Send us Fan Mail

Clients don't want to be dependent anymore. They want self-sufficiency.

James Cawthorne, CEO of FOIL, explains why consulting is undergoing a structural shift. As AI makes productivity widely accessible, differentiation through effort is eroding, while complexity and decision pressure continue to rise.

James outlines why traditional consulting models built on dependency are increasingly misaligned with what clients now expect. Instead of delivering answers, firms must embed capability, encoding institutional knowledge into systems that enable faster, more consistent decision-making. The conversation explores system intelligence, the limits of standalone AI tools, and what it takes to redesign consulting around value rather than control.

You’ll learn:

1. Why competing on productivity with AI leads to a race to the bottom

2. How system intelligence enables scalable decision-making inside organizations

3. What clients actually mean when they ask for “capability” instead of support

4. Why dependency-based consulting models are becoming structurally unstable

5. How to stay relevant when value replaces effort as the core driver

___________

Get in touch with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmcawthorne/

___________

About the host Sarah:
Sarah Edwards is Chief Product Strategy Officer at Kantata and has spent over 30 years helping professional services firms scale, transform, and deliver measurable business value across the US and Europe. She is passionate about how AI is reshaping the consulting industry, from how firms win work and deliver outcomes to how they empower talent and strengthen client relationships.

Get in touch with Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahedwards3/

___________

Past guests on the LEADERS IN CONSULTING Podcast include: Friederich von Hurter, Melanie Tobler, Tilman Au, and many more!

___________

Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!

Send us Fan Mail

Berater sind gedanklich oft einen Schritt weiter. Umso wichtiger, dass sie ihre Kunden auf diesem Weg mitnehmen.

Florian Warring ist Managing Director bei FTI-Andersch, Teil von FTI Consulting mit weltweit über 8.100 Mitarbeitenden. In der DACH-Region begleitet er Unternehmen bei ganzheitlichen Transformations- und Performance-Improvement-Programmen. Neben der Projektverantwortung ist er außerdem verstärkt im Business Development und bei der Akquise aktiv.

Seine Überzeugung: Die beste Lösung wirkt nur, wenn sie die Akzeptanz des Kunden findet.

Im Gespräch mit Host David Anheier erklärt Florian, warum zu frühes Vorpreschen Akzeptanz kosten kann, weshalb vermeintliche Einigkeit im Meeting trügerisch sein kann, und wie Paraphrasieren zum strategischen Führungsinstrument wird.

Er spricht über Authentizität als USP im Consulting, über die „Bringschuld“ von Beratern in der Interaktion mit Kunden und darüber, warum Massenmails keine belastbaren Beziehungen schaffen.

Freue dich auf folgende Learnings:
1) Warum aktives Zuhören oftmals wirkungsvoller ist als Argumentieren.
2) Wie man echte Akzeptanz schafft, statt nur Lösungen auf dem Papier.
3) Weshalb Authentizität die Basis für langfristige Mandantenbeziehungen ist.
4) Warum weniger Folien in der Akquise mehr Wirkung entfalten.
5) Wie KI die Rolle junger Berater verändert, aber nicht ersetzt.

___________

Vernetze Dich mit Florian Warring auf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-warring-45a855104/

Florians Leseempfehlung:
Never Split the Difference von Chris Voss | https://amzn.eu/d/0glqCDPq
___________

Über den Host David:
David ist Partner bei entero und verfügt über umfangreiche Erfahrung in der Salesforce-Beratung, insbesondere im Consulting von Beratungsunternehmen bei der Optimierung und Digitalisierung ihrer Prozesse.
In den letzten zehn Jahren hat er Teams geleitet, komplexe Kundenbeziehungen verwaltet und digitale Lösungen implementiert, die die betriebliche Effizienz verbessern.
Seine Leidenschaft gilt der Unterstützung von Unternehmen bei der Nutzung von Technologien zur Förderung von Wachstum und Transformation, um sicherzustellen, dass sie in einer zunehmend digitalen Welt wettbewerbsfähig bleiben.

