So far, this series has taken a look at the lives of our client-facing teams. Today, we’re changing things up and speaking to our finance manager, Jeffrin Antony. In this Day in the Life, Jeffrin talks about the importance of communication & storytelling in a finance role and the life lessons he’s learnt from the inimitable Arsène Wenger.
What led you to a career in media?
I’ve spent my education training for a role in finance. I wasn’t necessarily looking to work in the media industry. During my ACCA exams I gained three years of practical experience in practice: accounting firms that do tax returns for individuals and businesses. After I completed my exams, I wanted to make the jump to industry. In practice, it’s a lot to do with year-end activity; whereas in industry the work you do is tailored to the industry you choose to work in. There’s variety in budgeting, forecasting and month end work.
It was this search for a role in industry that led me to my role as a finance manager at MI Media. It has been great to learn more about an industry I didn’t have any experience in and develop my understanding of how advertising works. Now when I walk down the street and see a billboard, I know that’s an OOH campaign!
What does a typical day look like for you?
My role as a finance manager is unpredictable and involves a lot of problem solving. I collaborate with every department across the business, from client services to the managing directors. Externally, I also build relationships with various stakeholders from suppliers to rebate partners. Every day there will be questions to answer, whether it’s about credit insurance or media owners. Once each query has been dealt with, I can get on with my day-to-day work which can involve anything from proactively managing accounts receivable and account payable to optimise our cash flow, to delivering detailed variance analysis and financial reporting to support the Finance Director in providing key insights to our senior leadership team. My job is definitely about finding the right balance between dealing with requests while managing people’s expectations.