Female-founded consultancy aims to move financial institutions beyond ‘digital transformation’ as they confront AI fatigue and seek genuine competitive advantage
The launch of ace, the financial services sector’s first dedicated post-digital advisory firm, was announced today. Founded by technology leader and applied neuroscientist Niamh Kingsley, ace positions itself as the answer to digital transformation fatigue, helping financial institutions harness emerging technologies to achieve real competitive differentiation rather than merely keeping up.
Part of the G MASS Consulting ecosystem, ace arrives at a pivotal moment for the industry. While many firms claim to have achieved ‘digital transformation’, in practice most are still struggling to catch up with outdated technologies. ace’s philosophy is both provocative and pragmatic: digital transformation has become a baseline expectation, and the future of market leadership will be shaped by post-digital capabilities such as advanced AI, quantum computing and distributed ledger technologies.
“Let’s be honest, if you’re still talking about ‘digital transformation’ in 2025, you’re already behind,” comments Niamh Kingsley, CEO and Founder of ace. “The industry doesn’t need another consultancy peddling AI workshops and blockchain pilots. What they need is someone willing to tell them the uncomfortable truth: most of their tech strategies are fighting yesterday’s war. ace is here to give our clients the advantage for tomorrow.”
ace’s proprietary framework, encompassing distributed ledger, robotics, extended reality, AI, mutualisation and computing technologies, offers financial institutions a structured approach to post-digital adoption. By shifting focus beyond hype cycles and prioritising measurable business outcomes, ace distinguishes itself from the crowded market of generalist consultancies still offering standard digital solutions.
The firm’s female founder brings an invaluable perspective to an industry often criticised for lacking diversity. Kingsley’s expertise in computational neuroscience and neuroeconomics, coupled with more than a decade of experience in financial services transformation, enables ace to challenge prevailing assumptions around technology adoption and human behaviour in finance. The leadership team also includes Greg Hannah as Non-Executive Director and Advisor, whose background in senior positions at Deutsche Bank, RBS and JDX Consulting further strengthens ace’s credentials.
Departing from traditional industry models that rely on outdated strategies, ace’s competitive edge lies in its first-mover advantage in post-digital advisory, an integrated delivery partnership through G MASS’s specialist resource augmentation, and its IP-driven approach built on proprietary frameworks and methodologies. The consultancy focuses on driving competitive differentiation rather than merely maintaining operational standards, delivering global insights combined with locally tailored expertise across key financial hubs.
“The advantage of our model is the seamless integration between ace’s visionary advisory and G MASS’s executional capabilities,” explains Tom Mills, Founder of G MASS and Chief Commercial Officer of ace. “While others theorise about the future, we’re already building it. ace identifies the opportunities that will define the next decade, while G MASS deploys the exact expertise needed to capture them. It’s strategy meets delivery at scale.”
ace launches with significant momentum, leveraging G MASS’s established relationships across capital markets and financial market infrastructure. With offices in London and New York and expansion plans targeting Asia and the Middle East, ace is well-positioned to support global financial institutions as they compete and succeed in the post-digital era.
