Meet Balakrishnan, M2P’s Operations Guru

We are back this February to spotlight our very own Star of the Month, Balakrishnan Elumalai — DVP, Business Operations.

A movie buff and a passionate biker, Bala never misses watching his favorite films and going on long rides. As our FinOps leader, he is a specialist in fixing processes and solving problems.

Today he shares with us, how he steers FinOps while trying to clear his spooky mailbox (that’s clearly a challenge!). And hold on, he also spills the beans on his growth journey as an M2Peer.

Read on to know more about his responsibilities and his idea of a perfect day!

1. How do you usually start your workday?

I start my day on a positive note, by making a cool to-do list. As soon as I reach the office, I catch up with my mailbox which has an uncanny ability (will explain that below). After that, I get on a discussion with my team to chart out the course for the day.

Now, let me share how my email box acts funny. You see, I receive most of my priority jobs through emails and I always try to read them all. Sometimes, the more I read, the more emails keep flooding my mailbox. The torrent of email inflow becomes so scary, that I feel the unread count only increases and doesn’t seem to reduce at all. At times, I feel my outlook may run out of numbers to count one day… LOL!

2. What are your main responsibilities as DVP- Business Operations?

At M2P, I lead Financial Operations (FinOps). My daily focus includes tracking vendor payments and payables in the form of Account Receivables (AR) and Account Payables (AP). I help my team keep track of the invoices we raise every day while checking pending payments and follow-up emails.

3. How have you grown through the years as an M2Peer?

I started out at M2P in 2017. And I am proud that my team and I will be completing our 5th year soon. Earlier, I was handling Human Resources, Administration, Card Operations, and Finance. Now after transitioning to FinOps, it is very inspiring to see how we have grown as a team in the past few years. I have learned a lot from my fellow M2Peers and our founders.

4. Is there a quote/saying that motivates you?

There isn’t a phrase as such. But there is a word that brings the best out of me.

It’s ‘Self- confidence’.

I believe that being confident in every single thing I do drives and motivates me.

5. What’s that one thing your colleagues don’t know about you?

Well, nobody knows that I’m a short-tempered person by nature. My colleagues wouldn’t believe this as I never lose my head at work. But, outside work, people can see that I’m hot-headed.

6. What inspires you the most about M2P?

It’s the way Madhu, our co-founder works. Working alongside him for the past 5 years has been a huge inspiration and has taught me both life and business skills.

7. What’s your idea of a perfect day?

My best day would be when my emails count to zero! Yeah, that’s something I’d love to see. Other than that, my perfect day would be when I chill out with my family.

8. What was your career path before joining M2P, and how has it changed?

Before joining, I was involved in commercial activities such as billing and maintaining logistics. Since M2P, my career started to take a definitive shape where I now lead finance operations and contribute to my team the most.

9. What are your hobbies/interests?

Cricket and bike rides are my jam. I play weekly matches and enjoy exploring new places whenever I can. But as a movie buff, my favorite activity is to watch movies. I hardly miss out on new releases!

As an avid reader, I learn every day at my mailbox library.

10. Anything else you want to share about M2P?

It’s been a fun five years with M2P. And I want to say to all my M2Peers, ‘Keep rocking you guys!’

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