THE FINANCE CHIEF INTERVIEW

TO TAKE CARE OF AT UNIVERSITY. Thrilled with the possibility of being able to eat something I had made from scratch, right down to growing the vegetables, I gleefully accepted. I watched as the seed developed into a sprout, to flowers and finally to a small handful of tomatoes. It was a small feeling of accomplishment, and one that I remember years later, even after the original plant sadly succumbed to rot. Growing with something from the start develops a sense of personal investment, knowing it was your hard work that helped things get off the ground. For gardeners and finance leaders alike, eventually the goal is to enjoy the fruits of your labour. This is a feeling shared by Vijay Padmanbhan, CFO of UST – a company he joined at the beginning. UST was founded at the end of 1999, and Vijay joined just a month after, in 2000.“ Being able to see the business from close quarters and then seeing how finance and I can help with the growth of the organisation – right from the startup years through to now – influenced me the most,” he says. UST’ s story of growth is parallel to Vijay’ s. By learning the business, his leadership ability and strategy was shaped right from the seed.

46 November 2026