Job Description
The Role
The Director of AI & Innovation is responsible for identifying, incubating and scaling emerging AI, technology and innovation opportunities that drive business transformation, customer value, operational efficiency and competitive advantage across CIL and Group functions.
Forming part of the Technology & Data Leadership Team, this role leads the organisation's AI and innovation agenda, ensuring new ideas, technologies, partnerships and ways of working are translated into measurable business outcomes through scalable, governed and commercially viable solutions.
The role acts as a bridge between emerging technology, external innovation ecosystems, operating companies and enterprise execution, fostering collaboration across the Group while strengthening relationships with partners, service providers, startups and innovators across the travel, loyalty and customer engagement ecosystem.
Success measures and KPIs: number of AI and innovation initiatives successfully transitioned into scalable operational or commercial capabilities; measurable business value generated from AI, innovation and ecosystem partnerships; reduction in time from experimentation to operational deployment; increased adoption of AI-enabled workflows, automation and innovation practices across teams; strength and effectiveness of external innovation partnerships and ecosystem collaboration; and strong governance, compliance and risk outcomes for AI and innovation initiatives.
Key relationships: member of the Technology & Data Leadership Team. Key partners: VP of Analytics; VP of Platform Ecosystem; Director of Data, ML & AI Engineering; Product, Commercial, Partnerships and Operations Leadership Teams; Data Governance, Security, Risk and Assurance; Operating Company leadership teams; and external innovation partners, startups, vendors and ecosystem providers.
Key Responsibilities
Define and lead the enterprise AI and innovation strategy aligned to company priorities and long-term business objectives.
Identify, evaluate and prioritise high-value opportunities across AI, intelligent automation, digital experiences, customer engagement, and data-driven products and services.
Drive the adoption of practical AI capabilities across the organisation, accelerating productivity, operational efficiency, insight generation and customer value creation.
Lead innovation initiatives that strengthen collaboration across Group companies and Operating Companies, enabling reuse of successful AI and digital capabilities while reducing duplication.
Build strategic relationships with AI vendors, startups, travel ecosystem partners, fintechs, loyalty innovators and technology providers to accelerate innovation and bring emerging capabilities into the organisation.
Maintain awareness of developments in AI, travel technology, customer engagement, loyalty and digital services, translating emerging trends into practical business opportunities.
Develop innovation roadmaps, pilots and investment cases that support scalable experimentation, rapid learning and measurable value realisation.
Lead the Innovation Labs capability, creating a structured environment for experimentation, prototyping and rapid validation of new ideas and technologies.
Establish frameworks to accelerate the transition from proof-of-concept to scalable operational capabilities and commercial opportunities.
Drive practical experimentation across AI, intelligent automation, customer experience innovation, digital engagement, operational efficiency and partner-enabled services.
Ensure innovation activity remains focused on tangible business value, operational impact and strategic differentiation.
Partner with business, product, analytics and engineering teams to embed AI and innovation into products, workflows and decision-making processes.
Promote AI literacy and responsible innovation practices across the organisation.
Support Operating Companies in identifying and adopting AI-enabled and…