Today's Management Consulting Pulse
KPMG partners with Anthropic to embed Claude AI across its global workforce
KPMG announced a global alliance with Anthropic to integrate the Claude large‑language model into its Digital Gateway platform. The move gives every employee in 138 countries direct access to the AI tool and positions KPMG as Anthropic’s preferred consulting partner for private‑equity firms, marking the most extensive AI commitment among the Big Four.
Airbnb CEO Says AI Writes 60% of Code, Reshaping Engineering and Management
Airbnb chief executive Brian Chesky told investors that artificial intelligence now writes roughly 60% of the firm’s software, speeding development cycles. He warned that “pure people managers” will lose relevance as engineers and managers alike get hands‑on with code.
Funding Projects Leaves Products Perpetually Half‑Finished
Project funding is how large organizations control their budgets. It is also, rather inconveniently, how they ensure their digital products stay permanently half-finished. The mechanics of it are almost elegant in a depressing sort of way. A project gets funded, a...
AI Projects Fail Without Stakeholder‑Driven Business Focus
Stakeholder Management and Stakeholder Engagement were both top breakout signals this week. Not model news. Not platform updates. Stakeholder skills. Because most AI projects don't fail on technology. They fail because someone forgot to ask what the business actually needs.
California Signs $194 Million Bridge Contract with Atos to Keep NG9‑1‑1 on Track
California’s Governor’s Office of Emergency Services awarded a $194 million, 30‑month bridge contract to Atos Public Safety to maintain and expand Next Generation 9‑1‑1 services after scrapping a $450 million regional design. The move aims to keep emergency communications functional for the...
SAP S/4HANA Rollout Can Halt Operations for Months
Implementing SAP S/4HANA can be catastrophic. One company's rollout shut down operations for 6 months, leaving products off shelves nationwide. Major projects demand flawless execution. #SAP #ERP https://t.co/AypmgCE56m
AI Operating Partner Drives Dialogue, Not Unwarranted Adoption
"An AI Operating Partner will force AI conversations at portfolio companies, which is useful as long as it does not create pressure to adopt AI without justification." Korn Ferry institute commentary on the AI Operating Partner role Korn Ferry Institute commentary on...
Celonis and Deloitte Deploy AI‑Powered App to Cut SOX Compliance Costs by 10%
Celonis and Deloitte have introduced the Celonis SOX and Internal Controls Manager, an AI‑driven application that replaces manual Sarbanes‑Oxley testing with continuous data monitoring. A pilot at a global pharmaceutical firm automated more than 100 controls, lowered control costs by...
14 BPM & Six Sigma Courses You Can Take to Become a Systems Expert
Process Street compiled a curated list of free and paid courses covering business process management, Lean Six Sigma, operations management, and startup operations. The guide highlights open offerings from institutions like University of Tartu, MIT, and Stanford, as well as...
Arcadis Teams with Sweep to Launch Data‑Driven ESG Consulting Services
Arcadis has partnered with sustainability‑technology firm Sweep to commercialize a joint offering that turns ESG data into actionable business insights. The alliance combines Sweep’s intelligence platform with Arcadis’ advisory and delivery expertise, targeting large enterprises facing tighter reporting and governance...
KCB Disburses About Sh1.5 Bn ($11 M) in Digital Loans Daily Using Data Analytics
Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) is using data analytics to approve and fund roughly Sh1.5 bn ($11 m) in digital loans every day. The high‑volume rollout highlights the bank’s push toward faster, algorithm‑based credit decisions in Kenya’s fast‑growing fintech market.
The CIO Is No Longer Running IT … They’re Running the Future of the Bank
Boston Consulting Group’s latest report declares the chief information officer the most pivotal role in modern banks. The CIO’s remit has shifted from maintaining legacy systems to orchestrating AI, strategy, and organizational redesign. Executives now must decide which tasks are...
