LONDON, UK -- As businesses across every sector look to turn AI investment into practical results, Bellrock is taking a people-first approach: investing in the skills, confidence and leadership to make AI work in practice.

That strategy has seen the property management industry leader build a dedicated AI function and launch AI Empowered, a company-wide programme combining workforce training, leadership workshops, practical hackathons and a network of AI Champions embedded across the business.

The approach has now earned Bellrock and its Head of AI, Richard Merrett, the inaugural Humanity in AI Award for AI Literacy and Enablement. Presented by AI knowledge platform MeBeBot, the global awards recognise organisations and leaders putting human impact at the heart of AI adoption. Bellrock was one of only three category winners selected globally from organisations with more than 200 employees.

Developed within five months of the launch of Bellrock’s dedicated AI function, AI Empowered is designed to give employees the skills and insight to identify where the technology can make a meaningful difference, while supporting responsible adoption across the business.

Its first cohort has already attracted 92 Champions - around one in every 15 Bellrock employees - while three internal ‘Art of the Possible-a-thons’ have brought teams together with AI experts to apply the technology to real business challenges.

"AI adoption is 80% a people problem and 20% a technology problem,” said Merrett. “The models are the easy part. Getting a workforce to trust AI, use it responsibly and build with it is the hard part, and it is the part most enterprises get wrong.

Bellrock’s AI Champions include a range of Subject Matter Experts from every division of the company. Through additional training, tools and support, they are equipped to identify where AI can add value within their own teams, while working within the company’s governance framework.

“For us, AI isn’t about technology for technology’s sake. It’s about creating a culture where our people feel empowered to use new tools in ways that make a meaningful difference,” said Carlo Alloni, CEO of Bellrock. “By investing in their skills and giving them the confidence to explore where AI can add value, we’re ultimately enabling our teams to spend more time solving problems, making better decisions and delivering stronger outcomes for clients.”

AI skills remain a significant barrier across the property sector. Bellrock’s recent study in partnership with GovNews found that 40% of estates professionals across local government and healthcare lack the skills to deploy AI, while 65% have received no AI training. 

For Bellrock, addressing that gap is part of making AI adoption practical and sustainable - ensuring employees are equipped not only to use AI tools, but to understand where they can create value, and how to use them responsibly.

The Humanity in AI Awards winners were announced at a virtual ceremony on 6 August 2026.