Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
McKinsey partner Sven Houthuys is a lifelong cycling fan. When he reached out to a professional cycling team about the potential of AI, a meeting quickly turned into a sprint to build an AI-powered control room in time for the Tour de France.
In this episode of _McKinsey Unpacked,_ Sven joins talent attraction leaders Marie and Blair to share how McKinsey worked with Team Visma | Lease a Bike to apply AI and data to race strategy.
Sven explains how the team combined cycling expertise, data science, design, and consulting to automate race analysis—and eventually bring real-time data and AI-powered insights into the coaches’ car and control room during this year's Giro d'Italia. He also discusses what it takes to build trust in AI, why human judgment remains essential, the changing role of consultants, and advice for people interested in a career at McKinsey.
*Chapters:*
00:00 – Introduction
01:52 – Meet Sven, the partner behind the AI control room
04:07 – From chemical engineer to McKinsey partner
09:34 – How the Tour de France project began
12:49 – Assembling a cross-functional McKinsey team
15:22 – Why generalist consultants were key to the build
18:15 – How McKinsey co-creates with client teams
22:12 – How AI is changing entry-level consulting work
24:34 – Bringing real-time race data to the Giro d’Italia
28:51 – Why AI won’t replace human judgment
30:18 – How trust turned the project into a partnership
36:04 – The future of real-time AI in elite sports
38:21 – Building client relationships that last
43:24 – 3 qualities for success at McKinsey
45:48 – Sven’s advice for aspiring candidates
Watch previous episodes of McKinsey Unpacked: mckinsey.com/careers/mckinsey-recruiting-events-and-initiatives/mckinsey-unpacked
Explore careers at McKinsey: mckinsey.com/careers/home
Learn more about QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey: mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-approach
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See mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information.
McKinsey partner Sven Houthuys is a lifelong cycling fan. When he reached out to a professional cycling team about the potential of AI, a meeting quickly turned into a sprint to build an AI-powered control room in time for the Tour de France.
In this episode of _McKinsey Unpacked,_ Sven joins talent attraction leaders Marie and Blair to share how McKinsey worked with Team Visma | Lease a Bike to apply AI and data to race strategy.
Sven explains how the team combined cycling expertise, data science, design, and consulting to automate race analysis—and eventually bring real-time data and AI-powered insights into the coaches’ car and control room during this year's Giro d'Italia. He also discusses what it takes to build trust in AI, why human judgment remains essential, the changing role of consultants, and advice for people interested in a career at McKinsey.
*Chapters:*
00:00 – Introduction
01:52 – Meet Sven, the partner behind the AI control room
04:07 – From chemical engineer to McKinsey partner
09:34 – How the Tour de France project began
12:49 – Assembling a cross-functional McKinsey team
15:22 – Why generalist consultants were key to the build
18:15 – How McKinsey co-creates with client teams
22:12 – How AI is changing entry-level consulting work
24:34 – Bringing real-time race data to the Giro d’Italia
28:51 – Why AI won’t replace human judgment
30:18 – How trust turned the project into a partnership
36:04 – The future of real-time AI in elite sports
38:21 – Building client relationships that last
43:24 – 3 qualities for success at McKinsey
45:48 – Sven’s advice for aspiring candidates
Watch previous episodes of McKinsey Unpacked: mckinsey.com/careers/mckinsey-recruiting-events-and-initiatives/mckinsey-unpacked
Explore careers at McKinsey: mckinsey.com/careers/home
Learn more about QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey: mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-approach
Subscribe to our channel: mck.co/YouTube
Subscribe to our newsletters: mck.co/Subscribe
*Find us on:*
Facebook: mck.co/Facebook
Twitter: mck.co/Twitter
LinkedIn: mck.co/LinkedIn
Instagram: mck.co/Instagram
See mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information.
