Interviews to Insights: What I Learned Talking to 9 of Norway’s Top CEO´s

Interview Norwegian CEOs.

Ask bold questions about how AI is reshaping their work with consultants.

Collect insights.

Find patterns.

Share what I’ve learned.

Simple, right?

What no one told me and what I didn’t fully understand until I started is how much learning happens before the analysis. Before I transcribed a single quote. Before I made a slide. Before I wrote a single headline.

I was already learning. A lot.

Not just about consulting or business models or leadership styles, though those, too. What I was really figuring out was how to think about AI in a way that made sense. How to talk about it. How to challenge my assumptions. How to notice what people say… and what they don’t.

Nine companies in: Orkla, OBOS, VY, SVAL, Storebrand, Avinor, Sopra Steria, Nortura, NorgesGruppen. I can feel myelf growing more confident with each one! It is no longer as scary as when I started.

And something else has surprised me: People have been incredibly generous. They’ve stayed long past our scheduled time.They’ve asked me questions. They’ve shared stories and ideas and challenges I never expected. More than a few have said some version of:

“This is a really cool project. Let me know how I can support.”

When you show up curious, prepared, and genuinely interested. people want to help. Especially if you’re young. Especially if you’re not trying to pretend you know everything.

So no, I’m not an AI expert (yet). But I am someone who’s been in the room, again and again listening, asking, learning.

Sometimes the answers matched what I expected. Sometimes I walked away with a completely different take.But every time, I walked away smarter than I was 20 minutes earlier.

This project isn’t just about collecting answers.It’s about building the confidence and clarity to ask the right ones.

And now, since I know that’s what you’re here for, let’s get into some of the insights.

(Not all of them, of course… there are some eager consulting firms waiting patiently for the full thing 😉) But here’s a sneak peek:

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1. AI Is Already Here, Just Not Where You Think

AI isn’t some future disruption. It’s already being used across companies, just quietly. Most of it happens behind the scenes, built in-house to support everyday operations like marketing, procurement, and research.

Key Quotes:

• “Internally, we’re already using AI, just not where you’d expect.”

• “In brand-building and marketing, we’ve built internal AI tools that generate creative briefs and speed up feedback loops.”

• “Much of the work we do, especially with market intelligence, is much easier to access with AI.”

• “You might not need industry specialists with a network in England, Germany, and the Netherlands… AI helps you find it.”

Takeaway: AI isn’t flashy, it’s functional. It’s being used to streamline, support, and speed up work. It may not replace consultants yet, but it’s already reshaping how internal teams operate.

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2. AI Is Reshaping, Not Replacing Consultants

Companies aren’t dropping consultants. But they are rethinking what consultants are for. AI handles repetitive tasks, consultants are now expected to deliver strategic clarity, help scale ideas, and tackle complex new challenges.

Key Quotes:

• “AI helps streamline certain tasks, but we’re still in an exploratory phase where we need external help.”

• “There are new challenges with AI: security, GDPR, data usage… That’s where external help is needed.”

• “We try to create playbooks from the consulting projects we run, so we can implement the work ourselves in future projects.”

• “They have to deliver real value. Because they are incredibly expensive.”

• “If I can replace a person with AI, I’ll do it.”

Takeaway: Consultants are shifting from doing the work to enabling the client to do the work. The best firms don’t just deliver, they will be replaced.

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3. The Future Is Hybrid: AI + Industry + Human Skills

The most in-demand consulting teams are hybrids, blending technical expertise with deep industry understanding. Neither is enough alone.

Key Quotes:

• “The optimal management consulting team has both industry knowledge and insight into new technology.”

• “If a team can include someone with AI competence, that’s a huge strength.”

• “If you can find the combination of both industry knowledge and AI, that’s the dream consultant.”

Takeaway: The winning consultant isn’t just a strategist or a technologist, they’re both. Clients want teams who understand their business and the tools shaping its future.

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4. Strategic Partnerships Are the New Normal

The relationship between client and consultant is evolving. CEOs don’t want transactional vendors they want collaborative partners who adapt, listen, and move fast.

Key Quotes:

• “We don’t see it as a strict contract anymore, it’s a strategic partnership.”

• “You can see it, the consultants shift with us. They help us change direction.”

• “It’s not about avoiding help, it’s about making sure help doesn’t become a crutch.”

Takeaway: Consultants are becoming embedded allies, not outsiders. The firms that listen and evolve with the client will win.

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5. Future Value = Client Autonomy

The ultimate goal isn’t more consulting hours, it’s less. CEOs want partners who help them move from analog → digital → AI → autonomous. Long-term, internal capability is the prize.

Key Quotes:

• “If we succeed in what we’re working on, we’ll be able to analyze our own data and own our change processes.”

• “Help us move from analog → digital → AI → autonomous, I need consultants to help me understand what that actually looks like.”

Takeaway: Don’t just solve today’s problem. Help the client build for tomorrow and get to the point where they don’t need you anymore.

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So, what started as a simple idea, talk to smart people, ask good questions, share what I find.

Here’s what I’ve come to believe (so far): AI won’t kill consulting. But it will kill lazy consulting.

The firms that rely on slide decks, jargon, and junior analysts doing repetitive work? They’re in trouble.But the ones that help clients understand, adapt, and build internal capability? They’re not just safe, they’re essential.

And AI? It’s not a flashy add-on. It’s infrastructure. Quietly reshaping how decisions get made, how work gets done, and who does what. The winners aren’t the ones who panic or posture. They’re the ones who partner, learn, and get practical.

This project has taught me a lot, but mostly, it’s taught me to pay closer attention. To what people say, and what they avoid. To what looks like innovation, and what actually changes how things work.

And maybe most importantly:You can’t analyze what you don’t understand. And you can’t understand what you’re too afraid to ask.

Let’s keep asking.

-June