Strand Logic
Enterprise AI Transformation
From strategy through to execution
Challenges executive teams face - the four pressures
Identify & prioritise high value use cases
Scale AI safely: governance that balances risk appetite with commercial outcomes
Define success before deployment and demonstrate ROI in weeks, not quarters
Define success before deployment and demonstrate ROI in weeks, not quarters
Scale AI safely: governance that balances risk appetite with commercial outcomes
Define success before deployment and demonstrate ROI in weeks, not quarters
Scale AI safely: governance that balances risk appetite with commercial outcomes
Scale AI safely: governance that balances risk appetite with commercial outcomes
Scale AI safely: governance that balances risk appetite with commercial outcomes
Build the capability in-house, so the value stays when the engagement ends
Scale AI safely: governance that balances risk appetite with commercial outcomes
Scale AI safely: governance that balances risk appetite with commercial outcomes
If AI needs to create measurable value, let's talk.
I partner with C-suite leaders who need AI to show measurable results, safely.
I deliver AI value creation in an operational setting, with direct accountability for implementation outcomes.
Technology alone does not create value. The differentiator is making change stick across Finance, HR, Legal, Procurement, Technology and Operations, and measuring the result.
I offer four core services to address these:
- AI strategy and use case prioritisation, measured on revenue, EBITDA and customer experience
- Operating model and team design: from experiments to production, not pilots left on the shelf
- Governance and risk: frameworks that let regulated and brand-sensitive businesses move safely at pace
- Vendor evaluation and deployment, commercial terms negotiated
Sam de Silva
Founder
I have spent over twenty-five years in operational and transformation leadership, as a COO at Goldman Sachs and a Managing Director at Credit Suisse and UBS through their integration. I read Computer Science at King's College London and completed AI programmes at MIT and Oxford. My approach to AI is to build or test every tool myself before recommending it to the business.
About Strand Logic
Focus areas
AI transformation is an operating challenge, not just a technology one. AI adoption fails when strategies can't be executed, governance blocks progress, or organisations lack the operating models to scale safely.
Expertise
My approach combines 25+ years of operational leadership in investment banking (Chief Operating Officer at Goldman Sachs, Managing Director at Credit Suisse and UBS) with technical AI fluency from MIT, Oxford and DeepLearning.AI.
Current engagement
Current engagement
Soho House & Co
Director of AI Transformation at Soho House & Co, a billion-dollar business, through its return to private ownership. Authored the enterprise AI strategy with the CDTO; built the AI team, operating model and playbooks; with ROI demonstrated on the first production use cases.
THE AI DIGITAL SKILLS GAP IS GROWING: HERE'S WHAT LEADERS NEED TO DO DIFFERENTLY IN 2026
Originally published by Code First Girls · Feb 2026
The rapid adoption of AI is exposing a widening gap between organisational ambition and workforce capability. This article examines why traditional training and change approaches are failing to keep pace and why the digital skills gap has become a material risk to growth, resilience, and competitiveness.
Written for executive and board-level audiences, it sets out what leaders need to do differently in 2026, from redefining AI literacy to rethinking how capability is built across entire organisations.
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO AGENTIC AI
Originally published by Code First Girls · Nov 2025
As organisations move beyond Generative AI, many are struggling to understand what comes next and how to prepare. This article introduces agentic AI through a practical, business-focused lens, explaining how AI agents differ from traditional GenAI tools and why they represent a shift in how work is structured and executed.
Rather than focusing on technical architecture, the piece addresses the operating, governance, and workforce implications leaders need to consider before deploying agent-based systems at scale.
LESSONS AND INSIGHTS FROM MY AI UPSKILLING JOURNEY
Originally published by Code First Girls · Sept 2025
This article reflects on what it actually takes for senior leaders to build credible AI capability, not through delegation or theory, but through direct, hands-on upskilling. It explores how learning AI later in a leadership career changes decision-making, risk awareness, and the ability to lead technology-driven transformation.
Written for leaders navigating career transitions, organisational change, and the realities of AI adoption, it challenges the idea that AI literacy can be outsourced and makes the case for executive-level engagement in learning.