“We are an equal opportunity employer – Our policies and programs are in place to aid our mission” – An exclusive interview with Sumit Chhabra, Managing Director, Acuity Knowledge Partners
- What is Acuity Knowledge Partners’ strategy and vision for the Indian market?
Acuity is the number one provider of research and analytics support to the financial services industry globally with more than 5,700 subject matter experts (SMEs). While our primary client base is in the US and Europe, we also work with multiple global clients with a significant presence in India. Our vision is to support our clients in focusing on revenue-generating tasks and providing them research support through our SMEs, innovate services and solutions through leveraging technology, and helping them generate operational and cost efficiencies.
- Can you highlight Acuity’s key differentiator in the capital market and discuss its domain-specific training?
Our focus is to have a ‘partner’ mindset rather than a service provider, which means that our teams work as an extension of the clients’ teams. Secondly, we are focused on financial markets by choice, which has allowed us to develop unparalleled expertise and talent in this field. With our ever-growing practice over the years, we have acquired a marquee client base, plus a keen understanding of best practices in the market. Finally, we have made large-scale investments in technology and have a dedicated group working closely with our domain experts to create a proprietary suite of tools, which increase efficiencies and reduce costs. We have a large Training and Knowledge Management team which provides online and in-person technical and behavioural training to all employees, besides running a focused fresher training program under Acuity Training Academy.
- What career advice would you give to people joining the financial market?
The first piece of advice will be to decide if you actually like working in the financial services sector, rather than just viewing it as a lucrative job opportunity not only it will help you advance well and fast, but also result in you enjoying your work. Second, I have seen many entrants trying to learn a lot of different areas quickly by moving around in various sub-segments of the financial markets, like IB, PE, Retail Banking etc. It is better to learn one segment properly, whichever you are more interested in. As you continue to grow in your career, there will be opportunities to move around, but if you do not know any area well, it will not boost your prospects in the long run. Finally, do read up on the happenings/news in the industry as it will enhance your ability to understand your job.
- How do you ensure that your recruitment process is fair and inclusive, and avoids bias? What strategies have you implemented to attract and retain diverse talent, especially women?
Acuity is an equal opportunity employer and has put policies and programs in place to aid in this mission. We have a strong D&I initiative, which focuses on educating employees on the value of D&I and creating a great employee experience. We measure the results to ensure progress and to hold managers accountable for advancing D&I. We ensure fair pay without gender-based discrimination through participation in compensation surveys as well as following HR-determined salary ranges. Besides implementing extensive maternity benefits programs, our Women’s Initiative Network (part of the D&I program) focuses on developing female leaders through Project Velocity, RISE mentoring Program, and organises leadership spotlight programs for guidance and inspiration, amongst many other similar initiatives. Acuity runs a women returnees program on an annual basis to train, support and bring back to work, women who are on a career break, and raring to re-enter the workforce. For building a thriving ecosystem for diverse talent, especially women, we have a robust training program for managers, hiring managers and recruitment professionals for overcoming unconscious biases; there are leadership programs focusing on bringing inclusive leadership behaviors into our day-to-day lives as professionals to ensure a diverse and productive workforce.
- What are the industry trends and trends in the world economic market that you foresee?
The global economy has been volatile for quite some time now. With the rise in inflation, many central banks responded by raising interest rates, which caused pressure on the availability of credit and therefore on economic activity. Inflation seems to be plateauing for now but the recovery in economic activity will depend on inflation coming under control. The reopening of the Chinese economy will help, but the longevity of the Ukraine war will also determine how swiftly the Economy recovers.
