A Flexible Finance Career While Becoming a Dad
For Tejas, Baxter's culture allow him to strike a healthy work-life balance.
Q: What’s your current role at Baxter?
Tejas: I am the Head of Finance for the U.S. Hospital Products & BioPharma Solutions organizations and I also oversee the U.S. Credit and Collections Team.
Q: How long have you been with Baxter?
Tejas: I came to Baxter almost 12 years ago because I wanted to continue to work in the healthcare industry. I’ve stayed because of our mission, the culture and the people at Baxter.
Q: You’ve been in various roles, can you elaborate?
Tejas: I've grown at Baxter over these past 12 years and have been in a variety of Finance roles, each of them providing me with a unique opportunity to learn and develop. I’ve been in roles in corporate, within Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) and Investor Relations. I've also spent time in commercial finance roles and I was able to gain international experience by spending a couple of years in Singapore. When I came back to the United States, and before I joined my current role, I was supporting the Business Transformation Office, developing our Total Shareholder Return (TSR) model and leading our Finance FP&A transformation project.
Q: You’re also a dad. How has that impacted your career?
Tejas: I am a proud dad to two young boys, eight and four years old. Both my wife and I work, and when she was pregnant with our first child we made a conscious decision on how to tackle this new responsibility. I think it’s different for everyone, but for us, what makes sense is how we spend time with the kids. My mantra has been to be present in what you’re in. If you’re at work be present at work, and if you’re home, be present at home. I carve out time to make sure I am there for the kids, whether it’s dropping them off at school or heading out in the afternoon to accompany one of my sons to tennis practice.
Baxter gives me the flexibility I need to be an active and present dad.
Tejas Kheradiya, vice president, finance, on Baxter's recognition as one Working Mother’s 2019 'Best Companies for Dads.'
Q: What does workplace flexibility mean to you?
Tejas: Baxter's workplace flexibility is great. As an example, I had a parent-teacher conference at 3 p.m. Afterwards, I could have come back to the office, I could have come home and continued to work, or I could have spent more time with my sons, and did my work after they are in bed, it was up to me and what worked for me and my team, as long as the work gets done. It’s great that I can step out for a bit to manage my personal life as long as I deliver what’s needed. It gives me the flexibility I need to be an active and present dad.
Q: What has been the best part of your career?
Tejas: I started off my career at Baxter by painting a clear picture of what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. And then I went on this journey that took me all over the organization. I gained so many experiences – I moved up, down and to the side, and all those experiences enriched me, and got me to where I am today. I’ve learned from them all.
Q: Looking back, what advice would you give yourself?
Tejas: Be ready for a life in constant change. I’ve learned that I should focus on what can be controllable and how to prioritize my time.