Women are unstoppable, if they set their minds on anything, says Ms Natasha Fonseka, a Group director at Softlogic Holdings PLC. Following are excerpts of an interview
Q: Briefly Explain your career progression rewards and recognition during your tenure at the Softlogic Group.
I am a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA – CIMAUK) and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). I count over 30 years of work experience, of which over 25 years are in senior managerial positions, in Human Resources Management, Taxation, Financial Advisory Services and Finance, having worked in reputed international professional firms (KPMG, PwC & EY) and the private sector.
Currently I am the Group Director – Human Capital and Taxation of Softlogic Holdings PLC. Having worked in diverse fields, from Finance, Tax Consulting, Human Resources, Human Resources Development, Ethics and Business Conduct Business Communications, Administration and Operations, I could proudly say am a multitalented “People Oriented” person with a finance and business background, coupled with extensive experience and exposure in two very diverse areas of work , Taxation and Human Capital.
I have a mindset where I strongly believe I could do whatever I am passionate about and always committed to whatever I set my mind on . I have worked in diverse areas of business and I believe I have been able to contribute immensely in whichever area of work I have been involved in as “Passion “is my key driving factor.
Currently as Group Director Human Capital and Taxation of Softlogic Group which is a very rare combination from a career perspective, I always look at things from both a business mindset and a Human/People mindset and am able to balance the two to arrive at a “win-win” situation for all stakeholders – the Company, the regulatory bodies and also the employees.
My career objective is to be able to make a positive difference to the organization and its people. I believe I am a very creative person who would thrive when challenges are posed and will find solutions, thinking outside the box and that keeps me self-motivated. I am a positive thinker and embrace and drive “Change.”
I love to bring a fresh perspective to any task I carry out. I am not a person who will work as per the text book or traditional “HR best practice,” but I would always strive to bring in and replace it with practices that align to the talent at the heart of the organization. I believe in being the guardian of the employees and take pride in driving performance and ensuring that honesty, ethics and values are lived and breathed. I am a champion for business ethics and strive to be an HR Business Partner and I am also passionate on Equality, Diversity, Skills Development, Corporate Social Responsibility and building a “Great Work Place.” I was a recipient recently of –“World Women Leadership Congress & Awards Presents Sri Lanka’s Woman Leaders 2020.”
Q: How do you manage both professional and personal life successfully?
It has not been easy. Like all women, I am a mother to my son and my daughter, a wife, a
daughter and a sister and also I have a very large extended family whom I am extremely close to and my dearest friends …. I need to balance that side of the scale as well as the other side of the scale which is my career for over 30 years. To achieve this balance for the past 30 years I have so many people who have supported me. I have been blessed with a mother and father who took care of my kids to the extent I use to be able to very confidently shut off when I come to work and give my 100% to my job and my career. The support of my spouse was equally there as it is a partnership where he supported and did and is still doing a large share of the children’s work. So, it was always a shared household where all matters of the home never fell on me alone. I was never alone but had the support of so many including my in- laws. Having said that when I go home, I try my very best to spend quality time with my kids and family and be involved in all aspects of their lives.
I have a lot of conversations with them and that bond I have created with them from their younger days. My holidays and weekends are “our days” where we do things as a family … My daughter and myself we have our “Girls Outings “where we do stuff as mother and daughter… even three generations, wheremy mother joins in too. I try my best not only to be a parent to my kids but a friend to them, sothey open up to me and share things and we have created an honest relationship. There has been sacrifices from both sides where my kids don’t have me all the time and I am not there for them all the time … but they understand and have accepted that I am a working mother and their demands are not high.
Sunday dinners have always been family dinners with the extended family as well, so siblings interact, cousins interact and it’s a great time spent together which has been keeping the family bonds together. This was something my parents started when we married and left home and started our own homes, to date which we do which has helped us all immensely… I would say the key to my work life balance has been open honest communication with my family and the highest level of support I have received from family and extended family. I have been truly blessed in that sense to have a career for 30 years.
I would not be doing justice if I do not mention that I have been blessed with my bosses right throughout my career who has always understood and supported me to have that balance. If there are emergencies I need to attend to, they have always understood and supported as I would also always be open with them and tell them the actual situation am facing. Here again honest open communication has been the key. Further, having a great team to work with as well, whom I have been able to rely and depend on has helped me to balance work life. So, there is a huge army of people who support to maintain a work –
life balance …
Q: Having a personal development plan, identifying your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats is “essential.” Do you agree with this statement?
I would say YES … We need to all understand none of us is perfect and we are not fully rounded persons. That’s where the self-discovery and learning journey will never end….
We need to be aware of our strengths and opportunities and make the BEST of them. We need to capitalize on them to take our careers to the next level or even bring in a fresh perspective to what is been done. The most important thing is to be aware, get constructive feedback on our weaknesses and areas where improvement is needed and really put in the best effort to overcome them. Even though having a career of 30 years, I still come across areas of weakness or areas that need to be improved. The key is to take the feedback in a very positive manner and work towards over coming those. None of us is perfect … we need to be able to handle constructive criticism or feedback we receive and work hard to overcome deficiencies. The learning, the adapting, the changes will never stop. We need to have that open mind to embrace it and work towards it. It may be our attitudes, our egos, the way we handle people, even technical knowledge for the job, able to handle feedback, ability to work in teams with diverse people, all these are areas we need to concentrate on and work towards overcoming negative impacts if any. The above are just a few examples, the list can go on and on. So, we need to be open, be with an open mind to learn and change.
Q: Do you have any idea of bringing a smile to a stranger’s face?
Share your thoughts. I am very passionate about bringing a smile to a stranger’s face … It needs to come from within a person…… the need, the want to do it, needs to be there. Simple acts of kindness make a huge impact and it’s not always be linked to money or monetary contributions/ benefits. Recently I was with some students who are differently able and had a discussion and shared my experiences. I spoke to them on soft skills they need to develop in order to be employable, etc., … They were so happy …. I shared my time with them. It didn’t involve any money to sit and talk to them, just a small example. There are so many little things we could do to make a difference to another’s life. Tiny acts of kindness can make a huge impact and difference to another. Happiness works two ways …. The happiness and satisfaction you get are immeasurable, when you make another happy.
Q: What is your advice to others?
I would like to say to all women ….. we are unstoppable if we set our minds on anything with great passion and commitment. The sky is the limit!!! There will always be challenges we would face but overcoming those challenges is also a great strength we possess. Don’t let anyone put you down. Be strong and know you CAN do it and you have the ability and skills to do it. If you don’t have them, don’t hesitate to learn and develop them …. Start with baby steps, move forwards, face challenges with confidence in yourself … Equip yourself with the right skills and knowledge …
