FINANCE & SPEND
“ The organisations that will be ready for 2030 are the ones investing in their people now, treating capability building as seriously as technology adoption”
Sam Pemberton CEO Skills Dynamic
“ I’ ve seen how automation has evolved over many years, and I strongly believe that evolution will continue. To ensure its success, we must first focus on the criticality of driving the adoption of automation to the fullest extent possible. Ultimately, I believe AI will play a pivotal role in increasing people’ s capacity and capabilities, enabling them to drive levels of optimisation and performance that have historically been considerable hurdles.”
Sam adds:“ The touchless office is a compelling idea, but not a realistic destination. Even by 2030, it’ s likely there will still be situations that need a human in the room – a contract that needs renegotiating under pressure, or a compliance issue that requires genuine judgement.”
Sam contemplates that a more credible picture is a hybrid model, in which the technology handles routine, predictable work. But when conditions shift or go off track, skilled, experienced people who understand the full picture and can make the right call will be needed.
“ That’ s what P2P will look like in 2030, and it’ s important organisations don’ t lose sight of that by focusing too heavily on headcount reduction in pursuit of a‘ touchless’ scenario,” says Sam
“ While AI adoption is accelerating, the gap between AI investment and building the skills to use it properly isn’ t closing fast enough. The organisations that will be ready for 2030 are the ones investing in their people now, treawting capability building as seriously as technology adoption.”
122 July 2026