The AI Reality Check: A Roundtable for Sheffield Leaders

15th May 2026

What does AI really look like inside an organisation? Join a small group of senior leaders at Sheffield Technology Park on 3 June for an honest, practical conversation. Breakfast provided. Places limited.

Most business leaders have heard enough about AI. They've read the articles, sat through the webinars, and experimented with the tools. The question that keeps coming up isn't "what is AI?" It's "what does it actually look like when you try to use it inside a real organisation?"

That's the conversation Sheffield-based technology consultancy The Curve is bringing to the city on 3 June 2026.

The AI Reality Check is a small, closed-door executive breakfast roundtable at Sheffield Technology Park. Designed for senior leaders across Sheffield and South Yorkshire, the session will move past the hype and into the practical reality of AI adoption: what's working, what isn't, and what it takes to make genuine progress.

What the session will cover

Rather than theoretical scenarios or future predictions, the discussion will focus on what's happening inside organisations right now. 

Topics include; where businesses are already seeing practical value from AI and automation, what the transition from experimentation to real implementation actually looks like. Our speakers will also, explore the organisational foundations required across people, processes, systems and data, governance and leadership considerations as AI capabilities grow, and how to measure real business outcomes.

The session runs a Chatham House rule, so participants can speak openly. Places are limited to keep the conversation focused and genuinely useful.

Who's in the room

Three speakers bring a mix of strategic, operational and technical perspective.

Dan Kirkland is a co-founder, NED and technology advisor with over 30 years of experience building software businesses. He co-founded TribePad, used by the BBC, Tesco and G4S, before a successful exit in 2023, and now advises leadership teams and boards across the UK.

Will Thompson is Managing Director UK at EPiC Agile, a transformation consultancy specialising in helping organisations redesign how work gets done. With a decade of experience leading major transformation programmes across retail, energy and higher education, his approach is hands-on and focused on results that land quickly.

Paul Ridgway is CEO of The Curve, with over a decade of experience leading technology businesses at CEO and CTO level. He brings together technical fluency and commercial clarity to help organisations align technology with business growth.

The details
Date: Tuesday 3 June 2026
Time: 9:00am to 11:00am (optional networking until 11:30am)
Location: Sheffield Technology Park, Cooper Buildings, Arundel Street, Sheffield, S1 2NS
Breakfast is provided.

To register your interest, visit: thecurve.io/resources/events/sheffield-roudtable-the-ai-reality-check