CEO Insights Magazine

Someone once wisely said ~ “With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable”. The professional journey of Narasimhan Elangovan (Partner, KEN & Co.), a well-experienced doyen and business leader, perfectly resonates with the essence of this quote. Narasimhan began his career just like any other CA aspirant who was juggling with CA coaching, evening college and internship, which equipped him with strong multitasking abilities right from the initial days of his career. Besides CA, he also completed his Information Systems Audit (ISA) course from ICAI where he currently is a fellow member of the institute and a faculty and author for the said course. His interest in technology and governance gave him impetus to be a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) from ISACA USA, where he cleared the exam amongst the top 20 percent in world in ranking. He is also a Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE), which helps him to assess the privacy requirements and compliance of organizations. His interest in law added yet another qualification of Bachelor’s in Law (LLB) which gave him a three-dimensional outlook to his profile viz. expertise in finance, technology and law.

Having qualified CA at the age of 21, Narasimhan plunged into a multi-conglomerate corporate to gain industry experience, post which he joined KEN & Co., as its Partner specializing in technology advisory and governance. Today, the firm specializes in a niche area of service with his ability to approach all three distinct pillars of any organization – finance, legal and technology. Since then, he has been wearing multiple hats depending upon the client’s requirement – a financial and technology auditor, a management consultant to drive digital strategy, a data scientist or an information security advisor amongst many others.

To learn more about Narasimhan’s

inspirational story, peruse the following snippets of an exclusive colloquy between him and CEO Insights.

How has your journey at KEN & Co. been so far?
It has been an erudite and fantastic journey so far! When I joined my Senior Partner – K Elangovan who holds 40+ years of experience in finance, audit, and tax, we started exploring newer avenues and emerging domains. His rich experience coupled with my innovative and technology-driven mindset bestowed us with newfangled results. Our focus was on keeping it simple and small as well as on delivering value through our engagements. The biggest challenges we were posed with were gaining acceptance from clients on the newer area of services we could offer and overcoming competition from large multinational firms.

Brief us on the excellence of KEN & Co.
KEN & Co. is a Fintech and Digital Transformation firm that harnesses the power of technology to address compliance and regulatory challenges. We offer a wide spectrum of services ranging from IT Governance & Audit to Advisory and Implementation on emerging technologies like Blockchain, AI, RPA, and others. Besides, we also deliver advisory in areas such as Data Analytics & BI, Digitization & Automation, Technology-enabled Virtual CFO, Virtual CISO, Information Systems Audit, Forensic Audits, Implementation and Testing of Internal Financial Controls (IFC), Data Privacy Audits, SOX (USA) and SOC assessments amongst many others. Our clientele has been a combination of Indian and foreign entities, startups to listed, private to governmental organizations.

How do you ensure to outclass as the best partner of your clients, partners, and employees?
We try our best to be unique and different. Prior to catering to each client, we make sure that we understand the root cause or the client requirement and devise the best solution with quick TAT through automation and technology solution. We also ensure a quality review is performed before our final delivery. We also associate with

diverse professionals whose expertise we wish to utilize for the engagements that we deliver involving core specialization. Speaking of our employees, they are our biggest assets and it is because of them we stand where we are. To keep them updated and engaged, we constantly attempt to infuse a highly engaging and learning atmosphere with practical insights and training sessions, with a tinge of fun!

What opportunities do you foresee in the current consulting industry of India?
Post Covid-19 era is an era of digital epiphany where professionals like us ought to advise and assist clients in bridging significant gaps in their digital journey. Right from strategy to execution, automation to compliance, post implementation to audit, analytics to forensics; we foresee newer opportunities shaping up.

Do you participate in seminars or conferences?
Absolutely! I never miss participating in seminars, webinars, and conferences. I believe it is always wonderful to share your thoughts amidst your alma mater and learn from each other. I take utmost privilege in being the top-rated and youngest speaker at various conferences on IT, Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, and emerging technologies. During the recent Covid-19 lockdown, I had the opportunity to share my thoughts at 50+ webinars across 10+ different countries on diverse aspects of technology, automation, and governance.

Narasimhan Elangovan, Partner, KEN & Co
Narasimhan is a futurist, GRC professional, and keynote speaker, specializing in Data Analytics, Risk-Based Audit, Privacy Impact Assessments, Internal Audits, Information Technology Consulting, Information Systems Assurance, Implementation and Testing of IFC, Advisory in emerging technologies.

Travel Destinations: He loves hill stations & beaches

Food: Location Specific Vegetarian Cuisine and Local Savories

Advice To Budding Leaders In The Industry:
“Focus on knowledge-based consulting with significant value creation through a consultative & participative approach with depth in fundamentals of business. The trust, transparency, and the highest levels of integrity & confidentiality are the words to live by”