The NextGen Consulting Companies to Watch in 2020

1. ISSUE - 06 | AUGUST 2020 THE NEXTGEN CONSULTING COMPANIES TO WATCH IN 2020 Sanith de Silva Wijeyeratne Director / CEO The Carbon Consulting Company The Social Enterprise Pushing for a GREENER TOMORROW How to Become a Global Consultant 5 Steps to Start a Profitable Consultancy Business Consultancy Solutions at Rescue to Battle COVID-19

3. EVERYONE HAS A ROLE TO PLAY

4. Editors note

5. Consultancy is a primary industry, and by each passing year, it keeps on increasing with leaps and bounds. Previously, the large sector organizations could opt for consultants for a better understanding and persistent business approach. However, with evolving times, the SMEs are also in talks with consultants and are working along to accomplish their desired business results. So, what it is that has changed and is bringing both the parties together like never before, well, it's the experience for a fast-track future that is coming to life today. The consultants, with their expertise and accurate analysis, are successfully leading the organizations into a win- win situation. The Business Brainiac presents a special issue, “The NextGen Consulting Companies to Watch in 2020,” which highlights the prominent consultants delivering exceptional consultancy solutions to clients around the globe. On the cover, we have The Carbon Consulting Company: The Social Enterprise pushing for a greener tomorrow. In the special category profile, we have Arthtech Consultants Pvt. Ltd: Empowering a Realm of value-added Virtual CFO Services. The issue covers an exclusive Interview with Strategy Advisors. Also, the issue features profiles of key players like Creative Factor: Integrating Advanced Workspace Solutions for an Exceptional Experience, Equinox Labs: A Trusted Partner in the Field of Food Testing and Auditing Pan-India, PCS Project Management Pvt. Ltd: A Premium Consultancy Spearheading the Construction Industry Dynamically, Productivity Management Group: A World-Class Research and Development Platform empowering Productivity. Initially, the consultants build a productive relationship with their clients and maintain professionalism in their offerings. The customer-consultant relationship must develop on a good note, and when the decision comes to make, it is mutual between both parties. This leads to successful project execution and also ensures an excellent future association. With a fierce mindset and an enthusiastic approach, the consultants are marching towards new horizons both nationally and internationally. Also, our in-house editor has penned down creative write-ups “5 Steps to a Start Profitable Consultancy Business”, “Consultancy Solutions at Rescue to Battle Covid-19,” and “How to become a Global Consultant.”

6. Thebusinessbrainaic.com The homepage for the latest business trends, insights, and analysis Thebusinessbrainaic.com is a most authoritative and influential web address, bringing you a curated collection of business trends and predictions, great business ideas for exclusive entrepreneurship, success stories of sharp business, and thought leadership from around the globe.

7. MASTHEAD EDITORIAL Dipali Patel Krishnai Khairnar, Apurva Bhosale. Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor ART & DIRECTOR Art & Design Director Chetan Urunkar Ashish Thakare Swapnil Patil Visualizer Graphic Artist ISSUE - 06 | AUGUST 2020 THE NEXTGEN CONSULTING COMPANIES TO WATCH IN ADVERTISING & PROMOTION Email : sales@thebusinessbrainiac.com 2020 Marketing Manager Rajendra Choudhary Piyush Kshirsagar, Harsh Patel Business Development Executive Sanith de Silva Wijeyeratne Director / CEO The Carbon Consulting Company DEVELOPMENT Technical Head Technical Consultant Pankaj Hongekar Dhiraj Kate The Social Enterprise Pushing for a GREENER TOMORROW How to Become a Global Consultant 5 Steps to Start a Profitable Consultancy Business Consultancy Solutions at Rescue to Battle COVID-19 August 2020 WRITE TO US TO SUBSCRIBEBE ONLINE Email : info@thebusinessbrainiac.com TURN ON PAGE 20 CONNECT : SUBSCRIBE ONLINE Email: subscribe@thebusinessbrainiac.com thebusinessbrainiac.com Business Brainiac Business_Brainiac business_brainiac Business Brainiac

10. 32 Creative Factor Integrated Workplace Transformation for an Exceptional Customer Experience Equinox Labs A Trusted Partner in the Field of Food Testing and Hygiene Auditing PAN-India 34 38 PCS Project Management Pvt. Ltd. A Premium Consultancy Spearheading the Construction Industry Dynamically 40 Productivity Management Group A World-Class Research and Development Platform empowering Productivity

13. The Prestigious COVER STORY PROFILE

14. Director / CEO The Carbon Consulting Company August | 2020 14

15. E stablished in 2010, The Carbon Consulting Company (CCC) was founded to bring to life the vision of the co-founders of building a dedicated enterprise, based in Sri Lanka to offer World Class environmental advisory and sustainability consulting services to the private sector and local industry. The company was created to help organizations and individuals measure and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions arising from their activities ( also known as a carbon footprint), and to then compensate for this environmental pollution by financing projects that would reduce or prevent the same amount of greenhouse gases being emitted into the environment – through the instruments known as Carbon Credits. It was the aspiration of CCC for companies to take necessary measures to incorporate sustainability initiatives into the day to day operational aspects of their businesses. Initially, the company was established to be the Asian Partner to Natural Capital Partners, the world's most recognized and awarded Carbon Offset Retailer, and the organization behind the Certified CarbonNeutral® certification brand mark. The Carbon Consulting Company is a “profit for a purpose” Social Enterprise, and has to date worked with over 100 clients across a range of services mainly in the South Asian region- Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, but also with clients in Sweden, Norway the United Kingdom, The United States, Oman, and Australia as well. August | 2020 15

16. The Green Leader focused only on the cost efficiency side of things. However, with perseverance, the organization was able to bring some commendable clients around to its perspective by convincing them of the bigger picture. And a few of the early adopters of these measures managed to achieve global and regional landmarks in their categories. Eswaran Brothers Exports became the World's First certified CarbonNeutral® Tea Company, Mihila Factory of the Hirdaramani Group became Asia's First CarbonNeutral® apparel manufacturer. Duo Software became Asia's first CarbonNeutral® IT company, and EPSI Computers became South Asia's First computer hardware company. Arab Emirates, Singapore, Oman, Sri Lanka, and The USA. Before his role at CCC, Sanith holds over 12 years of experience in Advertising and Marketing Communications with international agency networks Leo Burnett and DraftFCB as well as being one of the co-founders of the local boutique agency WORDS, having held positions in Client Management and Strategic Planning. He pursued his Executive Training at the prestigious Harvard University and holds an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in Sri Lanka. He is also an Attorney-at-Law. A visionary personality, Sanith is the CEO and Head of Strategic Planning of CCC. Spearheading the company from its start-up phase, his experience in strategic planning, branding, and marketing has helped propel the company to attain regional recognition. Leading his company towards greater success, Sanith along the way has racked up several remarkable achievements in environmental conservation and corporate sustainability, notably being awarded the coveted Global CSR Leadership Award at the global awards held in Mumbai. In October 2017 in Pittsburgh, USA, Sanith was inducted into The Global Climate Leadership Corps by former US Vice President Al Gore, in recognition of his leadership in fighting climate change. This year he was nominated to be a mentor at the upcoming Climate Reality Leadership Corps: Global Training in 2020 in recognition of his continuing leadership role as a climate advocate. He has been invited to be an expert speaker at climate change forums in India, Nepal, South Korea, The United Over the years, the company has worked with many remarkable companies and brands and has added even more landmarks to its portfolio. Linea Aqua became the first WaterConscious® factory and then went a step further to become the World's First WaterNeutral® apparel company. The Bodyline Group of factories was the first to be certified as CarbonConscious®. More recently Eswaran Brothers Exports pushed the boundary yet again by launching the World's first PlasticNeutral® Tea product. Today, the company has worked with more than 100 clients across carbon, water, waste, plastic, and forestry- based initiatives. The Journey towards Excellence Initially starting with a team of 4, CCC's mission was to engage with the private sector and convince them to adopt “greener” and more sustainable practices as a part of their day to day business operations. Needless to say, in Sri Lanka (and by extension South Asia) this is a difficult proposition to sell, as companies are myopically Currently, CCC has a team of 12 consultants in disciplines ranging from Environmental Engineering, Energy, Forestry, Environmental Management, and Industrial Processes along with senior expertise in International Project Design and Carbon Asset Development, Strategic Planning, Client Relationship Management, and Marketing Communication. It also has an advisory team of highly specialized senior advisors covering Energy, Social Sustainability, International Project Management, Life Cycle Analysis, and Organizational Verification. August | 2020 16

