• How AI is transforming drug discovery
• Why data standardization remains the biggest challenge in healthcare AI adoption
• How regulatory bodies like the FDA are embracing AI tools while maintaining human oversight
• The trust paradox in consulting
• How personality differences across functions impact AI adoption and implementation
• Why successful AI implementation requires function-specific integration

Episode Highlights:

• [07:53] How AI Is Speeding Up Drug Discovery

• [12:52] FDA’s Secret AI Bots

• [21:05] What’s Really Blocking AI Adoption in Pharma?

More Highlights from this Episode:

• [01:31] Why Life Sciences Needs Cross-Functional Talent
• [34:02] The AI Every Consultant Wishes For
• [42:43] The One Thing AI Can’t Replace
  
  

Episode Resources:

• Neha Mongia on LinkedIn
• Korn Ferry Website

• Why “successful pilot” doesn’t mean scalable solution and how to tell the difference
• How lack of alignment between innovation teams and business strategy kills momentum
• The critical role of use case cataloguing in managing risk, ensuring governance, and driving results
• Why AI change management must be continuous, not one-off
• A real-world example of governance boosting proposal win rates by 10–12%
• How organizations can shift from chasing tools to rethinking entire workflows with AI
  
  

Highlights:

• [02:20] AI Strategy Is the Wrong Question
  Many organizations are obsessed with building an "AI strategy" but Adamantia reframes the question entirely. Instead of starting with tools or pilots, she urges leaders to ask, “How do we stay competitive in 2025 and beyond?” She explains why pilot success often leads to false confidence, and how enterprises confuse experimentation with transformation. If AI investments don’t connect to fundamental shifts in how you operate and deliver value, they’re unlikely to scale.
  
  
• [10:09] Use Cases Are Strategy
  One of the most overlooked, high-leverage activities in enterprise AI adoption is simply cataloguing use cases. Adamantia outlines how this practice not only surfaces innovation opportunities but also reveals blind spots in governance, risk management, and strategic alignment. Without visibility into how AI is being used, leadership can't measure impact, manage risk, or make informed decisions. Documenting use cases isn't busywork, it's foundational to scaling responsibly.
  
  
• [15:58] Good Governance Equals Higher Win Rates
  Governance is often seen as a blocker to innovation, but Adamantia flips that narrative. She shares a case study of an organization that, after developing a rigorous AI governance model, improved proposal acceptance rates by 10–12%. By aligning AI use with clear risk controls and leadership buy-in, they created space to double down on what was working. The result wasn’t just more output — it was better business outcomes.
  
  
• [[19:00] What Hasn’t Changed
  AI can accelerate content production, automate research, and unlock insights, but it doesn’t replace human judgment. Adamantia argues that asking the right questions, managing stakeholders, and navigating ambiguity remain irreplaceable skills. In fact, AI may raise the stakes by amplifying poor thinking if leaders aren’t careful. For consultants, it’s still your mindset, not just your toolset, that drives long-term value.
  
  

More Highlights from this Episode:

• [06:50] Build vs. Buy - And the Hidden Costs of DIY AI
• [12:54] Transformation is a Continuous Muscle
  
  

• Adamantia Velonis on LinkedIn
• L.E.K. Consulting Website

• How to move beyond basic chatbots to create domain-specific AI solutions that deliver measurable business value
• Why traditional data architectures are limiting AI adoption
• The strategic advantage of coupling language models with knowledge graphs for domain-specific applications
• How causal AI models enable superior decision-making compared to traditional machine learning approaches
• Why data sovereignty and infrastructure modernization are critical for successful enterprise AI implementation
  
  

Episode Highlights:

• [00:50] From Turnarounds to AI Transformation

• [16:46] Why Causal AI Beats ChatGPT in Critical Decisions

More Highlights from this Episode:

• [10:25] Beyond Generic Chatbots
• [19:42] Argumentative AI

Episode Resources:

• Dr. Michael Eiden on LinkedIn
• Alvarez & Marsal Website

• Why successful AI implementation requires 5x more investment in adoption than technology
• How to blend human-centered design with AI strategy to ensure solutions actually get used
• The framework for building trust in AI tools through user feedback loops and internal evangelism
• Why boards need to shift from viewing AI as a technical initiative to a business transformation opportunity
• How consulting firms are evolving from project-based work to AI-powered continuous partnerships
  
  

• [05:30] Why Design Needs to Lead AI Strategy

• [11:44] Why 5x Your AI Budget Should Go to Adoption

• [21:32] A Designer at the Top of Consulting

• [03:53] Building AI for Humans, Not Hype
• [08:19] Why AI Should Feel “Boring”
• [19:53] AI Is Not an IT Project
• [27:06] How AI Is Reshaping the Consulting Model

• Tey Bannerman on LinkedIn
• McKinsey & Company Website

• How to move beyond AI pilot projects by building clear organizational vision and operational frameworks
• Why the “top-down meets bottom-up” approach is crucial for successful enterprise AI adoption
• The principle of "build for competitive advantage, buy for parity" in AI implementation
• How to avoid tool sprawl by creating cohesive AI experiences across organizations
• Why industry-specific AI may be less crucial than effective process codification and data strategy
  
  

• [03:33] How Smart AI Boosts Quality, Consistency, and Revenue
  AI isn't just about cutting costs; it's about raising the bar on quality, consistency, and growth. While AI can reduce headcount in repetitive tasks, the real value lies in how it's orchestrated across business processes: integrating with data, aligning with workflows, and enhancing customer interactions. When used smartly, AI empowers teams to upsell, personalize, and deliver consistent brand messaging, all while increasing productivity and revenue potential.
  
