Lumen Technologies Elevates AI Enablement to C-Suite

The convergence of AI and workforce strategy has moved beyond operational consideration to become a boardroom imperative.

Lumen Technologies' decision to restructure its Chief People Officer role signals a broader shift in how organisations must approach talent management in an AI-driven economy.

Ana White, formerly Chief People Officer at Lumen Technologies, has been appointed to the newly expanded position of Chief People and AI Enablement Officer. The telecommunications company's restructuring of this senior role reflects a strategic acknowledgement that scaling AI capabilities requires fundamental changes to how organisations develop and deploy human capital.

The appointment forms part of a wider leadership transition at Lumen as the company repositions itself for enterprise growth.

Kye Prigg has been named Chief Commercial Operations Officer, while Chris Stansbury assumes the role of President alongside his existing position as CFO. The changes coincide with the retirements of Mike Glenn, Chair of the Board and Hal Stanley Jones, Chair of the Audit Committee.

On LinkedIn, Ana says in a post: "For me, AI is about turning possibility into practice – empowering our people with the skills, tools and confidence to enhance decision making while keeping humans firmly in the loop. It also means scaling responsibly, with clear accountability and transparency, so our progress is fast and sound."

Aligning capability with strategic transformation

Ana joined Lumen in 2023 as Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, where she has led a global human resources strategy spanning cultural and business transformation.

Prior to Lumen, she spent more than five years as Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at F5, partnering with the CEO to oversee people programmes, culture, employee experience and ESG initiatives designed to foster high-performance outcomes.

According to Lumen, Ana has demonstrated capability in driving programmes that simultaneously elevate employee experience and support commercial growth.

Her expanded remit will involve developing new operational frameworks to ensure employees possess the skills and capabilities required for an AI-enabled workplace, whilst aligning organisational culture with internal AI strategy.

The strategic cost of misalignment

The integration of AI within workforce strategy has emerged as a critical factor in determining whether organisations can capitalise on their technology investments.

Nearly 75% of business leaders consider AI literacy essential for day-to-day work, according to Qlik's State of Data and AI Literacy report, yet nearly 60% are reporting skills gaps within their organisations.

The report highlights that companies implementing structured upskilling programmes are twice as likely to report significant return on their AI investment. This correlation between capability development and commercial performance underscores why chief executives must view AI enablement as a strategic priority rather than a technical concern.

On LinkedIn, Ana says in a post that Lumen has learned "first-hand" that "culture determines whether transformation sticks or stalls," and therefore "it remains at the centre of our AI evolution."

Quantifying the productivity penalty

Research from EY reveals that poor alignment between people and technology could be costing organisations up to 40% of AI productivity gains. For chief executives evaluating AI investments, this represents a substantial erosion of anticipated returns driven not by technological limitations but by workforce readiness gaps.

Kim Billeter, EY Global and EY Americas People Consulting Leader, says of the findings: "When organisations master both talent and technology, AI helps deliver outsized results, but neglecting the human side can erode those gains."

The State of Data and AI Literacy report recommends that people leaders develop strategies encouraging collaboration between human employees and AI by embedding learning that is practical and relevant to workflow. This approach suggests that effective AI enablement requires integration into existing operational processes rather than standalone training initiatives.

Lumen's decision to elevate AI enablement to C-suite level could indicate recognition that competitive advantage in AI-driven markets will be determined as much by how organisations develop their people as by which technologies they deploy.