Strategic AI Leadership: Margarita Lindahl on Turning Change into Progress

I see my mission as translating advanced technology into solutions that empower people and strengthen the business. My responsibility is to shape how Panasonic- with more than a century of deep heritage in technology and innovation- adopts and scales AI today. That means focusing on making AI a strategic capability that drives growth, competitiveness and new ways of working, not in the future, but here and now. 

Throughout my career, I have lived in countries such as Japan, the UK, the US, and Australia, experiencing different cultures, systems and ways of thinking. These experiences made adaptability and openness to change a defining part of how I think and lead today. Living in different cultures taught me that change is a constant we all face, one that shapes us alongside the values we hold on to. It accompanies us through countless experiences, each shaping who we become and how we grow. Today, technology has become the new environment driving that evolution. 

With generative AI in business, we are now facing a technological force that will bring some of the most significant changes we have seen so far. This is not about testing tools or producing content faster. It is about rethinking processes, reshaping teams, redefining culture and strengthening the skills that everyone, from interns to senior leaders, now needs. 

These skills include critical thinking, mental agility and the ability to navigate complexity. AI makes these skills essential, expanding the strategic dimension of work and raising expectations across all levels to deliver real business value. This transformation touches every aspect, from organisational structures to how we define work itself. 

In the early stages, one of the biggest challenges was bridging the gap between hype and reality, ensuring that AI was not perceived as a buzzword but recognised as a new way of working that delivers tangible value. Equally important was building trust and literacy, as many employees were either sceptical or uncertain about what AI might mean for their roles. 

Another priority was aligning stakeholders across the business to establish a shared vision with a strong focus on upskilling. This was closely connected to addressing ethics and compliance questions, including privacy, bias and transparency, as well as adapting to the fast-evolving regulatory landscape, particularly in Europe, and ensuring that people were properly aware. Overall, it has been a continuous effort that requires collaboration across many areas. I am fortunate to work with people who face these challenges with openness and commitment. 

Returning to the theme of change, Albert Einstein once said, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” For me, this applies not only to individuals but also to leadership itself: the ability to recognise change early, adapt with purpose, and guide others through transformation. 

This mindset defines what effective AI leadership requires today. The role is not about mastering every algorithm but about translating change into progress. Delivering on that requires specific capabilities. An effective AI leader needs strategic vision to connect AI with business outcomes, technological literacy to separate reality from hype, and change leadership to help teams embrace new ways of working. 

Equally important are ethical responsibility and strong communication skills, ensuring fairness, compliance and, above all, clarity while driving upskilling across all levels. Together, these attributes build trust and translate AI into real business impact. 

We do not innovate just for the sake of it. It starts with listening to our customers, understanding their challenges, workflows and environments. From there, we look at how technologies like AI can create practical solutions that solve problems and deliver measurable value. Equally important is co-creation. We work closely with customers, partners and cross-functional teams to test and refine ideas in real-world settings. This ensures that innovation is not just a lab exercise, but something that fits seamlessly into daily operations. For me, the real measure of innovation is whether it makes life easier for our customers. Otherwise, it remains nothing more than an interesting demo. 

Disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Big Data and Cloud Computing are changing innovation at its core. In the past, innovation often meant improving existing solutions step by step. Today, it is about using data and intelligence to reimagine processes, services and entire business models. 

Cloud makes innovation scalable and accessible; Big Data provides the raw material; Data Science extracts the insights; and AI turns those insights into action in real time. Together, they have shifted innovation from largely incremental and product-focused to dynamic, data-driven and customer-centric, increasing the pace of change and customers' expectations. What makes this shift so powerful is that innovation now happens at the speed of technology, not at the speed of yesterday’s logic. 

Keeping pace with technology is no longer optional for organisations; it is essential. This requires organisational agility, faster decision-making, flexible structures and a culture where experimentation is not the exception but the norm. At the same time, success will depend on people, ensuring continuous upskilling, building AI literacy across all roles, and enabling humans and machines to work side by side. 

For industries, the challenge will be to adapt ecosystems, regulations and standards at the speed of technological change. The ability to evolve these frameworks quickly and responsibly will determine how well entire sectors can realise the benefits of innovation. 

The future always arrives faster than we expect and - rarely in the way we imagine. When I think of my four-year-old son and the business environment he will one day step into, what becomes clear is that at today’s pace of change, the world in 20 years will likely be beyond anything we can envision. But we do not even need to look that far ahead; in today’s world, one or two years already make a huge difference. My advice to emerging tech leaders is therefore simple: do not waste energy trying to predict exactly what the future will hold. Focus instead on building adaptability, curiosity and resilience now. These are the qualities that will enable you to thrive, whatever the future brings.