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60 Great Portland St, London, W1W 7RT
+44 203 882 8567

© 2022 Palladium Group Limited

Registered in England & Wales Company Registration: 09460746

Meet the team: Dr. Kal

By Palladium,

This month, meet our Head of Product & Service Design, Kal.

Kal is our resident doctor and overachiever (having completed his PhD by age 25). Kal heads up our Product & Service Design engagements, lives and breathes football, the beach and does salsa dancing every Wednesday. Before joining Palladium, Kal learnt his trade at EY and IBM.

Connect with Kal

Briefly describe what your average day looks like?
The honest answer is that most days are similar, yet very different at the same time. My role revolves around solving different client problems and supporting our clients and investors in achieving their objectives and growth targets.

Juggling multiple projects can be difficult at times, but it's rewarding when you see your work taking shape and that makes it 100% worthwhile. I am currently working on two service design engagements whilst also supporting our due diligence team with product and technology audit engagements. Our work varies from the implementation of bespoke or off-the-shelf products, designing new business models & services, to the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Another important part of my job is to support and mentor our analysts, consultants and senior consultants as well as interviewing and recruiting new hires into the Product & Service Design team.

What’s the best thing about your job?

In this order:

  • The people: Work is not just work – work is a huge part of my day and for it to be sustainable I need to have fun with the people I work with during working hours and after.
  • Healthy competitiveness: Working with high performing colleagues forces you to raise the bar and bring your “A” game every day.
  • Challenge: Boredom is not an excuse in Product & Service Design. Every client problem is different and comes with its own set of challenges.

What’s the best thing about working at Palladium?
I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the people. I know this sounds like a cliché answer but the reality is, when you have a strong team – not just capable and talented individuals but also a very tight-knit group of people – you can achieve incredible things. I have been fortunate throughout my career to be part of some outstanding teams and what we are building here at Palladium is also something very special.

What’s been one of your proudest moments working at Palladium?
Having joined Palladium just over a year ago, I am so excited of the fact that in such a short time, as a business, we are constantly growing and have won two awards (one of them being my client).

What do you like doing when you’re not in the office?
Figuring out a way to go back to my natural habitat – the beach.

Anything to do with football – watching, playing, discussing it or on the PlayStation.

I definitely always enjoy a nice glass of whisky or wine.

What inspires you?

  • My family and friends: If I can be half the people my parents are, I would be happy.
  • Confidence: I am a confidence player so feeling appreciated and valued brings out the best in me.
  • Passionate individuals: It is contagious being around them.
  • Empowering people: A firm believer in flat structure and the breakdown of hierarchy.
  • Challenges: It’s not rewarding if it’s easy.

Fill in the blank: I once met…
A title winning Manchester United team in their title celebration party.

If you could pick one superpower, what would it be?
Why pick one – I would like to have the power to have all super powers. But if I had to go with one, I would pick mind control.

What are five words of advice for others in your profession?
Your strength lies in your team.

Anything else you want us to know about you?
I am an avid fan of maths and enjoy fun maths problems, whether it be finding a Fourier series, the solution to a challenging Sudoku puzzle or acting as my friends' and colleagues' human calculator when splitting the bill on a night out.

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