I am Saseeban Kundumany; I am currently working as a Project Finance Controller and have over 7 years of experience. I started my career in the construction industry. I have worked on residential projects as well as extensive railway and road projects.

I was searching for a Post graduate programme that could be completed despite working full-time. I landed on this Global MBA programme offered by UniAthena in collaboration with the prestigious Abertay University. I find it flexible, affordable, and, most importantly, widely recognized. I firmly believe the coursework of the programme will equip me with the skills to shine in my current role and to move up the career ladder.

I am expecting to learn all the requisite skills required for managerial ranks or senior roles, and I believe I will acquire those pertinent skills and knowledge in this program.

I am aiming for a senior management position where I can analyze data, spot market trends, assess business needs, and make informed decisions for my Organization.  

I have acquired multiple skills through my bachelor’s degree education, which helped me enter the market and find a role that suits my skills and expectations and aligns with my career path. With the skills and experience that I gained from different roles over these years, I am well prepared to take on more challenges, and I expect that these MBA modules, in line with the industry landscape, will equip me with more skills to conquer business challenges.

I have accomplished a few challenging goals in my career and academic journey; one of such is completing the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. As a full-time working professional, it was hard for me to find time to prepare for that exam; however, I have planned well, prioritized my tasks, managed my time in an effective manner, and committed myself to studying for this exam. I was able to successfully complete and pass the exam with a meticulous A grade.

I believe honesty and hard work are the two most important attributes for anyone who wants to be successful in their career and  life in general. I've seen many talented professionals fail; they weren't as successful as their less talented counterparts because they weren't prepared to do hard work and were not honest with their roles or diligent. 

I have undertaken many challenges in my career. One of them is that I took on the responsibility to train the new recruits in my team without any explicit direction from the team leader. I have taken this responsibility on my shoulders on top of my everyday tasks, because neither my team leader nor my co-workers expressed any interest in training them. Our team was short staffed, and we were desperately waiting for some to help us with the workload and continue running the business as efficiently as possible. Consequently, under my guidance and training, the new team members were able to learn systems and processes much faster than expected. They were able to help us run the department without any interruptions.

I am not an avid book reader, but I would recommend any book that educates about financial knowledge because, in order to survive and thrive, as well as run a successful business in today’ market, it calls for a good understanding of the current financial system, different financial intuitions, vendors, and various financial products. 

I don't have a dream job in particular, but I dream of a job that challenges me, motivates me to learn more, and at the same time allows me to maintain an ideal work-life balance.

My message to professionals just starting out their careers is not to get settled in a job assuming that they have already learned everything. In the current competitive world, they should always be open and motivated to learn new skills, eager to learn from anyone, and willing to take on new challenges.