I come from a typical business class family where working is just about joining the family business. But from a young age, I had the clarity that my path was different. To be honest, I never had the foresight to join any specific field as a young student. It was my uncle who encouraged me to pursue the Chartered Accountancy course.
Later, as part of the CA curriculum, I got the opportunity to join one of the MNCs as an Industrial Trainee where I worked in multiple facets of a Finance Function. It was during this period that I learned how Finance Function generates value for organizations. By the end of my training period, I had the wisdom to embark on a career in finance as a Finance Business Partner.

I always believe in empathizing with any given situation or circumstance before forming an opinion about it. This has helped me to become an accomplished professional.

After the first pandemic-induced nationwide lockdown, most of the customers enforced Force Majeure. As a result, all the orders in hand were put on hold and the payments were stuck.
We were not in a position to pay salaries to our workforce and it was a survival issue for the organization. I had to think out of the box and find a solution to keep our operations up and running so that we could pay our workers and employees regularly. Soon we decided to produce healthcare apparel for frontline workers, but we faced numerous challenges as we progressed.
First and foremost was to enter and understand a completely new business vertical that was highly regulated and then to gain an in-depth knowledge of the product. The process that ensued was to get the certifications and mandatory compliances done in a short time; import required machines for production amidst lockdown; arrange finances; obtain necessary permissions from the state government to operate; work with limited bandwidth; obtain permissions from customs and Ministry for exporting the products; so on and so forth.
Apart from managing the overall project, I had to take up additional responsibilities of product development, business development, and compliance without having any prior experience in these areas.
But we handled the situation with resilience and maintained a positive work environment amidst all the negativities. We also counselled our employees regularly and kept them motivated. All these things helped me to survive one of the toughest phases of my professional life and we ended up with a great success story.

Technology is guaranteed to stay and will continue to evolve as we move ahead. It is impossible to ignore its impact on businesses.
Advancements in automation, machine learning, AI, cloud database, etc. have not only disrupted the business environment but have also made organizations more effective, leaner, and more efficient. This has resulted in a multitude of opportunities for the workforce to upskill themselves and contribute towards creating value for the organizations in various ways.
If we talk of Finance, for instance, I think automation of repetitive tasks; real-time recording of transactions; integration with outside technology for real-time compliances; etc. have enabled the organizations to move towards more predictive and real-time analysis, thus resulting in better decision-making and cost-saving.

I have a large network of people with diversified backgrounds. I often talk to them to learn new things that are happening around various ecosystems. I also keep myself abreast of the current trends by reading posts on LinkedIn, news websites, and influential blogs available on various social media platforms.

A huge effort goes into managing the working capital of the organization due to our nature of operations. I wish our cash inflows were smooth and easy so that we could invest more time in doing value-added work.

There is nothing that cannot be achieved in this world. It is important for a person to have a strong conviction and clarity on what he or she wants in life (if it is realistic and rational) both personally and professionally.
Besides, there is no shortcut to success. You must be patient with your career; always open to adapting to change and to learning new things; focus on doing the right things; deliver results; and most importantly, believe in yourself.
Be thankful for what destiny has bestowed on you. Always remember that your destiny is not created by the shoes you wear but by the steps you take in life.

Whatever I have achieved in life today is because of the guidance I have received from my mentors. During my time in consulting, my mentors pushed me beyond boundaries to deliver results, even when I had no prior knowledge of the subject matter. They gave us enough space to learn, make mistakes, correct them, and perform. They made us challenge the status quo and taught us to be open to new opportunities.
This has helped me to look at the problems differently and find solutions. I follow the same mentoring style and ensure that the growth of my team goes beyond the pay scale.

A finance business partner who believes in doing the right things and delivering results.

I accept challenges and solve them for good. This has helped me to focus on additional responsibilities at work apart from usual business, thus enabling me to gain a diverse experience.
Also, I love knowing new people and learning about the new things that they do. This has helped me to build a strong relationship with my business stakeholders.

I love listening to classical music and playing melodeon (Harmonium). Also, travel makes me feel excited and alive.

If not a CFO, I would have been a management consultant.

I enjoy sharing my knowledge of finance with stakeholders so that they can make more informed decisions. There is nothing more satisfying than helping people gain financial knowledge and making them feel at ease with financial strategies.

One of the qualities that have helped me immensely is working beyond boundaries.

