Season 6 - Episode 11 - People With AI Will Replace People Without AI with Denis Jimenez

When most people think about data and AI transformation, they don't think of tree crews and vegetation management. Active Tree Services runs field crews, GPS tracking, drone LiDAR and its own in-house software. Denis left the world of big corporates to lead its data and AI capability. He shares what he has learned about turning data into decisions, bringing a blue collar workforce on the AI journey and leading a team that is not afraid to get things wrong. Key points Why Denis moved from large listed companies to a business that could "move as fast as AI" The big bang single source of truth trap, and how to build the platform progressively while delivering value Letting the business choose the first use case, while shaping the options so a quick win is possible A three-stream AI rollout: AI for all, AI for specific roles, then agents for specific tasks Measuring AI success first by adoption and now by ROI Replacing vendor software with internally built tools and what you should never build yourself (ERP, payroll, finance) Why "people with AI will replace people without AI", and why redundancy-led AI projects backfire Hiring for curiosity, business acumen and relationships over pure technical skill Sponsor Thank you to Experian Asia Pacific for supporting Lead with Data. Through solutions like Aperture Data Studio, Experian helps organisations govern, improve and trust their data. Learn more at experian.com.au.