Here’s a question I can’t stop thinking about, and I don’t think the sector has a good answer for it yet. For generations, professional services have run on a simple, elegant machine. Bright graduates join, do the foundational work, the research, the first drafts, the data rooms, the bundles, and through thousands of hours of […]

I’ve spent enough years in and around professional services to know what the exit interview usually says, and what it usually leaves out. The form says “career progression” or “better package.” What people mean, more often, is something quieter and harder to put on a leaving card: I came here to do interesting, valuable work, […]

Let me offer a slightly counterintuitive thought to start. The more uncertain the world becomes, the more leaders tend to fall back on gut instinct, and the more uncertain the world becomes, the worse a strategy that is. It’s a very human reflex. When the picture is murky (clients deferring decisions, geopolitical noise, costs moving, […]

There’s a number that should focus the mind of every senior partner in the country: in the five years to 2024, close to £1.2 billion of private equity flowed into UK law firms alone, with a record year capping it off. Accountancy is consolidating just as fast. Whatever you think of it, this is no […]

I want to be a little provocative, because I think the politeness around this topic is doing real damage. Most professional services firms do not have a succession plan. They have a succession hope. Equity is concentrated in a handful of senior partners. Retirement timelines are “sometime, probably, we’ll sort it.” And the assumption is […]

Professional services cost management is getting harder. The cost of simply employing people has gone up and keeps going up, while clients are becoming more careful about what they will pay. When every cost is rising, “work harder” is not a strategy. Let’s talk about the conversation happening in finance meetings across the sector right […]

AI in insurance is no longer hypothetical. When people say “AI is going to change insurance,” it can sound like the “blockchain will change everything” talk from a few years back, but this time the shift is already showing up in underwriting, claims and live books of business. Except this time it’s not hypothetical. Underwriting […]

Manchesterism for manufacturers is worth watching closely. Andy Burnham has spent the last several years turning Greater Manchester into something of a policy laboratory, with devolution, public investment, workers’ rights, green growth and a distinctly northern view of what a thriving economy looks like. Read on for our take on how Manchesterism will have an […]

AI governance in professional services has become urgent because adoption is already happening, whether leadership planned for it or not. Across firms, people are quietly using AI to draft, summarise and build workflows, often without clear direction or oversight. The real risk is no longer whether your firm adopts AI, but whether anyone is leading […]

Made Smarter grant funding gives manufacturers a practical way to invest in digital technology without carrying the full cost alone. For eligible SMEs in England, the programme can provide access to digital advice, transformation support, internships, leadership development and match-funded grants, with the exact offer varying by region. If you are exploring Made Smarter funding, […]