Lead - M&A and Corporate Strategy

This is a senior role within the Finance & Strategy function, reporting to the Group CFO and Head of Strategy. The position leads the end-to-end execution of the organization's acquisitions, from target evaluation and due diligence through to deal closure and post-acquisition integration.The role focuses on driving M&A activity from within the organization, ensuring disciplined execution, effective coordination across internal teams and external advisors, and delivering clear, decision-ready insights to the CFO and leadership team throughout the deal lifecycle.In addition to M&A, the role supports corporate strategy initiatives led by the CFO's office. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 1.

M&A Project Management & Deal Execution (Weightage: 70%)Serve as the primary project manager for all live acquisition processes, ensuring workstreams progress to planOwn the end-to-end M&A project plan for each transaction, including milestone tracking, workstream coordination, due diligence closure, to post acquisition integrationCoordinate cross-functional teams (Finance, Legal, Tax, HR, Business, IT, Operations), ensuring clear accountability and timely deliveryAct as the primary interface for external advisors (Legal, Financial, Tax, Consultants), managing outputs, aligning priorities, and challenging assumptions where requiredLead target identification and pipeline management, maintaining a structured pipeline aligned with strategic priorities and acquisition criteriaDevelop and maintain financial analyses and business cases, including valuation summaries, synergy assessments, and scenario modelling in collaboration with financeOversee the due diligence process, including dataroom setup, information flow, progress tracking, and gist of key findings and risks for leadership reviewPrepare board materials, investment committee papers, and approval documentationSupport transaction negotiations through valuation benchmarking, peer analysis, and financial insights, including development of negotiation scenarios, sensitivity analyses, and clear positioning to inform deal strategy and decision-makingLead post-acquisition integration planning, defining integration roadmaps, tracking execution, and monitoring synergy deliverySupport divestitures, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships as required2. Corporate Strategy Support (Weightage: 30%)Assist the CFO and Head of Strategy in delivering the company's corporate strategy agendaSupport the annual strategic planning cycle - coordinating cross-functional inputs, consolidating analysis, and helping prepare the senior leadership and board strategy presentations.Conduct market and competitive analysis to inform strategic choices, including sector landscaping and peer benchmarking.Support and lead ad hoc strategic initiatives under CFO officePrepare board-level and Ex Co-level materials on strategic topics, ensuring content is clear, well-structured, and decision-ready.Act as an analytical thought partner to the CFO on cross-functional priorities where finance and strategy intersect.Monitor industry trends, M&A market activity, and competitor news - providing regular briefings to ensure the company's pipeline and strategic positioning remain current.3. CFO Support, Stakeholder Management & Governance Ensure the CFO is well-prepared and well-supported across all M&A and strategy commitments, and maintain effective relationships across internal and external stakeholder groups.Provide structured, timely updates on the status of all live deals and strategy projects - anticipating information needs rather than waiting to be asked.Prepare briefing materials ahead of key meetings, board sessions and external advisor interactions.Build strong working relationships with internal stakeholders across finance, legal, HR, and business to ensure effective cross-functional execution on all mandates.Liaise with the Board and its relevant sub-committees (e.g.

Audit, Risk, Nominations) in support of deal or strategy approvals as required.Maintain rigorous project documentation, version control, and file management across all active mandates to ensure a clear and accessible audit trail.Identify process improvement opportunities within the M&A function and support the development of frameworks, templates, and playbooks to build institutional capability over time.QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCEEssentialMinimum 12+ years of relevant experience M&A, or a corporate finance / strategy role with significant transaction exposure- ideally in BFSI space.Strong project management skills - comfortable running multiple concurrent workstreams, holding cross-functional stakeholders accountable, and maintaining pace and discipline on complex processes.Sound financial and commercial acumen; able to review, sense-check, and communicate business cases, valuations, and financial analyses confidently (strong modelling skills are a plus).Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to prepare crisp, high-quality materials for CFO and Board-level audiences and to engage credibly with senior stakeholders.A professional qualification (CA, CFA, MBA) is must.DesirablePrior experience working with CFO or other C-suite executive in a corporate environment.Exposure to post-merger integration planning and execution.Experience supporting corporate strategy processes including annual planning cycles.Familiarity with cross-border acquisitions and multi-jurisdictional transaction processes.Sector (BFSI) expertise relevant to the company's core markets.