Krishna Pearls - Executive/Advisory Director - Financial Management

Engagement Type: Part-time / Retainer (10-15 days per month)

Reporting To: Managing Director / Board

Location: Hybrid / On-site as required

Role Purpose

The Executive / Advisory Director - Financial Management will act as a strategic finance leader and board-level advisor, responsible for designing and driving cost-optimal financial strategies, ensuring statutory and secretarial compliance, optimizing capital structure and cost of capital, and improving store, location, and product-wise productivity and profitability.

This role is outcome-oriented and will ensure that all financial initiatives are planned, operationalized, monitored, and delivered within defined timelines and quality standards.

Key Responsibilities

1. Cost Strategy & Financial Efficiency

- Design and implement a cost-optimization roadmap across operations, procurement, inventory, manpower, and overheads.

- Identify leakage points and inefficiencies; drive corrective actions with functional heads.

- Establish cost benchmarks and track adherence on a periodic basis.

2. Capital Structure & Cost of Capital

- Review and optimize the company's capital structure (equity, debt, working capital).

- Advise on funding strategies, borrowing costs, and cash flow optimization.

- Ensure efficient working capital cycles, especially inventory and receivables.

3. Store / Location / Product-wise Productivity

- Develop and institutionalize store-wise, location-wise, and product-wise profitability metrics.

- Identify underperforming stores/products and recommend turnaround or exit strategies.

- Enable data-driven decision-making for expansion, consolidation, or rationalization.

4. Secretarial, Statutory & Governance Oversight

- Ensure compliance with all statutory, regulatory, and secretarial requirements.

- Oversee board processes, filings, audits, and governance frameworks (in coordination with internal/external CS and auditors).

- Strengthen internal controls, risk management, and financial governance.

5. Planning, Monitoring & Governance

- Translate strategic objectives into clear financial plans, milestones, and KPIs.

- Review performance dashboards and ensure timely course correction.

- Present periodic insights and recommendations to the MD and Board.

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

- Measurable reduction in controllable costs.

- Improved EBITDA and cash flow predictability.

- Optimized capital deployment and reduced cost of capital.

- Clear profitability visibility by store, location, and product.

- Strong compliance, governance, and audit hygiene.

Ideal Profile

- 15+ years of senior finance leadership experience (CFO / Finance Director / Advisor).

- Strong background in retail, consumer business, or multi-location operations (preferred).

- Deep expertise in cost optimization, capital structuring, and governance.

- Ability to operate as a hands-on strategic advisor, not just a reviewer.

- High integrity, business acumen, and board-level maturity.