ERP Success Requires Customer and Employee Experience Focus
Executives may see ERP implementation as a necessity, but justification needs more. Focus on improving customer and employee experience with detailed future-state operating and organizational models. #ERP #BusinessTransformation https://t.co/fjPFiG70fH
The Hidden Cost of the Billable Hour
Alex Oberberg argues that the traditional billable‑hour model is a hidden tax on innovation in the Middle East, where rapid digital transformation clashes with legacy procurement practices. He proposes shifting to asset‑based pricing, flexible subscription tiers, and real‑time data dashboards...
FTI Consulting Appoints Anand Raghuraman as Senior Managing Director to Drive Americas Growth
FTI Consulting announced the appointment of Anand Raghuraman as Senior Managing Director, tasking him with leading the firm’s Americas practice and expanding its private‑equity and consumer‑goods advisory services. The move underscores FTI’s strategic push into high‑growth retail and consumer sectors...
EY Teams with Rillet to Build Controls‑by‑Design Into AI Finance Platforms
EY US and AI‑native ERP provider Rillet have formed an alliance to embed risk management and audit‑ready controls into finance workflows from day one. The partnership targets firms that have outgrown mid‑market ERP solutions, promising a scalable, governance‑first operating model...
EPAM and Anthropic Forge Multi‑Year Deal to Deliver Safe Enterprise AI Services
EPAM Systems and Anthropic have signed a strategic, multi‑year partnership to provide B2B enterprises with safe, production‑grade generative AI. The deal creates a dedicated practice of 10,000 Claude‑certified architects and promises to accelerate AI‑driven transformation across revenue‑critical functions.
Ravical Unveils Advisory Workspace to Ditch Billable‑Hour Model
Ravical has launched the Advisory Workspace, a firm‑wide AI‑driven platform that prices work by outcome rather than hours. The product arrives as leading firms like KPMG negotiate fee cuts—14% in a recent audit deal—highlighting pressure on the traditional billable‑hour model.
IBM Consulting Unveils AI Suite to Cut Costs 25% and Accelerate Hiring 90% for Regulated Enterprises
IBM Consulting announced at Think 2026 a suite of AI capabilities under its Enterprise Advantage platform, aimed at regulated sectors. The tools claim to reduce operating costs by more than 25% and cut hiring time by 90%, while offering FedRAMP‑authorized...
From AI Investment to Innovation: What It Takes to Deliver Real Business Impact
Organizations are pouring money into AI, yet many CIOs still see limited ROI. Jeff Baker of PwC argues that moving AI from isolated experiments to enterprise‑wide, business‑outcome‑driven initiatives is essential. He emphasizes pairing AI engineers with business units, securing clean...
Are You Worth It?
Alan Weiss urges consultants to stop assuming in‑person work is default. He argues that remote engagements can meet client needs just as well, if not better, when the focus is on outcomes rather than physical presence. By redefining worth as...
Bain Appoints Marc‑André Kamel Managing Partner of French Operations
Bain & Company announced that Marc‑André Kamel will serve as managing partner of its French office, succeeding Dominique Di Marzo, who moves to head the firm’s Financial Services practice across EMEA. Kamel, a Bain veteran since 1988, brings three decades...
Pit Raises $16 Million to Offer AI‑Product‑Team‑as‑a‑Service
Pit, a Stockholm‑based AI startup, announced a $16 million seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz. The funding will back its “AI product team as a service” platform that builds custom, production‑grade software for enterprise workflows. The move signals a new approach...
Atento and Cresta Sign Strategic Partnership to Deliver Hybrid Human-AI Customer Experience Solutions
Atento, a leading CX and business‑transformation outsourcer, has signed a multi‑year, eight‑figure partnership with Cresta, the unified AI platform for human and AI agents. The deal embeds Cresta’s AI technology into Atento’s Atent.AI suite, enabling hybrid CX solutions that combine...
6 Tips for CEOs Leading Change
CEO Pierre Le Manh argues that today’s top leadership question is no longer “What’s our plan?” but “Are we built for change?” He warns that traditional change frameworks are failing, citing a PMI report that most strategies break down at execution....
Boards Push AI but Can’t Separate Hype From Reality, CEOs Say
A Boston Consulting Group survey of 351 CEOs and 274 board members reveals a widening gap between board confidence in AI knowledge and CEOs’ assessment of board readiness. While 75% of directors believe they are as knowledgeable as peers, nearly...
