“In giving, you shall receive” An ode to volunteering…

It was 2020 and the Covid pandemic had just broke out. My mind was drowning in a lot of existential thoughts. I would think about how I had not even touched the surface yet of my passions. Neither was I able to do anything about some of the systemic struggles I had gone through. I went through a nervous breakdown and quit my job to start life afresh.

I embarked on a new journey of self-discovery. As a part of it, volunteering came my way. I joined a few committees to explore and participate in the areas of my interests. I learnt about the research and advocacy committee and their work in engaging with the capital markets regulator. It was also a time when I was determined to work on solutions towards gender discrimination at workplaces in India. I found a perfect opportunity as we started to work on our recommendation on BRSR (Business responsibility and sustainability reporting) to SEBI. I researched on the multiple aspects that could be inculcated on gender-based disclosures. After comprehensive research and thorough analysis, I contributed my bit of recommendations on different aspects. I was awaiting the outcome with bated breath. And when SEBI came out with revised requirements to be mandatorily reported from FY23 and voluntarily in FY22, they closely tracked two of the recommendations that I had made on gender-based disclosures. These include Median salary paid to women and number of women hired! My joy knew no bounds, as this was a very important step in the right direction. We penned an article in print media on our advocacy and the welcome step taken by the regulator.

Later when the first set of data came out, along with two co-authors I worked on a research report ‘Mind the gender gap’ to share our findings. We ensured to make it so comprehensive that it serves as a good reference on policy related matters for stakeholders to advance the cause in workplaces in India. It then won the Outstanding research award in 2023 amongst 160 societies by the CFA Institute.

I was elated to have been able to be an instrument of change at a large scale, and the global recognition I received for my contributions towards thought leadership.

CFA Society India has truly done pioneering work and been a thought leader in this matter.

2022 was also a time when I was working on my other passion of podcasting. I had started my own podcast on topics related to global macros and asset classes, which was soon amongst the top 50 in India. In 2023, I then got an opportunity to start and build a podcast for CFA Society India. It is made with the labour of passion and love and we also topped the charts in the very first season itself, with a peak global rank of 5. It is carefully crafted to be a repository of knowledge in a way that anyone that invests their time in listening to it, invariably learns something new. The commitment to quality – the vision of creating conversations to bring about deeper insights, brought us tremendous results in two seasons of diverse episodes. It is a newly created digital asset that lets us deliver value!

Being able to be a founder, an architect of something I am deeply passionate about, was a very valuable opportunity for me.

I ended up being a changemaker in a cause very close to my heart. I ended up creating a very valuable digital asset. And in the process of deploying my passions in the right places, I also ended up being a Co-chair of the Public Awareness Committee. And the icing on the cake is, I got to work with and know some of the finest minds in our profession and learnt a lot in the process. All this while operating from a remote corner of my hometown! Not being out and about. Investing in your passions is quite a powerful pursuit!

The reason I am sharing my profound wins through volunteering in this article is because I want to make a point. That if you come with Passion and Agency, there is a lot that can be done with volunteering. It is like an open canvas which one can paint on, in their own way. Yes of course, it must be participated in, with an open mind, patience, and an attitude of giving. But once you start the journey, it is immensely rewarding.

I highly encourage one and all to take a step towards the direction of volunteering, in the areas of your interest. And that working with this immensely talented global tribe of CFA charter holders can be full of wonders!

About the Author

Jolly is a financial services professional, who enjoys creating and building products. She has an experience of over a decade in the areas of product development and marketing, spanning diverse asset classes. Jolly has been instrumental in introducing new debt products, while working at Bombay Stock Exchange. Prior to BSE, she worked in client engagement roles, advising corporates as well as high net worth individuals. Lately she has poured her passion into starting the CFA Society India podcast. She is a futurist and writes on ideas that will actively define newer thinking. Jolly is a CFA charter holder and volunteers as a co-chair, Public Awareness Committee.