Group Chief Financial Officer — Commercial-Vehicle Platform

The mandate

A recent strategy review exposed capital structure redesign ahead of the next investment cycle within a privately held integrated automotive and components manufacturer. The immediate arena is the commercial-vehicle platform during a software-defined vehicle transition. For mandate 252, the successful executive inherits decisions that have been deferred, competing stakeholder expectations and a need to establish facts before committing further capital.

The Group Chief Financial Officer operating perimeter covers approximately ₹11,150 crore in regional revenue and programme portfolio, with activity spanning several commercial-vehicle platform customer, product and delivery clusters rather than a single asset. The Group Chief Financial Officer Automotive remit carries direct influence over roughly 1,375 colleagues and third-party capacity.

The chair, executive committee and principal capital sponsors want a Group Chief Financial Officer who can convert ambiguity into a short list of explicit choices for the commercial-vehicle platform. The Group Chief Financial Officer Automotive seat must resolve a software-defined vehicle transition, while preserving the underlying strengths of the commercial-vehicle platform. For mandate 252, value will come through sharper allocation, stronger leaders and an operating cadence that exposes variance early.

The Group Chief Financial Officer’s first year on the commercial-vehicle platform is expected to end with forecast integrity, funding headroom and board-grade controls. In mandate 252, authority covers resources and leadership appointments; material trade-offs go directly to the board sponsor.

Why this seat is open

This is an urgent replacement for the Group Chief Financial Officer — Commercial-Vehicle Platform seat following an accelerated leadership transition. Interim accountability is in place for the commercial-vehicle platform, but the board wants a permanent appointment within 6–8 weeks because a software-defined vehicle transition cannot remain under split ownership. The predecessor’s outcome is being handled neutrally and professionally. The external search remains confidential until the preferred candidate and transition plan are agreed.

What you will own

• Set the Group Chief Financial Officer value-creation thesis for the commercial-vehicle platform, translate it into no more than five enterprise priorities and stop work that does not support them.
• Carry stewardship of approximately ₹11,150 crore in regional revenue and programme portfolio, including allocation, risk acceptance and board forecasts.
• Lead the Group Chief Financial Officer Automotive organisation of about 1,375 employees and partners, appointing a team with clear decision rights and credible succession for every critical seat.
• Resolve the commercial-vehicle platform economics and execution constraints created by a software-defined vehicle transition, with Group Chief Financial Officer-approved owners, dated milestones and transparent escalation thresholds.
• Establish one Group Chief Financial Officer operating review across commercial, customer, financial, people, technology and risk outcomes for the commercial-vehicle platform; remove reconciliations that obscure accountability.
• Have signed or directly owned board financial statements, liquidity decisions and investment cases at the stated scale in mandate 252.
• Build the Group Chief Financial Officer’s three-year succession and capability plan for the commercial-vehicle platform, reducing dependence on individual executives and improving mobility across the wider Automotive organisation.

The first 12 months

• Days 1–90: Validate the commercial-vehicle platform baseline, meet the 30 stakeholders most consequential to capital structure redesign ahead of the next investment cycle, assess the leadership team, stabilise immediate delivery risks and agree a board-owned scorecard with explicit decision gates.
• Months 4–9: Make the principal Group Chief Financial Officer portfolio and organisation choices for the commercial-vehicle platform, install the new operating cadence, fill critical leadership gaps and deliver the first measurable release of cash, capacity or customer value.
• Months 10–12: Demonstrate a repeatable commercial-vehicle platform trend against forecast integrity, funding headroom and board-grade controls, lock the following year’s capital and talent plan, evidence control sustainability and present a credible three-year value case with downside actions.

What the board will measure

• Delivery of the Group Chief Financial Officer’s agreed first-year commercial-vehicle platform value case within a 10% tolerance, with variance explained before rather than after the relevant quarter closes.
• A Group Chief Financial Officer forecast that remains decision-useful across three consecutive quarters and reconciles the commercial-vehicle platform’s operating, cash, customer and people assumptions.
• Closure of the Group Chief Financial Officer mandate’s highest-priority commercial-vehicle platform risk and execution issues by their board-approved dates, with independent evidence that fixes are sustained.
• Retention of at least 90% of critical commercial-vehicle platform talent and ready-now successors for at least 70% of the Group Chief Financial Officer’s direct reports.
• A quantified Group Chief Financial Officer-owned improvement in the commercial-vehicle platform operating constraint behind a software-defined vehicle transition, supported by a clean baseline and named data owner.
• Clear stakeholder confidence in mandate 252: no unresolved high-severity escalation older than 30 days and no material surprise withheld from its agreed governance forum.

The person

You are currently a Group CFO, listed-company CFO or Divisional CFO in a privately held Automotive or adjacent enterprise. In relation to the commercial-vehicle platform, your Group Chief Financial Officer track record includes a transition where the original plan was no longer sufficient; you can explain your choices, evidence and numerical impact. Candidates from automotive, industrial manufacturing, mobility, components or engineering services will be considered where the operating model, customer stakes and governance intensity match this Group Chief Financial Officer brief.

As a Group Chief Financial Officer candidate, you bring 22–28 years of progressive Automotive or adjacent-sector experience, consistent with the 22-28 experience band. At minimum, you have carried a P&L, book, budget or accountable portfolio of ₹6,450 crore and led an organisation of at least 950 people.

For mandate 252, the board wants two transitions: a difficult commercial-vehicle platform portfolio choice and a leadership-system change during a software-defined vehicle transition. As the prospective Group Chief Financial Officer for this commercial-vehicle platform, you must challenge optimistic cases and still create followership. References for mandate 252 must distinguish your contribution from the institution around you.

The Group Chief Financial Officer role in Automotive is based in Chennai; relocation is expected, although a structured weekly commute may be considered during the first quarter.

Non-negotiables

• Current or recent accountability at the level of Group CFO, listed-company CFO or Divisional CFO, with direct exposure to a board, investment committee or equivalent Automotive governance forum.
• Proven Group Chief Financial Officer ownership of at least ₹6,450 crore and leadership of no fewer than 950 employees in a comparable commercial-vehicle platform context.
• One completed Automotive or adjacent-sector example of capital structure redesign ahead of the next investment cycle with outcomes sustained for at least two reporting periods after the initial intervention.
• Sector credibility from automotive, industrial manufacturing, mobility, components or engineering services; experience that is purely functional and lacks Group Chief Financial Officer-level commercial-vehicle platform consequences will not meet the bar.
• Willingness to meet the Chennai location expectation, complete conflicts and background diligence, and protect the confidentiality of mandate 252.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated Group Chief Financial Officer package is ₹3.2–4.6 crore fixed + performance variable and LTI, calibrated to the final commercial-vehicle platform scope and the candidate’s current mix. Any long-term participation for mandate 252 follows standard vesting and performance conditions. The Group Chief Financial Officer appointment in Chennai, centred on the commercial-vehicle platform, offers regular exposure to the chair, executive committee and principal capital sponsors. A notice period of up to 6 months can be accommodated for the selected executive in mandate 252.

Confidentiality

Client identity is withheld at this stage and will be disclosed under mutual confidentiality after an initial fit discussion for mandate 252. Rounded ranges and blended context prevent this document from being used to triangulate the organisation for mandate 252.