Leaders from North West businesses gathered for an Insider roundtable on 17 September 2026 to discuss how growing companies are navigating AI adoption and the changing role of people and technology in business.

The discussion, hosted at DJH's Chester offices, revealed a common challenge: AI is creating new opportunities to work faster and more efficiently, but companies are also having to think harder about people, relationships, investment and what makes them valuable to customers.

The Case for People as Investment

Simon Swan, founder of health and wellness business Uthful, is operating largely as a one-person operation while building awareness through content and social media. He argued that as AI becomes more commonplace, human interaction becomes more valuable.

"We're all talking about people being the best investment, because we're reassessing everything in a world of AI now," Swan said.

James Garthwaite, director of five-year-old commercial projects business BLOK Projects, echoed this view. As his business moves from "teenage" years into a more mature phase, a key priority is changing the company structure so that directors are no longer responsible for everything themselves.

"It's the individuals. People are the extension of what your business is doing," Garthwaite said.

For Stuart Adam, founder and managing director of Vavoom, people remain one of the most important investments a business can make. He emphasised that technology should support rather than replace human relationships: "It's great, it has its place. But it needs to know its place and not take over that human interaction and that human relationship."

Quality Over Cheap Automation

As cheaper AI-powered tools become more available, some businesses are choosing to compete on quality rather than price. Eliza Morgan, director of Honey & Morgan, a three-year-old consultancy, said the firm will not compromise on quality to compete on price.

"When we are helping people make hiring decisions we've got to be working with things that are valid and reliable," Morgan said. "Internationally accredited training is not cheap but it's quality and it delivers the outcomes people are looking for."

For Daniel Poll, founder of Noramble, the rise of tools like Canva and AI has changed client expectations. "If you want something really quick and easy, Canva's great, AI is great," Poll said. But for more strategic work, agencies need to demonstrate clear purpose. "We need to understand what they're going to get out of the process," he said.

Jack Leigh, creative director of Eight Engines, stressed the importance of critical thinking as AI becomes a standard tool. "You need that critical thinking, and once you prove that you can do the job, then you can use AI to kind of speed you up on it," Leigh said.

Technology's Role in Growth

For expanding businesses, the challenge is maintaining culture, standards and service as they scale. Natasha Millward, client services director at DJH, said the next stage of growth involves developing the team while giving trainees exposure to client meetings and real-world situations.

Andy Halpin, partner at CG, highlighted the importance of keeping culture and standards while reaching the right people. He also discussed the changing relationship between professional advice and AI, arguing that businesses and customers increasingly need to challenge information generated by technology rather than simply accepting it.

Ian Jolly, CFO and managing director of ATOMIK AM, questioned how businesses should balance increasingly digital interactions with the value of human relationships as customer expectations change.

Craig Jones, director of Energy Gain, stressed that understanding financial fundamentals remains essential, regardless of how a business evolves: "No matter what industry you're in, you've got to understand your balance sheet, your profit and loss."

Supporting Growth: Investment and ROI

Jennifer Batchelor, vice president of venture debt and growth finance at NatWest, noted that the bank's venture banking team is focused on supporting growing businesses through funding and relationships. She emphasised that understanding expected return on investment before committing to it is essential.

"When you look at the businesses that manage to grow really quickly, actually, they're able to define their ROI on that investment before they even start it," Batchelor said.

The roundtable highlighted that building what's next means more than simply growing bigger. For these North West businesses, it is about staying curious, adapting quickly and making the right decisions about the role of people and technology in their growth.