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Thank you to the 1,400 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 questions!
I hope reading

7 Questions with Bala Chendil P

helps you in your leadership.

 

Cheers,

Jonno White

7 Questions with Bala Chendil P

Name: Bala Chendil P

Current title: Head - Digital Transformation (CDO)

Current organisation: Ambit Finvest

BFSI Professional and Start-Up Entrepreneur with a career spanning over 23 years. 17 years of Business Operations Management and 6 years of Digital Technology, Process Automation and Business Transformation in FinTech.

➡Chief Digital Officer, heading Digital Transformation with Ambit Finvest (NBFC), developing and executing organizational digital strategy to transform SME business to technology-based lending platform.
➡Director and Co-Founder with Smart Secured Automated Payment Solutions. I conceptualized the business model of SmartSAPS to create an alternate customer profile by collecting payment transactions and lifestyle purchase data.

Change Management Advocate in multi-functional (both national & global) roles, awarded numerous times for delivering thought leadership and business growth in emerging & mature markets. Scaled up business and achieved top & bottom line objectives at diverse organizations.
✔ Set up branches, direct channels, implemented systems and customer contact campaigns in Retail & SME Business
✔ Launched new businesses, deployed right digital technology, transformed businesses into profitable units in large conglomerates, growing organizations and start-ups

LinkedIn Influencer (Awarded by India NBFC Summit 2019). Speaker at various forums. Avid Reader and Running Enthusiast. Mentor to young professionals. Fundraiser, support causes related to children and education.

A qualified Mechanical Engineer, I have completed PGDBA in Finance & Marketing and Chartered Financial Analyst at ICFAI Business School. Completed Fintech Residential Program at IIM, Ahmedabad.

https://finvest.ambit.co/sme-finance
http://indianbfcsummit.com/speakers/
http://indiacxsummit.com/our-speakers/

Specialties: Business Strategy, Start-up Operations, P&L Responsibility, Business Development, Business Transformation, Digital Technology, Process Automation, Strategic Alliances, Risk Management, Stakeholder Relationship, Team Building & Leadership

7 Questions with Bala Chendil P

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1. What have you found most challenging as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise?

Change Management is the most important challenge for Senior Executives employed in any medium to large organizations. Bringing together the Senior Executives who run their individual teams to own up New Initiatives remain the most challenging task.

2. How did you become a CEO or executive of a large enterprise? Can you please briefly tell the story?

Being Agile and open to opportunities (taking risk to venture out of comfort zone) are the key factors.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I became a running enthusiast 6 years ago. I wake up a bit early to do one hour of brisk walk / mile jog, followed by breakfast. Normally I am ready for work by 9.30 am. Largely my work day is spent on three areas - Troubleshoot, Review the tasks/ projects, Futuristic plans. I spend considerable time envisaging the future trends to make myself ready for the future ahead. Normally I stick to my lunch and dinner time schedule. By 9 pm I am through with my dinner post. I spend time with my family. I spend an hour watching videos of my interests, listen to music, and by 11.30 I go to bed.

4. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?

Empathy - This is the most important quality for any Leader. Without empathy Talent, Competency & Skills don't get you results.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

Who moved my Cheese ? by Spencer Johnson. For me, key takeaways from the book are :
1. You need to be agile
2. Change is Constant
I consider the above two as key ingredients to my leadership.

6. How do you build leadership capacity in a large enterprise?

Empower the layers (right from Middle to Senior Management) with responsibility and encourage taking risks and decentralizing the decision making matrix.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise so far?

In one of my earlier assignments, I was elevated to a role where I have to manage my counterparts who are as good as me in competency & experience. It was a First among equals kind of scenario, and most demanding situation to get acceptance of them. I chose a participative leadership style attaching more weightage to the team's views clubbed with shared ownership among all of us, which resulted in their acceptance and also turning out to be record performance during that period.

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