Guest post by Cathy Mauzaize, President, EMEA, ServiceNow
The momentum around AI is stronger than ever. Across EMEA, organisations are moving quickly by running pilots, rolling out use cases, and exploring how AI can help them work smarter. The energy is there, and the ambition is clear.
However, ServiceNow’s latest research, the ServiceNow Enterprise AI Maturity Index 2025, shows something surprising: while adoption is accelerating, AI maturity is actually falling. It’s not that leaders are holding back or underinvesting. What’s missing is a deliberate focus on people.
Success with AI demands more than the right technology. It requires the people who help to design it, train it, scale it and, of course, use it. It’s the people that turn innovation into impact.
This is especially true now, as agentic AI becomes part of everyday work. These intelligent agents can transform how we operate by handling tasks, solving problems, and even making decisions on our behalf. But they don’t work in isolation.
If we want to see real results from AI, we have to stop seeing it in isolation. If AI is the engine of business transformation, then it is people – their vision, skills, and leadership – who drive it toward success.
Create a culture where experimentation is the norm
Every leader talks about innovation; however, experimentation only really works if people feel safe and supported to try new things. That means creating an environment where curiosity is encouraged and failure isn’t feared.
In EMEA, we’re seeing progress. More leaders are giving teams the space to explore new ideas and take ownership of how AI is applied in their day-to-day work. In fact, 46% of organisations in EMEA say they’re encouraging a culture of experimentation to engage employees in assessing the utilisation of AI solutions.
One telecom leader recently told me they invited frontline teams to experiment with GenAI at their contact centre. By engaging and empowering teams to be part of the solution, they’ve seen higher resolution rates and increased customer satisfaction. What’s more, they have a pipeline of new AI use cases identified by the teams on the ground, closest to the processes and customers.
This is because when people are part of the process, they’re more likely to trust the outcome. They understand the technology because they helped shape it. That kind of engagement leads to better adoption, better solutions, and ultimately, better business outcomes.
Nevertheless, experimentation still needs guardrails. It needs purpose. Otherwise, it risks becoming chaotic or disconnected. That’s where leadership needs to play an active role. It is important that leaders set clear priorities, align teams, and create the conditions for experimentation to feel both possible and valued.
Skills are the hidden barrier to AI maturity
Agentic AI is powerful – but it’s not magical. It doesn’t just appear and work because you want it to. Successful adoption depends on people having the right skills to design, use, and govern AI effectively.
Yet, across EMEA, only 28% of organisations feel they have the right mix of talent to deliver their AI strategy. That’s a major barrier to innovation and one that too often gets overlooked.
The reality is most businesses don’t need everyone to be a data scientist. However, they do need people across the organisation to understand what AI can do, how to use it responsibly, and how to apply it to move the business forward.
Scale starts with capability
That means investing in the basics – from AI literacy to upskilling programmes. It also means building cross-functional teams that combine technical talent with domain expertise, creativity, and collaboration – because that’s what it takes to make AI work in the real world.
Real transformation is people transformation
If there is one simple truth leaders should take away from this year’s AI Maturity Index, it’s this: AI will not transform your business unless your people are ready.
I recently heard one CIO in the public sector describe their goal as building “a digital backbone for government,” but their priority wasn’t the tech stack. It was upskilling teams, ensuring inclusion, and setting a clear mission for change. The tools only matter if the people are confident in using them.
Success with AI won’t come simply from having the most advanced technologies. Rather, it will be from the combination of purpose-built solutions, matched with investing in the people who use them and empowering them to drive change. That means creating space for experimentation, building the skills for the future, and leading with trust and transparency.
As organisations race toward realising AI return on investment, those that prioritise human capability and create a culture of trust, adaptability, and learning will chart a more sustainable path. Navigating the road ahead with clarity, purpose, and a deep commitment to putting people in the driver’s seat is the key to accelerating AI maturity.
About Cathy Mauzaize
Cathy Mauzaize is President, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at ServiceNow, leading the company’s second largest geographic region. In her role, she drives the growth strategy in EMEA to support ServiceNow in becoming the defining enterprise software of the 21st century.
Cathy joined ServiceNow in March 2021 as Vice President, EMEA South, to spearhead the company’s expansion across France, Spain, Italy, Israel, the Middle East and Africa. She successfully drove the company’s expansion within these markets and continues to deliver world class service to customers in the EMEA region and be a champion for culture and belonging initiatives.
Cathy previously held senior leadership roles across companies including Microsoft, SAP, Dell, PwC, and Hewlett Packard. Prior to ServiceNow, she was General Manager at Microsoft France, where she led the company’s commercial team, supporting growth through new business models and helping customers to integrate solutions such as Artificial Intelligence and Mixed Reality.
Cathy has a degree from the Lyon School of Management and is now based in ServiceNow’s Amsterdam office. In 2015, in recognition for her work advocating for belonging in the workplace, she was awarded the Women in Business distinction (Trophée des Femmes d’Commerce) by “Usine Nouvelle” as part of the Women in Industry Awards (Trophées des Femmes de l’Industrie).
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