Chief Financial Officer

Project Keystone | Confidential | Publicly Listed Consumer Company

We are seeking a Chief Financial Officer for a publicly listed, high - growth, multi - channel consumer company with manufacturing facilities, warehouses, a dealer and distributor network, and a significant retail presence.

The CFO will be a business - first, strategic finance leader responsible for partnering with the leadership team to drive growth and performance, managing key external stakeholders - including the board, investors, and analysts - and building a rigorous, scalable finance function across controllership, taxation, business finance, governance, and compliance.

This is a confidential replacement search. Further details will be shared with shortlisted candidates under an NDA.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Finance and Business Partnering:

Serve as a trusted thought partner to the founders and CEO on:

• Capital allocation across categories, channels, and strategic priorities
• Investment decisions and trade - offs
• Long - term value creation and portfolio - level choices

Lead business planning and strategic performance management:

• Assess and challenge returns across cost centres and major investments
• Evaluate capital expenditure proposals through rigorous business cases and return thresholds
• Translate strategic priorities into measurable financial plans and outcomes

Drive enterprise - wide financial planning and analysis:

• Annual operating plans, rolling forecasts, scenario planning, and sensitivity analysis
• Category - , channel - , and business - level P&Ls
• Performance dashboards that provide timely visibility into growth, profitability, cash flow, and returns

2. Board, Investor and External Stakeholder Management:

Own end - to - end engagement with the board and public - market stakeholders:

• Quarterly earnings preparation, investor presentations, scripts, Q&A, and follow - up
• Regular interactions with mutual funds, institutional investors, analysts, and other market participants

Shape and communicate the company's equity story:

• Develop a clear narrative linking strategy, execution, operating performance, and financial outcomes
• Ensure transparent, high - quality disclosures across annual reports, investor communications, and statutory filings

Lead or support capital - raising, banking, credit - rating, and structured - finance discussions, as required.

3. Controllership and Governance:

Embed a zero - leakage, zero - wastage mindset across finance operations:

• Strengthen accounts payable, accounts receivable, treasury, reconciliations, and working - capital controls
• Establish clear approval frameworks, financial limits, and exception - management processes
• Ensure accurate and timely book closure, consolidation, and financial reporting in accordance with applicable accounting standards.

Build a robust internal - control and enterprise - risk framework:

• Detect and prevent fraud, financial leakage, control failures, and operational lapses
• Eliminate repeat penalties, delayed filings, compliance failures, and avoidable financial losses
• Strengthen audit readiness and accountability across the organization

4. Taxation and Compliance:

Oversee all direct and indirect taxation matters, including:

• GST across factories, warehouses, retail stores, dealer and distributor networks, and e - commerce operations
• Corporate income tax, TDS, transfer pricing, and related tax matters

Ensure compliance with all statutory, regulatory, and industrial requirements:

• Company law, SEBI and LODR requirements, and other obligations applicable to a listed company
• Labour, factory, and industrial compliances across manufacturing, warehousing, and retail operations

Own relationships with statutory and internal auditors, tax consultants, legal advisors, and regulatory stakeholders, ensuring timely resolution and no surprises.

5. Organization Building and Systems:

Build a high - calibre and future - ready finance organization:

• Hire, develop, and empower a strong Financial Controller and Business Finance leadership team
• Build succession depth at the CFO - 1 and CFO - 2 levels
• Develop high - potential finance talent, including strong Chartered Accountants with five to eight years of experience

Drive greater process, systems, and planning discipline:

• Strengthen and scale the ERP environment, including platforms such as SAP
• Standardize financial and operating processes across factories, warehouses, distribution networks, and retail operations
• Improve data quality, reporting consistency, automation, and decision support

Build a finance culture that:

• Challenges the business constructively and independently
• Operates as a commercial and strategic partner rather than a transactional function
• Promotes accountability, financial discipline, and frugality across the organization

Candidate Profile:

Experience:

• 15 - 25 years of progressive experience across finance, with meaningful exposure to large or upper - mid - sized, multi - category and multi - channel businesses.
• Experience in sectors such as FMCG, consumer products, retail, e - commerce, consumer internet, logistics, or other businesses with comparable operating complexity.
• Strong exposure to publicly listed companies, ideally spanning both pre - IPO and post - IPO environments.
• Demonstrated leadership across:

• Controllership, audit, and financial reporting
• Business finance, FP&A, and performance management
• Direct and indirect taxation, particularly in GST - intensive operating environments
• Board, investor, banking, and external stakeholder management

Prior CFO experience in a listed or late - stage company is preferred. Strong CFO - 1 or senior finance leaders ready to step up will also be considered, provided they demonstrate the maturity, breadth, and external orientation required for the role.

Qualifications:

Chartered Accountant qualification is strongly preferred.

Additional qualifications such as Company Secretary, MBA, or CFA would be an advantage.

Competencies and Attributes:

Business - first orientation: Thinks beyond accounting and controls, with a strong understanding of markets, customers, categories, channels, profitability, and returns on capital.

Strategic judgment: Can engage meaningfully on portfolio choices, investment priorities, and capital allocation over a three - to five - year horizon.

Financial storytelling and communication: Able to translate complex financial and operating information into clear, credible, and compelling narratives for the board, investors, analysts, and internal stakeholders.

High ownership and bias for action: A hands - on leader who goes beyond meetings and reviews, gets to the root of issues, and drives them through to resolution.

Organization - building capability: Demonstrated ability to attract, develop, and retain high - quality finance talent, including building a strong controllership and business finance bench.

Comfort with complexity: Able to operate effectively across factories, warehouses, retail stores, dealer and distributor networks, and digital channels, while bringing structure to a complex operating environment.

Integrity and sound judgment: Maintains the highest standards of governance, transparency, and compliance, with zero tolerance for shortcuts, financial engineering, or avoidable risk.