“I don't think the western world is questioning capitalism. Capitalism as a concept is not something that society has written off. But today, there is degree of caution around capitalism. We believe in compassionate capitalism. Growth for growth's sake can never be an end in itself.”
-Kumar Mangalam Birla (Chairman, Aditya Birla Group)
Founded by Seth Shiv Narayan Birla in 1857, the Aditya Birla Group is one of the best business houses in India. The group has its headquarters in Worli, Mumbai. It is functional in 40 countries with more than 120,000 employees internationally.
ABG actively contributes to the social and economic development of the communities in which we operate. The conglomerate has not just made it large globally, but has also touched many lives including mine.
Being a frequent traveller, I love visiting places at high altitudes. The only problem I used to face there was lack of telecommunication services. Vodafone Idea has helped me with this and after porting my number I am able to contact my family and friends with ease. The high speed 4G data has made it even easier as the maps act as a trustworthy guide. Carbon Black by Birla Carbon used in the tires of my car ensures a safe journey during my road trips. Even in the Indian Railways, majority of the copper requirement is fulfilled by ABG.
As an employee of KPMG Global Services, it was a mandate to wear business formals daily. Retail stores like Louis Philippe and Van Heusen by ABG catered to this demand. During our busy season we were expected to serve long working hours. The Freshwrapp foil kept my food warm and healthy. The colonies we live in, the roads we travel on, it is almost impossible to find a part in our lives where ABG has not contributed.
After my graduation in 2016, I attempted CAT but did not score very well and had to drop a year because of that. In 2017, I got an opportunity to work as an Audit Associate in the UK – Public Sector team with KPMG. My job was to assist my onshore team in UK in performing end to end audit of the Public Sector clients.
Among the work types we worked on, some of them included Cash testing, Reserves testing, Accounting Policies testing, Depreciation Logic test etc. We received proper training on the same and within 3-4 months I was equipped with the skills needed to perform the sector specific work.
The journey did not go this smooth though. The team performing audit for clients in Australia usually borrow staff from other teams during their busy season in July and August. After completing one year with KPMG, I was asked to serve such secondment and become a temporary part of the Australia team.
Transfer to a different team and learning new work types was a challenge, but in addition to that, the project I was placed in was a pilot project and was in its initial stage. We were on our own with limited client knowledge as even the onshore team was unfamiliar with the procedures to be followed to complete the work papers.
As we had to design the templates and work on them as well, the working hours extended by quite a margin. My work life balance was hampered as we used to leave office at around 11 pm. To tackle this problem, I decided to reach office at 7:30 am instead of 9. This allowed me to get some free time in the evening and also increased my efficiency at work.
Later, I received the “Epitome” award for maintaining high quality and was appreciated by my managers. Time management plays a vital role in our life and we can overcome biggest challenges with a firm grip on time management.