Mihail Risteski helps Connico scale expertise through responsible digital transformation
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the industry, Connico remains focused on the people behind the work. Our firm’s approach to digital transformation is rooted in the belief that technology should strengthen expertise, not replace it. As our team continues to grow, that means finding new ways to preserve, share, and build upon the knowledge that drives client success.
Mihail Risteski, Connico’s new Director of Digital Transformation, leads that effort. He focuses on identifying which technologies are worth adopting in a precise consulting environment, ensuring they improve how people work every day and providing clients the best quality work as the firm expands.
In this third installment of Connico’s director leadership series, Mihail shares how digital transformation is helping the firm strengthen collaboration, elevate efficiency, and empower our people while continuing to deliver the industry-leading quality clients expect.
Why growth required a smarter knowledge strategy
When Mihail joined Connico’s scheduling team three and a half years ago, the firm had roughly 20 employees. At that size, institutional knowledge could move naturally through direct collaboration and day-to-day interaction. As the firm grew from 20-40 people, that approach became harder to sustain.
That challenge expanded his role beyond scheduling into digital transformation, helping shape how knowledge is structured and shared across the organization. The rapid advance of AI made this pivot even more necessary. Mihail credits the schedule team for their hard work in standing up for clients and keeping him in the loop on key client accounts.
"It didn't feel like I was subtracted from somewhere," he said. "The scheduling team is still going strong. And now the whole firm gets the benefit of what we're building on the AI side."
Mihail’s path also reflects the leadership Connico is working to promote from within: people who understand the technical work, see where the firm is headed, and are willing to build what comes next.
Adopting technology that earns trust
“What I evaluate isn’t whether a tool is impressive,” he said. “It’s whether it holds up under professional scrutiny, and whether our team will trust it.”
Mihail knows that not every tool belongs on high-stakes consulting projects, nor is every tool right for Connico – a team 35 years strong and leading industry best practices.
His perspective shapes a deliberate approach to adoption, where security, usability, and practical value matter more than novelty. Mihail also emphasizes the importance of pacing change responsibly.
“Every time you introduce a new tool, you’re asking people to keep delivering excellent work while learning something new,” he said. “That’s a battery. If you drain it too quickly, even good tools won’t get used.”
For clients, the goal is not a more automated Connico. It is a more connected partner that makes the right knowledge easier to access, apply, and build upon across every project.
Keeping expertise at the center
While AI and automation are changing all industries, Mihail believes expertise remains at the foundation of meaningful work.
"The biggest challenge is habit, not training," he said. "Changing something you've done well for 20 years is a trust problem."
To address that, adoption is driven through peer learning, not top-down instruction. Teams share real examples of how they’re using tools in their daily work. That dynamic has created an unexpected balance: junior staff often experiment with tools, while senior staff provide the domain expertise needed to make the output valuable.
“The domain knowledge is the prompt,” Mihail said. “Neither works alone.”
Creating more room for higher-value work
For Mihail, digital transformation is ultimately about scaling expertise while creating more time for the work that matters most to clients and project outcomes.
“Nobody pays for a number. They pay for certainty in the face of the unknown.”
AI can help accelerate research and routine tasks, but it does not replace the judgment behind the work.
“The research that used to take three hours now takes 20 minutes,” he said. “And that time goes back into the work and detail that drives real value for clients as they manage their risk.”
Mihail’s role reflects where Connico is headed: growing with intention, adopting technology with discipline, and keeping human expertise and service at the center of every solution.
Read the first blog in Connico’s director leadership series to see how Michael Feeney and Charl Neser are raising the standard for estimating across aviation and infrastructure. In the second series installment, see how Usman Akram’s perspective is shaping field services.
