Business Partner Fp A

Bhaviksha (Ba-vic-sha) Ranchod, MBA

929-***-**** ad8ref@r.postjobfree.com linkedin.com/in/bhaviksha-ranchod

Visionary, results-driven senior Finance & Operations leader with the ability to work under high pressure deadlines with 15 plus years of experience in finance, strategy, and operations. Experienced managing the finance and accounting functions for public, private, and VC-backed companies (including pre-revenue companies to annual revenue of $580 million) and leading accounting and finance teams of up to seven people. Industries of expertise include Advertising, Financial Services, Pharmaceuticals, and Non-Profit. Trusted business partner collaborating with senior leaders and clients, taking companies through to IPO, and making business decisions. Deep understanding of finance and accounting principles.

Core competencies:

Financial Planning and Analysis

Profitability / Cost Analysis

Resource Allocation & Management

Strategic Planning

Pricing

Investment Analysis

Team Leadership

Investor & Board Relations

Operational Efficiency

Achievement highlights:

Increased profitability by 25% over three years – Build a three-year strategic pricing plan by mapping GDP growth versus annual company entries and found an inverse relationship. Calculated the demand curve, which proved to be inelastic. Performed a competitive price analysis and found competitors were lowing prices. Implemented a three-year tiered-price increase and, competitors soon followed suit.

Streamlined process saving 10 hours a week - Led a cross-functional team that customized, built, and launched an executive-level dashboard with visual analytics (heat-maps, tables, and charts). The dashboard provided snapshots of the client's world-wide footprint and trends, allowing the New Business team to leverage existing relationships and grow business.

Managed the FP&A department pre and post IPO and FDA approval– laid the groundwork for the IPO by building a robust FP&A team and evaluating and selecting the right budgeting and forecasting solution tool for public readiness. Collaborated with divisional heads to forecast growth and cost of goods sold.

Board of Directors professional expertise and guidance in non – profit settings, including a position as Treasurer on the Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana Board, and held a Chair position for Interpublic Group, Asian Heritage Group.

Professional Experience

2023–Present

Weber Shandwick

VP, Client Finance

New York, NY

Partnered with Key Global Account and Project Management Teams as a solution-oriented business partner, providing financial guidance and evaluating issues requiring corrective action on both P&L and B/S.

Client Relationship: Established and maintained relationships with client-side procurement and finance teamed, offering financial advisory and guidance to internal client teams. Budget and Forecasts: Led and managed all aspects of the FP&A function, overseeing strategic financial planning and implementation. Managed monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting processes. Provided detailed variance analysis and commentary to support decision-making. Collaborated with cross-functional teams to integrate financial insights into business operations and strategic initiatives.

Management: Led and trained the client finance team in maintaining internal revenue trackers, WIP and billing trackers, and driving monthly revenue review process, fostering alignment with client service teams.

Reporting: Responsible for revenue recognition and facilitated the allocation of revenue across affiliated agencies and partners, ensuring accurate financial tracking and transparent distribution of resources.

2021–2022

Johannes Leonardo

Sr. Client Finance Director

New York, NY

Oversaw client management, client growth and the day-to-day financial operations and analysis of companywide clients. Was the strategic business partner and financial expert to both internal executive teams and external clients. Managed and mentored two Client Finance managers and a Finance Coordinator.

Client Relationship: Addressed all business affairs related to clients including monthly scope and financial review meetings, as well as scope, fee and contract negotiations.

Budget and Forecasts: Built and presented annual budget and quarterly forecasts as well as presented monthly Flash submissions with variance explanations.

Management: Led monthly finance meetings with Account leads and Managing Director to formally review the status of the, profitability, staff utilization and other client finance issues.

Reporting: Responsible for revenue recognition, revenue reporting for actuals and forecasts, and intercompany transactions.

2021–2022

TBWA Global

Finance Director/CFO

New York, NY

Managed all financial aspects of client finance for revenue of over $250 million across advertising, direct, social, digital and other scopes of business. Built and presented fee proposals and fee reconciliations to the client and well as assisted with new business pitches. Forecasted client revenue, managed the profitability of both individual projects and the overall client account and ran the day-to-day financial management of the client accounts in close partnership with our Account Management staff. Built pricing and operating models, negotiated fee proposals and contracts, and fostered a collaborative relationship with internal and external stakeholders.

Pitches: Built operating and pricing models and submitted the financial proposal for NY and for global responses involving other collective agencies.

Clients: Built pricing proposals, reviewed fee reconciliations and took responsibility for the financial relationships with clients.

Contracts: Assisted with legal negotiate with client contracts.

