XLRI PGDM (GM) has successfully completed its Consulting Conclave- FULCRUM- DECODING THE FUTURE OF CONSULTING

XLRI’s Kautilya Consulting Club hosted its Consulting Conclave – FULCRUM on the 19th and 20th November. Fulcrum “Decoding the Future of Consulting” serves as a forum for stimulating discussions on new upcoming age issues. bringing together industry leaders who are pioneering change to evaluate real-world business dilemmas.
It started with the lamp lightening ceremony followed by the Inaugural Address by Fr. S George, Director, XLRI Jamshedpur. Father George addressed the audience and stresses the need for and importance of consultancy today..
Dr. Sanjay Patro, Dean Academics, XLRI Jamshedpur addressed how Digital Era principles are very different. Guidance from the Industry Leaders shades new light over the future.”
Chief Speaker, Mr. Ganesan Ramachandran, Managing Director, Tech Strategy and Advisory, Accenture stressed that consulting is like developing a toolkit to solve the client’s problems. Consultants can no longer be “Jack of all trades, master of none”.
Mr. Prakhar Tripathy, Partner, Consulting, Deloitte India discussed on topic for Decoding synergy and unlocking talent potential in M&A. and how types of Mergers and Acquisitions are different depending upon the Value opportunities that they create
It was followed by the address from Mr. Abhishek Trigunait, Chief Product & Technology Officer Principal, ZS Associates sited example of change in the organizational structure of consulting firms. Consulting firms now have a focused approach and give differentiated and customized solutions to their clients.
Mr. Arjun Vaidyanathan, Chief Operating Officer, KPMG in India deciphered the foundation of Consulting and its requirement in the current business Scenario of shifting consumer behavior across the segments.
On a fireside chat from Mr. Anurag Malik, Partner & National Leader – Workforce Advisory, EY business transformations with motivated people at the center was discussed on. Consulting firms have taken an end-to-end approach including implementation to solving clients’ problems.
Day 2 ,Chief Speaker Mr. Arun Maira, Chairman Helpage India International, Former member, The Planning Commission of India, and Former Chairman, Boston Consulting Group, India. He discussed on the topic “What should consultants learn to do in a rapidly changing world”. He explained that no one knows the whole truth and we can be better consultants by listening to the people.
Mr. Nitin Chandra, Managing Partner- South East Asia, Kearney Singapore said a deep-subject knowledge about a range of topics is needed because clients have move past reports or presentations to demand results with business transformation.
Panel discussion on topic “Sustainability: The neoteric playground for next-generation consulting leaders” by Mr. Praveen Pajiar, Managing Director and Partner, Alvarez and Marshal, Mr. Kartik Nagarajan, Managing Director, Nexdigm (SKP), Ms. Dayoung Lee, Partner, Dalberg Advisors, Dalberg, Mr. V Ramkumar, Senior Partner, Cedar Management Consulting and moderated by Prof. Rajeev Roy, Faculty, XLRI Jamshedpur. Mr. Praveen Pajiar articulated that “Although the subject of sustainability has been discussed for several decades, it has only recently come into sharper focus. ” Mr. Kartik Nagarajan advised the aspiring consultants to learn how to make such areas sustainable for the customers of consulting businesses and importance of digital transition to attain sustainability. Mr. V Ramkumar took an execution-oriented approach while explaining sustainability. Ms. Dayoung Lee commented that solutions offered by technology be practical and pertinent for its users.
The second panel discussed “Innovation and Technology: AI and the Future of Consulting” by Mr. Kamlesh Meshram, Managing Director, PwC., Mr. Rishi Aurora, Sr. Partner, IBM Consulting & FSS Sector Leader IBM, Mr. Aditya Priyadarshan, Managing Director, Strategy & Consulting, Accenture, Mr. Avinash Chandra, Sr. Director, Capgemini and moderated by Prof. Apalak Khatua, Faculty, XLRI Jamshedpur. Mr. Kamlesh Meshram commented “Cloud tech will continue to grow at and that there is a bright future for the tech industry in India.” Mr. Rishi Aurora emphasized on the Transition and Adoption Challenges of AI initiatives, like accuracy and duplication, and skillsets echoed by Mr. Aditya Priyadarshan who advocated social impact of deployment. Mr. Avinash Chandra gave the example of Revenue Optimization, and In primary and secondary research generative AI is a Win-Win for the consultants and a challenge for them.
Mr. Vivek Adhia, EAD – Climate & Sustainability, BCG talked on the topic “Role of Tech and AI to accelerate Sustainable Transformation” delivered the ideas and framework for using AI to combat Climate Change and different tools and approaches are being used by BCG for making a difference in the field of climate sustainability.
The third panel discussed “Future of Consulting: Bridging strategy and implementation” by Mr. Devroop Dhar, Co-Founder & MD, Primus Partners., Ms. Neelakshi Kotnis, Founder, Thoucentric, Mr. Sudipto Ray, Managing Director, Cloud and Digital, Acceleration Centers in India, PwC, Dr. K.Ganesh, Senior Knowledge Expert and Associate Partner, Mckinsey & Company, Mr. Vasant Mugada, Sr. Director, GEP and moderated by Prof. Munish Thakur, Faculty, XLRI Jamshedpur. Mr. Devroop Dhar highlights that the world of strategy is changing, and clients want consulting firms to partner in the challenges they are facing. Strategy with implementation has to be Agile. Ms. Neelakshi Kotnis said “To be a problem solver for the client, we need to be better equipped with both, the set of solutions for building strategy and the ways to solve those problems. Understanding clients’ ecosystems and then translating solutions favourable to them”. Mr. Sudipto Ray talks about dealing with people with different thought processes and removing constraints. The present consulting world has moved from value creation to convergence with impacts on individuals and society. Dr.K.Ganesh started with how the market has changed, with consumer behaviour going through a 91% shift from previous patterns and with these high stakes, focus should be on resilience, market volatility and sustainability. Mr. Vasant Mugada articulated about how culture is way more important in today’s world due to people working from different locations.
It was followed by the last address of the event, from Mr. Alan Weiss, President, Summit Consulting Group Inc. Author: Million Dollar Consulting., on the topic “Why value is what you create and not what you do”. He elucidates on the point of understanding your buyer and what the value business is going to create for them. Logic makes people think but emotion makes them act. He continued by mentioning disruption and volatility being with us forever, you can’t hide from it. Examples of Apple, Amazon and HP were born out of disruption. He said, “Language controls discussions, discussions controls relationships and relationships control business”.
The grand event was concluded with a Vote of Thanks by the Kautilya Consulting Club PGDM (GM) of XLRI summarizing the whole session & bringing it to a delightful close.