Best of LinkedIn: Strategy & Consulting CW 36/ 37

00:00:00: Provided by Thomas Allgeier and Frennis, based on the most relevant LinkedIn posts about strategy and consulting.

00:00:05: in CW-Thirtysix and Thirty-Seven, Frennis specializes in BWB market research for strategy and consulting teams with a focus on tech and ICT.

00:00:15: Welcome and thank you for joining us for the deep dive.

00:00:19: Today, yeah, we're diving deep into the top strategy and consulting trends, stuff that's really been bubbling up on LinkedIn over calendar weeks, thirty six and thirty seven.

00:00:29: We've pulled together some, I think, really fascinating insights that get right to the core of what shaping decisions, you know, across M&A, private equity, venture capital, and the consulting world, too.

00:00:40: That's right.

00:00:40: And our goal today, really, is to boil down the key takeaways from these curated posts, give you a bit of a shortcut, you know, so you can be really well-informed on where strategy and consulting are actually heading.

00:00:51: Moving past the headlines, kind of getting into the underlying currents.

00:00:54: Exactly, a shortcut to the good stuff.

00:00:56: Okay, so let's jump in.

00:00:58: First big theme,

00:01:00: well,

00:01:00: it's impossible to ignore, right?

00:01:02: The transformative power of AI and digital, it really feels like we're moving fast now, past just talking about it to concrete embedded applications.

00:01:12: It feels different.

00:01:13: I completely agree.

00:01:14: And what's really striking, I think, is the shift.

00:01:17: We're moving from just running AI pilots, these little experiments, to seeing what some are calling agentic AI.

00:01:23: Agentic AI.

00:01:24: Yeah,

00:01:24: basically, AI acting as an embedded teammate right within the core workflows.

00:01:29: And Aruth Salane and her colleagues, they're exploring this.

00:01:32: And they're really stressed.

00:01:33: it's about... amplifying human impact, not replacing people.

00:01:39: That's the key distinction they're making.

00:01:40: Fogmentation, not just automation.

00:01:42: That makes sense.

00:01:44: Building on that, Hussein Adal-F, highlights how this kind of multi-agent AI, where you have different AIs working together, is speeding up what he calls technology agnosticism.

00:01:54: Okay, interesting term.

00:01:55: Yeah,

00:01:56: it basically means the value isn't tied to one specific tech stack anymore.

00:02:00: It's about how well different systems can talk to each other, integrate, work together seamlessly.

00:02:06: Interoperability is key.

00:02:08: Got it.

00:02:08: And that agility, that seamlessness, is super important, especially with market volatility.

00:02:13: Mark Gilbert brings this up.

00:02:15: Mm-hmm.

00:02:15: He emphasizes the need for AI enabled platforms for real-time decision-making Particularly crucial he says for navigating things like tariff volatility.

00:02:25: Oh, yeah, that's huge right now.

00:02:27: Exactly trade policy shifts can hit supply chains and pricing almost instantly.

00:02:31: You need to react way faster.

00:02:33: So, okay AI is becoming this embedded teammate enabling agile responses.

00:02:39: Yeah, how are leaders actually?

00:02:41: you know, weaving this into the bigger strategy.

00:02:44: Well, Preteap Menon notes that chief strategy officers are really stepping up here.

00:02:47: They're anchoring AI investments directly to... enterprise-wide goals.

00:02:53: Using AI not just for small tweaks, but to really reimagine business models unlock totally new value.

00:02:58: Completely redesigning customer experiences, not just patching things up.

00:03:01: So

00:03:02: it's fundamental change thereafter.

00:03:03: Exactly.

00:03:04: But it's a balancing act.

00:03:05: Sam Ganga, he shared insights from KPMG's Voice of the CIO report, and it shows tech leaders are carefully weighing ROI against the risks as they embed AI deeper.

00:03:16: It's not just what can AI do.

00:03:18: But what should it do?

00:03:19: And how do we manage the governance, the ethics?

00:03:22: Which loops back to a point Anthony Taplay has made, looking at energy and utilities.

00:03:27: He cautioned that AI projects have to focus on solving real business problems first.

00:03:31: Yes.

00:03:32: Business first.

00:03:32: Otherwise, you end up with cool tech that doesn't actually move the needle.

00:03:36: And Mary Martin from BCG, she points out for consumer brands, AI is becoming the actual structure for decisions.

00:03:43: Wow.

00:03:44: Get this.

00:03:45: Twenty percent of consumer journey decisions already influenced by large language models and AI first companies.

00:03:51: Seeing productivity gains of thirty to fifty percent, that's

00:03:54: massive.

00:03:54: It really is.

