The Future of the Firm

Hosted by Source

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-GB

About the show

Conversations with experts that explore the big trends shaping the professional services industry.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

September 7, 202619 min

How firms can deliver what clients really want from managed services

In this episode , Priyanka Chaudhry, Global Deputy Vice Chair for Managed Services at EY, joins Fiona Czerniawska, C EO at Source , to explore the changing landscape of managed services and how organi s ations are navigating today's "NAVI" world . We explore the following questions and more: How are the different market conditions ( nonlinear, accelerated, volatile, and interconnected , or NAVI ) forcing leaders to rethink how they run business functions? With many CxOs focused solely on their own departments, how can managed services close that gap and drive transformation across the organisation? How can firms combine specialist knowledge across tax, finance, tech, and risk to make complex business challenges easier to manage for clients? How can we equip early-career team members to orchestrate complex work alongside AI agents and co-workers? Why is it important that managed services offer professionals hands-on experience in executing and shaping business outcomes? How does getting involved in local community projects and public-private partnerships help bu i ld better leaders? If you're interested in listen ing to more episodes like this one , click here . For more information on managed services, see our recently published report on The future of managed services: The rising star of consul t ing offerings . An d to speak to our experts about the latest market data and growth opportunities in this area , get in touch .

August 24, 202614 min

What do firms need to know about how clients perceive them in 2026?

In this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Sophie Gunn, Senior Consultant at Source, joins Emma Carroll, Head of Client Voice at Source, to explore the latest findings from Source's Client Perceptions p rogram me and discuss what firms really need to know about how clients perceive them in 2026. We explore the following questions and more: What are the top attributes clients look for when choosing a consulting firm today? Why is expertise alone no longer enough to differentiate professional services firms? How are shifting macroeconomic conditions impacting client confidence across different client segments? Why are "undecided" clients the most critical and challenging group for firms to engage with ? Where are mid-sized and boutique firms outperforming larger competitors ? How can firms capitali s e on client advocates to win new business ? If you're interested in listening to more episodes like this one , click here . Want to strengthen your firm's market positioning and t arget growth ? Get in touch with our experts today and access our latest data to gain insight into client priorities , competitor strengths , and market gaps .

July 28, 202631 min

Why professional services firms will need a new approach to cybersecurity services, post Mythos

In this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Ganesh Devarajan, America s Cyber Risk Leader for EY, joins Emma Carroll, Head of Client Voice at Source, to explore why professional services firms must evolve their approach to cybersecurity serv ices and discuss the i mplications of A nthro pic 's C laude M ythos . We explore the following questions and more: W hat are the biggest changes taking place in the cyber environment today ? How will the launch of Anthropic's Mythos impact the professional services market ? Un der the ever-present t hreat of cyber-attack , how do leaders design a " M inimum V iable E nterprise" —a busin ess that can still function, serve customers , and survive under extreme conditions? In the e ra of AI , how do bu sinesse s need to change how they ma nage c yber risk s? Why is it i mportant for cyber professionals a nd develope rs to lea rn the la nguage of business ? Wh ere are misalloc ating their cyber budgets, and where should they be spending instead ? How important will partnerships and collaboration be, and what does a great ecosystem partnership look like in this context ? Want to strengthen your firm's cybersecurity and client advisory strategy? Get in touch with our experts today. Our research and experts are here to help your firm guide clients through their most complex cyber resilience challenges.

July 13, 202629 min

How is adaptability setting the best firms and clients apart from their competitors?

In this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Rob Fisher, Global Head of Advisory for KPMG International, joins Emma Carroll, Head of Client Voice at Source, to explore how adaptability is setting the best firms and clients apart from their competitors. We explore the following questions and more: Why is incrementalism a recipe for failure in enterprise transformation? What is the "competitor blind spot" and how does it skew strategic planning? Why isn't the surge in AI-driven data translating into faster, clearer decisions? Are firms misusing alliances and ecosystems as a tactical band-aid? How can leaders address the psychological safety crisis to build an AI-fluent culture? For a global firm looking to remain adaptable in today's market, what's the biggest mistake they should avoid making? If you enjoyed this conversation, don't miss our sister podcast, Business Leader's Voice. In the latest podcast episode , we spoke to Andrea Lattimore, Global Director – Compliance & Business Integrity at Vodafone, to explore how trust can be leveraged as a driver of growth and resilience in a global organisation.

June 29, 202626 min

The impact of AI on firms' thought leadership

In this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Elizabeth Bolshaw, Global Content Strategist at EY, joins Emma Carroll, Head of Client Voice at Source, to explore the impact of AI on professional services thought leadership. In this episode, we explore the following questions and more: How i s the democratisation of information changing the competitive landscape of thought leadership for firms ? How can firms differentiate themselves in a competitive "sea of sameness" ? With many C x Os expressing cynicism toward AI-generated thought leadership, how can firms maintain transparency and client trust? Does letting AI do all the heavy lifting risk mak ing our critical thinking lazy? If so, what does this "cognitive atrophy" mean for thought leadership ? How is g enerative e ngine o ptimi s ation (GEO) forcing firms to rethink gated content, and why are LLMs now considered an audience ? How can smaller thought leadership teams use AI to overcome resource constraints, establish a niche, and compete with industry giants?

June 16, 202640 min

How is AI transforming consulting and what's next for firms?

