Arun Kochar’s experience on a six-month project with a wine industry client in many ways mirrors his trajectory as a consultant at Kearney, where he began as a business analyst in 2004 and worked his way up to partner.

On that project, Arun learned just how intensive wine-making was—from acquiring the grapes to selling the wine derived from those grapes, the entire process could take more than five years.

“The beverage alcohol industry is a relatable yet complicated industry, driven by its multi-tier value chain. That’s why I enjoy it so much,” Arun says. “You talk to everybody, including the brand owners, distributors, retailers—even the farmers supplying grapes and malts. Something that seems quite casual and ordinary—a bottle of wine or whiskey—is actually quite fascinating and involved to make, distribute, and sell.”

Working on such engagements—both short- and long-term—during his tenure at the firm has allowed Arun to develop a unique knowledge of the operations value chain, from planning and procurement to manufacturing, distribution, and customer service. His experience allows him to advise on very specific cost take-out or growth challenges, as well as on large-scale transformations such as mergers and acquisitions integrations.

“Most big transformations fail because people don’t like to change,” Arun says. “We put together a case for change that everybody is energized about."