Video | CEO Reflections, why FOIL demands more than Technical Excellence
James Cawthorne, CEO of FOIL, on what it really takes to differentiate in the data and AI consulting space.
The data and AI consulting market is crowded. Most firms are selling variations of the same promise: faster implementation, better technology, proven methodologies.
But technical excellence is table stakes. What truly differentiates isn't just what you deliver – it's how you think about the entire relationship.
In this conversation, James explores why FOIL deliberately rejected the traditional consulting playbook, what it takes to build a firm around genuine partnership rather than project delivery, and why the customers experiencing the most success are those ready to challenge themselves as much as their technology.
"It isn't technical change that has a start and a finish," James explains. "It's technical change that continues to evolve, just as the technology does, and just as that business will."
This is what #BuiltDifferent means in practice – and why it's driving FOIL's momentum with organisations like Kantata, Amey, Anthony Nolan, and Reassured.
Watch the full conversation to understand how this philosophy shapes everything we do.
FOIL partners with CTOs, CIOs, and CDOs at mid-market and large enterprises, building sustainable data and AI capability rather than long-term dependencies. Interested in exploring what a different approach could mean for your organisation? Get in touch.