17. Encouraging Sustainability corporate clients while trying to show them the business value that they can create. But fundamentally, the team is passionate about being true to its duty of environmental stewardship. It is a professional consulting service that works hand in hand with clients to make a sustainable difference to the planet. Water Auditing, Energy Auditing, Waste Auditing, Life Cycle Analysis, and Biodiversity Assessments. It also provides management/technical consultancy and advisory services on Corporate Sustainability Strategy, Risk & Opportunity Assessments, Stakeholder Engagement, GRI/Integrated Reporting, Green Building Strategy/LEED Certification, Carbon Offset Development Projects (VCS/CDM), and International Renewable Energy Certificates (IRECs). All the sustainability assessments follow international standards, protocols, methodologies, and/or guidelines. “The power to make a difference is in each of us – we just need to stop listening to the voices telling why we shouldn't.” The defining aspect of CCC is its business approach. “We are not “tree huggers” in the traditional sense” the company quotes. Instead, it tries to find a middle path that equally addresses with integrity the environmental impacts made by Areas of Competence Carbon Consulting primarily focuses on sustainability assessments such as Carbon Footprinting & Offsetting, Water Footprinting & Offsetting, August | 2020 17

18. A Unique Positioning looking at hardcore operational issues with the shop floor staff. It also offers a range of in-house communication tools and external PR initiatives that will help drive the client's actions to a wider audience and help to create better business value. This complete package of services and tools is not matched in one offering across the entire region. Hence, CCC stands tall amongst all as it bestows its clients with premiere and customized services for a longer run. of the team members and their families rests with me. While each team member is responsible for their role in a project, I have to ensure that we plan for the future and secure our clients (and therefore our jobs) for the years to come – and not just for this financial year. I am very fortunate to have the support and guidance of a very committed (and distinguished) Chairman and Board of Directors, who are also all co-founders of the company. Hence, they have a very high commitment to our work and provide all the support they can to help us reach our objectives. My management style has always been participative with a focus on getting the job done – not watching the clock or marking the number of hours worked”. The first point of difference is the adherence to the value of making a real difference to the planet. The consultancy is passionate about the accuracy and verification of all data that it uses often going beyond practices adopted by others. It also takes the time to engage with each level of stakeholder at the client end, carrying out awareness and training sessions from the factory floor level up to the Board Room to ensure that the entire organization is well versed with their work. From the CEO's Desk “Providing leadership and guidance to the team as well as the responsibility for the economic and social well-being The company engages with the C- suite membership on a strategic and long term level, while at the same time August | 2020 18

19. Global Recognition adapt to working from home and social distancing measures that have come into place to combat the virus. It has always had a flexible work ethic with people working from home when a sudden need arises. Carbon has bagged multiple recognitions front for its top-notch performance in its field. It was acknowledged as 'The Best Provider of Environmental Solutions in the Middle East - Asia' by the World Leadership Federation at their international award ceremony in Dubai in 2017 and recently was ranked Number 1 in Insights Success Magazine's Top 10 groundbreaking companies to watch in South Asia in 2019. Carbon Consulting strived to create an environment based on the values of transparency and teamwork. The key decisions are shared among the team openly and everyone is free to voice their respective opinions. One of the big challenges for the company is getting clients to re- commit to their sustainability projects and initiatives. Currently, most industrial and corporate clients are in a survival mode with large scale layoffs and plant closures in the offing. The organization is working closely with some of these clients to make the best of this drastic situation to re-tool and re-think some of their processes and initiatives to better enable them to face this new and uncertain future. It continues to consolidate its base in South Asia with the core offering of Environmental Auditing, Sustainability Strategy, and Certification. It will also continue its expansion in other global markets with the expanded scope of Carbon Asset Development, Product Carbon Footprinting, and Lifecycle analysis. The company is guided by the core principle of making a positive difference to the planet and its future citizens and hence it abides by its tagline “Stop Talking – Start Acting”. A Plan of Action to Battle the Pandemic The working set-up at CCC has always stressed having a degree of flexibility and high-level responsiveness. Hence, the company was better placed to August | 2020 19

20. SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND GET 1 YEAR OF BUSINESS BRAINIAC MAGAZINE AVAIL YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION AND RECEIVE BRAINIAC WEEKLY Name : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date : _ _ _ _ _ Address : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Telephone : _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ Email : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ City : _ _ _ _ Pin : _ _ _ _ State : _ _ _ _ Country : _ _ _ _ I agree to receive sms and mail regarding subscrip?ons Subscribe Online Email : subscribe@thebusinessbrainiac.com https:/ /www. thebusinessbrainiac .com/subscribe/ For more informa?on and to adver?se sales@thebusinessbrainiac.com

21. THE SPECIAL CATEGORY PROFILES

22. Founder Director, Arthtech Consultants Pvt. Ltd. E stablished in 1990, Arthtech Consultants Private Limited (ACPL) is one of the pioneers in India for providing Outsourced /Virtual CFO services, having initiated this concept since 1998. ACPL provides outsourced management services (IMOS-Integrated Management Outsourcing Solutions) in the finance, accounting, HR, and legal domain to customers as a Single Window Solution, thereby enabling them to concentrate on their core competence. Initially, it started as a management consulting firm, but eventually, it has founded itself as an innovator for Outsourced/Virtual CFO solutions. Becoming a trendsetter with its offerings, it bagged a significant recognition, when a majority stake in two client companies where ACPL was the Outsourced CFO, were acquired respectively by one of the largest filtration company in the world, based out of Italy and one of the largest mould making company based out of China. In the capacity of the Outsourced CFO, ACPL, through its professional expertise, was responsible for transforming these family-managed companies into corporate identities and handheld the promoters in this entire takeover process, including deal structuring and due diligence. The firm has a global outreach and adds value to a client base ranging from different countries like Austria, Canada, USA, France, UAE, Germany, Singapore, who have set up either their 100% subsidiaries or are operating their joint ventures in India. August | 2020 22