Why Operational Excellence Dies When It Stays Trapped in the Founder’s Head
Operational excellence often thrives in a founder‑centric environment where shared context and direct oversight drive speed. As firms exceed roughly 100 employees, that informal model collapses under rising complexity, fragmented ownership, and slower decision‑making. The article argues that COOs must...
Speak Execs' Language: Frame UX as Retention, Cost, Risk
Executives don't care about users. That sounds harsh, but it's just accurate. They care about retention, acquisition, cost reduction, and compliance risk. Those are the things they're measured on. 'Users' is an abstraction that doesn't map to any of those. The...
Genpact and Google Cloud Expand Alliance to Bring Agentic Solutions to the Office of the CFO
Genpact and Google Cloud have expanded their alliance to deliver agentic AI solutions tailored for the Office of the CFO. The partnership combines Genpact’s finance domain expertise with Google Cloud’s AI infrastructure to move enterprises from fragmented pilots to production‑ready...
Andersen Consulting Strengthens Organizational Transformation Capabilities with Afiniti
Andersen Consulting has entered a collaboration agreement with Afiniti, a UK‑based business transformation consultancy. The partnership expands Andersen’s ability to deliver end‑to‑end change programs that blend people‑focused methods with digital and AI capabilities. Afiniti brings deep experience in regulated, asset‑intensive...
KPMG India Partners with CleverTap to Embed AI‑driven Engagement in Enterprise Transformations
KPMG India and CleverTap have formed a strategic alliance to embed the latter’s AI‑powered engagement platform into KPMG‑led enterprise transformation projects. The partnership targets banking, financial services, retail and consumer sectors, aiming to cut churn and boost customer lifetime value...
3 Ways AI Can Free Organizations From Legacy Workflows
Legacy workflows and outdated assumptions are eroding competitiveness across industries. Companies like Whitford & Co., FengSys, and SuboBank used AI to surface obsolete KPIs, contradictory messaging, and false customer myths. By letting AI objectively identify and retire these legacy elements,...
Your AI Reinvention Needs An Engine
Accenture reports that only 13% of its 12,000 generative‑AI initiatives have scaled, echoing Forrester’s finding that just 15% of AI adopters see earnings impact. The firm argues the bottleneck is not model access but the lack of enterprise‑scale operating models...
J.S. Held Names Jessica Larson SVP to Lead Digital Transformation Push
J.S. Held announced the appointment of Jessica Larson as Senior Vice President of Digital Transformation, tasking her with unifying and accelerating the firm’s digital initiatives. The move underscores the consulting firm’s ambition to embed AI, machine learning and secure data...
Mercer Teams with Syndio to Fuse AI Pay Governance with Compensation Advisory
Mercer announced a strategic alliance with Syndio, linking the consulting firm’s compensation expertise to Syndio’s AI‑powered pay governance platform. The partnership, unveiled in New York and Seattle, seeks to give enterprise clients a unified solution for designing, governing and executing pay...
Beyond AI Tools: Build Scalable, Governed Transformation
What does generative transformation look like beyond adopting AI tools? It’s not more pilots. It’s not more tools. It’s building a system that compounds value. At @IBM Think, a few takeaways from my conversation with Blue Polaris: → A clear “North Star” that aligns every...
Most Firms, Especially Japan's Biggest, Stuck in Legacy Systems
A staggering 61% of organizations, and 74% of Japan's largest, rely on outdated legacy systems. Many lack a digital strategy or replacement plan, with over half of modernizers re-customizing instead of adopting scalable solutions. #LegacySystems #DigitalTransformation https://t.co/Z7dKtrG0QJ
Without a New Playbook, Consultancies Are at Risk in the Age of AI
A leading global consultancy saw its stock drop nearly one‑third as CEOs slash spending, exposing a broader shift away from traditional, slow‑moving advisory models. Clients now demand real‑time, execution‑oriented insight, a need amplified by generative AI that can instantly synthesize...
