Is it more important to have a defined career plan, or to be open and flexible?

It’s important to be flexible, particularly in the early days of your career when you can easily pick and choose what you want to do, including moving to a completely different field. Once you’ve been in a role for five years it starts to get more serious as you have more responsibilities. At that point, it becomes more important to start focusing on your goals over the next 10-15 years, such as managing a team.

How can junior professionals be supported in challenging bias and promoting diversity?

Younger people tend to be open-minded and inclusive, not just regarding gender but across various aspects of diversity as well. Studies indicate that the younger generation considers diversity, equity, and inclusion to be a top priority when choosing an employer. Therefore, it is essential to support this perspective and combat the notion that certain roles are gender-specific. One effective way to teach junior professionals to challenge biases and promote diversity is to lead by example. When leaders are mindful of how they express their thoughts about different workplace aspects without reflecting any form of bias, they can inspire the younger generation of professionals to do the same.

Numerous studies by organisations such as Gartner, McKinsey, and AFP highlight how inclusivity leads to better performance, both internally and externally for companies. However, these studies also show that we still have a long way to go, making the contributions of the younger generation critical to achieving a company’s DEI goals.

How can women make their voices heard within their organisations?

Speak up! It’s important to put your thoughts and words across. And don’t be worried about the risk of causing a conflict. Expressing your views and thoughts openly can lead to resolving or avoiding larger conflicts in the future.

What is your motto in life?

I don’t really think of it as a motto, but I believe in giving your best, whatever you do. And be empathetic – you never know what another person is going through. It’s also important to empower others in your team. If you don’t help them to grow and take on more responsibilities, you will find it difficult to grow yourself.

“I think younger people tend to be open-minded and inclusive, not just about gender but across other aspects of diversity as well.”

Driving a career in treasury

For Isha Goel, a career in treasury and finance was not originally on her radar. “At one point I wanted to go into advertising or content writing,” she recalls. “But after graduating from university, I had a call from one of my contacts asking if I was interested in a job – it was eight o’clock in the morning, and I needed to report to the office at nine! And that was my introduction to finance.”

From this unconventional starting point, Isha subsequently spent 11 years working for Apollo International, one of the world’s largest tyre manufacturers. “I started in the trading arm, which gave me some exposure to treasury, but it was more of a finance role which included project financing,” she says. “It was a very small team and I was wearing multiple hats at the same time. Looking back, it provided a good kickstart to my career.”

After briefly working for a medical company, Isha moved into core treasury in 2017, working for a company that manufactures large pipes. “My focus there was on the Trade Finance vertical, primarily bank guarantees and letters of credit,” she says. “That was also when I was doing my Post Graduate Diploma in International Business.”

In 2021, Isha moved to Bengaluru to work for Siemens Healthineers, looking after Trade Finance operations for India and Bangladesh. Two years later, she had the opportunity to move to Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India, where she now heads the Treasury Settlements team for the Asia Pacific region, along with Treasury Operations for three entities in India. Isha has received numerous accolades for Excellence in Treasury and Trade Finance, and was recently named one of ‘India’s Elite 30 Treasury Leaders’ by India Startup Times.

Believe in yourself, keep your eyes on the prize, and think about the mark you can make in your organisation – how would people remember you if you were to leave tomorrow?

Direction of travel

When it comes to building a career in Treasury and Finance, Isha highlights the need for both flexibility and planning, observing that it is easier to be flexible in the earlier stages of a career. “In the first couple of years, you can shift to anything you want: marketing, HR, accounting, audit,” she observes. “But after five years, it becomes harder to change your career path.”

She is also a strong proponent of continuous learning. “Treasury is an evolving field, and things can change very quickly,” she says. “So keep yourself updated, but at the same time, define your career path and your goals.”

Mentoring arrangements can often prove valuable in career development, and Isha says her mentor has played a role in directing her towards treasury. She also emphasises the importance of helping others in their careers: “I’m always open to helping people, and I’ve given career advice and personal advice on many occasions.” Beyond the field of treasury and finance, Isha says she tries to learn something from people in all areas of her life: “I learn how to navigate difficult conversations from my sister and my cousins, and I’m inspired to work hard by family members, and by former colleagues.”

Likewise, inspiration can be drawn from a variety of different business models – such as Mumbai’s 130-year-old dabbawala food delivery service. “In India, we have a group that picks up food from people’s homes in Mumbai and delivers it to their offices all over the city, with a tiny margin of error – Harvard Business School did a case study on it,” says Isha. “They do it every day. You can draw so much inspiration about how to be precise from a model like that.”

Turning to the topic of gender equality, Isha reflects that finance has evolved over the years in terms of diversity, and is increasingly inclusive. “While we still have a long way to go in terms of equity, there has been a shift in mindset where talent is concerned,” she adds.

Regardless of gender, Isha says her advice to aspiring finance and treasury professionals is to “believe in yourself, keep your eyes on the prize, and think about the mark you can make in your organisation – how would people remember you if you were to leave tomorrow?”