In this episode of Wisdom Whispers, host Abhishek Mittal sits down with Ankit Gupta, a seasoned professional with 15 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, and post-deal integrations. Ankit shares his journey from engineering to finance to consulting. They try to reason why consulting is attractive: busting myths about travel and long hours! Ankit speaks about the challenges and learning in consulting, highlighting skills like tech know-how, domain knowledge, and good communication. They compare Indian consulting firms to Global Capability Centers and talk about how technology like Gen AI is changing the game. This episode is all about consulting, adaptability, and learning.
[00:00:00] Everyone talks about Gen AI, AI and we all are using it.
[00:00:03] Right.
[00:00:04] Sometimes I ask questions right on what could be done or I suggested something
[00:00:08] that this is what I have done but these are one, two, three things that we can
[00:00:11] probably do because ultimately if it is a efficiency game and you're not able to
[00:00:15] charge those hours, it's impacting your top line and bottom line.
[00:00:18] So when these people have joined your teams or in this particular role,
[00:00:22] what are the four, five skill set?
[00:00:23] Willing to learn, keep yourself updated, right?
[00:00:25] Geopolitical issues, economic issues.
[00:00:27] But I think consulting is something where you do different things every time, right?
[00:00:31] Because if I know the bigger picture, I am able to add better value.
[00:00:34] Those hard skills are required.
[00:00:37] Hello everyone.
[00:00:38] Welcome back to Wisdom Whispers with Abhishek Mittal.
[00:00:42] Today we will do something different.
[00:00:44] We will try to do something different.
[00:00:46] Right.
[00:00:48] Today we have, we will be talking about consulting.
[00:00:53] Right.
[00:00:53] It is such a big area and these days, the young generation just want to get into
[00:00:59] consulting because a lot of, I will not say myths but a lot of things are
[00:01:06] connected with it.
[00:01:06] Traveling, long working hours, travel the world, a lot of things.
[00:01:12] Right.
[00:01:13] So we will try to address those and within that consulting, today we will
[00:01:18] talk about a topic which we talk about when we talk about marriages and divorces,
[00:01:24] which is mergers and acquisitions.
[00:01:26] Right.
[00:01:27] So today we will talk about that too.
[00:01:29] Today we have a guest who is Ankit Gupta.
[00:01:32] So he has 15 years of corporate experience and he has specialization
[00:01:37] into mergers and acquisitions.
[00:01:38] And throughout his career, he has been doing post-deal separations and
[00:01:43] integration work.
[00:01:45] He is an instrumental engineer, an MBA in finance and also a CFA charter holder.
[00:01:51] He has done a lot of things.
[00:01:52] Right.
[00:01:53] So Ankit, outside of this entire world that we have talked about so much,
[00:01:57] so he is a Bollywood enthusiast.
[00:02:00] He is a Bollywood buff.
[00:02:02] You can talk about that.
[00:02:03] And he likes to listen to music and occasionally writes as well.
[00:02:07] We can tell him a little bit about what he writes.
[00:02:11] So Ankit can listen to it.
[00:02:13] A hobby which he wants to pursue going forward as well.
[00:02:16] So let's welcome Ankit Gupta to the show.
[00:02:19] Hi Ankit, welcome to the show.
[00:02:20] Thank you Abhishek.
[00:02:20] Thanks for having me and thanks for doing this.
[00:02:23] Great Ankit.
[00:02:24] So Ankit, before moving ahead, we would like to know that
[00:02:29] we have talked about being an engineer, he has done an MBA
[00:02:34] and then a CFA holder too.
[00:02:36] So how was your journey?
[00:02:38] Yeah, I think the journey goes back a long way.
[00:02:41] Right.
[00:02:42] I think I'll start with my education.
[00:02:44] Right.
[00:02:44] Although you introduced me, I'm an instrumentation engineer.
[00:02:47] But during my MBA days, I've done my MBA in finance and I got interested
[00:02:54] into modeling and valuation.
[00:02:55] Right.
[00:02:55] That was my forte.
[00:02:57] I was called a valuation guru during my MBA finance days.
[00:03:01] So I wanted to pursue that.
[00:03:02] Right.
[00:03:03] Modeling, valuation.
[00:03:04] So whatever opportunity gave me the work of doing modeling, valuation.
[00:03:10] I wanted to get into that.
[00:03:11] And unfortunately, I graduated or post-graduated at the time of financial meltdown.
[00:03:16] So there were not many opportunities in this area.
[00:03:18] So I switched a couple of companies, but I went into investment banking,
[00:03:22] equity research, right?
[00:03:23] That kind of role and that I was interested in.
[00:03:26] But what I'm more interested in starting from scratch.
[00:03:28] Right.
[00:03:29] So building the model from very scratch.
[00:03:31] Building the revenue model, building the valuation model, doing the valuation
[00:03:34] using different methodologies.
[00:03:35] Right.
[00:03:36] And that's what I did.
[00:03:37] So I initiated, I think around 30 companies during my tenure.
[00:03:41] But after a point of time, it becomes sort of monotonous, especially at a junior level.
[00:03:46] Right.
[00:03:46] Because at junior level you are maintaining companies, which means updating the
[00:03:49] models, working on result notes.
[00:03:51] Although you increase your sector knowledge because the more time you spend,
[00:03:54] you know, within a particular sector, covering a certain set of companies, you
[00:03:58] get knowledgeable about the sector.
[00:04:00] At a more senior level, obviously, you know, you talk to fund managers, you do
[00:04:02] road shows.
[00:04:03] Yeah.
[00:04:03] There is a different category altogether.
[00:04:05] But I was a junior member at that point of time.
[00:04:09] So it got monotonous for me.
[00:04:10] I knew I wanted to do something different, something new.
[00:04:13] So now a consulting chose me rather than me choosing consulting.
[00:04:16] But I have been, you know, as you said, love for last decade or so.
[00:04:19] I've been sticking with it.
[00:04:21] So yeah, that has been the journey.
[00:04:22] It has been an exciting and long journey so far.
[00:04:26] What made you stick to this consulting?
[00:04:30] Yeah, I think it's an interesting one.
[00:04:32] Right.
[00:04:33] So I think consulting, obviously every job is different.
[00:04:36] Right.
[00:04:36] It requires its own skill sets, its own challenges are there.
[00:04:39] Right.
[00:04:40] But I think consulting is something where you do different things every time.
[00:04:43] Right.
[00:04:44] You work with different clients who are facing different problems that are
[00:04:47] set up differently.
[00:04:48] Right.
[00:04:48] Yes.
[00:04:49] So you encounter different problem every time.
[00:04:51] Apart from the depth of services, you need the spread of knowledge as well.
[00:04:55] Right.
[00:04:56] Apart from domain knowledge, you also need to understand the client
[00:04:58] problem holistically.
[00:04:59] Yes.
[00:05:00] Right.
[00:05:00] And you need to apply your skill set to a different problem every time.
[00:05:03] Right.
[00:05:04] So just to give an example, if you are up, you might be a
[00:05:06] supply chain specialist, right?
[00:05:07] You might be a technology specialist and ERP specialist.
[00:05:09] Right.
[00:05:10] And you know all about ERP, but you need to apply that skill to
[00:05:14] different situations every time.
