PwC Digital Leadership Summit 2026

As the first autumn days arrived, our annual technology flagship event, the PwC Digital Leadership Summit, returned for its fourth edition.

The summit moved beyond experimentation with isolated AI use cases to address the realities of turning technological potential into organisational transformation. More than 200 participants engaged in workshops and lively dialogue about the current state of digital transformation.

Across input speeches, keynotes, panels and workshops, one message stood out: The future is not human versus machine. It is about bringing human strengths and tech capabilities together, with AI expanding organisational capabilities while people provide direction, creativity, empathy and accountability. 

Prafull Sharma, Partner, Advisory at PwC Switzerland, opened the main event by highlighting some of the key facts from our AI Performance Study.

He illustrated the gap between adoption and value: The most AI-fit companies achieve 7.2 times the AI-driven financial performance of their peers, while 20% of surveyed companies capture 74% of total AI-driven returns. Prafull’s message was clear: Success depends on moving beyond isolated pilots, strengthening organisational foundations and embedding AI into everyday work.

Realising value from AI depends on leadership, skills, adoption and culture. As with past digital transformations, success comes from turning people, processes, data and technology into a repeatable value-creation capability.

Read the AI Performance Study

In his input speech, neuroscientist and author Benjamin Bargetzi energised the audience by placing human biology at the centre of the AI conversation. Drawing on Aristotle’s idea that “we are what we repeatedly do”, he explained how habits shape performance and why the brain itself must be trained.

Benjamin also challenged us to rethink work itself. What if leaders could create environments where people experience regular dopamine kicks from meaningful work rather than seeking constant distraction?

In a world of endless notifications and digital noise, focus is no longer a given. It is a skill that leaders must cultivate, model, and protect, both for themselves and their teams. Used thoughtfully, technology can help create the conditions for deeper focus, more meaningful work, and ultimately greater business impact.

Patrick Wolf, Head of HR at Migros Bank, reinforced this people-centred view. AI and data literacy now sit alongside problem solving and change management as core leadership capabilities.

Migros Bank’s approach illustrates the level of commitment required: Leadership is treated as a dedicated responsibility, leaders receive intensive training and a significant share of the AI budget is invested in organisational change.

The leadership discussion highlighted three implications:

1. Leaders must model curiosity by asking better questions
2. Organisations must create space for continuous learning
3. Teams need both empowerment and accountability

In an environment shaped by constant digital stimulus, protecting the human capacity for reflection and focused work is becoming a leadership responsibility.

The first dialogue moved from insight to action: How can leaders make sound decisions when uncertainty has become the new normal?

This was discussed by: 

• Marta Raus-Zaglio, Head of Enterprise Technology Governance & Solutions at SIX Group
• Laura Meyer, Board Member at NZZ and Switzerland Tourism
• Stefan Jenni, CEO of Itaú Private Bank Zurich

The panellists explored how global collaboration, local realities, regulation and geopolitical uncertainty shape transformation. Humility and composure emerged as essential leadership qualities: Leaders must be ready to reinvent themselves, acknowledge what they do not yet know and still provide teams with a clear direction. Strong culture and accountability help organisations address the uncertainty that accompanies AI-driven change.

The discussion highlighted the need to challenge management on whether transformation is creating real value and whether trust and governance keep pace. AI should ultimately improve efficiency and the client experience—for example, by enabling people to spend more time with clients.

The panel’s conclusion was that digital leadership is not about having every answer, but about living the change, enabling people and turning the organisation’s mission into action.

Ben Torben-Nielsen, Strategy and Portfolio Leader – Data, Analytics and Insights at Roche, illustrated the opportunity with a process that reduced the preparation of periodic data packages from one week to two hours. Yet the success story initially attracted little management attention—showing how organisations can overlook value that is already visible when leaders remain anchored in established ways of working.

His challenge to leaders was to move from an “AI use case” mindset towards an “AI everywhere” mindset. This does not mean applying AI indiscriminately. It means enabling the business to recognise where AI can incrementally improve efficiency and quality, testing those opportunities quickly and scaling only where evidence supports doing so. AI-assisted coding, for example, can reduce the traditional translation cost between business needs and technical delivery.

The leadership question he left with the audience is therefore not simply whether organisations are adopting AI, but whether they are changing fast enough and equipping people to turn new capabilities into measurable outcomes.

Florian Maurer, Chief Digital & Technology Officer Corporate Solutions at Swiss Re, framed the challenge as an AI value paradox: Who owns the outcome of AI-enabled work, and are they equipped to own it? 

His central message was that organisations must move beyond keeping a “human in the loop” towards having a “human leading the loop”. 

People must define the purpose, decide whether AI is appropriate, correct course during implementation and remain accountable for the outcome at all times.

“Human leading the loop” shifts the emphasis from passive oversight to active leadership of AI-enabled work. For Florian, this means connecting three dimensions: purpose, technology and people. 

The starting point is not “Where can we use AI?”, but “What should we make fundamentally better?” That distinction helps organisations choose between personal productivity, targeted automation and the deeper redesign of work.

The second panel, moderated by Adrian Jones, Partner People & Organisation at PwC Switzerland, brought together

• Norman Stürtz, CDAO at St. Galler Kantonalbank, and
• Matthias Fischer, Head Data Foundation at Swiss Re.
• Adrian Kamm, Head Group Real Estate and Supply Chain Platforms & Shared Services at UBS.

Their discussion explored what “human + machine” means in day-to-day leadership, where it is already improving decisions and outcomes, and why translating an AI idea into measurable value is often harder than expected.

A recurring message was to get the foundations right. The discussion emphasised that AI depends on reliable data and on a thoughtful design of the intersection between people and machines. AI can process information and identify patterns, but human accountability does not change. Adoption is a parallel challenge: a heterogeneous workforce needs practical support that builds confidence in the technology while also raising awareness of its risks. Approaches such as an AI “driving licence” can help develop the literacy and trust required for broader use.

In his closing remarks, Beresford Caloia, Partner and Chairman PwC Switzerland, returned to the example of Garry Kasparov and Deep Blue: The rise of machine capability did not end human chess; it helped humans reach a higher level. Organisations can now apply the same principle—combining machine capability with human judgement to achieve outcomes neither could deliver alone.

The Digital Leadership Summit 2026 made clear that progress will not come from technology alone. The organisations that succeed will connect purpose, people and technology; embed AI safely into everyday work; and empower leaders and employees to learn continuously. 

On behalf of PwC Switzerland, he thanked all speakers and panellists for sharing their experience so openly.