Strategic Transformation Leader · AI & Operational Excellence · $50M+ Impact

$50M+ in Sustained Savings. Built the Business Cases That Got It Done.

Transformation consultant with 15 years across Real Estate and Financial Services: operating model redesign, rightshoring, AI deployment and process transformation.

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$50M+
Sustained Recurring Savings
1,000+
FTEs in Scope Across Programmes
18
Markets Across EMEA, Americas & APAC
Fortune 500
& FTSE 100 Delivery Track Record
About

Background

Brian Connick, Strategic Transformation Leader

Strategic transformation leader with 15 years of international experience across Real Estate and Financial Services. Currently a Business Process Transformation Consultant within the Business Services Organisation of a global commercial real estate firm, based in Warsaw, and a trusted advisor to service line Managing Directors and senior leadership on enterprise transformation strategy. I build the business cases that move global service lines onto better operating models, the right offshore footprint, and the AI capability to match. $50M+ in sustained, recurring savings delivered across advisory, valuation, enterprise finance and global commission management.

Product manager for two enterprise AI tools scaled from 20-user pilots to 300+ users globally. Hands-on across Claude, Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT and Palantir Foundry. Speaker at industry events on generative AI in operational improvement.

Prior career in HSBC operations transformation across European, UK and offshore markets, finishing as Operations Transformation Lead for HSBC's Retail Banking arm in Europe. ~$4M in annualised savings plus regulatory remediation work mitigating six-figure fines.

My approach is diagnostic first: data-led analysis, robust financial modelling, and honest challenge before any recommendation is made. Every engagement is built around quantified outcomes, not aspirational roadmaps.

Based in Krakow, Poland. Delivering globally.

Translates ambiguous business problems into quantified, board-ready cases.
Bridges strategy and delivery across onshore, nearshore and offshore teams.
Pairs operational rigour with genuine emerging-technology fluency.
Earns trust at MD and C-suite level on high-stakes change.
What I Do

Four Transformation Levers

Every engagement starts with understanding which combination of these levers will deliver the highest impact for your organisation.

Operating Model Redesign

Restructuring support functions and organisational design to align resources with revenue-generating activity.

Rightshoring & Offshoring

Moving the right work to the right location, from go-to-market strategy through to operational embedding.

AI & Automation

Evaluating, testing, and deploying AI tools that solve real operational problems: contract abstraction, chatbots, process automation.

Process Transformation

End-to-end process reviews, redesign, and technology deployment that deliver measurable efficiency gains.

Results

Selected Case Studies

Quantified outcomes from recent transformation engagements. Each case study follows a consistent approach: diagnose the problem, model the options, deliver the outcome.

$12M
Enterprise Finance Redesign
Full operating model redesign of a global service line's finance arm, combining spans-and-layers review, rightshoring, and work realignment.
Operating Model Rightshoring Process Transformation
▶ Click to read full case study

The Problem

The Enterprise Finance arm of a global service line had grown organically, resulting in duplicated roles, unclear accountability and a cost structure misaligned with the work being performed. Senior-cost resources were executing routine tasks, spans of control were inconsistent, and there was no structured offshore footprint despite significant volumes of standardised work.

The Approach

Led an end-to-end operating model redesign starting with a spans-and-layers review to identify structural inefficiencies. Mapped every finance activity against complexity, volume, and location dependency. Built the business case for rightshoring standardised work to lower-cost locations while realigning onshore roles to higher-value activity. Modelled multiple scenarios to quantify savings under different implementation timelines.

The Outcome

$12M in annualised savings unlocked through operating model redesign, spans-and-layers restructure, rightshoring, and work realignment. Delivered a sustainable target operating model with clear role definitions and governance.

$9M
London Valuation Transformation
ERP upgrade, organisational redesign, and offshoring of high-volume tasks delivering a 15% productivity uplift.
Rightshoring Operating Model Process Transformation
▶ Click to expand

The Problem

The London Valuation team was operating with a cost structure that constrained margin growth. High volumes of process-driven valuation support work were being performed onshore by senior-cost resources. A legacy ERP system was creating manual workarounds, and the organisational structure had not been reviewed against current workload patterns.

The Approach

Conducted a full activity analysis across the valuation workflow, categorising every task by complexity, value-add, and location dependency. Identified a tranche of standardised support activities suitable for offshoring. In parallel, led the deployment of a new ERP system to eliminate manual workarounds and supported an organisational restructure to align team shape with the revised operating model.

The Outcome

$9M in annualised savings and a 15% productivity uplift through the combined impact of offshoring lower-complexity work, reducing process waste via the new ERP, and restructuring the team to focus senior resources on revenue-generating activity.

$15M+
UK Advisory Operating Model Redesign
Target operating model spanning 788 FTE across five service lines, combining offshoring, automation and operating model change to net $15M+ in run-rate savings.
Operating Model Rightshoring AI & Automation
▶ Click to expand

The Problem

A major UK Advisory service line with circa 788 FTE was operating with a fragmented support model across five service lines. Executive Assistants and Personal Assistants were aligned to individual fee earners rather than pooled by capability, creating inconsistent service levels, high cost-to-serve ratios, and limited scalability. High-volume administrative tasks were being performed onshore by expensive resources despite being highly repeatable and rules-based.

The Approach

Conducted a full current-state diagnostic across the support function, mapping every activity against complexity, volume, and proximity requirements. Built a data-driven operating model that rationalised support from individual alignment to a pooled, tiered model. Identified offshoring candidates using a structured scoring framework assessing task standardisation, language dependency, system access, and regulatory constraints. Combined offshoring, automation and operating model change levers into a single integrated business case.

The Outcome

Delivered a multi-lever target operating model for 788 FTE across five service lines, netting $15M+ in run-rate savings by combining pooled support, offshoring of standardised tasks and automation of repeatable processes. Business case approved at sponsor level.

