Alice Taylor

“Alice's biggest achievement has been leading Forterro's AI strategy and turning ambition into measurable business impact”

Part of the Tech Women Celebration 50, a curated list of some of the most inspirational women working at all levels of tech

Alice Taylor joined Forterro in July 2025 to drive the company's unification and transformation initiatives. She works closely with CEO Dean Forbes and the executive board to align priorities, streamline decision-making and translate strategy into action across Forterro's expanding European footprint.

Alice has extensive experience in cloud, AI and digital transformation, advising organisations on growth and modernisation strategies. Before joining Forterro, she led a joint go-to-market initiative between PwC and Amazon Web Services (AWS), combining strategic partnership development with commercial execution. Earlier in her career, she worked at AWS in customer engagement and cloud solutions.

As Chief of Staff, Alice enables the CEO and leadership team to operate with maximum focus and impact, while applying her digital transformation and AI expertise to Forterro's growth ambitions and strategic priorities.

Tell us about the nominee's biggest achievement to date

Alice's biggest achievement has been leading Forterro's AI strategy and turning ambition into measurable business impact. She designed and launched its AI enablement strategy and built the Forterro AI Centre of Excellence, a cross-functional team that identifies, prioritises and scales high-value use cases. The programme has already generated €13.7m in EBITDA, demonstrating tangible value alongside organisational change.

Forterro is a European industrial software company with a diverse footprint, so the challenge was to make AI practical and valuable for colleagues across markets and roles. Alice established it as a transformation priority, combining governance, executive sponsorship, communications, training and real use cases to root adoption in behaviour change and commercial outcomes.

The centre has helped teams move from experimentation to execution. Alice also sits on the steering committee supporting the development and launch of MyForterro.ai, the company's customer-facing AI platform. By working across internal enablement and product launch, she has connected strategy, people, product and market impact.

On a personal note, Alice is equally proud of being an auntie to her two nephews. It keeps her grounded, provides perspective and reminds her that success is also about the example people set outside the workplace.

What is the most significant challenge the nominee has overcome?

The most significant challenge Alice has overcome has been learning to lead people through uncertainty and change while maintaining momentum, trust and clarity. Transformation rarely happens in stable conditions. It often requires people to move forward before every answer is known, which can create hesitation, resistance or fatigue.

In her role, Alice has brought structure to ambiguity, translated strategic intent into practical action and helped senior leaders align behind common priorities. She listens carefully, simplifies complexity, creates effective forums for decision-making and communicates in a way that gives people direction without overwhelming them.

This experience has shaped her leadership. Alice creates confidence, consistency and progress, even when the environment is moving quickly. It has made her a leader who can make change feel achievable, bring people with her and keep the organisation focused on what matters most.

Tell us something about the nominee people would find surprising

Something people may find surprising is that Alice has a very hands-on life outside work. She plays rugby, boxes, has taken part in a televised boxing fight and is managing her own property renovation.

Those interests reflect how she approaches work. Rugby has taught her resilience, teamwork and the importance of contributing to the wider team. Boxing has developed her discipline, composure and focus under pressure. Renovating a property has reinforced the value of planning, patience, problem-solving and attention to detail.

People often see the professional version of leadership first, but the same qualities develop in many settings. For Alice, sport and renovation are reminders that confidence comes from preparation, progress from consistency, and strong results from courage and commitment.