23. The Man of the Hour The pillar of strength, Shekhar Agharkar, has spearheaded the success of Arthtech and continues to accomplish new records each day. He is a Chartered Accountant with a field experience of over three decades in Accounting, Finance, and Management Consulting. Shekhar is the Founder and Director of ACPL and AKSPL and is also on the Board of Directors of many companies and has been the Past Chairman of the Pune Branch of the Indo- American Chamber of Commerce. Embarking an Impetus Impact with the USP ACPL marked its strong presence by IMOS (Integrated Management Outsourcing Solutions), a basket of authentic services in the management arena, which handles the non- core yet equally essential functions. These fundamental functions include finance & accounts, company law, legal, HR, and many more. A cross-sectional team delivers the holistic platform IMOS of experienced professionals who cater to all industry segments with their expertise. He was nominated on the MSME sub- committee of CII Maharashtra State MSME Council, Western Region. He is on the Pune Chapter Managing Committee of IMCI and the British Business Group and is one of the Founding Directors of Indo Japanese Business Council, Bringing innovation into the bigger picture, ACPL has curated a bunch of success stories through its steadfast performance and customer-centric approach. Based in Pune with operations across major cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Dubai, the firm is looking forward to spreading its wings to Tier-II and Tier- III cities and creating a PAN India footprint in the upcoming years. August | 2020 23

24. A Customer-Driven Firm practical and feasible solutions and assist in its implementation,” addresses Shekhar. With the help of technology, the firm can get compelling practical insights to make the right decisions based on sound logic and data. It is committed to improve the technology infrastructure and get access to data at a minimal cost. providing all statutory compliances and reports to clients on time, be it statutory compliance or MIS reporting. ACPL believes in utmost customer satisfaction and offers them with top- notch services according to the need of the hour. With customized and start to finish commitment on each project, the firm has become a preferable choice in the marketplace. It maintains professionalism in all its offerings and ethos withstanding the timely delivery. It assures continuity, confidentiality, quality, and integrity. ACPL has the necessary infrastructure and the skilled resources at its disposal to meet the client's expectations with operations, which are flexible and quickly scalable. Also, the firm acknowledges the complexities and thrives on working towards a solution for all. Hence, it is prompt with its responses and is a suitable strategic finance partner for all its customers. For any entrepreneur of a growing business, it is challenging to manage fundraising, financial reporting, budgeting, cash flow monitoring, negotiating contracts, implementing systems, compliances, and also manage day-to-day operations. Therefore, ACPL acts as a partner to keep pace with changing regulations and expand every customer's business. It offers a bouquet of services as a team, managing the optimum combination of CFOs, CAs, lawyers, junior accountants, and others to get all services without added cost. Underlying different perspectives and scenarios help in accomplishing successful projects, deals, products, and more. Working on domestic as well as international projects, the firm serves verticals like manufacturing, real estate, heavy engineering, agriculture, service, hospitality, and many others. It has an impeccable track record of Using various software and technology solutions, ACPL works with a tech-savvy outlook, “We review the financial statements and business process of the client and perform an as- is-study and gap analysis of the same to highlight major problem areas, thereafter come up with August | 2020 24

25. A Take on the SME sector processes. Through this initiative, which is to be launched through a close-knit cluster of business associates pan India, we intend to bring about a massive change in the marketplace for SMEs and enable free B2B through its website. With a steady year on year revenue growth ACPL adheres to the best of industry practice. It is in the process of upgrading itself to be an online solution provider of its unique offering of virtual/outsourced CFO services besides other service offerings. ACPL stands by the ideology of co- existing, and hence it focuses not only on the large organization but also majorly on the SME sector and other family-owned enterprises. Shekhar, a veteran at his profession, lays undue emphasis on how crucial it is for all enterprises to mark their territory to sustain in the global marketplace. “The SME sector constitutes a majority of the business units in India and globally. Often, such businesses do not own the resources to have dedicated in-house teams to take care of finance, legal, and HR needs. They fall back owing to various factors such as not having a well- defined chart of accounts, costing system, budgeting, internal controls, financial knowledge & management, and lack of professionalism", explains Shekhar. ACPL has launched a unique initiative called SME KONNECT, whereby it conducts a free of cost “As is Analysis' ' to enable SMEs to concentrate on their business and help them manage and systematically grow their business ACPL provides strategic financial management, analysis, and advice on an as-needed basis. India's start-up sector is flourishing like never before and is creating its clan to survive in the longer run. Helping them along the way is ACPL, which assists start-ups in setting up and handholding under the Start-up India action plan and Make in India initiatives. As a member of Indian Science & Technology Entrepreneurs Parks & Business Incubation Association (ISBA), the firm serves both incubators (outsourcing in F&A, financial advisory & funding/seed funding) and incubatees (helping start-ups crystallize the project ideas by way of the business plan, preparing project feasibility, structuring start- ups, strategic consulting including virtual CFO and others). Two portals are intended to be launched: • Portal for Not-for-profit organizations like Society, Trust, Section 8 company to provide the full range of services- from Incorporation /registration to complete outsourced project /functional management. • Portal for Family Business with a special focus on succession planning The Next Step Being a leader of virtual CFO Service providers in India, ACPL looks forward to maintaining its brand identity and collaborating with many potential firms in the upcoming years. It also aims to enrich its offerings with advanced resources and excellent outsourcing professionals to become a part of the dynamic environment. ACPL has time and again stood the test of time and emerged effectively among its competitors with its exclusive skillset and performance. It has fast-tracked the future to now and made the present times a powerful experience. August | 2020 25

26. Interview with BusinessBrainiac Interview with Business Brainiac I n an interview with Business Brainiac, Vineet Trakroo, the CEO and Marketing & Sales Strategist of Evolution Strategy Advisors LLP gave some insightful answers highlighting the influences made of his firm, expert service offerings, founding ideals, achievements, current and future perceptions. With rich experience, Vineet has led the firm from the forefront delivering all its clients with utmost legal insights and successful business. CEO, Evolution Strategy Advisors LLP 1. Kindly Brief Us About Your Organization. • Skill Up gradation is required in our field as customers get more and more data-savvy and have more and more information available, we have been upgrading our skills to integrate and analyze more and more information from the client's systems This helps us to build trust with our clients. 3. Apprise Us in Detail about Your Areas of Specialization. I started this growth consulting company in 2013, for advising and execution on sales and marketing for B2c organizations. As we found a big gap in operational strategy, i.e. how to get things done successfully. We have in the last 7 years worked with over 50 co's on 75+ projects successfully and done multiple projects for each of our clients. 90% of our recommendations are accepted and close to 70- 75% of them implemented. • Customer satisfaction with results. By results we mean the results clients business gets post-implementation of our recommendations or actions. Only when the actions yield results we consider it as a satisfied customer. • Focused on a specific customer segment and project type. We have been choosy on the type of industries, business issues they face, and what could be the possible outcome. We have many times refused a project and advised clients to alter the scope where we feel that the solution could lie elsewhere or with a much easier tool. As we offer a specialized service it's important for us to work on the things which would matter for our client and build trust. Our services are in 4 verticals: Business Diagnostic, Transformation, Building execution excellence, Brand Licensing & alliances. We work with medium and large organizations in FMCG, consumer products, durables, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and building materials: 2. How Would You Describe the Voice of Your Brand? • Business Transformation: Restructuring and transforming organizations to grow • Business Diagnostics: Identifying issues which are holding back the growth of a business or a division • Quality of work we deliver and the analysis we provide to clients is paramount. We continuously are trying to better ourselves. Our quality is not dependent on our business margins and the size of the client's business. Whether it's a 100Cr business we are transforming or 10,000Cr we deliver our best in all cases. • Executional Excellence: In Sales, marketing, brand management, and analytics Connect with customers we go deep into the customers through the process, understand, and sometimes challenge some of their business assumptions. We are forthright in suggesting solutions which could improve their business immediately. • Licensing Bringing international brands to India for JV & licensing with Indian co's. August | 2020 26

