At the IET London on 17th September 2026, over 80 OCs and former parents joined the OC Business Forum for a sharp, pragmatic exploration of AI’s evolving role in business.  Chair, Ben Mein (2 North 1996) and guest speakers Eleanor Culley (South 2004), Director/GenAI strategy driver at PwC UK, Yemi Lawal (2 North 2002) Technical Project Manager at Augustinus Bader and Jamie Prys-Owen (East 2011), Chief of Staff at Ocado, collectively emphasized that organizational success hinges on striking the right balance between rapid technological adoption and rigorous oversight keeping a ‘human in the loop’.

Rather than using AI as a shortcut for lazy thinking, professionals should leverage complex prompts to challenge their assumptions, accelerate strategy, and actively "spar" with the models to enhance learning. To reap the business benefits of AI, the panel encouraged  energy and speed in its adoption and creativity in its use to secure organisational intelligence, competitive advantage and enhanced profit.  The panel asserted however that clear guardrails and rules around the use of AI tools were essential to preserve corporate integrity, manage reputational risk and control cost.

In audience discussion, there was consensus that AI cannot replace the human edge, with reference to the need to treat AI outputs as drafts to avoid ‘AI slop’ and to adopt the critical discipline of checking citations and testing results. The distinctly human ability to ‘read the room’, to empathise and to co-create were thought to be essential in business success.  

Over drinks, delicious bowl food and networking many conversations hinged around the holy grail: a seamless coexistence between strategic AI automation and human insight.  

"I cannot overstate the value of the OC Network, which was clear at the most recent Business Forum. The interaction across generations was a particular highlight, with senior professionals generously giving their time and advice to younger OCs trying to break into an extremely competitive job market. I have just started my first graduate role as a direct result of the Cranleigh Network, and I'd encourage every OC to tap into the power of this community." Olly Seldon (East 2023)

“I absolutely loved the event and learnt so much from it! I will now follow through with some of the contacts I have made!”  Rafe Buxton (East 2025)

Our thanks to our sponsor Nick Meyer (2 & 3 South 1962), to all our OC’s for contributing to the event and to Vickie Ingle, Old Cranleighan Society and Cranleigh Network Manager for creating such a valuable Forum for OC’s.