Sujay Sarkar

Chief Financial Officer for a global seeds and agri‑inputs business within the UPL group, mandated to build an IPO‑ready finance and governance platform and support profitable growth with a global footprint. Lead group financial strategy, planning and performance management, aligning capital allocation with Advanta’s growth, R&D and market‑expansion agenda. Own end‑to‑end financial operations including budgeting, forecasting, management reporting and statutory reporting, with a strong focus on accuracy, speed and insight. Strengthen public‑company‑grade governance, controls and policies to ensure robust compliance and readiness for potential listing. Drive cost and productivity programs across plants, supply chain, commercial and support functions to improve EBITDA margins, ROIC and overall capital efficiency. Optimize working capital and cash conversion through disciplined inventory, receivables and payables management while supporting growth and service levels. Lead risk and treasury management, ensuring resilient capital structure, prudent liquidity buffers and compliance across multiple jurisdictions. Partner closely with the CEO, business heads and UPL stakeholders as a strategic advisor on portfolio choices, pricing, capex, M&A and partnerships. Enhance board and investor communication via clear, concise and data‑rich dashboards on growth, profitability, cash and risk. Embed sustainability and climate considerations into financial decision‑making and capital deployment, reinforcing Advanta’s role in climate‑smart agriculture. Build, mentor and inspire a high‑performing, future‑ready global finance team.

Deputy CFO for a global seeds business within UPL, supporting the Group in strengthening the finance organization and setting up the foundations for scalable, listing‑standard governance. Supported the design of medium‑term financial strategy, planning processes and performance dashboards to enable data‑driven decision‑making. Partnered with business leadership on budgeting, forecasting and prioritization of growth investments across key crops, markets and R&D programs. Contributed to upgrading controls, policies and reporting processes to align with global best practice and future IPO requirements. Helped shape the roadmap for integrating sustainability, climate resilience and smallholder‑centric initiatives into financial planning and risk frameworks.

Sr VP & Group Head of Corporate Finance for Olam Agri, responsible for capital markets, sovereign wealth fund engagement, group corporate finance and listing‑standard governance across 200+ subsidiaries in 65 countries. Led a US$1.24Bn private placement with Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of PIF, at an enterprise valuation of US$3.5Bn for a 35.4% stake in Olam Agri. Steered the group in the face of global supply chain disruption, Russia Ukraine war, increasing interest rates and globally high inflation, commodity and currency volatility in FY22, growing its turnover to US$27Bn (CAGR 29% growth from FY 2020) and EBIT to US$622 Mn (CAGR 31% growth from FY 2020) Directed capital structure optimization including a ~US$0.5Bn rights issue and related refinancing to support growth while strengthening the balance sheet. Managed SGX listing compliance, group consolidation, audits, tax, legal and corporate secretarial matters for 200+ entities across 65 countries. Designed and executed a complex global re‑organization involving 83 share and 15 asset transfers across 38 jurisdictions to carve out three focused operating groups. Led the share and asset valuations, tax and legal compliances, closure of dormant entities and sale of exit assets across continents to complete the group wide restructuring. Drove efficiencies in fixed and working capital usage; served as board member in multiple subsidiaries and owned board reporting for Olam Agri. Member of the Finance Executive Committee (FEXCO) and Group Managing Committee, shaping global finance strategy, digital initiatives and finance talent development.

Led a 300+‑member finance organization across 27 legal entities in 15 African countries, supporting 25 manufacturing facilities, 18 product lines and 43 profit centers with multi‑billion‑dollar turnover in agri commodities, industrial raw materials, food and ingredients. Promoted from Vice President to Senior Vice President and Regional CFO in recognition of strong business partnering, governance and financial performance across high‑growth markets. Closed multi‑country pre‑acquisition tax cases with exposure exceeding US$100Mn with no P&L impact, safeguarding value and de‑risking future growth. Designed and implemented innovative capital structures, including variable lease solutions for rubber processing, adding ~US$10Mn to the bottom line and improving ROE, cash flows and working capital intensity. Raised ~US$100Mn of working capital facilities from local banks in Tchad and Togo to fund new projects and expansion. Oversaw a regional portfolio with ~US$4Bn turnover and ~US$110Mn PBT on ~US$1.5Bn invested capital, driving returns and cash discipline.

