In May, Innovate@UCLA hosted it’s fourth Virtual Series event of 2021, featuring Laura Merling, Managing Director, Digital Transformation, Google Cloud. Laura brought experience and insight from a variety of roles she has played in her career in which she has been a key transformation and advisory leader at companies including Ford, AT&T, Mashery, Sybase, Slalom, McKinsey and more.
Laura shared that according to McKinsey, 60% of the U.S. workforce will be independent workers by 2030, artificial intelligence will provide many of the insights that drive strategy development, and consulting and professional services will be employed increasingly on a project- or initiative-focused basis to provide specific skills and expertise.
Last, Laura predicted that the five key functions of consulting in the future will be 1) Thematic Approach, 2) Network, 3) Value Creation, 4) Sustainability and 5) Governance.