A global engineering firm encountered a challenge increasingly common across the industry: senior leaders were tied up with administration and firefighting, leaving little time for strategy and innovation. To address this, the company introduced customised AI training from the AI Institute for its directors.
The results were immediate and measurable. Leaders are saving 1–2 hours per day on tasks such as proposal decks, reviewing technical submittals and sales reports, and chasing project data buried in email chains. Department heads report weekly savings of more than 3.5 hours - time that can now be reinvested into high-value activities instead.
The initiative, created and delivered by the AI Institute, has improved work quality, enhanced job satisfaction, and set a clear pathway for scaling AI capability across the organisation.
Leaders at Full Capacity
Before the programme, an internal review revealed that the company’s directors were operating at unsustainable levels.
- Administrative burden – time lost to emails, data entry, and repetitive document creation.
- Constant firefighting left little headspace for deep thinking and long-term planning.
- Critical data was buried in emails and spreadsheets, slowing decision-making.
This inefficiency was effectively a “hidden tax” on the company’s most valuable people.
Targeted AI Training for Directors
Recognising the need for a transformational shift, the company partnered with the AI Institute to co-design a structured AI skills programme. This initiative was tailored specifically for the leadership team, with a practical and ambitious goal: to equip directors with the tools to reclaim their time and shift their focus to high-value strategic work.
Guided by the AI Institute's expertise, the training focused on immediate application:
- Automating research and information gathering to eliminate data-hunting.
- Accelerating report writing and proposal drafting for faster, clearer communication.
- Improving client presentations with AI-powered design support.
- Leveraging AI to architect and plan workflows more strategically.
Measurable Time Savings and Higher-Quality Output Time reclaimed
- A Senior Director of Operations saves 1–2 hours daily by automating research tasks.
The Head of Commercial Strategy saves 3.5 hours weekly, particularly in preparing presentations and market research.
- The Head of Sustainability saves 3.5 hours weekly on complex reporting and proposals.
Collectively, this equates to thousands of hours annually – the equivalent of adding several full-time leadership roles, or €600,000 in released capacity – now redirected into high-value priorities.
- Client presentations are faster to prepare and more visually compelling. “Our reports have gotten better, because I use AI to write the executive summary and conclusion sections. it's very comprehensive and better worded. Visualisation creation using the AI tools is another level! This all contributes to the quality of work we put out which is very important, it's why I take pride in my work.”
- The Head of Commercial Strategy saves 3.5 hours weekly, particularly in preparing presentations and market research.
- The Head of Sustainability saves 3.5 hours weekly on complex reporting and proposals.