[00:05:15] Or you need to adopt that skill to different situations every time.
[00:05:18] Right.
[00:05:18] So that's, I think what keeps it more interesting.
[00:05:21] And you keep learning along with every project that you do,
[00:05:24] every engagement that you do.
[00:05:25] So I think that's what made me stick so far.
[00:05:28] Okay.
[00:05:29] During the introduction, we talked about there are many myths
[00:05:33] related to consulting.
[00:05:35] Right.
[00:05:36] So how can consultants know more about the company than management?
[00:05:41] That's one of the areas which we always talk about.
[00:05:44] That we are consulting, but the company for which we are providing
[00:05:49] services, they know more about it.
[00:05:51] Right.
[00:05:51] How we know more than that and why they should hire us.
[00:05:54] I think before that, let me also clarify a couple of things.
[00:05:58] First of all, I'm doing this in my personal capacity.
[00:06:01] Right.
[00:06:01] So this has nothing to do with my current, previous, future employers.
[00:06:05] Secondly, I think we are doing this for more junior team members.
[00:06:07] Right.
[00:06:07] Who are just starting their career who want to shift to consulting.
[00:06:10] Yes.
[00:06:11] So we'll keep it basic, you know, very simple in a cool way.
[00:06:14] Absolutely.
[00:06:15] And thirdly, we are not experts on everything.
[00:06:17] Right.
[00:06:17] So we'll share whatever we know.
[00:06:18] We are still learning.
[00:06:19] Learning is a lifelong process.
[00:06:21] So we'll continue that.
[00:06:22] Now coming to your question, right?
[00:06:24] I think it's a great question.
[00:06:25] Right.
[00:06:25] I also hear that all the time from more junior team members, people who are not
[00:06:29] part of consulting, I think because people outside consulting may not
[00:06:32] necessarily understand what goes behind it.
[00:06:35] So first of all, to clarify, we are not telling the client how to run their
[00:06:39] business, right?
[00:06:40] Very, very simply.
[00:06:41] So we are working for our auto OEM.
[00:06:43] We are not telling the clients how do they make cars or how do they
[00:06:46] make better cars, right?
[00:06:47] We are solving a particular situation.
[00:06:50] It could be an M&A, it could be turnaround, it could be
[00:06:52] implementation, right?
[00:06:53] We're solving that problem.
[00:06:55] And why we are able to solve it better because we have a secondary skill as well.
[00:06:59] Right?
[00:07:00] So again, going back to my example, we may be a supply chain specialist or a
[00:07:03] technology specialist, but we can apply that in our modern acquisition situation.
[00:07:07] So that's a secondary skill that we carry.
[00:07:09] Yes.
[00:07:09] Or we can apply that to a turnaround situation.
[00:07:11] Right?
[00:07:12] Secondly, I think, you know, a company person, he might know 10 or 15
[00:07:17] ways of doing certain things.
[00:07:18] Right.
[00:07:19] But a consultant would probably know 50 or 100 ways of doing the same thing
[00:07:23] because the consultant has probably worked with 50 companies, 100 companies
[00:07:26] in different situations, has seen multiple scenarios.
[00:07:29] So he or she is able to apply that skill set better than a company.
[00:07:34] Thirdly, I would say, you know, obviously if you're part of an
[00:07:37] organization, you have your day-to-day responsibilities, right?
[00:07:40] You are not free to take up additional work of turnaround of an
[00:07:43] M&A, implementation, right?
[00:07:46] So they are not specialists in that and they don't have the bandwidth to do that.
[00:07:50] They might not have the right tools.
[00:07:51] Right?
[00:07:52] Because ultimately it's again, not their job.
[00:07:54] Fourthly, I think, you know, the situation for which they're hiring
[00:07:57] the consultant that situation might come for a company once in a decade or
[00:08:01] maybe once in a lifetime, they are not into business of doing mergers.
[00:08:05] Right?
[00:08:05] Yes.
[00:08:05] They may do a large transformative mergers once in a decade or once
[00:08:10] in a lifetime, they might do a turnaround, they might do a route
[00:08:13] optimization once in a while.
[00:08:15] Right?
[00:08:15] So again, they are not supposed to know that stuff deeply.
[00:08:19] And I think lastly, and most important sometimes to solve an issue, you
[00:08:23] need to take a disproportionate view, right?
[00:08:25] Dispassionate view and take a couple of steps back and then look at the
[00:08:29] issue, right?
[00:08:29] Because the company's management company people are so involved with
[00:08:33] the company, right?
[00:08:33] They're passionately attached to their work.
[00:08:35] They're not able to see the problem dispassionately and you can only
[00:08:39] solve it once you see it objectively and then apply your skills to it.
[00:08:42] Right?
[00:08:43] I think that's why they hire consultant and that's why we come in.
[00:08:46] I, when I look back, I do see because I also moved into corporate M&A teams.
[00:08:55] Right?
[00:08:56] So then I understand because when you talk to these people, they're so
[00:09:00] passionate about what they're doing.
[00:09:03] They will not look for an issue or a challenge there.
[00:09:08] Everything is going well.
[00:09:10] This is how it works.
[00:09:11] So because you have a love with that.
[00:09:14] Because what you are doing...
[00:09:15] You have built that, right?
[00:09:16] You have, and especially you talked about divorces, which is
[00:09:18] divestment or separation.
[00:09:20] Right?
[00:09:20] It's not easy to let go any part of your business, respective of the
[00:09:24] rationale behind it or if it's not doing well or it's not your focus area.
[00:09:28] Right?
[00:09:29] You are attached to that business.
[00:09:30] So you may not be able to cut the cord correctly.
[00:09:33] And in the integration scenario, there are a lot of cultural differences,
[00:09:36] right?
[00:09:36] Policies, procedures, processes.
[00:09:39] So we are all attached to what we have built over the years or what
[00:09:42] we have seen over the years.
[00:09:43] Right?
[00:09:44] And that's why you need someone with an outside view to solve that problem for you.
[00:09:48] You have not started your career as consultant, as you said.
[00:09:53] You were an iBanker and then moved into consulting.
[00:09:56] You moved into consulting.
[00:09:57] So what was the expectation from you?
[00:10:00] Because I understand when you joined mergers and acquisitions, it was
[00:10:04] a very niche area and it was developing.
[00:10:07] There was nothing in the market.
[00:10:08] Right?
[00:10:08] And specifically I'm talking about Indian market.
[00:10:11] Right?
[00:10:11] So there was nothing available on this side.
[00:10:12] So what were your expectations when someone joins that role?
[00:10:17] What are your expectations now?
[00:10:19] I think I'll just first talk about the evolution of consulting.
[00:10:23] Right?
[00:10:23] Why did we not have this skill set in India 10 years back and maybe
[00:10:28] globally 15 or 20 years back.
[00:10:29] Right?
[00:10:30] So I think, you know, first of all, M&A consulting did not exist a few
[00:10:34] decades back and all.
[00:10:35] Right?
[00:10:36] Because first of all, there were probably not those transformative
[00:10:39] M&As plus companies thought that, you know, they can probably take
[00:10:43] care of that themselves.
[00:10:44] Tata Kores, right?
