Welcome to the Seventh episode of "Pursuit of Finance –stories beyond Numbers," where CA Nidhi Jain, with over 17 years at Unilever and Unicorn startup LEAD School, SRCC, and CA Tripti Shinghal Somani, Founder of Womennovator, SRCC, uncover the remarkable journey of CA Srinivas Phatak Popularly known as Srini amongst his friends. Srini is the Deputy CFO and Controller for Unilever. In addition to leading the Group Controllership and & Group performance management role for Unilever, he is also driving an ambitious agenda to build a future fit finance function. In the past 28 years with Unilever and ITC, he has worked in various roles in Finance and Supply chain across India, London, and the Americas. Earlier, he was the CFO for the largest FMCG company in India, Hindustan Unilever Limited.
Join us as we delve into his career milestones and valuable insights into finance.
Episode Highlights:
Career Path and Diverse Experiences: Srini transitioned to FMCG, driven by a passion for real business impact. He values diverse experiences across roles and geographies, seeing failure and experimentation as critical learning tools.
Key Work Experiences: Throughout his career, Srini has held diverse roles in internal auditing, sourcing, treasury, business finance, and global strategy. He is currently the Deputy CFO and Controller at Unilever, overseeing performance, accounting, and operational controls.
Decision-Making and Opportunities: Srini considers whether career moves offer learning opportunities and a chance to make a meaningful impact. He prioritises exciting and challenging roles that enable both personal and business growth.
Managing Pressure and Building Confidence: Srini believes confidence comes from consistent practice. He acknowledges the importance of managing pressure through discipline, energy management, and positivity, even in high-stakes environments.
Skills and Continuous Learning: Strong finance skills, emotional management, and storytelling are key to Srini’s success. He stresses the importance of continuous learning, health maintenance, and embracing boldness and calculated risks, especially in early and mid-career stages.
Timestamps:
00:00 Highlights
1:15 Introduction of Speaker
1:50 Srini Initial journey
4:07 Learnings from Experiences
5:51 Main Roles in Career
12:01 Strategy for confidence
15:50 Key skills for success
22:59 Life-changing experience
29:37 Advice from Mentor
34:21 Managing Cross continents dynamics
39:24 Managing Pressure
42:03 Advice to Finance Professionals
52:08 Movies and Books That Inspired Srini
54:50 Gratitude
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o LinkedIn: [www.linkedin.com/in/nidhi-jain-5b0906110,   / triptishinghalsomani  ]
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