Summary: AI is reshaping strategy consulting in Europe – firms that treat it as existential and invest in delivery will thrive, while those that don’t risk being left behind.
Firms sold the AI gold rush, buyers held back
Firms that invest will lead.
Those that don’t will be left selling slides while clients demand results.
The Wall Street Journal notes: firms bet billions on AI, but demand hasn’t matched the pitch.
CIOs are blunt: a Big Four partner has no more experience than a student with the same tools.
Proofs don’t scale. Reports don’t deliver. Nobody funds a learning curve.
In ERP or cloud, consultants owned the playbook.
With AI, there isn’t one.
That’s why Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb are going it alone.
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Why consulting firms must rethink AI strategy
In the past, firms controlled transformation by selling playbooks – whether in ERP, cloud, or outsourcing. With AI, that advantage is gone. Clients are experimenting in-house, often with more fluency than their advisors.
This resets the consulting model in three ways:
Proofs don’t equal production
Pilots and slideware no longer impress. A credible AI consulting strategy now means proving scalability, defining ownership, and mapping run-costs before day one.
Talent is the constraint
A partner badge is no longer enough. Consulting firms in the UK, Germany, and Switzerland are finding that small, accountable teams of data scientists, engineers, and product managers can out-deliver global brands.
Shift from advice to adoption
Boards are done with “what AI could do”. They want clear adoption roadmaps: week 1 test, month 1 pilot, quarter 1 results. The firms that thrive will be those that package AI delivery, not PowerPoint.
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What this means for candidates & partners
AI doesn’t kill consulting. It kills lazy consulting.
Judgment and trust remain irreplaceable – but fluency in AI tools is now expected at every level.
Overpromising destroys reputations fast.
Clients know when they’re paying for learning curves. Firms that sell outcomes without the delivery muscle risk long-term credibility.
Career equity depends on fluency.
For Directors and Partners, understanding how AI reshapes delivery isn’t optional. Senior leaders who bring proven adoption stories to market will differentiate themselves in hiring and promotions.
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Signals from the European market
From our conversations across the UK and Germany, the message is consistent:
Buyers pay for results, not brands.
Procurement no longer defaults to global logos. They want proof of value, fast.
Clients are hiring ex-consultants directly.
Firms like Merck and BMS are pulling talent in-house, showing that embedded capability is often faster than external advice.
Regulators push ROI earlier.
In Germany especially, supervisory boards demand tangible returns before budgets are renewed. Failed pilots now carry reputational and compliance risks.
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Is AI a bubble?
Valuations are sky-high. The Economist points out that $21 trillion in stockmarket value has been added since 2022, while revenues are still modest at $50bn a year against trillions invested in data centres.
It’s a fair question. But history shows bubbles don’t kill technologies.
→ Britain had two railway bubbles in the 1800s. Both burst, but the tracks laid became the backbone of modern transport.
→The dotcom crash wiped out capital, but left fibre networks that now carry streaming, cloud, and global commerce.
AI may follow the same path. Even if valuations correct, the infrastructure, tools, and talent being built today will endure.
For consulting firms, the implication is clear: treat AI as existential now, because the benefits will compound long after the hype has faded.
The takeaway
AI won’t leave consulting firms behind – if they invest and treat it as existential.
Even if today’s valuations prove a bubble, the tools and infrastructure will remain.
Those that act now will build lasting advantage.
Those that don’t will learn too late: fluency is the baseline, and delivery with real outcomes is the only currency that counts.
This post comments on:
The Wall Street Journal: How the AI Boom Is Leaving Consultants Behind
8-September 2025
Ben Appleton is the founder of Strat-Bridge, a specialist executive search partner to the strategy consulting industry. He works with global consulting firms and senior leaders across the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and beyond — helping them build capability at the Partner and Director level.