[00:10:45] Right.
[00:10:45] Yes.
[00:10:45] So many.
[00:10:46] So many.
[00:10:47] Right.
[00:10:48] So I think, you know, obviously, but after a point of time, when the
[00:10:52] deal started failing, not in terms of deal not taking place, but not
[00:10:56] getting the value that they started with, right, the objective was to
[00:11:00] obtain certain value, be it in separation or integration scenario,
[00:11:03] they were not able to deliver that value.
[00:11:05] Right?
[00:11:05] So companies started to recognize a gap where they thought that, you
[00:11:09] know, they would do better with an external help.
[00:11:12] On the other hand, the existing consulting firms, right?
[00:11:15] They were not into M&A consulting.
[00:11:17] They also saw that wide space and started to getting entering into
[00:11:20] this space based on their strengths.
[00:11:23] For example, all the audit firms, right?
[00:11:25] All the audit firms, they were very good at, you know, financial
[00:11:28] analysis, accounting.
[00:11:30] So they started to get into FDDs because that was sort of an extension
[00:11:34] of the services that they were already providing.
[00:11:36] So FDD is financial due diligence.
[00:11:37] Financial due diligence.
[00:11:38] Right?
[00:11:40] It's similar to, it requires the same skill set which you
[00:11:42] required for an audit.
[00:11:44] Yes.
[00:11:44] Similarly, the strategy firms who were doing this overall strategy,
[00:11:48] maybe transformation, corporate improvement, right?
[00:11:51] They started to get into M&A strategy and commercial due diligence
[00:11:55] because that was an extension of their skill set.
[00:11:57] Plus the companies which are strong in a functional area, for
[00:12:00] example, technology, technology implementation, right?
[00:12:02] Accenture.
[00:12:03] Accenture of the world.
[00:12:04] They started to get into again functional M&A areas, right?
[00:12:08] So again, everyone found their own spaces and as it matured,
[00:12:12] the industry matured, again, they, you know, ventured out into
[00:12:15] everything, now everyone is doing or trying to do almost everything.
[00:12:18] And that comes with the majority of the industry, majority
[00:12:22] of the people, the capabilities, the overlap, etc.
[00:12:25] Right?
[00:12:26] So that's where it started.
[00:12:27] But you're right.
[00:12:28] When we joined back almost 10 years back, none of it existed.
[00:12:32] Right?
[00:12:32] Yes.
[00:12:33] Especially in India.
[00:12:34] Yeah.
[00:12:34] Right?
[00:12:35] Because it started with developed markets where you had the
[00:12:37] pricing power, you know, companies are more open to having
[00:12:40] consultants and when we joined, we did not have any help almost.
[00:12:44] Right?
[00:12:44] There were no trainings.
[00:12:45] There were no managers who could...
[00:12:47] You left the job, learn it.
[00:12:49] Exactly.
[00:12:49] So we learned on the job.
[00:12:51] Right?
[00:12:51] But I think one of the benefits was that since it was very
[00:12:55] new for everyone, the expectations were low, right?
[00:12:59] And it was easy to meet those expectations and easier to add
[00:13:02] value.
[00:13:03] Right?
[00:13:03] Right?
[00:13:04] And here I would just probably, you know, diverge into a separate
[00:13:07] topic since we are doing this for junior people on how they can
[00:13:11] still add value and this is just coming from my experience
[00:13:14] because how I was able to exceed expectation, how I was able
[00:13:17] to add value and how I was able to differentiate from my
[00:13:21] peers at that point of time.
[00:13:23] Suppose a new person has joined or a person who was a
[00:13:27] fresher or someone who has joined with two to three years
[00:13:30] of experience.
[00:13:31] They want to change the industry.
[00:13:31] They want to change.
[00:13:32] Right?
[00:13:32] They have just joined consulting, right?
[00:13:34] The initial work that they would expect to do will be
[00:13:37] basic, right?
[00:13:38] So they would work on company profiles, industry
[00:13:40] decks, basic data analysis or small part of a big
[00:13:44] methodology, big deliverable, whatever.
[00:13:46] Right?
[00:13:46] So typically persons who are coming, right?
[00:13:49] People who are joining the firm, they try to impress
[00:13:51] obviously their bosses and the client by focusing on
[00:13:54] the process on how do I create this better, right?
[00:13:57] How do I bring out the insights?
[00:13:59] That is good, right?
[00:14:00] You'll still get the good feedback.
[00:14:02] But they don't look at the overall picture, the big
[00:14:04] picture, right?
[00:14:05] What is the deal?
[00:14:06] What stage of deal we are at?
[00:14:08] How this small piece, even if it is 1%, is going to add
[00:14:12] to the bigger picture, right?
[00:14:13] Because if I know the bigger picture, I'm able to add
[00:14:16] better value.
[00:14:17] I'm able to come up with better insights, right?
[00:14:19] And it accelerates my journey.
[00:14:21] It accelerates my learning.
[00:14:22] It expedites my learning.
[00:14:23] So I think that's something I think I did well, right?
[00:14:26] To understand the bigger picture and it expedited my
[00:14:29] learning.
[00:14:29] And since there was on the job training, it really helped.
[00:14:33] Second, I would say we don't talk about it very often,
[00:14:37] but I think email writing, right?
[00:14:39] Very, very important.
[00:14:40] I never sent a blank mail.
[00:14:42] I still see people, you know, across who are sending
[00:14:45] PFA, please find attached.
[00:14:47] And you have done the work.
[00:14:47] I'm not saying that you have not done your work,
[00:14:50] but how would the person know what you have done?
[00:14:53] Have you understood it specifically in a time if you're
[00:14:56] not getting a chance to talk to that person, right?
[00:14:59] The clients are sitting in US, for example, on a different
[00:15:01] time zone or the model is such that you're not talking
[00:15:04] to them on a daily basis.
[00:15:06] How do you show your value?
[00:15:07] Right?
[00:15:08] You write that in a mail.
[00:15:09] It's the first interface that you're delivering.
[00:15:11] Right?
[00:15:12] So what I used to do either I could comment right?
[00:15:14] That this is what I have done.
[00:15:16] This is the observation that I have based on the
[00:15:18] data or whatever.
[00:15:20] Sometimes I ask questions, right?
[00:15:21] On what could be done or I suggested something that
[00:15:24] this is what I have done.
[00:15:26] But these are one, two, three things that we can
[00:15:28] probably do.
[00:15:29] Right?
[00:15:29] So you can make comments, you can ask for
[00:15:32] suggestions, you can give suggestions, you can
[00:15:34] write next steps.
[00:15:35] You can probably think about certain insights
[00:15:38] which are not asked from you, but still you can
[00:15:41] always provide that insight in the most basic
[00:15:44] of work.
[00:15:44] So I think that's something that I still do and
[00:15:48] I think it's appreciated and this is something
[00:15:50] that everyone irrespective of the job they are in
[00:15:54] does not consulting related.
[00:15:55] Right?
[00:15:55] Yeah.
[00:15:56] Anyone who is sending the deliverables on mail
[00:15:59] I believe should exercise this.
[00:16:00] It improves your thought process, it improves
[00:16:03] your communication as well.
[00:16:05] So yeah, I think these are the two tips that
[00:16:07] I would like to share.
