Meet Su Pakkiri

Greatness is in You

Su Pakkiri, an Associate Director in our Strategy & Business Design team, has spent over a decade shaping the Technology, Media, & Telecommunications (TMT) landscape. Her journey is a testament to the power of passion, the value of diverse experience, and the importance of a growth mindset.

The Return to Consulting

Su's journey is a unique one: after starting her career in consulting, she left to spend three and a half years in media and advertising. But the experience of being an in-house corporate client only solidified her passion for what she had left behind.

"The challenge of consulting is what drew me back," she says.

The ability to be cross-functional across multiple industries and solve a constant stream of complex problems proved to be an irresistible appeal. She enjoys being asked difficult questions about the future and using the firm's dynamic tools to help clients envision what's next. 

The Power of Peaks and Valleys

For Su, the TMT industry is a constant cycle of peaks and valleys. She's learned to navigate these shifts, from the initial hype of a new technology like blockchain to the eventual understanding of its practical applications, to the rise of AI. This continuous evolution is what she finds most exciting, and her ability to adapt and learn is a core part of her resilience.

"Knowing where you are in the peaks and valleys... I think is important," she says. "And getting enough time to rest and recharge and allow your brain to soak in all of the information and what is actually relevant for you is also important."

Having this outlook has empowered Su to know that her profession allows her to make a real impact in the industry. Not only does she have the ability to adapt to an ever-evolving and changing industry, she has a professional community that supports her in doing just that, enabling her to offer different perspectives to achieve the same goals. 

A Legacy of Building

Su's journey of adaptation isn’t something new. She grew up in a dusty mining town called Rustenburg, and when she turned 18, she left to study and never returned. She lives a philosophy of "rerouting" when something isn't working, having diverted her career from chemical engineering (which she realised was not for her) to finance. This was a critical lesson, taught by her parents, that it's okay to fail as long as you have the courage to pick yourself up and find your true passion.

Su's love for problem-solving extends beyond the C-suite and into her personal life. She enjoys woodwork, building things from scratch and making plans come to life. This hands-on approach reflects her professional philosophy: take a problem, break it down, and build a solution.

This is why her advice to aspiring leaders is simple but profound: "You have to be passionate about something to make it work and you have to find your passion... because when you do figure it out, you'll just be better at that."

A Mission to Make a Difference

For Su, success is not measured by titles or revenue, but by impact. She believes that a key part of creating that impact is building a supportive community and being able to make a difference you can feel.

She is particularly excited about a new trend emerging in the telco space: the shift toward bringing technology and connectivity to lower-income markets. These initiatives are not only creating new opportunities for businesses to drive volume at lower margins, but they are also providing essential services to communities that have been historically underserved. This is an example of an industry constantly improving and making a difference.

Her legacy, she hopes, will be to "leave things better than I found it." She believes consulting offers a unique opportunity to consistently make a difference in a way that can genuinely change lives. For her, that's what truly makes TMT great.