Five minutes with Akrima Puranasamriddhi

Tell us about yourself

My name is Akrima Puranasamriddhi and I've been part of Baker Tilly Thailand's consulting family for two and a half years. As a Consultant, I work with clients to achieve strategic and operational objectives in areas such as performance optimisation, human resource transformation, Personal Data Protection Act implementation, internal controls and internal audit.

Outside of work, what keeps you busy?

Outside working hours, I enjoy putting on different hats: granddaughter,  daughter, sister, friend, traveller, avid Liverpool FC supporter, cooking newbie, language learner, DJ for family trips, and Netflix addict. Apart from putting on these hats, I also like to take the time to 'do nothing', which I think is one of the best ways to treat yourself after a long day or week at work!

What made you begin your career in consulting?

During my industrial engineering undergraduate degree, I enjoyed solving complex problems in a group environment – definitely not because of the countless all-nighters, but because of the open exchange of ideas and perspectives that drove insightful discussions as well as the building of relationships that lasted beyond the classroom. The consulting field offers me not only the challenging and collaborative work experience that I long for, but also the opportunity to enhance my exposure to a breadth of industries. So, it’s a win-win combination!

Who inspires you and why?

One of my sources of inspiration is my 90-year-old grandmother, who is a true definition of a lifelong learner. My grandmother always questions the "what", the "how" and the "why" when she sees or hears something unfamiliar. Moreover, she keeps herself busy by reading, upcycling her clothing, attempting new cooking techniques, and familiarising herself with her smartphone (mainly to call her children and friends, and watch Youtube videos!). Just seeing her being open-minded to self-improvement and experimentation, I realised how important continuous learning is, especially in today's world where change is happening quicker than ever.

What do you think the future of work looks like post-COVID?

I believe that digital platforms and solutions will continue to play a critical role in driving organisations forward in the post-COVID era by promoting workplace flexibility, interconnecting a global pool of talent, accelerating the need to reskill/upskill certain roles, and supporting business scalability through the achievement of cost and operational effectiveness.

I also think that a greater emphasis will be placed on building a solid workplace support system to enrich employees' well-being after a period of much uncertainty, and to ensure that employees continuously feel connected to the company no matter what the future of work may bring.

What opportunities are there for your firm in the next few years?

As businesses begin to recover from the COVID-19 outbreak, they may need to rethink or re-prioritise their strategic and operational goals based on the degree of impact they had experienced or the underlying organisational and workforce gaps that became apparent during the pandemic. Specifically for the consulting team, I believe that there are great opportunities ahead if we proactively anticipate client needs during the recovery phase and beyond, revisit our business model and service offerings, and question how we can help our clients return to their best as quickly as possible.

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