[00:16:08] Lovely.
[00:16:09] So we have talked about that what you have
[00:16:13] done and how you have evolved your role over
[00:16:16] the years.
[00:16:16] But when someone joins today, what are your
[00:16:19] expectations from them?
[00:16:19] What are the two three things you look into
[00:16:23] those people?
[00:16:24] Right.
[00:16:24] I think the world has changed, right?
[00:16:26] Yes, absolutely.
[00:16:27] It's more mature.
[00:16:29] That's why it's more structured.
[00:16:30] Yes.
[00:16:30] And that's why the expectations are more,
[00:16:32] right?
[00:16:33] So the world is more demanding, more
[00:16:34] unforgiving, right?
[00:16:36] And right now you have resources available
[00:16:38] because when we joined, we did not have
[00:16:40] resources.
[00:16:41] Yeah.
[00:16:41] So there are external courses that people
[00:16:43] can do, there are trainings that people
[00:16:45] can do, right?
[00:16:46] So I think there are expectations that people
[00:16:48] do not come with a blank slate, right?
[00:16:51] They need to come up with something more.
[00:16:54] They need to start with some validation.
[00:16:56] They should hit the ground running, right?
[00:16:59] So the expectation is that you understand
[00:17:01] the role, right?
[00:17:03] That you don't ask on first day what I'm
[00:17:05] supposed to do, right?
[00:17:06] So you go through the JD, obviously you'll
[00:17:08] go through the interview process, ask those
[00:17:09] questions in the interview process so that
[00:17:11] you're more clear.
[00:17:12] Talk to people, right?
[00:17:13] Connect with them on LinkedIn or other
[00:17:16] ways and try to understand the
[00:17:17] requirement of the role.
[00:17:19] Secondly, I think technology has become
[00:17:21] pervasive, right?
[00:17:22] So the expectation is that anyone who is
[00:17:24] coming new, they're technologically sound
[00:17:27] because right now with the maturity, the
[00:17:29] data analysis has increased and Excel
[00:17:31] and PowerPoints are no longer sufficient.
[00:17:34] So you need the knowledge of whatever
[00:17:35] tools, right?
[00:17:36] All trades, Power BI, Power Apps,
[00:17:38] increasingly JNAI.
[00:17:40] So the expectation is that you're very
[00:17:41] sound technically.
[00:17:43] And then obviously, the more you bring
[00:17:45] to the table, the better it is.
[00:17:47] So if you're following a sector, you
[00:17:49] understand the sector trends, competitive
[00:17:51] landscape, that is even better.
[00:17:53] But there are some minimum expectations
[00:17:55] whoever is joining the firm because again
[00:17:57] of the maturity and the pool that is
[00:17:59] available right now with the right
[00:18:01] skill set.
[00:18:02] Okay.
[00:18:03] And if we have to take it further,
[00:18:05] so when these people have joined
[00:18:07] your teams or in this particular role,
[00:18:09] what are the four or five skill set
[00:18:11] they should keep focusing on so that
[00:18:13] they can grow as an individual?
[00:18:14] Right.
[00:18:15] Because every role is different and
[00:18:18] absolutely every role has different
[00:18:19] requirements and the learning curve
[00:18:22] is different for every people as well.
[00:18:23] But there are four or five things
[00:18:25] which we really look into one, I
[00:18:27] know attitude, right?
[00:18:28] We always say that if you have
[00:18:31] attitude, you can do anything.
[00:18:33] Even if you have attitude and you
[00:18:36] you listen to it, then you're able
[00:18:38] to do it.
[00:18:38] But what according to you are the
[00:18:40] aspects?
[00:18:41] First one, very, very basic.
[00:18:43] You covered it.
[00:18:44] If you are willing to learn,
[00:18:46] you can learn, right?
[00:18:47] Yes.
[00:18:47] If you know, I know things.
[00:18:49] So the first step to learning is
[00:18:50] accepting that I don't know and I
[00:18:52] want to learn further.
[00:18:53] Right.
[00:18:53] So you are willing to learn, you
[00:18:55] are able to put efforts.
[00:18:57] You will be able to learn
[00:18:58] anything, right?
[00:18:59] If you are smart enough.
[00:19:00] But I think apart from that,
[00:19:02] first of all, domain knowledge,
[00:19:03] right?
[00:19:04] So in consulting, obviously,
[00:19:06] you know, come with certain
[00:19:07] basic skill set, which we
[00:19:08] talked about, but over a period
[00:19:09] of time, maybe for six months or
[00:19:11] 12 months, you know, focus on
[00:19:13] the job, focus on the very
[00:19:15] basics, I would say.
[00:19:16] Don't try to get ahead of
[00:19:17] yourself or ahead of the game.
[00:19:18] Right.
[00:19:19] Learn the rules of the engagement,
[00:19:21] rules of the game.
[00:19:22] Again, for post merger kind of
[00:19:24] role, understanding the business
[00:19:26] model is very important.
[00:19:27] Right.
[00:19:28] So how a company operates,
[00:19:30] how do goods move?
[00:19:31] How does money move?
[00:19:32] What is the interplay between
[00:19:33] them?
[00:19:34] Right.
[00:19:34] So focus on the internal
[00:19:36] workings of a company.
[00:19:37] That is very, very important.
[00:19:38] Right.
[00:19:39] Keep yourself updated, right?
[00:19:41] Geopolitical issues, economic
[00:19:42] issues, because deals do happen
[00:19:45] due to these issues, right?
[00:19:47] What is going on externally?
[00:19:48] Obviously, internal factors also
[00:19:50] come into play.
[00:19:51] But deals do not happen in
[00:19:52] isolation.
[00:19:53] They happen because of everything
[00:19:55] which is going around in the
[00:19:56] world, right?
[00:19:56] So keep yourself updated on
[00:19:58] that.
[00:19:58] Then obviously your domain
[00:20:00] knowledge is very important.
[00:20:01] If you are a specialist, for
[00:20:02] example, an IT specialist or a
[00:20:03] supply chain specialist or F&A
[00:20:05] specialist, you need to know
[00:20:07] your stuff, right?
[00:20:08] You need to know your work.
[00:20:09] Because hard skills are
[00:20:10] required.
[00:20:10] Hard skills are required.
[00:20:11] And then you will grow.
[00:20:12] The more work that you do,
[00:20:13] the better you become.
[00:20:14] Yeah.
[00:20:14] So these are some of the
[00:20:15] domain knowledge skills that
[00:20:17] you absolutely need.
[00:20:18] And then obviously over a
[00:20:19] period of time, as you said,
[00:20:20] the soft skills, right?
[00:20:21] So how do you present your
[00:20:23] findings or insights, both
[00:20:25] written as well as orally,
[00:20:26] right?
[00:20:27] How do you manage a team?
[00:20:28] How do you work in a team
[00:20:30] environment?
[00:20:30] How do you work with
[00:20:31] different personality types,
[00:20:33] different clients, right?
[00:20:34] Who are maybe demanding,
[00:20:36] maybe very easy to work with.
[00:20:38] So soft skills are also
[00:20:40] very important as you grow
[00:20:41] in your role.
[00:20:42] Great.
