Confidence, capability, clarity: The real foundations of AI adoption

Wednesday 22nd April | 13:00 BST | 45 mins

AI isn’t a plug and play tool — it’s a wholesale transformation programme. Yet many enterprises still approach it like a quick fix tech project. The result? Fragmented workflows, inconsistent adoption, unclear governance, and teams unsure how to use AI safely and effectively.

In this panel, host Zoe Merchant is joined by senior business leaders Emma Moorman (Informa) and Sharon Roessen (Terrapinn), who are redefining what it takes to embed AI in a meaningful way. The panel will explore how to design an outcome driven AI enablement programme that creates real capability and confidence, establishes clear guardrails and aligns AI activation with real marketing workflows.

Attendees will walk away with practical insight into how to:

• Deliver tangible, ready to use AI capability across teams
• Put clear governance, safe usage practices and trusted guardrails in place
• Build a repeatable, scalable AI operating model
• Equip teams with the skills and confidence to adopt AI effectively
• Lay the groundwork for continuous transformation rather than one off activation

Zoe Merchant (Panel Host)

Partner – Growth, Marketing and Sales Consulting
Bright, a Talan Company

Zoe Merchant is the founder and managing director of Bright, a strategic B2B marketing consultancy that gives marketers the power to do great work and deliver business results. With over 20 years of experience in agile marketing, she helps clients reinvent their marketing operations, align with business goals, and deliver tangible value.

As a leader and innovator in her field, Zoe has been recognised as a top 10 women leader of 2020, a 3x #40overforty advertising and marketing leader, and a #CannesLions70 Creative B2B juror in 2023. She is also a certified Agility in Marketing professional.

Zoe is passionate about investing and reinventing marketing teams, promoting diversity and inclusion, and championing marketing’s role in business transformation.

Bright became a part of the Talan Group in January 2026.

Sharon Roessen

Chief Operating Officer
Terrapin

Sharon is a strategic operator, problem solver, and commercial leader with over 30 years of experience in the B2B events industry. As Chief Operating Officer at Terrapinn, she specialises in turning big ideas into thriving, scalable businesses by aligning vision with execution, strategy with systems, and innovation with commercial impact.

Sharon has led the launch and growth of more than 20 large‑scale events across Asia, including global brands such as EDUtech and Solar & Storage Live. Her expertise spans market expansion, building high‑performing teams, and modernising technology infrastructure—bringing structure, pace, and clarity to complex challenges.

Known for her outcome‑driven approach, Sharon thrives on delivering results quickly and effectively. Highly organised and commercially focused, she is always seeking the smartest path from idea to impact, with a strong passion for creating value for customers, teams, and the business.

Currently, Sharon leads Terrapinn’s global technology, marketing, and sales strategy, designing a modern, agile infrastructure that empowers people and drives sustainable revenue growth.

She welcomes connections around B2B marketing and brand growth, building global event portfolios, marketing and technology transformation, and advancing women in leadership through authentic, inclusive culture.

Emma Moorman

VP, AI Strategy & Enablement
Informa

Emma is a customer‑obsessed strategist who turns product vision, marketing execution, and AI enablement into sustainable revenue growth.

Throughout her career, Emma has operated at the intersection of what marketers need and what technology can deliver—leading product teams building tools and platforms for marketers, as well as leading marketing teams first-hand. Now, as Principal of AI Strategy and Enablement, she helps organisations harness intelligence at scale to drive measurable impact.

Emma’s edge lies in her belief that customer obsession isn’t a department—it’s a discipline. Whether shaping product roadmaps, crafting marketing campaigns, or designing AI transformation strategies, she ensures every innovation meaningfully serves the customer journey.

A natural storyteller, Emma believes the strongest strategies are built on compelling narratives—ones that give teams a clear North Star and a shared ambition worth pursuing.