Advanced technology can be a game-changer, but only if it's fueled by the right data and, perhaps even more so, the right people. Those increasingly valuable assets are top of mind for PwC U.S. Vice Chair and Global Advisory Leader Mohamed Kande as he and his enormous team of consultants help clients leverage advanced technologies to develop new business models, enter new markets and create new ways to generate revenue. A veteran leader with deep consulting experience in the public sector as well as the telecommunications and technology industries, Kande recently shared with Consulting a little bit about PwC's massive upskilling initiative. Here, he reflects on the way the consulting profession is evolving, how client expectations are transforming, and the nature of technology-driven rethinking exercises and work—lots of it—his firm is conducting with clients and partners.
Consulting: What do clients want from consulting firms in late 2019?
Kande: Consulting has been undergoing significant changes during the past 20 years, but the pace of those changes has accelerated during the past two years due to rapidly changing client expectations. Clients want things to get done faster, they're placing an even greater emphasis on value, and they want their interactions with consulting providers to be more digitally enabled. We absolutely must incorporate technology into the delivery of our services today. As their needs have evolved, so have our solutions. Today, we license software to clients in addition to our traditional service-based offerings.
Consulting: Do you notice any difference regarding who's in the room when you're pitching work to new clients or when you're planning major projects with existing clients?
Kande: We most often work with a team of executives now. There was a time when we did work for a COO, a CIO, a CFO or you name the executive. But to deliver impact and value today, you have to work across the entire company while managing multiple stakeholder groups. For example, we no longer solve a finance problem by only working with the CFO. The CFO's success hinges on leveraging technology to generate insights, so you need the CFO and the CIO in the room together. To deliver value for clients, our services must be powered by technology and they must have an impact across functions. Single-competency solutions no longer deliver the value or impact clients expect. This is true for how we deliver solutions as consultants, but it's also true for how our clients must operate internally. At PwC, we call this way of working BXT. Bringing business, experience, and technology expertise to solve important problems.
Consulting: At the highest level, what type of cross-functional, high-value assistance do clients want from your consulting firm?
Kande: Companies want to use technology to change how they run their business. That involves going after new market segments and new customers. It also involves establishing entirely new business models.
Consulting: What are the primary challenges client companies face when trying to leverage new technologies to make these sweeping changes?
Kande: Everybody is looking for new talent, and everybody is looking to upskill the talent they have. The people agenda is tied to the technology agenda, which is very exciting for us because we're helping companies bring these areas together. Another pervasive issue is privacy and security. Cybersecurity is no longer a technology issue, it's a business issue. It's become a priority topic in the boardroom. We truly believe that cybersecurity is connected to all the services that we offer. The more data, the more things you have connected to the internet and the more technology is embedded in your business—the more you will have to protect your business.internally. At PwC, we call this way of working BXT. Bringing business, experience, and technology expertise to solve important problems.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.