A glimpse into working in our Finance Team
This series takes a peek into what each of our team does and how they work with the other teams towards our mission of inspiring every person in the world to start selling and buying to make more possible for one another.
From a young age, Ankita aspired to be a chartered accountant owing to her interest in trade and commerce. She started as a taxation consultant in the Tax & Regulatory division of one of the big four accounting firms, where she discovered her inclination in taxation laws and did her Bachelor of Laws. After a stint with another e-commerce start-up, Ankita joined Carousell early this year at the almost 2-year-old India Development Centre (also known as INDC for short), which operates mostly tech and finance functions.
“I joined Carousell, because the C2C part of the business really excited me, and I personally believe in the mission statement, ‘inspire every person in the world to start selling and buying to make more possible for one another’. Alongside in terms of my professional career, Carousell being present in most Southeast Asian countries gave me an opportunity to expand my tax and finance experience beyond India,” said Ankita who heads tax and treasury functions for Carousell Group (including Chotot, Mudah, OneKyat, and Revo Financial).
The Finance team at Carousell, across four country offices, includes controllership, accounting, finance planning & analysis, tax and treasury. Their key focus is to provide timely and insightful management and financial reporting, improving accuracy of forecasts, partner with business teams on enabling revenue growth and tight-cost management, and ensuring robust compliance and controls across all group entities. “We are also the face of the Company — representing the company to external parties like auditors, tax authorities, and other regulatory bodies, ensuring that accurate information is presented,” explains Ankita.
Unfortunately the pandemic put a dampener on her plans to meet her regional counterparts. Ankita shares, “my initial days were supposed to be filled with travel to meet the respective teams in the other countries to build connections and understand the ongoing issues, but this was disrupted by all the travel restrictions. However, everyone at Carousell Group was extremely welcoming and made me feel part of the team and I was able to effectively connect with the team even virtually,” shared Ankita.
This warmth was also felt in INDC where Ankita naturally became part of the CarouFam. “Until it was pointed out in this interview, I hadn’t realised I was the first female employee, and only one for a few months. The team in Bangalore was welcoming and never made me feel like I was the only female employee. They definitely imbibe and resonate the culture of Carousell,” shares Ankita, adding that even while the team works from home, they have virtual team bonding sessions.
Ankita notes the shift in organisations taking an effort to ensure gender equality, but there is a long way to go before the workplace equality she experienced at Carousell becomes mainstream. For women who may face challenges at work due to their gender, Ankita shares advice: “Be confident and stop seeing yourself differently. Don’t be afraid to challenge the norm and work together. Be bold and ensure your voice is heard — this comes by being a subject matter expert and hard work.”
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