Redefining IT Consulting: An Exclusive Interview with Sreekanth Muktevi

The global IT consulting services market will reach $1.179 trillion by 2031, market researcher Proficient Market Insights predicts.  One of the drivers of this growth in the industry is Sreekanth Muktevi, a renowned IT consultant and vice president at YASH Technologies, an IT services and consulting firm, with its headquarters in Illinois, USA. For more than two decades, Sreekanth has been helping businesses across the globe buy and use the best technology to achieve their objectives. This includes John Deere, Caterpillar, Schlumberger, and the like, helping these companies cut costs and reduce operational risks.

Today, we had the opportunity to sit with Sreekanth to tell us how he was able to change the face of IT consulting across various industries, his numerous contributions to society in general, and what his future plans are both in career and in life.

Sreekanth, you have had quite an unprecedented career growth thus far in your corporate life. For example, you’re the vice president at YASH Technologies. So, can you tell us the key milestones that have shaped your journey in the IT industry? 

Certainly! I have over 20 years of professional experience in IT consulting. Early in my career, I designed chemical engineering equipment and worked on environmental projects in India, Africa and the UAE. This laid the basis for my transition into consulting, managing oil and gas and chemical projects for reputed clients around the world, such as the World Bank, MoEF, British Petroleum (BP), National Grid Carbon, ENRC, and Essar.

One of the achievements worth mentioning is when I set up the SAP EHS and ESP practices at Enzen Global, a utilities consulting startup firm in which I was part of the core team. This provided a good opportunity for me to develop a deep understanding of IT solutions tailored to specific industries. Later on, as a practice manager at YASH Technologies in India, I expanded our environment, health, and safety (EHS) practice, which led to significant team and revenue growth.

Another big moment of my career was when I moved to the U.S. in 2014. There, I acquired Caterpillar as a customer for YASH Technologies and had grown it exponentially from scratch to a 350-member team with $25 million revenue, and I was also responsible for managing system applications and products in data processing (SAP) operations for John Deere which is a global engagement with a 200+ member and a $20 million budget. I also manage other big clients like Schlumberger, SAP NS2 and many more. My team is made up of 1,000 members, and we generate more than $50 million in revenue. Currently, apart from the strategic accounts, I’m responsible for the growth and customer success in the Texas region.

You’ve done a great job for big clients like Caterpillar, John Deere, and BP. Which of these projects can you say is the most successful, and what is its impact? 

By far, one of the most exciting projects I have done was with Caterpillar, Inc. Here, we started with a greenfield account and grew the revenue to $15 million within four years. This relationship has since evolved, and we are now a preferred IT partner, with current revenue exceeding $25 million with a team of 350 members from around the world. We have won multiple transformation projects, which include developing a pricing and merchandising data lake on the AWS cloud with Snowflake, AWS Glue, and PowerBI tools. With this, we were able to save up to $3 million per year in operational expenses for Caterpillar.

Apart from that, I have also worked for John Deere, where I managed a portfolio of $20 million worth of SAP ERP projects. I was the leader of a team of over 250 people and managed to work on global deliverables that improved SAP solution reliability and business satisfaction. Also, we successfully migrated multiple applications to the AWS cloud, further improving operational efficiency.

In the case of BP, I was involved in the provision of functional advice on the IT strategy after an incident in the Gulf of Mexico. We structured safety and operational risk solutions, which included evaluation of the existing £50 million expenditure to avoid a recurrence.

As a professional with vast experience, what factors do you believe have been instrumental to your success, and what challenges have you faced along the way? 

A few key factors have played a significant role in my success. First, I have a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a masters degree in petroleum engineering, which ensured that I had a very solid foundation. Furthermore, I had worked for different industries, including oil and gas, manufacturing, utilities, and mining, all of which had made me versatile.

Again, leadership and team management have been crucial in my career growth. I have been fortunate to lead and coordinate big teams made up of employees from different fields, and I have realized that for the team to run efficiently, there is a need to encourage good relations between these individuals. Another pillar of my success has been strategic alliances and robust client relationships. For example, maintaining a cordial working relationship with key clients such as Caterpillar, John Deere, BP, and Slb has helped drive revenue growth in these companies.

However, my journey hasn’t been without challenges. I have had to contend with the challenges of large-scale IT and business transformation projects, which required meticulous planning and problem-solving. Then, managing a geographically dispersed team with varied expertise also had its own challenges. As for the clients, the primary concern was to meet and, if possible, surpass their expectations in highly competitive markets.

You have come up with various initiatives, such as inREACH, to address the various business challenges you have encountered in your professional journey. Can you tell us more about these projects and their impacts? 

