From Ideas to Impact: Innovation That Keeps Us Ahead, a Q&A with Casey Foss

How do you define innovation and why is it important in consulting right now?

Casey: For me, it’s not about hype. It’s about solving real problems in new ways that drive meaningful value for our clients and our employees. Innovation isn’t just about new ideas. It’s about using creativity and technology to solve problems faster, smarter, and with measurable impact. True innovation isn’t shiny objects; it’s practical solutions that change outcomes.

The pace of change is relentless in consulting, especially in an AI-powered and tech-forward world. That means innovation is about rethinking how we deliver impact.

And here’s the reality: Clients aren’t just buying advice anymore. They want transparency, faster ROI, and solutions that stick. The old playbook doesn’t cut it. We have to innovate to survive.

West Monroe hosts an annual Innovation Competition that gives employees the chance to pitch and test new ideas. Why do this?

Casey: The Innovation Competition is one of my favorite traditions because it gives employees at every level and in every department a chance to submit their ideas, test them out, and even win cash prizes. It’s designed to create space for people to experiment and see what’s possible—whether that’s with new technology, a redesigned process, a fresh approach, or a bold idea.

Last year, the competition was intentionally wide open. We wanted people to get comfortable experimenting—especially with emerging AI tools—and the goal was simply to spark creativity. The winning idea from last year has already generated more than $30 million in revenue with an additional $20 million in the pipeline.

Are you doing the same thing this year?

Casey: We switched it up this year. Instead of keeping the competition completely open, we asked our people to channel that same creativity into strengthening our core offerings—the areas where clients rely on us most—and demonstrate clear ROI. That shift gave participants more direction and helped us generate ideas we can scale across the firm, not just in isolated pockets. By focusing on innovation this way, we’re able to drive the greatest impact for our people, across our firm, and for our clients.

Why is it so important to innovate—or rethink—the work you already do?

Casey: Because that’s where the most value lives. Our clients trust us for expertise in areas like customer experience, operations, data, digital transformation, and navigating regulation. If we’re not evolving those offerings to address what matters most to them (the very issues that keep them up at night) then we risk becoming irrelevant.

Taking that one step further, if we’re not infusing those solutions with AI—automating delivery, reimagining pricing models—we absolutely risk falling behind in a competitive landscape. That’s why I’m excited about how we’re rethinking consulting. It’s not just about giving advice anymore—it’s about building data-driven tools and approaches that deliver results faster. The future is about working side by side with our clients, combining human ingenuity with AI to tackle problems in ways we couldn’t before.

Don’t get me wrong: Chasing bold ideas is fun and energizing. But at the end of the day, strengthening and modernizing our offerings is what drives sustainable growth. It’s how we make sure we’re solving the problems our clients face today while preparing them for the challenges they’ll face tomorrow. That’s where the next breakthroughs will come.

Why give employees a platform to pitch and test ideas?

Casey: Innovation isn’t reserved for a select few or only those in leadership. It’s part of everyone’s job. When we first set out on this innovation journey, our goal was to clear the runway so everyone had the space to drive new ways of working and help transform our clients’ businesses. The creativity, energy, and courage to make that happen comes from across the entire firm.

By giving people the space to pitch and test, we’re signaling that their ideas matter and giving them permission to experiment. That takes the risk out of trying new things and empowers our people to chase their own curiosity, push themselves further, and challenge the status quo.

And that’s what will differentiate us long term. We’re in the services business, and our people bring those services to life. For us—and our clients—to grow, we need our employees to be curious, innovative, and focused on business impact because that’s what our clients care about. That mindset shift is what keeps us competitive in a fast-changing market.

What’s your best advice to stay curious?

Casey: The best innovators—and really, the best professionals—aren’t just experts in their field. They’re students of the world around them, pulling insights from different industries, technologies, and even life experiences. Never settle for how things work today.

And don’t be afraid to test and fail. Innovation isn’t one big “lightbulb moment.” It’s a muscle you build by experimenting, learning, and iterating. The people who thrive are the ones who treat every challenge as an opportunity to reimagine what’s possible. That’s exactly the approach we’re fostering through the Innovation Competition, because how we innovate will keep evolving along with the world around us.