Chief Financial Officer

For a CFO, I would not judge success by accounting accuracy alone. A CFO at Cordova should deliver measurable business outcomes within 12–24 months.

First 90 Days Deliverables

1\. Complete Financial Health Assessment

A detailed report covering

Profitability of each business vertical

School profitability

Resort profitability

Publishing profitability

UAE retail profitability

Export profitability

Cash flow analysis

Working capital analysis

Risks and leakages

2\. Group MIS Dashboard

A monthly dashboard showing

Revenue

Gross margin

EBITDA

Cash position

Receivables

Inventory

Business\-wise profitability

Budget vs actual

This should reach the CEO by the 5th of every month.

3\. Internal Control Framework

Financial approval matrix

Procurement controls

Expense controls

Inventory controls

Authority limits

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First Year Deliverables

1\. Improve Cash Flow

For a publishing company, this is usually the biggest opportunity.

Targets

Reduce debtor days by 20–30%

Improve collection efficiency

Release blocked cash from inventory

Example: If ₹10 crore is stuck in receivables and inventory, the CFO should aim to release ₹2–3 crore during the first year.

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2\. Improve Working Capital

Target

Reduce unnecessary inventory

Improve stock turnover

Reduce obsolete inventory

Publishing companies often have substantial dead stock. A good CFO should identify it.

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3\. Banking and Treasury Optimisation

Deliverables

Lower interest cost

Better banking facilities

Working capital enhancement

Export finance facilities

FX risk management

Target: 5–15% reduction in finance cost.

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4\. Tax Optimisation

Legally optimise

Corporate tax

GST

UAE tax structure

Transfer pricing

Export incentives

Target: Meaningful annual tax savings.

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5\. ERP and Automation

Within 12 months

Unified ERP

Real\-time reporting

Business\-wise P\&L

Inventory visibility

Cash\-flow forecasting

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Strategic Deliverables

1\. Group Restructuring

The CFO should evaluate

Whether the current group structure is optimal

Holding company structure

UAE structure

School structure

Resort structure

And recommend improvements.

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2\. Expansion Funding

If Cordova plans

School expansion

Hospital project

Retail expansion

Publishing growth

The CFO should prepare

DPRs

Financial models

Bank funding strategy

Investor presentations

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3\. Annual Budgeting Discipline

Each business should have

Revenue target

Profit target

Cash\-flow target

Capital expenditure budget

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KPIs for CFO Bonus

I would link 40–50% of the CFO's bonus to measurable outcomes

KPI Weight

EBITDA Growth 25%

Collection Improvement 20%

Working Capital Reduction 20%

Cash Flow Improvement 15%

MIS \& Governance 10%

Cost Optimisation 10%

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What I Would Expect from a Strong CFO at Cordova

After 24 months, I would expect the CFO to be able to demonstrate

₹3–10 crore improvement in cash flow

Better profitability visibility across all businesses

Monthly MIS by the 5th of every month

Strong banking relationships

Reduced financial leakages

Clear business\-wise profitability reporting

Funding readiness for future projects such as the school expansion, resort expansion, or hospital venture

A finance team that can run efficiently without constant CEO intervention

Pay: ₹200,000\.00 \- ₹400,000\.00 per month

Work Location: In person