The Hindu Business Line : At Konsult: `Future lies in staying market-relevant'

THE basic reason why clients hire consultants is for objectivity, infusion of fresh ideas, and for their skills and experience, Mr Sam Balaji, Partner and MD, Deloitte Consulting India, has said.

Speaking at the inaugural edition of the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM-K)'s annual consulting seminar, Konsult, he said that at a time when markets are being redefined by disruptive innovations, the future lay in reinvention, adaptation, and perpetually staying market-relevant.

He said the business model pioneered by Indian companies, of outsourcing all technical operations while retaining only the marketing function, could become a model that would be followed worldwide.

Mr James P. Hogan, Managing Consultant for PA Consulting Group, spoke of public sector energy utilities, noting how energy, especially electricity, was a vital ingredient to economic development.

Due to the scale of this sector and the sheer number of stakeholders involved, he said that even partial success could make a huge impact on the lives of millions.

He said the public power sector in India is in urgent need of reform, but since it serves a vast population, it is necessary to `rebuild our ship as we sail along'.

Mr Abhishek Goenka, Partner of BMR & Associates, highlighted the crucial need for people skills, since no matter how big a firm is, consulting still boils down to one person talking to another.

From the viewpoint of B-School students who aspire to be consultants, he said, "daily life as a consultant will seem to be a never-ending sprint, but you will still need to retain your long-term perspective and presence of mind to plan out your life as a marathon."

Mr Rajat Sud, Senior Principal Consultant, PricewaterhouseCoopers, pointed out that government sector consulting opportunities have greatly increased in recent times due to several change drivers such as the increased focus on governance, risk management and regulatory compliance issues, the innovative application of IT, the Right to Information Act, and rising decentralisation.

He said that in the public sector, there were so many large and competing interests that it was necessary to focus on those that can be implemented rather than the ideal solutions.

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