Mastering one’s mind is one of the biggest life challenges. The mind shapes our perspective; it receives and processes our interactions with the world around us. Unlike other things that we can master over a finite amount of time, it can take a lifetime to master the mind.

Back-office technology represents the future of managing a business. Besides, cutting costs on managerial services by using software that gathers all processes together and handles them all at once represents a big step forward for the companies of the future.

Reading magazines, journals, social media, and newspapers is a time-tested way to keep oneself updated with the latest trends. I follow the same. These publications render all kinds of information. Therefore, devoting some time daily can drastically improve the upkeep of current affairs and trends.

No matter how much we may excel at a particular skill or task, I believe we can always get better. I would like an opportunity to gain new experiences that can help me become better at anything that I undertake.

Instead of trying to change the people we love or even the people we don’t love, we should try to change the situation instead or the way we perceive any particular situation. The more we’ll focus on improving the situation, the more we’ll succeed in our professional and personal life.

Mentoring is simply nurturing the mentee and encouraging them to learn, grow and upskill so that they can perform better in their role and progress in their future endeavours.

I am the go-to person for my friends whenever they need somebody to lean on. I am always there for my friends.

Strict adherence to deadlines is one of the most critical habits one could cultivate in their career. It shows professionalism, a sort of mastery over the work, and attracts respect from the organization, leadership, and teammates.

I love introspecting on past events to find the best way forward. Besides, being away from the city life rejuvenates my mind.

If not a CFO, I would have surely been a good advisor or a doctor.

Hailing from a family of chartered accountants, this was an easy decision for me.

Being my authentic self has proved to be quite helpful in my professional life.

While moving across different industries and geographies, my curiosity and tolerance for ambiguity have been extremely helpful.

Technology is certainly disrupting industries and business models and as a result, roles are evolving. Therefore, companies must learn to embrace this.

Engagement with the right stakeholders helps me keep abreast of the latest developments in the field of finance. Apart from this, reading and watching channels like CNBC keep me well informed.

Nothing. I am grateful for things as they are.

Looking at people through the lens of possibility rather than potential has been one of the major learning experiences for me. I believe that if you use the High Potential grid, you will cover only a few people. But if you use the Possibility Grid, you will notice that everyone possesses the possibility to grow and develop. This makes you focus on the strength and possibilities inherent in every individual in the company.

I love to mentor. Mentoring is also a great learning opportunity for me to understand the other person, demonstrate empathy and help them accomplish what they are trying to do.

I am Peripatetic and love doing different things.

Keeping myself updated with current industry trends has helped me a lot. Besides, I try to get to the core of the problem, which is to be resolved.

My family. At present, I am investing my time to get our farmhouse organized (gardening, etc). Apart from this, I have been doing a few podcasts.

I would have been a practicing Chartered Accountant like some of my family members.

I realised early in life that I was good with numbers and had a keen interest in the financial market. I was an Economics student and after a master’s in finance, I jumped into the financial world. After the initial experience, I decided that handling finance was the biggest challenge as well as the biggest satisfaction.

There are many to talk about. I feel time management is the best quality that has helped me throughout my journey.

Being in finance, I have handled funding a lot and this is a never ending challenge. I have faced many challenges in arranging debt and equity funds for my companies. The challenge is not only in start-ups, it prevails in established companies as well. I am very happy that I have never failed in this. So fund planning is one of the biggest challenges.

We really can save a lot of time and automate the entire finance department process today. There are two plus points of this as per me. One is the time saving and automation which helps avoiding duplication of work with no errors. The second is the shifting of focus from traditional accounting and data maintenance processes to a quality management process.

It is a big requirement to keep yourself updated with all the latest trends. The times are changing and almost every month there are changes and new regulations are announced by various government departments. We try to keep ourselves updated by way of getting added in mailers of some of the reputed companies and the finance and compliance research-based media. Needless to say, one must cross check for oneself the important news reports with circulars on the respective government websites. Unofficial professional information groups are also worth being a part of.

I can see a lot of finance professionals these days being a part of the product and policy departments of companies. I sometimes feel my innovative nature would have helped me if I was working in those areas. I really dream of being a part of a policy-making team in some organisation sometime.