  
• [08:18] Overcoming AI Adoption Challenges
  One of the biggest reasons AI fails to gain traction in large organizations is the lack of a clear, unified vision. Without a top-down strategy that defines what AI is for, why it matters, and how it should be used, teams end up operating silos, tools multiply, and confusion spreads. To drive real adoption and ROI, leaders need to embed AI into the organization's core operating model, align messaging across every layer, and create a shared ecosystem.
  
  
• [14:37] Does Every Industry Need Specialized AI?
  You don't need a custom AI for every industry. What really matters is codifying your business's unique processes, data, and know-how. Generic models are powerful enough if you clearly define what you want them to do and feed them in the right context. So, instead of building niche tools from scratch, focus on capturing your competitive edge and training AI to work with that. Build for what makes you special; buy for everything else.
  
  

• [01:05] AI Confusion in Legacy Companies
• [19:55] When to Build or Buy AI
• [27:15] Advice for Young Consultants
  
  

• Raf Postepski on LinkedIn
• Alvarez & Marsal Website

• How to navigate the $2-3 trillion challenge of global financial crime 
• Why scaling AI requires focusing beyond infrastructure to regulatory, jurisdictional, and analytical dimensions
• The "Use Case War" framework for building long-term AI adoption
• How consulting teams are evolving from single-skill projects to cross-functional expertise
• How to balance systematic delivery automation with strategic leadership in early-career consulting
  
  

• [04:06] How GenAI Is Both Preventing and Enabling Financial Crime
• [11:48] Winning the Use-Case War
• [15:35] Consultant’s Role in the AI Age

• Jeeva Pradeep Kumar Moni on LinkedIn
• EY Website

• How to transition from cost-plus to value-based pricing using AI-driven insights
• Why organizational readiness is crucial for scaling AI beyond proof-of-concept stages
• How to build connected AI use cases that drive transformative business outcomes
• Why the core consulting value proposition remains unchanged despite AI automation
• How to use AI proactively for identifying business opportunities and market insights
  
  

Episode Highlights:

• Why Pricing Power Is the Last Great Business Advantage
  Pricing isn't just about numbers; it's about understanding human behavior and where you have leverage. When you're selling simple, commoditized products, buyers have lots of options and more power. But as complexity and specialization increase, so does your pricing power because fewer alternatives exist. Recognize where you sit on that spectrum and use pricing to build long-term, sustainable relationships.
• How Companies Are Turning AI Into a Revenue Engine
  AI is evolving from simply saving time to actually driving action. At first, companies used AI to cut down admin tasks and make teams more productive. But now, with smarter models and agentic tools, AI is starting to augment expertise, helping sales teams generate leads, match solutions to customer needs, and even guide conversations in real-time.
• Consulting in the AI Era
  AI hasn't changed the core of consulting. It's still about people, relationships, and solving complex problems with strategic thinking. What has changed is how quickly we can get to the fact base; what used to take hours of manual work is now faster thanks to AI, giving consultants more time to focus on the real value.
  
  

More Highlights from this Episode:

• [05:14] What Alan Turing Would Say About AI Today
• [13:05] Why Most AI Projects Fail
• [36:55] Why the Best Consultants Still Grind Despite AI
  
  

Episode Resources:

• Mukarram Bhaiji on LinkedIn
• Bain & Company Website
• Kenley LinkedIn
• Kenley website

• Explore how AI is reshaping the traditional cost-center perception of customer service into a strategic value driver
• Examine the evolution of T-shaped" service roles, where AI enables agents to be both generalists and specialists
• Discuss three emerging roles in AI-powered customer service
• Delve into the 10-20-70 framework for AI implementation
• Highlight the Jevons paradox in customer service.
  
  

Episode Highlights:

• Why Your AI CX Strategy Might Be Failing

• The New AI-Powered Roles in Customer Service

• How AI Is Fixing a Decades-Old CX Problem

More Highlights from this Episode:

• [12:45] The Three New Roles AI Is Creating in CX Teams
• [27:51] BCG’s 10-20-70 Rule
• [40:07] What CX Will Look Like in 2030
• [59:18] How AI is Changing Consulting at BCG
  
  

• Nick Clark on LinkedIn
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Website
• Kenley LinkedIn
• Kenley website
  
  

• Delve into AI's transformative role in consulting, exploring how firms can move beyond pilots to create lasting business impact
• Explain why human expertise remains crucial in consulting despite AI advancement, with emphasis on the "essential rightness" principle in advisory work
• Discuss the evolution of the consulting pyramid structure as AI tools democratize knowledge access and augment junior consultants' capabilities
• Examine the future of healthcare and life sciences, particularly how AI could revolutionize drug discovery and enable precision medicine
• Highlight key success factors for scaling AI initiatives, including the importance of clear strategic focus and avoiding siloed implementations
• Consider the unique challenges and opportunities for consulting firms building internal AI capabilities versus partnering with external providers
• Explore how AI is reshaping client expectations and consulting deliverables, while emphasizing the enduring importance of human judgment and relationship building
  
  

• Bolu Ben-Adeola LinkedIn
• Ben Glatz on LinkedIn
• Kenley LinkedIn
• Kearney Website
  
  

• Delve into how Gen AI has become more democratic and accessible
• Explain why companies should focus on programs rather than isolated pilots
• Talk about the surprising depreciation of Gen AI costs (98% in one year)
• Examine the implications of customer-facing AI solutions vs. human-in-the-loop approaches
• Shine a light on how BCG transformed a call center operation, increasing sales conversion by 28%
• Consider what skills and organizational structures will thrive in an AI-driven future
• Discuss how BPOs and financial services are creating "digital native" divisions to prepare for AI transformation
  
  

• Boston Consulting Group Website
• Bolu Ben-Adeola LinkedIn
• Juan Martin on LinkedIn
• Kenley LinkedIn
• CallSight AI Tool