KANIKA SHARMA

Led strategic financial initiatives and business partnerships across multiple units while driving process optimization and automation.

Client : Sohar Aluminum
Project : SAP FSCM,SAP FICO
Environment : SAP ECC 6.0,SAP S/4HANA
Role : SAP FI Consultant
Duration : Mar-2024 till 3rd April-2024
Roles and Responsibilities:-

SAP Implementation & Optimization:

• End-to-End SAP S/4HANA Implementation: Successfully led 1-2 full-cycle implementations of SAP S/4HANA FICO, including Record-to-Report (R2R) processes, excluding support projects.
• SAP FICO Expertise: Configured and optimized core functionalities in Accounts Payable (AP), Accounts Receivable (AR), Finance, Controlling, and Product Costing, ensuring seamless integration with business scenarios.
• CIN Knowledge: Applied considerable expertise in Country India Version (CIN) to address localization requirements for Indian clients.
• Integration Experience: Managed the integration of SAP FICO with other modules such as MM and SD, ensuring smooth data flow and process efficiency.
• Business Process Optimization: Analyzed "as-is" processes and designed "to-be" processes to align with organizational goals, improving operational efficiency.
• Documentation: Authored detailed functional specifications, configuration documents, and user manuals to support implementation and post-go-live operations.
• Team Collaboration: Worked effectively with both small and large teams, mentoring junior consultants and ensuring high-quality deliverables independently.

• Client : UK-AMS
  Project : Forecast Management
  Environment : SAP Analytics Cloud, Spreadsheet
  Role : Manager
  Duration : Sept-2023 till Feb-2024
  Roles and Responsibilities:
  Supervised monthly, quarterly, and annual closing activities, ensuring compliance with statutory and internal reporting requirements.
• Partnered directly with business unit leaders to develop and execute financial strategies, delivering critical insights for decision-making.
• Led initiatives for efficiency improvement, cost optimization, acquisition strategies, third-party bidding, and financial modeling.
• Developed and maintained scorecards tracking key financial metrics across business units to enable data-driven decisions.
• Enhanced the monthly review/reporting process for improved clarity and actionable insights.
• Formulated budgets for the Capex unit and managed fund flow aligned with project execution schedules.
• Provided monthly management reports, including in-depth analysis of key business drivers, cost-to-complete evaluations, trends, variances, and corrective actions.

Drove strategic financial planning and business partnership while optimizing operations and enhancing controls.

Strategic Financial Management & Reporting

• Drove strategic financial planning and business partnership while optimizing operations and enhancing controls.
• Prepared monthly MIS reports, annual financial statements, and royalty reports, ensuring compliance with IFRS and IND AS.
• Streamlined financial reporting processes, reducing preparation time by 30% while improving accuracy and transparency.

Accounts Finalization & Taxation Compliance

• Established robust month-end closing procedures and optimized revenue cycle policies across order-to-cash processes.
• Managed statutory audits, GST & TDS compliance, R&D tax credits, VAT, PF/ESI inspections, and US tax compliance for third-party clients.
• Led a team of tax professionals to mitigate risks and ensure adherence to federal, state, and local regulations.

Audit & Internal Controls

• Enhanced internal controls through risk mitigation strategies, achieving a 15% reduction in operational risks.
• Facilitated smooth audit completion by liaising with auditors and implementing corrective actions.

Strategic Planning & Business Partnership

• Partnered with senior management to develop financial risk management frameworks aligned with business objectives.
• Conducted scenario analysis and financial modeling for acquisitions, cost optimization, and third-party bidding processes.

Team Leadership & Process Optimization

• Mentored a high-performing finance team and implemented centralized regulatory reporting databases used by 15+ stakeholders.
• Automated financial processes using QuickBooks, improving operational efficiency by 40%.

• Drove strategic financial planning and business partnership initiatives
• Led budgeting and financial controls implementation
• Provided strategic insights to key stakeholders through detailed financial analysis

SAP Implementation & Financial Management:

• Led SAP (S/4HANA with Public Cloud) to manage financial operations, including preparation of financial statements, budgeting, invoicing, and cost management
• Monitored tax law to provide insights into project performance
• Configured and optimized SAP GL, AR/AP, and Banking modules to align with financial best practices
• Facilitated Fit-to-Standard workshops and guided customers through cloud transformations using SAP Activate methodology

• Managed a complete set of accounts (AR/AP/GL), assisted with year-end closing, and prepared reconciliations (bank, stock) and audit schedules
• Supported financial forecasting, variance analysis, and the budgeting process, providing financial insights to inform decision-making
• Improved accounting and compliance processes while ensuring accurate and compliant financial transactions
• Created functional and technical specifications, oversaw testing, and ensured seamless integration of SAP Finance modules within Public Cloud

• Configured and maintained FI-related settings as an SAP end-user, enabling the creation of specific ledgers to meet diverse reporting and legal requirements
• Managed the company's financial transactions within SAP, ensuring a centralized and reliable financial data repository
• Conducted in-depth profitability analysis across products, customers, and business segments to provide actionable insights that supported strategic decision-making

• Managed international financial accounting for US banks, ensuring compliance
• Led SAP implementations, handling everything from requirements to configuration
• Managed US tax compliance for third-party clients, ensuring adherence to federal, state, and local regulations. This included overseeing accurate and timely tax filings, advising on regulatory updates, and handling expatriate tax obligations.
• Collaborated with global teams to provide comprehensive tax planning and reporting for expatriates, addressing cross-border complexities.

• Supported global financial accounting as part of the P2P Vendor Management team for AstraZeneca (Sweden) using SAP ERP 6.0
• Streamlined vendor onboarding and data/invoice processing
• Managed vendor invoices and purchase orders to optimize procurement
• Enhanced the Procure-to-Pay process through improved tracking and lifecycle management, ensuring compliance and efficiency
• Developed expertise in vendor master data management