On 11th March 2025, TiPS team was at the QEII Centre in London as part of the National Showcase: Next Generation Professional & Financial Services event, hosted by Innovate UK and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
In addition to lively discussions around the TiPS stand, our very own Martin Spring chaired a panel discussion on ‘Up-skilling & Accelerating Digital Adoption – Lessons Learnt’. This panel discussion focused on the expectations, barriers, and key lessons learned from participating in Future Finance and TiPS Innovation Adoption Accelerators, funded by ESRC and Innovate UK.
The companies involved were at various stages of technology adoption, leading to a range of expectations—from wanting to start utilizing new tech tools the company already had, to building employees’ confidence in using AI, and exploring new opportunities. The challenges they faced were common: while technology was seen as the easy part, people were the difficult part, encompassing all levels of employees, including leaders.
The panellists all identified ways in which the accelerators programmes they had participated in helped them to make faster progress with adoption. The accelerators achieved this by providing advice and resources, a structured programme with deadlines that maintained innovation and adoption as priorities for the firm, and peer support, as well as external legitimation for innovation initiatives.
The main lessons learned during the projects included the importance of regular and clear communication, understanding customer values, and identifying and eliminating barriers and misconceptions between people and AI. Some of the most valuable insights came from hearing other companies’ stories about what worked—and more importantly—what didn’t.
The panellists included Sarah Blair from Thorntons Law LLP, Nathan Long from Hargreaves Lansdown, Rachael Magowan from Moneyline, and Mark Hewitson from Ensors. The panel was chaired by Martin Spring from the TiPS Accelerator Programme at Lancaster University.
You can watch the panel discussion below, or by visiting Innovate UK Business Connect on YouTube.