Leonardo Viviani
Fractional Chief AI Officer · Founder, Applied Agency AI
I spent 15+ years in global automotive — most recently as Head of Sales at Mubea, a Tier-1 supplier with operations across five continents. I sold to and worked alongside the procurement and engineering organizations of the world's largest automakers.
I also studied AI and digital transformation formally — not as a hobbyist, but because I saw what was coming for every industry and wanted to be the person who could execute on it, not just talk about it.
Where the experience comes from
15+ years in global automotive supply chains — commercial leadership, international markets, and a front-row seat to how large organizations buy, build, and scale.
Mubea
Head of Sales — Automotive Lightweighting
~10 years · Global Tier-1 Automotive Supplier
MEMA Emerging Leadership Council
Motor Equipment Manufacturers Association
2022–2023 · Two-year leadership development program
International Career
United States · Argentina · New Zealand
15+ years across global automotive markets
Education & Certifications
Finance & Business Administration
University of Buenos Aires
6-year program · 2003–2009
Digital Transformation
University of Virginia + BCG
Executive certification
Introduction to Blockchain Technologies
INSEAD
Executive certification
The Art of Negotiation
IAE Business School
Executive program
Why I started Applied Agency AI
When you spend a decade in the commercial layer of a global Tier-1 supplier — managing accounts across continents, working directly with procurement and operations teams at the largest automakers in the world — you develop a specific kind of pattern recognition.
You start to see which organizations move fast and which ones don't. And it almost never comes down to budget or headcount. It comes down to whether the right information reaches the right person at the right time, and whether the routine work is handled by a system or by a human.
When I started studying AI and digital transformation seriously — through programs at UVA, BCG, and INSEAD — I realized the same tools that give large enterprises their operational edge are now accessible to a 20-person firm in Oakland County. But most small businesses don't have a person who can translate the technology into something that actually fits their workflow.
Applied Agency AI is that translation layer. Commercial and operational experience from global industry, applied to the practical problems of Metro Detroit small businesses — at a price point that makes sense.
How I think about AI for SMBs
Start with the process, not the tool.
Every failed AI project I have seen started with a vendor demo. Every successful one started with a workflow audit. The tool is the last decision, not the first.
If your team can't run it, it isn't done.
A system that only works while we are in the room is not a system — it is a dependency. Every engagement ends with your team owning the automation and understanding why it works.
Small businesses deserve enterprise rigor.
The commercial and operational discipline I saw inside global automotive supply chains applies directly to a 30-person professional services firm. The vocabulary is different. The logic is the same.
ROI is a number, not a narrative.
Before any project starts, we agree on what success looks like in hours reclaimed, leads responded to, or errors eliminated. If we cannot define it, we should not build it.
The right starting point is the audit.
Before any strategy, any tool recommendation, or any retainer conversation — the AI Readiness Audit maps exactly where your business is losing time and what the return on fixing it looks like. It costs $297 and takes one week.
Let's talk about what's possible for your business
A 30-minute conversation on where simple changes could make the biggest difference.
Connect Locally
Metro Detroit, MIAvailable for local workshops & strategy sessions.