Lepaya launches “Taking the lead with AI”: A new training program to move organizations from AI awareness to enablement

AMSTERDAM - 19 March, 2026

As organizations globally navigate the transition from AI experimentation to scalable value creation, Lepaya, Europe’s leading blended training platform, today announced the launch of its new leadership training program “Taking the lead with AI.” This program is specifically engineered to address the "human bottleneck" currently stalling AI-driven transformation across industries.

The missing link in AI transformation

The promise of AI-first operating models is vast, yet recent global research reveals a stark disconnect between corporate ambition and organizational readiness. While 88% of organizations are now experimenting with AI, a staggering 72% of leaders admit that their organizations are not fully prepared for the upcoming changes. This gap means that most companies are moving into a technological revolution without a clear roadmap, leading to "fragmented use cases" that augment individual efficiency, but fail to deliver their enterprise performance gains.

The result of this gap is evident: 81% of companies report that AI experimentation has yet to yield meaningful bottom-line gains. This exposes a high-stakes problem. While organizations are investing heavily in tools, they are yet to redesign the skills, leadership and behaviours behind their human operating model.

“The conversation around AI has been dominated by tools, platforms, and infrastructure,” said René Janssen, Founder of Lepaya. “

But AI won’t transform your business - your leaders will. The organizations that succeed are the ones developing their managers to experiment, guide their teams through ambiguity, and scale what works.”

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Transitioning from AI awareness to AI enablement

Most organizations today are AI-aware: teams understand the basics, but don’t structurally apply AI in daily workflows. The challenge is scaling that potential into performance  - and eventually AI-augmented organizations where people and technology continuously improve together.

Lepaya’s “Taking the lead with AI” program bridges this gap by focusing on the talent critical layer between strategy and execution: middle managers and frontline leaders.

“Middle managers are the engine of AI transformation because they sit at the exact intersection of strategy and execution.

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They can translate big AI ambitions into concrete experiments, decide where it fits into daily workflows, and shape how their teams respond to change. When middle managers champion AI, it stops being a top-down mandate and becomes a practical reality - embedded in how work actually gets done,” Pascal Struijk, Lepaya’s Product Lead.

Program overview: “Taking the lead with AI”

The program is designed for mid-level leaders, combining self-paced digital learning with high-intensity coaching and classroom sessions.

Rather than focusing on surface-level AI efficiency, the program equips managers to:

• ‍Build AI literacy: foundational knowledge and skills to leverage AI throughout daily work
• ‍Reimagine their domain: take charge of AI initiatives in their area
• ‍Mobilize and lead teams: engage team members across all stages of adoption
• ‍Steer outcomes: Driving results based on ROI, ethics, and scalable adoption.

From skills to business ROI

Unlike traditional training, Lepaya’s methodology focuses on measurable skill application. Organizations will be able to define success metrics upfront - ensuring AI upskilling moves beyond training course completion rates to measurable business outcomes. Companies track:

• Number of AI experiments launched
• Workforce involvement and adoption
• Business value and ROI
• Change resilience and engagement
  
  

“Too often, AI training stops at inspiration or knowledge transfer. But if it doesn’t translate into different day-to-day decisions, experiments, and team conversations, nothing changes.

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That’s why we directly link AI leadership training to observable workplace behaviors: launching real experiments, coaching teams through adoption, challenging low-value use cases, and scaling what works. When managers change how they lead, AI adoption accelerates - and business impact follows.” René Janssen, Founder of Lepaya

Read more about the AI leadership training program here.

About Lepaya 

Lepaya is Europe’s leading blended training platform that connects workforce upskilling with business impact, empowering companies to develop the right skills at the right time to drive both people and business growth.

Through its Portal, Academies, and App, Lepaya seamlessly aligns business and workforce needs, delivers blended training programs for every career level, and enables learners to learn, practice, and apply new skills effectively.

Trusted by global enterprises and fast-growing companies—including Roche, ING, Microsoft, Dell, Freudenberg, and Just Eat Takeaway—Lepaya helps organizations stay competitive in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape. Backed by investors like Endeit, Educapital, Target Global, Mediahuis Ventures, and Tablomonto, Lepaya has raised $80 million and made four strategic acquisitions: SmartenUp (2020), vCoach (2022), SpeakFirst (2022), and Krauthammer (2023).

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