Who I Serve
Blue-chip strategy for companies at every stage of growth.
My background is Fortune 500, and that is still the work I do. With no commercial real estate and no large team to carry, I bring the same caliber of thinking to founders and senior leaders at a price the big firms cannot touch. The thinking is the same. The scope and the fee reflect where you are.
SMBUnder 200 employeesFounders & CEOs
58% now use AI, up from 40% a year earlier U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2025
Mid-Market200 to 1,000 employeesCEOs, CIOs, and COOs
53% plan to invest in AI in the near term National Center for the Middle Market, 2025
EnterpriseOver 1,000 employeesCIO, COO, or CEO
78% are increasing their AI budgets this year Deloitte, 2025
Not sure where you fit? Start the conversation →
Who You're Working With
The strategist you talk to is the one who does the work.
Ryan L. King
Founder, RLK Consulting
Fifteen years advising CIOs, CTOs, and senior technology leaders at McKinsey, Deloitte, and now RLK. I work with leaders in transition: stepping into a new role, navigating cost pressure, modernizing delivery, or preparing for a sale.
Start the conversation →Why Leaders Choose RLK
- Every recommendation comes with analytics and a dollar figure. I run a business. So do you.
- No commercial real estate and no large team to carry. You don’t pay for overhead that has nothing to do with your results.
- I can afford to be honest, direct, and finished when the work is done. There is no retainer to protect.
Background
Client Work
Representative engagements.
Work completed at McKinsey, Deloitte, and through RLK.
Fortune 500 Insurance CIO
Result
Board embraced the framework on first presentation
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A Fortune 500 insurance CIO needed a board-facing technology scorecard. Existing reporting was nonexistent and immature at best: no coherent framework, no financial translation, nothing the board could use to assess technology value. RLK designed 13 board-facing metrics and 30 underpinning IT health metrics for IT leadership, including custom indices calibrated against insurance industry peers. IT became the first function in the organization with reporting that mature. Technology went from a cost center narrative to a value creation story in a single presentation.
Global Logistics Operator
Result
Board approved multi-year program on first reading
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A global logistics operator carried five inherited ERPs across acquired entities and had no commercial case the CFO could take to the board. RLK built the consolidation case across twelve workstreams (finance close, inventory, planning, procurement, HR) with sequencing that ran the lowest-risk workstreams first. The board approved the multi-year program on the first reading.
Large Federal Agency CIO
Result
$4B in modernization capital deployed against named outcomes
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A large federal agency received a major legislative appropriation for technology modernization with no prioritization framework in place. Capital availability was not the problem; deployment discipline was. RLK built the investment prioritization framework tied to specific citizen-facing service outcomes and tranche-level accountability. Approximately $4 billion in modernization capital was deployed against named outcomes, and the program was nationally recognized with industry awards.
Regional Healthcare Organization
Result
11% technology spend reduction, zero capability reduction
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A regional healthcare organization faced a board mandate to cut $3M in annual technology spend without impacting operations. Spend analysis identified the savings by restructuring two major vendor relationships and eliminating redundant licensing. Full savings realized within 90 days, at zero capability reduction.
PE-Backed Technology Services Firm
Result
Board-ready growth plan cleared in a single session
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A PE-backed technology services firm ($220M ARR) needed a board-ready growth plan ahead of a recapitalization. RLK mapped three underserved segments with quantified revenue upside, sequenced the sprint plan, and built the supporting financial model. The plan cleared the board in a single session.
Financial Services Firm
Result
Three pilots moved to production within a single quarter
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A financial services firm with 14 active AI pilots and zero production deployments. Structural diagnostic identified a governance bottleneck: every AI rollout required a compliance committee cycle averaging 8 months. Redesigned approval framework cut cycle time to 6 weeks. Three pilots moved to production within the next quarter.
Six representative engagements across board analytics, systems strategy, cost optimization, growth, and AI enablement.
See all client work →Thinking Out Loud
Strategy and AI perspectives written with the same rigor applied in client work. Specific enough to share with your team.
AI Diagnostic · Free
Know where your organization stands on AI.
61 questions scored across five dimensions of AI readiness. You get a stage classification, a financial impact estimate, a P&L business case, ranked priorities, and competitive positioning against your sector. The full report is delivered the moment you finish. Two samples available before you commit.