AI Agents Automate Consulting, Deliver Rapid AI Roadmaps
Foaster (@Foaster_ai) is building AI agents to replace consulting firms. They map how your company works, build your AI roadmap in days, and continuously guide adoption, upskilling, and execution. Congrats on the launch, @RaphaelDabadie and @alexcmbs17! https://t.co/NuMN5Ztn5J https://t.co/vommiCN61H
AI Alone Can't Drive Enterprise Transformation without Expert Guidance
The inability of AI systems to act as their own deployment consultants, process mappers, and change management experts is what makes AI use in enterprises so “normal” - the tools are powerful, but you need a lot more to...
McKinsey Appoints Jakub Urbaniak and Maciej Kalbarczyk as Partners in Warsaw
McKinsey & Company announced the promotion of longtime Warsaw consultants Jakub Urbaniak and Maciej Kalbarczyk to partner status. Both have been with the firm for over a decade, reinforcing McKinsey’s focus on expanding its senior leadership in Central Europe.
People to People Appoints Rita Canhão as CEO, Signaling Strategic Shift
People to People, a European technology consultancy, announced Rita Canhão as its new chief executive officer. The appointment, reported by HR Portugal, is positioned as a strategic pivot to deepen the firm’s digital transformation services and expand its market footprint.
Christopher Reep: Turning Strategy Into Daily Execution
Christopher Reep, an operations leader and author, specializes in turning strategic plans into daily actions through Lean, TPM, and problem‑solving routines. He emphasizes that tools like Standard Work, 5S, and autonomous maintenance only succeed when embedded in consistent leadership habits....
Behind the Kentucky Derby: How Churchill Downs Is Using SAP to Control Spend
Churchill Downs, the operator of the Kentucky Derby, has leveraged SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition as the core of a broader digital transformation, adding SAP Ariba and SAP Business Network to tighten spend control. The cloud ERP gave the 10,000‑employee...
BCG Study Finds CEOs Must Pair AI Gains with Cost Discipline to Unlock Value
Boston Consulting Group’s latest research warns that AI‑driven productivity will not lower costs unless CEOs redesign work, roles, and organization. The study highlights that cost management is the second‑biggest source of stress for CEOs, trailing only growth targets, and argues...
PwC Teams with OpenAI to Launch First AI‑native Finance Function at Enterprise Scale
PwC announced an expanded collaboration with OpenAI to create the first AI‑native finance function at enterprise scale. The joint effort will embed agentic AI agents across planning, forecasting, procurement and other core finance workflows, shifting finance staff from task execution...
Marketbridge Names Geoffrey Sidari Chief Innovation Officer to Drive AI Growth
Marketbridge announced the appointment of Geoffrey Sidari as Chief Innovation Officer and Head of AI, charging him with accelerating AI‑enabled go‑to‑market solutions for its B2B clients. Sidari brings more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of marketing, analytics...
Consultant Suggests Jefferson Public Radio ‘Spin Off’ From University Licensee
Southern Oregon University is facing a $20 million budget shortfall, with a $12.5 million deficit despite $15 million state emergency aid. Deloitte Consulting’s April 28 report recommends the university spin off its longtime partner, Jefferson Public Radio, to save roughly $300,000. JPR’s director disputes...
The Alliance Group Launches Finance Advisory Practice to Bolster CFO Services
The Alliance Group announced the launch of a Finance Advisory practice designed to help chief financial officers plan, forecast and improve performance. The new service adds execution‑focused AI and automation tools to the firm’s existing CFO‑centric offerings, signaling a deeper...
EY and Rillet Partner to Embed Risk and Controls Into AI-Native Finance Transformation
EY US has announced an alliance with AI‑native ERP provider Rillet to fuse finance transformation, automation, and risk management into a single operating model. The partnership leverages EY’s consulting and control expertise alongside Rillet’s general‑ledger‑first platform, embedding controls directly into...
DRC Seeks Consultant for Ambitious Digital Transformation, DPI Project
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is launching a $400 million World Bank‑funded digital transformation project, bolstered by €100 million (≈$109 million) from the French Development Agency, to build a functional Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) that includes digital identity, a data‑sharing platform, electronic...