06/10/2026
Well, this was a rather lovely way to spend an evening in Prague.
I’m incredibly proud to have received the 2026 Digital Entrepreneur Award at the World Congress.
And while my name might be on the award, what it represents matters far more to me.
Small and medium businesses everywhere are trying to work out what AI means for them.
Not Silicon Valley AI.
Not enterprise AI with enormous teams, budgets and consultants.
Practical AI for the businesses employing people, serving communities and keeping local economies moving.
And increasingly, I believe SMEs need the GIST of AI:
Guardrails. Intent. Strategy. Practical Training.
Because the shiny tools are the easy bit.
Without guardrails, people don’t know what’s safe.
Without intent, AI becomes another subscription looking for a problem.
Without strategy, everyone heads off in different directions.
And without practical training, none of the above makes it into the everyday work of the business.
Whether you’re running a business in regional Australia, Prague, Monaco, Germany, Mexico, the US or anywhere else, those fundamentals don’t really change.
That’s also been one of the strongest reminders for me this week. Different countries. Different industries. Different languages. Very similar conversations about how we help businesses and their people navigate what comes next.
A huge thank you to mySMB.com for their support to help get me to Prague to have these conversations and the work I’m doing with SMEs.
And thank you to Women Chiefs of Enterprises International (Australia) and for creating spaces where women in business from around the world can meet, share ideas, challenge each other and discover just how much we have in common.
Finally, Sonia Stradiotto Couture for such a gorgeous gala dress (I’m glad I went the sparkles), matched with my Prague obsession Turnovers
I’m taking this one home rather proudly.
Although fitting a glass award into my luggage was perhaps the first practical challenge of the evening…. The second, convincing Pete the weight of the award is worth it in the van 😂
Acknowledgement: Draft developed with the help of ChatGPT.