Target Group AI Champion Programme Aims to Empower Staff, Newport 2026

Key Points

• Newport-based outsourcing and software solutions provider Target Group has unveiled its latest AI Champion program to encourage colleagues to spot real-life use cases of artificial intelligence technology.
• The program will involve colleagues from different departments within the company who will work as AI champions within their teams, promoting responsible adoption of the technology and sharing knowledge and best practices.
• The program involves testing of new tools, prompts and processes, feedback gathering from other colleagues and transferring practical insights across teams, in order to save time, improve quality and simplify daily activities.
• The initiative is another step in Target’s AI strategy, which is based on its track record of innovation within Target and its parent company Tech Mahindra.
• Target has first created the AI proof of concept with virtual assistants and chatbots that helped employees to answer questions about HR issues.
• By means of its contact center solution, Target applies AI and machine learning to summarize every customer conversation, to monitor and score 100 percent of conversations and provide live guidance to agents.
• Before implementing any AI solution for its clients, Target uses the technology inside the company, taking into account high requirements of the financial services industry for regulation.

Newport (Wales Times) August 20, 2026 – Target Group, the uk/local/newport/">Newport-based outsourcer and software provider, has announced the launch of a new AI Champion programme designed to empower colleagues to identify practical applications for artificial intelligence while supporting innovation, collaboration and continuous learning. The initiative brings together colleagues from across the business who will act as AI champions within their teams, helping to identify opportunities to apply AI, encourage responsible adoption and share knowledge and best practice across the organisation.

What Does the AI Champion Programme Involve?

As reported by Business News Wales, the new programme sees AI champions explore opportunities to integrate the technology into day-to-day processes and test out new tools, prompts and workflows. Champions will gather colleague feedback and share practical learnings between teams, with the stated aim of helping to save time, improve quality and simplify everyday tasks. The approach is intended to build confidence among colleagues and ensure they feel supported to explore AI in a practical way.

The launch marks the next milestone in Target’s AI strategy as the company continues to develop, test and embed artificial intelligence, as well as apply those learnings and the capabilities of trusted partners to support the financial institutions it works with. Coverage of the announcement was also carried by Cherry PLC, Modern Lender and Mortgage Soup, which framed the programme as an effort to accelerate responsible AI adoption in regulated finance.

How Does the Programme Build on Target’s Existing AI Work?

The initiative builds on a growing track record of AI innovation at Target and its parent company, Tech Mahindra. A series of successful proofs of concept have evolved into operational solutions supporting both employees and customers. Target first established an AI proof of concept through the development of virtual assistants and chatbots to support employees with HR-related enquiries. Other proofs of concept have since followed, and those early successes have informed wider AI development within Target, including integration into customer-facing operations.

Through its contact centre solution, Target uses AI and machine learning to summarise every customer interaction, improving consistency, accuracy and efficiency. The company is also able to monitor and score 100% of customer interactions and provide live guidance to agents, flagging in real time any potential issues or even vulnerabilities. By embedding AI internally first before introducing new capabilities to clients, Target aims to ensure innovations are tested in real-world environments and aligned with the operational and high regulatory standards expected across the financial services sector.

What Have Target’s Leaders Said About the Programme?

Emma-Jane Williams, learning and development partner at Target, said: “Successful AI adoption isn’t just about technology. It’s about giving people the confidence, skills and support to use it effectively in their everyday work. We’re really proud to introduce our new AI Champion programme, which is designed to create energy, build confidence and help colleagues feel supported to explore AI in a practical way.”

Williams added: “We’ve already hosted our first engagement session, which has been a fantastic start, providing plenty of ideas, curiosity and a shared ambition to make AI a natural part of how we work. I’m really grateful to the business for being forward-thinking with this initiative and thank my colleagues for stepping forward to take part. We are excited to see the impact this will have throughout Target.”

Melanie Spencer, growth director at Target, added: “Our AI philosophy has always been about enhancing the human touch, harnessing this powerful technology to support the work of our talented colleagues and improve service. Our AI Champions initiative is a great example of this and our commitment to really understand the technology, its capabilities and, importantly, its role within a highly regulated industry.”

Spencer continued: “We are already seeing fantastic use cases and real efficiencies throughout the business, both internally and externally, and I believe it is thanks to putting in that necessary groundwork first and having those real-world insights into the solutions and services we deliver.” She noted that many businesses are keen to embrace AI, but that in highly regulated sectors such as financial services, success depends on strong governance, operational expertise and a clear understanding of regulatory expectations.

Why Is Responsible AI Adoption Important in Financial Services?

According to Spencer, combining strong governance, operational expertise and a clear understanding of regulatory expectations with the right technology and partnerships allows organisations to innovate with confidence while maintaining the high standards expected by customers and regulators. This regulatory focus is central to Target’s approach, which prioritises testing AI internally before rolling out new capabilities to clients.

The AI Champion programme will continue to evolve throughout the year, helping Target identify new opportunities to enhance colleague experience, drive operational efficiency and support innovation for clients. Target has been operating across banking, financial services and insurance for nearly five decades, specialising in mortgage and loan originations, savings and investments, payments, collections and in-life servicing. The company works with major financial institutions as a provider of business process servicing, as well as through its own proprietary software solutions. Through its fintech platform, Target manages more than £21 billion in assets, enabling clients to automate complex processing, servicing and administration of loans and investments.

Background

Target Group is a Newport-based business process outsourcing and software provider that has served the banking, financial services and insurance sectors for nearly five decades. Its specialisms include mortgage and loan originations, savings and investments, payments, collections and in-life servicing, and it supplies both business process servicing and proprietary software to major financial institutions. The company is part of Tech Mahindra, the Indian multinational technology firm, which has supported Target’s growing AI development work. Target’s AI journey began with proofs of concept such as virtual assistants and chatbots for HR enquiries, and has since expanded into customer-facing operations, including the use of machine learning to summarise and score every customer interaction in its contact centre. The AI Champion programme is the latest step in this strategy, embedding AI adoption among colleagues before extending new capabilities to clients.

Prediction: How Could This Affect Target’s Employees and Clients?

For Target’s colleagues, the AI Champion programme is likely to accelerate the practical adoption of AI across the business, giving employees structured support, training and confidence to use the technology in their everyday work. By designating champions within teams, the initiative could help spread AI skills organically, reduce uncertainty about the technology and improve efficiency and quality in day-to-day tasks. For Target’s clients in the financial services sector, the programme could translate into more refined, better-tested AI-driven services, as internal learnings are applied to customer-facing operations. Because Target embeds AI internally first, clients may benefit from innovations that have already been validated in real-world environments and aligned with regulatory expectations. In the longer term, the programme could strengthen Target’s competitive position as a provider that combines operational expertise with responsible AI adoption, potentially supporting its ability to serve major financial institutions in a highly regulated market.