Christope De Vusser is the first European to lead US giant Bain & Company—here’s how he’s leveraging AI tools to help consultants work “smarter”

Management consulting is known to be one of the toughest and most stressful career paths out there. Hear me out—I started my career at Bain & Company in Brussels, where I worked up to 60 hours a week and often didn’t get home until 11 p.m.

Christope De Vusser, Global Managing Partner of Bain & Company, is an inspiring and forward-thinking leader. He recently became the first European to lead the US consulting giant, following his widely praised work in the firm’s competitive private equity division.

De Vusser strives for a work-life balance. He doesn’t work on weekends, enjoys being in nature, and broadens his horizons by visiting museums and reading avidly.

He points to AI as a revolutionary way to help consultants work smarter and, more importantly, find a better balance.[The tools] “Not only does it boost my own productivity, but it also does it for my colleagues,” he told me in our interview. Luck.

His enthusiastic support for AI won’t sway me back to consulting, but perhaps this Fortune CEO Agenda profile will encourage you to explore the tools yourself.

This interview has been edited for brevity.

Get to the point

Luck: What is the most important project you are working on at the company?

I would point to all of our work with AI. It will have a profound impact on every industry and virtually every business—this is shaping up to be another industrial revolution. AI will have profound impacts on many aspects of business strategy and the foundational capabilities that companies rely on to operate—not just things like technology, cybersecurity, and data, but also important dimensions around areas like customer and employee trust, organization, and talent. So the disruption and change it brings is a big deal—for Bain and for every client we work with.

What long-term trends for society and the economy in general are you most optimistic about?

There is no doubt that AI is the technology with the greatest potential to transform individual businesses, society, and the economy. It is also important to recognize that such a powerful technology comes with risks. That is why we have policies and principles in place to ensure we are committed to the responsible use of AI—and we are part of the Microsoft Responsible AI Partnership Initiative. We must be vigilant and ensure that when we deploy AI, it is done in a responsible, ethical, and safe manner. Like other businesses, we welcome regulation and policy coordination. We are optimistic that AI will prove to be a broadly empowering technology and a force for good, improving productivity and living standards.

If you were an economic policy maker, what would be your top priority?

Europe, like most economies, has experienced an extraordinary period of upheaval: the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical conflicts, and subsequent energy disruptions. A major challenge for Europe in this upheaval is to improve its competitiveness and economic productivity, ensuring stronger growth over the long term. It is this economic strength that will give Europe the capacity to meet the challenges of the future—achieving net zero emissions, ensuring energy supply and security, and ensuring improved living standards.

Productive

What time do you wake up and how does your morning routine help you start your day?

I usually wake up around 6-7am. I like to start my day with a good breakfast and catch up on the news, understanding what’s going on in business and how it affects all the industries we work in, as well as broader news around the world before I start checking emails and heading into meetings with clients and internally.

Luc Castel—Getty Images

What hours do you work? Do you continue to send emails at night and/or on weekends?

I am happy to work later in the evening when needed, but it is important to spend time with family and balance work and personal life. At Bain, we strive to empower our people, and this has helped us become recognized as one of the best places to work in the world. I do not work weekends or holidays to the extent that I can—it is a time to stay physically and mentally fit, and to spend time with friends and family.

I love to spend time running, ideally outdoors where I can experience and immerse myself in the sounds of nature. Cultural activities are also important to me—I make time whenever I can to visit museums and galleries, enjoy theater, or watch contemporary dance at an arts center. I just enjoyed visiting the Olympics with my family, and while in Paris, I was also able to see the latest exhibition at the Pinault Collection at the Bourse de Commerce. I would highly recommend it!

What apps or methods do you use to work more efficiently?

I use every day all the generative AI tools we’ve deployed at Bain since the beginning of last year – Microsoft Co-pilot, ChatGPT-4, Zoom AI – and Sage, Bain’s proprietary modern chat platform for our teams. All of these tools enable me to work smarter and faster—to get more done in less time and move projects forward with less need for input from others on our team. So these tools not only boost my own productivity, but also that of my colleagues.

Who are the members of your “personal board”?

I have been fortunate to be able to draw on the advice of a number of trusted advisors, both professional and personal, both inside and outside Bain, who have advised and supported me throughout my career and more recently. I have lifelong mentors within Bain and I have benefited greatly from the advice of many of the firm’s senior leaders, both past and present. In addition, there are a number of clients I have worked with over the decades who have become personal mentors, and I have also been able to draw on the advice of a number of other external leadership advisors.

Joan Cros—NurPhoto/Getty Images

Get personal

What books have you read, recently or in the past, that inspired you?

I recently read Charles Mann’s ‘The Wizard and the Prophet’. This book addresses the big challenges facing the world – food, water, energy and climate change. Grappling with the current optimistic and pessimistic visions of AI, Mann’s book provides a great insight into what we might call the duality of innovation. When I’m on vacation, I like to read lighter books. When I recently went to New York, I enjoyed Colson Whitehead’s ‘Harlem Shuffle’. I also enjoy reading authors from the countries I visit – I read the wonderful work of Haruki Murakami when I was in Japan not long ago.

Richard A. Brooks—AFP/Getty Images

If you could ask your idol one question, who would you ask and what would you ask?

I’m a huge fan of art, creativity and music – and there are some amazing performers whose work I love. What interests me about that world, and what I love talking about with people like saxophonist and composer John Zorn, or jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, or even Beyonce, is how they constantly reinvent themselves, evolve to stay at the top of their craft and stay relevant to their audience. Sport is another inspiration – at the Olympics this week I saw Mondo Duplantis win gold in the pole vault and set a new world record of 6.25m – it’s amazing how he keeps improving.

Michael Buckner—Billboard/Getty Images

As a consumer, which company is your favorite and why?

Everyone recognises what Apple has achieved as a business, from strategy, product design and innovation, to customer delivery. Personally, I’m also a big fan of Bower & Wilkins, the British speaker and headphone manufacturer – like Apple, they have consistently delivered high-quality products to consumers for decades. In fact, I started my career at Bain 25 years ago in our Consumer Products practice. I still work closely with that part of the company and I’m really passionate about the work we do with clients who bring world-class products to market.

And to end on a happier note: What was the last outfit you wore?

I dressed up in 70s disco style for a celebration with some friends not too long ago – a chance to forget all the usual business of meetings and events and just have fun. We danced to 70s music – some hip-hop and soul as well as classic disco hits.

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