The Future of the Firm

In this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Patrick Pugh, Global and US Alliance and Ecosystems Leader at PwC, joins Emma Carroll, Head of Client Voice at Source, and Fiona Czerniawska, CEO at Source, to explore what great alliances look like for professional services firms and where ecosystems are heading.

We explore the following questions and more:

• What are the top priorities for firms' alliances and ecosystems today?

• How are changing client needs driving firms to refine their alliance portfolios?

• Why are sector and industry knowledge so important in ecosystem strategies?

• Who else is buying technology partnerships today outside the IT team?

• How can firms ensure there are shared values and accountability across their alliances?

• What are the common pitfalls to avoid when building and scaling alliances?

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Want deeper market insights fuelled by Source's proprietary market data and research? Get in touch with our experts today to access our latest market data on client priorities, competitor insights, and emerging opportunities.

In this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Tom Shave, President for Europe and APAC at Ryan, joins Emma Carroll, Head of Client Voice at Source, to explore the primary levers for fast growth in the global tax services market.

We explore the following questions and more:

• What key factors are currently driving resilience and growth in the global tax market today?

• What are the primary forces disrupting the global tax market?

• Is AI changing traditional billing models toward value-based pricing?

• What are the different strategic levers that are helping firms like Ryan to scale?

• How can firms use AI to expand into new markets?

• What are the most common growth pitfalls for professional services leaders to avoid in a fast-moving market?

Accelerate your firm's growth in key sectors. Get in touch with our experts today to access our latest market data on client priorities, competitor insights, and emerging opportunities.

In this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Kim Bozzella, Global CIO & CISO Solutions Leader at Protiviti, joins Emma Carroll, Head of Client Voice at Source, to explore what makes a successful client technology transformation.

We explore the following questions and more:

• Why are CEOs and board members more sceptical about AI value realisation than technology leaders?

• How does leadership misalignment across the C-suite directly impact business performance?

• How can advisory firms step in to bridge the divide between executives and align success metrics?

• Why are data readiness and risk management rising to the top of enterprise technology priorities?

• Where are clients creating real value with AI today?

• What piece of advice should consulting leaders consider before starting their next client transformation project?

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Want to sharpen your firm's technology transformation offering? Get in touch with our experts today to access data-driven insights on client priorities, competitor positioning, and the latest market sizing.

In this episode, Priyanka Chaudhry, Global Deputy Vice Chair for Managed Services at EY, joins Fiona Czerniawska, CEO at Source, to explore the changing landscape of managed services and how organisations 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 build better leaders?

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For more information on managed services, see our recently published report on The future of managed services: The rising star of consulting offerings. And to speak to our experts about the latest market data and growth opportunities in this area, get in touch.

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 programme 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 capitalise on client advocates to win new business?

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Want to strengthen your firm's market positioning and target growth? Get in touch with our experts today and access our latest data to gain insight into client priorities, competitor strengths, and market gaps.

In this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Ganesh Devarajan, Americas 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 services and discuss the implications of Anthropic's Claude Mythos.

We explore the following questions and more:

• What are the biggest changes taking place in the cyber environment today?

• How will the launch of Anthropic's Mythos impact the professional services market?

• Under the ever-present threat of cyber-attack, how do leaders design a "Minimum Viable Enterprise"—a business that can still function, serve customers, and survive under extreme conditions?

• In the era of AI, how do businesses need to change how they manage cyber risks?

• Why is it important for cyber professionals and developers to learn the language of business?

• Where are misallocating 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.

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.

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 is 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 CxOs expressing cynicism toward AI-generated thought leadership, how can firms maintain transparency and client trust?
• Does letting AI do all the heavy lifting risk making our critical thinking lazy? If so, what does this "cognitive atrophy" mean for thought leadership?
• How is generative engine optimisation (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?

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 transforming 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?

• Is the biggest risk to consulting firms not job losses, but loss of judgement?

• How will AI impact firm profitability?

• How can firms navigate the "Three C's" (cannibalisation, cost structure, capabilities) 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?

In this episode of the Future of the Firm podcast, Francine Bennett, Board Member at the Ada Lovelace Institute and at The British Library, joins Emma Carroll, Head of Client Voice at Source, to explore the rapid evolution of 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, CEO at Valcon, to talk about the new competitive advantage of regional firms.