Faculty Announced for 2026 Top Consultants Professional Series

This year's program combines three fast-paced lightning talks with a deep-dive moderated panel discussion. Attendees can expect a high-impact session that delivers insight into the structural forces reshaping consulting, from AI-driven delivery models and outcome-based pricing to geopolitical disruption and the evolving role of human judgment in an increasingly automated industry.

"Agentic AI is compressing decades of change into a few short years, and consulting firms must fundamentally rethink how they price, staff, and deliver work," said Michael Webb, director of Consulting Magazine. "This year's Professional Series brings together leaders who have been at the center of that transformation to give our audience both the perspective and the practical tools to navigate what's next."

The series opens with arrival and registration at 3:45 p.m., followed by three lightning presentations:

The New Consulting Model: Outcome-Based, AI-Enabled, Future-Ready | Prasad Narasimhan Sulur, chief business officer of Certinia, will examine the structural forces reshaping the consulting business model, from the shift to outcome-based pricing to the disruption of the traditional workforce pyramid. Drawing on nearly two decades as a senior leader in Bain & Company's software and services practices, and as a key author of Bain's perspectives on AI's impact on services, Sulur will outline three imperatives for success in this new era: effectively leveraging AI, managing profitability against client price expectations, and establishing an "AI-native" identity. He will offer a frank look at what firms need to get right on AI governance, delivery model redesign, and talent strategy to capture value on the other side of this platform shift.

The External Storm: Advising Clients Through Geopolitical and Market Disruption | Michael Valocchi, senior client solutions advisor at Toptal, will address the multivariate external forces of deglobalization, geopolitical uncertainty, and economic complexity that compound the already-disruptive force of AI. Valocchi will argue that clients today face structural changes, not merely cyclical trends, and that those conditions demand a modern approach to strategy consulting focused on optionality, speed, and dynamic thinking. His session will outline why former linear models will not suffice and how this moment opens the door to an entirely new approach to strategic advisory.

Consulting in 2030: Three Scenarios | Igor Stenmark, managing director of MGI Research, will confront the central question facing every firm leader: does AI break the consulting model? Stenmark will present three scenarios for the state of the industry in 2030: a consolidation world where only the largest firms survive by scaling AI infrastructure; a reinvention world where human judgment and relationship capital become the premium product; and a disruption world where the traditional model collapses and gives way to entirely new advisory structures. His presentation will challenge attendees to stress-test their own assumptions about relevance, commoditization, and margin compression in a rapidly evolving landscape.

To close the program, Sulur, Valocchi, and Stenmark will return for a deep-dive panel discussion, "The Human Edge: Talent, Trust, and the Future Identity of the Consultant," moderated by Webb. This interactive session will connect the dots between the disruptive factors explored in each lightning talk, examining how firms and individual practitioners can apply knowledge, awareness, and operational flexibility to guide clients through uncertain business conditions. The panel runs from 4:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Following the program, attendees are invited to a pre-awards networking break before the Top Consultants Awards Cocktail Reception at 6:00 p.m. and the awards ceremony dinner at 7:00 p.m. Registration for the Industry Series program does not include dinner attendance; those registered for the awards dinner do not need to register separately for the Industry Series.

About Top Consultants

Consulting Magazine's Top Consultants program recognizes the industry's most accomplished individual practitioners, those whose expertise, client impact, and leadership set the standard for the profession. Honorees are nominated by peers, clients, and firm leadership and are evaluated across a range of criteria reflecting excellence in advisory work. Details and the full list of 2026 Top Consultants honorees can be found at event.consultingmag.com.