27. 6. What Is Your Plan of Action to Tackle the Challenges in Terms of the COVID-19 Crisis, Changing Recent Trends, and MarketPlayers in the Consulting Market? 4. What Is Evolution Strategy Advisor's Difference in the Consulting Market? 1. Tell Us About Yourself I started 30yrs ago in the electrical engineering field with Voltas and thereafter ABB. I then moved on to the Consumer goods industry as head of sales & marketing in various co.'s Pidilite, Cavinkare, Beiersdorf, Usha International for the next 23 years. Worked across FMCG, Home improvement, OTC, and durables. I describe myself as A Practical Strategist. One word which describes us is, “Negentropy”, which means, bringing things to order, it's the opposite of entropy. We have a different approach to the solution. We believe as most products are commoditized or similar the solution lies in the delivery of the product or service through the sales, service, customer experience, and supply chain till it reaches the internal or external customer. We also believe companies have a lot of data that is not being used to identify issues or to create business insights. We marry these two using company data and the company's internal teams (sales, service, dealer management, etc.) to identify the challenges they face in delivering to the needs of internal or external customers. The results are phenomenal. Currently, the situation is infrastructural and resource-related i.e. labor, finance, material movement, etc. only when Co.'s move to demand to service, grabbing shares, and demand generation we get active. Companies are still in the mode of restarting or finding the best way to serve their markets with all the restrictions. The entire chain of reaching out to the customer has been broken which needs to be rebuilt first. Once the business is the mode of finding ways to recover their lost business, we shall be working with them. In fact, most CEOs and owners are already thinking about next year and how they will recover sales loss. Our business model has been aligned to post Covid-19 from the beginning i.e. finding growth opportunities within the same infrastructure and resources. 2. How Do You Align Your Organization with Your Vision and Mission? Continually upgrading our delivery to exceed client business growth expectations. This involves upgrading our knowledge of different data analytical techniques and visualization which can help our clients understand the challenges from their own data. 5. Tell Us About Your Organization's Achievements and Accomplishments. 7. What Is the Evolution Strategy Advisor's Strategy for the Future? 3. Share Business Advice & Success Tips for Young Entrepreneurs. Our biggest achievement is when clients are able to implement our recommendations and see the benefit of increased business top line/ bottom lines. We have been able to deliver a 20-30% increase or turnaround in business within six months to a year. This has encouraged more than 80% of our clients to give us more projects. Our techniques have proved successful in the automobile, building material, durables, FMCG, stationery, and pharmaceutical business. We have worked with the leaders in each field like Tata Motors, Mahindra, Abbott, Pfizer, Saint Gobain, Pepsi, Piramal, Faber Castell, etc. We have had most of our focus in Mumbai and Delhi, being the hotbeds of industry, we now plan to expand our operations to South India. We also plan to increase our focus onto mid- sized companies in sectors not covered by us i.e. consumer finance. If entrepreneurs can identify a big enough need which has not been fulfilled, then definitely they can create a sustainable business provided they follow the basics of business management. Further, it's easier for new-age companies to use technologies v/s an older organization which may still be using conventional means to grow. As more and more businesses get digitized the opportunities will increase. As long as the services are unique and use skills which can't be easily digitized or adopted by AI in the near future the risk for failure will be lower. August | 2020 27

31. The High-Grade ARTICLES AND PROFILES

32. Founder, Creative Factor E stablished in 2009, Creative Factor aims to assist organizations through their transformational processes to help them realize their potential in driving change for their people and society. Abiding by its quest to change the workplace arena, it believes that workplaces today are due for massive overhauling. Hence, the company works alongside customers who are seeking change. As the famous quote goes, "change is the constant", Creative Factor works with conviction, dynamic, and methodological approach to enhance brand perception and customer experience. With a futurist outlook, the company inspires its customers to see the bigger picture and pave the way forward to realize it. An Instrumental Leader The Five Principal Strengths Tridiv Daas is the Founder of the Creative Factor. He is a voracious reader and a cricket lover, who finds time for leisure even with his tightly packed schedule. Being an avid book lover, he reads 25-30 books a year and also makes time to play cricket every weekend. Tridiv has been able to maintain a proper work-life balance and has received tremendous support from his family and team members throughout his journey. Started working in 1997, Tridiv is an experienced personality, who to date is passionate about working. His work keeps him going, and hence he looks forward to it every day. "I owe much of my success to my mentors from my earlier part of my career and feel grateful that they continue to guide me even today", adds Tridiv. Tridiv defines that a sense of purpose is the key to any organization that wishes to create the future. It is essential to stay deep-rooted with one's cultural and shared goals across all levels. Transparency in management roles and care for one another has kept Creative Factor's mission and vision alive. The team pays attention to its cultural fabric. It is the glue that binds them together, even when a member has moved on from the organization. Creative Factor specializes in five specific areas, which are a must for every organization: Brand Development : A brand is not a logo. A brand is much more than a design form. It connotes a perception, a trust, and a belief system that guides employees and customers towards a compelling future. The company conducts brand workshops, which strategically aligns it to the business and creates guidelines that allow its custodians to navigate the brand journey intuitively. August | 2020 32