Being a start-up we faced significant fund management issues. It took us a lot of time and effort to become an established player in the market. I would advise all finance professionals to pursue their task very honestly and diligently. It took me 6 months to get funding from a PSU bank and that too after having the sanction letter in hand. We went through Covid times and a stressed funding environment and had to take care of the staff also. We really did not want to pass the pressure onto the staff and I took this responsibility upon my shoulders. I had to visit bank branches, head offices and meet multiple officials and convince them about our requirements. After a lot of despair and negativity we finally received our funds. What I learnt from this experience is to not lose hope. Keep your basics clear from day one, do not misrepresent facts, embrace the reality and be very honest. Honesty does pay.

Leave the team free, educate them, focus on continuous training and knowledge sharing. Give them enough leave and space so that they come back with energy. Most importantly, support them always.

Believe in yourself and the world will believe in you.

Like I mentioned earlier, my time management skills have helped me a lot. Discipline, having a good professional circle, and learning new things, finance or technology-related keeps me going.

I love playing games, especially Badminton.

I would have been a writer and would have loved to author books or blogs to share real-life anecdotes and learnings.

My career in the field of finance spans over 30 years. Post qualification I first joined a PSU, RITES Ltd, and worked there for 11 long years before moving to GC Delhi Metro, where I worked for 6 years during the execution of Phase 1 of DMRC’s MetroProject. Later I moved to Siemens and since April 2012, I have been working with BEUMER India as CFO. The formative years of my professional life made my foundation strong and groomed me to shoulder higher responsibilities and to work on challenging tasks and assignments.

I can work with and lead large teams, collaborate with cross-border teams, and empower and motivate them to deliver optimum performance. This helps to build trust with teams and make them successful.

There are daily challenges in professional life and each one of them should be dealt with through determination backed up with a plan. However, post Covid, there have been a number of challenges where the best of plans have failed due to constantly evolving circumstances. We managed to keep damage to the businesses at a minimum by interacting with all ‘WFH’ teams and providing them a proper infrastructure and medical support whenever required.

This is a century of technology and the companies which have worked on this front have been real gainers in terms of customer satisfaction and higher market share. The companies which have not been moving rapidly in the age of digitization would be left behind on the growth path and would face the jerks of business disruption.

I am an avid reader of financial/economic papers. I read articles on direct/indirect tax and accounting. I also actively engage in discussions with my teams and other stakeholders.

I wish we could have done digitalization faster in business support functions and had taken these steps prior to the pandemic.

There is no short cut to hard and intelligent work coupled with the right learning attitude.

I listen to the leadership team regarding their professional as well as personal issues and guide them to manage their affairs in a better manner. This leads to higher commitment and performance along with adherence to business ethics.

Remain focussed in your approach and work with right attitude. Walk the talk.

I support my team and rise to the occasion whenever require. I give due credit to them for their successes. At the same time, I see failure as a learning lesson for individuals and businesses alike rather than something to be criticised.

I love reading books on management and leadership and also spirituality. I love to catch up with friends in my free time.

If not a CFO, I would have been working in the entertainment or hospitality industry.

To be honest, I never had the wisdom or the clarity of thought as a young student to embark on a career in Finance. My father suggested that I take up Finance. In hindsight, I was always good with numbers, having topped my school in mathematics and accountancy. So, a career in Finance seemed like a natural progression.

My ability to stay calm in high pressure situations has helped me immensely in evolving as a balanced and objective professional.

My biggest professional challenge has been overcoming the ‘CA’ (Chartered Accountant) conundrum. In India, it is almost a pre-requisite that a CFO or a Head of Finance must be a CA. As a Non-CA, your professional experience and achievements are set aside and ignored often. After having personally gone through his despite having worked for 17 years, I decided to become a ‘renaissance man’ and reinvent myself. I successfully pursued a Diploma in IFRS from ACCA in 2019 and will be a qualified Certified Public Accountant (CPA) from AICPA (US) by February 2022.

Technology is set to change the way companies operate today and for the better. From automation of repetitive tasks to real-time auditing and compliance to predictive and prescriptive analytics, companies will become leaner, more effective, and efficient. People at large will have the opportunity to upskill and contribute to value creation for the organization in ways, which were not possible earlier.

By regularly reading, whether newspapers or influential LinkedIn posts; and browsing through the curriculum of executive education courses from premier educational institutions.

The tight timelines which at times impact work-life balance.

