In 2008, the economy had started to tanking the US, and large deals were more important than ever. When Filippo Paserini, CIO of Procter & Gamble, and Charles Philips, then President of Oracle, decided they should investigate what Oracle could do for P&G beyond, it was both an unprecedented opportunity for Oracle to grow at a large SAP and Microsoft client, but also a chance for the sales team to make a mark. And I did not make the team. Not at first, that is (being new in the firm). But having heard about the deal and listened to the conversations in our sales calls intently, I spent a day thinking of the problem and an all-nighter writing a memo ala Jerry Maguire. It stated that contrary to fantasies, facts were clear: SAP mastered transactions, Microsoft mastered individual and team productivity, yet there was a vast gap in the middle. Our strategy was hence obvious: we should not try and replace SAP or Microsoft solutions with Oracle, but complement, enhance, and connect them, through visibility and business automation solutions.This memo did not get me fired, though. He did get me into the team, with a dual responsibility: leading one of the three strategy streams of our joint inquiry, and leading the team creating a demo and organizing its delivery on the big day. the connection was …  The client appreciated seeing a consultant in a team of sales people. Call it a lesser evil.

In 2011, 5 days after joining KPMG Singapore practice, I was asked to (then not to) work on an opportunity to work with one of the largest insurance providers in Indonesia. I was nearly as swiftly asked not to get involved because I was not an industry expert. It was too late for second thoughts, though. After reaching out

In 2010, when I joined…