The Professional Services Pursuit

Professional services leaders are constantly balancing growth, delivery, and profitability, but what if the biggest opportunities are hiding in plain sight?In this episode, Charles Gustine, Director of Customer and Market Insights at Kantata, and Connor Budden, Global Director at Service Performance Insight (SPI), explore how benchmarking helps firms uncover hidden inefficiencies, strengthen leadership, and transform performance across every area of the business.Recorded live at Kantata Converge, this conversation draws on decades of SPI’s benchmarking insights and unveils SPI Insight, a breakthrough integration that brings real-time benchmarking directly into the Kantata platform.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why benchmarking matters — and how top-performing services firms use data to turn blind spots into breakthroughs.The five pillars of performance maturity — leadership, client relationships, talent, service execution, and operations.Real-world stories of firms uncovering costly inefficiencies and driving measurable improvements.How AI is reshaping benchmarking — delivering faster, smarter, and more contextual decision-making.A first look at SPI Insight — the new embedded benchmarking capability within Kantata that turns data into real-time guidance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Banoo sits down with Julie Grove, Senior Manager of Resource Management at Anthology, to unpack how to centralize resource management without losing flexibility or local autonomy. Julie shares her five-step blueprint for building trust, conducting maturity assessments, and designing scalable governance models that prevent burnout and keep teams aligned.You’ll learn:Why trust and relationships come first in any centralization effortHow to use the RMI Maturity Model to assess readiness for changeWays to design governance that balances global consistency with local adaptabilityHow to protect engagement and efficiency at the same timePlus, watch Julie demo how she uses Kantata daily to balance global structure with local empowerment — and deliver smarter, data-driven resource management.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Resource forecasting has never been trickier. With shifting client expectations, unpredictable markets, and outdated tools, even the most sophisticated services organizations struggle to see what’s coming next. In this episode, Brent sits down with Greg Hensley of the Resource Management Institute and RTM Consulting to unpack why traditional forecasting falls short, and how data, process, and AI can help you plan with confidence instead of instinct.Tune in to learn:Why resource forecasting is under the spotlight—and how internal process gaps fuel complexityThe “Just-in-Time Resourcing” model and key takeaways from RMI’s playbookCreating data alignment between demand and supply through roles, skills, and interlock processesHow AI and technology turn clean data into predictive, proactive insightsPractical examples of using visibility and automation to boost agility and profitability Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The professional services industry is evolving at record speed — is your firm ready to keep pace? In this special episode, we bring you the recording of an expert-led discussion with Bo DiMuccio, VP of Professional Services Research at TSIA, and Fortuné Alexander, VP of Product Marketing at Kantata. Together, they share forward-looking insights and practical guidance on what firms must do today to thrive in tomorrow’s market.In this episode, you’ll learn how to:Build a winning transformation strategyIntegrate AI into your operationsAdapt to emerging business modelsNavigate an evolving technology landscapeDrive customer success in a new eraTo learn more download a copy of the whitepaper they discussed, 3 Ways Inaction Is Holding Your Professional Services Business Back, that breaks down the real cost of standing still across three critical areas:Reactive resourcingInconsistent service deliveryInaccurate or untimely performance data Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this final installment of our Kennedy Intelligence Series, host Brent is joined once again by Alex Klein and Ramone Param to unpack the “unsexy” but mission-critical side of growth: your back office. From pricing and cash flow to governance and quality control, they reveal how operational discipline determines whether a services firm can scale past $30M, or stalls out. Drawing on decades of consulting, M&A, and scaling experience, Alex and Ramone share insider lessons on turning overlooked back office processes into engines of growth and valuation. Discover how discipline and structure, not just sales, create resilience and long-term success.In this episode, you’ll hear about:Why quality control is the foundation for consistency, culture, and client trustThe operational red flags that signal it’s time to professionalize your back officeWhen and why to bring in a CFO, COO, or board governance to sustain growthWhy cash conversion is a common Achilles heel for PS firms, and and how fixing it drives profitability and valuationThe danger of “we’ll fix operations later” thinking, and why discipline from day one pays offOur listeners receive exclusive preferred rates on Kennedy's market research, strategic advisory, performance improvement benchmarking and M&A services that are