General Manager - Finance & Accounts

1. Profile & Background

Experience Level: 12-18 years in finance, ideally with exposure to hospitality, trading, or distribution businesses.

Qualification: Chartered Accountant (CA) or MBA (Finance). A CA with strong commercial exposure works best for mid-sized companies like yours.

Age Band: Mid-40s (mature, but still hungry to prove themselves).

2. Core Competencies

Strategic Finance:

• Budgeting, forecasting, cost control.
• Designing financial dashboards for MD & CEO (not day-to-day, but decision-ready numbers).

Compliance & Governance:

• GST, taxation, FEMA, foreign remittances, statutory filings.
• Strong internal control mindset.

Commercial Acumen:

• Vendor negotiations, credit control, margin improvement.
• Ability to balance risk vs growth when expanding into new regions (like Thailand, IPO prep, etc.).

Tech-Savvy:

• Comfort with automation tools (ClickUp, Tally, Zoho/ERP).
• Should push your finance team towards process + system orientation (your long-term vision).

3. Leadership Style

• Hands-on initially, then delegative. They should train team to take independent ownership.
• Mentor & Builder, not just Controller. Should empower the team, but also hold them accountable with clear KPIs.
• Boardroom Ready. Able to speak confidently with investors, auditors, banks, and international suppliers.

4. Ideal Role Definition

Mandate (first 6-12 months):

• Streamline reporting: MIS, dashboards, cost centers.
• Strengthen controls: credit, receivables, compliance.
• Prepare for fundraising / IPO readiness (medium-term).
• Free MD (you) from daily numbers - escalate only exceptions.