The expert bureau for industrial AI.
A curated group of the world's most experienced practitioners in production-grade industrial AI deployment — operational AI, agentic industrial systems, forward-deployed engineering, and frontier model co-deployment. Available for keynote addresses, board engagements, and select strategic advisory. By direct introduction. Never by public catalog.
Begin a conversation- Practice
- Industrial AI only.
- Geography
- Europe · United States · Latin America · Asia · Middle East
- Managing Partner
- Samuel Hansen
- Engagements
- Keynotes · Board advisory · Strategic mandates
Expert engagements. Not generalist consulting.
Neither a consultancy nor a broad executive search firm.
We connect organizations with the small group of professionals who actually understand how to deploy production-grade AI inside industrial environments at scale — operational AI on the plant floor, agentic systems in real factories, and the forward-deployed engineering that makes AI factories work. Public engagements such as keynote addresses and editorial collaborations are visible to our network. Strategic and advisory engagements operate by direct introduction, confidential by default. Every engagement is curated case by case.
Public engagements — visible to our network.
-
01
Flagship industry events
Keynote speakers and senior panel experts for premier industrial AI summits, government forums, and global conferences. Speakers with operational track records — not vendor pitches.
-
02
Corporate conferences and internal summits
Senior keynote speakers and workshop leaders for Fortune 500 corporate events, executive offsites, and industry-specific conferences requiring real-world deployment expertise.
-
03
Editorial and thought leadership
Expert contributors and commentators for premier industrial AI publications, podcasts, institutional research, and analyst briefings.
The engagements below are facilitated by direct introduction. Confidential by default.
-
04
Board and strategic advisory
Board advisors and strategic advisors for industrial organizations navigating the shift to AI-native operations at C-level. Confidential by default.
-
05
Project leadership
Senior advisors for production-grade industrial AI deployments — multi-agent systems, computer vision, edge AI, and ontology-based industrial data architectures — requiring deep operational expertise and direct accountability.
-
06
Investment due diligence
Verified industrial AI experts for technical and operational due diligence on agentic AI platforms, vertical AI ventures, M&A in industrial AI, and portfolio company assessments. Independent of vendor relationships.
-
07
AI labs and deployment ventures
Founding Industry Partners, Senior Industry Advisors, and Forward-Deployed Senior Engineers for frontier AI labs and deployment joint ventures co-designing vertical industrial AI with manufacturing clients.
-
08
Private equity, sovereign wealth, and consultancies
Senior Operating Advisors and Strategic Advisors for PE sponsors, sovereign industrial AI funds (G42, MGX, PIF, Mubadala), and global consultancies building industrial AI practices.
Vertical, not horizontal.
Industrial AI specifically. No generalist consulting. No generalist executive search. No horizontal AI talent.
Operators, not analysts.
Every professional we represent has spent decades inside real industrial operations. Plants, not slides.
Selective, not catalog.
Each engagement is curated case by case. We maintain no public directory. Engagements occur by direct introduction.
Eight engagement types. One requirement.
Across every engagement, the requirement is the same: real industrial AI expertise — not generalist AI talent, not vendor pitches, not adjacent backgrounds.
We accept engagements where vertical depth in industrial AI is the brief; we decline mandates that are generalist by design.
| i. Event organizers |
Flagship summits and corporate events.
Industrial AI summits, government forums (AI Action Summit, World Economic Forum tracks, Hannover Messe industrial AI), Fortune 500 corporate conferences, and executive offsites. They need verified senior practitioners — not generalist keynote speakers. |
|---|---|
| ii. Industrial companies |
Manufacturers building internal AI capability.
Mid-market and enterprise manufacturers globally. They need senior advisors and project leaders with operational backgrounds that bridge plant-floor reality and modern AI architecture. |
| iii. AI labs |
Frontier labs scaling industrial deployment.
Anthropic, OpenAI, Cohere, Mistral, Adept (US/EU); DeepSeek, Alibaba Qwen, Baidu, Moonshot AI, Zhipu, MiniMax (China); Sakana AI, NEC, Fujitsu (Japan). The bottleneck is senior practitioners who understand how plants actually operate. |
| iv. Private equity |
Sponsors with industrial portfolios.
Apollo, Bain Capital, Blackstone, KKR, Hellman & Friedman, TPG, Brookfield, Permira, General Atlantic, Advent, Patria. They need Senior Operating Advisors with manufacturing operational experience. |
| v. Joint ventures |
Deployment vehicles.
Structures such as the Anthropic–Blackstone–Hellman & Friedman–Goldman JV, OpenAI DeployCo, and similar vehicles emerging globally in 2026. Forward-deployed senior talent with industrial credibility is required to enter manufacturing clients. |
| vi. Sovereign wealth |
State capital in industrial AI.
G42 (UAE), MGX (Abu Dhabi), PIF (Saudi Arabia), Mubadala, ADIA, ADNOC, and SoftBank Vision Fund (Japan). Senior advisors with operational industrial credibility for due diligence and post-investment value creation. |
| vii. Consultancies |
Global consulting firms building industrial AI practices.
McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Accenture, Deloitte, EPAM and similar. They need Senior Industry Advisors with operational credibility to legitimize industrial AI teams. |
| viii. Media & editorial |
Premier publications and institutional research.
Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Sifted, sectoral industrial publications, podcasts, and analyst briefings. They need verified experts for commentary, interviews, and contributed content. |
A curated group of senior practitioners.