tailored to leaders of professional services firms. Just reference Kantata and you will receive preferred pricing on any of their assets or services. Go to https://www.kennedyintel.com/ to learn more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To celebrate a major milestone — our 100th episode of the Professional Services Pursuit — we flipped the script. Guest host Dominique steps out from behind the scenes to put Brent and Banoo in the hot seats.This time, instead of asking the questions, they’re answering them, sharing candid insights drawn from years of conversations with professional services leaders and customers. From the rise of AI to the realities of change management, it’s an unfiltered look at what’s working, what’s not, and what the future holds for firms navigating constant uncertainty.In this milestone episode, you’ll hear about:Real-world AI applications and how they’re reshaping business modelsChange management strategies that actually stickHow to prioritize when teams have competing needsFrameworks for aligning requirements back to core business objectivesThe shift from traditional metrics to predictive, outcome-based measuresWhy agility, adaptability, and a clear North Star are essential in today’s climate Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fourth installment of our series with Kennedy Intelligence, Brent is joined again by Alex Klein and Tom Rodenhauser to explore one of the most persistent myths in the professional services industry: the belief that hiring a few “star” performers will unlock growth. Together, they unpack why overreliance on rainmakers can be a dangerous blind spot, the cultural risks of high-profile hires, and the critical importance of building scalable systems and developing talent from within. Key topics covered in this episode:How overreliance on rainmakers limits growth and adds riskUsing clear value propositions, processes, and coaching to scale beyond star talentWhy big-firm hires often fail without cultural alignmentBuilding principal-level talent to free partners for business developmentSuccess stories of promoting leaders from within over external hiresOur listeners receive exclusive preferred rates on Kennedy's market research, strategic advisory, performance improvement benchmarking and M&A services that are tailored to leaders of professional services firms. Just reference Kantata and you will receive preferred pricing on any of their assets or services. Go to https://www.kennedyintel.com/ to learn more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this third episode of our series with Kennedy Intelligence, host Brent reunites with Alex Klein and Tom Rodenhauser to break down why “Client Love” alone won’t scale your consulting firm past $30M. They share hard-won insights and practical strategies for shifting from founder-driven relationships to scalable, value-based client engagement.Key topics covered include:The limitations of client satisfaction as a growth metricWhy firms get stuck in the ‘friends and family’ trapFrameworks for pushing back on unprofitable client demandsTackling client concentration riskHow to measure what really mattersOur listeners receive exclusive preferred rates on Kennedy's market research, strategic advisory, performance improvement benchmarking and M&A services that are tailored to leaders of professional services firms. Just reference Kantata and you will receive preferred pricing on any of their assets or services. Go to www.kennedyintel.com to learn more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How are today’s IT leaders adapting to the breakneck pace of AI and cybersecurity evolution? In this episode of The Professional Services Pursuit, host Banoo welcomes Taison Kearney, Chief Information Security Officer and Data Protection Officer at Kantata. With over two decades of experience, Taison shares how IT teams are shifting from traditional support roles to become strategic drivers in AI governance and cybersecurity leadership.This conversation offers a front-line view into the challenges and opportunities that come with AI adoption, from managing risk and “shadow AI” to building future-ready security teams and becoming a trusted advisor to clients.Key Topics Covered:The benefits and risks of enterprise AI adoptionHow the CISO role is expanding in the era of AIBuilding a proactive, secure, and AI-savvy IT cultureEarning client trust through strategic security partnershipThe specific risks facing professional services firms, and how data centralization helps mitigate them Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Banoo welcomes back Andrew Cohen, EVP of Innovation & Ai at Netsurit, to explore how artificial intelligence, automation, and real-time data visibility are transforming the IT services and professional services industries. Building on their previous conversation from 2023, Andrew shares powerful insights into how the rapid evolution of AI is reshaping business agility, decision-making, and internal operations. Key Topics Covered:The seismic shift from digital transformation to AI-driven innovationHow organizations are overcoming data silos to centralize insights and drive business performance through advanced AI prompting and analyticsAI in action for M&A and operational agilityChange management and AI adoption strategiesAndrew’s 5-point framework for assessing AI readiness Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.