Paras Gupta

Finance Business Partner - Amazon Inc.

As Finance Business Partner at Amazon Inc., I am core team member responsible for successful launch of new marketplace. My role involves setting up mechanisms to drive finance function and provide comprehensive support to business team. I am accountable for reporting financial feasibility analyses to key stakeholders, including business leaders responsible for AMEA (Asia, Middle East, and Africa) region and finance leaders of AMEA region.

Key Responsibilities:

1. New Marketplace Launch: Played pivotal role in launch of new marketplace, ensuring seamless integration of finance processes and systems.

2. Financial Feasibility Analysis: Developed and presented detailed financial feasibility for new marketplace, considering performance indicators and key assumptions derived from other marketplaces across globe. Incorporated regional adjustments to drive profitability.

3. Business Support: Collaborated closely with the business team to provide financial insights, guidance, and analysis, aiding in decision-making and driving business growth.

4. Reporting: Prepared regular financial reports, including key performance indicators, budget variance analysis, and financial forecasts, to inform business leaders and key stakeholders of the marketplace's financial performance.

5. Stakeholder Management: Engaged with and presented financial updates and recommendations to key stakeholders, including business leaders and the finance leader of the AMEA region, ensuring alignment and informed decision-making.

• Project of entering a new demographics to execute investment of $100 Mn in first phase and establishing footprints from scratch
• Part of Core team from incorporation of company in a new country to getting various Exoneration’s and statutory tax benefits
• Responsible for establishing all financial and regulatory compliance mechanism in a new country, including but not limited to granting of SEZ Approvals, establishing of SAP controls, Establishing validation of exonerations from relevant independent authorities, funding approvals and arrangement of funds from banks.

• Starting from company registration to leading the entire Finance and Commercial Function for the Kellogg’s Instant Noodles (0 to $40M in 3 years) Segment across South Africa and SACU (Southern Africa Customs Union)
• Roles & Responsibilities in project phase:
• Preparation of Project feasibility report for entering a new segment of business in a new demography, including but not limited to getting approvals from Joint venture partners (with required approval matrix of ROI, NPV, IRR)
• Execution responsibility of forecast and assumptions in the approved feasibility, highlighting proactively risks and opportunities of achievements and deviations
• Creating team and support systems for operational handover
• Managing public relations due to public private partnership project in a new country with different regulations, successfully handled public private project of $25M
• Roles & Responsibilities in Operations Phase:
• Setting up systems, processes, and controls from scratch whilst ongoing project and trading in business
• Preparation and execution of Annual Operational plan based on assumptions of project feasibility reports
• Collaborate with multiple stakeholders in Kellogg’s -USA/Singapore/AMEA regions for Financial Planning and Analysis,
• Budgeting, Forecasting, Strategic Plans, and Statutory Compliance (Global and Local Regulations)
• Managing a Team of 10 People and maintaining passionate working environment
• Handling Treasury and Funding for Major Capital Projects and Working capital (Short Term and Import LC’s) needs of the business including but not limited to dealing with bankers and global treasury team aligning all relevant stakeholders
• Complying with US listed company requirements (SOX, Fin48, MRL’s) alongside minority stakeholders business requirement of ROI, NPAT delivery interest cost optimization
• Key Achievements:
• Track record of getting the audited financial statements before the end of first month from year end (2020 & 2021)
• Managing and delivering all the responsibilities which management and stakeholders entrusted with
• Started world class factory for Kellogg in record time of 11 Months despite covid scenarios which resulted in increased profitability by $7M annually, this project was a milestone for Kellogg Southern Africa business

• Management of accounting operations including Billing, A/R, A/P, G/L, Inventory/Cost Accounting and Revenue
• Recognition
• Analyze variances and communicates explanations to management with recommended actions
• Collaborates with General Manager, Plant accountants and senior management to explain results, make improvements, manage projects, identify inefficiencies, understand operations, and lead the development of operational analysis
• Deputized as Factory Manager on several occasions, which involved overseeing the entire factory, including 8 expats (engineer level personnel), 400 direct employees, and 200 indirect employees, as well as overseeing core Finance and
• Accounts, managing the Supply Chain, and making key decisions to resolve the problems faced in daily operations
• Key Achievements:
• Elected to consolidate and oversee ‘Operational’ and ‘Cost Feasibility’ for all noodle factories across Nigeria, as well as being part of ‘Annual Operating Plan’ for the whole company
• Instrumental role in implementing automation initiatives in ERP across the organization, driving efficiently and across organizational operations
• Played a pivotal role in the final settlement for the dissolution of factory negotiation with a third party, from the demand of $750K, to $80K in relation to disputed amounts
• Became part of decision-making team for the organization’s strategic 5-year plan

• Work with the sales and marketing team to define pricing structure for company products
• Draft strategic pricing plans and processes to improve existing projects
• Key Achievements:
• Received ‘Excellent Appraisal’ within 6 months of joining the organization, for handling several deals for company with operations team in absence of overseas manager due to his emergency leave within 2 months of joining

• Responsibilities:
• Successfully delivered audited and related services to several major clients throughout 4-year tenure, including: - Bharat Electronics Limited: Govt
• Of India, Ministry of Defense a Navaratnam company
• State bank of India: Central statutory audit of SBI
• Kailash Vahan Udyog Limited: A manufacturing concern in PUNE, manufacturing load bodies for TATA, Mahindra & others - Dhampur sugar mills: A listed concern and a well-established name in sugar industry and power generation through cogeneration setup.