Ward Hadaway Fastest 50 Awards 2026: AI is moving into core business functions, says speaker Adam Hildreth
Entrepreneur Adam Hildreth will discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) is influencing business leadership, across the region and beyond, when he speaks at this week’s Ward Hadaway Yorkshire Fastest 50 Awards.
The 16th annual Awards, in partnersip with The Yorkshire Post, will celebrate the region’s top growing businesses at Leeds Aspire, on Friday, March 20.
Born in Halifax, Adam co-founded his first business as a teenager before going on to establish Dubit, a digital consultancy working with global brands on online engagement.
He later founded Crisp, an AI-led risk intelligence and online safety company headquartered in Leeds.
In 2022, Crisp was acquired by US-based Kroll and subsequently rebranded as Resolver as part of its global risk services division.
That progression from early-stage founder to leading a technology business operating at international scale gives Adam a perspective that extends beyond the tech sector.
His work has centred on helping organisations manage digital risk, online harm and reputational exposure in increasingly complex environments.
Ahead of this year’s Fastest 50, Adam reflects on how artificial intelligence is moving into core business functions.
He says: “Artificial intelligence is no longer a specialist tool or future consideration. It is already influencing how organisations analyse information, manage risk and make decisions.
“The question for most leadership teams is not whether to use it, but how to integrate it in a way that supports accountability and control.”
AI’s influence is no longer limited to the technology and IT sector - businesses of all sizes are incorporating it into day-to-day operations.
For example, manufacturers are using data-led systems to improve efficiency and anticipate maintenance issues, professional services firms are applying AI to support analysis and compliance processes and retailers and logistics operators are introducing automation to strengthen customer service and operational oversight.
“In each case, innovation has to sit alongside governance,” Adam explains.
“Moving quickly has advantages, but only if you understand the exposure that comes with it. Growth without oversight creates risk.”
That balance between ambition and control mirrors the ethos of the Fastest 50 itself. The businesses recognised this year represent sustained growth delivered in challenging conditions. Many are expanding operations, entering new markets or investing in new technologies while managing regulatory and commercial complexity.
Hildreth believes that Yorkshire’s business community is well placed to respond to these pressures.
“There is a strong culture of pragmatism here,” he says.
“Companies are ambitious, but they are also disciplined. They focus on building durable operations rather than chasing short-term wins. The leadership teams I’ve worked with across the region tend to think long term, invest carefully and surround themselves with the right expertise.
“These businesses represent sustained effort and, at a time when economic pressure is constant and technological change is accelerating, that consistency is what sets them apart.”
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