Why finance isn't just a man's game

Top Stories

Why finance isnt just a mans game

Cima creates a balanced ground for women in finance industry

by

Sandhya D'Mello

  • Follow us on
  • google-news
  • whatsapp
  • telegram

Published: Sun 12 Jun 2016, 8:01 PM

Finance industry has traditionally been a male-dominated environment, particularly at higher levels, but this trend is steadily changing, says Geetu Ahuja, head of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (Cima) for Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan.
"Having more women in senior roles is linked to stronger financial performance as women leaders work in different ways from men and can bring real competitive advantage to business," Ahuja, who was born and raised in Dubai.
Best known as a young achiever and for her enterprise and leadership skills Ahuja has over 15 years of experience in blue-chip organisations operating in various industries, being financial institutions-credit cards, loyalty programmes, marketing and branding solutions.

"My role at Cima has been an enriching one, where over the last six years I have had the opportunity to lead strategic planning, expansion and growth of the company's market share across the Gulf region," she said.
"A majority of my work at Cima involves nurturing and equipping young talent with essential business and finance skills, empowering them to contribute positively not just to their personal or organisation's success, but also to the progress and growth of the economy," she added.
The head of Cima's role and vision has become even wider to support fast developing economies with competent professionals capable of growing sustainable businesses that can have a positive and meaningful impact on a nation's ecosystem. The Cima is world's largest and leading professional body of management accountants in the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC.
On a global level, Cima has one of the highest growth rates in female members of all the accounting institutes since 2003 with more than 65,000 female members and students internationally. Cima's women in leadership campaign supports the progression of our female members into senior roles and promotes the accounting profession to female students internationally.
"Our 'women in leadership' reports address challenges that hamper women's advancement in a traditionally male-dominated industry and many of the tips and advice it contains are invaluable for men, too. These report also contains invaluable advice for employers on how to nurture and capitalise on female talent. Furthermore, our women's network on Cima's LinkedIn group provides a platform for female members and students to share tips on advancing their careers, seek advice, and network with peers," said Ahuja.
While leading the strategic planning, direction and development of Cima for the GCC region, Ahuja also works towards encouraging the youth, especially young women to pursue a career in finance and business and take on senior advisory roles, such as becoming management accountants, a position that is increasing sought after in the business world.
"I personally, for the longest time, had an all women team. This was not an intentional decision, as I see professionals for their skills, competencies and what they bring to the table. It's good to have a balanced mix, as both men and women have their strengths, management styles, planning and strategic thinking, and bring in skills that are crucial to an organisation's growth and success," she said.
Creating a balanced ground for both men and women, Ahuja opines that leadership is not about gender, specific skills set, knowledge or even experience, it's about how "we collectively, with our mix of competencies and learning, drive impactful results and bring that positive outcome as a team".
"When it comes to performing your responsibilities, personally or professionally, never bring your gender in mind. I believe if it's humanly possible, anyone should be able to do it."
Ahuja said the career success is never possible without tasting the highs and lows, although she did experience both the situations that come along with running a business. She prefers to focus on the silver lining as market volatility, or a complex, ambiguous business environment.
"As scary as it might seem, it helps keep our mind alert and on the move at all times. I took on the reins at Cima when businesses world over were moving with cautious optimism. For me this was an opportunity to ensure that my team and I went the extra mile to ensure that our community stayed motivated and succeeded in their personal and professional roles.
"One of the biggest take away from this experience was that we as individuals have to keep adapting ourselves towards accommodating changes, without deviating from our vision of helping people and businesses succeed," said Ahuja.
Some of the key mantras that has helped this management expert reach where she reigns today are determination, commitment and passion.
"You can achieve what you put your mind to. Focusing on what you want to achieve, being comfortable with who you are, paying attention to your leadership style and staying humble with a positive attitude," she said.
"It's important to have dreams and aspirations and even more important for you to work relentlessly towards achieving them. However, one must remain agile and realistic as market or life situations change overnight, and you need to be prepared to make necessary changes to ensure you stay on track to achieve your ultimate dream," Ahuja concluded. - sandhya@khaleejtimes.com


More news from