Management: Led bi-monthly finance meetings with business leads to formally review the status of the scopes, profitability, staff utilization and other client finance issues; Reviewed fee billing, WIP, accounts receivable and other reports to ensure that all financial obligations by agency and clients are being delivered per contract.

Reporting: Reviewed and ensured revenue was recognized in accordance with agency policies and GAAP.

Credit Risk: Approved credit risk levels and had a good understanding of the credit insurance in place and how to operate under set levels.

2016 – 2020

Interpublic Group

Client Finance Lead

New York, NY

Owned the commercial, operational and financial management (budget and forecasts, client profitability, utilization, onboarding, agency evaluations, compliance, training, and the quarter and year-end client review reporting) for the following Global Healthcare clients (annual revenue of $580 million and a team of two): Pfizer, Bayer, Roche Holding AG, Sanofi, Takeda, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Merck & Co, Inc.

Pricing: Collaborated with Network C-suites to build IPG global Healthcare Client rate cards. Designed a repository for billing rates with dashboards that normalized prices and improved benchmarking and pricing models.

Internal Partnerships: Developed strong relationships with the IPG Agency C-suite, which led to a better understanding of client spending, savings, risks, and opportunities, resulting in more comprehensive and accurate client presentations.

Solutions Development: Designed and built-out IPG's healthcare employee talent repository, ensuring the client had access to highly skilled staff that fit the client's needs.

Resource Management: Built staff utilization tracking model, which included realization and chargeable ratios, partnering with executive leaders to provide insights and help make staffing decisions.

Profit Optimization: Assisted executive leaders in driving business by building dashboards and reports that tracked client profitability, incorporating pricing, rebates, overhead costs, and billable hour.

2013 – 2016

Interpublic Group

Regional Controllers / Business Controls

New York, NY

Oversaw the monthly/quarterly close, working capital, budget and forecasts, variance analyses, and controls testing of the independent Agencies (annual revenue of $300 million) at the Corporate holding company level

Revenue Recognition: Directed and reviewed revenue recognition practices, including appropriate persuasive evidence, variable consideration estimates.

Contracts: Reviewed and approved scopes of work and contracts greater than $1 million for IPG Independent Agencies.

Reporting: Consolidated the agency's forecasts and variance explanations, creating a deck for the division's VP, highlighting risks and opportunities, and providing guidance concerning strategic initiatives.

Compliance: Performed SOX audits at various offices in North America and EMEA, managing issues, remediation, and validation of audit results.

Forecasts: Based on global client contractual agreement, built healthcare client rebate templates, communicated accrual percentages to the agencies, and managed, tracked, and reported to the divisional lead quarterly on the quarterly rebate and annual pay-out.

2011 – 2013

Ranchod Consulting

Finance Consultant

Brooklyn, NY

Identified prospects and built relationships with owners/executives. Developed value propositions around clients’ needs and effectively negotiated financial agreements. Clients included:

JackRabbit Sports – Created the client’s Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Statement of Cashflows in preparation for the company’s sale. Built the financial model to showcase the business seasonality, short-term borrowing, and cash flow for the year, highlighting the business’ profitability.

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana – Built the five-year strategic plan. Worked with the Executive director, board of directors, and employees to rewrite the mission statement and write a vision statement. Conducted external and internal analysis, identified strategic issues, and established strategic goals, including the long-term staffing plan. Currently serving on the board.

2008 – 2011

New York Road Runners

Director, Head of Finance

New York, NY

Constructed the Financial Planning and Analysis division for $113 million in annual revenue and a team of four. Wrote the FP&A policies and procedures, published the yearly calendar and deliverables, built the forecast model, and put together the board deck.

Strategy: Built a three-year strategic plan with a tiered pricing model and event sensitivity analysis that supported executive leadership decision-making.

Pricing: Grew organic revenue by 25% over three years by creating pricing strategies for various events and executing the plan.

Financial Reporting: Enhanced reporting by restructuring the NYRR chart of accounts to meet business needs.

Analyzed cost drivers and provided insights into variances and profitability.

Leadership: Developed strong partnerships with department heads, contributing to a reliable forecast and increasing transparency into uncertain events, allowing for the business's flexible positioning.

Cost Savings: Negotiated vendor bill rates, volume discounts, and financial incentives, which resulted in an 8% savings for the company.

Education

Pace University, New York, NY, Master of Business Administration, Finance,

Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, Bachelor of Science, Accounting.

Technical Skills

Power BI (DAX calculations, Power Query, Report Development, and Dashboard Design).

Microsoft Office Suite: Proficient in MS Word and PowerPoint (creating presentations for executive meetings) and Excel (XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, SUMIFS, PivotTables and PivotCharts, Macros, and Dashboard Creation),

Enterprise software platforms: Proficient in SAP, Hyperion Essbase (experience with ad-hoc reporting and querying).

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