Leading the Digital Revolution: Empowering C-Suite CXO Leaders at ADNOC with Amplif_AI Business Simulation

The Context

As the energy landscape undergoes a seismic shift, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) recognized that digital transformation and AI are the core engines of future growth.

To lead this evolution, ADNOC partnered with Emeritus and Aeqlia to deliver a high-impact CXO accelerated program. The mission: equip over 30 C-suite leaders with the strategic mindset and technical fluency needed to outcompete in the digital age.

The Challenge: Beyond the Hype

ADNOC’s leadership faced a sophisticated challenge. They didn’t just need to understand what AI is; they needed to understand how to scale it across a global enterprise. This meant solving for:

• Breaking Silos: Moving from isolated “pilot projects” to a unified operating model.

• Strategic Execution: Aligning the top team on a singular vision for digital value.

• Capability Building: Developing the talent and data architecture necessary to sustain innovation.

To meet these challenges, ADNOC recognized that a traditional classroom approach would not suffice. The C-suite required an environment where they could fail fast, learn rapidly, and witness the compounding effects of their strategic choices. The goal was to move beyond technical literacy toward a holistic “Digital Mindset,” enabling leaders to orchestrate complex organizational changes with precision and confidence.

The Solution: Rewiring Leadership through AMPLIF_AI

The centerpiece of this journey was the AMPLIF_AI business simulation. Designed specifically to help organizations outcompete in the digital age, the simulation is inspired by and based on the McKinsey “Rewired” framework.

Rather than passive learning, ADNOC’s CXOs were placed at the helm of a fictitious company, tasked with navigating a complex digital transformation. The simulation forced leaders to balance the six core building blocks of the Rewired framework:

1. Alignment: Creating a shared roadmap at the top-team level.

2. Talent: Building a talent bench with the right digital skills.

3. Operating Model: Adopting an agile model to increase speed.

4. Technology: Investing in a modern, scalable environment.

5. Data: Developing a robust and accessible data architecture.

6. Adoption and Scaling: Ensuring value is captured across the entire enterprise.

By managing these six levers within the simulation, participants saw firsthand how a weakness in any single block—such as a rigid operating model or fragmented data—could derail an entire AI strategy.

The Power of the Debrief: Bringing it Back to Reality

The true strategic value was unlocked during the intensive debrief sessions. These facilitated discussions acted as a bridge between the fictitious world of the simulation and ADNOC’s specific operational reality.

By reflecting on their performance in the simulation, the CXOs were able to:

• Identify Leadership Gaps: Leaders gained direct insights into how their decision-making styles impact digital adoption and cross-functional collaboration.

• Translate Theory into Action: The debrief became a forum to discuss how the “Six Building Blocks” apply directly to ADNOC’s current workflows and long-term sustainability goals.

• Hardwire Accountability: Every lesson learned was mapped back to ADNOC’s real-world strategy, ensuring the simulation served as a launchpad for immediate application.

The Results

The feedback from the 30+ CXO leaders underscores the program’s massive impact:

• 96% Overall Satisfaction Rate: Participants found the immersive format significantly more effective than traditional executive education.

• 94% Relevance to Role: Leaders reported that the simulation mirrored the real-world complexities of leading a large-scale energy organization.

• 92 Net Promoter Score (NPS): An exceptional rating reflecting the program’s perceived value and effectiveness.

• Outcompeting with Confidence: Leaders left with a clear, shared vocabulary for transformation, ready to dismantle silos and lead ADNOC’s digital journey with a unified front.