00:03:55: And it proves this isn't just hype.

00:03:56: John Romeo's research backs this up with hard numbers.

00:03:59: Early AI adopters.

00:04:01: already seeing over ten percent in cost savings or revenue gains.

00:04:05: That suggests a real gap is opening up between the early movers and the laggards.

00:04:09: Yeah, you can see that divergence starting.

00:04:11: And looking even further ahead, Heather Stockton at Deloitte flags quantum computing still emerging, but potentially transformative for industries like finance, pharma, manufacturing, solving problems current computers just can't handle.

00:04:25: Quantum is definitely one to watch.

00:04:27: But back to here and now, finance is already feeling the AI impact, right?

00:04:31: Oh,

00:04:31: absolutely.

00:04:33: Diana Kearns-Manolatos highlights how generative AI is automating a lot of those, let's be honest, mundane tasks that eat up CFO time.

00:04:41: Freeing

00:04:41: them up.

00:04:41: Exactly.

00:04:42: Freeing them up for more strategic work, capital allocation, risk management, growth planning.

00:04:46: And Eugene Ozilousi's finance leaders already acting like strategic partners because of this.

00:04:51: Yeah, using data and AI to actively drive growth.

00:04:54: not just report on past performance, they're shaping the future, not just tracking the past.

00:04:58: Okay, so let's pivot slightly.

00:05:00: Moving beyond just the tech, how does all this connect to the bigger picture?

00:05:04: How organizations are fundamentally rethinking strategy, operating models, just how they work effectively?

00:05:12: It's a great connection.

00:05:13: Because what really jumps out from the posts is how tightly operational stability is linked to strategic clarity.

00:05:21: Tara Brown shared some Frankly, quite startling data.

00:05:25: Nearly forty percent of managers VP level and below don't fully get how their work impacts others or how it even aligns with the company's strategy.

00:05:34: Oh,

00:05:34: forty percent?

00:05:35: That's a huge disconnect.

00:05:37: It's massive.

00:05:38: And it cripples execution.

00:05:39: Yeah.

00:05:39: Which ties into what Mingwei Lua at McKinsey.

00:05:42: talks about with their organized to value approach.

00:05:45: It's about designing operating models that don't just look good on paper, but actually translate strategy into performance, making sure all the gears are turning in the same direction toward the same goal.

00:05:54: Makes

00:05:54: total sense.

00:05:55: Antoine Renu brings this down to a really practical level with FPNA tools, financial planning and analysis.

00:06:01: He stresses strategic fit.

00:06:02: It's not about having the fanciest software.

00:06:05: It's about whether the tool actually supports your organization's planning philosophy, your decision-making rhythm.

00:06:10: Yeah, the wrong tool can cause chaos.

00:06:12: Exactly.

00:06:13: He says, picking a tool that doesn't fit your strategy leads to fragmented planning, bad forecasts.

00:06:20: basically poor strategic outcomes.

00:06:22: Which underlines Tim Vipon's point too.

00:06:25: He argues finance teams often need clarity more than just raw data.

00:06:30: Yes.

00:06:30: Powerful, intuitive dashboards, that's key.

00:06:33: Translating complex numbers into actionable insights for strategic decisions, cutting through the noise.

00:06:38: And

00:06:38: this need for strategic alignment, it touches every function, even ones we used to think of as just cost centers, like procurement.

00:06:45: Oh,

00:06:45: that's a fascinating evolution.

00:06:47: Tanya W. argues really passionately that procurement isn't a cost center.

00:06:52: She frames it as a value creator, a risk mitigator, a strategic partner, second only to sales, she says, in bottom line impact.

00:06:59: That's

00:06:59: a bold claim, but you can see it, especially now.

00:07:01: Two rumor echoes this.

00:07:03: He points out procurement is under intense pressure.

00:07:06: They're dealing with AI adoption, volatile carbon costs, massive supplier stress.

00:07:11: It's putting procurement right at the center of corporate risk strategy.

00:07:14: It's way beyond just negotiating price.

00:07:17: Absolutely.

00:07:18: Yeah.

00:07:18: But for any of this strategic alignment, any of these new models to work, you need your people engaged, right?

00:07:24: Right.

00:07:24: Which raises the question, how do you keep people motivated and avoid burnout and all this change?

00:07:30: Yeah, the human element.

00:07:31: Olga Patapseva shares some pretty stark figures on that.

00:07:34: Burnout isn't just a wellness issue, it's a huge cost.

00:07:37: Disengagement alone, costing nearly nine percent of global GDP.

00:07:42: Her argument is that human-centric leadership focusing on motivation, ability, and enablement isn't soft stuff.

