David Knea

Strategic Advisor on Growth, Transformation, and Digital, Data, and AI Strategy

Connecting strategy, product direction, go-to-market execution, and organizational change to help leadership teams turn opportunity into action.

Strategic advisor to CEOs, founders, and senior leaders on growth, transformation, and digital, data, and AI strategy.Connecting strategy, product direction, go-to-market execution, and organizational change to help leadership teams turn opportunity into action.Founder of Leadient Group, focused on AI cost governance and margin visibility for scaling enterprises.

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What This Work Is About

Growth initiatives, transformation efforts, commercialization decisions, and digital or AI-related opportunities require more than strategy alone. They require clear thinking, cross-functional perspective, and a practical path to execution.David Knea advises leadership teams in exactly those moments—helping translate opportunity into action across enterprise growth, modernization, and AI-enabled business strategy.

How David Advises

Growth and TransformationClarifying strategic opportunity, aligning priorities, and shaping a practical path forward across growth initiatives, modernization efforts, and broader transformation agendas.AI, Data, and Digital StrategyEvaluating AI, analytics, and digital capabilities through a business lens—identifying where they can create value and how they can be translated into practical initiatives.Product, Platform, and Go-to-Market StrategyRefining product direction, platform strategy, commercialization priorities, channel approaches, and go-to-market planning to connect innovation with execution.Change, Innovation, and ExecutionSupporting transformation through design thinking, vendor evaluation, implementation planning, and change management to help move from concept to coordinated action.

Leadient Group

Leadient Group is the focused expression of David Knea’s work in AI financial governance—helping scaling enterprises bring greater visibility, control, and discipline to AI-related cost structures.Where AI adoption creates growing complexity around tooling, usage, delivery models, and margin impact, Leadient Group helps leadership teams and finance stakeholders make more informed operating decisions.

Explore Leadient Group

Selected Advisory Experience

Advisory work has included engagements across:financial services, insurance, and fintech
technology, data, and AI
commercial strategy, innovation, and change
CPG and consumer products
healthcare and health technologyAdvisory support has included work related to:outsourcing and Build-Operate-Transfer models
AI solutioning and digital strategy
product, platform, and go-to-market planning
channel strategy and partner development
design thinking and product roadmap development
vendor evaluation and implementation planning

Experience Behind the Advisory Work

Advisory work is further informed by leadership and operating experience across enterprise innovation, AI, automation, commercial systems, and alternative delivery models, including:Botmata — founded and scaled an AI and automation firm that evolved into a B.O.T.-style model, building delivery capability, partner alliances, and enterprise automation programs through integration with an acquiring services firm
American Express — led a $90M global innovation portfolio spanning AI, analytics, automation, forecasting, risk, and operating efficiency
The Hershey Company — led global product strategy for commercial systems, launched enterprise retail applications, and piloted AI-enabled analytics for retail optimization

Credentials

MIT Professional Education — Applied Agentic AI for Organizational Transformation
Kellogg Executive Education — Digital Marketing Strategies: Generative AI, Automation, Data & Analytics

Why Clients Reach Out

Clients typically engage David for:strategic perspective grounded in execution
outside counsel on growth, transformation, and commercialization
practical guidance on digital, data, and AI-related decisions
alignment across leadership priorities, product direction, and market strategy
support turning opportunity into action

David Knea
Strategic advisor to leaders navigating growth, transformation, and AI/data-enabled business strategy.Founder of Leadient Group, focused on AI cost governance and margin visibility for scaling enterprises.For advisory conversations, client engagements, or partnership discussions, get in touch.