My contribution to a board
I would help a board establish whether the numbers in a proposal describe the business it is actually being asked to approve. My experience is in service contracts where definitions, timing and ownership can alter the conclusion before any arithmetic changes. I would ask which accounts are billable, whose cash is included and which costs disappear when an activity changes. Those questions are useful only when followed by a decision. I would not expect management to answer every uncertainty before proceeding, but I would want directors to understand which assumptions carry the result and how those assumptions will be reviewed. My background is as a CFO attending board discussions, not as a director who has already exercised collective responsibility. I would therefore begin with a defined induction and committee membership under an experienced chair. I can contribute financial scrutiny and an understanding of service operations while learning the wider responsibilities of the seat. I would also be careful not to become a second finance director directing the team from outside the executive structure.
Judgement in practice
01Questioning the number before debating the distribution
When the cash dashboard included ₹7.2 crore of client-owned balances, the immediate temptation was to argue about whether the proposed shareholder distribution was prudent. I first needed to establish that the starting figure was wrong for that decision. The company owned ₹18.4 crore of the reported ₹25.6 crore; the rest belonged to clients whose records we helped reconcile. I asked for the account register and corrected view before recommending a fresh obligations review. The board deferred the distribution. In an external role I would ask management to demonstrate the boundary of the resource it proposes to use, without trying to operate its treasury process myself. The episode also taught me to describe the error accurately. There had been no transfer of client funds and no recovery of missing cash. Inflating the incident would have been as unhelpful as ignoring it. A director needs a reliable description of both the mistake and its consequences.
02Accepting a lower claim when the service evidence supported it
The disputed ₹1.1 crore invoice created pressure to preserve the original claim in the collection forecast. Commercial colleagues feared weakening their negotiation, and operations feared a judgement on the whole service team. I supported the ₹36 lakh credit because the documented service shortfall and agreed terms supported that specific adjustment. I did not treat it as a verdict on every aspect of the relationship. After the adjustment, the client paid ₹68 lakh and ₹6 lakh remained unresolved. That sequence matters to the contribution I would make as a director. A board should understand whether management is discussing income, a receivable, an agreed adjustment or cash already received. I would ask for the evidence and the responsible executive's conclusion, then challenge any inconsistency between them. I would not negotiate the invoice from the boardroom or assume that every aged balance has the same explanation. The useful judgement was to accept a supported reduction while preserving the remaining uncertainty.
My first year on a board
My first months would focus on the company's service commitments and the way its board receives financial evidence. I would read a selection of approved contracts alongside their bid papers, invoices and later management reviews, using an induction agreed with the chair and CEO. The purpose would be to understand the reporting process, not to reopen every commercial decision. I would also meet the company secretary and relevant functional leaders to learn where the board's authority ends and delegated executive responsibility begins. In committee work, I would look for recurring differences between the measures used to sell a proposition and those used to assess its delivery. I would ask whether those differences are explained promptly and whether a material change reaches directors before the company becomes committed to a new course. By the end of the first year, I would seek feedback from the chair on the usefulness and timing of my questions. An effective contribution should improve the decision record and leave management clearly accountable for execution, rather than add a parallel layer of operational approvals.
Conflicts and their management
Mirelva serves financial institutions and works with technology suppliers that may have relationships with a company offering me a board seat. A conflict could arise through a client, a group company, a service tender or a proposed acquisition even when the company names appear unrelated. I would disclose my employment, shareholding and relevant business relationships before acceptance, and update them as circumstances change. I would not bring client account information, contract pricing or confidential bid assumptions into another board discussion. Nor would I use an external appointment to obtain an advantage in a commercial negotiation for my employer. A recusal may address a bounded matter, but repeated exclusion from the central work of the board could make the appointment unsuitable. I would want the chair and company secretary to assess that prospect early. My availability is also a potential conflict of responsibility: an external commitment must remain compatible with my executive duties, including periods when financial reporting or a material company event requires additional attention.
My independence statement
I am an employee and shareholder of Mirelva, not a director. Any proposed external appointment would require a fresh review of my employment, shareholding, client and supplier relationships under the applicable independence criteria. I do not describe myself as independent in advance of that assessment.
Committee contribution
Chair and member readiness| Capacity | Committees |
|---|
| Ready to join | Audit and financial reporting · Risk oversight |
|---|
Board and committee exposure
Presented to the Board or a committee
Mirelva Asset Services
Board of directors
April 2021–present
Present finance, cash and investment recommendations by invitation; directors retain approval responsibility.
Reported to a committee
Mirelva Asset Services
Audit committee
April 2015–present
Explain reporting judgements, billing adjustments and control findings; not a committee member or director.
Capacity and preferences
- Time available
- 18 days per year
- Current directorships
- 0
- Sectors
- Business services · Financial infrastructure · Employee-owned enterprises
- Company type
- An Indian service company with a board that wants clearer contract economics and management information
- Company stage
- Ownership transition, service expansion or a review of capital commitments
The seat I am pursuing
I am interested in a first non-executive appointment where the board needs to examine the relationship between service commitments, financial reporting and capital allocation. For a first appointment, I would offer financial-reporting and service-risk scrutiny as a committee member, with an established chair guiding the work. I am not claiming that being a CFO automatically qualifies me to chair either committee or to meet every requirement of a particular appointment. The company secretary would need to review the relevant independence criteria, committee composition and directorship limits under the Companies Act and any applicable SEBI requirements. My databank registration is a preparation step; I have not claimed a proficiency-assessment pass or exemption. I would also need to understand the company's condition, the reason for the vacancy and the time expected beyond scheduled meetings. An indicative eighteen days must include preparation and induction, with room to discuss foreseeable additional demands. I would decline a role whose conflicts or workload prevented a useful contribution, even if the sector and title were attractive.
Governance learning and readiness
IICA Independent Directors’ Databank: Registered
Registered in the IICA Independent Directors' Databank in August 2026. No proficiency-assessment pass or exemption is claimed. I would complete the applicable preparation and confirm my position before accepting an independent appointment.
- Board-paper and financial-reporting discussions with the company secretary
- Databank learning modules on directors' responsibilities and conflicts
- Practice distinguishing a request for evidence from an executive instruction