How to Anchor AI? Key learnings from “Taking AI from Lab to Lasting Impact”
Connected Women in AI x Netcompany
How to Anchor AI? Key learnings from “Taking AI from Lab to Lasting Impact”
How do you move beyond pilots and embed GenAI into the core of your organisation? On September 11, Connected Women in AI (CWAI) partnered with Netcompany to explore this question at the event “Taking AI from Lab to Lasting Impact.”
The discussion brought together leaders from Atea Denmark, Danske Bank, Pandora, and Netcompany to examine how organisations can integrate AI into daily workflows, build skills, and align technology with strategy and culture.
A recurring challenge in AI adoption is clear: pilots and prototypes often generate excitement, but momentum fades without proper anchoring. Key themes at the event included:
- Embedding AI into everyday workflows rather than isolated projects
- Developing skills and confidence across teams
- Aligning AI initiatives with strategy, culture, and governance
Barbara Isaksen, co-founder of CWAI, captured the essence of the event: Turning experiments into lasting impact is what keeps AI relevant for the whole organisation – and it’s exactly why it’s so important to create spaces like this for learning and discussion.
Opening perspectives from CWAI and Netcompany
The event opened with reflections from CWAI and Netcompany on why the partnership matters: combining community-driven perspectives with industry expertise to strengthen AI adoption in practice.
Barbara noted that creating a community where women in AI can discuss challenges and share solutions is essential. “It’s not just about technology – it’s about people, strategy, and adoption.”
Natascha Wang Hansen, Manager at Netcompany and Lead of the Women Employee Resource Group, pointed to three reasons why the collaboration is important for Netcompany:
- AI is a strategic priority for the company and its clients.
- Gender diversity contributes to better outcomes in technology and innovation.
- Focus on anchoring AI at scale through open knowledge sharing and collaboration – both within Netcompany and across the industry.
Natascha Wang Hansen, Manager at Netcompany and Lead of the Women Employee Resource Group & Barbara Isaksen, co-founder of CWAI
Natascha Wang Hansen, Manager at Netcompany and Lead of the Women Employee Resource Group & Barbara Isaksen, co-founder of CWAI
Kicking off the dialogue: people, strategy, and adoption
Kicking off the dialogue: people, strategy, and adoption
Karina Tewes, SVP, People & Culture, Atea Denmark
Karina shared how Atea is rolling out AI to more than 9,000 employees, stressing that adoption is mainly a people challenge, not a tech one. Clear policies, targeted training, and support networks, she argued, are what ensure employees work with technology rather than against it.
Kasper Tjørntved Davidsen, Chief AI Officer, Danske Bank
Kasper highlighted the opportunity for everyone to participate in AI, noting there are no “GenAI veterans.” He reminded us that launching a tool isn’t success – value only comes when people use it. Change management, he said, is the multiplier that turns launches into lasting impact.
Karina Tewes, SVP, People & Culture, Atea Denmark
Kasper Tjørntved Davidsen, Chief AI Officer, Danske Bank
Maria Van Der Noordaa, SVP, Global Business Partnering, Pandor
Maria illustrated how AI supports people-first processes with Pandora’s recruitment assistant, Olivia. The tool has improved hiring quality and reduced churn, but Maria emphasised that AI can accelerate processes, but human judgment remains essential. It’s about enhancing our people, not replacing them.
Felicia Angelina, Senior Consultant, Netcompany
Felicia presented Netcompany’s AI journey, from building internal assistants for employees to developing external platforms. More than 8,000 employees now use embedded AI daily across business areas. The company’s approach combines communication, upskilling, ambassador networks, and data-driven follow-up – making AI a shared organisational capability.
Netcompany has since expanded its learnings into two AI platforms:
- EASLEY AI – a flexible, model-agnostic platform for complex use cases
- FENIKS AI – amodernisationaccelerator helping organisations update legacy systems at unprecedented speed.
As Felicia summed up: “What previously would have taken five years can now be done in one.”
Collaboration between Netcompany and CWAI
The event demonstrated the importance of partnership. Netcompany and CWAI combined technical expertise with community insight to show that AI is not just for experiments – it can be embedded meaningfully to drive real organisational impact.
Key takeaways
- Anchor AI beyond pilots: Excitement alone doesn’t sustain adoption.
- Leadership matters: Alignment with strategy, culture, and governance drives long-term success.
- Learning communities are vital: help spread skills and confidence across organisations.
- People first: Successful AI adoption requires focusing on human behaviours, training, and support structures, not just technology.
- Measure and realise value: AI adoption is meaningful when it delivers operational efficiencies, creativity, and measurable outcomes.
