From the Horse's Mouth: Intrepid Conversations with Phil Fersht
Phil Fersht
31 episodes
5 days ago
As technology rapidly evolves, the world has undergone a significant transformation. Society has shifted from being human-centered to a complex web of digital automation, AI, and human workers who support it. This rapid innovation outpaces regulations and threatens social mobility.
The rise of AI presents a critical challenge: how can businesses and policymakers ensure that AI enhances, rather than hinders, human creativity and innovation? Automating routine tasks could free up people for roles requiring creativity, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence, but it demands a focus on continuous learning and digital literacy.
The first season of From the Horse's Mouth: Intrepid Conversations with Phil Fersht explores the intersection of AI, work, and society, aiming to shape the future.
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As technology rapidly evolves, the world has undergone a significant transformation. Society has shifted from being human-centered to a complex web of digital automation, AI, and human workers who support it. This rapid innovation outpaces regulations and threatens social mobility.
The rise of AI presents a critical challenge: how can businesses and policymakers ensure that AI enhances, rather than hinders, human creativity and innovation? Automating routine tasks could free up people for roles requiring creativity, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence, but it demands a focus on continuous learning and digital literacy.
The first season of From the Horse's Mouth: Intrepid Conversations with Phil Fersht explores the intersection of AI, work, and society, aiming to shape the future.
Coffee, Cotton… and Code: How Mindsprint Is Rewriting the Tech Services Playbook
From the Horse's Mouth: Intrepid Conversations with Phil Fersht
28 minutes
1 month ago
Coffee, Cotton… and Code: How Mindsprint Is Rewriting the Tech Services Playbook
When you spin out of one of the world's largest agribusiness supply chains with the ambition to reimagine enterprise services, people take notice.
In this episode, Suresh Sundararajan, CEO and Co-Founder of Mindsprint, joins HFS CEO Phil Fersht to unpack what it really means to be an AI-first services firm, and how legacy becomes leverage when you're bold enough to build.
From training 3,000+ employees on AI tools to launching outcome-based pricing models for P2P and procurement, Suresh shares his honest view on tech disruption, change management, and why the small and agile are beating the big and slow.
What You'll Hear in 30 Minutes
• The birth of Mindsprint from agribusiness giant Olam
• What being "AI-first" means inside and out
• Scaling AI adoption across a 3,200-person workforce
• Why change management—not tech—is the bottleneck
• How outcome-based pricing is disrupting traditional service models
• Why smaller firms are thriving in the new enterprise tech landscape
• Suresh's personal mission to lead by doing—and upskill everyone
Guest Snapshots
Suresh is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mindsprint, a next-gen tech services firm born out of Olam Group—one of the world's largest agri-business supply chains. With over 30 years at Olam, Suresh brings a rare combination of operational depth, strategic foresight, and entrepreneurial grit.
He's on a mission to prove that smaller, sharper firms like Mindsprint can move faster, lead AI transformation, and offer differentiated services at scale—all while being deeply human-centered in execution.
Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome and origins of Mindsprint
01:15 – Spinning out of Olam: The backstory
03:29 – Why Mindsprint chose independence over division
06:57 – What it *really* means to be AI-first
08:57 – How Suresh trained 95% of employees on AI
09:42 – The reality of change management
12:29 – What happens when AI frees up time?
14:42 – How jobs and skillsets are evolving
17:02 – Adding 45 new logos in 18 months
19:40 – From FTEs to outcome-based pricing
21:58 – Selling services like software
24:49 – Global expansion and unexpected growth in APAC
27:00 – Advice for tech and non-tech leaders on AI transformation
30:13 – The productivity + innovation equation
31:44 – Wrap-up and parting thoughts
Explore More
• Mindsprint: https://www.Mindsprint.org
• Suresh Sundararajan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sureshsundararajan
• Phil Fersht on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pfersht
• HFS Research on Agentic AI: https://www.hfsresearch.com
From the Horse's Mouth: Intrepid Conversations with Phil Fersht
As technology rapidly evolves, the world has undergone a significant transformation. Society has shifted from being human-centered to a complex web of digital automation, AI, and human workers who support it. This rapid innovation outpaces regulations and threatens social mobility.
The rise of AI presents a critical challenge: how can businesses and policymakers ensure that AI enhances, rather than hinders, human creativity and innovation? Automating routine tasks could free up people for roles requiring creativity, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence, but it demands a focus on continuous learning and digital literacy.
The first season of From the Horse's Mouth: Intrepid Conversations with Phil Fersht explores the intersection of AI, work, and society, aiming to shape the future.