33. Cultural Transformation : Being in the experience economy and heading towards the transformative economy, without undergoing a cultural transformation, a business cannot deliver customer experience. It's an inside out process, to provide superb customer experience, the first focus should lie on the internal culture. is now drawing much-needed attention to the workplace, which Creative Factor has been advocating since 2009. The services are designed to enable businesses out of crisis and align them with the short-term and long-term future. It can now enable cultural transformation for companies opting for Work from Home as standard practice. The COVID-19 outbreak is fueling the need for consulting firms. Today, organizations large and small are changing; therefore, it is an opportunity for all consulting firms. Through-out the lockdown period, the company has been enabling digital transformation for its clients and also remodeling their brand initiatives. just about consulting, but also the ability to translate it in the longer run- connecting all the dots. The team at Creative Factor is passionate and committed to deliver with utmost problem-solving offerings and to keep up to the promise. Also, Creative Factor has two divisions, one that caters to larger enterprises and the other provides services to SMEs. For Enterprise clients, it focuses on Integrated Marketing Services, while for SMEs, it concentrates more holistically at an organizational level. The flagship programs for SMEs are the Brand Business Management Program, Workplace Cultural Transformation Program, Marketing Management Program, and Business System Management Program. Integrated Marketing Management: The Company focuses on business intelligence and data to develop marketing strategies and programs. Its capacity to understand different business models and its efficacies gives an edge for developing marketing strategies. Business Communication : The organization practices holistic business communication. A business has to keep its relationships with five vital stakeholders: employees, customers, partners, channels, and investors. Healthy communication practices first ensure that all these relationships are taken care of as each one is a growth lever. Marching through Future Strides The company quotes Steve Jobs, "Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." Creative Factor will continue to foster changes in the workplace. It will continue to work to transform businesses and help them realize their true potential, draw synergies in their business systems and people. The company plans to expand its outreach and hence is working with industry associations to amplify to tier II and tier III cities. It is continuously developing program modules and training workshops to self-empower organizations and achieve new milestones. Winning Significant Honors "Don't be in the business just for profits, focus on purpose instead. In the hard times, it is the passion towards the purpose which keeps the team and organization alive." Creative Factor takes pride in the contribution of client business and enables every client to bag industry acknowledgment and awards. The company focuses on making a difference in its customers' journey, and that has given them many acknowledgments as Top 100 Outstanding Consulting Company in 2019 - Insight Success and Top 10 Promising Consulting Company 2019 - Consultant Review. For Creative Factor, its customers are the real assets and testimonies of the journey so far. Business Consulting : It's not one thing, it is many. Every business has its unique challenges, and one solution doesn't fit all. So far, we are living in a human-to-human business world, and it is poised to change. Multiple organizations are at a different stage of their evolution. The company consults businesses across different requirements such as brand development, geo-expansion, digitization, customer experience, growth strategies, leadership development, marketing, and more. A Symmetrical Consulting Process The State of the Pandemic COVID-19 has just accelerated the process of business transformation. It Creative Factor brings Business Consulting and Communication under one roof. In today's career front, it is essential to strike a balance between creativity and logical thinking. It is not August | 2020 33

34. CEO, Equinox Labs E stablished in 2005, Equinox Labs is a leading FSSAI approved, NABL accredited, and ISO 9001:2015 certified food, water, and air testing lab with a PAN India presence. It is one of the largest auditing agencies and with its quality-based and technology- enabled approach, the organization has built a trustworthy relationship with its clients across multiple domains. Equinox delivers to a wide-range of 14,000+ clients across F&B and corporate sectors and 40,000+ restaurants and hotels with its reliable products and services. It also offers 700 auditors across 150+ cities. An Instrumental Leader Cherishing a Compassionate Customer Environment and now as a brand entity, the organization ensures every Indian has access to good, nutritious, and safe food. Additionally, any food product that it exports is also deemed safe and is of superior quality. Internationally, Indian food products have mixed opinions, but over the next decade, Ashwin Bhadri wants to make sure that Equinox as an organization helps the industry grow stronger in terms of quality. A resourceful personality, Ashwin Bhadri, CEO and Founder of Equinox Labs is an International Speaker on Food Safety. He is also a pioneer in Food Safety Monitoring and FSSAI Compliance. He works closely with FSSAI Initiatives pan-India, such as SNF@Workplace, FoSTaC, Eat Right India, ITC-FSAN, Hygiene Rating, to name a few. He has also trained over 40,000 people and is also a personal advisor to over 500 companies on Compliance, EHS Policies, and Critical Infrastructure. Equinox Labs as a brand has a voice and an identity that is honest and transparent. It encourages open and direct communication with all its stakeholders and maintains integrity and authenticity through its products and services. Sticking to its roots, the organization has received many accolades for its performance, but the CEO believes that its greatest achievement is staying true to its customers and offering them the best- in-class facilities. The fact that its customers keep coming back to them and more than 99% of the customers work with Equinox again year on year is an honor any organization can ask for. Being a passionate entrepreneur himself, Ashwin’s advice to budding entrepreneurs and startups is, states a few words of wisdom for budding entrepreneurs and the biggest advice or success tip that he can share is that “As a business entrepreneur, you're going to fail, so my suggestion will be to fail quickly. It’s important not to give up! Don’t worry even if you fail often, but most importantly do not give up! Grit, I think is the biggest factor that is going to determine whether you’re a winner over a loser. A loser is someone who gave up a little too sooner. A winner is someone who persevered one more time and eventually was able to reach the finish line.” With a mission to make the world a safer place, Ashwin envisions making Equinox Labs a global leader. Initially, Equinox focused only on making food consumable and secure, but it gradually shifted and broadened its services to water and air and then food safety. “I think our belief in doing the ethically right and the best thing for all our clients ensures that our customers stick by us; and this voice of our customers is our strongest marketing tool. Our happy customers, get us more customers!” concludes Ashwin Over the last decade, the company has experienced a paradigm shift and has established itself as a brand. This has led to an expansion of the vision August | 2020 34

35. Areas of Competencies services. Equinox can provide an added benefit to organizations by giving them comprehensive information about their respective establishments, which they probably didn't have by using technologies like Hygiene Quotient. Hygiene Quotient allows any brand to see all its properties and see them simultaneously on different fronts. magnitude ever before. Equinox believes that along with every crisis there is an opportunity to reimagine itself as a brand. This crisis certainly has imposed a lot of challenges but, there is currently an ample number of opportunities in the market too, especially in terms of monitoring safety and hygiene. Equinox's core specialization lies in Food, Water, and Air Testing, and also Food Safety Audits. Over time, it has conducted more than a million tests and audits, which makes it one of the largest players in the country in this respective field. The extensive experience held by the company makes it a preferable choice for many in the business. It also gives in-depth insights into the industry like none other and with the help of these insights, it can help the customers grow and advance in terms of quality and safety.Equinox’s core specialization lies in Food, Water, and Air Testing, and also Food Safety Audits. This is the reason why Hygiene Quotient as a service was born. Envisioning the future of Hygiene Quotient, the company foresees that this product has the potential of being the market leader in the industry as there is barely any competition for it. Being one of its kind gives it an added benefit, as the product provides much- needed value to a larger customer base. When one designs or manufactures products according to the need of the hour, the product indeed stands out amongst all. The Client Driven Approach To stand-out amongst all its competitors, every company has to offer its unique set of offerings to make a difference in the consulting market. Equinox Labs’ has been in the industry for the last 15 years and with the number of tests and audits it has completed till now, makes it capable of helping the customers by giving them new insights into their own vertical. Equinox has become an expert in its field and hence its client base increases over time expanding its outreach to several cities. Over time, it has conducted more than a million tests and audits, which makes it one of the largest players in the country in this respective field. The extensive experience held by the company makes it a preferable choice for many in the business. It also gives in-depth insights into the industry like none other, and with the help of these insights, it can which helps the customers grow and advance in terms of quality and safety. To stand-out amongst all its competitors, every company has to offer its unique set of offerings to make a difference in the consulting market. Equinox Labs' has been in the industry for the last 15 years and with the number of tests and audits it has completed till now, makes it capable of helping the customers by giving them new insights into their own vertical. Equinox has become an expert in its field and hence its client base increases over time expanding its outreach to several cities. “Having said that, The most important factor is that there is a strong need for a service like this Hygiene Quotient and every prospect that I'm speaking to today and every demo that we’re doing is converting into a client for us. Apart from this, We are also going to focus largely on training and development in this regard.”, concludes Ashwin. The company helps its customers become stronger in their safety and compliance needs and it safeguards a potential future for its audience by providing excellent up-to-date services. Equinox can provide an added benefit to organizations by giving them comprehensive information about their respective establishments, which they probably didn’t have by using technologies like Hygiene Quotient. Hygiene Quotient allows any brand to see all its properties and see them simultaneously on different fronts. Goals for the Future Equinox Labs’ strategy for the future is to become the market leader in testing, auditing, and safety services across India and then globally. A big part of the strategy is to be its customers' knowledge partner and making sure that the customer is educated on its testing, auditing, and compliance requirements. plus what and when they need to do it. To sustain in the longer run, Equinox believes in offering its clients with satisfactory and honest services every time, as this will ensure that the clients will choose them over others whenever they require services in the same domain. A State of the Pandemic Times The company helps its customers become stronger in their safety and compliance needs and it safeguards a potential future for its audience by providing excellent up-to-date COVID-19 as a crisis is colossal and as an organization or as a society, we haven’t witnessed something of this August | 2020 35

