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.