Meet our leadership team
AI-native.
Humans first.
Decades of experience. Focused on impact. Our leadership team brings deep expertise across business transformation, data, innovation, and technology. We’ve led and delivered this work within some of the world’s leading organizations.
Philippe De Ridder
CEO & AI Speaker
Philippe is a serial entrepreneur, advisor, and keynote speaker at the intersection of AI and strategy. He founded and leads BOI, and is also the CEO of AUTONOMOUS, the world’s largest summit for AI innovators. Drawing over 10,000 people twice per year at the summit, he engages with thousands of leaders globally, shaping discussions on AI innovation. His thinking is frequently featured in prominent outlets like Fast Company, HBR, Bloomberg Business, and Forbes. As an advisor to many Fortune 500 companies, guest lecturer at business schools, and keynote speaker, he guides people and companies on how to become leaders in AI.
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Amir Ouki
Partner
Amir leads BOI’s Americas practice as well as its global Applied AI practice. His work focuses on how AI is changing the way companies generate value and what leaders need to do differently as a result. He has led the design and build of AI systems that transform roles, functions, and businesses, and loves solving complex real world challenges. He has launched new products with clients including Anthropic, Apple, Netflix, Palantir, Google, Twitch, and Bank of America.
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Laura Stevens, PhD
Managing Director of Data & AI
Laura Stevens, PhD, is the Managing Director of Data & AI, bringing a unique blend of strategic vision, analytical expertise, and leadership acumen. With a background in neuropsychology, business consulting and organizational transformation, she has successfully navigated a career spanning academia, consulting, and industry leadership. As a former VP Data & AI in an international organization, Laura has led large-scale Data & AI teams covering data science, machine learning, data engineering, data governance, and visualization. She is passionate about leading organizations through their data & AI transformation.
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Nick Bogaert
Partner & COO
Nick lives to solve complex challenges and works to make sure we deliver against our audacious goals. He is passionate about unifying emerging tech, design and strategy to grow businesses and improve people’s lives, and has led projects for Roche, Takeda, Johnson & Johnson, GSK, Ferring ING, TD Bank, Rabobank, Engie, EDF, GE, Siemens Energy, and others. He’s leading our work in launching scalable AI technology, building the world’s first AI-native retail model, and re-imagining business models for the world’s most ambitious businesses.
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Jo McKinney
Growth Officer Americas
Perpetually bored with the status quo, Jo thrives at the forefront of transformation. After a successful tenure as CEO and CSO of a U.S. brand consultancy/ad agency —Jo redirected her passion and expertise to the strategic application of AI across business functions, with a special focus on marketing, advertising, insight, and innovation. Throughout her career, she has worked with diverse and leading global brands and at BOI, is partnering with business leaders to create novel strategies, and an AI-native mindset, to drive growth.
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Jonathan Chen
Managing Director, AI Strategy
Jon brings a unique trifecta of experience in enterprise, startup, and consulting, paired with a sharp strategic mind and the grit to execute. Jon leads our AI strategy practice in the US with a clear mission to help leading businesses turn AI ambition into real, scalable capability and getting to outcomes that you can hang your hat on. With a track record of shaping and driving AI transformation at companies like Cigna and Northwestern Mutual, Jon knows what it takes to scale AI.
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Stefano Orani
Managing Director, AI Build
Stefano brings a rare mix of scientific rigor, entrepreneurial spirit, and product leadership. With a PhD in Physics, startup experience, and a track record at Deloitte scaling AI teams and building products, Stefano brings deep expertise in AI, products, and data. He leads our AI Build practice in EMEA, turning bold AI ideas into real, scalable solutions.
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Signe Damgaard
Head of Global Marketing
Signe is a seasoned marketing strategist with an MSc in International Marketing, specializing in brand positioning, lead generation, and content-driven growth. Signe drives our marketing and brand efforts, and brings you thought leadership through webinars, deep insights, tools, guides, and blogs. Ensuring that we cut through the noise, connect with our audience, and share bold perspectives. Signe is also at the helm of AUTONOMOUS, the world’s largest summit for AI Innovators, which yearly brings together more than 25,000 AI Innovators.