36. T he pandemic has caused many adverse effects on almost every set of organizations, be it large, medium, or small. These unprecedented times have put significant stakes at risk, and every industry is trying to do its best to revive from the situations. As every coin has two sides, there are many companies, who are unable to process this, their next step is stuck in the middle of nowhere, however, to jump back on track and be the game, these companies are seeking advice from consultants and instilling their solutions for better business. August | 2020 36

37. A Plan of Action of leading consultancies to bounce back. So, what is it that these companies should now do? Well, there are many freelance consultants available on the internet, who present the companies with a wide range of solutions and help them to accomplish their goals. Also, there are many consultancies which are willing to serve their customers on a payment plan and customize it according to the need of the hour. technological advancements and tuning with professionals to bring forth new perspectives and prompt developments. This is where the consultants are stepping in to offer their world-class knowledge and look forward to the bigger picture. There are many leading companies like McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Kearney, Big Four, and many such major consultancies working with the Government to encourage the economic forefront and reinforce the battle against the COVID-19. Every organization battling the virus has different challenges and needs a unique plan of action accordingly. This ensures a customized plan depending on the type of aspects like management, revenue, strategies, or technology that a respective company is dealing with. The consultants are not only providing a helping hand to the businesses but are also offering the government with par excellence solutions to tackle the hurdles effectively. The solutions crafted by consultants are accurate as they keep track of the on-going momentum and provide feasible solutions at hand. The consultancy solutions give insights related to resources, day-to-day running of operations, future steps, blueprint, and more. This may be a confidential deal amongst the two parties and as to how they have agreed based on it. In such crucial times, coming together and being interdependent is essential for everyone to bring back businesses to function. Moving Ahead into a Secured Future These exceptional times are a lesson as to how challenges can be tackled with a well-defined skill set and a positive mindset. The consultants have risen as warriors in this fight and are becoming a preferred choice amongst multiple businesses. With their best- in-class offerings, many sectors are craving their path and have successfully surpassed the speed breakers in the pandemic times. As the world is learning to live with the “new normal,” the customers, professionals, and respected management teams are putting their best foot forward to become leaders of their domains. Standing Strong with the Government Mining Advantages from Adversity The pandemic has created havoc, and the government, with all its resources, is working towards each section of society to make citizens aware and ready for adopting new behaviors and following ways of life. The challenges in front of the government are immense, but the weapons available to combat it are also dominant in the long run. To sustain the emergency, the government is embedding new Some crises make room for opportunities, and others simply hit a terminal. The same goes for the current times of battling with the coronavirus; many startups and small- sized companies are facing downhill as they didn't have another plan in case the first fails. In this sense, it might be difficult for them to afford the services August | 2020 37

38. I n 1995, when construction project management was just a modern, exceptional, and distinctive concept in the building construction industry, Project Consultancy Services (PCS) apprehended the need to implement in industry and formalize the services and laid its foundation. Gradually, PCS extended his wings and grew to PCS Project Management Pvt. Ltd. in 2008. Since then PCSPMPL has set an ideal example in the industry and became a leading Construction Project Management firm in India, based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat with a branch office in Indore. With its exemplary skillset, the firm is an excellent service provider and has completed more than 300 projects across the country. Complete Project Management Consultancy, Tender, and Estimation, Third-Party Bill Checking, Quality Audit, Feasibility Studies, MEPF Services Coordination, Project Coordination, Technical Assistance in the selection of land for the project. The firm has extensively worked on various projects and in different industries like Residences, Commercial, Industrial, Institutes, Hospitals, Hotels, and many others. Its largest markets include private high-end bungalows, medical and hospitality projects and recently real estate projects. PCSPMPL can render various services with regards to Project Management Consultancy that are flexible to match the client's requirements. It offers a wide range of services encompassing various stages of projects starting from feasibility study to commissioning and handing over for any type and size of a construction project. With complete customer satisfaction, the firm offers every client with customized services from start to end of every project. This is one of the reasons why it stands out amongst all its competitors as it works with a comprehensive approach. It strongly believes in Real Project Management and not simply Project Coordination / Supervision –like other consultancy firms. It also follows team retention policy, to keep the track records of longer association of its project teams. 1990, Saurashtra University, Rajkot, India, Certified Course in Project Management, AMA, Ahmedabad, 2002, and NFPA 13 Certified Training, Ahmedabad, July 2018. His current engagements include Chairman, FSAI (Fire and Security Association of India) Journal & Publications; Secretary, ASSOCHAM GEM, Gujarat Chapter; Executive Committee Member, Indian Plumbing Association (IPA), Ahmedabad Chapter; Managing Committee Member, (GICEA) The Gujarat Institute of Civil Engineers and Architects; Member, ISHRAE (The Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers) Technical Group (F101) on Evaporative Cooling; Visiting Faculty / Studio Tutor for Plumbing Design Studio, Faculty of Technology, CEPT University, Ahmedabad, Monsoon Semester 2020; GRIHA, Evaluator and Trainer. The Leading Forces Mr. Dipen Mehta Managing Director | PCSPMPL Dipen's education qualifications include Bachelor of Engineering (Civil), It delivers its customers with a wide range of services which include August | 2020 38