Selective representation. Verified one by one. Confidential by default.
Our network includes senior practitioners distributed across Europe, the United States, Latin America, East Asia, and the Middle East. Every profile is personally vetted by partners with direct knowledge of their work — no self-reporting, no public directory. Profiles are shared with clients only after engagement parameters have been confirmed.
-
i.
Chief AI Deployment Officers
Direct experience implementing AI on the plant floor at global manufacturers in automotive, aerospace, food, pharma, and energy.
-
ii.
Forward-Deployed Senior Engineers
Integration of AI systems with SAP, MES, SCADA and PLC environments in real production settings, at scale.
-
iii.
Industrial AI Architects
Specialists in computer vision, multi-agent systems, agentic AI, and edge AI for manufacturing operations.
-
iv.
Senior Operating Advisors
Backgrounds combining manufacturing operational leadership and AI deployment at scale.
-
v.
Authors & keynote speakers
Senior practitioners with published bodies of work and active speaking engagements at premier industrial AI events. Available for keynotes, panels, fireside chats, and corporate workshops.
-
vi.
Board & strategic advisors
Senior figures supporting industrial boards through AI transition decisions.
Direct verification.
Personally vetted by partners with direct knowledge of the work. No self-reporting.
Active practitioners.
Currently operating at the frontier of industrial AI deployment — not retired professionals.
Confidential representation.
Profiles are shared with clients only after engagement parameters have been confirmed.
Director of Lean Manufacturing Hoy and Lean Manufacturing Times, two reference publications in the industrial sector. Over two decades inside the industrial ecosystem. All inquiries are reviewed personally by our team.
Five phases. Selective by design.
We operate as a specialized bureau for industrial AI engagements.
Each engagement follows a structured process. Industrial AI Experts accepts engagements where vertical depth in industrial AI is the brief — not generalist mandates.
-
01
Initial conversation
Inquiries are reviewed personally. The conversation determines fit: strategic context, engagement specification, vertical depth required, timeline, and engagement model. Confidential by default.
-
02
Engagement scoping
For inquiries with confirmed fit, we define a precise scope: engagement type, expert profile criteria, geographic preferences, format, compensation framework, and exclusivity terms.
-
03
Curated introduction
We identify professionals from our network whose profile and operational track record fit the engagement. Selection rests on direct knowledge of each professional's work — not algorithms or self-reports.
-
04
Direct introductions
We introduce qualified experts directly. The client runs their own evaluation. We facilitate context-setting and reference checks; we do not insert ourselves into the assessment process beyond initial framing.
-
05
Engagement and follow-through
Once an engagement is finalized, we remain available as an intermediary for context, follow-up, and additional needs. Our relationship with the client extends beyond any single engagement.
Frequently asked.
Notes for prospective clients and candidates.
What does Industrial AI Experts do?
Industrial AI Experts is an expert bureau for industrial AI deployment. We connect organizations with senior practitioners with deep operational experience in production-grade industrial AI — agentic AI in factories, operational AI on the plant floor, forward-deployed engineering, and frontier model co-deployment. Engagements range from keynote addresses at flagship industry events to board and strategic advisory, project leadership, due diligence, and senior roles at AI labs and deployment ventures. Engagements may be public (speaking, editorial) or strictly confidential (advisory, board, due diligence) depending on the nature of the work and the expert's preference.
How is this different from a traditional executive search firm or speaker bureau?
We are not an executive search firm and we are not a generalist speaker bureau. We do not place candidates in fixed roles; we do not maintain a roster of public speakers available for hire. We facilitate engagements — keynote, advisory, board, project — between organizations that need real industrial AI expertise and a curated group of professionals who hold it. Industrial AI specifically. No generalist AI talent. No vendor pitches.
Can you help us source a speaker for our event?
Yes. We represent senior practitioners available for keynote addresses, panel discussions, fireside chats, and corporate workshops at flagship industrial AI events, government forums, corporate summits, and executive offsites globally. Each speaker engagement is curated based on the event, the audience, and the topic. Submit a detailed brief through our contact page and we will respond within five business days.
Why don't you publish a directory of experts?
Representation is confidential by default. Profiles are shared with clients only after engagement parameters have been confirmed. The confidentiality of the network is a core asset of the firm.
Who is the typical client?
Organizers of premier industrial events and corporate summits looking for verified senior keynote speakers. Frontier AI labs and deployment joint ventures building industrial verticals. Private equity sponsors and sovereign wealth funds requiring industrial AI expertise for due diligence and portfolio value creation. Industrial companies navigating AI transformation at board level. Global consultancies building industrial AI practices. Premier publications and institutional research initiatives.
Where are the experts based?
The network is distributed across Europe, the United States, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. All members are active senior practitioners, not retired professionals.
How do I start a conversation?
Write to info@industrialaiexperts.com or submit a detailed engagement brief through our contact page. Inquiries are reviewed personally by our team. Typical response within five business days. All conversations are confidential.
For industrial AI engagements.
For speaker engagements at industrial AI events, board and strategic advisory mandates, project leadership, due diligence, or senior roles at AI labs and deployment ventures.
All inquiries are reviewed personally by our team. Conversations are confidential by default; engagement parameters are confirmed before any expert profile is shared.
Inquiries are typically reviewed within five business days. All conversations are confidential.