 "Sarvita Sethi (Photo: Facebook)")
Sarvita Sethi, a chartered accountant with more than 15 years of experience in corporate finance, is set to become the first woman chief financial officer of the country’s largest beverage maker — Coca-Cola India. Sethi, in her forties, is currently based out of Athens, Greece and is expected to take over from Sanjeev Kumar any time soon. Kumar is currently heading the financial operations for India and South West Asia for the beverages maker.
Sethi, who had worked for Sainsbury's and Viacom in London prior to joining Coca-Cola in 2008, is known for her “results-oriented” mindset and her expertise in financial operations of the fast moving consumer goods firms. In fact, her journey in the professional world began as an audit manager for the global audit and consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) in London, the UK, in 1996, which has given her an eye for accuracy and financial scrutiny, it is learned. Prior to joining the professional world, Sethi went to City University London to successfully finish her Bachelor in Science degree in Economics and Accountancy in 1995.
Her role as a commercial financial officer at the global QSR (Quick Service Restaurants) chain Yum! Restaurants International helped her learn crucial insights about the food industry. She worked for a little more than two years for Yum! In Surrey in the United Kingdom, immediately before joining The Coca-Cola Company as Commercial Finance Director for Great Britain and Ireland regions.
Sethi believes her wide ranging experience in industries such as retail, FMCG, QSR and marketing organisations helped her in working across industries and various roles in major blue-chip companies. “A commercially astute, multi-skilled finance professional, having unique cross functional experience through working in different disciplines — including marketing, strategic planning, trading and project management,” is how she defines herself in her account in the professional networking site LinkedIn.
The forty something Sethi enjoys travelling and is an avid football fan. She closely follows the English Premier League (EPL), especially developments related to the EPL football club — Leicester City. Sethi is also admired for her elegant appearance by her friends and acquaintances quite often.
Sethi’s appointment as the head of finance for Coca-Cola would be a challenging task on her side. While per capita consumption of beverages remains low in the country, sale of cola drinks has struggled to pick up in recent years. Industry veterans point out the crucial task she has in hand now.
