Srivathsan K N
Pallikkaranai
Summary
Highly accomplished, results-driven senior accounting and financial management professional with more than 35 years of progressive experience, including the role of Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary for about 10 years, in finance and operations management with a media & entertainment conglomerate. Demonstrated ability to streamline business finance operations that make the finance function a world class. Strong qualifications in developing & implementing financial controls and processes, in addition to, productivity improvements and change management. Strategic leadership, Managing better margins, assisting the Board and the compliances to lead the company to greater heights. Possess solid leadership, communication and interpersonal skills to establish rapport with all levels of staff and management.
Overview
35
35
years of professional experience
Work History
CFO & Company Secretary
Metropolitan Media Company Limited, Bengaluru – A Times Group Company
04.2014 - 07.2023
- Head of finance & Compliances, Key member of the leadership team
- Driving revenue, cost optimisation for the organization along with the Chief Executive
- Played key role in bringing the business functions and verticals along for the common objective
- Establishing and revising the processes during pandemic and revived the business in the second month of pandemic through identifying alternate revenue models
- Establishing business KPIs to enhance productivity across functions
- Generating and managing the cash flow and deployment of cash with shareholders intent in mind
- Ensuring compliances with regulatory requirements, filing requisite forms and returns
- Conducting the Board and Board sub committee meetings and ensuring good governance
AVP (Finance)
Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., (BCCL) Publishers of Times of India Group of Publications, Mumbai
09.2008 - 03.2014
- Head of Corporate Management Services Group & Vendor Management Group
- CFO designate & Company Secretary of wholly owned subsidiary with a turnover of over Rs. 200 crore.
- Enhanced role of Financial Planning and Analysis function with deliverables to include :
- Closure and declaration of results on monthly, quarterly and annual axis
- Development of Annual Operating Plan in coordination with various BUs.
- Monitoring of performance of about 550 profit centres and analytical review of variances over plan and with difference periods.
- Partnering with Business and various stakeholders of business to bring out changes in business
- Participating in revenue management in maximizing revenue, by improvement of margins and yield.
- Continuous improvement in processes to achieve optimization of resources
- External in approach in benchmarking parameters in relation to competition
- Leading Vendor Management Group and with distinct deliverables to
- Rationalise Vendor base
- Rationalise Transactions with Vendors by aggregation
- Re-engineer processes to manage TAT for R2P cycle.
- Development & deployment of rules to monitor open items on continuous basis.
- Defining KPIs revolving around these parameters.
- Leading the Finance Team and Secretarial functions of Times VPL Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary
- Leading the finance function by defining role, aspiration and objectives
- Conduct quarterly Board Meeting including the update to the Board on financial matters
- Preparation of Annual Operating Plan and approval by the Board.
- Translating the vision of the organization into doable parts in finance.
- Participate and provide key inputs in meetings relating to strategic decisions.
General Manager (Finance)
BCCL, Mumbai, India
05.2005 - 08.2008
- Head of Corporate Financial Reporting Group & Corporate Fixed Assets reporting group
- Head of Shared Services handling the financials and audit for group companies
- Providing inputs for Due Diligence exercise and part of key resources to translate the Group’s strategy into reality in achieving the smooth acquisition.
- Handling the finance function of newly acquired subsidiary and setting up working capital limits and loans restructuring etc.
- Handled various hive-offs and de-merger of a division and implementation of the Order of the High Court.
Deputy General Manager (Finance)
BCCL, Mumbai, India
03.2003 - 04.2005
- Head of Financial Accounting Group of BCCL as an added portfolio
- Statutory audit completion in 8 days and adoption of accounts in 10 days from the close of the year – first time ever in the history of BCCL.
- Defining the right processes for the financial accounting and induct best practices.
- Bringing out the discipline of monthly closing within 4 working days from the close of the month and bring out the analysis of the financials month after month
- Now, being part of development of Times Media ERP under SAP environment for FI/CO and to provide inputs to implementation process.
Chief Manager (Finance)
BCCL, Mumbai, India
06.2002 - 05.2003
- Head of Shared Accounting Services and Fixed Assets Accounting Group
- Moved to Mumbai from Chennai and functioned as part of Corporate resources, was given charge of independently setting up the Shared Accounting Services Group at Mumbai.
- To begin with the Shared Accounting Services were set up for ENIL and TIML.
- Aligning each of the accounting processes of these companies to the Centralized Accounting setup for better service and better results.
- Later in November 2002, set up a SAS for another subsidiary - TIL.
