Can a company of 8,000 support AI and cloud adoption across its workforce? Discover how Investec's learning culture and people-first mindset supported employee upskilling.
If you’re leading AI adoption, whether across a team or an entire company, you may be facing challenges, especially when transformation needs to happen at scale. You may even be wondering, “Where do I begin?” In this post, we’ll explore how Investec approached cloud and AI adoption across a workforce of approximately 8,000 employees, along with principles that may help inform your own efforts.
First, some background: Investec is an international bank and wealth manager with a regional focus in Southern Africa and the United Kingdom, complemented by a presence in Continental Europe, the Channel Islands, Dubai, India, Mauritius, Switzerland, and the United States. The organization’s culture emphasizes entrepreneurship and the potential of its people, an approach that would also shape its adoption of cloud and AI technology.
Supporting the human side of technology change
Here’s how things started. Five years ago, Investec made the strategic decision to undertake a significant cloud transformation and, to date, began migrating its digital estate to Azure. But, to begin that process, the company recognized that adopting new technology required helping its workforce understand new tools, concepts, and ways of working.
One immediate hurdle the firm faced? Many employees were being asked to operate in a world very different from the one in which they had built their expertise. “There will be some people who are filled with uncertainty at the replacement of familiar technology,” notes Paul Haupt, People and Organization Consultant at Investec, “or fear that skills they mastered over the last ten, twenty, thirty years are no longer relevant."
With increasingly complex technologies entering the workplace, Investec remained steadfast in its belief that supporting the human side of change is more important than ever. "The pace at which the stuff is moving, we have to respond to it,” Haupt explains. “And we really need to help people along this journey."
Supporting the human side of technology change
Here’s how things started. Five years ago, Investec made the strategic decision to undertake a significant cloud transformation and, to date, began migrating its digital estate to Azure. But, to begin that process, the company recognized that adopting new technology required helping its workforce understand new tools, concepts, and ways of working.
One immediate hurdle the firm faced? Many employees were being asked to operate in a world very different from the one in which they had built their expertise. “There will be some people who are filled with uncertainty at the replacement of familiar technology,” notes Paul Haupt, People and Organization Consultant at Investec, “or fear that skills they mastered over the last ten, twenty, thirty years are no longer relevant."
With increasingly complex technologies entering the workplace, Investec remained steadfast in its belief that supporting the human side of change is more important than ever. "The pace at which the stuff is moving, we have to respond to it,” Haupt explains. “And we really need to help people along this journey."
Moving through fear toward growth
To address employees’ concerns about how technology may affect their roles, Investec framed the change as an opportunity for growth and encouraged employees to explore new ways of working.
This approach again underscores the firm’s core belief: technology does not define Investec; human capability does. “Our people are our proposition,” Haupt states. “We need to equip them so they can use their imaginations to unlock the full potential of technology.”
The first step was to create a foundation of technical skills. Investec turned to Microsoft Certifications and required all its Digital & Technology staff, nearly 2,000 people, to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals certification by passing Exam AZ-900, helping establish shared cloud literacy across the organization.
By making learning a visible priority from the top down, Investec reinforced that professional development is not a one-time event but instead an ongoing part of employees’ career development.
Providing continual career development
Beyond foundational skilling, Investec sought to create opportunities for continued development. The organization expanded access to Microsoft Certifications and other learning opportunities, including the Microsoft Organizational Skilling program.
One inspiring example is Lukhanyo Dzedze, Investec Software Engineer in PCT Continuity CLM Onboarding, who describes himself as a lifelong learner.
"I wanted to become a leader within the space,” Dzedze notes, “and I wanted to be able to lead innovation and contribute more at a higher level.” Dzedze has earned six certifications, with more in progress, and credits the people-first mentality at Investec in helping him advance his career potential. "One important thing about Investec is the ease of access to people,” Dzedze says. “You can go talk to anybody, and they'll give you their two cents.”
Preparing all staff for an AI-powered future
It’s important to note that Investec's focus on ongoing professional development isn’t limited to technical staff. In 2026, the company publicly announced a deployment of Microsoft Copilot for its entire workforce, making it available to approximately 8,000 employees.
To support adoption, Investec aimed to help people understand what AI can do and build confidence in using it. “You can give everyone a tool,” states Haupt, “but what we’re interested in is people demystifying AI and experiencing its potential.”
Investec encouraged training focused on practical use cases, along with short sessions led by employees to help colleagues understand and apply Copilot in their work.
Building deeper role-aligned expertise
Beyond a common understanding of cloud technologies and AI, Investec remains keen to help all its employees—not just technical staff—build deeper expertise aligned to their roles. "Moving into the next phase, we want to be quite deliberate about role-specific certification,” Haupt explains, “that as you build your craft, you build your skills closer to your day-to-day work.”
The road to adopting new technologies at scale is rarely a straight line, but Investec teams are navigating it together. “We can either pontificate about the future and not start, or we can learn as we go. And so, we’re taking the ‘learn as we go’ route,” says Haupt. Investec’s learning culture, combined with skilling resources and employees’ ambition and imagination, is helping its workforce prepare for what comes next. As Haupt says, “That, we believe, is where the magic will happen.”
Conclusion and next steps for you and your team
Investec’s experience demonstrates the importance of addressing the human side of cloud and AI adoption. By establishing foundational knowledge, supporting continued development, and bringing learning closer to employees’ roles, Investec sought to help its people approach technology change with greater confidence.
Investec’s approach illustrates how a people-first learning culture can support transformation efforts. To move your own transformation forward, explore AI Skills Navigator, an AI-powered skilling experience that helps you build the skills you need whether you're investing in your own development or building capability across your organization.
If you’re engaged with a Microsoft account team, contact them to explore additional skilling opportunities.
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