What was driving your decision to relocate to Gurugram and how do you see the future of Gurgaon office?
Combination of personal and professional reasons, including my crazy love for Indian cuisine. Moving to Gurugram has been an opportunity that I wanted but did not know it was it – I dreamt of being able to continue my professional journey at Finalta while Indian office was not set up and remote working was not possible. Therefore, once the announcement was made I had no doubts about what needs to be done.
As for the office itself, I personally want it to become one of the key Finalta hubs in the future, may be even one of the biggest offices the Finalta already has (London, Budapest). The office with a central Finalta expertise team, for example Cost Productivity, as well as the first office to build commercial relationships in India.
How have you grown at Finalta and what skills have helped you during your journey?
I started my Finalta journey back in March 2018 as an Analyst, and 3.5 years after I am the Manager with a unique opportunity to lead the newly established Finalta office in Gurugram, India. From the beginning, I was keen to learn as much as the Firm had to offer, but more importantly I knew I can learn even more from peers and senior colleagues by being open-minded and curious. On numerous occasions this mindset led me to opportunities that I have not envisioned for myself, be it a successful project delivery alongside McKinsey for one of the biggest banks in Russia or becoming the office leader in India (the culture so close to my heart).
Which projects are you most proud of over the past year?
The past year has been exciting in many ways, but for me it has been defined by a laser focus on anchoring Big Data Cost Productivity study. To me, someone who is passionate about data and analytics, this project has been the most challenging since I joined Finalta in early 2018. Besides being the most sensitive topic for participating banks, costs require a rigorous methodology and validation to ensure alignment across participating peers. Our first E2E delivery took more than 12 months in total (vs expected 6), and it was only this past year that we managed to set an incredible result by delivering it in 2-4 months while maintaining the quality of data and richness of impact on a high level. The key drivers to success were client communication and positivity, which enabled a more robust methodology and motivation to create a truly impactful study. This gives me assurance that there is nothing impossible in the work we do as long as there is team’s motivation and leadership support.
What are you looking forward to in the next few months?
The coming few months will continue to provide pandemic-related challenges, but as my settling in progresses and the team is formed, I am looking forward to capitalizing on my leadership skills by solidifying relationships and trust with my new team and wider Firm colleagues. My immediate plan includes creating internal workstreams for team networking and office growth (really excited about having Finalta ambassadors!), running a set of trainings for skills uplifting, organizing a range of team socials for deeper connectivity (fun fun fun), and conducting more regular 1-2-1 meetings with every team member for better transparency.
What advice would you give to someone joining Finalta?
Working at Finalta can be truly a life-changing experience – a place that delivers various professional wins and challenges, meanwhile allowing to have fun and pursue individual passion. To keep it simply: be open-minded, be curious, be entrepreneurial, be collaborative, be passionate. Last but not least, be courageous to build YOUR own Finalta!