In this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Bhaskar Ghosh, former Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Accenture, joins Emma Carroll, Head of Client Voice at Source, to explore how AI is already transform ing the consulting industry and the big mistakes firms must avoid making . In this episode, we explore the following questions and more: Will AI shrink or grow the consulting industry ? I s the biggest risk to consulting firms not job loss es , but loss of judgement ? How will AI impact firm profitability? How can firms navigate the "Three C's" ( c annibalisation, c ost structure, c apabilities) of AI disruption? Where will clients really need consultants to unlock value from AI? What is the biggest mistake consulting leaders risk making around AI?

June 1, 202632 min

Trends in how clients are using AI – agentic and more…

In this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Francine Bennett, B oard M ember at the Ada Lovelace Institute and at The British Library , joins Emma Carroll, Head of Client Voice at Source, to explore the rapid evolution o f AI and its practical implications for business leaders. Drawing on over 20 years of experience, Francine address the following questions and more: Where are we with agentic AI , and how far have businesses really got with its adoption ? In what ways are multimodal AI and direct speech-to-speech voice models transforming customer interactions? How can leaders effectively leverage AI for strategy development while keeping human judgement at its heart ? Why does mandating AI adoption through blunt metrics (like number of hours spent using AI ) backfire, and what is a better approach to building workforce skills? Where can consultants add the most value for clients around AI ? Where are we with the challenge posed by hallucinations and overconfident AI outputs today ? If you enjoyed this conversation, we have a whole catalogue of back episodes for you to delve into. In a recent episode , we sat down with Geert van den Goor , C EO at Valcon , to talk about the new competitive advantage of regional firms.

May 22, 202622 min

Reinventing technology alliances in professional services firms

In this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Paul Clark, Partner & Global Alliance Leader - EY Microsoft at EY , joins Fiona Czernia w ska, CEO at Source, to discuss rein venting technolog y al l iance s. We address following questions and more: Is AI ushering in a new era of implementation partner dynamics? You do n't get t o the lig htbulb throug h cont inuous rein vention of t he cand le . H ow can we reimagi ne the entire partner mode l to integr ate deep do m ain experti se , secto r insights , an d an under standing of busines s process es? What if the real value of AI isn't replacing people, but amplifying human capability at scale? Are clients moving beyond the traditional divide between business and technology teams to fully integrated decision making? AI c ould completely reshape the future of p aym ent models in pro fess ional ser vic es . W ill out comes-bas ed pric ing beco me the new normal ? W ith large -scale allia nce s like EY -M icroso ft , how can f irms work t o ge ther to mak e the most of the ex pertise on both sides? If you enjoyed this conversation, don't miss our sister podcast, Business Leader's Voice. In the latest podcast episode , we spoke to Andrea Lattimore, Global Director – Compliance & Business Integrity at Vodafone, to explore how trust can be leveraged as a driver of growth and resilience in a global organisation.

May 18, 202616 min

How to avoid drowning in a thought leadership "sea of sameness": Insights from Source's quality ratings report 2026

I n this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Natasha Cam bell, Principal Consultant at Source, and Nicola Kostrzewska , Senior Consultant at Source, join Emma Car r o l l, Head of Client Voice, to explore the themes and findings of the latest Quality Ratings of Thought Leadership report. Natasha and Nicola share insights that challenge the industry to rethink how content is created and activated to stand out in an increasingly crowded market and overcome the much-discussed "sea of sameness". They address questions including: What does great quality thought leadership look like from the perspective of senior buyers? How is the rise of AI fuelling demand for innovation and making extreme audience specificity the most successful strategy for differentiation? What made top-tier campaigns so provocative and successful? Why do most clients rank "having a sense of how firms can help" as such a crucial attribute of thought leadership, and how can firms demonstrate this without resorting to a hard sell? How can thought leadership teams consistently adopt an audience-first approach to build empathy with executives? If you enjoyed this conversation, don't miss our sister podcast, Business Leader's Voice. In the latest podcast episode , we spoke to Andrea Lattimore, Global Director – Compliance & Business Integrity at Vodafone, to explore how trust can be leveraged as a driver of growth and resilience in a global organisation .

May 4, 202636 min

Transforming asset-based consulting as a route to growth

In this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Andy Baldwin, Global Managing Partner & SVP Offerings & Growth at IBM Consulting , joins Fiona Czernia w sk a, CEO at Sourc e , to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of asset-based consulting. Andy shares insights that challeng e the industry to rethink how traditional human consultants integrate with digital software assets and autonomous agents . We address questions including: W hat i s "asset-based consulting" and how do productivity-based assets differ from business - value assets? How will consulting firms transition away from the traditional time-and-materials pricing model to consumption-based plans? Why is it essential for consulting firms to build software-style product management capabilities ? How are predefined agents and fully autonomous systems fundamentally chang ing client experience and delivery models? In a complex IT landscape packed with overlapping tools, why is the demand for a centrali s ed "agent management platform" becoming critical for clients? H ow will delivery models change over the next 5 to 10 years, and what will separate the winners from the losers? If you are interested in how generative AI and autonomous agents could reshape the consulting profession, this conversation is for you. If you enjoyed this conversation, don't miss our sister podcast, Business Leader's Voice . In this series, we talk directly to business leaders about what is disrupting their industries, what occupies their headspace .