Finance and I
Why Finance and I mix?
Since my training days, I have always been inspired by the thought of becoming CFO of a large-scale growing business. I am thrilled while leading difficult situations that require wisdom from collective life-time experiences, seeking inputs from industry peers, taking calculated risks for taking new initiatives and investment decisions, bringing various functional teams together and then working extra hard to achieve the end result!
Motto I live by….
Keep learning.
Being CFO to me means…
To be a business growth partner and support provider of financial wisdom to the Executive Committee for facilitating key business decisions.
When I switch any company, I would like to be remembered for
Strategic thinking with a transformation bent of mind to drive business and always thinking about that ‘extra’ bit to deliver results.
Next pit stop
Lead a successful large scale IPO.
Leadership goals
Continuously invest in people’s growth and aspiration, true leaders can deliver 50 times better results with the same team.
Life is bigger than everything else and failure is not the end of the world!
Learnings
A leader/mentor I look up to
Dr Stephen Covey for sharing profound wisdom of seven habits of highly effective people.
One deal I wish I had cracked
Raising equity capital from International Finance Corporation or Asian Development Bank.
One thing I still want to learn
Stock market trading desk strategies.
Most overrated financial advice
Market linked investments in Covid times when most variables are unknown.
Value creation to me means
Platform to deliver tangible goods/ service to consumers willing to pay premium consistently for a sustainable period of time.
What failures have taught me
Life is bigger than everything else and failure is not the end of the world!
From my previous experience, the biggest learning that remained
Life is already complicated, don’t leave any opportunity to have fun.
One misconception that CFOs have about themselves?
Quarter on quarter results do not necessarily reflect long term value creation.
One responsibility/thing that very few understand about CFO’s function?
Capital is very expensive and deployment in best chosen projects is a crucial aspect of CFOs role.
What role does spirituality play in my life & leadership?
Leadership in VUCA times requires continuous reflection and learnings from profound insights from spiritual leaders; I am an avid follower of several gurus to gain from their blissful lives.
In the War Zone
What was the toughest decision you had to make in your role as a CFO?
Pay the additional cost of funds to support 2x business growth.
Key to a successful budget
Stretch it considering market reality + business capability and then work hard to achieve it
What is the most challenging thing you faced in your current role? What is your biggest learning in these VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguous) times?
Keeping adequate liquidity for business at all times under any circumstances.
How do you wish to transform the CFO’s role in the future?
Enhance the use of technology to reduce manual work and continuous automation.
Would you recognize yourself as ‘Digital CFO’ or ‘Chief value officer’?
Both these terms denote moving (ever expanding) targets, hence still on the path to prove either of these.
Speaking truth to power
Absolutely without hesitation.
Best used these skills, when & to what result?
Communication: Ensure people understand the essence of unique propositions being built.
Collaboration: Consistently invest in your people’s growth and eventually people will grow with you.
Business Manager: Advise business front line through examples on industry practices.
Emotional Intelligence: While taking difficult Executive Committee decisions, at our position this becomes a routine.
Tech Savvy: Simplification, it is a lifelong process
