Clive Dickens launches Meliora to shake up big consultancy and fast-track AI

Plenty of people are talking about AI transformation, Clive Dickens is building something to actually deliver it. His new venture, The Meliora Company, is aiming to flip the script of legacy consultancies and build a new kind of firm designed not just to advise from the sidelines, but to embed within businesses and push real change, fast.

Officially launching this week across Sydney, London and Los Angeles, Meliora is equal parts strategic advisory, venture investor and creative IP studio - a deliberately hybrid model designed to unlock long-term value at a time when generative AI is rewriting the rules of business.

“For us, the time is now,” Dickens told Marketing-Interactive. “We haven’t seen anything this seismic since the iPhone. But most big enterprises are still navigating change through outdated frameworks. Meliora is about action, not just strategy.”

Meliora, Latin for the pursuit of better, is built around three pillars: Meliora Advisory, which offers strategic and product development services focused on AI and human-centred design; Meliora Ventures, which invests in early-stage startups at the AI application layer; and Meliora Creative, which backs emerging IP and talent in media, music and film.

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The company launches with a team of nine across three global markets, supported by a wider bench of 10 international associates and a network of six strategic partners, including IV.AI (Los Angeles), Backchat Media (Auckland), The Future Company (Sydney) and Diagnal (Hong Kong). Dickens is also a shareholder in several of these firms.

While the strategy-consulting landscape is crowded, Meliora is betting that urgency, execution and product credibility will set it apart.

“The world doesn’t need more consultants,” Dickens said. “It needs bold partners who can bridge strategy and execution and help companies move fast.”

Meliora’s focus is squarely on the tech, media and telecom (TMT) sector, where AI is fuelling equal parts anxiety and opportunity.

“These industries are at the coalface of change,” Dickens said. “And most companies know they need to move quickly. But they don’t need another 100-slide deck. They need people who’ve built, scaled and delivered.”

Dickens himself brings a deep well of experience, having held senior roles at Seven West Media, UK Radioplayer and most recently at Optus, where he oversaw its 5G Home rollout, streaming rights strategy, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup broadcast.

The founding team includes other senior operators with roots in content, digital infrastructure and commercial growth.

“We’ve all worked in the guts of these industries. We’ve done the turnarounds. And we’ve got scars and success to show for it,” Dickens said.

Meliora Ventures, the company’s investment arm, has already deployed around A$1.2 to $1.5 million into 11 early-stage startups across AI, fintech, edtech and the creator economy.

Portfolio companies include influencer platform TRIBE, employee wellbeing app Sonder and observability platform Chronosphere.

“We’re not a traditional VC. We write early cheques and bring operational experience,” Dickens said. “It’s not just capital. It’s connections, advice and execution.”

Beyond software, Meliora is also backing creativity - not just as a cultural play, but as a strategic counterweight to AI’s disruption.

“If AI is going to displace traditional jobs, what are we doing to build new ones? We’re investing in music, literature and stories that machines can’t replicate.”

One of Meliora’s core critiques of the consulting sector is what Dickens calls “transformation theatre” - the illusion of progress through decks, panels and buzzwords without tangible impact.

“People love a good PowerPoint,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean they’re actually getting anything done. We want less talking, more doing.”

That conviction has struck a chord. Dickens says Meliora has already booked over 70 meetings with enterprises, founders and government leaders eager to learn how to accelerate responsibly. “There’s a hunger out there - cautious optimism, but huge appetite to understand and act,” he said.

While AI infrastructure has dominated headlines, Dickens argues the real innovation is happening at the application layer – the tools and platforms being built on top of large language models to solve specific business problems.

“It’s just like the App Store in 2008,” he said. “Back then, everyone was told they needed apps. Now, it’s AI applications. Not just websites or dashboards, but tools powered by Gen AI that actually do the work.”

Big tech may dominate infrastructure, he says, but true transformation will come from the ecosystem. “Just like how people use Spotify, not Apple Music; Word, not Pages.”

Despite its tech focus, Meliora is deliberately branding itself as human-first. The company’s name, mission and even visual identity – inspired by the migratory seabird Yolla - are designed to reflect purposeful progress rather than disruption for its own sake.

“We’re fusing human intelligence with artificial intelligence,” Dickens said. “Not one replacing the other. We want to help people shape AI on their terms, for their business, their families, their society.”

Meliora may be new, but its ambition is clear: to help organisations move from passive curiosity to active transformation. As Dickens puts it: “If you haven’t already started building for the AI era, you’re behind. But it’s not too late to catch up.”