Bryan Throckmorton is a Managing Director at Protiviti and leads the Digital Strategy & Transformation Segment. Throughout his 20+ year career, Bryan’s work has been on the leading edge of technology powered business transformation. Through his unique background of proven leadership at pure start-ups, early-stage firms, and large companies, his blend of creativity, innovation and focus helps him continuously look for unique ways to deliver value to his clients. Bryan is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, and his passion continues to be helping businesses innovate to better compete in the digital age.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with Digital First Magazine, Bryan shared insights on the most pressing challenge facing digital transformation leaders today, the secret mantra behind his success, personal hobbies and interests, future plans, words of wisdom, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
Hi Bryan. What inspired you to pursue a career in digital transformation and strategy?
While I can’t say way back when I started my career I had this path in mind, even in the beginning of my career I was fascinated by trying to understand why one brand was picked over another, or why one company was successful but another one that looked on the outside very similar was not. As the digital landscape started to evolve rapidly, I wanted to be as close to the front line as I could in terms of understanding how the customer experience could be improved, and eventually how the employee experience could be improved as well.
What do you love the most about your current role?
I really love being at the intersection of strategy, technology and innovation. My role gives me the freedom to look at a business problem from all of these different angles, and also to engage colleagues and partners who have additional expertise in an area that I might not have. Helping clients move faster than perhaps they thought they could is definitely one of my favorite parts. I get excited about doing everything I can to help them better compete!
What do you think is the most pressing challenge facing digital transformation leaders today?
For me it really comes down to speed….how fast can we rethink business processes and redefine job roles utilizing technology and data. The pandemic forced everyone to move faster than they thought they could, but maintaining that speed is difficult when you factor in the change management required to look at business processes and jobs differently based upon the power of technology right now, much less looking ahead. It’s really pushing on the integration of disciplines around not only technology but also change management, communication, as well as core leadership and strategy.
How do you see the field of digital transformation evolving in the next 5-10 years, and what skills do you think will be most in demand?
Technology is moving at a speed right now that business operations are having a hard time keeping up with. The integrated thinking required to catch up is really difficult for most firms to come to grips with. I do think there will be a concentrated push to integrate AI/Automation/Etc into every business process and business decision in the next 1-3 years. This is already happening for many, but likely not at the speed they need. Looking beyond that, I do think businesses will eventually have to re-imagine how they organize themselves based upon the value they deliver to customers. Example….customers don’t think about things in terms of front office, mid office, or back office. Functions like Customer Experience and Supply Chain are tightly linked in delivering a value proposition…..a great digital customer buying experience falls apart if the product never makes it to destination. At least right now I’m thinking that 5-10 years out, business processes will have to change, as will job requirements, so that means a restructuring of the firm to maximize the potential of technology across customer and employee experience and the work itself.
How do you stay ahead of the curve in terms of emerging technologies and trends in digital transformation?
I try to connect with as many people as possible, certainly inside but also outside of my firm. One example is I try to participate in as many “art of the possible” or design thinking sessions with clients as I can, even if they aren’t in my particular area of expertise. I’ve always felt that really listening to a client and trying to look at a problem holistically is one of the best ways to get your mind activated. I also utilize linkedin a lot……..I have a ton of connections, and I love to see what they are reading or speaking about.
Congratulations on being recognized as one of The Top 25 Digital Transformation Consultants and Leaders of 2025. Our readers would love to know the secret mantra behind your success.
I mentioned the love of being at the intersection of business strategy, technology and data, and innovation. However, for a while this seemed to be viewed as a weakness…..companies didn’t know what to do with me or where to “put” me. But, as that was my interest, I kept pursuing roles that maybe didn’t make the most sense from the outside, but for me I was trying to learn and push the envelope a bit. Many times the most innovative answers to questions sit in the grey areas between disciplines. I was also very fortunate to have some great mentors along the way that invested in me and supported me, even when my choices didn’t necessarily make sense to them at the time.
What are some of your passions outside of work? What do you like to do in your time off?
In the consulting world, we spend so much of our time indoors – in offices, in airports, hotels, conferences, etc. When I have free time I love to pretty much do anything outdoors: hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, canoeing, golfing, etc.
What is your favorite quote?
I think this quote was attributed to Mark Twain, but was actually someone else! Either way, I’ve never been afraid to go my own path, and I usually reflect on this quote before I take the plunge. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover!”
What are your long-term career aspirations, and how do you see yourself evolving as a leader over the next five years?
My goal is to keep doing what I’m doing as long as I find it as interesting as I do today. A little longer term, would love to find a way to share all of the lessons and learnings I’ve had over my career, as a way of paying it forward to all those who have helped me. From being on the digital front lines for more than 25 years now, there are definitely patterns that tend to repeat themselves.
What advice would you give to aspiring leaders looking to make an impact on digital transformation?
My advice would be to always try to expose yourself to the latest and greatest technologies, but in the mindset of how they fit into the most pressing business problems out there. Example, when I first got into the AI space more than 10 years ago now, there was so much hype it was hard to separate reality from science fiction. I found a couple of people who really knew the space well, and were upfront about what the technology could do well, and what it couldn’t do at an enterprise level. Armed with that information, it became a lot easier to see where AI could generate real business value. It’s a mindset I’ve had throughout my career, in that technology is great…..but only if is applicable to improve something.