How to REWIRE the Service Sector: Financial Services & Professional Services
Session Overview
How to REWIRE the Service Sector: Financial Services & Professional Services
Two industries defined by expertise, judgment, and human capital — now confronting fundamental questions about their operating models as AI capabilities accelerate.
Financial services institutions are deploying AI across risk assessment, compliance, and client advisory functions. Professional services firms face pressure on the leverage model that has sustained partnerships for generations, as AI compresses work that historically required teams of analysts and associates.
This panel convenes senior leaders from both sectors to examine the strategic implications. Where does AI create genuine margin expansion versus commoditisation risk? How do firms maintain differentiation when foundational capabilities become automated? And the workforce dimension: what does responsible transition look like when your talent pipeline was designed for a different economic logic?
REWIRE AI and Professional Services
When AI brings answers, who brings the judgement? The value of professional services in the AI led world
In 2026, we’ve reached Peak Execution.
AI agents can now draft contracts, simulate 10-year market strategies, and generate high-fidelity brand identities in seconds. If the "output" is now a commodity, what value do companies pay professionals for? This session explores the transition from the Knowledge Economy to the Wisdom Economy.
We explore the value AI cannot replace.
Who this session is for
• C-level executives contracting professional services on a regular basis
• Professional services leaders, consulting firms heads shaping AI-resilient strategies
Host / Speakers
Marina Gracia March — CEO IKAI
Beate Rosenthal — Partner Roland Berger
Michael Engel — Partner White & Case LLC
Matthew R. Kittay — Co-Chair, Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group Fox Rothschild LLP
REWIRE >> AI and Financial Services
AI is reshaping financial services—risk assessment, fraud detection, algorithmic trading, credit decisions, customer service, regulatory compliance. The questions: Where does AI create competitive advantage versus where does it become table stakes? How do financial institutions balance automation with human judgment on high-stakes decisions? What regulatory frameworks enable AI innovation while managing systemic risk? How do banks, asset managers, and insurers rewire operations when AI changes how financial decisions get made?
Host / Speakers
Dr. Michael P Unger — Lead Financial Services (Central Europe) NVIDIA
Jean-Philippe Schepens van Thiel — Founder & CEO AxonJay
Arne Mjøs — Group CEO and founder Itera
Ujjwal Kumar — Principal Architect, Office of CTO Microsoft
Shanu Mehta — Founder MMC Convert
Robin Wood Sailer — Co-Founder and General Partner Le Labs and Helena Capital
REWIRE the Organization for AI
From AI pilots to AI-native enterprises
AI is no longer an experiment. It is reshaping how organisations create value, operate, and compete. While many companies have launched pilots, few succeed in scaling them — as strategy, operating models, and technology evolve out of sync.
REWIRE is a high-level programme for leaders ready to move beyond experimentation. It brings clarity to what becoming AI-native actually requires, focusing on the organisational, operational, and leadership shifts needed to embed AI into the core of how companies run and scale.