The mastermind behind financial functions of Sirca Paints, Shallu Arora’s journey of driving successful financial operations of companies began six and half years ago. Thereby, learning the nuts and bolts of Finance be it Accounting, Budgeting and Planning, Taxation, Banking, Insurance, and more. She started the career at Fortis Hospital as Account Officer and climbed the corporate ladder to lead Sirca Paints as the CFO.

At Sirca, from the very beginning, she has been involved in business partnering and a lot of cross-functional communications. She takes immense interest in identifying anything across the organization which can add value to the company. She has been part of a lot of process improvement initiatives which has brought some type of synergies across different functions and strengthened the internal control across the company.

Considering her journey to be a true inspiration for several budding women leaders, Women Entrepreneur engages an exclusive interview with Shallu Arora, CFO, Sirca Paints.

Enumerate on your educational background and professional background.

Talking about my educational background, I did my schooling and graduated in Commerce from Amritsar. I post-graduated from LPU. I am a qualified CA (2014 Batch) and CS (2014 batch). I have a diversified post qualification experience of around about six and half years having worked in both industry and consultancy environments. I started my career with Fortis Hospitals as an Account officer and then further went on to start my practicing firm wherein I used to deal with various assignments related to corporate consultancy and Taxation advisory & compliances. Post that, I joined Sirca in 2019. The journey so far has shaped me personally and professionally to take up the challenges and responsibilities. Delivering the results efficiently and effectively.

“Beyond financial functions, Shallu has also involved in strategic matters when it comes to evaluating the growth avenues for Sirca”

What different roles have you been undertaking at Sirca paints?

My role in Sirca as CFO has been multi dimensional ranging from financial management (both internal and external), budget forecasting, resource allocation and overall ownership of the organisation financial health. Besides, implementation of tactics measures, I have also been leading key strategic initiatives related to process optimisation of functions other than finance like HR and IT. The role of CFO has evoved from declaring financial results and number crunching to be a business leader responsible to run the organisation as a well oiled machinery. CFOs today need to be creative, understand best practices, and know-how to create more value for the company.

What were the initial challenges that taught you the basic lessons of managing diversified functions of organizations?

Besides the regular challenges of legacy and experience, the major initial challenge was to transform operations from resource to process basis. The support from sirca leadership team fully backed my instinct and trusted me to lead the aspirational growth expectations. The mindset of ‘my department, my role’ was now set to become ‘our company, our goal’ only seamless functioning across various dept could help achieve the stupendess growth we dreamt of than which we have now achieved.

Which are the milestones that bestowed your utmost satisfaction?

First and foremost was when I got my dual professional degrees of CA and CS, that moment was something to proud of and my family and friends felt so empowered with this. After that joining Sirca Paints and leading the finance function at such young age has been one of the biggest milestones for me, it has been both challenging and rewarding. I believe that learning is a lifelong process, you never stop learning in your life. I have been so fortunate to be associated with a wonderful team and my senior management has been so cooperative in making this journey successful till now which gives me immense satisfaction.

How does your experience in help you in chalk out efficient business modules at Sirca paints?

With a diversified exposure in accounts, running my own firm and CFO responsibility at Sirca, I have learnt that agility is the key to success in today’s scenario. Focus on customer need and delivering process benefits when it comes to an organisation is irreplaceable in determining an organisation success. Wearing different hats at different times and a high emotional quotient has helped to optimise business processes and contribute in smooth functioning.

How do you ensure to update yourself with the latest industry trend and technologies?

Just like a software update is an essential part of a mobile phone, learning is the same for a human mind. With information access easiest in years we have seen. I try to encash learning in all possible forms and platforms whether it is understanding the mind set of a sales person in a friendly chat or listening to ted talk on you tube. I try to absorb all the possible aspects to enhance my perspectives. Applying these learnings along with the team has been a successful secret ingredient so far in my stint at Sirca.

Do you participate in any mentorship program or give keynote speeches?

I am integral part of ICAI and deliver keynote speeches on varied subjects like business ethics, code of conduct, laws etc. Mentorship to me has been more on the job what I look forward to an opportunity to both learn from the experienced leaders as well as engage with the fresh and young minds.

How has your family supported you in your career so far? Also, how do you manage to balance between your personal & professional life?

I am grateful and owe my success and achievements to my family without which this would have not been possible while I learned my love for numbers from my father, the management skills have been inherited from my mother. Hailing from Amritsar, despite all odds I always had the support of my family to take up any new challenges on both professional and personal front be it relocation or a never explored career choice- I have got all what many kids would not have got as support in the same setup as mine.

Work-life balance is very important aspect of an individual life. Friends and family do not only supports you, but are also responsible for reality check time to time. I consider myself lucky and also indebted to my circle for keeping my morale high and feet on the ground. A sound mind in sound body is what I fully believe in and ensure I live by the same. Regular work outs and friend therapy help maintain my energy and calm.

Shallu Arora, CFO, Sirca Paints

While I believe music has a soothing effect on me, travelling is an equally significant part of my life. As much as I love reading, I also enjoy penning down my experiences of travel. I prefer off beat locations that rejuvenates and help me connect back to my soul. When it comes to choosing a destination, mountains or beaches are difficult to choose from- the closer to nature, the better.