Rebuilding the Core — Lessons in Strategic Execution

I’ll Be in London June 23–25 — Let’s Talk If This Resonates

Over the past quarter, I’ve had dozens of conversations with COOs, CTOs, and transformation leads across banking, custody, insurance, and trading infrastructure firms. The same patterns keep emerging. 

Most firms aren’t lacking AI ambition—but they’re stuck converting ambition into value.

If you’re in London next week and navigating one of these transition points, I’d be glad to connect in person. Here’s what I’ve been sharing with boards and transformation committees lately:

1. AI Is Operational—Not Abstract

The rhetoric around AI is lofty. But productivity gains only emerge when it's embedded into real workflows. BCG’s recent piece puts it well: only those allocating 80% of AI budgets to revenue or ops-critical functions are seeing tangible returns.

The shift isn’t about automation—it’s about rethinking how decisions are made across underwriting, reconciliations, fraud, and claims. Microsoft, Visa, and other leaders now frame AI less as a tool and more as a co-worker—one that requires structured interfaces and clearly defined accountability.

🧩 Takeaway: Start with use cases where latency, cycle time, or accuracy materially impact your economics. And build from there. Otherwise, you’ll generate demos—not EBITDA.

2. Execution Still Breaks at the Middle

Forbes and CIO.com both landed on this truth: transformation stalls not at the C-suite, but in the operational core. In one case, a billion-dollar transformation failed because middle managers were bypassed, data governance was assumed, and legacy systems were left untouched.

Most FS firms have already seen this movie. The middle layer—product owners, tech leads, regional operations—often hold the actual decision rights. But without redefining incentives and operating rhythms, these transformations drift.

🧩 Takeaway: Diagnose friction zones with surgical precision. Then drive transformation with the same discipline used in regulatory change management.

3. Delivery Models Are Being Redefined

Consulting models are shifting—and rightly so. Firms are no longer willing to pay for presentations. With GenAI pressuring legacy pyramid structures, delivery expectations are evolving fast. The best internal and external partners are now judged by how quickly they integrate, execute, and exit.

For platform investments or regulated infrastructure, this means building leaner delivery ecosystems—fewer layers, more accountability, and real joint ownership of outcomes.

🧩 Takeaway: Structure delivery around time-to-impact, not timelines. And challenge your vendors to co-own the metrics.

4. The COO’s Re-Emergence—For Good Reason

One consistent theme across all four articles? The fragmentation of digital programs, compliance upgrades, and operating model redesigns has outpaced organizational integration. That’s why the COO is once again a strategic role.

Whether you're scaling a custody platform, modernizing a risk core, or restructuring policy admin systems—>

the COO is the only person who sees across P&L, technology, and operations. They’re now the de facto Chief Integration Officer.

🧩 Takeaway: Re-empower the COO. Give them veto rights, budget control, and clear KPIs tied to transformation throughput.

Closing Thoughts

Transformation isn’t new. But right now, the stakes are higher. The investment cycles are shorter. And the tolerance for abstract strategy is gone.

AI won’t save broken workflows. A new front-end won’t erase legacy complexity. But leaders who build integration muscle, fund real operational change, and commit to governance—will win.

I’ll be in London June 23–25. Let’s talk if this sounds familiar, or if you’re preparing for a 2025 realignment.

About Imagine Capital Group
Imagine Capital Group advises private equity firms, portfolio companies, and financial institutions on strategic execution, value creation, and transformation. We support operating partners, CIOs, and change leaders in optimizing executive structures and driving measurable outcomes.

To discuss organizational models, leadership structures, or transformation governance, contact us directly.

Tom C. Schapira
Founder and CEO
Imagine Capital Group
E: [email protected]
Website http://www.imaginecapitalgroup.com