Rohit Kumar’s path into moderation began several years ago, well before his engagements with The Ortus Club. His first session took place within a previous organisation, guiding a select group of clients through a discussion on digitalisation and digital transformation at a time when, just after the pandemic, transformation was at its peak.
Working largely with technology specialists and technology leaders, Rohit learned early that passionate participants can carry a conversation off course, and that the moderator’s job is to bring the room back to its agenda without dampening its energy. Now at Deloitte, he treats each engagement as both a responsibility and a personal challenge, taking on seven to eight speaking and moderation engagements a year and continually sharpening how he draws value out of a room.
How did you first get into moderation, and what have you learned along the way?
Rohit reflects on the early experiences that shaped his approach and the balancing act at the heart of the role.
“It goes back a couple of years. It is extremely insightful to learn from the experiences of others and to understand where the industry is moving. As a moderator, you of course want to get insight from people, but you also have to moderate, as the role says, so that everyone gets a chance to speak and nobody is left behind. The objective should be to make sure that everyone feels special and everyone feels heard.
Some people like to speak more, some want to be quiet, so there has to be a balance. Sometimes the discussion digresses because we are all passionate individuals, so you have to bring people back to the original agenda. What I like most about the Ortus format specifically is that it is a very intimate setup with a select group of individuals, which allows people to be in a safe environment and speak their minds.”
What tips would you give someone aspiring to become a moderator?
Rohit sets out the preparation, presence, and questioning techniques he relies on before and during a session.
“First, understand the topic, the audience, and the setting beforehand. Look at attendees’ LinkedIn profiles so you have a sense of the room before you enter it. Ask yourself honestly whether the topic is a good fit for you to moderate and whether you have enough understanding of it. Reach the venue a little early, be part of the mingling, and develop a rapport before you even start. When you begin, remember people’s names, even though they have name cards, and go around the table giving everyone a chance to speak.
The two questions I always ask are: what has been your organisation-specific experience in doing this, and what have you learned from your failures? Failures are important, because failure need not be a disaster; it can be the learning you got out of it. At the end, I take notes and summarise the key points, because there are common threads and people should leave with clear takeaways.”
What has moderating taught you about senior leaders?
Rohit describes how trust is earned in the room and what distinguishes the way senior leaders think.
“It takes time for people to open up, and you provide the setup for that by building trust, which you do by being vulnerable. I start by talking about failures, sometimes my own personal failures, and I don’t shy away from that. When you put yourself in that position and tell others you have made mistakes and learned from them, people open up. The second thing is that senior leaders bring a very strategic, business view.
Most people look at technology through a technology lens, but senior leaders look at it through a business lens and ask how it will add value. With AI, for instance, their objective is how it will improve the business, not adopting it for the heck of it. One leader told me they used AI to let people query all the organisation’s documents, but in the process they ended up giving access to documents that were not rights-protected. Technology is good, but it has to be adopted in context.”
How has moderating contributed to your professional growth?
Rohit explains how facilitating these conversations has sharpened his perspective, his network, and his confidence.
“It helps you develop a stronger point of view about the topics you moderate, because you gather different insights and combine them into a considered view. It is also a great platform to build a network; you meet a lot of new people, understand them, and develop relationships.
And it makes you better at something leaders are expected to do anyway, which is to speak and moderate on public platforms. Across at least seven or eight engagements a year, it takes away the fear of public speaking, instils the discipline to be well prepared, and makes you more confident.”
Is there anything that still makes you nervous before an event?
Rohit shares what keeps him on his toes, even after years of moderating.
“It is not about managing people or driving the moderation itself. What makes me nervous is how I can add value as a moderator in that specific area, because you are doing this alongside your regular work. There is often some last-minute preparation and thinking about how I can contribute to the discussion. That is what keeps me on my toes. I want to perform and bring my best self so that the attendees get real value from the session.”
What one question will you never stop asking?
In a closing thought, Rohit points to the prompt he returns to in every session.
“What have been your failures, and what has been your learning out of them? No matter the topic, organisations experiment a great deal, and the lessons drawn from what did not work are often the most valuable thing anyone can share.”
Join the Conversation: The Ortus Club’s Executive Network
Across Rohit’s reflections on balance, preparation, and the trust that vulnerability creates, one pattern is clear: the most valuable executive insights are not presented; they are drawn out. They require an intimate, high-trust setting and a moderator willing to lead with their own failures before asking others to share theirs.
His view of the moderator as a facilitator of trust reflects a broader reality: today’s technology leaders cannot rely on market commentary alone to understand how change will land inside their own organisations. The most effective leaders actively seek out peer dialogue as a strategic necessity, testing ideas against the real, organisation-specific experiences and failures of their peers.
At The Ortus Club, we host curated executive roundtables that bring together senior leaders facing these exact challenges. Step into a safe environment away from internal hierarchies and engage in the kind of open, high-value conversations where the hardest lessons are shared freely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the primary role of a moderator?
A: To ensure balanced participation, so that quieter voices are drawn out, dominant voices are gently managed, and the discussion stays on the original agenda while everyone feels heard.
Q: How should a moderator prepare for a session?
A: By researching the topic, the setting, and each attendee’s background in advance, arriving early to mingle and build rapport, and preparing high-quality opening insights and questions to spark discussion.
Q: Why does Rohit focus on failures during moderation?
A: Because organisation-specific failures and the lessons learned from them tend to be the most valuable and authentic contributions, and because sharing them builds the trust that encourages others to open up.
Q: How does a moderator build trust with senior leaders?
A: Through vulnerability. By being honest about their own mistakes and what they learned, the moderator permits senior leaders to speak openly about their own challenges.
Q: How do senior leaders approach new technology such as AI?
A: Through a business lens rather than a purely technical one, asking how a technology will add real value to the business and in what context it should be adopted, rather than adopting it for its own sake.
