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
