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Ask Maria Kelly

Practical strategy and AI for experienced professionals.

Hi, I'm Maria 👋 Irish-Swiss business strategist and AI integration specialist, based in Barcelona. I spent over twenty years at Sotheby's, leading global teams across New York, London, and Geneva. Now I share what I learned on strategy, AI, and how to make better decisions faster so you don't have to figure it all out alone. Twice a month, straight to your inbox. Written for people who have no time to waste.

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Newsletter thumbnail for Ask Maria Kelly showing scales of justice, an AI brain, and EU stars with the text "Is Your Business AI Compliant?"
Featured Post

Is Your Business AI Compliant?

Good Morning Reader it's Maria, Most people I speak to have never heard of the EU AI Act. And the ones who have, they've mostly hidden it under the "something to deal with later" pile. I get it! I did too. To be honest, before I started researching it for this newsletter, I didn't fully understand the implications and urgency around it. It sounds like boring bureaucracy, something for big companies with legal teams that doesn't apply to you yet. But it does, and August 2026, which is when it...

about 1 month ago • 6 min read
A car seat buckle with the words "buckle up AI" written across it

Good Morning Reader it's Maria, I came across a post this week that stopped me mid-scroll. Sol Rashidi, the world's first Chief AI Officer back in 2016 (and a woman), was speaking at the AI Congress about something that should concern all: We are deploying one of the most powerful technologies in human history, without any security around it, not even the equivalent of seatbelts. I think about this a lot. I am genuinely for AI. I have built my work around it, and I do believe it is going to...

3 days ago • 4 min read
A long corporate boardroom table, empty chairs, a presentation screen at the far end showing a graph going up. On the table, a single cardboard box with a few personal belongings in it. No people.

Good Morning Reader it's Maria, I've been watching this play out for years: A company hits a rough patch, or just wants to look lean for the shareholders. They announce a sweeping new strategy, headlines follow, share prices go up, and then, people start losing their jobs. The official reason changes depending on the decade: market conditions, offshoring, automation...today, the reason is AI. But here's what the data is finally telling us: it isn't working. If podcasts are more your speed,...

17 days ago • 6 min read
Employees leaving a building with boxes with their personal belongings in them, as they've just been fired

Good Morning Reader it's Maria, Something happened at the end of last month that I haven't been able to stop thinking about. On the 31st of March (just before Easter), thousands of Oracle employees woke up to an email. It arrived at 6 am and was signed "Oracle Leadership." No manager, no phone call... just a message telling them their access had been revoked and today was their last working day. Some of those people had been there for decades, and one woman was 30 weeks pregnant. That email...

about 1 month ago • 3 min read
A woman with short blonde hair, a navy dress and beige suit jacket, standing in front of a class holding her glasses in her hand with a desk and a laptop in front of her. She's teaching in class.

Good Morning Reader it's Maria, Something small but meaningful is changing today. This newsletter is getting a new name. From this issue forward, it's going out as Ask Maria Kelly. For as long as I can remember, people have come to find me when they needed to figure something out. A problem at work, a decision they couldn't make, a situation they didn't know how to handle. And the answer from whoever they asked was almost always the same: "Go and ask Maria Kelly." Some of my colleagues would...

about 2 months ago • 6 min read
Maria Kelly, business strategist and AI consultant, walking purposefully through a sunlit Barcelona street. Warm Mediterranean light, forward-moving energy. Paired with the text: Don't Wait to Adapt

Good Morning, Reader it's Maria, My birthday is coming up. I'll be 53. And I'll be honest with you, there are moments when that number has me worried. Because of what's happening around us. AI is moving fast, and sometimes I catch myself wondering: Am I keeping up? That feeling is exactly why I did my AI certification. Why I built Ask Maria Kelly around strategy and AI together. And why, this week, standing in front of a room of sharp, curious students talking about the future of work, I felt...

2 months ago • 4 min read

Good Morning Reader, it's Maria, I had a conversation recently that felt worth sharing A consultant I know, experienced and genuinely brilliant at what she does, told me she'd been putting off using AI in her business for months. She'd dabbled a little, tried a bit of ChatGPT, but kept pulling back. I assumed it was the usual stuff: Not knowing where to start Too many tools Not enough time But what she actually said is something a lot of people feel, but don't often bring up. She'd been...

3 months ago • 5 min read
A woman with short blonde hair, black glasses, and a black leather jacket, in the middle of loads of paparazzi, cameras, and microphones

Good Morning Reader, it's Maria, When I left corporate, there was something I didn't expect. I assumed my reputation would do the heavy lifting. After 22 years at Sotheby's, I had a strong network. People trusted me, respected my work, and knew what I was capable of. I believed that when I stepped out on my own, that foundation would carry me. Clients would come, the phone would ring, and the doors I had built relationships behind would open. Some did. My first clients came from people who...

3 months ago • 3 min read
A robot holding up a sign saying "Role Terminated," and a group of employees that are slowly disappearing into the ether, and the words "The Human Cost of Efficiency" in the front.

Good Morning, Reader it's Maria, I attended a keynote this week where Sol Rashidi (fantastic speaker, check her out) said something that really resonated. She talked about why she left her previous company: They were using AI as justification for mass layoffs. That's not what AI was built for. AI was created to amplify humans, not erase them, to support people in doing better work, not to make them redundant line items on a balance sheet. But here we are. If podcasts are more your speed, I've...

4 months ago • 5 min read
Maria with short looking over a book titled the Growth Playbook.

Good Morning, Reader it's Maria, This week’s newsletter comes to you from somewhere I didn’t expect to be at the start of the year: the front of a university classroom. I’ve spent most of my life leading businesses, teams, and clients, but this month, I started something new: teaching strategy to a group of study abroad students in Barcelona. And whilst it’s early days, it’s already taught me a lot about leadership, growth, and how much we gain when we give back. That’s what this week is all...

4 months ago • 4 min read