Blog

The Carling Group today announced the world’s first hybrid AI-human Board of Direction, and the launch of AURA (Accelerated Understanding, Results &amp; Advantage), a proprietary intelligence system designed to give their organisations a decisive edge in what the Group describes as the developing intelligence era.Built and refined over more than two years of live beta testing and full operational deployment, AURA now underpins how The Carling Group governs, makes decisions, and scales. The system fuses decades of senior-level human experience and judgement with machine intelligence engineered for precision, discipline, and speed.“In the intelligence era, advantage no longer comes from having more data, it comes from understanding it faster and acting on it with discipline,” said Graeme Carling, Founder of The Carling Group. “AURA allows us to harness the vast power and efficiency of machine intelligence to dramatically accelerate understanding, drive better results, and create a structural advantage in the market.”Modern organisations face an unprecedented paradox: unlimited data, yet declining clarity. Leadership teams are overwhelmed by information, compressed decision cycles, and increasing strategic risk. AURA was designed specifically to address this gap, transforming raw data into structured intelligence that informs high-quality decisions at speed.Unlike traditional AI tools or analytics platforms, AURA is not a layer added onto an existing organisation. It is a proprietary intelligence operating system, purpose-built to institutionalise insight, enforce strategic discipline, and enable organisations to operate with confidence at scale.At the governance level, AURA operates through a Board of Direction, a hybrid model in which human leaders are supported by a suite of purpose-built AI officers, each trained for distinct and critical governance functions. These include:Sentience — the system’s intelligence and oversight function, responsible for synthesising information, identifying patterns, and maintaining continuous situational awareness across the organisation. Alpha — focused on financial leadership and insight, supporting capital allocation, performance analysis, and forward-looking financial intelligence. Oracle — dedicated to commercial decision-making, scenario modelling, and strategic option analysis across markets, investments, and growth initiatives. Veritas — responsible for governance, compliance enforcement, and immutable decision recording, ensuring accountability, discipline, and institutional memory. The Carling Group deliberately designed these capabilities as individual AI officers with distinct avatars, rather than a single undifferentiated system. This structure mirrors how effective boards and executive teams operate in the real world, separating responsibilities, reducing cognitive concentration risk, and enabling decisions to be challenged, validated, and strengthened through multiple intelligence perspectives.Through this architecture, strategic inputs, operational data, and accumulated institutional knowledge are continuously integrated and stress-tested. Decisions are refined in real time, creating a repeatable and defensible decision-making advantage that scales with the organisation.As markets become faster, more complex, and increasingly competitive, The Carling Group believes AURA represents a fundamental evolution in how high-performance organisations will be governed and led in the intelligence era.AURA is now live across The Carling Group and will serve as the foundation for its future investments, partnerships, and long-term growth strategy.

The Carling Group Launches AURA, the World’s First Hybrid AI-Human Board of Direction

United Capital, part of the global private family office The Carling Group, has announced the successful sale of Saltire Facilities Management Ltd to Daikin Industries Ltd, the world’s largest manufacturer of HVAC solutions.The transaction concludes United Capital Group’s five-year ownership of Saltire, which has seen the business achieve the most commercially successful period in its 25-year history, securing over £220 million of public sector contracts in the past 12 months alone.Saltire Facilities Management, one of the UK’s largest providers of property services, specialises in renewables, gas services and electrical works, and operates across Scotland and the Midlands. England. Headquartered in North Lanarkshire, the company employs around 300 people and supports an array of subcontractors and thousands of customers.Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, and employing more than 100,000 people worldwide, Daikin Industries is a global leader in heat pump, air conditioning and air filtration technology. The company operates globally, with a significant European presence through Daikin Europe NV, which includes Daikin UK. Saltire Facilities Management will now form part of Daikin UK’s operations.The sale by United Capital Group, part of The Carling Group, a private family office owned by Scottish entrepreneurs Graeme and Leanne Carling, follows Saltire’s recent 25th anniversary and represents a significant milestone in its journey, opening up future opportunities through the backing of one of the world’s most respected and innovative engineering brands.Graeme Carling, Chairman of The Carling Group and co-founder of United Capital Group, said: “We’re incredibly proud to conclude our five-year ownership of Saltire with this transformational deal. The business was already a trusted name in housing and property services, but through targeted investment and strategic support, we helped unlock its potential, leading to the most successful period in its 25-year history.“Securing over £220 million in new public sector contracts and achieving record growth has not only safeguarded hundreds of jobs, it also has made Saltire an attractive proposition for the world’s biggest name in HVAC.“Bringing investment from Daikin Industries into the Scottish economy secures Saltire’s future and creates exciting opportunities for the region. This is the United Capital model in action, identifying great businesses and building them into globally attractive enterprises.”

The Carling Group business, United Capital, completes sale of Saltire Facilities Management to global HVAC leader Daikin Industries

International family investment office, The Carling Group, led by Graeme and Leanne Carling, has today announced an exciting new collaborative partnership with Florida-based investment platform Elev8 Holdings, with Graeme Carling appointed as Group Chairman.<img id="9yqrusqtxcmkv9z8hq" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/12gcoLFuVk67oh4aAOtA6SYDAyNOS8pL3T3mfeWVP3DHnswwnx1mfZcGRB8Nod3q.png" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-lg md:rounded-xl lg:rounded-2xl selected" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/12gcoLFuVk67oh4aAOtA6SYDAyNOS8pL3T3mfeWVP3DHnswwnx1mfZcGRB8Nod3q.png" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-mce-selected="1">Elev8 Holdings is an investment company focused on the US HVAC sector, actively acquiring and partnering with high-quality heating, ventilation and air conditioning businesses across the United States.Founded by British entrepreneurs Graeme and Leanne Carling, The Carling Group specialises in consolidating fragmented markets within strategically selected industries worldwide, partnering with experienced operators to accelerate growth through disciplined M&amp;A.Commenting on the partnership, Carling Group CEO and newly appointed Elev8 Holdings Chairman Graeme Carling said: “The Carling Group is built on partnership. We work alongside strong industry operators, combining their sector expertise with our M&amp;A capability, capital, and track record to consolidate fragmented markets. I am delighted to be taking on the role of Chairman at Elev8 Holdings and believe the next 12 months will represent a significant period of growth for the group.”Chris Cook of Elev8 Holdings added: “The Carling Group brings deep experience, proven execution capability, and a long-term perspective to our platform. We are excited to welcome Graeme, Leanne and their team into the Elev8 family and look forward to building a leading HVAC investment group together. We are already engaged with a number of prospective acquisitions and welcome direct contact from HVAC business owners interested in exploring partnership opportunities.”

The Carling Group announces joint venture with US HVAC investment group Elev8 Holdings

The Carling Group

global investment house powered by AI. The Carling Group is a global investment organisation headquartered in Dubai, specialising in private equity, infrastructure, real assets, and international roll-ups. Founded by Graeme and Leanne Carling, the Group focuses on acquiring, transforming, and scaling businesses with institutional discipline and long-term strategic vision.

Carling News

The Carling Group Launches AURA, the World’s First Hybrid...

The Carling Group business, United Capital, completes sal...

The Carling Group announces joint venture with US HVAC in...