Diksha Chugani

I founded Simplified Trade Advisory last year after over 15 years in international trade compliance. My career has taken me across the globe - from Singapore where I'm from, to London, and primarily throughout the U.S., though given the nature of my work, I collaborate with clients and teams worldwide. I fell into trade compliance somewhat accidentally when I was studying marketing and economics in college and saw an internship opportunity at Ernst & Young in Singapore that mentioned free trade agreements. I interned with them for 2 or 3 summers and absolutely loved the team and the work - it was challenging even as an intern because no day in the life of an international trade compliance person is ever the same. When I graduated, they asked if I'd be interested in joining full-time, and that's where my journey truly began. My biggest professional achievement has been setting up global trade compliance functions from the ground up for companies. I love going in, identifying what's broken and what needs to be fixed, but most importantly, realizing you can't fix everything at once and finding ways to prioritize based on risk and reward. As a compliance professional, I'm naturally risk-averse - it's in our DNA - so I typically look for the biggest risks first. What excites me most is working with people across every single function in a company to build something that actually works in a sensible way, then scaling it up to make it world-class. Starting my own company has been a reflection of all the experience and knowledge I've gained, but it's also about how I want to work now. With two young kids and a husband with a busy job, I needed to find more balance and prioritize family. This venture allows me to put in the hours I can and scale it the way that makes the most sense over time. I'm specifically targeting small and medium enterprises looking to expand internationally who don't yet have the resources or knowledge for trade compliance - those are the companies I feel need help most. On the side, I'm also a fitness instructor teaching dance fitness, which I've been doing for about 10 years. It puts you in front of people, makes you put yourself out there, and has been fascinating in building confidence that translates directly to my career.