Q: Briefly Explain your career progression, rewards and recognition received in your career as we mark International Women’s Day on 8th March 2022.
I am a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA – CIMA UK) and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA)US. I count over 30 years of work experience, of which over 25 years in senior managerial positions, in human resources management, taxation, financial advisory services and finance, having worked in reputed international professional firms (kpmg, pwc & ey) and the private sector. I started my career as a Trainee at KPMG and from there onwards with the qualifications, experience and training I got I have moved up the career ladder with the guidance, help and support of so many to whom I am grateful. I joined Softlogic Holdings PLC in 2010 as the Group Head of Taxation. In 2011 I was given an additional function and was made Head of Group Human Capital and Taxation. In 2017 I was appointed as Group Director – Human Capital and Taxation of Softlogic Holdings PLC.
Having worked in diverse fields from finance, tax consulting ,human resources management , human resources development, ethics and business conduct, business communications, administration and operations, I could proudly say am a multi-talented “People Oriented” person with a finance and business background coupled with extensive experience and exposure in two very diverse areas of work ,being Taxation and human capital . I strongly believe i could do whatever i am passionate about and be always committed to whatever I set my mind on . I have worked in diverse areas of business and I believe I have been able to contribute immensely in whichever area of work I have been involved in as “passion “is my key driving factor. I have learned along the way and every learning experience has been so important for me to carry out my functions and I believe we all should never stop learning and its an ongoing process .
Currently as Group Director Human Capital and Taxation of Softlogic Group which is a very rare combination from a career perspective, I always look at things from both a business mindset and a human/people mindset and an able to balance the two to arrive at a win win situation for all stakeholders – the companies, the regulatory bodies and also the employees. My career objective is to be able to make a positive difference to the organization and its people. I believe I am a very creative person who would thrive when challenges are posed and will find solutions thinking outside the box, taking bold steps and being self-motivated. I am a positive thinker and embrace and drive change and challenges. I love to bring a fresh perspective to any task I carry out. I am not a person who will work as per the text book or traditional HR best practice, but I would always strive to bring in and replace it with practices that align to the talent at the heart of the organization and what is required practically.
I believe in being the guardian of the employees and take pride in driving performance and ensuring that honesty, integrity ,ethics and values are lived and breathed in the organization. I am a champion for business ethics and strives to be an HR business partner and I am also passionate on equality, diversity, skills development, corporate social responsibility and building a “Great Work Place.”
I was a recipient recently of the award “Sri Lanka ‘s Women Leaders 2020″ presented by World Women Leadership Congress & Awards.
Q: How do you manage both your Professional and Personal life successfully?
It has not been easy as like all women, I am a mother to my son and my daughter, a wife, a daughter and a sister and also I have a very large extended family whom I am extremely close to and my dearest friends …. I need to balance that side of the scale as well as the other side of the scale which is my career, which I’m doing for over 30 years.
Prioritizing tasks, time management, having a plan and being methodical have also helped in balancing both my work and my personal life.
To achieve this balance, for the past 30 years it has been a huge team effort as well… I have so many people who have supported me .. I have been blessed with a mother and father who took care of my kids to the extent I used to be able to very confidently shut off when I come to work and give my 100% to my job and my career. The support of my spouse was equally there as it is a partnership where he supported me at all times and did and is still doing a large share of the children’s work. So, it was always a shared household where all matters of the home never fell on me alone. I was never alone but had the support of so many including my in- laws.
Having said that, when I go home, I try my very best to spend quality time with my kids and family and be involved in all the parts of their lives. I have a lot of conversations with them and that bond I have created with them from their younger days. My holidays and weekends are “our days” where we do things as a family it would be the four of us or … My daughter and myself we have our “Girls Outings” where we do stuff as mother and daughter … even three generations where my mother joins in too. I try my best not only to be a parent to my kids but a friend to them, so they open up to me and share things and we have created an honest relationship with open communication.
There has been sacrifices from both sides where my kids don’t have me all the time and I am not there for them all the time … but they understand and have accepted that I am a working mother and their demands are not high, in fact they try to help me out as much as possible. I am a very blessed person and am very grateful for all in my life.
Sunday dinners have always been family dinners with the extended family as well, so siblings interact, cousins interact and it’s a great time spent together which has helped keeping the family bonds together. Our families have always been a closely knit family and we try our best to maintain that ..The family dinners , the family outings … the family trips …this was something my parents started when we married and left home and still to date which we do together ….
I would say the key to my work life balance has been open honest communication with my family and the highest level of support I have received from family and extended family. I have been truly blessed in that sense to have a career for over 30 years as a result.
