As the firm's CFO, it is frequently their respon-sibility to strike a balance between the many risks that the company faces and to strength-en the company's ability to weather economic storms. Risk in the supply chain is a constant concern for businesses today. There are reporting and forecast-ing difficulties, as well as financial management diffi-culties, because of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on supply costs and demand. Now, the Finance leaders are the business partners for any organization, that drives the actual business. Therefore, the finance department is now in charge of handling the many consequences of supply chain interruption. As a result, C-suite executives should associate with experts like FM Logistic India's CFO Bindu Sharma, who can oversee the company's fi-nances while simultaneously contributing to its expan-sion into new territories.

Bindu Sharma, the Director of Finance of FM Logis-tic India, has been providing professional solutions to a variety of businesses for about two decades. She is an experienced and competent leader in several fields, including law, administration, HR, and finance, among others. The following is an extract from Bindu Sharma's interaction with Women Entrepreneur magazine, let’s hear from her.

Introduce us to FM Logistic India.

FM Logistic is a French organization. Also, FM Logis-tic is now active in 14 countries, however, because of the explosive growth of the Indian market, India rep-resents a significant stake for the firm. FM Logistic acts as a 3PL, overseeing the operations of our clients' warehouses and supply networks. In India, we have large warehouses called MCF (Multi-Client Facility), where we provide expert services to our customers PAN India. This is something that many major firms and third-party logistics providers in India are doing now. One of our facilities at Farrukhnagar, which is close to Delhi, is over 3.5 million square feet in size. These are state-of-the-art facilities, built as per global standards with an abundance of automation and cut-ting-edge machinery for managing stock and fulfilling orders for many of our satisfied customers.

"It's important to be receptive to feedback at all times; i often solicit feedback from my peers and subordinates and consider the suggestions and improvements, being on a personal or professional level"

Throw some light on the most critical business challenges you face in your current role. What steps do you take to overcome the roadblocks that you encounter?

I believe that difficulties vary amongst businesses. FM Logistic acquired this company in 2016–17, how-ever, its history dates back at least a decade. As you begin deploying the new system in a long-established business, you may encounter some resistance. Having a workforce that isn't too averse to and accepting of change is a great relief, but it's been challenging to keep everyone on the same page as we've transitioned to a new system and begun establishing a fresh cul-ture. At the moment, I'm attempting to accomplish it.

The other difficulty is a significant one in my opin-ion. Many older businesses and their employees tend to take a lenient approach to their job when discuss-ing the difficulties, they had in the past. For instance, all the steps from incurring expenses and not sharing the invoices on time to someone who is following up. Currently, I am attempting to adapt the company's culture to that of a modern, international corporation, even though we are a relatively old business.

What has been your success mantra?

If you want to know my secret to success, it's this: always be open to new information. Although I'm 25 years into my career, I still find out something new every day. Sec-ond, it's important to be receptive to feedback at all times; I often solicit input from my subordinates and consider all suggestions. That's crucial since it's how you'll learn what areas require support, relaxed or strict processes, and more. And lastly, I believe that openness is one of the most important elements and that you should be really upfront with your team.

What is your take on women’s representation in the field of finance? How can we encourage more women to foray into the field going forward?

I do not believe that there is a lack of women in the fi-nance sector at this moment. It's quite decent, but claim-ing that everyone is well-represented will take some time. But now, I think it's already there; I see a lot of lead-ers, a lot of women business owners, CEOs, and CFOs. To be completely forthright, I have never had to deal with discrimination in the workplace; no one has ever assumed that I couldn't handle a certain task because of my gender. Even if it exists, it was never evident to me. I'm continually encouraging the women on my team to accomplish more. Being a woman myself, I recognize that females do shoulder a disproportionate share of the burdens associated with running a home and rais-ing children. I always make it possible for the women in my team to work from home or have any other form of support they may need. Indeed, I've told them on several occasions that they can, if necessary, work from home so that women won't have to choose between their careers and raising a family. For the simple reason that I think a woman must be self-sufficient monetarily in this day and age.

Bindu Sharma, CFO, FM Logistic India

The CFO of FM Logistic India, Bindu Sharma has completed her Bachelor of Law from Panjab University and is a qualified CA and Company Secretary. In her professional journey so far, Bindu has been part of various companies like BILT, Carnation Auto India, LG Life Sciences, Hapag Lloyd AG, and DP World.