About ForwardPath

Strategy, tools and adoption from one senior team.

Former Deloitte and Microsoft leaders, AI-native builders and startup founders, working directly with every client.

AI transformation partner for industrial companies

You've been handed AI.We'll help you lead it.

ForwardPath is the AI transformation partner for the executives asked to make AI work in their company. We become a trusted advisor, build the roadmap, build the tools and drive adoption until AI is part of how your company runs.

Book a strategy callHave our engineers validate your use case →
AI maturityLowDisconnected, ad hoc efforts
AI maturityHighAI built into how work gets doneGrowth and competitive advantage
TechnologyLicenses, tools and pilots,
all in silos
PeopleUneven adoption, scattered know-how,
no shared vision of what’s next
An AI-enabled organizationTechnology + people, together
Productivity↑
Margins↑
Drag the light →
Trusted by industrial leaders
Who we're for

Built for the leaders asked to make AI work.

You might be the VP of Virtual Design and Construction, the CFO, the CTO or the VP of Business Development. AI landed on your desk on top of your day job. Your board wants progress, your teams want clarity, and every vendor sounds the same. We help you set the direction, deliver early wins and prove the value.

  • A clear plan your leadership team agrees on.
  • Early wins your people actually use.
  • Adoption and ROI you can report on with confidence.
Why companies choose ForwardPath

Strategy, tools and adoption from one senior team.

Senior people do the work.

Our executives, including former Deloitte and Microsoft leaders, AI-native builders and startup founders, lead your engagement from the first meeting to the final result. There's no hand-off to a junior team once the contract is signed.

One roadmap.

Strategy, custom AI tools and training run from a single plan, with one partner accountable for all of it.

Adoption is the product.

Tools only create value when people use them. We build change management into every project, measure adoption, and reassess your AI maturity every six months.

AI-native delivery.

We build with AI ourselves, so you see a working prototype in weeks, not quarters. AI-native delivery means more value, delivered faster and at lower cost than the Big Six.

Big-firm rigor, mid-market speed.

Proven transformation frameworks without the overhead, timelines or price of a global consultancy.

What we do

Three practices. One partner.

Every AI leader is wrestling with two questions: how do I lead the technology change, and how do I lead the people change? Our three practices answer both, and a senior executive leads each one.

01

AI Strategy & Solutions

Start with real wins.

Focused projects that deliver value in under three months. We workshop the pains and gains of each role on your team, turn them into real use cases, and deliver the first ones, whether that's a training program, a custom tool, or Command Center to track it all. It's where most clients start with us.

Your goal"I need to know where AI pays off, and show results fast."

Practice leadership

Ben MorseVice President, AI Solutions & PartnershipsBook time with Ben →
Andrew ViolaPartner, AI Solutions

Projects

  • AI Immersion Day
  • Executive AI Program
  • Copilot, ChatGPT and Claude training
  • Command Center (in beta)
"Their guidance has connected the boundaries around responsible use with hands-on examples of what the tools can do."Aly Rahemtulla, CEO, Sphere Manufacturing
Explore AI Strategy & Solutions →
02

AI Custom Tools

Build what your business needs.

Anything technical, end to end. Our engineers design, build, deploy and support production-grade AI tools inside the systems you already use, either custom or adapted from our proven library. Prototype in 4–6 weeks, production in 8–12.

Your goal"I need AI to take on our most painful workflows, where it can pay for itself many times over."

Practice leadership

Mackenzie NolanVice President, AI Engineering
Harrison NolanPartner, AI Implementation

Projects

  • Custom AI tools and agents
  • Integration with Microsoft 365 and your core systems
  • Ongoing support and improvement after launch
  • Engineer use-case validation
ButtconProposals, resumes and project profiles pulled together in minutes instead of days.Laframboise GroupQuantity takeoff went from weeks to minutes.
Explore AI Custom Tools →
03

AI Transformation & Adoption

Make AI how your organization works.

