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

FP&A Today

Geetha Ramachandran is an FP&A change agent. She helped transform FP&A operations at GE Healthcare and Cummins (“When I walked into the FP&A at GE Healthcare, and I saw the close was eight days, my approach to things is usually I don’t take things just on face value or just because someone has been doing something a particular way).”

Geetha has since swapped supersized companies for startups, most recently leading FP&A at fast-growing businesses including SimpleTire. In her current role as Head of FP&A at New Jersey decor company, Triangle 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

Follow Geetha Ramachandran https://www.linkedin.com/in/geetharamachandran201/