39. Leadership, Honesty, and Dedication as per the Project requirements”. Being an expert in this field, he leads many organizations and contributes his exemplary insights for better results. His professional affiliation includes Member of Institute of Engineers (MIE), Chartered Engineer, Individual Member, World Plumbing Council (WPC), Individual Life Member of Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA), Individual Life Member of Gujarat Institute of Civil Engineers and Architects (GICEA), Individual Life Member of Indian Plumbing Association (IPA), Corporate Member of Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), Gujarat Chapter, Corporate Member of Fire Safety Association of India (FSAI), Gujarat Chapter, Corporate Member, The Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE), Ahmedabad Chapter, Member of Indian Building Congress (IBC), and Member of Indian Road Congress (IRC), Member, Global Association for Corporate Services (GACS). consulting, and contracting firms on various diverse projects that have helped PCSPMPL to step up every year. He heads the Indore office and its overall management and coordination of projects handled are his key responsibilities. Alkesh is a GRIHA Evaluator. The Arrival of the Pandemic COVID -19 pandemic has certainly changed the way PCS PMPL used to work. However, currently, the firm is treating the situation as the new normal. With the challenges of Covid- 19 in the last few months, it is determined to tackle every situation with all necessary precautions of the safety of each team member and workers on-site and in the office. Ms. Neha Bhavsar President Operations | PCSPMPL Neha's pertinent experience of more than two decades in building construction and project management in India and the UK, she has been one of the principals to bring transformation to the operational system of organization. She has overall responsibility working for management, operational aspects as well as business development of the organization. There is no difficulty since it is following the safety practices on all the projects from the beginning. It is unsolicited that many firms have followed the strategy of reduction of the team, but PCS PMPL believes and can continue its policy of team retention during pandemic situations. This shows its reliability towards its team members and how it follows strong professionalism, ethical practices, and works on improving its weakness through real teamwork. The Accomplishments Corner Dipen has participated in many technical seminars, webinars, debates as a speaker, panelists and written articles in magazines and newspapers across the country. PCS PMPL works with a customer- centric approach, it believes that clients are its biggest assets and hence it delivers excellence in its services. Time and again it has provided the clients with commitment and its involvement in all the projects is acknowledged. With a strong foundation of technical expertise, honesty, and dedication, the firm has a high client continuity and referral ratio and most of its projects are client referred projects. The organization has become a preferred choice in its industry as it offers quality-based projects with desired outcomes. Confessions about the Future Mr. Paresh Patel Director | PCSPMPL PCS PMPL has always aimed to be the best in the field of Project Management Consultancy and it is continuously trying to keep higher standards for achieving its goals. It wants to be a leader of development and work on various projects and the upliftment of the society. Its goal is to serve on architectural projects with an emphasis on aesthetic values and quality aspects with utmost honesty and professional approach. Paresh's intense experience of execution of multi-faceted work has always kept PCSPMPL on one of the leading consultants about the delivery of works satisfying client requirements. Paresh has been associated with PCSPMPL since 2003 and his key responsibilities include overall coordination, management, and assistance in the business development of the organization. The National Institute of Fashion Technology, Gandhinagar, Shoppers Stop Limited projects all over the nation, high-end residences for renowned personalities, SMVS Hospital, Gandhinagar, Hotel Radisson Blue, Ahmedabad, Shree Mahavir Jaina Vidyalaya, Ahmedabad are few such examples of PCS PMPL success. It is known for assisting clients on incomplete or partly executed projects and turning them completely into a hit result. The team abides by “Delivering Excellence through Teamwork, Good Mr. Alkesh Pathak Director | PCSPMPL However, it has never forgotten the fact of keeping its foundations strong by insisting on honesty and professional approach as foremost pillars. It has also contributed and aimed to serve national growth. It is also attentive to the development and motivation of its team to achieve the organizational as well as their personal goals. Alkesh's association with PCSPMPL since 2004 has expanded the horizons of locations. His presence has marked the firm to do more projects and increase its client base throughout. He has comprehensive experience working with various corporate, August | 2020 39

40. E stablished in 2001, Productivity Management Group (PMG) aims to deliver top-notch knowledge by researching optimal, innovative, and strategic solutions, and to improve the productivity of an organization. In its journey, PMG has evolved as a team of domain experts having a rich rock-solid experience of decades, which serves any type of sector & size of industry ranging from small and medium enterprises to large and heavy industry all over the world. Working with a vision of “Culturing Work Cultures”, its objective is to create a Continual Improvement Culture and maximize growth in Revenues and Profits within its client organization thus helping them to become a Lean and Growing Organization. A Virtuous Leader to exceed customer needs & expectations automotive supply chain. After that devising systems and methods to supply absolutely ZERO Defect components to GM's plant in Newark (USA), consistently for about 3 years, gave him sufficient confidence to share his knowledge and experience with Indian Industry. Ethical Conduct : Truthful to the core The visionary leader, Piyush Kumar is the Director of PMG. He is a mechanical engineer from Visvesvaraya Regional Engineering College (Now VNIT). A black belt in Lean Six Sigma, he has completed Lead Auditor programs on various ISO and International standards. In his leisure time, Piyush cherishes the perks of life and teaches the Art of Living Workshops, Yoga, and meditation for a healthy lifestyle. Inner Peace and Outer Dynamism is his management mantra to live life. Sticking to his roots, Piyush envisions PMG to function on the key values of: Mutual Respect : Conflict-free, harmonious work culture Transparency : Work in Open Work Environment In 2001, Piyush decided to carve his own path and lead from the forefront. With extensive experience and excellent performance in his previous jobs, his passion for productivity drove him into accomplishing his dreams and visions. Being a quick learner with comprehensive analytical skills, he was driven towards ascension and excellence, “For me to perceive a problem and conceive solution was natural but I laid more emphasis on getting the solution conceptualized by the client team. Getting an idea out of the client team took my brains out and that helped me evolve better and better”, states Piyush. A Journey of Discovery In the late 1990s, when the Indian economy was opening up for global markets, quality and productivity were the two major issues, which were faced by the Indian industry. Total Quality Management (TQM) and various ISO standards, predominantly took the attention of most of the companies. During that period, Piyush was working in the capacity of Head of Quality function in an auto component industry and had hands-on experience of driving QS9000, a comprehensive quality management system for the Collaboration : Share and Care for mutual growth Commitment : Promises made are honored Customer First : Flex, reflex and reorient August | 2020 40

41. Areas of Expertise trained several companies and trainers across India, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. • PMG's internal processes of conceptualizing the scope of the project, brainstorming scenarios, and potential solutions, considering the client risks help in chalking out a delivery strategy, which surpasses the client's expectations. Productivity at the forefront, PMG provides training and consulting on the following: • Undertake a mission to South Africa and Zimbabwe to train 20 trainers in the southern region of Africa, on improving productivity through the international program of SCoRE. • A wide spectrum of services in the domain of EXCELLENCE and standardization. • Operational Excellence (OPEX) • In 2019 undertook a 40-day mission to Colombia (South America) on the request of UNIDO to validate the results of a productivity improvement program called Pro-Motion in the automotive supply chain of Colombia. • Lean Implementation • Highly accomplished and experienced subject matter experts. • Various ISO & other International standards towards standardization e.g.: ISO 9001 (Quality Management System), ISO 14001 (Environment Management System), ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety Management System), ISO 50001 (Energy Management System), ISO 55001 (Asset Management System), IATF 16949 (Automotive Quality Management System), TL-9000 (Telecom Quality Management System), ISO 41001 (Facility Management System), ISO 22000 (Food Safety Management System), ISO 27001 (Information Security Management System), etc. • Manpower optimization studies • Services of its consultants are delivered to international agencies like the International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), BSI, Intertek, DNV, etc. • Have trained in countries like Pakistan, Maldives, UAE, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Colombia, Thailand, and Nepal. • It's subject matter experts have serviced large multinational clients like Coca Cola, LG, Nokia, Novartis, Honda, Hero, Mahindra, Suzuki Motors, GMR, and several other big businesses of India. PMG's Take on the Future • PMG has a very competitive strategy for bringing up improvements in the MSME sector. To a large extent, the consulting industry is parting ways from traditional ways. In the upcoming times, virtual consulting would take a definite shape, especially because of price pressures. However, there will always remain a market for onsite consulting. The virtual training and consulting currently have few limitations and so the excellence journey will require an onsite coach. • Capacity Expansion studies • Automation studies The Victory Moments • Waste identification studies • Cost reduction strategies • Productivity improvement strategies The true spirit of excellence requires a self-driven team, a focused vision & commitment, ownership and joy in learning & delivering, desired speed of change, creativity & visualization for innovative solutions, effective networking, and teamwork for enhanced performance. Exhibiting Key Innovations and Horizons The need of the hour is subject matter knowledge at competitive prices. PMG hires young, highly qualified engineers from premier colleges and provides them the learning environment under the highly experienced subject matter expert, to groom their consulting abilities before embarking on independent assignments. The second critical success factor is the constant upgrade of knowledge and emerging scenarios. PMG's internal team meetings and consultant calibration exercises help in bridging this gap. PMG's greatest strength lies in its knack of implementation. Its team of consultants has a high ability to understand the existing challenges faced by the client and convert that into an opportunity to improve productivity. To stand out amongst all and provide the customers with potential services, PMG's has its unique set of offerings: Few of the biggest achievements are • Trained and facilitated SCoRE (Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprise), an ILO program at a fabrication company in Faridabad, which earned the Prime Minister's “First Lean implementation award” in Small business category • Devised quality systems at a leading cosmetic company in Haridwar, which received the Golden Peacock Award • PMG devises customized sustainable solutions, which can only be done by client engagement. A high level of engagement is ensured by engaging at all levels of hierarchy within the organization, including frontline machine operators. “Going Virtual is the plan of action to challenge the COVID-19 crisis. My team is learning several skills to make our presence felt virtual. We are coming up with several self-learning, skill development modules through e- learning methods”, concludes Piyush. • Several companies have improved by more than 10% to 35% on productivity • Ever since the inception of the SCoRE (ILO training approach) in 2011, Piyush has been a trainer of SCoRE and has August | 2020 41

