Indian women have been breaking stereotypes and paving the way in a variety of fields, the financial sector being one among them. These women have overcome sexism in the workplace by excelling through talent, tenacity, and intelligence.

In 2021, 3.9 percent of CFOs were women. While 17.1 percent women hold the board seats in 2021 from 13.8 percent in 2018, according to a survey done by consulting firm Deloitte India.

Princy Bobby Joseph, Head of Finance & Accounts at The Annet Group is an epitome of women taking charge and making meaningful change in organizations through excellence, passion, and dedication.

Princy was bestowed with the Annet Impact Award for having made the most significant impact in the organization. Let's look at the highlights from our interaction with her.

Can you tell us about your expertise as a leader in the finance sector?

Sure. Having been in the industry for almost two decades, I have successfully handled multiple areas within the finance and accounts domain, primarily to do with investor relations, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, risk management, compliance, internal control, analytics, automation, and digitalization, along with payroll, procurement, commercial negotiations, and settlements.

An effective modern finance leader is someone who possess-es a strong understanding of the business and can join the dots between functions in their organization. It often happens that in front of so much 'brain power', the human aspect and especially its development are left aside. Learning how to listen and provide help by accompanying internal clients is an expertise that takes time to develop. This is a quality that is not as common as it ought to be, as it requires a broad mix of skills. We need to know our business inside out, including the people, their tasks, and their skills. To do this means communicating clearly and driving performance with the right key performance indicators.

We do not just produce the annual accounts; we collect data and gather meaningful business insights. We have a unique view of where the money goes -- or does not go. We know what happens when it is added or removed. It helps us see where businesses can be improved, which is what leaders are meant to do.

What motivated you to step into the field of finance?

So, Mathematics was something that came very naturally to me. It is a subject I didn't have to study even for my exams. I maintained a very small hundred-page notebook which captured all the formulas. Prior to the exam when everybody went through extensive theorems and problems, I only had to go through the formula book, and I finished my studies in two hours.

Analyzing data and providing solutions came naturally to me because I have a good aptitude for numbers. I chose to build a career in Finance because I enjoy the challenging nature of the industry and how fast paced it is. I thrive under pressure. Consequently, the intellectual challenge, and the immense possibilities of making a meaningful impact to the organizations bottom-line motivates me. And I truly enjoy what I'm doing.

"An effective modern finance leader is someone who possesses a strong understanding of the business and can join the dots between functions in their organization"

Can you tell us about the growth of the finance industry?

Today's business environment, post-COVID-19, is best described by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). Uncertainty is different from risk. The existing assumptions and models fail to deliver useful forecast. Antifragility is a concept, different from resilience, extremely useful in environments that cannot be described any longer by systemic risk and volatility. This means avoid failures by using resourc-es more effectively, thinking in systems and leverage point analysis. From crypto to DeFi, the world of finance is changing faster than ever. Many of these new trends come on the back of changing technology. While others are the result of a renewed focus on the customer. However, technology is now becoming more integrated with existing financial systems. Using blockchain would allow banks to conduct cheaper, more efficient transactions while maintaining tight security. More organizations are gravitating towards the cloud as part of their primary infrastructure. Unsurprisingly, everything is going digital. It's an exciting time to be in this industry!

What would your advice be for the women and the younger generation who aspires to be entrepreneurs?

The fact that we can't have it all, is an unfair expectation that is placed on women. Like most things in life, it's about the decisions we make, and as individuals, only we know what the right ones for us are. I have learnt that as women, we place higher expectations on ourselves than our employers, colleagues or families do and just being more kind to ourselves means we are better employees, leaders, and family members. That said, giving yourself permission to dedicate attention to what's important to you and your personal life is very important.

Make sure you never think you have any form of disadvantage for any reason. Get feedback, as feedback is critical to validate your business. Knowledge is the key to growth, innovation, and success. Keep learning and strive to become an Expert in your domain. You cannot do it all alone, so get over your fear of rejection and network like it's your job. The amount of collaboration that can be gained by a large but close network is invaluable. Last but not the least, women often underestimate their own potential and fail to dream big enough. It is important to tap into the inner reason behind your business and truly think about the legacy you want to leave behind. Good luck!

Princy Bobby Joseph, Group Head Of Finance & Accounts, The Annet Group

Princy leads the Finance and Accounts function of The Annet Group, comprising multiple legal entities, located across various continents, namely North America, Middle East Asia, Oceania, Europe, andCentral Asia. She was recently awarded for her Excellence in Finance & Leadership by the Indian Achievers Forum.