From first-year curiosity to real-world insight: A conversation with alumnus Pratik Dattani

From first-year curiosity to real-world insight: A conversation with alumnus Pratik Dattani

Twenty years after graduating from Warwick, economics alumnus and entrepreneur Pratik Dattani joined Daniel Whitehouse, a current Year 1 Economics and Management student, for a virtual interview. As Daniel begins to explore what economics really means beyond the lecture theatre, Pratik reflects on how the subject has shaped his career across public policy, consulting and entrepreneurship.

Pratik Dattani (BSc Economics 2006)

Pratik’s background is in economic analysis and leading global market entry strategies, including government liaison and public affairs. He is the Founder of think tank Bridge India. He was additionally, until August 2017, UK Director for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He is the co-founder of a charity advisory initiative, working with HNI donors give better. Earlier, he was Chairman for a not-for-profit membership organisation with several thousand members for three years.

Previously he worked in Economic Consulting at FTI Consulting and Deloitte in London and Abu Dhabi. He studied Economics at Warwick University, where he was awarded the Prize for Excellence, and LMU University of Munich. His dissertation won a prize at an international economics conference at Georgetown University. He has published academic research on behavioural economics and social impact, and contributed to various books, particularly on India. He is a regular commentator on public policy and India in the media, having appeared in The Economist, Financial Times, Times of India, BBC and other leading publications over the last year. He occasionally lectures at King’s College London.

Pratik Dattani was interviewed by Daniel Whitehouse, current BSc Economics and Management Year 1 student, on 6 February 2026

Q: As someone still figuring out what economics looks like in practice, I’m curious: how do you explain what you do to people who aren’t economists?

I think that is a good question. I usually go back to year one microeconomics and the idea of scarcity. Economics is about infinite wants and very limited resources, and how you maximise the resources you have to benefit those you’re trying to reach. Along that journey you face difficult choices. Do you care about one part of the public more or another? You are making normative judgments about how to spend limited money and limited time.

Q: You’ve worked in economics, public policy consulting and entrepreneurship. From a student’s perspective these feel like very different worlds. What connects them for you?

The common thread is that all of these areas are multidisciplinary. Whether you are in the public sector, investment banking, or starting your own business, you are constantly combining different skills. As you get more senior, the technical skills matter less; relationships matter more. Someone can always do something faster or cheaper than you. What really matters is how you combine skills across disciplines and apply them well.

Q: I saw you were featured on the front page of the FT last Monday. What was that experience like, and why were you interviewed?

On Monday (2nd Feb) I was on the front page of the Financial Times commenting on President Trump’s announcement of a reduced tariff for India, following an agreement with the India Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop buying Russian oil. I’ve spent over a decade in international trade, including running the UK office for a large chamber of commerce and being involved in various substantial UK-India cross-border deals. It’s a real privilege to be featured in The Economist, Financial Times and similar publications, because it shows that along the career journey, the economics skills I picked up at Warwick are relevant and valued by large publications.

Q: Where did you grow up, and how has that shaped the way you see the world today?

I was born in a village in India, studied in Munich for a year, worked in Abu Dhabi and now while London is home, we have offices in Uganda and India. These experiences have taught me how the world is seen differently across borders and cultures. Meeting so many nationalities during my time at Warwick was one of the building blocks for this.

Q: Could you explain what EPG does? I’d like to understand the types of problems you work on.

We do two main things. First, we help British companies with market entry into India. That is often deeptech companies, but equally other companies which solve problems at scale. We will help them navigate supply chains and work closely with government to do so. Second, our work is related to strategic communications, which involves helping a client’s target publics (there can be more than one) better engage with their target stakeholders. Colloquially, this is PR, influencer management, public affairs and publishing thought leadership.

Q: How does your economics training show up in your work now? And what other skills have become just as important?

The main benefit is the way of thinking. If you use economics to solve a business problem, you break it down into digestible blocks. You ask what resources you have and how you rank them in importance. Microeconomics, especially ideas about revealed and stated preferences, show up all the time. I find larger companies are more focused on billing. For a smaller team like ours, we really want to go on a journey with the founder. It’s lonely to be a leader, so aside from the technical aspects of what we might do, just supporting them in their growth is sometimes just as important.

Q: You were involved in Warwick Economics Society and helped start Assumptions magazine. What made you want to do that? Do you still stay involved with people from Warwick and do you still read Assumptions?

I was looking for things to get involved in that combined my interest in economics with doing something practical. We started Assumptions in 2007. At the beginning there was no budget. It was printed in black and white and left in the department office. I’m grateful for Aldi being our first sponsor, which meant we could now print in colour.

In 2008 while I was in Munich, I was flatmates with two people who organised the annual Carroll Round, a dissertation competition hosted by Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. I was the first student from any university outside the US to be accepted. I flew there to present, thanks to the Economics department, won one of their prizes.

It’s a proud moment to see that two initiatives I started 20 years ago in Warwick still exist today. Building legacy like this goes beyond individuals and secures institutions and relationships across borders which last.

I keep in touch with many of the people I went to Warwick with. When we graduated, most went into investment banking, professional services or did a Masters. Looking back now, many of those same people have changed direction and changed careers several times. When students ask me for career advice, I usually tell them that whatever they think they will be doing in five years is probably not what will actually happen.

Pratik Dattani is Managing Director at EPG and founder of Bridge India, an award-winning progressive non-profit think tank dedicated to discourse on public policy.