As a professional, keep your head down and deliver results. Be patient with your career and magic will happen when the time is right. On a more personal note, count your blessings and be grateful for everything that life gives you. Also, be like a ‘candle in the wind’ as Elton John once sang and keep burning bright with a positive attitude no matter how difficult or grim the situation may be.

I believe in taking a genuine interest in the career growth of my team members. I encourage them to challenge the status quo, avoid complacency and be open to learning by taking up new opportunities every few years, keeping abreast of the latest trends and upskilling at regular intervals.

A mild, mannered professional who has his heart and head (in that order) in the right place.

Being flexible and keeping an open mind has helped me in building solid business relationships. Also, having a keen interest in the business has helped me in developing a better understanding of organizational needs.

I love writing. A good write-up works like therapy for the soul.

If not a CFO, I would have either been playing some sort of sport at a professional level or pursuing my passion of writing books.

A challenge drew me to a career in finance. One of my uncles told me that CA was the toughest exam. My dad did business with him, and he used to ridicule my dad for not being a CA.

Challenging the status quo helps me on a professional level. I keep reviewing things time and again for continuous improvement.

The biggest professional challenge so far was relocating from the US with my family without a job in hand as at that time my family needed it the most. I dealt with this situation with patience while being on a lookout for what I wanted.

Technology is amazing. It is the future. All the growing businesses are linked to technology. This inspired me to earn a CISA certificate.

I read newspapers daily for 45 minutes without fail. Besides, I read random articles posted on social media, which are an indirect source of knowledge.

Scale, currently the scalability is very limited.

Be humble and empathetic.

I challenge the team to give more than 100% so that they can also grow during the process.

I am a hardworking person.

Clear communication; following an open-door policy; and my strong belief in teamwork– all have contributed to my professional growth.

Reading and engaging in healthy debate.

If not a CFO, I would have been an entrepreneur.

My passion for numbers and ability to understand and connect them to the business drove me to a career in finance.

My analytical ability to connect numbers with business; my execution ability coupled with agile attitude; and leadership skill in transforming finance and business. Besides, I am an enthusiastic learner. All these qualities have helped me in my professional journey.

My biggest professional challenge was to drive growth, acquisition, integration, and shareholder value while ensuring that we had a high performing finance team with world-class processes and high governance; all this while managing Black Swan events like Covid. I dealt with these challenges through clear communication, superior execution skill, collaboration, and leading the team in defining action plans. I made sure not to forget all the “Ts” on the transactions and processes and guided and lead the team from the front.

Technology and data can fuel the organizations to reach next level of growth. It is important that one stays ahead of the curve as Digital Revolution is here and now. Any company or function that ignores it could perish. We have already used technology to create a state-of-the-art, automated Accounts Payable shared service with 30% less resources using Robotic process automation, Bots, OCR, etc.

Networking, reading, attending webinars/seminars, and talking to industry and financial experts keep me updated.

I have no regrets and I personally feel that one possesses the power to change and adapt. One needs to be positive and always look at the brighter side of things to make them happen. This makes me love what I do. Maybe I am a realist, inclined towards optimism.

There are some sayings that have helped me in my professional and personal life. There is an event associated with each one of them but many of them are self-explanatory. They are mentioned below:
“If you don’t stand up for something, you will fall for everything.”
“You could achieve a lot more, if you don’t mind who gets the credit.”
“Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.”
“Never take a problem to your boss if you don’t have the solution.”
“Make your strength so strong that all weaknesses are miniscule in front of it and hence keep working on your strengths.”

I am a very adaptive mentor, and my mentoring style changes according to the requirements and needs of the mentee. For some I become the challenger, pushing them to think and come up with new ideas, or I just become a cheer leader where the mentee needs to be positive and requires support. At times I play the role of an educator so that I can correct areas in which the mentee is weak.

I am an open, honest, dependable, and resourceful individual. I give my best in whatever I commit to. I am a team player; very passionate and ambitious; and I am never afraid to face challenges.

My collaboration and leadership skills along with the ability to get things done without compromising on values have contributed the most to my professional growth.

I love travelling to new places; working for social causes; meeting and interacting with people; spending time with my family and friends; investing in stocks/business; mentoring young minds/start-ups; reading management books; and watching movies/OTT content.

If not a CFO, I would have been an entrepreneur or a CEO.