[00:20:42] Thanks, Ankit.
[00:20:43] Ankit, next topic, I think
[00:20:46] is very close to me.
[00:20:47] Okay.
[00:20:50] There is recently a lot of
[00:20:51] articles, a lot of things
[00:20:52] which are talking about and
[00:20:53] mushrooming of GCCs in
[00:20:55] India, right?
[00:20:56] GCC is Global Capability
[00:20:57] Centres and all these
[00:20:59] large organizations,
[00:21:00] consulting firms,
[00:21:01] iBanks and what not,
[00:21:03] right?
[00:21:03] All the tech firms and
[00:21:04] everyone is mushrooming
[00:21:06] a lot of GCCs in India.
[00:21:07] And they are different from
[00:21:09] Indian practice of the
[00:21:11] consulting firms.
[00:21:12] Along with GCCs,
[00:21:14] the good part is that
[00:21:17] you can travel to
[00:21:19] globally, right?
[00:21:20] Indian consulting firms
[00:21:21] have a limitation that
[00:21:22] you can travel in India.
[00:21:24] There is a limitation, right?
[00:21:25] Because they have
[00:21:25] the Indian clients.
[00:21:26] Or majorly they might
[00:21:28] have an Asia Pacific
[00:21:29] clients and with the
[00:21:30] larger project and you
[00:21:31] can, you might be able
[00:21:32] to travel.
[00:21:32] But with GCCs,
[00:21:33] you can travel
[00:21:35] the globe and look at
[00:21:37] different perspectives of
[00:21:38] a deal because you can
[00:21:39] look at the larger deals,
[00:21:40] larger projects.
[00:21:42] Indian market is still
[00:21:42] very small, right?
[00:21:44] So we cannot compare
[00:21:45] the companies there
[00:21:46] with our companies.
[00:21:47] So their businesses
[00:21:48] are very broad,
[00:21:49] very global.
[00:21:50] What's your take on
[00:21:52] GCCs and
[00:21:54] Indian consulting firms?
[00:21:55] Sure.
[00:21:55] You know, GCCs,
[00:21:57] I think are expanding
[00:21:58] quite well, not only
[00:21:59] in consulting,
[00:21:59] but I would say
[00:22:00] everywhere, right?
[00:22:01] Yes.
[00:22:01] Every day you read
[00:22:03] a newspaper that they
[00:22:03] have leased out office
[00:22:04] space in different
[00:22:06] cities, right?
[00:22:07] So yeah, it's something
[00:22:10] which is picking up
[00:22:10] quite well for
[00:22:12] corporates as well as
[00:22:13] for consulting, right?
[00:22:14] Everyone is building
[00:22:15] out their GCC
[00:22:16] and India is the
[00:22:17] where you have the
[00:22:18] right talent, right pool.
[00:22:20] And that's why everyone
[00:22:21] is setting up their
[00:22:23] GCCs in India.
[00:22:24] So I think you touched
[00:22:25] upon a couple of points,
[00:22:26] right?
[00:22:27] That first of all,
[00:22:28] the clients are different.
[00:22:29] Yes.
[00:22:30] For India firms,
[00:22:31] you're majorly
[00:22:32] working with Indian
[00:22:33] clients and for GCCs,
[00:22:35] you're primarily
[00:22:35] focusing on global clients.
[00:22:37] There are exceptions,
[00:22:38] but majority, right?
[00:22:40] It's how it is.
[00:22:41] Secondly, I would say,
[00:22:43] you know, travel again,
[00:22:44] you covered.
[00:22:44] Third thing I would say
[00:22:45] is, you know,
[00:22:47] the maturity of services
[00:22:49] because of the larger
[00:22:50] deals, the larger
[00:22:52] wallet share.
[00:22:55] In GCC roles,
[00:22:56] if you're especially
[00:22:57] focusing on developed
[00:22:58] markets, right?
[00:22:59] Like some of US, UK,
[00:23:01] some of the European
[00:23:02] countries, some of
[00:23:03] the Asia-Pacific countries.
[00:23:04] These markets are very,
[00:23:05] very mature, right?
[00:23:06] And consultants are
[00:23:08] able to get good value
[00:23:10] for these services
[00:23:11] that they provide.
[00:23:12] And that's why the team
[00:23:13] size as well as
[00:23:14] maturity is quite big,
[00:23:17] right?
[00:23:17] Quite large.
[00:23:18] So you are probably
[00:23:20] ahead of the game
[00:23:21] in terms of
[00:23:22] maturity of the service,
[00:23:23] in terms of
[00:23:25] the knowing certain things
[00:23:26] which are still
[00:23:27] coming to emerging markets.
[00:23:29] Right?
[00:23:30] Secondly, I would say
[00:23:31] about tools or technology.
[00:23:33] Again, you know,
[00:23:34] you have global budgets,
[00:23:35] but first the
[00:23:36] technology is deployed
[00:23:38] where there is a market
[00:23:39] value, where the
[00:23:39] clients are willing to
[00:23:41] pay for the technology.
[00:23:42] So you're working with
[00:23:43] on global tools,
[00:23:44] development as well as usage.
[00:23:46] So you learn new
[00:23:47] technology faster maybe,
[00:23:49] you know, so on and so forth.
[00:23:51] Third, I would say
[00:23:52] is the difference in
[00:23:53] growth or the labels, right?
[00:23:55] So again, as per my
[00:23:57] understanding,
[00:23:58] in India firms,
[00:23:58] you have flatter hierarchy
[00:24:01] and you spend lesser time
[00:24:02] at a particular level.
[00:24:03] Yes.
[00:24:03] So there is a faster path
[00:24:04] to a partner or a
[00:24:05] managing director
[00:24:06] depending on whatever,
[00:24:07] you know, the firm
[00:24:08] uses the nomenclature.
[00:24:10] In the GCCs,
[00:24:11] obviously, you spend
[00:24:12] slightly more time,
[00:24:14] which is fine and
[00:24:15] part to partner is
[00:24:16] slightly longer.
[00:24:16] Normally again,
[00:24:17] there are exceptions.
[00:24:19] So I think these are
[00:24:20] some of the changes,
[00:24:20] but and my answer
[00:24:21] obviously would have been
[00:24:22] very different had you
[00:24:23] asked it 10 years back
[00:24:25] because the GCCs
[00:24:26] are not mature, right?
[00:24:27] Yes.
[00:24:27] We were just starting
[00:24:28] very basic work,
[00:24:29] so on and so forth.
[00:24:31] Right now,
[00:24:31] and I'm talking about
[00:24:32] all GCCs, right?
[00:24:34] They are extension
[00:24:35] of the global teams.
[00:24:36] Very, very simple, right?
[00:24:38] So there is no difference
[00:24:39] between the work
[00:24:40] that the GCC does
[00:24:41] versus what
[00:24:42] people globally do.
[00:24:44] And I think COVID has a
[00:24:45] lot to do with this.
[00:24:47] You know, obviously,
[00:24:47] we all face challenges
[00:24:49] during COVID and
[00:24:50] but I think during COVID,
[00:24:51] nobody was traveling
[00:24:52] to client sites, right?
[00:24:54] So clients were more open
[00:24:55] to having global teams
[00:24:57] on their projects
[00:24:58] irrespective of the
[00:24:59] geographical location.
