OM DENNE EPISODE
Sara Sheehan’s guest in this episode is AI Strategist, Digital Transformation Leader, and founder of AIboration, Nicole Hilgenkamp. Nicole discusses AI and how it is more than just an IT function; it is a transformative force in business. The new role of Chief AI Officer reflects the cross-functional nature of AI and Nicole explains why dedicated leadership is required to integrate AI across entire organizations. Ensuring that it is embraced to ensure a future-ready company is essential.
Nicole shares strategies for AI integration and recommendations on how to stay updated on AI developments through focused newsletters, by joining communities, and through experimenting with tools like Perplexity. She advocates for leaders to champion AI from the top down so a culture where employees are encouraged to use AI safely and creatively is fostered. Mindset shifts are key to using AI in the promotion of self-awareness and personal growth.
Sara and Nicole look ahead to agentic AI, which are AI systems capable of decision-making and functioning as digital team members. Such systems will change the structure of organizations and put humans in charge of overseeing AI agents in customer service or sales roles. Nicole advises that everyone upskill to avoid being left behind, and urges the adoption of AI now, being mindful of bias and data protection, and committing to lifelong learning.
About Nicole Hilgenkamp:
Nicole is a digital transformation leader with the world's largest companies, where she leads enterprise scale AI and digital transformation across global operations. She is also the founder of AIboration, an AI consulting firm that helps businesses implement generative AI.
Nicole is an optimist who believes people and technology can work better together. With a background in sociology, she has always been fascinated by how people group, interact, and adapt—whether in organizations, markets, or digital spaces.
Her work revolves around structuring chaos—helping businesses use technology to improve processes, enhance collaboration, and drive results. Nicole sees patterns in people, systems, and data, making sense of complexity and turning it into strategy.
_
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- “The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter, Decisions” by Geoff Woods’
- The Neuron newsletter
—
Contact Sara Sheehan | Sara Sheehan Consulting:
Contact Nicole Hilgenkamp:
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
