The Indian arms of international consulting firms are making a beeline to work in Pakistan as the relations between the two countries thaw and cross-border travel becomes less cumbersome.
Consulting firms like HR specialist Mercer, Hay Group, Hewitt Associates, and strategy firms like McKinsey have been receiving enquiries from Pakistani arms of MNCs for projects across the border.
Many consulting firms are firming up plans to make India their base for servicing Pakistani clients.
According to sources, Hewitt Associates India has even managed to bag a contract with a large Pakistani public sector bank. Despite repeated attempts, the Hewitt Associates spokesperson did not respond to calls.
Another HR firm, Mercer, is joining hands with Pakistan’s leading consulting firm, Abacus Consulting to offer remuneration services to Pakistan. In the next few months, consultants from Mercer will train people in Abacus across various methodologies, review business opportunities and also explore other business lines in Pakistan.
“We will use this as a springboard to launch other services from our bouquet of HR services,” says R Sankar, CEO, Mercer.
And it’s not just HR firms. Consultants from McKinsey India are also understood to be working with select clients in Pakistan. However, the India office declined to comment.
The prime driver for these companies has been the incessant demand from Pakistani MNCs, which are currently being serviced by consultants from Dubai or other global offices.
“We do plenty of work for our global clients in Pakistan from our Kuala Lumpur and Dubai offices. But now we are in the process of developing relationships ourselves,” says Gaurav Lahiri, operations manager, Hay India. Hay has clients like Pakistan Tobacco and also works with some civic authorities in Pakistan.
And the Pakistani market is ripe for these consulting firms to spread their wings. GDP growth figures are rising and some industries, like telecom, are on the verge of taking off.
“The Pakistani economy is on the rebound. We grew by nearly 8% last year and future projections are also looking up for the next few years as economic activity renews. So, we are upbeat about the future of consulting services in Pakistan,” says Asad Ali Khan, CEO of Lahore-based Abacus Consulting.
Mr Khan is especially upbeat about the telecom and oil and natural gas sectors which have seen an influx of FDI in the last few months.
Consulting firms like HR specialist Mercer, Hay Group, Hewitt Associates, and strategy firms like McKinsey have been receiving enquiries from Pakistani arms of MNCs for projects across the border.
Many consulting firms are firming up plans to make India their base for servicing Pakistani clients.
According to sources, Hewitt Associates India has even managed to bag a contract with a large Pakistani public sector bank. Despite repeated attempts, the Hewitt Associates spokesperson did not respond to calls.
Another HR firm, Mercer, is joining hands with Pakistan’s leading consulting firm, Abacus Consulting to offer remuneration services to Pakistan. In the next few months, consultants from Mercer will train people in Abacus across various methodologies, review business opportunities and also explore other business lines in Pakistan.
“We will use this as a springboard to launch other services from our bouquet of HR services,” says R Sankar, CEO, Mercer.
And it’s not just HR firms. Consultants from McKinsey India are also understood to be working with select clients in Pakistan. However, the India office declined to comment.
The prime driver for these companies has been the incessant demand from Pakistani MNCs, which are currently being serviced by consultants from Dubai or other global offices.
“We do plenty of work for our global clients in Pakistan from our Kuala Lumpur and Dubai offices. But now we are in the process of developing relationships ourselves,” says Gaurav Lahiri, operations manager, Hay India. Hay has clients like Pakistan Tobacco and also works with some civic authorities in Pakistan.
And the Pakistani market is ripe for these consulting firms to spread their wings. GDP growth figures are rising and some industries, like telecom, are on the verge of taking off.
“The Pakistani economy is on the rebound. We grew by nearly 8% last year and future projections are also looking up for the next few years as economic activity renews. So, we are upbeat about the future of consulting services in Pakistan,” says Asad Ali Khan, CEO of Lahore-based Abacus Consulting.
Mr Khan is especially upbeat about the telecom and oil and natural gas sectors which have seen an influx of FDI in the last few months.
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