- Understanding various business nuances and provide uninterrupted and trouble free services at all times to all line managers of the respective companies.
- Coordination for statutory as well as internal audit for these companies
- Coordination for conversion of the subsidiary financials and report the same under the US GAAP.
- Execution of various arrangements between the holding and subsidiary company and ran through the test of audit.
- Positions held at BCCL Chennai
- January 1997 to May 2002 Chief Manager (Finance)
- April 1995 to December 1996 Deputy Chief Manager (Finance)
- January 1993 to March 1995 Senior Manager (Accounts)
- February 1991 to December 1992 Manager (Accounts)
- August 1990 to January 1991 Branch Accountant
- As Branch Finance Head – Led the team to achieve
- Best performing branch in terms of being first branch to complete the audit for six consecutive years
- Best service function in the branch for customers’ delight – both internal & external
- Giving positive feedback for various centralized functions like Taxation, Treasury & Central Processing Shop
Asst. Audit Manager
Fraser & Ross, Chartered Accountants (Now Deloitte)
07.1988 - 07.1990
- Worked as Audit Manager handling major corporate audits from Chennai, including corporates like Shaw Wallace, Carborundum Universal Ltd. etc
Education
CS - Corporate Secretaryship & Corporate Law
Institute of Company Secretaries of India
06-2006
ICWA - Cost And Management Accounting
Institute of Cost And Works Accounants of India
Kolkata, India06-1990
CA -
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
11-1989
Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting & Management
Madras Christian College (Autonomous)
Chennai, India05-1985
Skills
- Accounting & Financial Mgmt
- Controllership & Decision Support
- M & A support & Integration
- Business Planning & Analysis
- Secretarial Compliances
- Performance Measurement
- Vendor Mgmt & Rationalisation
- Financial Analysis & Reporting
- Resource Management
Accomplishments
- Over three and half decades of post-qualification experience in delivering every facet of financial discipline
- Chartered Accountant (1989), Cost Accountant (1990) & Company Secretary (2006)
- CFO & Company Secretary of a 300 crore company in regional printing & publishing space
- Integration of processes & restructuring of various loans, making cost effective post acquisition
- Expertise in Financial Planning & Analysis, Vendor Management, M & A activities
- Handling taxation related matters, including assessments & appeals
- Active member of group directed SAP FICO implementation
- Ensured statutory audit completion of over Rs. 26 billion Company within 12 days from the close of the year.
- Initiating and leading the team of professionals in conversion of I-GAAP financials to US GAAP for BCCL and on internet vertical on stand-alone basis for three consecutive years
- Key participation in implementation of centralization of various financial processes in Mumbai after re-engineering and realignment of various financial processes.
- Started a captive Shared Accounting Services Group for BCCL.
- Handled the big 4 accounting firms for various group entities for various assignments like audit, assurance and special assignments
- Setup processes for launch and operation of International Times card, a co-branded card & also the launch of the Economic times, Chennai Edition
- Lead the Chennai branch to be the best performing branch in terms of being first branch to complete the audit for six consecutive years
- Extensive experience in defining the right processes for the financial accounting and inducting best practices.
Functional Highlights
- Setup Accounting Process for launch and operation of International Times card
- Additional role as overseeing other branches like Hyderabad
- Transition of Manual process of financial accounting to automated process.
- Various feasibility reports for launch of new editions like Times of India for Chennai and Economic Times for Kochi & Chennai
- Tax holiday under Section 80-IA
- Launch of Economic Times, Chennai Edition and subsequent set up of financial accounting process.
- Positive contribution to various functions for cost optimization and utilization of available resources.
- Cross Functional Reports
- Competition information – as to new launches, financials etc.
Timeline
CFO & Company Secretary
Metropolitan Media Company Limited, Bengaluru – A Times Group Company
04.2014 - 07.2023
AVP (Finance)
Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., (BCCL) Publishers of Times of India Group of Publications, Mumbai
09.2008 - 03.2014
General Manager (Finance)
BCCL, Mumbai, India
05.2005 - 08.2008
Deputy General Manager (Finance)
BCCL, Mumbai, India
03.2003 - 04.2005
Chief Manager (Finance)
BCCL, Mumbai, India
06.2002 - 05.2003
Asst. Audit Manager
Fraser & Ross, Chartered Accountants (Now Deloitte)
07.1988 - 07.1990
CS - Corporate Secretaryship & Corporate Law
Institute of Company Secretaries of India
ICWA - Cost And Management Accounting
Institute of Cost And Works Accounants of India
CA -
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting & Management
Madras Christian College (Autonomous)