Amit Unadkat is a Digital Transformation Manager at Logic20/20. He joined our team in 2019 after working at multiple larger consulting firms. We wanted to know what made him choose Logic20/20, what impacts he’s had since joining, and what he wants other consultants to know about Logic20/20.

Logic20/20: Hi Amit! Thanks for sitting down with us. Tell us how your consulting journey started.

Amit: Hello! It started when I was an undergrad studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto. Part of my program was a one-year internship that I did between my third and fourth year, which is when I was accepted to work at Deloitte as a risk management analyst. I had a chance to work on large projects across multiple industries and travel to do some of the work. It was great! It showed me that I like to work on business problems more than industrial problems in oil & gas or in pharmaceuticals.

Logic20/20: That sounds like a great start!

Amit: Yes! After graduation, Deloitte gave me the opportunity to come back as a Consultant. The job didn’t require any of my chemical engineering background, but I was able to work with pretty advanced analytics teams. I was working with data scientists, engineers, and analysts to put together a risk reporting platform for a global bank that was required to inform regulators of their capital allocations for issued credit based on new regulations after the 2008 financial crash. It was my first real consulting experience and it stemmed from the financial crisis.

Logic20/20: That was a tough time for all of us, but it sounds like you made the best of it. What did that involve?

Amit: The crisis started in 2008, and by 2013, there were a lot of new regulations that came about. Part of the work that I was doing was to improve the bank’s analytics environment to better predict portfolio performance by factoring in market risk, liquidity risk, etc.

 

I became proficient at capturing requirements and coming up with solutions, and my reputation grew in the Canadian market. With consulting, your work builds your company’s brand, but it also builds your own personal brand. Mine had grown, and EY reached out, said they wanted my help accelerating their analytics practice, and I moved on from Deloitte in search of a new challenge with a growing team.

Logic20/20: What differences did you see between Deloitte and EY?

Amit: EY’s consulting footprint is smaller than Deloitte, but it’s still a huge firm! Culture is critical for me, and I was beginning to realize that for my motivation and growth, a smaller company is better.

 

There are a lot of benefits to small consulting firms. For one, I feel like people look out for each other more than at a big firm. I’ve also found that small companies let you focus on driving your own success. There’s room for real ownership of projects, presenting to clients, etc. If you come in at the right time, you can also see huge return on your effort. For example, EY was making a huge investment in automation when I first joined. RPA was really picking up around the world, and I was able to lead in a space that grew very rapidly.

Logic20/20: So, what made you decide to change?

Amit: I was thinking about my long-term path and realized I was either going to stick it out for the long haul, become a senior manager, and then work up to partner—or exit into industry. I ended up exiting into industry first, before I’d even heard of Logic. At the time, product management was all the rage. From a consulting perspective, it was one of the exits you could make that would continue to leverage your problem solving skills and ability to work with and lead diverse teams. I did that for a few months, enjoying the experience of doing that specific work full-time, but then Logic reached out.

Logic20/20: Why did you want to interview with Logic20/20?

Amit: I took the interview for a few reasons. One is that I had really enjoyed consulting, and I had realized that even though I enjoyed product management, I wanted to get back to solving a wider variety of problems across different industries. I eventually wanted to find my way back into consulting, so I was open to the idea of working at Logic.

The second thing was I liked Logic’s size. I wanted to see how much of an impact I could make, since at a small firm, you’re much closer to the work. There’s no longer an army of people who are trying to try to build things and make a name for themselves; you’re not competing with your coworkers. Larger firms have a lot of resources to invest, but it’s only a select few people that define the work on the projects. Smaller firms allow you to dig into your work, and that idea was exciting.

The final reason I liked Logic was the work and the people I knew I would do the work with. Logic was developing their offering program like I had experienced with EY earlier in my career, and I saw a clear opportunity for myself to influence that development. I was also excited by the idea of strategic problem-solving with Logic’s team of engineers, architects, and developers.

At a small company, there are more opportunities for each individual person. The brand doesn’t necessarily carry the same weight that a larger firm’s does, so teams have to earn every opportunity and demonstrate merit at every turn. Essentially, you eat what you kill. That’s a tall order, but I could see that Logic was making it happen and I wanted to be part of that team. Pushing myself is how I learn, and I’m the kind of person that keeps chasing a steep learning curve.

Logic20/20: What impacts have you had since joining Logic?

Amit: I’ve definitely seen the growth I was looking for in terms of my professional development. My current project uses experimental software with machine learning and artificial intelligence. What we’re building and deploying will impact upwards of 8 million customers and thousands of employees. That’s very thrilling!

Another project I’ve been a part of was a new strategic account that we landed. It was a chance for me to work at a global company that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to work at, right in their headquarters. I got to work on a team that influences and personalizes the experience of millions of customers buying the products. The work that we did directly influenced revenue and demonstrated technological innovation. That was very satisfying work.

Personally, I’ve also had a wider reach here than at any of my previous companies. Within the first six months of being at Logic, I pitched a ton of work across industries to solve myriad problems. I got to lead teams, develop strategies, and establish partnerships, etc. I think it’s really cool that I could dive into those and get in front of stakeholders right after I joined Logic. I’ve also been directly involved in a wide range of things like thought leadership, recruiting, marketing, and business development.

Logic20/20: What makes working at Logic special?

Amit: It’s cliché, but Logic is very familial. Some of my favorite moments have been the after-work gatherings, the brown bag lunches, and the virtual hangouts with my team. It’s just a bunch of really good people who want to do good work!

It’s also a much more stimulating environment for me to explore and fail and learn than it was at the larger firms. I’m no longer competing with my colleagues; instead, I’m collaborating with them to solve problems. At a large firm, your impact is diluted across hundreds of consultants, and it’s much harder to highlight why the work that you did was good compared to what other consultants did. I don’t feel that way here; instead, I feel seen and recognized for what I do.

I also feel a closeness to leadership that I haven’t felt at other firms. I get to work with senior directors every day. Leadership isn’t some cold, executive board that sits behind closed doors. They’re just employees that are part of the company like you are.

It might be a strange word to use, but Logic is comfortable. The structure and format from larger firms is still there: I still have time sheets, I still do my expenses, I still have to maintain the excellent client service. We still have to manage the bench, consultants still participate in extracurriculars, etc. The only thing that’s different is the scale. In my case, that’s been a really good thing.

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