Sandipa Maharaj, EY alum and Financial Director at Imperial Logistics, discusses her journey with EY and the leadership lessons she learned.
“To adapt to change, it is important to focus the change on yourself rather than the people around you,” says EY alumna Sandipa Maharaj as we caught up with her to hear about her professional and personal journey with EY.
Currently the Finance Director of Consumer-Packaged Goods at Imperial Logistics, Sandipa started her career with EY as an article and stayed with EY for five years till 2009.
EY was, to her, “the type of place where you looked forward to going to work every day.” It was where, she says, she formed the base for her career. “My articles provided a fantastic base for me, in terms of learning all-round skills, not just the technical side of accounting. It also started opening my mind up to the impact that a CA could have in an organization.”
After her articleship, Sandipa went on for a secondment at EY’s Central London office – an experience she describes as a “growing point” in her life. “I think I grew, not only as a professional, but in my personal capacity, as well. I was exposed to so much more than just the technical side.”
EY wasn’t always about work for Sandipa. Passionate about mentoring and guiding young students, she regularly went out to schools and gave talks to underprivileged kids on how to become a CA.
Making friends with purpose
Sandipa learned the importance of investing in people early on. She continues to put that into practice and encourages others to do so as well. “EY taught me, from a very young age, the importance of investing in people and I carry that through my career with me now. It definitely provided me with the tools I needed to get to where I wanted to go.”
But how exactly should organizations invest in people? According to Sandipa, it is by aligning their activities on the job with a larger purpose. “Loyalty doesn't come from just having a job; it comes from connecting with the purpose of the business. And that emotional connection is vitally important.”