AI & Competitive Advantage: A Strategic Decision Lab for Senior Leaders

  • 12-14 January 2027
  • London, UK
  • 3 days
  • Neil Shorney
A three-day strategic decision lab for senior leaders focused on AI, competitive advantage, strategic positioning and practical 90-day action planning.

About the Trainer

Neil Shorney

Neil began his career as an Energy Broker for a start-up technology consultancy, EMB Ltd (now part of Accenture), where he negotiated contracts for major energy users across industries including engineering, pharmaceuticals, retail and sports, with clients such as the McLaren team. Neil quickly became a subject matter expert on the IT solution itself and successfully delivered a project to benchmark potential customers’ prices against those of similar businesses. In 2001, Neil moved to ESI International, part of Informa plc, as a salesperson, working with clients including Shell, Motorola and Novartis. He was promoted to a leadership position in 2003, expanding his sales team to cover the Swedish and German markets. Through implementing an in-depth training programme, Neil significantly increased staff retention, and his team became a launch-pad for other roles within the company around the world. In 2011, Neil established his own training company while continuing a dual role at ESI as Sales Manager and Senior Training Consultant. His combined experience in sales and project management, leadership and training gives him a broad insight into how organisations operate at multiple levels. As part of this work, Neil was instrumental in rolling out a global culture change programme at ESI, bringing together staff from different organisational silos to develop a more cohesive and collaborative approach to working. In 2017, Neil decided to dedicate himself full-time to his own business, where he trains clients in sales, leadership, communication skills and project management. Neil has trained professionals across a wide range of industries, from finance and energy to pharmaceuticals and technology, as well as professionals from major institutions including the European Central Bank and the British Civil Service. Neil specialises in bringing different parts of an organisation together to create greater alignment and improve the customer experience. He holds a Master’s Certificate in Project Management and a Professional Certificate in Business Skills from George Washington University, and is a Qualified SDI™ Facilitator. Neil is also a Master of the Institute of Sales Management.
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AI & Competitive Advantage: A Strategic Decision Lab for Senior Leaders

This three-day strategic decision lab is designed for senior leaders who need to understand the competitive implications of AI and make deliberate decisions about adoption, enablement and strategic positioning.

The programme is structured around four leadership decisions:

  • Diagnose — Where is AI already affecting the organisation and its competitive landscape?
  • Differentiate — Where can AI strengthen or erode competitive advantage?
  • Decide — What strategic stance should the organisation take?
  • Deploy — What should be enabled over the next 90 days?

Participants will work directly with ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot through commercial scenarios, decision labs and a structured Strategic Challenge Lab.

What You Will Leave With

  • A clear AI Competitive Position Statement
  • A mapped view of competitive exposure and opportunity
  • Structured platform decision logic
  • Executive-level AI enablement principles
  • A focused 90-day AI action plan

Programme Structure

Day 1 — Diagnose

Understand where AI is already influencing the organisation and market.

Topics include:

  • Where LLMs are already influencing markets
  • The risk of unmanaged employee adoption
  • Competitive compression across cost, speed and insight
  • Leadership-level differences between ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot

Live Decision Labs:

  • AI Drift Risk Diagnostic
  • Competitive Exposure Mapping
  • Hands-on evaluation of LLM capabilities in commercial scenarios

 

Day 1 Outcome:
A clear view of where AI is creating exposure and opportunity.

Day 2 — Differentiate

Define where AI strengthens or weakens competitive advantage.

Topics include:

  • Where differentiation may erode
  • Where AI enhances customer value
  • Where human advantage remains critical
  • Lead, fast-follow or selective adoption

 

AI Strategic Challenge Lab

Participants work in small groups to:

  • Assume the role of a competitor
  • Use LLMs to design an AI-enabled market move
  • Identify how to outpace or reposition
  • Present and defend their strategic response

 

The exercise is designed to surface hidden vulnerabilities, unrealised opportunities, overconfidence in current positioning and practical competitive risk.

Day 2 Outcome:
A defined AI Competitive Position Statement grounded in realistic market pressure.

Day 3 — Decide & Deploy

Move from strategic assessment to deliberate action.

Topics include:

  • Preventing unmanaged AI adoption
  • Designing intelligent enablement
  • Platform decision logic at leadership level
  • Executive messaging and alignment

 

Live Decision Labs:

  • Board-level AI briefing draft
  • 90-day pilot design
  • Peer refinement and challenge

 

Day 3 Outcome:
A practical, executive-ready AI action plan.

Hands-On Experience

Participants will work directly with:

  • ChatGPT
  • Microsoft Copilot
  • Selected additional tools where relevant

 

The focus is experiential evaluation and commercial implications rather than technical configuration.

In Scope

  • Competitive positioning implications of LLMs
  • Strategic enablement decisions
  • Platform evaluation at leadership level
  • Executive application and scenario testing
  • Structured decision-making

Out of Scope

  • IT architecture design
  • Legal compliance drafting
  • Regulatory interpretation
  • Enterprise tenant configuration
  • Industry-specific AI product comparison

 

Implementation remains the responsibility of the relevant internal teams.

Pre-Course Strategy Call

Each participant receives a short pre-course call to clarify objectives and ensure relevant themes are incorporated into the programme.

Interested in attending this course?

Register your interest or contact IFFERMA for further information about availability, registration and course arrangements.

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