Likhit Wagle

Likhit Wagle – Managing Partner, EMEA Financial Services, IBM Consulting Likhit Wagle has advised Banking and Insurance clients world-wide on business transformation programs realising major improvements in customer acquisition, revenue growth and profitability.
Based in London, Likhit leads Financial Services for IBM Consulting in EMEA with the remit to grow the business double digit and gain market share.
Immediately prior to this, he led IBM’s world- wide banking business, based out of New York. This is IBM’s largest sector by revenue and profits. Under his leadership, the business grew consistently and profitably, and achieved IBM’s mission to be the partner of choice for Digital Re-invention. Key elements of Likhit’s roles included:
developing and executing the industry strategy with responsibility for sales and revenues
selection and development of IBM’s client portfolio in the sector.
deployment of industry specific solutions across the globe; and
thought leadership and external eminence.
Nurturing and developing industry talent and expertise has been a key part of his responsibilities:
Clients: development of industry talent within IBM’s strategic clients – including development of the curriculum and key notes to Board level executives. I
BM: Likhit is a member of IBM’s Management Board for the Industry and is also a founder member of the Industry Academy – a community of the foremost industry experts in IBM. He oversees the training for the Company’s badging program and mentors executives applying for the Platinum Badge – highest level of industry expertise in the Corporation.
Business schools: Likhit has been a guest lecturer on Banking industry transformation at several business schools around the world including the Said Business School, Oxford; Cass Business School, London; and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
Likhit is a thought leader and featured speaker in the industry with several published articles and whitepapers and is frequently quoted in the press.
he is regularly invited to present to the Boards of the top Banks worldwide on major trends in the industry.
Industry publications like the Banker Magazine, Bloomberg, the Economist and Linkedin Live regularly have Likhit on their panels to discuss the implications of top-of-mind industry issues such as digitisation, data at scale, regulatory compliance, and security.
Previously, Likhit led IBM’s Financial Services business in the Asia Pacific region. In this role he led leading edge work to digitally transform incumbent banks and enable them compete successfully financial disruptors:
At State Bank of India – the largest Bank in the country – capabilities have been built in an accelerated way over a 24-month program to enable 350 million customers to use their smart phones to make balance enquiries; borrow money and buy mutual funds. A marketplace has also been created for the bank that combines banking with lifestyle products and services to rival platform companies like Amazon and Flipcart. Outcomes for customer acquisition, revenue and profit growth have made this one of the most successful digital transformations in the Banking industry
At DBS, recently voted Best Bank in the world by the prestigious Global Finance Magazine, the IBM team has supported the Bank’s digitalisation program developing applications, transforming processes through cognitive process automation, and developing the Bank’s data strategy.
Prior to this Likhit was Global General Manager of IBM’s Banking business based out of London. During this time Likhit led the strategy work that:
resulted in setting up Financial Services as the first industry vertical across all of IBM; the acquisition of Promontory, one of the world’s leading regulatory consulting firms; and the development of the Regtech portfolio of cognitive software and services to address rapidly increasing compliance costs.
supported the successful launch of the new Z14 Mainframe computer as the platform of choice for Banks seeking to digitise their infrastructure taking advantage of attributes such as pervasive encryption; ability to perform real time analytics; and open source architecture.
Before joining IBM, Likhit was a partner at PwC and led their Strategic Consulting Practice in the UK. During this time, he led major programmes focused on improving shareholder value for organisations like Allianz in the Finance Sector and also at Novo Nordisk, Astra Zeneca, Roche, South African Breweries and Sony in other industries. This work was focused on identifying the most sensitive drivers of the company’s intrinsic value and devising initiatives to transform business performance under-pinning these drivers. At IBM, Likhit extended this approach to devise and execute several successful engagements that had creative commercial constructs where IBM put “skin in the game” by linking a major proportion of its fees to improvements in specific enterprise wide key performance indicators that were fundamental to the value of the client. Prior to this, Likhit led the M&A advisory business for PwC in the UK. He was a member of the European Management Board and advised on several divestments and leveraged buy-outs. During this time PwC was consistently ranked first in the league table for private company M&A advisory work. Likhit is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and has a Honours degree in Economics and Business Finance from the University of Manchester.