Though the industry is gradually warming up to the idea of considering the women workforce as equivalent to their male counterparts, there are certain verticals, which are unofficially termed as male-dominated segments. One such domain is the construction segment where manual labor is highly obligatory across most of the job profiles, and thus the particular industry is less invaded by women professionals. When Aanchal came across the opportunity to join her family business Spar Geo Infra – a leading construction conglomerate in India, she was unsure of her path in the business because of her lack of expertise in the construction segment. But motivated by her father-inlaw, Aanchal not only plunged into the family business but took the responsibility of managing the financial vertical for the company despite having any prior experience of working across the finance domain. Equipped with prolific expertise in the US banking domain during her tenure as a software engineer at IBM, Aanchal went ahead to complete a Business Program on SME at IIM Ahmedabad to further hone her skillsets. Currently, positioned as the GM-Finance and Administration of Spar Geo Infra, Aanchal is leveraging her skillsets and expertise to lead the firm to greater summits. Aanchal engages in an exclusive interaction with the Women Entrepreneur magazine.

GIVE US A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF SPAR GEO INFRA. SHARE SOME OF THE DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF YOUR FIRM THAT MAKE IT STAND OUT AMONGST ITS COMPETITORS.

Spar Geo Infra is a specialized Geo Engineering company with over 30 years of experience designing and executing complex geotechnical and civil engineering projects pan India. Working in very challenging areas, we do design and execution both, for geotechnical and civil engineering projects. We are the first company to execute the foundation work using a tam grouted micropile technology which is constructed at the world's highest altitude of 14650 feet known as 'Colonel Chewang Rinchen Bridge' at Shyok River, inaugurated by our Defence Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh. Till date, we have nearly worked around 1.5 lakh square meter of slope protection work. We are the first company in India to execute 3100 kN double corrosion protected ground anchors at Rohtang tunnel, Himachal Pradesh and we are quite proud of it.

What Are Some Of The Most Challenging Aspects Of Your Role As The Gm Of Finance And Administration? How Do You Overcome Them?

Handling complete finance responsibilities at Spar Geo Infra, I keep track of new policies that are being introduced almost every day by the govt. Functioning in the construction industry, it is very difficult to coordinate with every site and remain aligned with so many projects at different levels. I try to stay in the loop with everyone in the project starting from execution teams at various sites, various CA etc, which can be challenging and tricky at times.

Since I am not from finance background, I found the learning curve very steep. It’s hard to change the mindset of people that only CAs can work in financerelated fields. There are so many aspects to for handling a companies finances and it’s challenging to get first-rate advice. There is a lot of point of views but it’s difficult to find the advice that will make the difference to your business.

In the construction industry, there are not so many women working in finance. Starting from questioning my caliber based on my gender to hesitating to speak freely to me about specific finance-related things, there are numerous challenges I have to face as a woman who has established herself as a successful leader in the finance vertical of a construction company, an area which envisages a few women professionals. For me, Mentoring has helped a lot, I am always learning and I learn from everybody. By the virtue of my skills and the knowledge, I have now and again proved myself to be a competent finance leader, irrespective of my identity as a woman.

What Have Been The Most Significant Milestones That You Have Achieved So Far In Your Professional Journey?

Finance is the soul of a company. Managing companies can be a daily challenge but managing the finance of a company is a much bigger challenge. You have to keep a track of every new rule that can affect your operation in the market. Earlier we wereworking on service tax and now we're working on GST. This sudden change took place in 2017, teams effort and work increased, which we had to track and I must admit, that change was too big. So, I took it as a challenge and I did not give up at that time. Since I was not a CA, I had so much pressure on me, and everyone’s focus was on me to know how I woulhandle the situation. I consulted with my CAs and kept myself updated on all the frequent changes coming under the law. Its been almost 5 years of GST, my team did well with new compliances with negligent issues. This is a very significant milestone for me, as I was able to handle the post-GST closure very efficiently.

“By the virtue of my skills and the knowledge, i have now and again proved myself to be a competent finance leader, irrespective of my identity as a woman”

What Is Your Guiding Leadership Philosophy?

I feel delegation is very important. You have to let your team do whatever they want to do. I let my team know that this is the target and do what they have to do to achieve the required goal. They tryto accomplish the target by themselves and they come to me for suggestions only. According to me, mental health, good communication skill and self-commitment matter a lot. Encouraging my teammates to work on self-commitment, we ask them about their visions and help them diligently to achieve those visions or targets by themselves. Aanchal Goyal, GM- Finance and Administration, Spar Geo Infra Pvt Ltd.

A B.Tech. engineer, Aanchal commenced her professional career as a software engineer with IBM, where she worked on numerous software projects related to the US banking. As she learned more about the banking sectors, Aanchal developed an interest towards finance and went ahead to do a course in the same at IIM Ahmedabad. After working for more than three years in the software segment, Aanchal joined Spar Geo Infra, where she is currently as the GM of the finance and administration vertical.

Aanchal Goyal, Gm - Finance And Administration

Educational Qualification:

B.Tech from Rajasthan University and Business Program SME from IIM Ahmedabad Services provided by firm - Spar Geo Infra is a specialized Geo-Engineering Company with over 30 years of experience in designing and executing complex Geotechnical and Civil Engineering Projects Pan India. Geo Spar is a pioneer in services: Slope Stabilization, Rockfall Mitigation, Foundation Engineering, Ground Improvement, Design Solutions, New Technology Solutions.

Awards Of Recognitions Won So Far:

1. Leader in Design & Execution of Geotechnical Projects in Challenging Area issued by Business Sphere   Groups

2. Token of Appreciation issued by synergised infrastructure development, Sikkim

3. Certificate of Excellence and Shield issued by Border Roads Organisation

4. Token of Appreciation issued by Nepal Geological Society

5. Leaders in Foundation & Slope Protection issued by Business Sphere Groups

Headquarter & Other Office Locations:

Our headquarters is in New Delhi, India and we have more than 4 site offices.