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McKenzie Lloyd-Smith
Director, Applied AI
McKenzie Lloyd-Smith, PhD focuses on helping organizations drive strategic reinvention through artificial intelligence. With expertise in human-AI interaction, corporate strategy, and AI-first operating models, he has advised global enterprises, governments, and startups on adoption, design, and governance. He bridges behavioral insight and advanced technology to unlock new value, partnering with leaders to build, implement, and scale AI systems that reimagine how organizations work and grow. McKenzie advances the creation of AI-first organizations where technology, people, and strategy align to deliver sustained competitive advantage.
Aquene MacPolin
Global Head of People & Operations
With deep experience ensuring the operational success of consulting and technology businesses, Aquene has the rare expertise required to forge multidisciplinary teams that thrive in solving previously unsolvable problems. As our Head of People and Operations, she has built a world-class team that is known for its ability to identify transformative opportunities and build the enterprise-level technology to make those opportunities real. In a competitive AI talent market, Aquene leads an organizational culture that ensures that BOI continually attracts and retains the exceptional level of strategic and engineering talent that it is known for.
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Vincent Pirenne
Partner, AI Strategy
Vincent is a senior leader in AI strategy and business transformation, helping Fortune 500 organizations unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence. As a Global Partner at Board of Innovation, he specializes in shaping AI-driven growth strategies for consumer goods, retail, and technology leaders across the USA and Europe. His expertise lies at the intersection of AI, business strategy, and enterprise transformation, helping senior executives navigate AI adoption and scale AI-driven decision-making. He’s focussed on helping organizations build future-ready AI strategies that deliver real business outcomes.
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AI Strategy
Board
Our AI Strategy Board works with us on client engagements to ensure that we are pushing the boundaries of strategy within the realms of what is possible, ethical and scalable.
The AI Strategy Board brings a wealth of expertise spanning business and academia – bringing practical expertise on what it takes to successfully deploy AI in your organization.
Dimitris Bountolos
Chief Information and Innovation Officer
Dimitris Bountolos is a visionary C-level executive with over two decades of experience driving growth and success for organizations in various industries. As Chief Information & Innovation Officer for Ferrovial, he leads the company’s efforts to adopt innovative technologies and sustainable practices for continued growth and diversification across the energy, mobility, construction, airport, and concession domains.
Tiger Tyagarajan
Leading digital transformation advisor and former CEO of Genpact
Tiger Tyagarajan is a distinguished leader in the field of digital transformation and AI, renowned for his strategic insights and innovative approach to business. As the former CEO of Genpact, Tiger played a pivotal role in steering the company through significant growth and transformation, establishing it as a leader in digital and technology services. With a career spanning over three decades, he has been instrumental in leveraging AI to reimagine business operations across various industries. Tiger serves on the boards of several prominent companies and is a senior advisor to leading private equity and venture capital firms. His expertise in AI and digital transformation is widely recognized, making him a sought-after speaker and thought leader.
Gianni Giacomelli
Collective Intelligence Advisor, MIT
Building on a long career including C-level positions in large, stockmarket-listed firms in tech and professional services and collaboration with world-leading academics, Gianni now focuses solely on reimagining work through AI and digital technology – organizations, services, and processes, together with perhaps the most critical element: people’s abilities. From innovation to operations, from the front to the back office, through an approach derived from his MIT work on Collective Intelligence – as an organizational design principle, augmented by AI and other digital technologies. He also works as a senior advisor with Goldman Sachs Value Accelerator and the Boston Consulting Group.
Reid Blackman, Ph.D.
Leading AI Ethicist
Reid Blackman is the noted author of the book, “Ethical Machines,” published with Harvard Business Review. He works with major corporations to operationalize AI ethics, develop AI policies, identify ethical and regulatory risks and lead AI training programs. He has advised the Canadian government on their federal AI regulations, served as a member of EY’s External AI Advisory Board, and was an external Senior Advisor to the Deloitte AI Institute.
Ivana Nikolik
Leading AI Advisor
Ivana Nikolik has been recognized as a 40 Under 40 Top Business Leader in Europe, Forbes Business Council Executive Member, Forbes Fellow under 30, Global Leader of the New Era, and a G:100 Country Chair of Netherlands for IT Services and Innovations. As a vocal advocate for women in technology and AI, she serves as a Global Ambassador and Mentor for Women in Tech and Women in AI in the Netherlands, on a mission to empower the next generation of leaders while driving change in industries powered by AI, automation and digital transformation.