Schreibe David einfach via E-Mail unter david.anheier@entero.de
oder connecte Dich auf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danheier/

___________


Bisherige Gäste des LEADERS IN CONSULTING Podcasts: Friederich von Hurter, Melanie Tobler, Tilman Au und viele weitere!

Send us Fan Mail

If a buyer looked at your firm today, would they see focus or fragmentation?

Daniel Schwartmann, Managing Director at ServTeq Capital Advisors, has spent decades on the buyer side of the table, including leading 150+ acquisitions during his time at Accenture.

In this conversation with host Sammy Gebele, he breaks down what strategic buyers and private equity investors actually pay for and what they label as “distraction.”

You’ll hear why differentiation is rarely about having more capabilities and almost always about owning a specific swim lane, building a story the market can instantly understand, and making growth decisions with the end in mind.

Daniel has seen how growth without a defined endgame leads to diluted positioning and a lower valuation, and he insists that the years leading up to a capital event must be treated as a deliberate value-creation phase.

He also explains how private equity can serve as a strategic "booster" rather than a final exit, and what investors actually look for before committing capital.

You'll learn:

1. Why unclear positioning quietly erodes valuation and how to build a niche buyers will pay a premium for.

2. How to grow with the end in mind by aligning your equity story, operating model, and leadership bench years before a transaction.

3. When private equity acts as a growth accelerator and when it becomes a strategic mismatch.

4. How to expand into adjacencies, technology, or new markets without diluting the positioning that drives your valuation.

5. How buyers assess founder retention risk and the subtle signals that can lower deal confidence.
___________

Get in touch with Daniel on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-schwartmann-820a0/

___________

About the host Sammy Gebele:

Sammy and SAWOO offer a B2B community-building service that establishes you as a thought leader in your industry and helps you build genuine, human-to-human relationships with your dream clients.
Get in touch with Sammy Gebele on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammygebele/

___________

Past guests on the LEADERS IN CONSULTING Podcast include: Friederich von Hurter, Melanie Tobler, Tilman Au, and many more!

___________

Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!

Send us Fan Mail

How do you grow a buy-and-build consulting platform where founders genuinely want to stay after the deal?

In this episode of the LEADERS IN CONSULTING Podcast, Alexander Thress, Partner and Head of M&A at AdEx Partners, shares how a PE-backed consulting platform can scale founder-friendly growth through disciplined buy-and-build.

Alexander joined AdEx with a very deliberate mandate: to grow the platform by selectively adding high-quality consulting firms that strengthen AdEx’s core positioning in large-scale transformation at the intersection of business, digital, IT, and AI — while preserving the entrepreneurial DNA of the firms that join.

Rather than chasing deal volume, Alexander invests significant time upfront to identify early fit across four dimensions: strategic alignment, cultural compatibility, financial fit, and genuine partnership intent. This early focus on fit avoids late-stage surprises and ensures that due diligence and contractual negotiations mainly validate decisions made with conviction beforehand.

The conversation also touches on AdEx’s growth strategy. While the current focus remains on the DACH region, the firm has already built a well-filled pipeline beyond it. In a second growth phase, AdEx sees attractive opportunities in culturally compatible markets — including the Nordics and other “beer-drinking countries” — where shared values and consulting cultures support sustainable integration.

You’ll learn:

1. Why buy-and-build only works when early fit assessment is executed before exhaustive due diligence starts

2. How a private equity investor adds value as a capital provider and sparring partner

3. Why founders join platforms for attitude, partnership, and future upside potential

4. What separates AI consultancies that deliver real impact from those chasing buzzwords

5. How integration succeeds when it feels like building a shared home, not executing a takeover

___________

Get in touch with Alexander on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-thress-3b8ba6b3/

___________

Alexander's book recommendation:
The Last Weynfeldt by Martin Suter - https://a.co/d/iCEh6Id

___________

About the host Sammy Gebele:

Sammy and SAWOO offer a B2B community-building service that establishes you as a thought leader in your industry and helps you build genuine, human-to-human relationships with your dream clients.
Get in touch with Sammy Gebele on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammygebele/

___________

Past guests on the LEADERS IN CONSULTING Podcast include: Friederich von Hurter, Melanie Tobler, Tilman Au, and many more!

