Prachi Modi joined the Mergers & Acquisitions and Restructuring (M&A/R) practice in Consulting at Deloitte US-India Offices (USI) in 2017 as a consultant. In this blog, she reflects on her career journey from a campus recruit to a manager. Building from the ground up since the early days of her career, Prachi delves into what motivates her to continue growing and creating impact in a collaborative, people-first culture.
On the personal front, Prachi has a multifaceted personality and considers well-being as a core value that keeps her engaged both personally and professionally. She prefers integrating wellness into her routine through physical activity, dancing, and traveling.
First brush with corporate
 | During B-school, I participated in case study competitions that required me to understand the problem statement and develop a point of view on the potential solution. I had to assess the pain points, analyze the data, and use my critical thinking and logical reasoning to develop an innovative and feasible solution. Winning some of these national-level competitions helped me realize I have a penchant for solving problems, and I had my heart set on pursuing a career in management consulting. |
When Deloitte came to recruit from our campus, I was in awe of the leadership and the diversity of experiences and points of view they brought. I wanted to be a part of an organization that cared for its people and provided numerous opportunities to grow and explore different kinds of work, along with a culture of transparency and openness. That is when I decided that Deloitte was the place to be, and in 2017, I started my professional journey here. This was my first corporate role, and in the last seven years, I have never looked back since.
If someone asks me what I do, I tell them, ‘I support solving problems for our clients.’ Just like we need a doctor when we are unwell, sometimes large companies need an intervention to help with strategies that would offer profitability and margins and affect their overall financial health.
The people we engage with daily directly impact how much we enjoy working for an organization. Deloitte embodies a culture of open dialogue, respect for everyone’s opinion, and the opportunity to own your career. It has mentors and guides willing to go above and beyond to support you and help you chart your career trajectory. Additionally, the opportunity to work in a large team enriches the overall learning experience, broadens the thought process, and opens our minds to new ideas. I am fortunate to work with a fantastic team of people from various cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and nationalities, from whom I learn every day and who support me in my growth, along with a diverse set of clients who make the whole experience worthwhile.
Enhancing my worldview
The opportunity to travel and explore the other side of the world while on work assignments is exciting and something very few organizations can offer. Every time I have traveled onsite on a project, my perspective, context, and learning of the client's situation have amplified.
The most memorable moment was the first time I traveled onsite on a project for a Fortune 500 client. While I traveled for a short span of four weeks, the experience was equivalent to four months! It was a trip full of firsts – the first time I traveled alone to a foreign country, the first time I met with stakeholders that I had been working with for so many years, the first time I interacted with the client in person, and the first time I saw snowfall and a Thanksgiving Parade. The experience of working together, brainstorming ideas, and supporting the creation of deliverables was incredible as I learned how to manage stakeholder expectations. On the personal front, it enabled me to explore the beautiful cities of Chicago and New York, meet some old friends, and enrich my travel memories.
From a consultant to a manager
When I joined Deloitte without any prior experience, I was overwhelmed by my team, who brought the best practices and learnings from their past roles and assignments. It was indeed a clean slate for me. Looking back at the first year of my career, it was the toughest one, but also the one that made me stronger. I consistently worked hard to hone and polish my core consulting skills, learn from my team, and build a capability focused on restructuring and value-creation projects.
Supporting large and complex transformation programs for clients across four different industries, I am currently focused on leveraging my experience and network to assist in building a talent pipeline for our restructuring practice and demonstrate how we can collaborate on large-scale transformation projects effectively.
Achieving the milestone of becoming a manager is one of my proudest professional achievements. I was a consultant when I started, and today, as a manager, I am viewed as someone who can bring a lot of restructuring experience. From training practitioners on methodologies and tools to helping them get staffed and develop their network, I can proudly reflect on my journey so far and say that I was able to contribute to the growth story of USI M&A/R.
Well-being at the core
The emphasis on well-being is another cornerstone of the Deloitte way of life that keeps us grounded and focused. The people-first culture here truly enables us to bring our best selves and deliver impactful work to our clients through teamwork, collaboration, and a sense of shared purpose. Many resources at our disposal empower us to manage work/life balance effectively, raise our hands when we need help, and initiate well-being-related conversations with our teams.
Flexibility and the ability to manage our day while working with and supporting teams in different time zones are things I cherish. An essential aspect of our culture at Deloitte is the understanding and transparency between the team leader and the team members, allowing us to respect everyone’s personal time. Starting in 2019, I actively got involved as a team member in the USI M&A/R well-being initiative, driven by my passion for fitness and wellness. Today, I am one of the leads of a well-being initiative to encourage practitioners to make choices that help them integrate well-being into their lives in a hybrid work set-up.
I take an interest in and engage myself in varied activities. I have instilled in myself the importance of staying fit and healthy both physically and mentally. I regularly engage myself in different activities, such as cycling, swimming, high-intensity workouts, yoga, and running. It is essential to take time out for things we enjoy, and I make it a point to prioritize my health and well-being no matter how busy my work schedule is. I also focus on eating clean and healthy food. I am proud to say I have built good habits that will last a lifetime and will surely pay me dividends in the future.
I love traveling and exploring new places, and I meticulously plan all my trips to get the best experience in terms of culture, food, and things to do. My vacations are always active as I indulge in some form of adventure or outdoor activity. From rafting in water that was near freezing temperatures and bungee jumping from the second highest point in the world to kayaking in the middle of the sea to go to a hidden beach, I have done quite a few things! I also enjoy dancing – I am a trained classical dancer in Bharatanatyam and have also learned other dance forms, such as Bollywood freestyle, salsa, hip-hop, etc. Dancing lifts my mood and spirits, and Zumba is one of my favorite activities. |  |
Pushing boundaries
It is necessary to adapt yourself to changing circumstances, step out of your comfort zone, and look at it as an opportunity to do something new and push your boundaries. I have been in situations that challenged me to change my perspectives and approach to how things should happen. When I accepted the challenge and modified my ways, I improved my agility and ability to adapt to circumstances, change myself, and grow.
Be curious and open-minded, and ask questions. Make the most of the opportunities presented to you. Focus on peer learning. Seek guidance and mentorship. These will help set anyone up for success. They will help you create impact and value for our clients and go a long way in nurturing your relationships with your teams and network.
Prachi Modi is a manager in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Restructuring (M&A/R) practice in Consulting at Deloitte US-India Offices (USI). She joined USI as a campus recruit in a consultant role in 2017 and found her professional calling in supporting innovative problem-solving for clients through restructuring, value creation, and transformation.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of her current, former, or future employers or any organization with which she is associated.