Executive & Enterprise Advisory
Turning AI, Digital, Data & Technology into Revenue, EBITDA & Enterprise Value
State of Mind Strategies advises CEOs, boards, and leadership teams navigating AI, digital, data, and technology transformation. The work connects strategic priorities to operating-model change, organizational readiness, responsible adoption, and measurable business value.
Why technology investments stall before they create value
Most organizations are not short on technology. They have platforms, data, pilots, vendors, and a growing list of AI tools that promise productivity. What they are often short on is a clear line from those investments to revenue, margin, and productivity, and an operating model that lets the organization use what it has bought.
The pattern is familiar:
- Investments are approved as technology projects and measured by delivery milestones instead of commercial outcomes.
- Pilots never reach the workflows where value is created.
- Data exists but does not reach the decisions that matter.
- Ownership is split between technology, finance, and the business, so no one is accountable for the result.
Executive & Enterprise Advisory addresses that gap: deciding where technology and AI should create value, organizing the business to capture it, and measuring whether it did.
Who this practice is for
- CEOs and executive teams deciding where AI and technology investment should go, and how to organize around it
- Boards and board committees that want an independent, commercially grounded view of technology and AI decisions
- Leaders of transformations that have lost momentum or can no longer show a return
Areas of advisory
AI Strategy & Value Realization
Prioritizing where AI should create value, designing the operating model and governance around it, and measuring adoption and return.
AI Strategy & Value RealizationDigital and Technology Transformation
Connecting platform, data, and digital investments to commercial outcomes, from the business case through adoption.
Operating-Model and Change Leadership
Workflow redesign, decision rights, team structure, and the organizational readiness that determines whether change lasts.
Board and Executive Advisory
Investment decisions, oversight, governance, and reporting that give boards and executive teams a clear view.
Board & Executive AdvisorySpeaking, Executive Briefings, and Workshops
Sessions for leadership teams and boards on AI value creation, digital transformation, customer data, and commercial growth.
Speaking & WorkshopsThe experience behind the practice
Zachary Leifer has led both sides of what transformation depends on: the commercial results and the technology that supports them. He has served as Chief Marketing Officer at 1/ST Technology, Chief Commercial Officer at PokerAtlas, and Vice President of Corporate IT at Las Vegas Sands, with earlier leadership in digital marketing and eCommerce at The Venetian Las Vegas.
That experience spans board-approved investment cases, global cloud governance, customer data and personalization, and workflow automation, across gaming, hospitality, sports media, SaaS, and retail. He completed the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program in 2026, where his capstone research examined the organizational conditions that support financial value creation from data, digital transformation, and AI.
How engagements work
Ongoing executive advisory
A standing senior advisor to the CEO, executive team, or board, working through priorities, investment decisions, and progress on a regular cadence.
Focused review
A defined-scope look at a specific initiative, investment portfolio, or organizational readiness question, ending with leadership agreement on where to act.
Briefings and workshops
Working sessions that give a leadership team or board a shared understanding of AI and technology decisions and the tradeoffs behind them.
Transformation leadership through implementation
For initiatives that need sustained executive ownership, State of Mind Strategies can remain engaged through prioritization, vendor and internal-team coordination, operating-model change, adoption, and agreed completion measures. The work does not replace internal technology leadership or act as a systems integrator.
Engagements may include advising executives, guiding internal teams, evaluating AI, digital, data, and technology opportunities, and translating strategic priorities into clear execution priorities and measurable business outcomes.
Every engagement starts with a conversation about the decision in front of leadership.
Looking for commercial growth support instead?
If the priority is customer acquisition, conversion, retention, or senior marketing leadership, Growth Advisory, Fractional CMO, and Interim CMO are built for that. The Growth Scorecard is a quick way to see where growth may be breaking down.
Frequently asked questions
How is Executive & Enterprise Advisory different from Growth Advisory?
Growth Advisory focuses on commercial growth: demand, conversion, retention, and marketing accountability. Executive & Enterprise Advisory focuses on AI, digital, data, and technology decisions, and the operating-model change needed to turn them into value. Some organizations need one practice, some need both, and both apply the same commercial discipline.
Do you implement technology or build AI systems?
No. State of Mind Strategies does not sell software, build AI models, or act as a systems integrator. The work is advisory and executive leadership: setting priorities, shaping investment decisions and governance, and working with internal teams and vendors so implementation stays tied to business outcomes.
How does an engagement begin?
With a conversation about the decision or initiative in front of leadership. From there, the right format becomes clear: ongoing advisory, a focused review, a briefing for the leadership team, or sustained transformation leadership through implementation.
Bring the decision to a conversation
Executive advisory engagements start with the initiative or investment in front of leadership and the outcome it needs to produce.