IPMA President highlights sustainable leadership as the key challenge of artificial intelligence at CIDIP / ICPME 2026

The President of the International Project Management Association (IPMA), Mladen Vukomanović, shared a thought-provoking vision of the role of project leadership in the age of artificial intelligence during the 30th International Congress on Project Management and Engineering (CIDIP / ICPME 2026). His keynote, delivered as part of the International Seminar on Project Management and Engineering (ISoPM), explored the challenges that AI poses for project management from the perspectives of ethics, sustainability and long-term value creation.

The main ideas presented during his keynote were later summarised by Mladen Vukomanović in a post published on his official LinkedIn profile. Given the relevance of these reflections for the international project management community, AEIPRO–IPMA Spain is pleased to share the following summary.

During ISoPM, the President of IPMA delivered the keynote «Project Management as a Vehicle for Sustainability, Ethics and Digital Transformation», arguing that project management must play a leading role in advancing sustainability, promoting professional ethics and guiding the digital transformation that is reshaping organisations, industries and societies worldwide.

Artificial Intelligence as a Leadership Challenge

One of the keynote’s central messages was that artificial intelligence will not replace project managers, but project managers who fail to understand its implications may become irrelevant.

According to Mladen Vukomanović, the real question is no longer whether AI will replace engineers, project managers, teachers or leaders. The fundamental question is what kind of society we are building when intelligence itself becomes infrastructure.

As he explains in his LinkedIn post, artificial intelligence is far from weightless. It depends on an extensive physical infrastructure consisting of data centres, electricity, water, GPUs, rare minerals, cooling systems, cloud platforms, land, capital and political influence.

Drawing on data from the Stanford AI Index 2025, he noted that global data centres consumed approximately 415 TWh of electricity in 2024, a figure projected to reach 945 TWh by 2030. In the United States alone, electricity consumption by data centres increased from 58 TWh in 2014 to 176 TWh in 2023, with estimates ranging between 325 and 580 TWh by 2028.

Based on these figures, he argued that the AI race is no longer simply about developing better algorithms. It is increasingly becoming a competition for strategic resources, including electricity, semiconductors, critical minerals, water, cloud infrastructure and capital.

From this perspective, Mladen Vukomanović stressed that artificial intelligence represents, above all, a leadership challenge rather than merely a technological one.

Technical skills, he argued, are becoming a prerequisite rather than a differentiator. The qualities that will truly distinguish future project leaders are ethics, competence, sustainability and sound judgment.

Artificial intelligence may provide better options and help organisations deliver projects more efficiently, but it cannot answer the fundamental questions that remain the responsibility of human leaders.

Referring to William Stanley Jevons’ The Coal Question (1865), he reminded the audience that greater efficiency often leads to greater consumption, concluding that the more powerful our tools become, the more important our values become.

Another important issue addressed during the keynote was the growing dominance of industry in AI development. Citing the Stanford AI Index 2025, he observed that almost 90% of the most notable AI models developed in 2024 originated in industry, warning that uncontrolled AI development may transform public resources into private power if appropriate governance mechanisms are not established.

Sustainable Leadership as the Answer

For this reason, Mladen Vukomanović defended the concept of sustainable leadership, understood as the ability to create long-term value for business, society and the planet.

He argued that project leaders should move beyond asking whether a project can be delivered and instead ask more fundamental questions: Should we deliver it? Who benefits? Who bears the cost? What kind of future does it create?

His keynote concluded with one of its most powerful messages:

«There is no such thing as a successful project on a failing planet.»

He closed with a reflection directed at the next generation of project leaders:

«The future will not ask whether we delivered. It will ask whether it was worth delivering. Perhaps future project leaders will be remembered not only for the projects we deliver, but for the projects we are brave enough not to do.»

An International Leader in Project Management

Mladen Vukomanović has served as President of the International Project Management Association (IPMA) since January 2024, following his previous role as Vice President, during which he actively contributed to the international growth and strengthening of the association.

A university professor, board chair and experienced project professional, he has built an extensive international career across public, private and non-profit organisations. His expertise spans project management, construction management, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and digital transformation. Throughout his career, he has worked across architecture, engineering, construction and the oil and gas industry, always with a strong commitment to sustainable development, the advancement of the profession and the practical application of project management to generate lasting value for organisations and society.

Internationally recognised for his contributions to the profession, he holds some of the most prestigious certifications in project management, including IPMA Level A certification in both Project Management and Coaching & Consulting, together with numerous professional awards and distinctions.