Revolutionizing Data-Driven Supply Chain Decisions

Meet Brindha Pillay, CFO of DHL Supply Chain Australia (DHL), who empowers customer-centric financial growth and innovation while fostering robust partnerships and delivering value to the logistics industry. Gain insights into Brindha’s professional journey and her visionary approach, setting globally adopted standards for DHL customers to access quality data, enhancing their supply chain management. Under Brindha’s leadership, DHL redefines customer value and forges lasting industry partnerships, paving the way for success.

Professional Journey and Achievements:

Brindha began her career in her hometown of Durban in South Africa, a place she says had a significant impact on her upbringing and career aspirations. Growing up in a family of Indian origin in apartheid South Africa, Brindha says her family encouraged her to focus on her academia for access to new opportunities, resulting in Brindha spending ten years in the medical field.

“Growing up in a family of Indian descent in an apartheid country was challenging, but it shaped my determination and path to leadership. My cultural upbringing instilled the importance of family, education, and an active consciousness for the people around me,” Brindha said.

After having her first child, Brindha decided to relocate to Australia in search of a safer place. Identifying opportunities in finance while planning her move, Brindha completed a chartered accounting course to bring herself up to speed and to prepare herself for a career change. This decision would allow for new beginnings in Australia while maintaining support for her family.

Empowering Financial Growth and Innovation in Warehousing:

Working on the ethos of a quality-first approach, Brindha identified early on the value of data as an opportunity to create fiscal stability and growth and to keep the organization at the industry forefront.

In her initial role as Finance Manager at DHL, Brindha led the APAC region in their shift towards digital procurement as a means of achieving consistency across the region. This experience led Brindha to spearheading a global transition to a cloud-based finance system for supply chain, bringing the organization even closer to achieving global standardization.

“As early adopters of a cloud-based finance system for supply chain, we have been able to set the foundations to maximize quality data for the benefit of customers in logistics. The findings that we can now make on behalf of our customers have allowed us to deliver useful insights and to position them to make the most informed decisions for their supply chain management,” Brindha said.

Fostering Strong Business Relationships:

Brindha maintains the importance of long-term partnerships in achieving tangible results, as they enable DHL to gain a deeper understanding of its partners’ operations and requirements. This knowledge allows for greater coordination, synchronization, and optimization of processes, leading to increased efficiency throughout the supply chain.

She explains that as DHL is front facing its customer’s customers, the organization is uniquely positioned to deliver valuable insights. Brindha also emphasizes the importance of a collaborative and forward-thinking approach.

“Our goal is to forge strong alliances by understanding our customer’s objectives. The customers that look beyond the current challenges are the ones that reap the benefits. By looking at the bigger picture and taking into consideration long-term value, customers can benefit from a stronger partnership with DHL, rather than seeing us as just another supplier,” Brindha said.

Future Vision and Inspiring Innovation:

Brindha’s vision for the future of finance in Australia is positive, as she highlights the significance of innovation in inspiring finance professionals to embrace technological innovations and transformative ideas. As the industry continues to evolve, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics process automation (RPA) have transformed capabilities and introduced a new advantage for the next generations. This technology has allowed a shift from just adding numbers to analyzing the data and drawing insights.

“It’s an exciting time for those starting their journey in finance. All the new digital advancements that we see rapidly evolving is allowing professionals the opportunity to shift away from traditional practices and apply analytical thinking much earlier in the process to draw conclusions from the numbers, providing more valuable insights and solutions. Why wouldn’t you take absolute advantage of that?” Brindha said.

Brindha’s remarkable journey and contributions have left a lasting mark on DHL’s finance sector. Her story serves as an inspiration for aspiring professionals, reinforcing the importance of talent, determination, and the positive impact that the next generation can have in shaping the future of finance.

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