PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

RAMAKRISHNAN VENKATESAN (HYDERABAD, INDIA)

(B.COM, MBA – FINANCE & SYSTEMS, CISA)

ABOUT RAMAKRISHNAN

Ramakrishnan is an IT Risk Advisory, Finance & Accounting professional with over 29 years of experience in Data Analysis, SOX IT General Controls, Internal Audits (IT and Finance), Segregation Of Duties (SOD), Application Controls, Financial Accounting and Reporting, Project and Working Capital Financing, Financial Forecasting & Budgeting.

EXPERIENCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS – IT, INTERNAL AUDIT RELATED

(3 YEARS TILL DATE)

IT Risk Advisory Professional – Global Skill Bench (July 2019 – Present) – Remote

• Performed SOx Financial Controls Testing – applications, databases and operating systems for US companies;

• Reviewed existing IT General Controls for US companies;

• Identified discrepancies and followed up on remediation plans. Deputy General Manager – Internal Audit - Reliance Retail Ltd. (October 2006 to June 2007)

• Reviewed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Flow Charts, Segregation of Duties (SOD) and recommended improvements;

• Reviewed IT General Controls (ITGC) as part of internal (financial) audit;

• Performed IT and Internal Audits across business processes to assess the design, implementation and operating effectiveness of controls;

• Monitored deficiency assessment and remediation. Manager – Internal and IT Audit - Deloitte (April 2005 to June 2006)

• Reviewed SOX 404 Readiness Assessment for US companies across Procure-To-Pay, Fixed Assets, Inventory, Debt, Financial Instruments

& Derivatives processes;

• Performed SOX Testing for Fixed Assets, Cash, Travelling Expenses

(T/E), Information Technology, Media Buying and verification for Media Client in New York. It included completion of testing for above aforementioned Control Procedures, and resolution of Review Notes, Validation errors resolution for afore mentioned Control Procedures.

• Performed Data Center Testing for Media client based in New York. KEY EXPERIENCE

• IT General Controls

• Sarbanes Oxley

• COSO, ICOFR

• IT & Internal Audit

• Sourcing Finance

• Process Improvement

• Business Turn-around

• Planning & Budgeting

• Foreign Exchange Risk

INDUSTRY

EXPERIENCE

• IT Risk Advisory

• Education

• Pharmaceuticals

• Mining & Ind. Explosives

• Infrastructure

• Retail

• Media & Telecom

• Automotive

• Hospitality

• Building Materials

TECHNOLOGY

• SAP-FICO, MM, BW

• MS Office, MS Visio

• MS Dynamics AX(Axapta)

• ACL

• SQL -MS SQL Server

EDUCATION

• Bachelor of Commerce

(B. Com) (1984)

• MBA – Finance &Systems

(1989)

• CISA (2018);

• SQL for Data Science

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

EXPERIENCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS – LEADERSHIP; FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING ROLES (26 YEARS)

Network Managed Expert – Finance and Accounts – Chegg India Private Limited (December 2016 till June 2019)

• Provided guidance to US college students in preparing for finance and accounting examinations.

Executive Director – Finance and Information Technology – Ecologic Technologies Ltd ((Biotechnology start-up promoted by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd (DRL)) (March 2011 to November 2015)

• Developed Annual, Medium, and Long-Term Plans (including back-up plans and “What-if” scenarios), forecast and Budgets – Capex and Opex. Established, documented and coordinated activities for achievement of strategies and plan targets;

• Designed and established Internal Controls over financial Reporting;

• Documented and rolled-out Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) along with Process Key Performance indicators (KPI) for all Finance and Commercial processes.

• Compiled and presented Annual Capex and Opex Budgets and Cash Flows to the Board of Directors for approval prior to upload in SAP and roll-out.

• Raised Project Finance from The State Bank of India (SBI) for Ecologic Chemicals of Rs. 1250 Million (US $ 18 Million) within two months of joining company. Raised Worked Finance of Rs. 600 Million (US $ 8.50 Million).

• Secured enhancement of project finance of Rs. 650 Million (US $ 9.30 Million) to fund capacity increase in 2013 at lower rates of interest;

• Secured Bill Discounting Supplier’s Credit, and Purchase Order Finance based on Orders from Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) from Citi Bank and HDFC at very competitive interest rates;

• Developed and implemented a comprehensive strategy and roadmap for the company’s information technology hardware, networking and software.

• Ensured a stable computing environment through network availability, email client availability, customer response times;

• Evaluated selected and supervised IT vendors, business partners and solution providers;

• Documented, facilitated implementation and tested an effective Disaster recovery and Business Continuity plan for infrastructure, enterprise systems and applications;

• Proactively introducing ERP solutions based on business growth – Tally ERP 9.0 to Microsoft Dynamics to SAP;

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

• Established and implemented a comprehensive Information Technology controls framework. Ensured periodical IT audit to ensure that controls are working effectively and efficiently;

• Concluded Sale of Assets of Ecologic Technologies Ltd and Ecologic Chemicals Ltd to Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories to further enhance capacity and leverage operating efficiencies.