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when you stop "selling" and start designing every interaction around how clients want to feel working with you? In an industry where collaboration reigns supreme, this question is more relevant than ever.

Ambrish Parmar, Partner and Consulting & Growth Leader at Cognizant, has transformed the empathetic coaching mindset into a practical playbook for landing complex transformation deals. In this episode, he joins host Sammy Gebele to explore five ways senior consulting leaders can move beyond classic sales and foster genuine co-creation.

In a high-stakes transformation with a major European financial institution, Ambrish witnessed how active listening and a single well-timed question shifted a tense executive room from polite resistance to shared ownership of the roadmap. He emphasizes structuring initial conversations around an “us together” agenda, even designing workspaces to reflect stakeholder personalities.

Along the way, he learned that transformation should be viewed as an energy that builds across both organizations, and that prioritizing mental well-being has become a non-negotiable aspect of the Partner, MD, and CEO role.

You'll learn:

1. How to turn sales meetings into co-created transformation conversations.

2. A simple question that surfaces risk, trust, and real buying intent.

3. How to design teams and spaces around your clients’ personalities.

4. How to treat transformation as an energy that grows between your firm and clients.

5. Self-care practices that sustain your work as a consulting leader.

___________

Get in touch with Ambrish on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ambrish-parmar-consulting-leader-executive-coach/
___________

Ambrish's podcast recommendation:
Empire: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/empire/id1639561921

Ambrish's book:
Buenos Aires Sunrise by Carlos Chambers https://www.amazon.co.uk/Buenos-Aires-Sunrise-mesmerising-historical-ebook/dp/B0BZSGGNZJ
___________

About the host Sammy Gebele:

Sammy and SAWOO offer a B2B community-building service that establishes you as a thought leader in your industry and helps you build genuine, human-to-human relationships with your dream clients.
Get in touch with Sammy Gebele on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammygebele/

___________

Past guests on the LEADERS IN CONSULTING Podcast include: Friederich von Hurter, Melanie Tobler, Tilman Au, and many more!

___________

Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!

Send us Fan Mail

Christian Underwood didn’t build a sales team. He engineered a lead-generation system that would never need one.

The CEO & Co-Founder of StrategyFrame®AI joins us once again, this time to lift the lid on how he operationalized a GTM strategy to scale his AI-powered consulting platform.

With an 8-person team, Christian is on track to hit a mid–double-digit million revenue scale next year. He got there by doing one thing exceptionally well: focussing on a niche he could own, and becoming the authority through repeatable trust points.

He launched the first German-speaking strategy podcast, published a book to deepen credibility, and hosts an annual in-person event to strengthen relationships offline.

He is also candid about what did not work. Paid advertising never became a reliable lever, so the focus shifted to what actually compounds on LinkedIn: consistency, frequency, and relevance. That means turning every podcast episode into a content machine and showing up daily.

This episode is a transferrable playbook you can use to build credibility and relationships that convert without a single pitch.

You’ll learn:

1. Why owning one focussed niche beats broad capability in consulting
2. How one podcast becomes a daily content engine that builds authority at scale
3. What converts guests into clients, partners, and warm introductions without pitching
4. How an in-person event deepens trust without selling from stage
5. Why inbound demand on LinkedIn comes through consistency rather than paid ads

___________

Get in touch with Christian on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianunderwood/en
___________

Listen to Christian's podcast Hope is not a Strategy: https://www.strategyframe.ai/en/strategiepodcast-overview
___________

About the host Sammy Gebele:

Sammy and SAWOO offer a B2B community-building service that establishes you as a thought leader in your industry and helps you build genuine, human-to-human relationships with your dream clients.
Get in touch with Sammy Gebele on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammygebele/

___________

Past guests on the LEADERS IN CONSULTING Podcast include: Friederich von Hurter, Melanie Tobler, Tilman Au, and many more!

