The Superhero Behind the AI
Professional services is often defined by the “brilliant individual” model—the superstar consultant who carries the project context in their head. But as our Chief Customer Officer Marissa Bowman shared at the recent Consulting Magazine Rising Stars event, the arrival of agentic AI is changing the game. It’s no longer about just billing hours; it’s about Human Ingenuity leading the charge.
From Manual Research to AI Leadership
Marissa highlighted a powerful transformation with Main Street Advisors, a Chicago-based investment firm. Their research team was drowning in manual work, spending over two hours every morning absorbing earnings reports and market news.
By deploying two marquee AI agents—the Earnings Summary Agent and the Morning Market Update Agent—workflows that once took hours were reduced to minutes. The result wasn't just efficiency; it was career evolution. Within 60 days, their main stakeholder, Research Analyst Dan Kupiec, was promoted from an analyst to an AI leadership role, standing up a firm-wide AI Center of Excellence.
Elevating the Career Path
This isn't an isolated incident. Marissa also recognized Rising Star honoree Claire Anderson of Spaulding Ridge. Claire transitioned from a Delivery Director to a full-time Director of AI & Innocation, tackling governance and building a team of context engineers across eight different practices.
Progress Over Perfection
The takeaway for the next generation of "Rising Stars" in consulting is clear: while the platform and the prompts are foundational, the "superhero" behind the AI is what matters most.
As Marissa noted, "You don't have to make every first perfect. We always say progress over perfection." The firms and individuals who win will be those who show the curiosity and grit to tackle their "firsts" in the AI sandbox, turning individual expertise into collective intelligence.
