KNOW YOUR MEMBER – Ms Selvaboopathy

         1.       Kindly share about your education- how you got attracted to CS course and how your progress in CS exams was.

I have completed my school education in 1997 at Government School in Tirupur District, Tamilnadu. I had passion to study but my parents were unable to afford the fees for my higher studies, hence I discontinued my studies with lot of pain. Later on I engaged in Sericulture and other farming activities with my parents. I got married in 2006 and became a mother of two lovely children. In the meantime, my brother had continued his studies and set up practice as Chartered Accountant along with his CS and CMA qualifications.

 When I was challenged with severe financial crisis, I wanted to learn tailoring to support my family. However my brother asked me “why don’t you re-start your studies?” knowing that I had excelled in studies during my schooling. It was the triggering point, which has led to my successful completion of CS and CA. This happened in January 2012, after 15 years of my schooling and when my daughter started her schooling and my son was 1.5 years old. From that moment, I started taking my studies seriously along with taking care of my family as a home maker. I will say that it was possible for me to pursue these respectful courses only because it had no age restriction along with minimal course fee and self-study course structure.

 Since I was a science background student studied in Tamil medium, to start off my basics, I started with 12^th Standard Accounts and Economics along with CS Foundation. I used dictionary to understand the meaning of every complicated English words as I lost touch with my studies during the 15 years of my rural family life. I based my entire preparation solely on institute materials and practice manuals. The books were really comprehensive and very much efficient to get overall depth of the subject. I have maintained consistency in studying and kept developing my writing practice.

 I had passed my CS Foundation examinations with 80.5% marks in first appearance during December 2012. It gave immense confidence and belief that I can crack any level of professional exams with proper planning and dedication towards studies. I went on to complete my Executive Programme in June 2014 and became a qualified Company Secretary in December 2016. All the trainings, seminars conducted by ICSI and professional journals cultured me at solving the practical problems in the exams. All that is required is persistence, perseverance and a lot of patience.

 2.       Recently you were in the limelight for completing CA successfully – share your journey in completing CA briefly

My hunger for study had led to pursuing CA exam as well. I started my CA education along with CS in 2015. I cleared my CA Intermediate Level Exams in May 2018 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in July 2021. My CS preparation, practical training and conceptual knowledge helped me to crack the CA exam with confidence.

 

 3.       Few magazines also wrote about you completing the CA course. Which magazine posted it and how was its response.

Daily Thanthi, one of leading Tamil daily newspaper had conducted an interview and published a brief article about me on September 18, 2021 immediately on my qualification as a Chartered Accountant. It was one of the most memorable days in my life and I had realized the value of education on that day. I received appreciation from all quarters including my professional colleagues, friends and relatives which was very encouraging. Taking a cue from my experience, many students and friends have challenged themselves to break the myth on course toughness, attempts, language barriers, etc.  Especially female students who discontinued their studies due to marriage and family commitments vowed to restart their studies. I felt very fortunate that all the hard work over the past decade had finally paid off.

 4.       Please share your professional journey

During the course of practical trainings, I had valuable experience in the application of laws and concepts. Since I handled multiple clients during the training period, I gathered knowledge on different processes and business functions of companies in various industries. As a Company Secretary, I am handling day to day secretarial compliances and other regulatory requirements.

 5.       Kindly share about your family members.

My parents are respectful farmers and they have always given me the strength, encouragement and support to achieve all my life goals and have stood behind me like strong pillars. They are taking care of my children during this journey. Whenever I was feeling low, my brother had supported me mentally and also financially. With his valuable guidance and support, I had stayed positive at all my crucial times. Last but not the least, my daughter and son’s unconditional love, support and understanding are the backbone to my academic success.

 6.       What are your future plans.

I have not yet decided on the future course of action. But what I can assure is that I will make the best use of my potential and be a responsible professional to create a better corporate environment.

 7.       Your thoughts about how CS will progress in the coming years?

The demand for CS professionals is increasing day by day as there are multiple opportunities for Company Secretaries. Usually, Company Secretaries are responsible for corporate governance, handling legal matters, ensuring compliance with Secretarial standards and taking care of corporate social responsibility. But nowadays the Company Secretary’s role is evolving as Governance Professionals who add value to the Company through their expertise. There are ample opportunities for CS across different sectors in the country as they have in-depth knowledge and expertise of various laws and regulations. Finally, our CS Profession is one of the most respected and reputed positions in the country and is ideal for aspirants who wish to make a good mark in the corporate world.

 Interview by: CS Mohan Kumar, Past Chairman ICSI SIRC