Saumitra Sehgal leads consulting firm Roland Berger in India
Global consulting firm Roland Berger has appointed Saumitra Sehgal as its new Managing Partner for India and surrounding regions. Senior executives at the firm’s global practice say that the appointment is a bid to better manage its substantial expansion strategies in the Indian advisory market.
Sehgal has only been at Roland Berger since November last year, when he joined the firm as a Partner, and has since ascended rapidly through the ranks. He was appointed the firm’s Head of Financial Services in March this year, and now takes over the top spot for the Indian subcontinent.
A graduate of the Indian Institute of Management, Sehgal has two decades of professional experience that spans a range of industries. He began at global FMCG giant PepsiCO, where he spent nearly three years and ended up as a Territory Development Manager, before moving to Bacardi-Martini India.
During four years at Bacardi, he rose to the position of Marketing Manager, following which he shifted to banking corporation HSBC. He began his foray into the consulting industry at Accenture in 2008, where he would remain for the next decade, latterly serving as a Managing Director.
Over the course of his career, Sehgal has developed considerable expertise in the domain of market entry and growth strategies, in addition to keeping abreast with the more contemporary trends of digital transformation. His experience in financial services and strategy consulting have made him a remarkable asset at Roland Berger.
In his new role of Managing Partner, Sehgal takes over from Ravi Kushan, who joined in January last year to help build scale in the firm’s India practice and establish a Financial Services division. Kushan has brought the firm considerable momentum in the country, building on seven years of consolidation in the Indian market previously. The firm is now ready for its next phase of expansion, as it continues to compete with other strategy consulting giants in the country, including McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company, among others.
Sehgal noted the firm’s strong position in India, and expressed his readiness for the next phase. “Roland Berger has had a strong start in the Indian strategy consulting market over the last seven years and has built a reputation as the go-to consultants for robust advice, global perspectives and solutions that balance innovation and pragmatism. We look forward to growing this brand and our team to serve clients in sectors such as automotive, industrials, aerospace and defense, and financial services,” he said.
Stefan Schaible, a global leader at Roland Berger and chief executive of the firm’s home region of Germany, echoed other business leaders in expressing the significance of India as a market in the near future. “India is one of the fastest growing consulting markets and a geography of importance to Roland Berger. As a global firm, our network can help connect Indian clients with international clients and learn from best practices around the world. Saum's appointment will help catalyse our growth in the Indian market and we will make continued investments to support this growth."