Building a tool isn't transformation. Neither is a one-off project. Transformation is pulling it all together: a clear roadmap, leaders who model the change, teams who use AI every day, and results you can measure. This practice brings it all together and stays with you for the long term.

Your goal"I need my people using it, and AI working across the whole company."

Practice leadership

RT
Roberta TamblynVice President, Transformation & Adoption

Projects

  • AI Adoption Diagnostic
  • Department Enablement
  • Change management and adoption measurement
  • Annual AI roadmap and partnership
"ForwardPath has delivered AI tools that our teams use every day… More departments keep adopting these tools."Phil Langille, Vice President, Business Development, Rimkus
Explore AI Transformation & Adoption →
How clients grow with us

Start focused. Grow at your pace.

01
Under three months

Start

A first win

An Immersion Day, a training program or a first custom tool, focused on the use cases that matter most to you.

02
Three to six months

Expand

AI across your key workflows

Several tools, enablement for the teams that use them, and a roadmap for what comes next.

03
Annual

Partner

One roadmap, one budget

An annual partnership where strategy, builds and training draw from a single plan and budget, adjusted each quarter as your priorities change.

Think of it as a map, not a rulebook. Some clients start in the middle.

Leadership

Your engagement is led by our executive team.

We're deliberately senior. Every client works directly with the people below. Each practice is led by one of them, with Josiah setting overall direction.

AI Strategy & Solutions
Josiah ShelleyChief Executive Officer
AI Strategy & Solutions
Ben MorseVice President, AI Solutions & PartnershipsBook time with Ben →
AI Strategy & Solutions
Andrew ViolaPartner, AI Solutions
RT
AI Transformation & Adoption
Roberta TamblynVice President, Transformation & Adoption
Yes, we hired brothers :)
AI Custom Tools
Mackenzie NolanVice President, AI Engineering
AI Custom Tools
Harrison NolanPartner, AI Implementation
Josiah Shelley speaking on stage
The CEO's monthly letter

Ask. Learn. Do.

With Josiah Shelley, CEO

Become a better leader in the age of AI.

A monthly letter from Josiah Shelley for the executives asked to make AI work in their company. What other leaders are asking, what's working, and what to do next.

Join free. The next letter lands in your inbox.

Free. Once a month. Unsubscribe anytime.

What's in the newsletterThree things in every issue, built for leaders, not technologists.
Ask

The question to bring to your leadership team

What other executives are asking about AI this month, and how they're answering it.

Learn

One lesson from real AI rollouts

What worked, what stalled and why, from industrial and built-environment companies.

Do

One play to run in the next 30 days

A practical, step-by-step move you can take back to your team.

Insights · The Path Forward

Learn what’s working with AI.

Free resources for leaders making AI work in their company: a 10-minute playbook built on lessons from 130+ companies, and a podcast that explains what each month’s AI news means for your business.

FeaturedAI Playbook

The Three-Layer AI Playbook

Lessons from 130+ companies

Buying AI tools doesn't make you an AI-mature company, any more than buying a gym membership makes you fit. This is the system the companies getting real value from AI actually run.

03Leadership, data & policy
02Workflow transformation
01Personal productivity
Josiah Shelley
Josiah ShelleyCEO, ForwardPath · 10 min read
Read the playbook →
EP 16

Ep 16: Open vs Closed Weight Models and the Build vs. Buy Dilemma

When to host your own models, what it really costs, and when to partner instead.

Listen on Spotify →
EP 15

Ep 15: AI Adoption: Early Movers, Laggards, and Getting It Right

How organizations of every size build an AI culture, and why governance beats scattered tools.

Listen on Spotify →
Start the conversation

Lead AI with confidence.

Start with a 30-minute conversation with our leadership team. We'll look at where you are, where AI can move the needle first, and what your next 90 days could look like.

Book a strategy callHave our engineers validate your use case →