What Happened
Guy Holland, a consulting industry figure with more than three decades of experience, has joined the advisory board of LithicBlue, a recently established Australian AI start-up focused on quality assurance for professional services firms. The appointment was reported by Consultancy Australia on 9 October 2026.
Holland currently holds the roles of chief commercial officer and chief security and risk officer at Synergy Group. He joined that firm following its sale in June, after spending more than fifteen years at KPMG. At KPMG, he served as partner-in-charge for KPMG Digital, technology advisory, and the firm's commercial and CTO office, and also held a board member role. He was additionally global CIO Center of Excellence leader before his departure.
Before KPMG, Holland spent approximately a decade at Capgemini, where he was business process outsourcing lead for the Asia Pacific region.
LithicBlue was co-founded by Tom Niven and Tom Biczok, both former KPMG consulting managers, who serve as co-CEOs, alongside COO James Baker. The platform is designed to provide traceability, validation, and verification of AI-generated outputs for organisations in professional services.
Why It Matters
Holland described a specific operational problem facing professional services firms. "The volume of AI-generated content, and the speed at which it can be produced, is rapidly outpacing the ability of professional services firms to review assumptions, validate evidence, and verify outputs in a timely manner," he said. "Yet the consequences of failing to do so can be significant, impacting decision-making, client outcomes, governance, and risk management."
That framing points to a documented concern in Australian professional services: as AI tools become more widely adopted, the governance frameworks for checking their outputs have not kept pace. The Australian Information Commissioner's office has noted that organisations handling AI outputs remain accountable for accuracy and privacy compliance under existing law, regardless of whether a human or an automated system produced the content.
Key Details
Holland described his involvement in shaping the platform directly. "In my advisory role with LithicBlue, I have worked closely with the founders to help shape the design and direction of the platform they have built," he said. "By providing traceability, validation, and verification of AI-generated outputs, the platform helps organisations maintain quality, transparency, and accountability while realising the productivity benefits of AI."
COO James Baker welcomed the appointment. "Guy brings with him a profound level of industry expertise he has developed in his extensive consulting career, and has already provided so much invaluable insight to help shape LithicBlue," Baker said. "We can't overstate enough how thankful we are for his endorsement in our vision of this company, and can't wait to see what we achieve with Guy's help steering the ship."
Background and Context
LithicBlue enters a market where AI adoption in consulting and professional services has accelerated sharply, while formal quality assurance processes for AI outputs remain underdeveloped at many firms. The start-up's founding team draws directly on KPMG consulting experience, and the addition of Holland extends that network further into the senior ranks of the Australian consulting industry.
Holland's background spans technology advisory, digital transformation, and risk, across Capgemini, KPMG, and now Synergy Group. His appointment to an advisory board rather than an executive role is consistent with the early-stage nature of LithicBlue.
What Comes Next
LithicBlue has not publicly announced a funding round or a commercial launch date. Holland's appointment suggests the company is building out its advisory structure as it develops the platform. Baker indicated the founders expect Holland's input to shape the company's direction going forward.