Trade Me's people-led approach to AI transformation. Loren Thomas on governance, training, and change | The AI Corner Ep: 56 Loren Thomas

Join host Mike Bayly and guest Loren Thomas, Head of People Strategy and Experience at Trade Me, to explore how one of New Zealand's most iconic tech companies is navigating AI transformation from the inside. Loren shares how she took the initiative to drive AI adoption without formal authority, why foundational training was the real turning point, and how Trade Me's "blast radius" framework is bringing governance to a fast-moving space. Plus: the identity crisis facing skilled workers, reimagining roles for an AI-native workforce, and why the jobpocalypse narrative may be overblown.

\In this episode we discuss:

• 00:00 – Intro & guest bio
• 02:10 – Trade Me's AI journey from 2025 to now
• 05:30 – Why AI transformation is a people initiative
• 09:15 – Foundational training and the adoption spike
• 14:40 – The blast radius governance framework
• 20:05 – Hackathon design and what worked
• 26:30 – Identity shifts for skilled workers
• 31:20 – Junior talent and the apprenticeship problem
• 36:00 – Measuring ROI and outcomes
• 40:15 – Future of roles and workforce fluidity
• 44:30 – Outro & next steps

LOREN'S LINKEDIN: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/loren-thomas-58947a53/⁠

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