Inventory is a vital aspect in manufacturing, retail and e-commerce, food services and distribution, and capital projects. If not properly controlled it can become a liability for any business small or large, that’s where the role of inventory analysts come in. With acute commercial awareness and the ability to interpret and implement data on consumer spending and trends, our alumna from the Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Accounting programme takes us her role as a top-notch Senior Inventory analyst at an oilfield services company Schlumberger.
Hemashanthini is responsible for closing activities specialising in product cost and inventory reporting for MENA (Middle East and North Africa) covering Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Iraq, Pakistan, Oman and Yemen. She is also responsible for operational PCPR analysis, including trend analysis, variance analysis of average unit cost and sales price, enabling operations to make decisions on revision of contract pricing and business profitability.
What is your company’s vision and mission?
“Our goal at Schlumberger is to efficiently deliver energy in today’s dynamic and competitive environment. Customers need richer data and deeper insights to achieve a level of performance not previously possible across the industry. By working to decarbonise operations through the company’s Transition Technologies portfolio as well as investing in new energy technology ventures, the company is advancing sustainability within the industry and helping customers reduce their environmental footprint across the E&P life cycle.”
How has your company/what you do contributed to your country and community?
“PETRONAS has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Schlumberger to jointly explore opportunities in the areas of sustainability, digital and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies as well as research and development (R&D) projects. Under the MoU, PETRONAS and Schlumberger will perform key sustainability initiatives such as the setup of a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Centre of Excellence, encompassing a cloud-based data repository for carbon storage, carbon dioxide (CO2) separation technologies and competency development programme as well as emissions management. This is aligned to PETRONAS’ efforts to establish Malaysia as a leading CCS solutions hub in the region. It is also well known for its early career which was provided to fresh graduates in Malaysia. Schlumberger Malaysia voted 4th most attractive Engineering and 5th most attractive Business Process Outsourcing/Shared services employer for 2019.”
What did you study in Limkokwing and how did that influence or assist with what you’re doing today?
“While studying Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Accounting at Limkokwing University, the knowledge which was taught on the accounting standards such as US GAAP and IFRS is applicable on my daily job as it’s important for an accountant to be compliant to the accounting standards and policies. I’ve also learned a lot on corporate tax, auditing and financial reporting which has helped me on statutory reporting of inventory for fiscal purposes, liaising with the tax team, internal and external auditors.”
When and how did you discover your passion for your work?
“I discovered passion for my work during my 3 months internship at a small accounting firm where I was given the opportunity to explore the finance field which later trained me to be more knowledgeable and confident. Upon completing my degree, I applied for work in Schlumberger KL Finance Hub and I was offered an Inventory Analyst role. This has given me a good opportunity to work in a diversified company where I was introduced to people from around the world, similar to the environment in Limkokwing University.”
Which projects are you most excited about and which is your favourite at the moment?
“The most exciting project which I was involved in is called OOB Clearance (out of balances between AR & AP) automation project where it’s a part of the process improvement done for better visibility on the balances and eliminates the manual work done. It gives me additional knowledge on Power BI, PowerApps and office 365. I was also involved in SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) I did review and gap analysis of SWI (Standard Work Instruction) and drafting SOP (for inventory, P2P and R2R related processes. It’s my favourite because it gives me more insight on the job and also on the process.”
Looking forward what are you aiming to achieve?
“I’m looking forward to the Leadership role & responsibility in handling escalations from the field in response to month end closing activities - providing training, coaching team members, attending meetings with heads of departments and participating in the decision-making process is part of it which I’m currently aiming for in the company.”
Tell us about some of the challenges you faced because of the pandemic and how you overcame them.
“Since the Covid-19 pandemic has shaken up companies globally, the company has introduced work from home (wfh) to reduce the spread of infection and it was definitely not easy as time was poorly managed and to overcome this the company has given the flexibility even before pandemic to the employee as long as the job was done perfectly. It was hard but it was manageable eventually.”
Is there any advice for students who are looking to pursue the same path as yours?
“I’m grateful for completing my studies at Limkokwing University along with students from more than 160 countries. This makes my interaction easy at my job as it requires me to deal with people around the world. This is one of my reasons why I chose Schlumberger as a place to grow in my career as an accountant. In a nutshell, the knowledge that is gained through the courses is important as its applicable in the working field in order to be successful.”
