One is a CTO and the other a CFO: they’re married and a match made in exco heaven.
With two decades of experience in the fintech industry, Discover Digital’s Yasvanth Singh considers himself a people-first technology leader. He advocates for both innovation and driving growth, but his true passion lies in crafting and executing digital transformation strategies that not only enhance ROI but also elevate user accessibility and experience through the seamless integration of emerging technologies.
Yasvanth’s spouse, Optimi group CFO Suloshini Singh, is an extremely driven and focused finance professional with close to 20 years of experience and with a demonstrated history of working in multiple industries at a senior level in the finance industry.
Together, the couple rely on each other as a sounding board and source of inspiration to tackle the high-pressured corporate world.
The couple met some years after completing their studies, and started as friends before officially dating. “He was the kind of guy you could easily be friends with, you know, just have a beer and chat about nothing really,” says Suloshini.
They ended up being married four years later.
Homeground advantage
The Singhs, both C-suite executives, despite having demanding careers, have managed to make time for themselves and their children. “I wouldn’t say it’s easy. We both wear a few different hats. For me, it’s mother, employee, daughter, wife… And I inevitably fail at being everything to everybody at all times.
“Luckily, Yasvanth is really understanding of the many things that I have to pack into a 24-hour day, so he is comfortable with the occasional pizza for supper. We have had numerous challenges to navigate together, but we are both really supportive of one another,” said Suloshini.
When the Singhs’ daughter was born, Suloshini had to write the second part of the CA qualifying exam. She managed to pass while sleep-deprived and managing the total onslaught of those early baby days. Later on, Yasvanth completed his MBA while in the thick of fatherhood and Covid-19 complications, while Suloshini was also pursuing her own MBA.
Both Suloshini and Yasvanth worked long hours as their careers demanded it. “We aligned with what we wanted to achieve, though, and agreed to be present for our children and our pets,” says Yasvanth.
“For me, between the ages of 25 and 30, you’re setting yourself up as a CFO. You’re working hard to make these the formative years in your career. But I was raising small children at the time too. Fortunately, I made the most out of every day and had a relentless attitude toward personal growth and development,” Suloshini explains.
Takeaways on leadership
Yasvanth appreciates Suloshini’s rational and calm approach to challenges at work and home. “She tends to look at things in a balanced way and without emotion, which I think would make her a great CFO. She has been a pivotal influence on me and our children,” he notes.
Much is the same at work for Suloshini as she explains – she leads through influence and gets the best results from her team by understanding them and appreciating different ways of thinking and working.
Meanwhile, Yasvanth considers himself a situational leader. “The best interests of the people in your team come first. This seems to be a transformational and ethical way to lead.”
Sharing his thoughts at CFO Enterprise’s first edition of Executive Day in October last year, a robust discussion on creating value across the board and aligned objectives, Yasvanth said that “people need to put their egos aside and not live in an echo chamber”.
Flavours of the world
Because of their relationship, Suloshini finds working with other CIOs much simpler thanks to her husband being one. “They have an engineering mindset and don’t typically see grey areas,” she says. She jokes that the CIO perception of a CFO is usually clouded by images of a Gollum-type character in Lord of the Rings, but she appreciates a CIO’s vision and tries to make their projects a reality without completely decimating budgets.
“Sometimes, I never quite understood the financial impact. I thought that the CIO’s vision would translate into an investment. But, you always have to sell your plans to the company. Luckily, before I engage with the CFO, I run my proposal past Suloshini. She steers my work in the right direction with her financial acumen,” says Yasvanth.
While the Singhs admit that a work-life balance is not a daily achievable goal, they agree that family comes first. They love eating out as a family, particularly at Indian and Italian restaurants.
“Their children are teenagers, which brings its own complexities, but quality time together is still important to everyone. “We spend most of our spare time with our children, which is important before they’re too grown up to enjoy our company. We like cooking, and we try to travel to interesting places,” Yasvanth concludes.