The UK consulting market has seen the launch of Lightouch Consulting, a brand new administration consultancy positioning itself as a GenAI-native different to traditional advisory corporations. The launch displays a broader pattern in direction of smaller, specialist consultancies constructed round AI-enabled supply, versatile expertise fashions and outcome-focused engagements.
UK consulting revenues have continued to develop lately, pushed by demand for digital transformation, cloud migration and information modernisation. Nevertheless, many patrons report frustration with traditional consulting approaches, citing lengthy lead occasions, junior-heavy supply groups and escalating charges.
On the similar time, generative AI instruments are reshaping how consulting work is delivered. A rising variety of challenger corporations assert that duties that when required giant groups (corresponding to evaluation, documentation, answer design and reporting) can now be accelerated or partially automated.
Lightouch Consulting is the most recent agency which has launched to handle this shift, constructing its working model round AI-enabled supply from day one slightly than retrofitting instruments onto legacy processes.
GenAI-native by design
Not like standard corporations that deal with AI as a functionality or service line, Lightouch describes itself as “GenAI-native”, embedding AI throughout its supply model, methodologies and inside operations.
In accordance to the agency, this permits it to ship consulting engagements sooner and with smaller groups, whereas sustaining senior-level involvement all through. Engagements are designed to concentrate on outcomes slightly than billable days, with AI used to speed up evaluation, state of affairs modelling and consumer deliverables.
The agency’s goal shoppers are mid-to-large organisations present process complicated know-how change, notably the place pace, readability and govt decision-making are important.
Lightouch additionally adopts a network-based consulting model, drawing on a curated pool of unbiased senior consultants slightly than sustaining a big everlasting workforce. This method mirrors a wider industry shift in direction of extra versatile resourcing, as skilled consultants search autonomy and shoppers demand entry to specialist experience on demand.
By combining this expertise model with AI-enabled supply, the agency aims to compete with bigger consultancies on functionality whereas working with considerably decrease overheads.
Positioning in opposition to traditional corporations
The launch comes at a time when established consultancies are below strain to exhibit worth amid rising prices and consumer scrutiny. Procurement groups are more and more difficult fee playing cards, whereas CIOs are searching for companions who can transfer shortly from technique to execution.
Lightouch positions itself as a challenger to traditional consulting economics, arguing that AI permits corporations to ship the identical—or higher—outcomes with fewer folks and shorter timelines. The agency’s proposition centres on senior-led supply, lowered dependency on giant groups, and a concentrate on sensible execution slightly than prolonged advisory phases.
Whereas it stays to be seen how shortly GenAI-native consultancies will scale, the launch of Lightouch Consulting highlights a transparent path of journey for the industry. As AI continues to reshape skilled providers, new entrants are rising that query long-standing assumptions about how consulting work needs to be priced, staffed and delivered.
For established corporations, the challenge might be whether or not they can adapt their working fashions quick sufficient—or whether or not the following wave of progress will come from challengers constructed for the AI period from the outset.
Source link
#AInative #Lightouch #Consulting #aims #challenge #traditional #industry #model