Division Head – Finance and Accounts - IDL Explosives Division - Gulf Oil Corporation (March 2009 to February 2011)

• Developed Annual, Medium, and Long-Term Plans (including back-up plans and “What-if” scenarios), forecast and Budgets – Capex and Opex. Established, documented and coordinated activities for achievement of strategies and plan targets;

• Reviewed and revised designed Internal Controls over financial Reporting;

• Revised and rolled-out Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) along with Process Key Performance indicators (KPI) for all Finance and Commercial processes.

• Compiled and presented Annual Capex and Opex Budgets and Cash Flows to the Board of Directors for approval prior to upload in SAP and roll-out.

• Leader of cross-functional team that improved business performance and turned-around loss-making industrial explosives division after four (4) years of consecutive audited losses (Loss of Rs 590 Million in 2008-09 and Profit after Tax (PAT) of Rs. 144 Million in 2009-10. This was further improved to Rs. 900 Million in 2010-11.

• Achieved high cost Debt reduction: (Long Term Debt Rs. 450 Million) and Short-Term Debt: Rs.600 Million).

• Secured finance for new projects and equipment at significantly lower interest rates;

• Reduced accounts finalization time from an average of 110 days till 2009 to 21 days in 2010 and 2011;

• Completed spin-off (divestiture) of Industrial Explosives Division into a separate company (IDL Chemicals Ltd)

Deputy General Manager – Business Excellence and Project Monitoring- Reliance Haryana SEZ Ltd (July 2007 to February 2009)

• Mapped and documented Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for all finance and commercial processes;

• Established system of reviewing compliance with Standard Operating Procedures by Internal Audit. Follow-up with process owners to ensure corrective action before weekly meetings;

• Facilitated implementation of SAP – Project Systems (PS) module, and assisted in training users;

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

• Facilitated configuration of Project System (PS) structures, viz., WBS, Network, Milestones, Cost Planning, Budgeting, Materials Requirement Planning (MRP), Goods Issues, and project monitoring activities.

Senior Manager – Group Budgets and Control – Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd (TAFE) (July 1997 to April 2005)

• Developed Annual, Medium, and Long-Term Plans (including back-up plans and “What-if” scenarios), forecast and Budgets – Capex and Opex. Established, documented and coordinated activities for achievement of strategies and plan targets;

• Compiled and presented Annual Capex and Opex Budgets and Cash Flows to the Board of Directors for approval prior to upload in SAP and roll-out.

• Achieved on-time analysis of variances and submission of company - wide variance analysis report to the Top Management;

• Designed and implemented a comprehensive system of financial analysis, review, approval and monitoring of capital expenditure;

• Leader of Cost Reduction and Cost Control Project that enabled company to report audited after-tax profits despite reduction in sales by around 50% (from Financial Year 2001 to Financial Year 2003). Achieved results through facilitating implementation of a slew of initiatives ranging from reducing tractor component costs, reducing inventory, reducing receivables, reduction of interest cost of debt, plugging revenue leakages, re-structuring business operations, reducing warranty costs, reducing logistics cost;

• Member of team that successfully implemented SAP FICO, Total Productivity Management (TPM) and Six Sigma;

• Facilitating and Monitoring improvement of Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE under TPM) from 47% to 95%; and rom 3 Sigma to 5 Sigma;

• Member of team lead by the Executive Director Operations that achieved turn-around of Engineering Plastics Division operations

(from audited Loss of approx. Rs. 40 Million to after tax profit of Rs. 180 Million in 2001-2);

• Established financial systems and processes at newly established Gears Division. Sourced project finance and working capital. Established periodic operations review process.

Project Manager – Funds – Gauri Projects Private Ltd (June 1996 to June 1997) (On Transfer)

• Monitored funds utilization for various commercial projects. PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Senior Manager – Project Finance – Onida Finance Ltd. (November 1994 to May 1996)

• Prepared project reports and financial projections for sourcing project finance for various Clients.

Executive Assistant to the Managing Director – Sterling Holiday Resorts Ltd

(April 1993 to October 1994)

• Developed Annual, Medium, and Long-Term Plans (including back-up plans and “What-if” scenarios), forecast and Budgets – Capex and Opex.

• Established, documented and coordinated activities for achievement of strategies and plan targets

Senior Finance Officer, Project Finance - Spartek Ceramics India Ltd

(October 1990 to April 1993)

• Prepared a comprehensive Rehabilitation and Modernization Scheme

(Rs. 230 Million) to turn around Neycer Ceramics Ltd (a newly acquired sick company) in collaboration with the lead financial institutions;

• Member of team that presented the abovementioned Scheme to the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) and obtained approval from the Board in the first attempt;

• Assisted as finance team member in securing project finance for modernization as per approved Scheme, and turning around loss- making Neycer Ceramics Ltd;

• Raised finance for funding equipment replacement at Spartek Ceramics plants – Spray Driers, Press. Kilns, etc.;

• Established a Foreign Exchange Risk Management Policy, and hedged foreign exchange exposures in compliance with Policy;

• Prepared financial proposal for merger of Spartek Granites Ltd with Spartek Ceramics Ltd and facilitated approval by financial institutions and Government (Tax Authorities etc.).

Assistant Consultant – Management Consulting Services – Price Waterhouse Associates (June 1989 to June 1990)

• Drafted Project Report and prepared project financial projections for Client to obtain finance. Facilitated in securing finance for Client;

• Drafted Project Accounting Manual for Nepal based Telecom Client transitioning to new technology.

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

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