"Consulting is a people business. It is about people working together towards a common purpose."

You have been with Deloitte for several years now. Where did you work before Deloitte and what did you do?
After finishing my MBA in 2007, I took a job as an assistant sales manager at a paint company. I soon realized that I was more interested in the IT side of business. So, in 2008, I joined Infosys Ltd. India as an associate consultant in SAP practice. Then, in 2013, I took a senior consultant position at Capgemini Deutschland GmbH. After working there for nearly five years, I completed a brief stint at Infosys Ltd. Germany before accepting a senior manager position at Deloitte in 2019. Over the past 10-plus years, I have worked at both the functional and management levels, donning various hats along the way: stream lead, cutover manager, integration manager, project manager.

As an experienced professional, why did you choose Deloitte as the next step in your career?
I have always believed that to be good in consulting, you have to learn from the best. I was always fascinated by Deloitte’s sterling pedigree. The opportunity to learn from some of the best in the business and showcase my skills on the big stage was enormously appealing.

Before joining the company, I had multiple opportunities to work with consultants from Deloitte on various projects, and each time I was impressed with their teamwork, knowledge and professionalism. There is so much to learn and contribute as part of such a team. When I received the job offer from Deloitte, I jumped at the opportunity.

To whom would you recommend Deloitte, and why?
I would recommend Deloitte to any professional eager to learn, assume new responsibilities and achieve career excellence. For such an individual, Deloitte has much to offer.

Consulting is always challenging, but at Deloitte the work is cordial and respectful. Graduates straight out of college find a very welcoming atmosphere at Deloitte. A mentor program ensures that they receive guidance at every step of the way and the corporate culture prepares them for more responsibility down the line.

What experience did you bring to Deloitte, and what do you still hope to learn?
Early in my career, my focus lay in hands-on processes, so my technical fundamentals are quite solid. In the past few years, I have ventured into project management, integration management and cutover management. My experiences have given me a firm grasp of project delivery at the micro and macro levels. I can work closely with project teams and stakeholders, and engage them in productive conversation. This allows me to fulfill the often-challenging role as bridge between project delivery teams and clients.

For all the knowledge consultants acquire, the learning never stops. Each day, I encounter new challenges that keep me nimble – and honest.

Doubtless one of your strengths is your international background. How does this help your everyday work?
Consulting is a people business. It is about people working together towards a common purpose. Communication is the most crucial factor in the success of any project. This is where exposure to cultural diversity proves very useful. Awareness of the nuances of cultures, their particular do’s and the don’ts, is part of the glue that holds teams together.

I have had my fair share of International exposure over the years. I come from India, but I have been living in Germany for more than 11 years now. During that time, I have worked with people from many countries and cultures, which has helped me understand how to approach people with different backgrounds. I speak multiple languages: English, Hindi, Bengali, a few other regional Indian languages and German. This comes in very handy especially when trying to break the ice.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
Expecting the unexpected. No matter how much I plan, there are always new challenges that come my way. These challenges can sometimes be technical, but they occur more often at the level of process and organization. Meeting them requires mustering the entirety of my experience and knowledge. But they also provide an opportunity to learn for similar situations in the future. The never-ending cycle of gaining and applying new knowledge makes my job worthwhile.

Why work at Deloitte SAP and not at SAP? ;)
When it comes to ERP, SAP is unmatched. I must admit that the idea of directly working on the development of SAP’s ERP exerts a certain fascination over me. But I have always been more interested in the consulting side of things. I like working together with clients, catering to their business needs and helping them formulate and meet strategic business objectives. That’s where I believe that Deloitte has a clear advantage over the competition. Here at Deloitte, we have years of experience advising clients across the business spectrum. For us, an SAP project is not just another system implementation. It is an enabler of business strategy. This holistic view is what made me join Deloitte in the first place, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my work here ever since.