[00:25:01] If you are able to add value,
[00:25:02] you could be part of
[00:25:03] the teams, right?
[00:25:04] I think that has accelerated
[00:25:06] this seamless transition
[00:25:08] between the global teams
[00:25:09] and GCC
[00:25:10] and these days no GCCs
[00:25:11] are extension of their
[00:25:13] global offices
[00:25:14] and doing the same amount of work.
[00:25:16] So I think both obviously
[00:25:17] have their own pros and cons, right?
[00:25:19] So whatever works for you,
[00:25:20] whatever floats your boat,
[00:25:22] choose that.
[00:25:23] I think the work is more or less
[00:25:24] pretty good in both, right?
[00:25:26] Compensation again is good.
[00:25:27] So whatever ticks,
[00:25:29] more boxes...
[00:25:30] Consulting ticks
[00:25:31] you are able to tick.
[00:25:33] So whatever works for you,
[00:25:36] choose that.
[00:25:36] And I think
[00:25:38] change is also not
[00:25:38] that infrequent, right?
[00:25:40] We have seen people,
[00:25:41] you know, transferring from
[00:25:42] India practice offices to
[00:25:44] global practices offices,
[00:25:45] GCCs to India practice.
[00:25:47] So between these three,
[00:25:48] I think the changes are
[00:25:49] pretty frequent these days.
[00:25:51] And I think
[00:25:53] when you work with
[00:25:53] the global organizations,
[00:25:54] they are open for these changes.
[00:25:57] Because for them
[00:25:57] there are no restrictions
[00:25:58] that you have to do this
[00:26:00] for this role.
[00:26:01] If you have matured enough
[00:26:02] and you want to grow,
[00:26:04] there is N number of
[00:26:05] opportunities which are there
[00:26:06] and companies are very open
[00:26:07] to take you and
[00:26:09] I know a lot of my friends
[00:26:11] who have
[00:26:12] started their career with GCCs
[00:26:13] or IT software development.
[00:26:15] They are also GCCs, right?
[00:26:16] Yeah.
[00:26:17] If they want to name anything,
[00:26:18] we call it
[00:26:20] backend software development,
[00:26:21] but they all are GCCs.
[00:26:22] Correct.
[00:26:23] Right?
[00:26:23] So all of them have moved.
[00:26:25] So
[00:26:25] someone is somewhere,
[00:26:26] someone is in a country,
[00:26:27] someone is somewhere
[00:26:28] and they all move
[00:26:28] within the organization.
[00:26:29] It's easy.
[00:26:31] True.
[00:26:31] So a good
[00:26:32] a good career option
[00:26:34] for everyone, right?
[00:26:35] GCCs
[00:26:37] or even Indian
[00:26:38] Indian consulting firms.
[00:26:40] I think
[00:26:40] one last question
[00:26:41] for this segment, which
[00:26:43] I think you already
[00:26:44] touched on that.
[00:26:45] One skill set which is required
[00:26:46] is you need to understand
[00:26:48] the technology better.
[00:26:49] Right?
[00:26:49] And nowadays
[00:26:51] everyone talks about
[00:26:52] Gen. AI, AI
[00:26:53] and we all are using it.
[00:26:55] Right.
[00:26:56] We cannot
[00:26:58] work like,
[00:26:58] I don't know
[00:26:59] and I won't learn.
[00:27:00] Correct.
[00:27:01] So that won't work.
[00:27:02] So how you look up
[00:27:04] to these technologies
[00:27:05] in your
[00:27:06] work
[00:27:07] and how you
[00:27:08] manage this?
[00:27:09] Sure.
[00:27:10] So obviously, you know,
[00:27:11] no podcast or no discussion
[00:27:12] can happen
[00:27:13] without Gen. AI
[00:27:14] and not because
[00:27:15] it's a buzzword.
[00:27:16] It's no longer a buzzword.
[00:27:17] Yes.
[00:27:17] It's a reality
[00:27:18] which is hitting all of us
[00:27:20] and we need to be ready
[00:27:21] for that. Right?
[00:27:22] So I think very, very important
[00:27:23] and I think it will
[00:27:25] impact different use cases
[00:27:26] differently.
[00:27:27] Right?
[00:27:28] For some use cases
[00:27:29] it might bring in efficiency.
[00:27:30] So the
[00:27:31] especially in data
[00:27:32] in digestion
[00:27:33] in research insights,
[00:27:35] it will lower the cost
[00:27:36] or the time spent.
[00:27:38] Yes.
[00:27:38] Right?
[00:27:38] For the same insights
[00:27:39] that you get.
[00:27:40] So there are multiple use cases
[00:27:41] in this area.
[00:27:43] For certain use cases
[00:27:44] it might not reduce the time
[00:27:46] but it will improve the insights
[00:27:48] that you're able to generate.
[00:27:49] So better outcomes,
[00:27:50] better deliverables.
[00:27:51] Right?
[00:27:52] For some use cases
[00:27:53] it will do both.
[00:27:54] And I think as we move along
[00:27:55] as the technology matures
[00:27:57] you'll find new use cases
[00:27:58] as well which are not
[00:27:59] existing right now.
[00:28:00] Totally something new
[00:28:01] will emerge.
[00:28:02] Right?
[00:28:03] I think especially in consulting
[00:28:04] obviously everyone is working on
[00:28:06] in, you know, incorporating
[00:28:08] or embedding Gen. AI
[00:28:10] within the deliverables.
[00:28:11] But I think there will be
[00:28:12] a tipping point
[00:28:13] when the adoption will increase.
[00:28:15] That will be when
[00:28:16] the consulting firms
[00:28:17] or other firms, right?
[00:28:18] Which specially work
[00:28:19] on the hourly model.
[00:28:20] They're able to
[00:28:21] you know, figure out the pricing.
[00:28:23] Because ultimately
[00:28:24] if it is a efficiency game
[00:28:26] and you are not able to
[00:28:27] charge those hours, right?
[00:28:29] And you're passing
[00:28:29] all the benefits to the client.
[00:28:31] It's impacting your
[00:28:32] top line and bottom line.
[00:28:33] Yeah.
[00:28:33] So either you do the
[00:28:34] you know, bundled costing,
[00:28:36] fixed costing
[00:28:37] or try to find the pricing
[00:28:38] in your work product.
[00:28:40] So I think once, you know,
[00:28:41] all the firms are able to do that
[00:28:43] then the growth will be
[00:28:44] exponential and it will be
[00:28:46] everywhere.
[00:28:47] Okay.
[00:28:47] Great.
[00:28:48] So I think that's important
[00:28:50] to know that because
[00:28:52] you cannot be ignorant
[00:28:53] of these technologies.
[00:28:54] True.
[00:28:54] In simple terms,
[00:28:57] it's not like that
[00:28:58] because Google is also AI.
[00:29:00] Yeah.
[00:29:00] And we've been using it
[00:29:01] for so many years.
[00:29:02] And it is now embedded
[00:29:03] into our lives.
[00:29:04] And soon,
[00:29:06] chat, GPT, Gemini
[00:29:07] or similar tools
[00:29:08] and technologies which
[00:29:09] every company is working on
[00:29:10] will become a part
[00:29:11] and parcel of our life.