Throughout my career, I have developed several methods that are rather unique and original contributions to the customer and industry. One of them is inREACH, an IT cloud solution that is meant to help chemical companies meet the requirements of the EU’s REACH regulation, which governs the registration, evaluation, authorization, and restriction of chemicals.

inREACH is a flexible, SaaS-based solution that stands apart from competitors tied to specific ERP systems. Its 9-step methodology offers a clear, step-by-step path to REACH compliance, ensuring no critical aspects are missed. With real-time data monitoring, automated workflows, and seamless supply chain communication, inREACH reduces compliance burdens and enhances operational efficiency. Scalable and adaptable across industries, it’s a versatile tool for businesses of all sizes, from small enterprises to global corporations.

There is also another initiative, called the Integrated Risk and Emergency Management Solution, which was launched to connect people, processes, and technology to enhance safety in the oil and gas and mining industries.

Moreover, I came up with RFID-Based Mustering and Lone Worker Safety Solution, a project that uses RFID technology to boost the safety of employees who work in risky scenarios. In addition, I introduced Flex Services to Managed Services as a new concept through which customers can obtain crucial services the next day, significantly improving customer service and fulfilment efficiency.

These solutions reflect my approach towards problem solving within the business environment in particular and across the industry in general, thus enhancing productivity, compliance, and safety across board.

Be that as it may, how do you ensure that your methods and innovations are disseminated and implemented across the industry? 

I share my methods and innovations on various platforms. I have written multiple scientific papers on digital transformation, cloud technology, and cybersecurity, all of which have been published in major journals such as The American Journal of Applied Sciences and the International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Science.

Besides, I’m in the final stages of authoring a book titled “Transforming Resources: Step-by-Step Strategies for Digital Innovation and Sustainability,” which is expected to be published soon. This book will offer a comprehensive guide on implementing digital transformation and sustainability in the natural resources industry.

Regularly, I conduct training sessions and workshops on IT strategy, digital transformation, and EHS practices for clients and IT specialists.

To ensure that all teams in YASH Technologies are always on par with the latest methodologies and trends, I also facilitate internal workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions. Also, I mentor young leaders and professionals and teach them how to use successful strategies in their own work.

Beyond that, I launched the Customer Academy to train functional and technical resources in customer business processes, frameworks, tools, and methodologies. This initiative ensures that teams are “customer-ready” from the outset, enhancing service delivery speed and effectiveness.

In addition, I’m often invited to deliver guest lectures, sharing my insights and experiences with the next generation of industry professionals.

Furthermore, I always attend conferences, such as Sapphire, Microsoft Ignite, QAD Explore, and AWS Summit, where I share my knowledge and contribute positively to the growth of the industry.

As an expert, you have been privileged to be a winner of the Stevie Awards and the Globee Awards and also served on the jury of the latter. Can you tell us more about these awards and your judging role? 

Yes, I was the Gold Stevie Winner, Executive of the Year—Managed Services, IT category, in July 2024, in honor of my outstanding leadership and transformative business innovation. Over 150 professionals across the globe determined the results of the Stevie Awards, regarded as the world’s premier business awards with more than 12,000 nominations each year.

Before now, I also won the 19th Annual 2024 Globee Awards in June as a result of my significant contributions and giant strides across various industries and the world at large. I was the Silver Globee Winner, Executive of the Year—IT Services in the Globee Awards for Technology category for driving digital transformation as a customer success partner for global clients. I was the topper in that subcategory and was awarded silver instead of gold based on my score.

Before these latest recognitions, I have been on the jury for several awards, including the Globee Awards for Information Technology, where I reviewed and ranked 50 nominations across various categories. This has been very fulfilling in a way because it helps me identify and reward innovation and excellence in the field.

I have also served as the head of the core team and international panel for the Gen AI Hackathon, a pan-India YASH Hackathon challenge with over 3,500 participants. Here, I evaluated Gen AI use cases and assessed their business fitment and value realization.

Having said that, can you tell us about your involvement in social impact initiatives and your future plans? 

Social impact is something that is dear to me. I’ve been involved in several charitable activities and community engagement initiatives. For some years now, I have been a board member of Easterseals, an organization which helps children with disabilities. I’ve played a key role in charity events like the Black and Blue Ball and Passage to India and helped raise more than a million dollars.

In addition, I serve as a panel member and expert at ESG Disclose, an organization providing access to all the major ESG framework disclosures. This further solidifies my role as a key figure in the realm of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies.

As for the future, my plans include mentoring and leadership development, community and charitable engagement, and promoting inclusivity. I also want to learn new things so I can continually develop myself and stay ahead of the curve in this ever-evolving industry.

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