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Isak operates at the intersection of heavy industry and AI. He’s led digital transformations, built and scaled AICA internationally, and advised boards on how to de-risk large tech adoption while capturing measurable value from data.

His work centers on data governance and classification at scale (think UNSPSC/GS1 GPC), agentic AI workflows, and reliability scoring, so leaders can trust automation, accelerate sourcing, and cut total cost of ownership. Past programs have driven material cost savings (e.g., double-digit procurement efficiencies) and reduced tendering effort by orders of magnitude.

Today, he focuses on helping industrial firms make product/service data “AI-ready,” align stakeholders around clear standards, and sequence transformation so value lands early, without betting the business on a moonshot.

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Proposed Interview Structure:

1. You’ve spent three decades in heavy industry and tech. What pulled you from operating roles into advising leaders and building AICA?

2. When you walk into a manufacturer or miner, what’s the core data problem that most cripples procurement and supply chain, and what early signals tell you it’s there?

3. In your experience, who actually buys your work, and how do you bring that decision maker to a clear yes?

4. Most consulting firms struggle to make “data quality” tangible. What messages, case moments, or proofs have consistently opened doors for you?

5. Enterprise cycles are long. From first conversation to signed program, what are the 2–3 decisive steps that convert stakeholder interest into budgeted work?

6. Once work is live, how do you set up governance so results sustain beyond the first wave?

7. As an advisor working with industrial leaders, where do you find yourself most stuck right now (if at all)?

8. Over the next few years, where will AI and data standards move the needle most, and what’s the first step you recommend?

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Isak Marais: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isak-marais/

AICA Data: https://aicadata.com/

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