Editor’s note: In today’s A Day in the Life, Sunil Golecha (pictured), Vice President of Finance (CFO) for Japan & Asia Pacific (JAPAC) at Palo Alto Networks, shares with FutureCFO audiences how CFOs are now playing a prominent role in shaping the cybersecurity agenda and how traveling the world has played a vital role in shaping his worldview.
FutureCFO: What does a typical day look like for you?
Sunil Golecha (SG): The most exciting part of my job is that no two days are quite the same.
Each day presents a mix of new challenges, opportunities, and learning experiences. One day I might be presenting at Palo Alto Networks’ flagship conference Ignite on Tour in Bangkok or Hanoi. The next day I might be negotiating a complex deal with a customer in Mumbai. The following day I might be strategising with our business leaders on how to win in an emerging market or enhance our market position.
Ultimately, my primary focus is driving long-term, sustainable growth for the company and maximising shareholder returns. This involves identifying, evaluating, and prioritising top growth vectors across the highly diverse APAC market, and investing capital and resources into the most promising opportunities.
To do this effectively, I spend considerable time interacting with our customers and business partners to understand their key priorities and local market dynamics, and implement programs that foster mutual commercial success.
I also make time to celebrate our team’s achievements and have a bit of fun after a hectic quarter.
FutureCFO: What excites you the most when you work with the Finance Function?
SG: CFOs are now playing a prominent role in shaping the cybersecurity agenda by collaborating closely with CIOs, CISOs, and the Board.
Our role involves translating unknown business risks and threats into measurable financial impact, ensuring all stakeholders have a firm grasp of the exposures and opportunities.
Cybersecurity is the most critical and consequential risk today, demanding a strong governance framework and real-time visibility in an ever-evolving threat landscape. This dynamic risk environment, coupled with our responsibility as finance leaders to facilitate informed decision-making, makes this work profoundly rewarding.
My discussions with client CFOs often revolve around how Palo Alto Networks’ cybersecurity platforms and solutions could help them accelerate business growth through digital transformation and securely adopting new technologies such as AI, while mitigating serious cyber threats, consolidating vendors, and optimising cybersecurity spend.
These interactions are typically structured and grounded in sound business logic, employing scenario planning, financial analysis, and defining measurable metrics like Return on Security Investment (ROSI), rather than relying on subjective parameters, intangible metrics, and anecdotal evidence.
Speaking the same "CFO language" really helps and invariably leads us to similar conclusions and business decisions.
FutureCFO: Can you share an experience which was key to your professional growth?
SG: Back in 2015 when I was working at a different organisation, I was offered the unique opportunity to take on a sales leadership role to grow our enterprise solutions business with global MNCs headquartered in Asia.
I grabbed it with both hands and built a regional team covering the top corporations spanning highly diverse markets from Japan to Indonesia.
During the two-year stint, I developed a plethora of new skills such as building deep CXO relationships, navigating intense competitive dynamics, delivering impactful executive presentations, and negotiating complex multi-million dollar deals with finance, legal, and procurement teams, while unlocking a massive untapped market.
It was the most challenging, enriching, and rewarding experience of my professional life, which pushed me far outside my comfort zone, making me a more effective, empathetic, and holistic business leader today.
This has helped me immensely in making better business decisions as a CFO. I strongly encourage all aspiring leaders to take on such opportunities to stretch their boundaries and truly grow in their careers.
FutureCFO: Is there anything outside work—such as a travel experience, a book, participation in a sport event or any volunteering experience—that serves as an important inspiration to your work or life?
SG: Hailing from a family of entrepreneurs, I was always confident that I had the business acumen to be successful in the corporate world. But I didn’t have any international exposure, and my outlook was quite narrow, mostly confined to the Indian market.
Over the years, the cultural experiences from living on three continents and traveling the world have played a vital role in shaping my worldview and broader outlook towards life.
I would also credit my volunteering with Hagar, an international non-profit focused on supporting victims of trafficking, slavery, and abuse, in shaping my values.
My work with Hagar over the past 10 years has taught me the importance of empathy, compassion, and community impact, which are critical to being successful as a leader.
I get a great sense of purpose, pride, and satisfaction when I hear the inspirational recovery and rehabilitation stories of the victims we support. It provides me with a unique perspective of life beyond business and finance, keeps me grounded, and reinforces my value system and priorities in life.
Sunil Golecha, Vice President of Finance (CFO) for Japan & Asia Pacific (JAPAC), Palo Alto Networks
I feel incredibly privileged and fortunate to be able to touch the lives of those in need in a positive way. In the process, I have also made lifelong friends at my Hagar family.
