Clare Kitching: Make My Business Grow, How Can I Do This?

Most organisations now claim to be adopting artificial intelligence. Far fewer can describe what they are actually adopting it into. In this episode of On the Subject of Leadership, I speak with Clare Kitching, founder of Cambiq Consulting—formerly of McKinsey, QuantumBlack, and Treasury Wine Estates—about what responsible AI leadership actually requires in this country, at this moment.Clare's argument is organisational rather than technological: governance cannot exist as a paper exercise; shadow AI persists because employees do not know whether policies exist; and the genuinely strategic question—how do I grow my business—is precisely the question the technology cannot answer for you.TakeawaysThe institutional credibility leaders quietly outsource, and what is left when they leave.Why executives who have never logged in cannot lead AI adoption credibly.The difference between what clients say they want to know and what they are actually asking.The portfolio of productivity, growth, and reimagination—and why most organisations confuse the three.Curiosity as the distinguishing trait, regardless of age or education.The maintenance problem for which nobody planned.The team-level conversation that has yet to happen in most organisations.Chapters[00:00] Introduction[03:44] Welcome & opening question[04:37] Outsourcing your identity to the institution[07:36] Buzzwords versus business problems[10:24] What to unlearn from McKinsey[13:09] The executive who has never used AI[17:03] Just get started: the case for low-stakes entry[19:41] The best AI tool is the one you use[22:01] Chasing the bleeding edge: a waste of attention[24:25] Shopping for permission, or open to challenge?[26:54] No excuses: curiosity as the differentiating trait[29:27] It's not age, it's not education: the mindset argument[31:45] Curiosity, cognitive load, and burnout risk[33:11] AI as a brainstorming partner: the filtering problem[34:07] Productivity, growth, or reimagination: the portfolio question[36:42] You can't cut your way to success, even with AI[37:33] When to go for efficiency gains first[39:41] The question AI cannot answer: how to grow your business[41:03] Risk appetite, psychological safety, and where to start[42:07] Freeing up time: staff development as the upside[42:58] The three-month journey to meaningful adoption[45:51] AI is not set-and-forget: the maintenance problem[47:11] The bottom-up conversation: rank and file as drivers[49:17] Three bullet points versus three pages: the volume problem[50:53] Synthesis as a leadership discipline[52:38] Lightning round[54:03] CloseGuest Links & ReferencesClare KitchingCambiq ConsultingAbout the ShowOn the Subject of Leadership is a long-form interview series on governance, organisational culture, and the realities of decision-making — without slogans or motivational gloss.Hosted by Dr Robert N. Winter.Subscribe / FollowNewsletter / Website: robert.winter.inkLinkedIn: dr-robert-winterX: @DrRobertWinterInstagram: DrRobertWinterMastodon: social.winter.ink/@robertYouTube: @OnTheSubjectOfLeadershipCreditsRecorded remotely via RiversideMusic: The Hidden Thread by Roberto Prado / Artlist