42. W hen it comes to kick-start any kind of business, it is always a tough call. Initially, the decision lies in what type of business one should go for, what is the area of expertise one wants to conquer, and so on. There are one too many questions that follow across, but the challenge lies in choosing the right business and the one that keeps up with the need of the hour. This is where a consultancy steps in and does its work at helping companies, and individuals run their business efficiently. The modern times offer a platter of excellent opportunities and a ton of professions, which are continuing to grow with each passing day. This leads to chaos and confusion as they lack clarity about their future goals. Having a consultancy is a one-stop platform for many budding entrepreneurs, beginners, and also experts to help them grow their business to new heights. So, starting a consultancy is one of the potential businesses given the on-going moment and the rapid process it is capable of receiving. To start a profitable consultancy business, there are multiple steps to be taken into consideration, but the most important five steps that assure a successful start are as follows: August | 2020 42

43. 3. Ambitious Consultants: bringing previous clients for new projects. One essential point to be noted here is every client has a different requirement, and many times these requirements can be a handful for consultants, but delivering the clients with customized solutions will receive acknowledgement in the upcoming times. 1. Finding a Niche: With many consultancies around these days, it can be difficult to mark a presence in the field. Hence, sticking to a niche will help one sustain longer in the business. To stand out amongst all the competitors, one has to deliver expertise in their field of work. So, setting priorities and mastering one's territory is beneficial. An organization is incomplete without its employees; the same goes for consultancy; to succeed in the marketplace, one has to hire successful consultants with a proven track record. Consultants are assets to the consultancy, and they spearhead the operations attaining maximum projects and profits. Investing in committed consultants will prove to be a boon to the consultancy. 5. A Goal-Driven Approach: 2. Networking: Dedicated teamwork, excellent management, core strengthens, and aspiring Consultants are the key factors of a successful running consultancy. However, all of them fail to succeed if they don't have a well- defined approach. Knowing what the long and short term goals are will be advantageous to the consultancy. Setting goals and accomplishing it from time to time will only add feathers on the cap. In any type of business, networking plays an essential role, but for a consultancy building, a network of contacts right from a nascent phase has become a win-win situation. The digital world experiences millions of customers online, creating an active one on one communication with businesses will land many successful projects. 4.The Prospering System: A potential process is a significant part of the business. Presenting respective offers and closing deals with customers' needs a dedicated game plan. This plan should be dynamic, which is fully capable of attracting new clients each day and also keep So, here are the top 5 steps for starting a profitable consulting firm in the forthcoming times. There are many other steps, but these are a few of the crucial ones that can fetch good momentum initially and gradually move ahead with the rest of the essential factors. Becoming a brand entity in today's times is vital, and to become one has to put their best foot forward in determining their own instrumental and profitable consultancy business. August | 2020 43

44. I n recent years, there has been an upshot in the consultancy business, and corresponding to that, many individuals are drawn towards becoming a potential consultant. To be a consultant, there isn't any specific qualification, be it an aspirant with a Bachelor's or Master's in any given respective field can choose this as a profession. However, these professionals should be experts in their industries, who are fully capable of offering insights related to desired topics with sheer knowledge and transparency. August | 2020 44

45. A Plan of Action of leading consultancies to bounce back. So, what is it that these companies should now do? Well, there are many freelance consultants available on the internet, who present the companies with a wide range of solutions and help them to accomplish their goals. Also, there are many consultancies which are willing to serve their customers on a payment plan and customize it according to the need of the hour. technological advancements and tuning with professionals to bring forth new perspectives and prompt developments. This is where the consultants are stepping in to offer their world-class knowledge and look forward to the bigger picture. There are many leading companies like McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Kearney, Big Four, and many such major consultancies working with the Government to encourage the economic forefront and reinforce the battle against the COVID-19. Every organization battling the virus has different challenges and needs a unique plan of action accordingly. This ensures a customized plan depending on the type of aspects like management, revenue, strategies, or technology that a respective company is dealing with. The consultants are not only providing a helping hand to the businesses but are also offering the government with par excellence solutions to tackle the hurdles effectively. The solutions crafted by consultants are accurate as they keep track of the on-going momentum and provide feasible solutions at hand. The consultancy solutions give insights related to resources, day-to-day running of operations, future steps, blueprint, and more. This may be a confidential deal amongst the two parties and as to how they have agreed based on it. In such crucial times, coming together and being interdependent is essential for everyone to bring back businesses to function. Moving Ahead into a Secured Future These exceptional times are a lesson as to how challenges can be tackled with a well-defined skill set and a positive mindset. The consultants have risen as warriors in this fight and are becoming a preferred choice amongst multiple businesses. With their best- in-class offerings, many sectors are craving their path and have successfully surpassed the speed breakers in the pandemic times. As the world is learning to live with the “new normal,” the customers, professionals, and respected management teams are putting their best foot forward to become leaders of their domains. Standing Strong with the Government Mining Advantages from Adversity The pandemic has created havoc, and the government, with all its resources, is working towards each section of society to make citizens aware and ready for adopting new behaviors and following ways of life. The challenges in front of the government are immense, but the weapons available to combat it are also dominant in the long run. To sustain the emergency, the government is embedding new Some crises make room for opportunities, and others simply hit a terminal. The same goes for the current times of battling with the coronavirus; many startups and small- sized companies are facing downhill as they didn't have another plan in case the first fails. In this sense, it might be difficult for them to afford the services August | 2020 45