At our recent Emerging Leaders event, “A Non-Linear Pathway to CFO,” Shubhada Gandhi, CFO ANZ at Kellanova, shared her inspiring career journey and the lessons she’s learned along the way. Her story is one of curiosity, courage and continuous learning and a reminder that career success doesn’t always follow a straight line.
Career Journey and Philosophy
Shubhada’s career has spanned multiple industries and continents, from FMCG and pharmaceuticals to agriculture and manufacturing. Rather than pursuing a specific title, she focused on personal growth, curiosity and aligning her career choices with her family and life circumstances.
She spoke about taking calculated risks, including moving from permanent to contract roles to build new skills and making decisions that balanced professional growth with personal priorities. For Shubhada, success is not defined by the role itself but by the value and impact she brings.
Key Skills and Development
Shubhada highlighted several themes that have shaped her approach to leadership and growth:
- Technical skills form the foundation, but they become a “given” as you progress. What sets leaders apart is how they interpret and communicate information.
- Move beyond reporting “what” happened to explaining “so what” (impact) and “now what” (next steps).
- Business partnering and storytelling are essential. Finance professionals must understand the entire business, not just the numbers.
- Stay curious and connected to operations: visit sites, ask questions and learn how the business really works.
- Be proactive about addressing skill gaps, whether in governance, risk or new technologies.
- AI proficiency is now as important as Excel and essential for staying relevant.
Challenges and Learnings
Shubhada’s career hasn’t been without obstacles. Despite earning an All India Rank 17 in her CA exams, she faced difficulties securing her first role. Later, when she moved to Australia, her qualifications weren’t recognised, prompting her to complete both CPA and CA programs again.
She also shared her experience of burnout after several years in a demanding finance role, which led her to take on a contract position that allowed for renewed learning and balance. Across each role and transition, her adaptability and resilience have been defining strengths.
Advice for Finance Professionals
Shubhada offered clear, practical guidance for those looking to grow their careers:
- Focus on impact, not just task completion. Show how your work adds value.
- Keep learning and evolving. Identify gaps and seek opportunities to develop new skills.
- Take strategic risks through career moves that stretch your capabilities.
- Build confidence by applying for roles where you truly believe you can deliver.
- Cultivate both breadth and depth. Curiosity matters, but so does mastery.
- Empower others by helping teams understand the bigger picture and board expectations.
Her closing message was simple yet powerful: stay curious, keep learning and don’t be afraid to carve your own path. The journey may not be linear, but it can be deeply rewarding.
If you have any recruitment needs in your team on a permanent or temporary basis we would be delighted to assist. Contact us here.
Moir Group is a specialist finance, accounting and ESG recruitment company. We cover temporary and permanent roles from Financial Accountant to CFO level. We also recruit Sustainability and ESG positions across all industry sectors.