
Key takeaways
The capability is here. The impact is the opportunity.
Six takeaways from “The Overhang” – our read on the widening gap between what AI can do today and the value most businesses are capturing from it.
≈95%
What frontier models can do, 2026
Technology is not the constraint
Frontier models now rival experts on the hardest benchmarks – from coding to real computer tasks. How firms apply AI, not the models themselves, now sets the pace.
10 yrs
Value already in the pipeline
A decade of change is already here
Even if model development stopped today, there is another ten years of value in making what we have work with tools. Adoption, not capability, sets the timeline.
725×
Fall in the cost of intelligence
Powerful AI is now a commodity
The price of PhD-level reasoning fell 725× in under 18 months. Access to capability is no longer the differentiator – what you do with it is.
6.3%
Of work hours touched by genAI
Broad usage, shallow impact
55% of adults use generative AI, but it reaches just 6.3% of work hours. Individual adoption is racing ahead of organisations.
7%
Running AI at enterprise scale
Backing alone doesn’t lift returns
Over half of CEOs report no revenue or cost improvement from AI, and only 7% run it at enterprise scale. Portfolio companies land no better than the market.
6%
The firms moving EBIT with AI
The winners do four things
A small minority move EBIT with AI — and they share a playbook:
Redesign a workflow
Buy, then tailor
Aim at the back office
Put a leader on it
As the idea-to-income gap collapses, value resides in what rivals can’t replicate.
Recurring revenue · proprietary know-how · brand · margin quality · management strength · defensible position – the moats that hold the multiple as the overhang closes.
From “The Overhang”, presented by Rich Klee, Senior Director, Applied AI, Palladium Digital.
The venue
Sea Containers London
20 Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PD
An iconic South Bank landmark on the banks of the Thames. We’ll gather at 12th Knot – the twelfth-floor rooftop lounge – with panoramic views across the river to St Paul’s and the City skyline. A memorable setting for an early-morning conversation.
Rooftop lounge
Thames & skyline views
Breakfast served
Getting here
A short walk from the river’s best-connected stations.
Sea Containers sits between Blackfriars, Southwark and Waterloo – all within a 5–10 minute walk.
By Underground & rail
Jubilee line
Southwark · Waterloo
Northern line
Waterloo
Bakerloo line
Waterloo
Waterloo & City line
Waterloo
Circle line
Blackfriars · Temple
District line
Blackfriars · Temple
National Rail & Thameslink
Blackfriars · Waterloo
Any questions?
Places are limited and allocated on request. Tell us a little about you and our events team will be in touch to confirm your invitation.
Secure your place today.
Places are strictly limited and allocated by invitation.
Register your interest below.
Invitation only
Request your place.
Places are limited and allocated on request. Tell us a little about you and our events team will be in touch to confirm your invitation.
WHAT THIS SESSION DELIVERS
Practical takeaways, not theory.
Measurable AI-driven value
Clear examples of measurable AI-driven value across the PE lifecycle.
Microsoft-powered deployment
Deployment insight from Microsoft-powered portfolio environments.
Pragmatic governance framework
A pragmatic governance framework suitable for complex, multi-asset portfolios.
Peer-level discussion
Peer-level discussion under Chatham House principles.
SPEAKERS
Hear from leading practitioners.
Senior voices from across private equity, applied AI and enterprise technology.