This CA left India for Nigeria at the age of 22: How his bold decision led him to become a CFO under the age of 30

• Hi! I am Ashish Agarwal, a chartered accountant (CA) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Jiva, an agriculture technology startup backed by Olam International.
• At the age of 22, I took a bold decision and left home for Africa despite the stereotypes about the continent (including its economy).
• Pushing myself out of my comfort zone proved to be beneficial because, within just six years of starting my career, I became the CFO of OK Foods, one of Olam’s subsidiaries, in 2017.
• Here is my journey.

Friends influenced me to be a CA

Growing up in the Marwari business community in Rajasthan, Science was never really my cup of tea. Therefore, after Grade 10, I chose the next best thing – Commerce.

Unfortunately, we did not have career counseling back in 2006, so there was no exposure to various career choices.

I wondered what my next move would be.