Shruti Jha - I Continue to Be Honest with My Work, Keep My Focus on Finding a Solution and Prioritise Upskilling (Financial Controller, Revolut)

Business decisions need facts, the more real time and complete these facts are, the more apt the decision is.

Tell us about your life story, background and journey?

I was born in a joint family in Kolkata. The core values that we were brought up with were both traditionally protective yet modernly enabling.

My parents are an enthusiastic and happy set of folks. I was wired to never stop learning and never stop growing. Both my brother and I received our fair share of spoiling and the stick.

I went to a local convent school in the suburbs till high school.The education shaped me up as a leader.

My family has a long lineage of Chartered Accountants. It was a natural choice for me but it came late. Becoming a Chartered Accountant called for discipline, dedication and some external help.I had all the support and a strong will to succeed at this one.

I started work as an intern in my father’s firm in my late teens. I learnt to get my hands dirty to learn the basics.

I started my first job in an MNC, in Bangalore. It required me to move out of my comfortably cushioned life to what I call the other side of being independent. The experience taught me to be sharp , focussed and staying relevant.

Soon after, I married and shifted to Mumbai. Life here is fast paced yet convenient.
Our marriage is based on some discussed/debated responsibilities and some unsaid understandings. I am a mother to two wonderful boys. I thoroughly enjoy parenting. It's like a mirror. What you practice is what you will observe in them.

How did you start your career and what led you to reach the highest echelons?

My first job was in an MNC in their knowledge centre. It was my door to work cultures across the globe. I was honest at work and eager to learn. I received ample guidance from the right people and appreciation.

I landed in Mumbai in the beginning of the sub -prime crisis. I was lucky to get to work in another MNC, at the time when everyone was struggling to find a job.My CFO let me be part of new software implementations. I immersed myself well into this.

I started my own practice soon after. An own set up, brings you to a blank board. I was able to understand businesses well and this gave a lot of confidence to people who worked with me.

I was curious about Fintechs and I joined one soon after my second child was born. I was like a sponge , absorbing everything related to the industry. I was a natural leader, I knew my core subjects well and I quickly learned the business intricacies.
The leadership trusted me and gave me ample freedom to build my function and my team.

Today, I work at a global Fintech company. My team here re-established the fact that “a good team lifts you up”.

I continue to be honest with my work, keep my focus on finding a solution and prioritise upskilling.


What are some of the challenges that you face in your job and how tech solves these problems?

What technology has done for businesses across all functions is make it efficient.

As a business enabler , I have used technology heavily to reduce the time gap between an event and its data representation.

Business decisions need facts, the more real time and complete these facts are, the more apt the decision is.

Data for me is a primary fact. If I can know my complete financial position in real time, imagine how much impact the decision taken on it would have.

The question I often ask my team is, if a process has a set of rules, which needs to be followed each time, why are we doing it? A machine could do this.

From reconciliations and data entries to analysing data and representing the same each day, one small part of the work could be automated.

As finance professionals, we always know we have to be compliant. Technology enables error free and prompt processes to be compliant.

Being agile is the need of the hour and technology enables me to be one.

What does your typical day look like and how do you define success?

My day is usually divided into must do’s and good to haves. I like heavy mornings and lighter evenings. The must do’s at work, a work-out regime and family un- missables are the first half of my day.

As a parent you are prioritising at every moment. It helps me do more in less time.
What also helps me prioritize is planning my day ahead and delegating the work that doesn’t require my attention.

Success, for me, is in all those small achievements which we aim for everyday. It’s in reaching to pick up my son on time after a class or in being able to pull out a meaningful solution with the team after hours of brainstorming.

When I am able to enjoy what I do and bring more value to it than expected, I am successful.

As a leader, success lies in making a positive impact on people.

What do you think is the future of banking in the era of API's?

API’s have changed the landscape in which a bank used to operate. The use cases of using data through API’s is massive.

One of the primary changes that API’s have brought is the way a bank reaches the customer. Banks will increase engagement with partners to expand its reach.
Digitisation is growing in every aspect of a customer's life. This provides an opportunity to banks to associate with the customer. Partnerships will warrant this association.

With the increase in penetration of mobile banking , APIs will become instrumental in providing premium customer experience. API’s bring speed to a transaction. The technology will be used in various ways to enhance transaction flow.

Another essential element of customer experience is personalisation. Banks will use technology to personalise products for its existing or potential customers.

Which are your favourite books and why?

Two of them I can think of now are:

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.

The book is written with such simplicity, it can be a financial guide to just anyone. It's more like the Winnie the Pooh conversations , simple and solid.Its been on my recommendation list since I read it.

The Palace of illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakurni

It was a one night read. I was glued to this brilliant piece. Indian mythology has always interested me.This was a different take from the woman's point of view who has been humiliated and hurt yet respected and loved by men.