Further, I have always prioritized my work life and my time and multitasked all the time .
Won’t say it is easy ..it is sometimes tiring and takes a lot off a person …but if you love doing what you do in your personal life as well as in your professional life, then it is so much easier …as you enjoy it as well as you are passionate about it ..That’s where mainly your job should never be considered as a function you perform but something you enjoy doing and passionate about and the same should apply to your personal life ..
I would not be doing justice if I do not mention that I have been blessed with my bosses right through out my career who have always understood and supported me to have that balance in my life. If there are emergencies I need to attend to, they have always understood and supported as I would also always be open with them and tell them the actual situation am facing. Here again honest, open communication has been the key and understanding bosses.
Further, having a great team to work with as well, whom I have been able to rely and depend on has helped me to balance work/ life as well, as I could always count on them.
So, there is a huge army of people who support to maintain a work – life balance … we cannot do it alone .. Am so grateful and am so blessed to have that army of people, for if not for them it would have been tough to manage both my personal life and professional life for over 30 years.
Further, finding “me time “is also essential as a part of the balance and is a key for us to balance all the other aspects like, home, work, social commitments, etc.
Remember, with time we advance in our careers with more responsibilities, etc. and at the same time your biological clock also ticks …. Commitments towards elderly parents, your own health and wellbeing also would be increasing … hence balancing the scale …. With support from others, prioritizing, planning where possible and managing one’s time is critical. We should be with a clear mind and handle all these areas … at times they may be even overlapping …. But that’s what super women do……. With confidence we can do it!
Q: Having a personal development plan, identifying your strengths and weakness, opportunities and threats are essential. do you agree on this statement?
I would say YES … We need to all understand none of us is perfect and we are not fully rounded persons. That’s where the self-discovery and learning journey will never end …. We need to always keep ourselves updated and acquire knowledge from everyone we could learn from …Always find the time to read, etc. to enhance your knowledge. We need to be always updated with technical knowledge as well as improve our soft skills as well…on going journey..
We need to be aware of our strengths and opportunities and make the BEST of them. We need to capitalize on them to take our careers to the next level or even bring in a fresh perspective to what is been done.
The most important thing is to be aware, get constructive feedback on our weaknesses and areas of improvement and really put in the best effort to overcome them.
Even having a career of 30 years I still come across areas of weakness or areas to be improved. The key is to take the feedback in a very positive manner and work towards over coming those. None of us is perfect … we need to be able to handle constructive criticism or feedback we receive and work hard to overcome deficiencies. The learning, the adapting, the changes will never stop. We need to have that open mind to embrace it and work towards it .. It may be are attitudes, our ego s, the way we handle people, even technical knowledge for the job, able to handle feedback, ability to work in teams with diverse people, all these are areas we need to concentrate on and work towards overcoming the negative impact we may be demonstrating.
So, we need to be open, be with an open mind to learn and change.
Q:Do you have any idea of bringing a smile to a stranger’s face? Share your thoughts.
I am very passionate about bringing a smile to a stranger’s face … It needs to come from within a person…… the need, the want to do, it needs to be there.
Simple acts of kindness make a huge impact and it’s not always linked to money or a monitory contribution/ benefit.
Mostly by giving of ourselves … giving of our time …is important.
Recently I was with some students who are differently able and had a discussion and shared my experiences, spoke to them on soft skills they need to develop in order to be employable, etc. Trained on Soft skills that is needed to be a good and effective employee … They were so happy …. I shared my time with them it didn’t involve any money to cite a small example. There are so many little things we could do to make a difference in another’s life. Tiny acts of kindness can make a huge impact and difference to another.
Happiness also works in two ways …. The happiness and satisfaction you get are also immeasurable. When you make another happy.
Q: What is your advice to “other women” venturing out into the working world and starting on a career?
I would like to say to all women ….. we are unstoppable if we set our minds on anything with great passion and commitment. The sky is the limit!!! There will always be challenges we would face but overcoming those challenges are also a great strength we possess. Don’t let anyone put you down. Be strong and know you CAN do it and you have the ability and skills to do it . If you don’t have them, don’t hesitate to learn and develop them ….
Start with baby steps, move forward, face challenges with confidence in yourself … equip yourself with the right skills and knowledge … bmd
REMEMBER YOUR ATTITUDE MATTERS …. NO EGOS….
ALWAYS HAVE ETHICS, HONESTY AND INTEGRETY IN YOUR DNA !!!!!
BE COMPASIONATE AND A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN FROM THE INSIDE ……
BE PASSIONATE AND COMMITTED IN ALL WHAT YOU DO ………..
YOU CAN DO IT !!!
BREAK THE BIAS !!!