Every Business is an AI Business…?

“What does it really take to become an AI-powered enterprise?”

That was the question on everyone’s mind last week as over 200 senior leaders gathered in London for Sullivan & Stanley’s flagship event: ‘Every Business is an AI Business..?’

But this wasn’t another night of lofty promises or theoretical hype. It was designed for those who are in the thick of transformation, wrestling with legacy systems, regulatory pressure and a wave of rapidly advancing technology that waits for no one.

The tone was set immediately in the opening session, where two visionary founders — Pat Lynes of Sullivan & Stanley and Saša Popović of Vega IT — came together for a candid fireside conversation. With years of experience building businesses that challenge the status quo, they shared insights from the frontline.

“Transformation used to be a roadmap. Now it’s a rhythm,” Pat opened. “If you're still planning in five-year increments, you're already behind.”

Together, they made the case that AI is not just a tool, but a turning point - one that demands a fundamentally different way of thinking about leadership, teams and execution.

From disruption to reinvention

Pat reflected on his motivation for founding Sullivan & Stanley: to create a new type of consulting firm to inspire and develop the future of work. One built for speed, agility and real-world results. Not slide decks.

“We built this to go where traditional consultancies can’t,” he said. “To be the team clients call when they need to get things done, fast - with people they trust.”

For Saša, co-founder of Vega IT, the mission was equally bold. “Our job,” he said, “is to solve real problems with technology that’s not just smart, but human. And AI, when used right, can amplify both capability and compassion inside organisations.”

Together, they argued that the future belongs to those who move early and move intelligently, combining fast access to talent, strong product thinking and the right ethical guardrails to avoid AI becoming “just another shiny toy.”

Putting AI to work inside their own businesses

Crucially, this wasn’t just theory. Both Pat and Saša are already embedding AI inside their own operations, not only to improve internal decision-making and delivery, but also to create new value for their clients.

At S&S, Pat spoke about the development of MissionHub.AI – our proprietary team orchestration platform that uses AI to match the right people to the right missions, optimise team performance and improve delivery outcomes across transformation programmes.

“We’re building a system that learns with every mission. It’s how we scale quality and speed , not by hiring more people, but by making smarter decisions faster.”

Meanwhile, Saša outlined how Vega IT is applying AI in its engineering workflows and client-facing projects - particularly through rapid digital twin prototyping, which allows clients to visualise and validate their future systems in a matter of days.

“We don’t just talk about innovation. We prototype it. Quickly. Intelligently. And with results you can see.”

Their one takeaway… don’t wait!

As the session closed, each founder was asked for a single message they wanted the audience to take home:

Saša’s takeaway: “Be curious - and get your hands dirty. AI isn’t something to delegate. It’s something to understand.”

Pat’s takeaway: “Build momentum. Don’t wait for the perfect strategy - start small, learn fast and let the value drive the roadmap.”

Why this series matters

This opening session laid the foundations for the rest of the evening: a deep dive into how AI is actually being deployed inside organisations — from underwriting to unstructured data, governance to generative agents.

In the coming posts, we’ll explore the key takeaways from each session — including:

• Real-world client use cases from our interactive panel
• A keynote from global AI authority Danilo McGarry

But the message from Session One was clear:

AI is here. It’s accelerating. And if you’re not building for it, you’re already falling behind.

Stay tuned for Part 2 — Demystifying AI: Real leaders, real impact.