Target Group Launches AI Champion Programme to Support Practical Adoption

Newport-based Target Group has launched a new AI Champion programme designed to help colleagues identify practical ways to use artificial intelligence across the business.

The programme will bring together employees from across Target to act as AI champions within their teams, identifying opportunities to apply the technology and sharing knowledge and best practice with colleagues.

Champions will test new tools, prompts and workflows, gather feedback and share practical learnings between teams. The programme is intended to help save time, improve quality and simplify everyday tasks while building confidence in the use of AI.

Target, a member of FinTech Wales, has already been developing and testing AI across a number of areas of its business. Early proofs of concept included virtual assistants and chatbots supporting employees with HR-related enquiries, with subsequent projects extending into customer-facing operations.

Its contact centre solution uses AI and machine learning to summarise customer interactions, while Target can also monitor and score all customer interactions and provide live guidance to agents, including flagging potential issues or vulnerabilities in real time.

The company’s approach has been to embed AI internally before introducing new capabilities to clients, allowing solutions to be tested in real-world environments and against the operational and regulatory standards required in financial services.

Emma-Jane Williams, learning and development partner at Target, said:

“Successful AI adoption isn’t just about technology. It’s about giving people the confidence, skills and support to use it effectively in their everyday work. We’re really proud to introduce our new AI Champion programme, which is designed to create energy, build confidence and help colleagues feel supported to explore AI in a practical way.

“We’ve already hosted our first engagement session, which has been a fantastic start, providing plenty of ideas, curiosity and a shared ambition to make AI a natural part of how we work. I’m really grateful to the business for being forward-thinking with this initiative and thank my colleagues for stepping forward to take part. We are excited to see the impact this will have throughout Target.”

The initiative forms part of Target’s wider AI strategy and its work to understand how the technology can support both its own operations and the financial institutions it works with.

Melanie Spencer, growth director at Target, said:

“Our AI philosophy has always been about enhancing the human touch, harnessing this powerful technology to support the work of our talented colleagues and improve service. Our AI Champions initiative is a great example of this and our commitment to really understand the technology, its capabilities and, importantly, its role within a highly regulated industry. We are already seeing fantastic use cases and real efficiencies throughout the business, both internally and externally, and I believe it is thanks to putting in that necessary groundwork first and having those real-world insights into the solutions and services we deliver.

“Many businesses are understandably keen to embrace AI. However, in highly regulated sectors such as financial services, success depends on strong governance, operational expertise and a clear understanding of regulatory expectations. By combining these foundations with the right technology and partnerships, organisations can innovate with confidence while maintaining the high standards expected by customers and regulators.”

The AI Champion programme will continue to develop throughout the year as Target identifies further opportunities to improve colleague experience, operational efficiency and innovation for clients.

They have operated across banking, financial services and insurance for nearly five decades, specialising in areas including mortgage and loan originations, savings and investments, payments, collections and in-life servicing.

Through its fintech platform, Target manages more than £21 billion in assets and provides business process servicing and proprietary software solutions to major financial institutions.