___________

Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!

Send us Fan Mail

What does it take to go from zero in the bank to a successful exit without financial investors?

In this episode, Marc Staudenmayer, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Advyce & Company, joins Sammy Gebele to share how he and his co-founder Burkhard Wagner built one of Germany’s fastest-growing consultancies by merging three firms into one and eventually selling to a strategic acquirer for a high multiple.

Marc walks through the full story: the early crisis that forced clarity when Advyce & Company had just €3k left in the bank, the decision to say no to private equity, and the smart merger strategy that built real scale through collaboration, culture, and digital infrastructure.

He explains how Advyce & Company avoided the “stupid mistakes” seen in traditional consulting, designed a transparent partner model where collaboration is rewarded, and created a digital backbone that made integration almost effortless.
And ultimately, how that discipline and structure led to a deal that rewarded everyone involved.


You'll learn:

How to scale your consulting firm to a successful exit without giving up ownership or culture

Why collaboration beats competition in driving sustainable growth

How a strong digital backbone enables flexibility and rapid integration

The structural choices that make post-merger integration actually work

How Advyce & Company turned “let’s not make the same stupid mistakes” into a strategy for lasting success

___________

Get in touch with Marc on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-staudenmayer
___________

Marc's book recommendation:
Business Class by Martin Suter https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Business-Class-Geschichten-Welt-Managements/dp/3257800592
___________

About the host Sammy Gebele:

Sammy and SAWOO offer a B2B community-building service that establishes you as a thought leader in your industry and helps you build genuine, human-to-human relationships with your dream clients.
Get in touch with Sammy Gebele on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammygebele/

___________

Past guests on the LEADERS IN CONSULTING Podcast include: Friederich von Hurter, Melanie Tobler, Tilman Au, and many more!

___________

Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!

Send us Fan Mail

In this exclusive keynote from the main stage at the LEADERS IN CONSULTING London Summit, Stephen Edward (Managing Director, PTS Global), Connor Budden (Global Director at Service Performance Insight), and Sarah Edwards (Chief Product Officer, Kantata) unpack how consulting firms must rethink what success looks like as AI reshapes every part of the services lifecycle.

Stephen shares how a 40-year-old, employee-owned consultancy is re-evaluating quality, culture, and reskilling while delivering on complex multi-year capital projects.
Connor brings fresh SPI benchmark data showing how high performers are moving beyond T&M, experimenting with subscription and outcome-based pricing, and using revenue per consultant as a leading indicator of AI maturity.

Guided by Sarah, the discussion goes straight to the questions every Partner and MD is wrestling with:

How fast do we need to transform?
What should replace utilisation at the top of our scorecard?
How do we measure the value of AI agents, evolving skills, and next-generation delivery models?

If you're questioning how to keep your consulting business competitive in an AI-first market, this conversation delivers a practical, forward-looking roadmap for the metrics that will matter most in the years ahead.

You will learn:

1. Why leading firms are shifting from T&M toward subscriptions and outcome-based pricing.
2. The AI-era KPIs that matter most, from revenue per consultant to real-time sentiment.
3. How employee-owned and mid-sized consultancies rethink quality, culture, and reskilling.
4. How to redesign your scorecard to track skills evolution, client health, and business agility.
5. Where high performers see real ROI from AI in delivery, proposals, and knowledge access.

___________

Get in touch with Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahedwards3/

Get in touch with Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjedward/

Get in touch with Connor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connor-metcalf/

___________

About the host Sammy Gebele:

Sammy and SAWOO offer a B2B community-building service that establishes you as a thought leader in your industry and helps you build genuine, human-to-human relationships with your dream clients.
Get in touch with Sammy Gebele on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammygebele/

___________

Past guests on the LEADERS IN CONSULTING Podcast include: Friederich von Hurter, Melanie Tobler, Tilman Au, and many more!