Fortune 500 to Startups: Multi-industry FP&A Leader Geetha Ramachandran

“I would say that at the heart of it, FP&A is the same no matter which industry, I don't care whether you are selling drugs or you're selling home goods" says Geetha Ramachandran Director of FP&A at Triangle Home Fashions. "As long as I understand the business, the industry, the drivers, your pain points, and have that strategic thinking, the analytical skill set, I'm able to collaborate with the different teams, have that technical proficiency, all of that, you can help any organization.”

And Geetha should know about multi-industry FP&A.

She helped transform FP&A operations at giants, GE Healthcare and Cummins.

Geetha has since swapped supersized companies for startups, most recently leading FP&A at fast-growing businesses including SimpleTire. In  her current role in retail as Head of FP&A at New Jersey decor company, Triangle home Home Fashions , she continues to propel FP&A as a “co-captain” in the business.

In this episode Geetha reveals:

• Her career journey from PwC auditor to equity research to GE Healthcare 
• The CPA in India and why the pass rate is only 10%
• Key FP&A achievements including shrinking number of days of closing from 8 days and spending  more time on value added activities 
• How to better establish KPIs for departments aligned with business goals 
• Presenting  KPIs for improving warehouse efficiency at Triangle Home Fashions (pick and pack time, average utilization, inventory turnover, SKUS meeting minimal sales threshold)
• The challenges at multinational manufacturer, Cummins, integrating four companies and restructuring the finance team at a time of low morale 
• Doing FP&A at company as fast as Simple Tire vs more mature business 
• Her approach at Triangle Home with inventory levels purchased during COVID
• Lessons from two decades in business partnering 

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