Accenture has appointed former McKinsey & Company partner Pradeep Prabhala as the lead of its India Market Unit, reinforcing its leadership team as enterprises accelerate investments in artificial intelligence, data-driven transformation and Global Capability Centres (GCCs). The appointment will take effect on September 1, with Prabhala succeeding Saurabh Kumar Sahu, whose tenure concludes at the end of August.
In his new role, Prabhala will work with clients across India to help organisations harness data and AI to improve productivity, accelerate growth and build more agile, future-ready businesses. He will also support multinational companies establishing and expanding Global Capability Centres in India, an area Accenture considers a strategic priority as GCCs increasingly evolve into hubs for innovation, product engineering and enterprise transformation.
Announcing the appointment, Accenture said India remains one of its most important growth markets, with enterprises deepening investments in technology-led reinvention. Arundhati Chakraborty, Global Lead, Finance & GCC and Executive Sponsor for the India Market Unit, said the company sees significant opportunities to help clients unlock greater value from AI and data as organisations modernise operations and adopt emerging technologies.
Prabhala joins Accenture from McKinsey & Company, where he led the firm's consumer practice in India and its agriculture business across Asia. He brings more than two decades of consulting experience spanning artificial intelligence, digital transformation, commercial strategy, mergers and acquisitions, supply chain transformation and sustainability. Before McKinsey, he spent nearly a decade at Monitor Deloitte, advising organisations on growth strategy and business transformation across multiple markets. He began his professional career at Hindustan Unilever, where he was part of the founding team that established the company's modern trade business in India.
Beyond his consulting experience, Prabhala has also been active as an early-stage investor in AI, enterprise software and deep-tech startups in India and the United States. He has additionally been named an incoming Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Fellow and Salzburg Fellow, reflecting his involvement in innovation and leadership initiatives beyond the corporate sector.
The leadership appointment comes at a time when consulting firms are expanding AI-focused capabilities to meet rising enterprise demand. Organisations across industries are increasingly looking to integrate generative AI, automation and advanced analytics into core business processes, creating greater demand for advisory services that combine technology expertise with large-scale transformation capabilities. At the same time, India's GCC ecosystem continues to attract global companies seeking to establish centres focused on engineering, research, product development and digital innovation rather than traditional back-office operations.
For Accenture, the appointment aligns with its broader strategy of embedding AI and data capabilities across client engagements. Earlier this year, the company reorganised its global services around a reinvention model designed to integrate AI more deeply into consulting, technology and operations offerings, signalling the growing importance of AI-led transformation across its business.
With Prabhala set to assume leadership in September, Accenture is positioning its India business to capitalise on growing enterprise spending on AI, digital transformation and GCC expansion. The move reflects the company's continued focus on strengthening its presence in one of its largest and fastest-growing markets while supporting clients through the next phase of technology-driven business reinvention.