Jeff Edwards

As organizations accelerate digital transformation, many are establishing Centers of Excellence (CoEs) to guide automation and AI strategy. But setting up a CoE is easier said than done. Leaders often struggle with justifying the investment, defining the right organizational design, and balancing centralized governance with business unit needs. Without clear frameworks and practical examples, even well-intentioned CoEs risk stalling or failing to scale.

This session tackles the real-world challenges of building an effective automation and AI CoE, offering practical guidance and case study insights from organizations that have successfully done it. Attendees will learn how to structure a CoE that drives adoption, delivers measurable ROI, and keeps pace with rapidly evolving digital capabilities.

Key Takeaways:

• Define the scope and mandate of an AI/automation CoE to align with enterprise strategy
• Build the business case and secure investment by demonstrating clear ROI and value creation
• Explore organizational design models—centralized, federated, and hybrid—and their trade-offs
• Establish governance frameworks that balance speed, compliance, and innovation
• Learn from case studies of successful CoE launches, including pitfalls to avoid and lessons learned