The latest episode in the ‘Meet the expert’ series: Amjad Zoghbi, Head of AI at TRG Screen.
When you ask Amjad Zoghbi about AI, he doesn’t talk in grand theories. He talks about how to make life easier for the people using it. That outlook has shaped his whole career – from co-founding Xpansion (acquired by TRG Screen in 2024) to developing the firm’s first internal AI assistants – and now drives his work as TRG Screen’s new Head of AI.
Outside work, the same energy shows up in triathlon training and even teaching children coding and robotics at primary school. We caught up with him to talk about his new role, his philosophy on innovation and what keeps him motivated in and out of the office.
Tell us about your role, what do you do?
I’m Head of AI at TRG Screen – a new role created to embed AI into our DNA, both in how we work as a company and in the solutions our clients depend on.
In practice, that breaks down into two areas. Internally, it’s about enabling our own teams to work smarter with AI. That might mean automating repetitive tasks, helping people get answers faster or just making every day processes less painful. We’ve already rolled out AI assistants for areas like sales, support and contracts, and the impact has been immediate.
Externally, it’s about weaving AI into our products in ways that genuinely help. Our clients face pressure to do more with less, and AI can help them by cutting through complexity, surfacing insights from their data and giving them better visibility and control. But it has to be done responsibly – opt-in only, with data security and human oversight built in.
My role is to make sure we strike that balance: practical AI that delivers real value, without the noise.
What’s been your journey into this role?
It came about quite naturally. I’ve always been on the technical side – not a developer, but someone who connects business needs with technology. As our sales and other teams have grown, I found myself answering the same questions again and again. Instead of repeating myself, I thought: why not use AI to scale that knowledge for our staff and, importantly, for our customers?
That idea became AIX, our first AI assistant for our employees. Once people saw it worked, we quickly expanded it to other functions to support our customer support and services teams. Those internal successes proved how powerful AI could be when applied to real problems. They freed our teams up, made processes faster and more efficient and gave people answers in seconds instead of hours or days. We’ve also had a lot of fun with it as we’ve become better and better at using it.
We have believed for a long time that if AI could transform the way our own people worked, it could do the same for our clients – simplifying compliance, speeding up workflows, surfacing insights they might never find on their own. That combination of internal proof, my longtime passion for AI, and our desire to make AI integral to our operations and our product offering is what led TRG Screen to create a dedicated Head of AI role, and why it felt like a natural next step for me.
How would you describe your philosophy when it comes to AI?
Keep it practical and focus on value. Nobody has all the answers yet, so my approach is to start small, test and launch quickly and build on what works. If you wait for the ‘perfect’ design, you’ll miss the opportunity.
Even though TRG Screen is a big company, our culture still feels like a startup: we can experiment, build quickly and put things in front of users. That energy is exciting – it’s about creating and learning fast. Perfectly suited to AI deployment.
For me, AI isn’t magic. It’s a powerful tool, but still just a tool. The key is knowing where it really adds value. Used thoughtfully, it can be transformational. Used in the wrong place, it’s just noise.
That’s why our approach at TRG Screen is to make AI part of our DNA in a responsible way: opt-in, secure and always designed to support people rather than replace them.
What excites you most about AI in market data management?
The chance to change the rhythm of the work; that’s ultimately how people spend their time. Market data teams spend so much time on repetitive, manual, transactional work. If AI can take 80-90% of that away, suddenly they’re free to focus on strategy, negotiation, risk, all the things that really need their expertise.
I’m also excited about the hidden insights AI can surface in the background. Sometimes the most valuable discoveries are the ones you weren’t even looking for. That has the potential to transform the way firms think about their data and how they manage their costs.
What advice would you give to firms looking to use AI in their market data management?
Don’t start with AI for its own sake. Get the basics right first – clear visibility into your spend, usage and compliance. Without that foundation, AI just adds noise and won’t deliver. With it, the impact is exponential.
Then be selective. AI is brilliant at automating repetitive work and surfacing patterns in large data sets, but it’s not a replacement for human judgement. Use it to complement your teams, not compete with them.
And finally, keep governance front and center. Make sure any AI tools are secure, opt-in and transparent. That’s how you build trust while getting real value.
What might people be surprised to learn about you?
Probably that I used to teach robotics at my kids’ primary school. The school had invested in a robot, and I ran coding classes for eight- and nine-year-olds. Coding on its own can feel abstract, but coding with a robot makes it fun, and the kids came up with ideas that surprised even me.
What do you enjoy most outside of work?
Sport is a big part of my life. I’m a triathlete, so most days I’m training, swimming, cycling or running. I’ve completed Ironman Frankfurt and a half Ironman in Nice. Nice was brutal: 38° C by the time we hit the run. I was just happy to cross the finish line, but that’s what makes it rewarding when you’re done – pushing through the tough moments.
For me, a triathlon is actually a good metaphor for how I approach AI. You can’t tackle everything at once – break the challenge into stages and keep moving forward. That’s true on the course, and it’s true in building AI solutions.
Stay tuned for more expert insights in our Meet the Expert series, where we showcase the incredible talent behind TRG Screen and their contributions to the financial services industry.
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