Role Purpose
To provide strategic and operational financial leadership across Kores (India) Limited and its five diverse businesses, ensuring sustainable profitable growth, strong financial discipline, effective capital allocation, robust governance and operational excellence.
The CFO will act as a strategic business partner to the JMD, Board and Business Heads, driving financial performance, cash flow optimization, risk management and value creation. The role will establish a common financial governance and performance management framework across the Group while ensuring business-specific financial insights and accountability. Kores runs a lean corporate centre, so the CFO is expected to be hands-on and to build a compact, high-calibre finance team.
Key Responsibilities
Group Financial Strategy & Business Partnership
● Develop and execute the Group's financial strategy aligned with business objectives and long-term growth plans.
● Partner with the JMD, Board and Business Heads on strategic planning, business expansion, investment decisions and financial performance improvement.
● Establish Group-wide financial policies and the financial performance management framework, and set the financial limits within the group delegation-of-authority matrix (owned by the CCO).
● Drive financial accountability, profitability, cost consciousness and return on capital across all five businesses.
● Provide strategic financial insights and recommendations to support management and Board-level decision-making.
Financial Planning, Budgeting & Performance Management
● Lead annual budgeting, business planning, periodic forecasting and long-range financial planning across all businesses.
● Establish a structured monthly financial review covering revenue, margins, EBITDA, operating costs, cash flow and working capital, and present the financial performance pack at the monthly business review chaired by the JMD.
● Analyse actual performance against budgets, forecasts and prior-year results, identifying variances, risks and corrective actions.
● Develop business-wise financial dashboards and KPIs reflecting the unique operating models and profitability drivers of each business.
● Work with Business Heads to improve margins, pricing, product/customer profitability, productivity and overall financial performance.
● Identify underperforming business areas and drive time-bound financial improvement and turnaround plans.
Treasury, Cash Flow & Working Capital Management
● Oversee Group treasury, liquidity planning, banking relationships, funding requirements and financing costs.
● Drive improvement in receivables, inventory, payables and cash conversion cycles.
● Establish robust cash flow forecasting, fund utilization monitoring and liquidity management processes.
● Strengthen customer credit management, overdue recovery and working capital controls.
● Optimize borrowing structures and monitor debt covenants, interest rate exposures and foreign exchange risks, where applicable.
Capital Allocation & Investment Management
● Evaluate capital expenditure, capacity expansion, new business opportunities and strategic investments.
● Establish investment evaluation criteria, financial hurdle rates and approval mechanisms.
● Assess investment proposals through appropriate financial metrics, including ROI, ROCE, payback period, NPV and IRR.
● Monitor capital deployment, project costs and realization of expected financial benefits; the CCO tracks physical execution of major plant projects.
● Advise the JMD and Board on acquisitions, divestments, joint ventures, restructuring and other strategic financial decisions, leading valuation, deal economics and financing structure, with the CCO covering legal, secretarial and people aspects.
Financial Reporting, Accounting & Governance
● Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, management accounts and Group-level financial statements.
● Oversee accounting policies, financial consolidation and statutory audits; partner with internal audit (which reports to the Audit Committee) on remediation of control findings.
● Establish and monitor internal financial controls, approval processes and financial risk mitigation measures.
● Ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards, Companies Act, taxation laws and other statutory requirements.
● Strengthen financial transparency, fraud prevention, asset protection and accountability across all businesses.
● Coordinate with the Company Secretary, Legal, Tax and external advisors on financial governance and regulatory matters.
Cost Optimization & Operational Finance
● Drive cost optimization and margin improvement across the Group, working with the CCO's manufacturing excellence programme on plant efficiency.
● Partner with Operations, Procurement, Supply Chain and Sales teams to improve material costs, logistics and overheads, and quantify the financial impact of manufacturing efficiency initiatives.
● Strengthen product costing, standard costing, variance analysis and cost-to-serve measurement.
● Improve asset utilization, inventory efficiency, procurement effectiveness and resource productivity.
● Set measurable cost improvement targets, validate savings claimed by businesses and plants, and run periodic realization reviews.
Taxation & Statutory Compliance
● Oversee direct and indirect taxation, tax planning, assessments, litigation and dispute resolution.
● Ensure timely and accurate statutory filings and compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.
● Identify tax exposures and implement appropriate mitigation measures.
● Evaluate the tax implications of business transactions, investments and restructuring initiatives.
Risk Management
● Establish a comprehensive financial risk management framework covering liquidity, credit, market, compliance and operational risks.
● Monitor customer concentration, credit exposures, inventory obsolescence and other significant financial vulnerabilities.
● Ensure appropriate financial risk reporting, mitigation plans and escalation mechanisms.
● Maintain the financial risk register as an input to the enterprise risk register owned by the CCO; support business continuity planning and insurance reviews.
Finance Transformation & Digitalization
● Lead the development of a technology-enabled, data-driven and business-oriented Finance function.
● Act as business owner for finance systems (SAP FI/CO), driving ERP utilization, finance process automation, reporting automation, dashboards and business intelligence, with Group IT (under the CCO) as delivery partner.
● Standardize core finance processes, reporting formats, financial controls and review mechanisms across businesses.
● Improve the monthly financial closure cycle, forecast accuracy, reporting quality and audit readiness.
● Establish a reliable Group MIS providing timely visibility into profitability, working capital, cash flow and business risks.
Leadership & Team Development
● Build and lead a lean, high-performing Group Finance team across business finance, accounting, treasury, taxation and financial planning.
● Divisional finance heads report to their Business Heads with a dotted line to the CFO; their appointment and exit require the CFO’s concurrence.
● Establish clear roles, responsibilities, performance expectations and accountability within the Finance function.
● Develop finance talent, succession plans and business partnering capabilities.
● Foster a culture of integrity, collaboration, financial discipline and continuous improvement
Candidate Profile: Qualifications & Experience
● Chartered Accountant (CA) is preferred; an MBA in Finance or an equivalent relevant qualification would be an advantage.
● Typically 18–25 years of progressive experience in Finance, including significant experience in senior finance leadership positions.
● Proven experience in a diversified business group, conglomerate or multi-business organization.
● Strong exposure to financial planning and analysis, business finance, treasury, working capital, taxation, financial reporting and internal controls.
● Experience in manufacturing, industrial, trading, distribution or B2B businesses would be advantageous.
● Demonstrated experience in partnering with CEOs, promoters, Boards and Business Heads.
● Exposure to business transformation, cost optimization, capital allocation and financial restructuring would be an advantage.
Key Competencies
● Strategic thinking and commercial acumen.
● Strong financial analysis and decision-making capability.
● Business partnering and stakeholder management.
● Cash flow and working capital orientation.
● Capital allocation and investment evaluation.
● Governance, compliance and risk management.
● Leadership, team development and talent management.
● Change management and digital orientation.
● Strong communication, influencing and negotiation skills.
● High integrity, ownership and execution focus.
Role Expectations
The CFO is expected to operate as a strategic business partner and value creator, going beyond traditional accounting and financial control responsibilities. The incumbent must understand the distinct economics of the Group's five businesses, provide actionable financial insights, challenge business assumptions constructively and drive measurable improvements in profitability, cash flow and capital productivity.
The role requires a balance of strategic perspective, operational understanding, financial discipline and execution capability, ensuring that the Group's growth is supported by strong financial fundamentals, effective governance and sustainable shareholder value creation.
