Chief Financial Officer - Fashion - CA

: Role & Responsibilities: 1. Strategic & Business Leadership: - Act as an advisor to the CEO and Board on business strategy, growth planning, and transformation initiatives. - Translate business strategy into robust financial roadmaps, and long-term value creation plans. - Identify and proactively address margin pressure arising from changing consumer behavior, input costs, channel mix, discounting and inventory management. 2. Revenue Enhancement & Margin Improvement: - Own P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow management across channels (EBO, MBO, LFR & online retail). - Drive gross margin improvement through pricing strategy, cost optimization, sourcing efficiencies, and inventory productivity. - Build strong revenue enhancement levers category profitability, channel mix optimization, markdown control, and sell-through improvement. Deep dive into product pricing strategy, discount management, channel profitability, product mix, and inventory management. - Partner with Sales, Supply Chain, and Merchandising teams to unlock hidden margins. 3. Financial Management & Governance: - Manage overall ownership of financial planning, budgeting & forecasting, MIS, and statutory compliance. - Ensure robust financial controls, risk management frameworks, and governance standards. - Closely monitor accounts receivables, implementing strategies to improve cash flow. - Drive accuracy, timeliness, and insight-led reporting for management and Board. 4. Cost Optimization & Efficiency: - Lead and drive cost optimization initiatives across Indirect, Direct revenue & Support functions, Production, sourcing, logistics & supply chain, retail operations, and back-end functions and lead process improvement. - Manage cost discipline without impacting brand or customer experience. - Drive productivity improvements through process redesign and automation. - Ensure financial alignment during periods of change and scale. 5. Banking, Fund Raising & Investor Relations: - Lead fund raising initiatives aligned with growth and expansion plans. - Own investor relations, including presentations, updates, and strategic communication. - Build credibility with investors, banks, and financial institutions. - Negotiate and optimize working capital lines, loans, and treasury instruments. Ensure optimal cash flow management and liquidity planning. 6. IT & Finance Automation: - Oversee finance digitization and IT automation (ERP, BI dashboards, forecasting tools). - Use data and analytics to enable real-time decision-making and predictive insights. Key Skills & Competencies: - Strong strategic mindset with hands-on execution capability. - Excellent communication and presentation skills; ability to engage with Board, investors, and senior leadership. - High commercial acumen with deep understanding of consumer-facing businesses. - Strong negotiation skills with banks and external stakeholders. - Conversant, articulate, and confident in high-stakes discussions. Preferred Candidate Profile: - Chartered Accountant. - 20 - 22 years of progressive experience, preferably in consumer, retail, fashion, lifestyle, or FMCG companies. - Proven experience in margin management, fund raising, investor relations, and cost optimization. - Prior exposure to IT automation, ERP implementation, and finance transformation is highly desirable.