Main Responsibilities of a Director of Strategic Finance at Tala
Zu, Tala's Director of Strategic Finance, ensures "the company make profitable business decisions" by collaborating with various teams, focusing on product development—analyzing costs and customer behavior impacts—and user acquisition, optimizing marketing spend across channels like "Facebook ads" and "Google Ads." This involves both "classic finance work," creating financial reports for stakeholders, and strategic financial planning to support Tala's microfinance operations.
Financial Analysis, Decision Making, Cross-functional Teamwork, Product Strategy, Financial Reporting
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Zu Daya
Director of Strategic Finance
Tala
University of Toronto
MBA, University of Toronto
Biology & Related Sciences, Economics
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Finance
International Student, Honors Student, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Zu works cross-functionally with product, marketing, HR, sales, and account teams to help them make sound business decisions.
2. Zu and her team focus on product decisions, including cost analysis and impact on customer behavior, and user acquisition strategies such as determining marketing spend and channels.
3. Zu's team prepares financial dashboards and reports for investors and board members to provide a business overview and keep them updated on financial performance.
Transcript
What are your main responsibilities within your current role?
At Talla, as a Director of Strategic Finance, my team's overarching objective is to help the company make profitable business decisions. We work cross-functionally with all business units, including product, marketing, HR, and sales.
My specific role involves close collaboration with the product team. At Talla, we're a FinTech company providing microfinance and microloans, typically ranging from $50 to $500, to individuals outside the U.S. I ensure our product decisions, updates, and features align with financial sense.
This includes analyzing the cost of new features and understanding how they might impact customer behavior. Another key responsibility for my team is growth.
We determine the optimal marketing spend and identify the most effective channels, such as Facebook or Google Ads. This involves strategizing on the right amount of investment for user acquisition.
Finally, we handle more traditional finance tasks. This includes developing financial dashboards and reports for investors and board members, providing them with a clear overview of the business's financial health and keeping everyone updated.