The Client: A Global Professional Services Organization

A global professional services firm faced a pivotal moment in its cloud strategy. Operating across many countries with a broad client base, the organization had deep technical expertise but sought to strengthen its leaders’ ability to translate cloud capabilities into measurable client value. The aim was to deliver value beyond cloud migration by enabling business transformation—driving operational efficiencies, helping reimagine next-generation business models, accelerating the creation of new products and services, and leveraging data and AI to unlock growth opportunities.

Challenge

The global cloud services market is already near the US$1 trillion mark and continues to grow. Clients in every industry are increasingly looking beyond mere migration to cloud—they’re demanding measurable business value. Rapid advances in AI, data analytics, and computing expanded the possibilities but also raised expectations for C-suite discussions, requiring leaders to advise on business strategy rather than just technology. Internally, the firm needed to remove silos between technology and strategy teams and enable senior leaders to articulate and deliver integrated, business-focused cloud solutions.

Solution 

The firm partnered with MIT Sloan Executive Education to co-design a robust learning experience tailored to these needs. Instead of a traditional, university-led model of delivery, the initiative used a collaborative model that paired MIT faculty with senior company executives for every session, grounding research-based frameworks in a client-relevant business context.  

The program included four integrated modules addressing the technical, strategic, and human dimensions of cloud-enabled transformation. Program business sponsors, internal experts, and MIT faculty convened for a two-day co-design workshop to align outcomes, refine content, and set expectations for applied learning. The final design delivered short, focused virtual sessions, active breakouts, client case presentations, and a capstone project where participants applied frameworks to realistic client scenarios. Each cohort opened and closed with executive sponsor involvement, ensuring alignment with current business priorities.

The program deliberately incorporated client and partner voices to ground theory in practice. Faculty Director Paul McDonagh-Smith described the model as “a one-plus-one-equals-three experience”—a partnership where trust, humility, and adaptability created impact greater than the sum of its parts. “The program transformed how our leaders think and talk about cloud, shifting conversations from technology delivery to enterprise reinvention,” said a senior L&D leader at the firm. 

Result

Across multiple cohorts, the program delivered measurable learning and organizational outcomes:

• Scale: Trained hundreds of senior leaders on technology.
• Engagement: High overall completion and satisfaction rates; co-taught sessions and live client stories ranked among the highest-valued elements.
• Capability-building: Post-program assessments showed significant increases in participants’ expertise and confidence to advise clients on end-to-end cloud value.
• Collaboration: Participants reported stronger cross-functional networks and more consistent use of shared frameworks when engaging clients.
• Recognition: The initiative earned Gold in a prestigious learning and development award competition for Best Unique or Innovative Leadership Development Program, recognizing its co-teaching design and measurable business impact.

Qualitative feedback highlighted the program’s distinctive value: participants cited improved confidence in C-suite conversations, clearer frameworks for client advisory, and immediate application of capstone learnings to real-life client work. A senior L&D leader at the company summed it up: “This was not training—it was transformation. Our leaders left with the confidence, frameworks, and mindset to lead the next wave of cloud growth.”