CFO Suloshini Singh explains that she is excited to be in the education sector.
Optimi Group has appointed Suloshini Singh as its new CFO. She joins Optimi from Flexible Packages Convertors (FPC), where she has been CFO since March 2021.
“Optimi presented a growth opportunity for me, and I am quite excited to be in the education sector,” she says about the appointment.
“I am very passionate about education as I firmly believe the only real gift that possesses longevity that we can give our children is a good education.”
Suloshini takes over from Rajan Padayachy, who became a business finance consultant for the company in November 2022.
“The role manages finance, HR and legal and the first course of action of any new CFO should be to listen and absorb,” she says. “Before making any radical changes, I would like to understand the business, the units I am responsible for, and how we can best support the strategy of the larger business.”
A collaborative leader
Prior to FPC, Suloshini was the head of finance at Trudon for two years. Before that, she was the group accountant and financial manager for African Sales Group, and the head of internal audit at Nissan South Africa, respectively.
“I generally lead in a consultative manner and lead by influence,” she says, explaining that the most productive employee is one who instinctively wants to contribute, not one who is forced to. “We need to engage with each other to ensure that people feel valued.
"I believe my collaborative approach works across multiple teams, and the new role encompasses a few disciplines, hence I think the alignment is a natural one.”
She started her career at EY as an assurance trainee, and worked in various assurance manager positions for the group from 2008 until 2014. She is a qualified certified internal auditor (CIA) and chartered accountant (CA), with a BCom (Hons) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Suloshini at home
Suloshini was born in Pietermaritzburg and moved to Johannesburg at the end of 2004 to do her articles. When she isn’t working, she spends time with both her human and canine families.
An animal lover, she regularly helps rescue stray animals. “I’m surprised I have never been bitten by any of them,” she laughs.
She also enjoys baking (and eating thereafter), as well as “escaping into a world of fantasy” by reading.