$1B+
Global Commission Management Platform
Build-vs-configure decision for the platform managing over $1B in annual commissions, with executive options paper.
Operating Model Process Transformation
▶ Click to expand

The Problem

A global commission management platform was handling over $1B in annual commissions but the underlying technology and process architecture required a strategic decision on its future direction. The organisation needed clarity on whether to build a bespoke solution, configure an existing platform, or pursue a hybrid approach.

The Approach

Stewarded the build-vs-configure decision by evaluating the current platform against business requirements, scalability needs, and total cost of ownership. Authored an executive options paper comparing internal build against Salesforce SPM and Oracle ICM, assessing each against functional fit, implementation risk, ongoing support costs, and strategic alignment.

The Outcome

Delivered an executive options paper that provided leadership with a clear, evidence-based recommendation for the platform managing $1B+ in annual commissions. Decision framework adopted by senior leadership for the investment case.

$4.5M
US Accounts Receivable Transformation
Workshop-led process redesign and AI technology rollout reducing overdue receivables across a US business unit.
Process TransformationAI & Automation
▶ Click to expand

The Problem

A US business unit was carrying a significant accounts receivable deficit driven by fragmented collection processes, unclear ownership between finance and operations teams, and a lack of automated escalation triggers. Aged debt was growing quarter-on-quarter with no structured intervention framework.

The Approach

Ran an end-to-end process diagnostic mapping the full receivables lifecycle from invoice generation through to cash collection. Facilitated C-suite workshops to align leadership on root causes and co-design the target-state process. Deployed new AI technology for automated ageing alerts and dashboard-driven prioritisation.

The Outcome

$4.5M reduction in overdue receivables through workshop-led process redesign and new AI technology rollout. Established a sustainable operating rhythm with clear ownership, automated triggers, and executive visibility.

62%
HSBC Compliance Operations Transformation
New operating cadence, skill-based allocation, and daily performance management driving sustained output gains.
Process Transformation Operating Model
▶ Click to expand

The Problem

A compliance review team responsible for non-personal entity reviews across the Channel Islands and Isle of Man was consistently underperforming against daily targets. Work was allocated generically without regard to case complexity or individual skill sets, team engagement was low, and there was no structured daily performance management rhythm.

The Approach

Implemented a new operating cadence built around daily huddles to surface blockers, share performance data transparently, and build team accountability. Redesigned work allocation from generic distribution to a skill-based model, matching case complexity to individual capability and experience. Established clear daily targets with real-time tracking and introduced structured coaching for underperforming areas.

The Outcome

62% uplift in team output. 72-hour reduction in average application turnaround time. Achieved and sustained target performance through embedded ways of working rather than one-off interventions.

AI in Practice

Enterprise AI Use Cases

Real-world applications of AI that I have deployed or am ready to deploy in enterprise environments. Each use case is grounded in practical implementation, not theoretical capability.

Enterprise Deployed

Scribe & Synthesia AI Rollout

Product manager for two generative AI tools scaled from 20-user pilots to 300+ active users globally. Built adoption playbook, training curriculum and ongoing support model.

300+ active users across the enterprise globally. Hands-on across Claude, Copilot, ChatGPT & Palantir Foundry.
User adoption 15x
Real Estate Deployed

AI Proof-of-Concepts for Service Lines

Built and shepherded generative AI proof-of-concepts for Valuations, Property Taxation and Commissions Management, translating service line pain points into deployable AI use cases.

Deployed across Valuations, Property Tax and Commission Management service lines.
Service lines 3
Property Tax Deployed

Real Estate Tax Intelligence Platform

AI-powered workflow with real-time data insights, built from user feedback and job shadowing to address property taxation pain points.

Proof of concept delivered and validated with end users through structured feedback loops.
Status Live
Transformation Deployed

AI Readiness & Prioritisation Tool

Designed an enterprise AI Readiness and Suitability Assessment to prioritise generative AI use cases by business impact and feasibility across the organisation.

Used to evaluate and prioritise the full AI use case pipeline across enterprise service lines.
Decision speed 3x
Consulting Deployed

Prompt Library & Rapid Deployment Toolkit

Internal AI tooling including prompt generators, branded content outputs, and a structured consulting methodology embedded into the transformation operating model.

Reused across multiple engagements to compress diagnostic timeframes.
Reuse 8 tools
Enterprise Training Deployed

Enterprise AI Training & Rollout

Led AI training and advanced practice rollout across multiple service lines and functions, spanning Finance, Knowledge Management and front-office advisory teams.

Speaker at industry events on generative AI in operational improvement.
Functions trained 5+
Free Tools

Transformation Toolkit

Size your opportunity before we speak. Use these tools to estimate the financial case for transformation, scope engagement costs, or generate AI prompts tailored to your situation.

Generated Prompt
Select your transformation lever and use case, then click Generate to create a tailored AI prompt you can use with ChatGPT, Claude, or any LLM to accelerate your transformation planning.

Estimated Annual Benefits

Current annual team cost$3,250,000
Projected annual savings$650,000
FTE equivalent freed10.0
3-year cumulative benefit$1,950,000
Estimated Net Annual Benefit$650,000

These are indicative estimates. Actual results depend on scope, complexity, and organisational readiness. Book a discovery call for a tailored assessment.

Estimated Engagement Investment

Engagement duration6-12 weeks
Consultant days (est.)30-45
Technology / tooling$5,000-$15,000
Travel & expenses$3,000-$8,000
Estimated Total Investment$45,000-$75,000

Investment ranges are indicative and depend on specific requirements. All engagements include a detailed scoping phase before commitment. Get a tailored quote.

Get in Touch

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