At Kindred, we are passionate about Diversity and are committed to building a diverse team with an Inclusive and Equitable experience for all. To celebrate International Women’s Day, we spoke to Usha Ganesan, our Head of Financial Control about her career at Kindred.
Tell us about your career at Kindred?
I started at Kindred in the Summer of 2019 and head up the Financial Control Function within the Finance Team. In a nutshell, that includes overseeing the financial close and the statutory accounts across the Group entities and ensuring there are controls and procedures in place for key financial processes. I have also recently taken on the Treasury Function which I am looking forward to further develop.
I wanted to be part of an international, listed company with a global presence. I came from the money transfer business that had similar challenges from a Regulatory Standpoint. Female leadership is something that is very important to me and Kindred’s female Board and Executive team members ticked the box for me. Finally, working for a company that cares about its customers is a priority. Kindred promotes responsible gambling and that is also important to me.
It has been an amazing journey up until now. I truly enjoy my role because I mostly deal with people, process and change - three areas that I am passionate about. I have a great team to work with and together we are working hard to build a strong financial control function. Kindred is full of opportunities for anyone who is willing to embark on the journey. It has been very rewarding for me to be able to drive initiatives and bring them to fruition with the support from within the Company.
One of our values is Dare To Challenge. What does that mean to you?
Speak up, don’t be afraid to share ideas and never think that your ideas will not be well received by your colleagues. You will make mistakes like everyone else and might even fail, but this is a stepping stone in your journey, and it will make you a stronger leader.
If you could give one piece of advice to other women looking to progress up the career ladder what would it be?
Believe in yourself. Stop questioning if you can do things and trust your own instincts. Be assertive and create your own opportunities. If you don’t believe in yourself, it will be difficult for others to believe in you.
What is the biggest challenge you have overcome in your career so far?
It has been without a doubt managing both, motherhood and my career since my children were 6 months old. Luckily, I have a very supportive husband who plays a huge part in our boys’ life, so I truly feel that we work as a team when it comes to our children’s upbringing. We both work full-time and always have, so we need to be extremely organised in everything we do. With time, I’ve obviously learned to minimise the guilt I’d feel about not spending as much time with the boys as I would want to, but when I do spend time with them, I am 100% physically and mentally with them. I invest time in their extra-curricular activities on the weekend which includes coaching the under 7 rugby team at our local rugby club! Its’ great fun!
Tell us about yourself, what do you like to do when you are not working?
I am a very active person and my two young boys keep me busy when I’m not working. As a family, we enjoy the outdoors and take any opportunity to go for a run or a long walk in the country. We have a lovely garden and I enjoy taking care of my flowers and trees in the summer. If I happen to have some ‘me time’ because my husband took the boys to our local rugby club to throw a few balls, I will sit down comfortably in my favourite chair with a cup of coffee and my iPad, browse through the Houzz App and plan my next decorating project. I’m passionate about home decorating and interior design and always have a plan for what next needs to be done to the house!
