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Hello, I'm
Dipak Sundaram

Management Consultant | Speaker | Creator

About

  • Name: Dipak Sundaram
  • Title: Former Executive Director, Advisory Services, Gallup Inc.
  • Qualifications: B.E., M.Sc.x2, M.B.A., JD (2024)
  • Email: dipak.sundaram@gmail.com
  • Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Professional Profile

A global dynamic multidisciplinary professional, dedicated to a career in consulting with a focus on people and process optimization for driving growth. Ability to play multifaceted roles of leading business development pursuits, building internal teams, expert adviser on client engagements, and nurturing practice expertise. Highly motivated with strengths in critical thinking, visioning and innovating solutions. Experienced in leading teams to deliver results under pressure in fast-paced, multicultural environments.

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Skills

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

The following are key focus areas I have spent a majority of my consulting career. The charts show roughly the proportion of time spent in each of the domains.

Employee Experience

Employee Lifecycle, Analytics, Talent Management

Customer Experience

Analytics, Service Value Proposition, Customer Centricity

Culture & Leadership

Core Values, Leadership Development, Succession Planning

Organizational Effectiveness

Strategy, Change, Structure, Technology & Process Optimization

Consulting and Organizational Leadership Skills

The following are additional topic areas and skills I apply to my work used many times in combination.

  • Business Development
  • Leading Client Engagements
  • Executive Facilitation
  • Key Notes & Panels
  • Purpose, Vision and Strategy
  • Change Leadership
  • Talent Development
  • Process Optimization
  • HR Strategy
  • Innovation
  • Digital Experience Visioning
  • Product/Solution Development

Language Skills

I have native fluency in English and Tamil (South India). Over the years of a global carer I have had the opportunity to learn new languages, however sustaining the fluency level has been a challenge.

English: Advanced
Tamil: Advanced
French: Basic
Mandarin: Basic
German: Limited

Hobby Skills

Life is too short and hence I try maximize by engaging in enriching activities despite having a time consuming and demanding career. I also believe leisure and outside work activities directly or indirectly compliments my work by helping me bring fresh perspectives and out of the box ideas to solve business problems.

  • Presentation Design
  • Product Design
  • Music
  • Videography
  • Content Creation
  • Learning

Experience

17+ Years Full-Time Work Experience!

The following lists organizations I have worked with full-time after completing my undergraduate degree in 2004. I started my career in technology and moved more into management and consulting roles over time. Have had the opportunity to work in Europe, Asia and the United States. The organizations are ranked from the most recent to the earliest.

Korn Ferry Inc, USA

Senior Client Partner

April 2023 - Present
Advisory lead for Technology and Professional services for end-to-end org. strategy and human capital enablement. Many thanks to the leaders who recently hired me and guided me, Sean Swerdlow, Paul Dinan, Mark Arian, Esther Colwill, Huan Pablo Gonzalez, Tarun Inuganti
Gallup Inc, USA

Executive Director, Advisory Services

2015 - March 2023
Led engagement and relationships for clients of over 1 billion in revenue in Retail, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Healthcare and Financial Services specifically with Credit Unions. Responsible for business development and thought leadership and recently also had the priviledge of establishing our Consulting Practices. Many thanks to my recent managers and mentors, Ken Royal, Ed O'Boyle, Benjamin Erikson-Farr, Vipula Gandhi, current CEO, Jon Clifton and Chairman Jim Clifton.
Gallup, EMEA

Mgmt. Consultant / SME

2011 - 2015
After completing my MBA I joined Gallup Inc. as a Management Consultant. Worked across India, Thailand, Indonesia, Dubai, Saudi Araia as well as out our office in London. Became a Subject Matter Expert for Asia at the beginning of 2014. My thanks to my managers and those who hired me, Larry Emond, Matt Mosser, Ghassan Khoury as well then CEO, Jim Clifton who took a personal interest in developing me.
Accenture

Sr. Software Engineer

2007 - 2009, Slovakia
After completing my Masters in IT from Sweden, I joined Accenture in Bratislava. My first year on the job was working SAP Basis Administration for a French aluminiuum production company and my second year was Microsoft .NET development in partnership with Avanade for a German chemical company. Many thanks to my Managers, Peter Zemka and Tomas Weber.
ILIKETHIS! s.r.o

Business Analyst

2004 - 2005, Czech Republic
This was my first job out of college as a Business Analyst and Programmer in an IT startup based in Prague. I mostly did some Java and C# programming as well prepared marketing materials and sales presentations. Thanks to Záviš Pexidr for giving me the wonderful opportunity and my best friend at work Luděk Kremser.

Education

Mainstream Degrees

I consider myself as a super-generalist combining knowledge and expertise from various disciplines to bring it to my work. I also believe any kind of structured learning in whatever topic teaches you to think a little bit differently. As such over the year I have and am continuing to develop myself in four key disciplines: Engineering, Business, Psychology and Law.

Chicago Kent School of Law

Juris Doctor (JD)

2020 - 2024, USA
Currently in third year of 4-year evening part-time program. Specializing in subjects related to Intellectual Property and Business Law. Absolutely loving the practical skills I am gaining that is applicable to all aspects of daily life. Achieved CALI award for Patent Law, and Trial Advocacy. Deans Honors List. Did 2023 Summer program at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany on Licensing Transactions in IP.
University of Madras

M.Sc. Psychology

2011 - 2013, India
As I focus more on the human behavioral aspects of my work as a Management Consultant I decied to get a deeper understanding through this program. Another degree I was able to attain while balancing work, with a focus on Organizational Psychology.
Tsinghua University | MIT Sloan

International MBA

2009 - 2011, China & USA
2-Year full-time program pursued with electives focused on Organizational Development, Leadership and Marketing. Truly transformational experience spending 1.5 years in Beijing and pursuing 1 semester as an exchange student in the US at Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona. Learnet basic mandarin and also discovered some neat chinese food experience such as my favorite Spicy Hot Pot (málàtàng 麻辣烫) and street food: Chinese Crepes (Jian Bing 煎饼)! Also got my chinese name: Sūn Míng 孙明
KTH Royal Inst. of Technology

M.Sc. IT

2005 - 2006, Sweden
Pursued a 1.5 year full-time Masters program with a focus on Engineering in Management of Information Systems. This was my first graduate degree and also first time studying abroad. Classes were held in Kista Campus in the suburbs of Stockholm. Also took additional classes in Entrepreneurship at Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship.
University of Madras

Bach. Engineering

2000 - 2004, India
This was my undergraduate degree post high school specializing in Electronic and Communication Engineering. Got to do my first technical paper presentation in France that simulated Artificial Intelligence, a version of modern day Alexa/Chat Bots. The four year program included a final year prohect which I was pursued at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), in Sriharikota, India.

Additional Certifications and Learning Endeavors

In addition to the above mainstream degrees, I frequently undertake continue education classes and pursue certifications. These are summarized below.

SHRM-SCP
2019-2025

Society for Human Resources Management, Senior Certified Professional.

Introduction to Architecture
Product Design
2015
Certificate in Philosophy I
2014
Certified Strengths Coach
2012
Certificate of advanced study
2010
Sun Certified Java Programmer
2004

Portfolio

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Contact

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Dipak Sundaram
Chicago West Suburbs,
United States.

Dipak Sundaram

passion.
integrity.
innovation.
excellence.