Leadership in the Age of AI: Skills for a Changing World

The impact of AI on our personal and professional lives is still unfolding. While headlines often celebrate efficiency gains and cost savings, just as many highlight the challenges, including job disruption.

Against this backdrop, it was inspiring to welcome alumna Victoria Rennoldson (South Hampstead High School, Class of 1996) to the latest alumnae networking event in February 2026. As a coach, speaker, and certified facilitator specialising in global leadership, communication, and cultural intelligence, she offered insights into the human capabilities that can support leaders to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

Victoria’s key message? “This is all about adaption. Adaptability is crucial as things are changing so fast and we have to make sure that we have the skills that keep us evolving as leaders. The key to adaption is human capabilities; however, I would not call these ‘soft skills’, as they are absolutely vital.” She emphasised that alongside adaptability, trust and strong relationships in the workplace are more important than ever.

 

Victoria highlighted four pillars that underpin her approach to developing leadership skills: confidence, clarity, challenging conversations, and connecting with cultural intelligence. These pillars reflect GDST values of resilience, collaboration, and empowering others.

 

Within this framework, Victoria shared key insights:

• Confidence is a journey, which should be challenged at times, and which requires continuous work.
• Clarity is about how you cut through, connect, and influence – which can be a positive or negative force.
• Challenging conversations should be viewed as a bridge – before crossing it, strong foundations and emotional alignment are needed, and it should be seen as a way to come together.
• Connecting is about how we view each other as humans, how we relate effectively, and how we can build cultural intelligence.

Victoria concluded on an optimistic note: even though AI is evolving incredibly fast, this is a fantastic opportunity for leaders to develop their own skills while supporting their teams to grow in a rapidly changing workplace. Her insights reflect GDST’s commitment to nurturing girls for life, equipping leaders to embrace change, and fostering environments where everyone can thrive.

The GDST is committed to preparing young women to adapt and thrive amid this technological revolution – find out more about how schools are preparing girls for an AI-powered future.