Pooja Somani

• Spearheaded Financial Strategy and Operations Across Multiple Geographies : Led a comprehensive financial turnaround strategy that transformed businesses into contribution margin-positive entities in record time while sustaining steady growth. Successfully reduced the monthly cash burn in the UAE business from $3.8 million to nearly zero and in the Australia business from $3 million to under $1 million. These results were achieved through rigorous cost management, optimization of operational efficiencies, adding new revenue streams and strategic reallocation of resources.
• Developed and Implemented New Revenue Streams : Pioneered the introduction of new revenue streams and value-added services, significantly enhancing bottom-line growth from existing customer bases. This initiative not only maximized customer lifetime value but also diversified the Company's revenue portfolio, aligning with strategic business goals to drive sustainable growth
• Led Strategic Transition of Finance and Other Functions to India: Orchestrated the strategic relocation of the local finance team and other key functions to India, achieving substantial long-term cost savings and enhanced operational efficiency. This initiative leveraged India's robust talent pool and drove operational efficiency, resulting in reduced overhead costs and strengthened the company's financial infrastructure to support scalable growth.
• Managed Compliance, Payroll, and Regulatory Risk Management for Foreign Jurisdictions: Navigated complex legal landscapes across multiple foreign jurisdictions, ensuring adherence to local laws and regulations. Developed and implemented robust compliance frameworks and controls to mitigate risks and safeguard the Company against potential legal and financial liabilities.
• Budgeting and Forecasting : Set up the long term and short term budgeting process, collaborating with department heads to allocate resources strategically and ensure alignment with organizational goals. Enhanced cash flow management through the development of robust forecasting models, ensuring optimal liquidity for business operations.

Managed a complex debt portfolio of over $18 billion, optimizing capital structure to reduce costs, maximize shareholder value creation and enhance financial flexibility. Further managed treasury portfolio of $5 billion, invested in bank fixed deposits, money market instruments, corporate bonds, and other financial instruments, ensuring optimal returns and liquidity

• Successfully raised debt across various entities, financial instruments, investor bases, and geographic regions, enhancing the organization's financial flexibility and capacity for organic and inorganic growth
• Drove group's capital structure policy with a focus to improve cost of capital, ensuring a smooth and spread-out debt maturity profile with a balance mix of short & long-term borrowing
• Raised over $30 billion through innovative financing structures in global debt capital markets, demonstrating strong negotiation and relationship management skills with financial institutions, unlocking stakeholder value
• Maintained strong credit ratings from both Indian and international rating agencies, even during challenging macroeconomic conditions, including the COVID-19 pandemic
• Ensured continuous access to capital at optimal costs, navigating through a volatile economic environment by implementing effective risk management and financial strategies.
• Collaborated cross-functionally with other departments to support strategic decision-making related to corporate finance activities.

Select transactions spearheaded during this period includes:

• $2.5 bn Voluntary Open Offer for Vedanta Limited by Vedanta Resources in 2021
• Delisting offer for Vedanta Limited from Indian Stock Exchange in 2020 for $3.15 billion
• Delisting of Vedanta Resources Plc from London Stock Exchange in 2018 for $1.1 billion.
• $2.5 bn financing for Voluntary open offer for Vedanta Limited in 2021.
• $1 bn private notes raised from International private fund in Dec 2020.
• $3.15 bn financing for delisting of Vedanta Limited in 2020
• $1.1 bn financing for delisting of Vedanta Resources in 2018
• $6bn of Mandatory Exchangeable bonds for fun Anglo Transaction in 2017.
• $6bn acquisition financing for Cairn acquisition through syndicated term loan ($3.5 bn), bridge to bond ($1.5 bn) and bridge to equity ($1 bn) in 2011.
• High Yield Bond offering of ~$10 bn over years. These transactions received numerous global awards eg. “Best High-Yield Bond” by Finance Asia, IFR Asia and the Asset; Euro Finance Award for Innovation in Financing etc.
• Rupee term loans of INR 20,000 Cr.

Project managed and delivered on complex domestic and cross-border M&A of ~$25 bn in natural resources sector by developing and executing strategic plan for M&A Transactions, aligned to organizational goals and market opportunities, conducting detailed financial modeling and business valuations to support transaction decisions and negotiations

Select Transaction led during this tenure includes:

• Acquisition of ~20% stake by Mr Anil Agarwal in Anglo American Plc, in 2017
• $2.3 billion all-share merger of Cairn India Limited with Vedanta Limited
• Vedanta group restructuring completed in 2013 encompassing $3.9 bn merger of Sesa Goa and Sterlite to create Sesa Sterlite Limited (now Vedanta Limited). Transaction was ranked 2nd Global M&A deals in 2013, according to PwC in its global metals and mining report
• $9.6bn acquisition of controlling stake in Cairn India Limited by Vedanta group
• Vedanta's acquisition of Zinc assets in Namibia, South Africa and Ireland from Anglo American in FY2011 for consideration of $1.4 billion
• Participation of the Vedanta Group various competitive bidding for port, power, road & Coal Block Assets
• Rs 1,750 Crores acquisition of Dempo's Iron ore operations by Sesa Goa in 2009.

• Responsible for preparation and audit of Consolidated Financial Statement of Sterlite under US GAAP for its NYSE listing in 2008 and quarterly and annual reporting thereafter
• Lead Annual and Interim Audits of Vedanta Resource Plc, a LSE-listed diversified FTSE 100 metals and mining company, under IFRS and UK regulations
• Monitored and analyzed financial and operational data tends to help Group CFO in reviewing the business performance
• Helped in business plan and budgeting for the Group
• Implemented Hyperion as a reporting and consolidation tool for Vedanta Group.

• Responsible for annual statutory/internal audits under IGAAP and IFRS for HZL, a NSE & BSE listed entity
• Led impact assessment and conversion of accounts from IGAAP to IFRS
• Led preparation of multi-year financials statement under US GAAP in record time of about 4 weeks for NYSE listing of holding company, Sterlite.