00:07:50: It directly drives efficiency and resilience.

00:07:52: That's powerful.

00:07:53: And speaking of the human side, Frank Breitling dives into how Genai is reshaping organizations.

00:07:58: But talent strategies often aren't keeping up.

00:08:00: Creating

00:08:01: skills gaps.

00:08:02: Exactly.

00:08:02: Widening them, actually.

00:08:04: He offers a framework.

00:08:05: anticipate future skills, attract the right people, develop them with agile learning, and keep them engaged.

00:08:10: And Irmgard, not in ten, Kate at EY, shows this working in practice.

00:08:14: Skills-based sourcing, she says, leads to faster hiring and more diverse talent pipelines.

00:08:19: Which

00:08:19: brings us to a really philosophical point from Felipe Bovalon.

00:08:22: that's quite provocative.

00:08:23: Oh.

00:08:24: He suggests that companies in this constant flux relying on human interpretation are basically collective fictions, shared hallucinations almost.

00:08:34: Collective fiction.

00:08:35: Yeah.

00:08:36: Strategy, governance, culture.

00:08:39: It all gets filtered through individual concerns, perceptions, leading to what he calls strategic spaghetti.

00:08:45: Strategic

00:08:46: spaghetti.

00:08:46: I like

00:08:47: that.

00:08:47: But he says it's a useful fiction, a necessary one even.

00:08:51: A compression algorithm, he calls it, for dealing with impossible complexity.

00:08:55: It's a really interesting lens.

00:08:56: It really is.

00:08:57: Okay, so if companies are these evolving fictions and we're transforming operating models, this all screams risk, compliance, change management.

00:09:05: Absolutely.

00:09:05: You can't transform without managing that side carefully.

00:09:08: Naveen Fawad from BCG points out a critical failure point.

00:09:12: Which is?

00:09:12: Seventy-five percent of transformations fall short.

00:09:14: Seventy-five percent?

00:09:15: Yeah.

00:09:16: And she says it's usually not about ambition or money.

00:09:19: It's a lack of alignment between the CTO, the CFO, and the CSO.

00:09:22: The key strategy drivers.

00:09:24: Precisely.

00:09:26: Success hinges on them acting in unison.

00:09:28: Without that, things tend to stall or go off track.

00:09:32: Lookifarario offers a framework for success here.

00:09:35: Emphasizing purpose, having structured frameworks like assess, design, execute, but also leading with culture, embracing learning and constant communication.

00:09:45: And Christian Rauch adds a crucial layer.

00:09:47: The human side again, technical rollouts like ERP systems, they fail if you ignore the people.

00:09:53: Right.

00:09:53: He says ERP adoption starts with trust and empathy because most resistance isn't logical, it's emotional.

00:09:59: You have to address that head on.

00:10:00: That's such a critical insight for any big change.

00:10:03: And what's emerging, interestingly, is this specialized role.

00:10:07: The risk strategist.

00:10:08: No risk strategist.

00:10:10: Tell me more.

00:10:10: Lorenzo Porciello and Capuch van Varia shared insights from EY's twenty twenty-five global risks transformation study.

00:10:17: These leaders, these risk strategists, they're forty-eight percent more likely to reduce unexpected risks.

00:10:22: Impressive.

00:10:22: And crucially, they excel at aligning risk management with business strategy.

00:10:28: They outperform their peers significantly, because they're not just mitigating risk reactively, they're building resilience strategically.

00:10:35: And

00:10:35: a massive piece of that risk puzzle today is cybersecurity, obviously.

00:10:39: Huge.

00:10:41: Dr.

00:10:41: Bernhardt Guerra shares that sixty percent of CEOs now rank cyber as a top enterprise risk.

00:10:46: As they should.

00:10:47: He advocates treating it as a core business priority.

00:10:51: not just an IT problem siloed away somewhere.

00:10:53: And Justin K. Bohm discusses how CISOs, the security chiefs, can do better by shifting their reporting.

00:10:59: How so?

00:11:00: Moving from purely technical jargon to risk-informed reporting that actually speaks the language of the board, aligning cyber posture with business strategy and oversight.

00:11:08: Makes

00:11:08: sense.

00:11:09: It's about connecting the dots.

00:11:10: David Turner talks about an integrated approach to resilience, too, across financial, operational, digital, and people domains.

00:11:17: So... Organizations can absorb shocks, yes, but also capitalize on growth opportunities even when things are turbulent.

00:11:23: Resilience for offense, not just defense.

00:11:26: David Garfield adds practical stacks.

00:11:29: Stress test your balance sheets.

00:11:30: Communicate consistently during uncertainty.