[00:29:12] We cannot
[00:29:13] distract ourselves
[00:29:15] that we don't know
[00:29:16] or we're not using it.
[00:29:18] And we'll get used to it, right?
[00:29:19] All the new phones
[00:29:20] which are coming,
[00:29:21] they have an element of
[00:29:22] Gen. AI, right?
[00:29:23] And it's so easy to use.
[00:29:25] And Google obviously
[00:29:26] it's probably very basic AI, right?
[00:29:28] But you still need to
[00:29:28] click on multiple links
[00:29:30] to get the information.
[00:29:31] If someone can summarize
[00:29:32] that for you
[00:29:33] in a very easy to read manner
[00:29:34] and it's a conversational
[00:29:36] way of doing things.
[00:29:37] And apart from these models,
[00:29:38] obviously each company is
[00:29:39] investing in their own LLMs.
[00:29:41] Yes.
[00:29:42] You know,
[00:29:42] large language models
[00:29:43] coming up with their own insight
[00:29:45] with the internal data
[00:29:46] that they have,
[00:29:47] proprietary data that they have.
[00:29:48] It will all increase
[00:29:50] going forward.
[00:29:51] So Ankit,
[00:29:51] before we close this,
[00:29:53] if you have any
[00:29:55] anything which you want to share
[00:29:56] with our audience,
[00:29:57] please feel free to do that.
[00:29:58] Otherwise we will
[00:29:59] close this segment
[00:30:00] and we'll move to another segment.
[00:30:02] I think we touched upon, I think,
[00:30:03] you know, most of the points.
[00:30:05] I think one point
[00:30:07] which we touched upon,
[00:30:08] but I would probably
[00:30:09] want to emphasize more on,
[00:30:10] is communication.
[00:30:11] Right?
[00:30:13] So I think,
[00:30:13] as I said,
[00:30:14] I gave certain tips
[00:30:15] around written communication.
[00:30:16] But I think what all of us
[00:30:18] need to realize
[00:30:20] that when it comes to communication,
[00:30:22] more is...
[00:30:23] less is more.
[00:30:24] Right?
[00:30:24] So you don't need to write
[00:30:26] long sentences,
[00:30:27] wordy sentences,
[00:30:28] using difficult words
[00:30:30] to communicate your message.
[00:30:32] So articulation is very,
[00:30:33] very important.
[00:30:34] Right?
[00:30:35] And here I would just share up
[00:30:36] small incident
[00:30:37] which was somewhere I read.
[00:30:38] So Winston Churchill, right?
[00:30:40] The past Prime Minister of UK.
[00:30:42] He was a very big author as well.
[00:30:44] So he wrote a letter to his friend
[00:30:46] and he started the letter
[00:30:47] with apologies
[00:30:48] that I'm writing a long letter
[00:30:50] because I did not have enough time
[00:30:52] to write a shorter letter.
[00:30:53] Right?
[00:30:54] Because
[00:30:55] if you want to write short,
[00:30:57] you need to be confident
[00:30:58] of what you're saying.
[00:30:59] Right?
[00:31:00] You need to know this stuff
[00:31:02] if you can summarize it
[00:31:03] in very simple words
[00:31:04] in a very brief manner.
[00:31:06] You can only do that
[00:31:06] if you are knowledgeable.
[00:31:08] If you know your stuff.
[00:31:09] Otherwise, you will go round and round
[00:31:11] in these circles
[00:31:12] and try to explain it
[00:31:13] with more words,
[00:31:14] with longer sentences,
[00:31:15] using difficult words
[00:31:16] which is not required.
[00:31:17] Right?
[00:31:18] So both in your presentations
[00:31:20] as well as in
[00:31:21] your written communication.
[00:31:22] If you're able to communicate,
[00:31:24] pass across your message
[00:31:26] in the simplest of words,
[00:31:27] in the shortest of manner.
[00:31:29] I think that's what matters.
[00:31:30] And the second would be
[00:31:31] according to your audience.
[00:31:32] Right?
[00:31:33] So choose your language
[00:31:35] based on the audience.
[00:31:36] If it's a broader audience,
[00:31:37] obviously choose even more simpler words
[00:31:39] which everyone understands.
[00:31:41] If it's very specific,
[00:31:42] a domain expert you're talking to,
[00:31:43] you can still use certain acronyms
[00:31:45] or industry words.
[00:31:47] But yeah,
[00:31:47] choose your communication
[00:31:48] according to your audience.
[00:31:49] So I think that's it.
[00:31:50] Thank you.
[00:31:50] Thanks for emphasizing on this.
[00:31:53] We already had two episodes.
[00:31:55] One with an editorial person
[00:31:57] and one was with an author.
[00:31:59] And the both talked about
[00:32:01] simplicity in the writing
[00:32:03] is so much required.
[00:32:05] If someone has to open a dictionary
[00:32:07] and look at it,
[00:32:08] then that person is killed.
[00:32:09] Right?
[00:32:10] Because no one has time.
[00:32:11] You have to google for that word
[00:32:13] to see what you've written.
[00:32:15] Right?
[00:32:15] So simplicity is so much required.
[00:32:18] Summarization is so much required.
[00:32:20] Write crisp sentences.
[00:32:22] So guys,
[00:32:22] please focus on that.
[00:32:24] Don't think that everyone would like to
[00:32:27] hear those fancy words from you.
[00:32:29] So,
[00:32:30] so let's write crisp,
[00:32:31] clear sentences.
[00:32:33] So thanks.
[00:32:33] Thanks, Ankit.
[00:32:34] Thank you.
[00:32:34] I think this is,
[00:32:36] this is a good discussion for the first section.
[00:32:39] Now with this,
[00:32:41] we can move to the next section.
[00:32:42] Sure.
[00:32:43] Which is,
[00:32:44] which is now beyond the boundaries of
[00:32:47] this discussion.
[00:32:48] Sure.
[00:32:48] And we'll talk more about that who is Ankit Gupta.
[00:32:51] In the beginning, we heard some things
[00:32:53] so we would like to know more about it in detail.
[00:32:54] Sure.
[00:32:55] So in this section,
[00:32:56] let's start with the first question.
[00:32:59] Consulting is sometimes it's very tiring.
[00:33:02] It is.
[00:33:02] So,
[00:33:03] what do we do to revive ourselves,
[00:33:05] to unwind ourselves?
[00:33:07] Sure.
[00:33:08] So I think,
[00:33:09] first of all,
[00:33:10] switching off is very, very important, right?
[00:33:12] Respective of you are on an easy project,
[00:33:14] you're on a difficult project,
[00:33:16] or you're working six hours a day,
[00:33:17] 12 hours a day.
[00:33:18] Switching off is very important.
[00:33:20] Specifically these days,
[00:33:21] we are still in hybrid model, right?
[00:33:23] Earlier,
[00:33:24] it was very simple.
[00:33:25] All of us used to go to office.
[00:33:26] If you're not bringing your work back,
[00:33:28] you were able to switch off.
[00:33:30] These days,
[00:33:31] majority of the time,
[00:33:32] or as I said, hybrid model.
[00:33:33] So you're sometimes working from home,
[00:33:35] sometimes working from office.
