Chirague Bhanji Email & Phone Number

Lisbon, Portugal

As the Chief Financial Officer at Lovely Stay since August 2024, my responsibilities encompass a broad spectrum of financial and strategic leadership, including:Strategic Financial Leadership: Developing and implementing financial strategies to drive long-term stability and growth.Team Development: Leading the finance and accounting teams with a focus on excellence, innovation, and accountability.Financial Planning and Reporting: Managing budgeting, forecasting, and performance reporting while providing insights to support executive decisions.Cash Flow and Risk Management: Overseeing cash flow, capital allocation, and risk mitigation strategies.Process Optimization: Driving operational efficiency through process improvements and technology enhancements.Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring adherence to financial reporting standards across multiple jurisdictions.Banking and External Relations: Leading banking relationships, debt financing, and collaborations with auditors, tax advisors, and financial institutions.Cost and Internal Control: Supervising internal controls and promoting a cost-conscious culture.Global Expansion: Supporting international expansion by leading teams or managing external accounting partners abroad.Strategic Partnership: Acting as a key financial partner in shaping and executing the company's short-term and long-term strategic goals.

Lisbon Area, Portugal

• As part of the corporate management team leading 30 analysts from different backgrounds and functions such as: Accounting, Tax, FP&A, Cash & Banking.• As part of company’ s long term growth strategy and future M&A activities evaluated investment appraisal analysis for pipeline business.• Prepared and presented monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports highlighting the main variance drivers’ vs forecast and budget and provided recommendations accordingly.• Rebuilt the month-end close process, constantly reviewing procedures while eliminating inefficiencies.• Improved financial and accounting systems, financial processes and internal controls.• Ensured accounting records are accurate and complete in accordance with IFRS and compliant with all legal and regulatory requirements.• Managed cash flow and working capital planning process and ensure funds availability.• Represented company to banks, financial partners, institutions, investors, public auditors and officials.

Spain

• Closely worked with company CEO, Commercial Teams and Non Finance executives to provide strategic commercial finance insights on development of the brand plans to ensure products profitability in longer term.• Executed monthly and quarterly presentations, focused on company’s results, to the company Senior Leadership team. Commented on key trends and highlighting areas of corrective action /opportunity as necessary.• Taken ownership and the lead of the Annual Budgeting and Forecasting activities of the Company across all departments ensuring high levels of accuracy.• Received Distinction Award from Worldwide Wide Market Access and Pricing Team for the Cross-Functional work developed during strategy execution and successful launch of Opdivo (Nivolumab) in Spain for Melanoma and Lung cancer indications.• Actively participated on product pricing decisions and commercial policies strategies for HCV, HIV and Oncology products at regional and hospital level.• Supported the Strategic Access team on developing value dossier for the newly launched and pipeline products to Ministry of Health.• Ensured full alignment of market access plans and pricing agreements with BMS corporate teams.• Analysed and reviewed company’s working capital. Ensured optimum level of stocks to increase company’s cash flow.• Worked cross functionally with Access, HEOR, Commercial, Operations, OTC, Accounting, HR, in order to develop Country Brand Plans and assess major business risks and opportunities.• Developed, mentored, change managed and led effectively a team of 5 senior financial analysts.• Successfully worked and guided the Corporate FP&A Centre of Excellence at USA Corporate Headquarters on new financial procedures, new financial modelling tools and advance budget variance analysis to be implemented at global level.• Directed Company’s headcount approval process.

Spain

• Supported CFO and the management team to maximise bottom line performance by ensuring accurate costing and accurate pricing.• Prepared the annual budget submission for the Iberian group, taking account of the market strategies already agreed and the planned strategic developments for future seasons.• Responsible and accountable for the coordination and management of Univar’s multiple projects, directed toward strategic business and other organizational objectives such as implementation of SAP ERP system, Shared Service Centre and new business model. • Coached and mentored and led by example, implementation project team of 25 people with a technical team environment around OTC, PTP, RTR and FTS work streams.

London, United Kingdom

•Developed 5 year strategic planning budgeting and forecast for the Western Europe Management division (13 countries), with volumes of over 3 million cases and sales revenue in excess of $600 million.

London, United Kingdom

Responsible for Gillette Spain and Gillette Portugal accounting departments within the European Shared Financial Services Division, with a team of 3 people reporting to me. Main tasks were: elaboration of P&L and balance sheet, monthly financial reporting and consolidation, account reconciliations, SOX audits, maintenance of chart of account and US GAAP adjustments. In the last year I was also involved in the design of the new finance structure of these two subsidiaries after the merger of Gillette with P&G.

Lisbon Area, Portugal

• Collaborated with Brand Teams to develop product mix, pricing, consumer profile, marketing strategy and promotions, resulting in launching Gillette Mach 3 and Venus razors in Portugal.

Mba, Executive Mba, Final Gpa 3.29 Out Of 4.0

Activities and Societies: Finance for Non Finance Training

Sap Fi-Co, Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services, Ranked #2 In The Class, 86 Points Out Of 100 Points

Bsc, Business Management, 2.1