00:11:33: Basic blocking and tackling, but essential.

00:11:36: Absolutely.

00:11:37: And all this focus on risk and change, it naturally leads to questions about governance itself.

00:11:42: Yeah.

00:11:42: How do you govern all this complexity?

00:11:44: Evan Benjamin makes a strong case for ethics and compliance professionals having a seat at the boardroom table.

00:11:50: Interesting.

00:11:51: Why?

00:11:51: Especially with AI compliance becoming so complex, you need that expertise right there where the big decisions are made.

00:11:58: Gina Primo agrees, particularly for financial services.

00:12:01: She says AI isn't just tech, it's fundamentally a governance story, balancing regulation and innovation.

00:12:07: It's a

00:12:07: tightrope walk for sure.

00:12:09: Okay, final theme.

00:12:10: Let's zoom out a bit to the global forces shaping strategy, specifically sustainability and geopolitics.

00:12:17: Yes, these external forces are increasingly internal strategic drivers and sustainability, it's clear, is way past being just a nice to have.

00:12:25: We're

00:12:25: just PR.

00:12:26: Exactly.

00:12:27: Dorothy McGuire in The Sunday Times argued that ROI and sustainability should go hand in hand.

00:12:32: It's a driver of competitive advantage now.

00:12:34: Andrew Hobbs from EY Backset Up.

00:12:36: He notes, seventy-three percent of directors are actively evolving strategies to integrate sustainability, not just for compliance, but for resilience and seizing opportunities.

00:12:45: And Dr.

00:12:46: Lucas Carmody at PWC sees a really interesting shift in thinking.

00:12:49: Oh yeah.

00:12:50: Leaders are moving beyond asking why nature matters to understanding how it directly impacts value and strategy, actually recognizing nature dependencies on the valentine, treating natural capital like any other asset or liability.

00:13:03: That's a profound shift, treating nature as capital.

00:13:06: It is.

00:13:06: And Sean Garnier launching a weekly series just to demystify the voluntary carbon market.

00:13:11: That shows the growing demand for practical, actionable insights in this whole sustainability space.

00:13:16: OK.

00:13:16: Connecting sustainability to, well, the less stable parts of the world, geopolitics and trade.

00:13:21: Yeah.

00:13:22: Eric Dwight and at EY discuss the real world impact of US tariffs on, for example, Swiss exports.

00:13:28: It's forcing companies to diversify markets, readjust operations.

00:13:31: hedging their bets.

00:13:32: Definitely.

00:13:33: And Mark Gilbert put some stark numbers on that volatility.

00:13:36: Over forty executive orders, a hundred and twenty tariff posts affecting nineteen thousand tariff lines just this year.

00:13:43: Wow.

00:13:44: Keeping track of that alone.

00:13:45: Exactly.

00:13:46: It demands those AI-enabled real-time decision platforms we talked about earlier just to manage the sheer speed and complexity of it all.

00:13:53: And it's not just terrorists, it's the bigger power dynamics.

00:13:56: Simon and McCallister from EY Ireland pointed to the US-EU China Triangle and how Ireland is positioning itself as a strategic bridge for investment in that context.

00:14:06: While Catherine Kaminski at PWC highlighted specific legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as creating new pathways for corporate value with incentives really reshaping how companies plan for innovation and growth.

00:14:19: So geopolitics isn't just risk, it's also creating specific opportunities if you know where to look.

00:14:23: Absolutely.

00:14:24: Wow.

00:14:24: Okay.

00:14:25: We have covered a lot ground today.

00:14:26: From AI becoming truly strategic to evolving operating models, the crucial role of risk and resilience, talent strategies, and now these big global forces of sustainability and geopolitics.

00:14:37: Yeah, the landscape for strategy and consulting is incredibly dynamic right now.

00:14:41: We really hope this deep dive has given you some valuable insights, maybe spark some new thinking for your own organization.

00:14:48: Definitely.

00:14:49: And if you enjoyed this deep dive, just a reminder that new episodes drop every two weeks.

00:14:54: And please do check out our other editions focusing specifically on private equity, venture capital, and M&A trends.

00:15:00: Thank you so much for joining us today.

00:15:02: We really encourage you to subscribe so you don't miss our next deep dive into the latest market intelligence.

00:15:08: And finally, here's a thought to leave you with.

00:15:10: What if the true magic of corporate strategy isn't really about flawlessly executing some grand fixed plan?

00:15:17: What if it's more about the collective human agreement to believe in a shared story.

00:15:21: Even as that story is constantly changing, constantly being reshaped by all our individual interpretations and adaptations.

00:15:29: Something to think about.