Kier sends 50 leaders on Oxford Saïd AI strategy programme

Kier has partnered with Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, to put 50 of its leaders through a bespoke artificial intelligence (AI) learning programme, the contractor announced on 2 November.

The programme, titled AI Strategy and Leadership Journey, opens with a three-day residential at Oxford's new Global Leadership Centre and continues with online working group sessions, Kier said.

The company said the programme forms part of its investment in its people and supports its Naturally Digital strategy, which it describes as bringing together its people, platforms and ways of working.

Stuart Togwell, chief executive of Kier, said: "Our approach to becoming Naturally Digital is to always have humans at the helm, and by investing in our leadership capabilities we are equipping them with what they need to make informed, responsible and safe decisions."

The programme

Once the in-person Oxford sessions are over, participants will keep working with Oxford in cross-business Growth Groups to develop opportunities for application across Kier, the company said.

Professor Andrew Stephen of Oxford University is Academic Director of the programme. According to Worcester College, Oxford, he is a Professorial Fellow of the college, L'Oréal Professor of Marketing and Deputy Dean of Saïd Business School.

Professor Stephen said that, given Kier's role in building and maintaining national infrastructure, "the benefits could extend well beyond the business to the communities and economy it serves."

Togwell said the real measure of success would be how the learning is applied across Kier, with leaders taking the insights back into the business and sharing them with colleagues.

Background

Kier said the Oxford programme is the latest step in its Naturally Digital ambitions. In May 2026 the company announced a three-year agreement with Microsoft under which it is rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot to thousands of colleagues, along with Microsoft Teams Premium licences for its 10,000-strong workforce across site and office roles.

At that time Kier said its internal AI training programmes had already lifted colleagues' confidence in using AI to 87%.

In its November release, Kier also said it has introduced new digital tools and agents into its ways of working, including in health and safety.

The digital push dates back at least to January 2026, when Kier announced three senior digital appointments and said its naturally digital ambitions are a cornerstone of its new growth strategy. Louisa Finlay, chief operating officer at Kier, said then that digital and data capabilities were central to the company's plans for the coming year and beyond.

Scale

Kier employs around 10,000 people and works with more than 16,000 supply chain partners, according to the company, and generally has more than 400 projects under way at any one time. It reported an order book of £11.9bn as at June 2026.

Kier has set a target of having digital ways of working embedded across every function and project by 2028.