Mindful Governance, the behavioural governance consultancy founded by Catherine Engmann, is hosting Karl George MBE in Accra during the week of 13 to 17 July for his AI Wake-Up Call.

George, founder of The Governance Forum and Governance AI, is in Ghana to brief boards, executives and business leaders, and to make the case that artificial intelligence is the biggest danger and the greatest opportunity leaders have faced in decades.

George is a former RSM UK partner, a PwC subject matter expert, a visiting professor and the author of The Reset Revolution. His message is direct. The technology is moving faster than the people meant to govern it.

At the centre of the week is a framework he calls the three shifts, the changes he says every leader needs to understand right now.

The first is the pace of change. AI capability is doubling on a timescale boards have never had to plan around, while most governance cycles still run on the annual rhythm of a slower world.
The second is the governance deficit. Organisations are adopting AI tools at speed while the oversight, controls and accountability lag, and that gap is where the real risk sits.

The third is the AI literacy of leadership. You cannot govern what you do not understand, and George argues that too many boards are signing off on AI decisions they are not equipped to scrutinise.

“AI is the biggest danger and the greatest opportunity I’ve seen in my career. Get the governance right, and it lifts the whole organisation. Get it wrong, and it exposes you. Ghana, and Africa more widely, has a real chance to lead on this rather than follow.”

Karl George MBE

George treats AI governance as a board-level responsibility. It is about leadership, risk, ethics and accountability, and it belongs on the board agenda rather than in the IT department.

About Mindful Governance

Mindful Governance is a behavioural governance consultancy founded by Catherine Engmann. It works with boards and leadership teams on culture, board effectiveness and the human dynamics that decide whether governance holds up during difficult times.

Bringing Karl George’s AI Wake-Up Call to Ghana reflects that focus, treating AI not as a technical problem but as a test of how well boards understand what they are accountable for.

About Mindful Governance Forum and Governance AI

The Governance Forum helps organisations make governance work in practice across the private, public and voluntary sectors. Through Governance AI, the team helps boards and leadership teams prepare for the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence, with practical tools, readiness assessments and advisory support.

Karl George MBE has advised boards across the UK, Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean for more than two decades.