Held full P&L accountability for the Cameroon business, leading finance and partnering closely with commercial and operations teams on pricing, product launches, factory performance and yield improvement. Drove market segmentation and B2C analytics to sharpen pricing, mix and route‑to‑market decisions, improving profitability and capital efficiency. Delivered strong performance and was promoted from General Manager to Vice President and Country CFO. Led the buyout of the JV partner in a cocoa processing company, and spearheaded a US$42Mn greenfield wheat flour mill, including structuring, financing and negotiations of fiscal incentives with the local government. Designed and rolled out the Africa Finance Trainee program, coaching and developing finance talent to lift overall capability and delivery against key business metrics. Ensured successful SAP implementation across entities and businesses, strengthening controls, reporting and process discipline. Minimized effective tax rates and anchored Africa‑wide tax collaboration by improving planning structures, including management fee and royalty frameworks that generated recurring tax savings of over US$1Mn per annum.

Led Finance, IT and Admin functions across 5 companies and 3 businesses (industrial raw materials, rice, dairy), driving full P&L accountability and operational performance. Spearheaded the acquisition and seamless integration of 4 wood products companies, ensuring value capture and business continuity. Owned end-to-end business planning, financial analysis and performance management to support growth and profitability targets.

CFO for the India platform of a global private equity and hedge fund group (US$8Bn+ AUM), focused on growth capital, distressed and special situations, with significant exposure to infrastructure and power. Served on the board of directors of the Indian entity, providing strategic finance input on investments, structures and exits. Led tax and legal due diligence on investment opportunities, including a key real estate transaction and investments in listed securities through participatory notes. Structured investments and holding companies for efficient profit repatriation, listings and exits, including share transfers, buybacks and related capital actions. Secured RBI and SEBI approvals for setting up FII and FVCI entities and ensured ongoing compliance with FEMA, FDI, FII and FVCI regulations. Assessed permanent establishment risks and implemented mitigating structures and processes. Coordinated closely with internal and external legal and tax advisers on deal structuring, term sheets and transaction documentation. Oversaw internal, statutory, tax and transfer pricing audits, as well as income tax, wealth tax and service tax filings. Managed end‑to‑end finance, including managerial reporting, financial accounting and secretarial compliance.

CFO for Indiabulls Credit Services (NBFC) and Housing Finance (HFC), leading finance, taxation, regulatory and management reporting across a rapidly scaling BFSI portfolio with 200+ branches PAN India. Built and led a 63‑member team handling PAN India accounting, regulatory reporting and compliance for NBFC and HFC businesses. Ensured full RBI, NHB and statutory compliance (TDS, service tax, PF, ESI etc.) and managed successful RBI/NHB audits with zero findings. Formulated KYC, Fair Practices Code and PML policies per RBI requirements; established ALCO to guide asset-liability and funding decisions. Structured and executed loan securitization/assignment deals with ICICI, IDBI, UTI, BOB, Merrill Lynch and HDFC; secured CRISIL and Fitch ratings for loan portfolios. Implemented SAP across all products for accounting, regulatory reporting and management insights. Owned product P&L forecasting, cost driver analysis, branch expense tracking and pre-launch cash flow modeling to support rapid portfolio expansion.

Led US GAAP financial reporting and process excellence for GE Consumer Finance Australia, progressing from Assistant Manager (team of 2) to Manager (team of 12). Transitioned tax accounting and reconciliations from Melbourne to India, managing 1,300+ accounts and meeting strict 7-criteria reconciliation standards. Reduced reconciliation TAT from 40 to 19 days using Six Sigma Green Belt methodology, earning FINNOVA CFO Award for Functional Excellence. Delivered monthly/quarterly business performance reporting under US and Australian GAAP, supporting Oracle Financials. Played key role in GE Consumer Finance Australia achieving SOX certification; handled statutory reporting to Reserve Bank of Australia. Recognized as "Subject Matter Expert" on US GAAP Closing & Reporting; selected for elite Finance Process Leadership Program.

Managed end-to-end finance for Seagram India, handling monthly close, reporting, treasury and audits under French GAAP (Hyperion), Indian GAAP and management reporting across multiple entities. Led monthly book close, MIS reporting, budget vs actual variance analysis and P&L/Balance Sheet consolidation for all group companies in India. Owned product/factory accounting, standard costing, inventory valuation and factory P&L analysis for manufacturing operations. Managed treasury operations including forward contracts for import payments and capital budgeting/capex controls. Audit incharge for statutory, tax and internal audits; handled customs/excise litigation and transfer pricing compliance. Reconciled multiple GAAP frameworks and managed multiple year-end closes across complex manufacturing entities.

Delivered statutory audits, tax audits, management assurance and due diligence for leading Indian multinationals across consumer goods, manufacturing, chemicals and agri sectors. Key Clients & Assignments Statutory Audits LG Electronics India, Coca Cola India, Bata India Chambal Fertilizers & Chemicals, Indo Rama Synthetics Marubeni India Tax Audits & Due Diligence Indo Rama Synthetics, Orient Abrasives, ECE Industries Metamor Global Solutions Management Assurance Vam Organic Chemicals, Triveni Engineering, APM Industries