Best of LinkedIn: Strategy & Consulting CW 18/19 2026

Operating Model and Execution

• Ownership and accountability were framed as the decisive factors in AI integration, transformation delivery, and omnichannel execution
• AI governance was repeatedly connected to corporate strategy, risk mitigation, and revenue growth, shifting it from a compliance topic to a leadership agenda
• Enterprise Architecture was positioned as an enterprise-level decision discipline, prioritizing choices for the whole organization rather than optimizing individual units
• Outcome-based pricing was highlighted as underused in consulting, despite its potential to align incentives and sharpen value focus for providers and buyers
• Strategy execution gaps were consistently linked to prioritization, governance, ownership, and organizational complexity rather than missing ideas
• New ventures were described as needing operating models that protect entrepreneurial speed while selectively leveraging the parent company’s scale

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AI Strategy and Transformation

• AI is becoming an operating layer across enterprise work, moving beyond productivity into decision design, governance, workflows, and business model change
• AI adoption was positioned as the first step, but not the endpoint. Consistent everyday use builds the habit before automation can scale
• Enterprise AI scaling was linked to operating model readiness, funding models, orchestration, process redesign, and leadership accountability
• AI runtime costs were flagged as an underplanned budget item, especially as usage, complexity, and automated workflows increase
• Agentic AI was framed as both a productivity opportunity and a strategic disruption, particularly where customer friction previously protected revenue pools
• Critical thinking emerged as a leadership concern, with several posts warning that AI can weaken judgment when used as a substitute for thinking rather than a tool for leverage

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Data, Cloud and Enterprise Architecture

• Enterprise AI value was tied to strong data foundations, including metadata, governance, lineage, cataloging, MDM, knowledge graphs, and trusted context
• Informatica World 2026 positioned AI for data and data for AI as the new enterprise technology agenda, with CLAIRE AI embedded across discovery, governance, integration, and quality management
• SAP cloud migration was framed as an AI platform decision rather than a technical upgrade, with clean core architecture described as the condition for autonomous agents and embedded AI
• Multicloud strategy was positioned around integration, simplification, consistency, and AI-driven innovation rather than the simple use of multiple cloud environments
• Purpose limits for AI agents were flagged as a regulatory and data governance gap, especially where enterprises cannot enforce data boundaries at the agent level

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Consulting and Professional Services

• AI was described as raising the bar for consultants rather than removing the need for them, with domain expertise, judgment, and sharper questioning becoming more valuable
• Consulting delivery is shifting from research-heavy and process-heavy work toward outcomes, accountability, embedded expertise, and governed execution
• Partner value was challenged where it depends on process work, while origination, judgment, trust, and orchestration were described as more defensible sources of advantage
• Consulting websites and positioning were criticized when they describe capabilities rather than client gains, commercial outcomes, and measurable impact
• AI-enabled consulting was linked to new delivery models that combine strategic advice, implementation discipline, and continuous operating ownership
• Forward-deployed engineering gained prominence as a delivery model for AI value capture, especially where embedded talent is needed inside client organizations

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Partnerships, Launches and Market Moves

• McKinsey and Google DeepMind expanded their collaboration to help enterprises move AI from experimentation to scaled impact through the McKinsey Google Transformation Group
• McKinsey was named Google Cloud’s Advisory and Consulting 2026 Partner of the Year, reinforcing the market signal around AI transformation, cloud, and implementation-led advisory
• Anthropic, Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman, and Goldman Sachs announced a joint venture focused on deploying Applied AI engineers directly into customer companies
• OpenAI, TPG, Brookfield, Advent, Bain Capital, and Goanna announced The Deployment Company, built around forward-deployed engineers
• Anthropic launched financial services offerings focused on productivity, while NatWest and BBVA moved into AI-enabled customer guidance and distribution
• Gartner released new analyst relations research covering strategic impact, flat resourcing, and the shift of AR reporting structures toward corporate strategy

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Board, Risk and Governance

• Boards were expected to move from passive oversight to active fluency in AI, cyber, risk, ESG, and value creation
• COSO governance principles were referenced as a framework for boards to oversee strategy, risk, and performance with greater intentionality
• Cyber resilience was positioned as a board-level value protection issue, requiring governance alignment, expertise, and metrics tied to enterprise value
• Risk and compliance functions were described as strategic contributors to the CIO agenda, especially in banking where AI controls need to be embedded into architecture from the start
• Responsible AI was framed as speed plus control, with strong outcomes depending on governance, accountability, trust, and transparency from the start
• Deloitte’s Future of Cyber report highlighted progress in cyber defense while pointing to a persistent gap between vision and execution

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Carve-outs and Corporate Development

• Carve-out strategy was positioned as buyer-specific, with PE buyers and corporate buyers requiring different separation logic, risk profiles, and Day 1 readiness
• India’s M&A market was described as increasingly strategy-led, with corporates using deals to build scale, capabilities, and portfolio focus
• M&A governance was framed as a value creation mechanism only when it resolves trade-offs and accelerates decisions, not when it merely coordinates meetings
• Swiss court developments on LBO interest deductibility increased scrutiny on debt pushdown structures and may influence transaction design
• Banking revenue pools were identified as vulnerable to agentic AI, especially where margins depend on customer friction, low transparency, and low switching activity

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Sustainability, ESG and Resilience

• Sustainability was framed as a financial value topic, not only a compliance requirement, when embedded into core business strategy
• ESG reporting readiness was highlighted as a near-term priority for Nigerian organizations, requiring alignment across risk, finance, and governance
• Climate strategy showed a more selective pattern, with companies walking back near-term 2030 targets while often maintaining longer-term 2050 ambitions
• Transition plans were described as value-creating only when investments are tied to business benefits and supported by broader organizational engagement
• Resilience was positioned as a strategic lever across infrastructure, digital skills, SME capital access, and stable policy environments
• Australian CEOs were described as reshaping businesses early, investing with intent, and focusing on areas where advantage is defensible

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Geopolitics, Macro and CFO Agenda

• Geopolitics moved to the center of corporate strategy, with companies building dedicated capabilities to navigate uncertainty, exposure, and trade shifts
• Geopolitical risk was positioned as a core ESG issue that needs to be integrated into strategy, governance, and enterprise risk management
• Middle East conflict was linked to business pressure through higher input costs, constrained profits, weaker investment, and lower hiring appetite
• CFOs were described as optimistic on growth while increasing focus on performance, liquidity, and resilience under geopolitical uncertainty
• Competitive advantage was linked to intentional edge-building, where differentiated capabilities sit closer to markets, customers, and frontline decisions

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