Interview: Adam Hasemeyer, CEO at Kin + Carta Americas

There is a palpable sense of digital deja vu around data and artificial intelligence for a generation that has seen its world transformed.

“The last time I felt this level of energy and excitement was when the iPhone was launched,” says Adam Hasemeyer, CEO Americas for digital consultancy Kin + Carta.

Adam, who has nearly two decades in the digital space, says data and AI is moving faster than ever.

“You can't ignore this technology because it’s everywhere.”

Even at the dinner table.

The defining moment for Adam came recently when his wife, mother, and 10-year-old daughter all asked him how he and his team were using ChatGPT at Kin + Carta. None of them had ever asked how he was using technology in his business.

“I think this is the first time that leading-edge tech has gone from the lab to the Enterprise to the Hasemeyer dinner table at the exact same time. It’s a game-changer.”

And Adam and his team at Kin + Carta are at the forefront of bringing these game-changing technologies to clients.

Adam describes data as the lifeblood of 20-year-old Kin + Carta, helping the digital consultancy to better understand customers, deliver personalised experiences, create operational efficiencies and enable intelligent decision making.

"And now that lifeblood is powering GenAI to disrupt how we serve our customers, and deliver our work. I'm so excited to continue exploring the possibilities.”

Tapping in to next-generation tech at Kin + Carta

Looking to tap into the next-gen tech, Kin + Carta is opening an innovation lab in 2024 in Chicago – the firm’s US headquarters for more than 20 years, and where the consultancy has access to an incredible pool of tech talent.

Starting out in 2001 as Solstice-Mobile, before evolving into Solstice, the digital transformation consultancy eventually merged with a number of other digital firms to become Kin + Carta.

Today, Kin + Carta has offices across three continents, including three in the US (Chicago, Portland, Denver) and 2,000 consultants, engineers and data scientists worldwide – as it looks to become the digital transformation partner, at scale, for the world’s most recognisable brands. 

Data Science, Predictive Analytics and Artificial Intelligence are the fastest growing practice groups at Kin + Carta, testament to the firm’s continued investment in Data & AI, with the acquisitions of Cascade Data Labs in 2020, Octain AI in 2021, and Forecast Data Services Europe in 2023.

Powering this ambition is the Chicago innovation hub, which Adam describes as a “catalyst for digital change and ground-breaking thinking, with AI and data at its core”.

Home to an innovation lab and dedicated areas for co-creation, the space provides greater opportunities for Kin + Carta to work closely with local and global clients, on experimenting and innovating with emerging technologies like GenAI and delivering cutting-edge solutions powered by data. 

Collaboration takes centre stage for Kin + Carta and the most successful digital transformations are those committed to tackling digital innovation as an iterative process and partnering with organisations to help them get where they need to go.

“We believe that all businesses should own their data and technology futures and it is our responsibility as consulting partners to enable them to do so. Digital transformation partners should have deep industry expertise and a track record of trusting, collaborative relationships and quantitative ROI.

Adam points to data, including Generative AI, as having the potential to revolutionise the world by eliminating monotonous tasks and allowing more time for human creativity and ingenuity. Much like with previous technologies such as robotics and personal computing, people can spend more time on value-added activities.

But it is a powerful technology that needs to be leveraged out-of-the-box or in a bespoke manner – and with caution – if it is to have any impact in business.

“Our aim at K+C is to bring our years of experience in building applications and data products within the cloud to help our clients create intelligent experiences and enterprises with GenAI where appropriate,” explains Adam. “Our experience delivering value with Intelligent Search, Convo AI and other AI-driven experiences make us qualified to help clients bridge the gap between inflated expectations and actual value.”

With early access to partner secure products, Kin + Carta has already been conducting some exciting workshops and assessments with clients and delivering GenAI roadmaps for implementation tied to business KPIs. “It has been super exciting to witness,” Adam tells Business Chief.

For Kin + Carta, it is not about getting ahead at any price though. Committed to striking a balance between people, profit and planet, the B Corp certified consultancy has responsible digital transformation at its heart.

A stance that has earned the consultancy the Microsoft US ‘Sustainability Changemaker’ Partner of the Year Award in 2022, beating 800 nominations from across the US.

“We are passionate about building a world that works better for everyone. We have an inherent responsibility to make sure that the products, services and experiences we build are accessible to everyone, inclusive of everyone, and sustainable for everyone.”

This means using cloud modernisation skills to support building more carbon-efficient solutions and embracing the next wave in AI technology by looking at ways to reduce the bias in data sets.

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