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LEADERS IN CONSULTING
LEADERS IN CONSULTING

Ep. 136 — Hire for Mindset, Equip for the Tools, Augment at Every Level: How the Consulting Firm That Wins in the AI Era Is Actually Built - with Gianluca Barletta

29 July 2026 52:34 SAWOO

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AI is not just changing consulting delivery. It is exposing how your firm is built.

Gianluca Barletta, Partner and Global Head of Data Science at PA Consulting, explains why the consulting firms that win in the AI era will not simply be the ones with the most tools. They will be the firms that hire for learning ability and creative thinking, equip their people safely, build the data foundations needed for enterprise-scale AI, and make augmentation a leadership decision at every level. Gianluca shares why many AI pilots fail once they meet real organizational complexity, how client expectations are shifting toward faster business value, and why AI-native early-career talent may be one of the industry’s biggest opportunities.

You’ll learn:

1. Why AI pilots often fail when they meet legacy systems and fragmented data
2. How hiring criteria are shifting from technical depth to learning ability
3. Why partner-level AI fluency matters for firm-wide adoption
4. How AI-native talent can accelerate the next consulting model
5. What separates volume-led firms from ingenuity-led firms in the AI era

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Gianluca Barletta is open to connecting about AI augmentation, data foundations, and the future consulting model. If you would like to exchange perspectives, reach out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianluca-barletta-phd-44080910/

Sarah Edwards is Chief Product 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/

More episodes and insights: https://www.leadersinconsulting.com/podcast

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