[00:33:37] And if there is always work on your mind,
[00:33:40] then it becomes very, very difficult, right?
[00:33:41] Yeah.
[00:33:42] So you need to switch off
[00:33:43] so that you are also able to perform better the next day,
[00:33:46] right?
[00:33:46] Or whenever you're picking up that work.
[00:33:48] So first of all, that.
[00:33:49] So in my case, obviously,
[00:33:50] in everyone's case,
[00:33:51] it might be different.
[00:33:52] I obviously spend a lot of time with my couple of kids.
[00:33:55] You know,
[00:33:56] I play cricket with my son,
[00:33:58] watch movies.
[00:33:59] I take a walk with my wife,
[00:34:01] listen to music a lot.
[00:34:03] Writing is something
[00:34:05] which is very relaxing to me.
[00:34:06] Now you're coming on that.
[00:34:08] So I think this is all,
[00:34:09] I mean, typical normal stuff.
[00:34:11] Nothing very different from
[00:34:13] what majority of the people do.
[00:34:15] Let's talk about hobby.
[00:34:16] So let's come to hobby,
[00:34:18] let's come straight to writing.
[00:34:18] Okay.
[00:34:20] In the introduction,
[00:34:22] already we talked about that
[00:34:24] you want to pursue this
[00:34:25] going forward, right?
[00:34:27] And this is a hobby,
[00:34:28] right?
[00:34:28] So,
[00:34:29] you have already given tips
[00:34:31] for writing.
[00:34:32] You have talked so much about writing.
[00:34:34] Writing is so important in your life,
[00:34:36] in your career,
[00:34:37] in your growth as well.
[00:34:38] Yeah.
[00:34:39] So writing has played a bigger role
[00:34:40] in your entire life.
[00:34:41] So what really you want to do
[00:34:43] in writing as a hobby?
[00:34:45] Yeah, so this writing is very,
[00:34:46] very different, right?
[00:34:47] Yeah.
[00:34:47] And I started,
[00:34:48] I remember when I was in fourth standard.
[00:34:51] Right?
[00:34:51] So I used to study in Hindi medium school.
[00:34:56] Right?
[00:34:56] And my Hindi was very good.
[00:34:57] My Sanskrit was very good.
[00:35:00] So I started writing poems, right?
[00:35:02] So when I was in fourth standard,
[00:35:04] I started writing poems.
[00:35:06] And my Hindi teacher at that time
[00:35:08] in school, he was also my class teacher.
[00:35:09] Right?
[00:35:10] So when I was good at studies,
[00:35:12] so everyone used to like me.
[00:35:14] So I saw what I was writing
[00:35:15] and he was very impressed.
[00:35:16] He himself used to write poems.
[00:35:18] Right?
[00:35:19] So I think I became famous in school
[00:35:21] for writing poems in Hindi.
[00:35:22] Right?
[00:35:23] On every topic.
[00:35:23] Right?
[00:35:24] I used to write in elections.
[00:35:25] When in 1999,
[00:35:26] there was a change in the common.
[00:35:27] Funny poems.
[00:35:28] You know, all kind of poems I used to write.
[00:35:31] When there was an aircraft kidnapping,
[00:35:37] I wrote about that.
[00:35:38] So I used to read newspaper.
[00:35:39] And you know teachers were very impressed
[00:35:41] that he can read and write.
[00:35:44] So I think in that,
[00:35:45] I was very famous in many schools.
[00:35:47] You know, Kabiraj and all that.
[00:35:49] But I think somehow I lost touch.
[00:35:51] You know when I entered into.
[00:35:54] Before that, I think,
[00:35:55] in college for example,
[00:35:56] you know, in my engineering days,
[00:35:58] in my MBA days,
[00:35:59] I didn't write much.
[00:36:01] And then obviously job happened,
[00:36:03] marriage happened, kids happened.
[00:36:04] So I kind of lost touch.
[00:36:06] But I think I re-found that
[00:36:09] during Covid.
[00:36:10] Because especially in the first wave,
[00:36:12] there was lots of time at hand.
[00:36:14] Right?
[00:36:14] Deals were not happening.
[00:36:16] There was hardly any work.
[00:36:17] We're sitting at home.
[00:36:18] We were not used to sitting at home.
[00:36:20] So I think that's why I rekindled this passion.
[00:36:23] And I started to write about Covid as well.
[00:36:27] About what's going around.
[00:36:28] Right?
[00:36:28] And that I think kind of rekindled my passion.
[00:36:31] And that's something I at least want to pursue
[00:36:34] going forward.
[00:36:35] Let's see where it goes.
[00:36:36] Great!
[00:36:37] All the best for that.
[00:36:38] Thank you Ankit.
[00:36:38] Thanks a lot for joining us.
[00:36:40] A great discussion.
[00:36:41] I think every one of us
[00:36:43] will get a lot of insights from that.
[00:36:45] So thanks a lot again.
[00:36:46] Thank you Abhishek for having me.
[00:36:47] And you're doing a great job
[00:36:49] with this podcast.
[00:36:50] All the best.
[00:36:51] Thank you.
[00:36:52] So this was our episode with Ankit Gupta.
[00:36:55] We talked about a lot of soft skills and hard skills.
[00:36:59] To be successful in our consulting world.
[00:37:01] Right?
[00:37:02] We talked about that how much listening
[00:37:05] plays an important role.
[00:37:07] How much writing plays an important role.
[00:37:10] Writing means that writing crisp emails.
[00:37:13] Putting up your point very clearly
[00:37:17] in your presentations,
[00:37:18] during the conversations,
[00:37:19] during the meetings,
[00:37:20] during your...
[00:37:21] Like everything.
[00:37:22] Right?
[00:37:23] So it's very important.
[00:37:24] Very important that this skill is also be honed.
[00:37:28] The team...
[00:37:28] In the team culture you'll be working.
[00:37:30] So you have to be very collaborative
[00:37:32] when you are working in a team environment.
[00:37:35] Outside of that,
[00:37:36] one interesting topic which we touched base
[00:37:38] is the Global Capability Centres
[00:37:40] and the Indian consulting firms.
[00:37:42] Indian office of those consulting firms.
[00:37:44] So guys,
[00:37:45] this is a decision of
[00:37:46] your willingness.
[00:37:48] Where do you want to work?
[00:37:49] There are pros and cons of both.
[00:37:50] If you want to know more about it,
[00:37:52] you can write to us
[00:37:53] once you are watching this video
[00:37:55] so that we can share more ideas with you.
[00:37:58] So, if you have been following us
[00:38:00] and if you are liking our videos,
[00:38:04] then please do like,
[00:38:05] share and subscribe on the YouTube channel.
[00:38:07] And if you are listening to us
[00:38:08] on a podcast platform,
[00:38:10] do follow us
[00:38:11] and we'll keep bringing more such
[00:38:14] conversations where you can
[00:38:16] get more insights from our leaders
[00:38:18] who are coming from the industry.
[00:38:20] So guys, for now,
[00:38:22] signing off from Wisdom Whispers with Abhishek Mithil.
[00:38:25] We will be back next week
[00:38:26] with another fascinating episode.
[00:38:27] Thank you.