Rajan Bhandari, Cpa, Ca Email & Phone Number

• Promoted from Director to Head of Finance in 2022, leading a team of four. Oversaw strategic planning, controllership, operations finance, commercial finance, cash management, and risk management, until the sale of.
• Improved EBITDA 50% and grew revenue 45% by establishing the strategic direction for the company to prioritize profitable and growing brands, while at the same time reducing marketing and operations budgets.
• Delivered on annual cash targets through strong cost control, re-negotiating payment terms and sourcing additional cash inflows, including investing in short-term GICs and selling under-utilized assets.
• Reduced non-value added spend 27% across operational and capital to ensure a healthy cash balance.
• Achieved 92% engagement scores by co-leading a culture plan focused on key initiatives, including extending long weekends, celebrating key milestones, and facilitating professional development for the Finance team.
• Restructured the Finance team to support organizational needs, achieving a three-day close and transitioning the team away from more transactional to providing value-added analysis, while delivering 17% in cost savings.

• Devised and led strategies to drive the success of large projects, cost savings initiatives, and presentations to C-Suite. Led a team of 5 to partner with sales teams to improve results on top and bottom line.
• Developed and mentored a team of 5, with 3 earning promotions within 15 months of starting.
• Improved forecast accuracy 8% and reduced costs 5% by revamping the forecasting process with a cross-functional team to centralize and align forecasts across different business units.
• Delivered annualized incremental profit of $45M and cost avoidance of $22M by partnering with a cross-functional team to analyze the organizational and financial impacts of switching Dairy and Paper Goods vendors.
• Strengthened the influence of the Finance Department by cultivating relationships with the business partners.

• Promoted to manager within a year and oversaw a team of 2, supporting the sales teams and managing all financial data on the Walmart, Costco & Sobeys accounts.
• Exceeded profit targets by 8% by spearheading an analysis to reduce investment funds used by sales.
• Developed complex customer investment strategies and arrangements. Built and presented customer financial models projecting net sales and profit growth of 5% and 7% to the Canadian President and CFO.
• Established action plans for deviations to financial targets and presented the financial results, drivers versus plan, and projections for the following month and quarter to the Canadian leadership team.
• Spearheaded a cultural shift in the sales team by changing the emphasis from increasing gross revenue to maximizing net revenue and contribution margin.

Vaughan, ON

• Collaborated on numerous special projects across diverse industries, including engineering, real estate, manufacturing, sports and technology, and large and small enterprises with revenues ranging from $10M to $2B.
• Piloted new accounting software now implemented firm-wide while offering improvement areas.
• Appointed to a focus group to offer feedback on an auditing process adopted by Deloitte for private companies.

Education record

Bachelor Of Commerce (B.Com.), Accounting

Graduated with high distinction