Gaurav Merchant, Finance Expert in Singapore, Singapore
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Gaurav Merchant

Verified Expert  in Finance

Finance Expert

Location
Singapore, Singapore
Toptal Member Since
February 10, 2021

A software developer turned financial professional, Gaurav has a 15+ year career spanning organizations, including Morgan Stanley, a $4 billion hedge fund, and a commodity trading SME. His interests lie in solving challenges for C-level executives and business heads in finance business partnering, forecasting, planning, and portfolio managers in security analysis and valuation.

Excel ExpertCorporate FinanceFinancial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)BudgetingFinancial ModelingRevenue & Expense ProjectionsChartered Financial Analyst (CFA)FundraisingEquity ResearchFinancial ForecastingPitch Deck ConsultantBusiness Plan ConsultingInvestment StrategyStartup FundingProfitability Analysis

Career Highlights

Vice President (VP) of Finance
Sudima International
VP of Finance
Clear Channel Mumbai, Pvt. Ltd.
Senior Analyst
Aristeia Capital, LLC.

Certification Highlights

CFA
CFA Institute

Case Studies

Work Experience

Vice President (VP) of Finance

2016 - PRESENT
Sudima International
  • Developed innovative metrics that enabled operations and sourcing staff to generate working capital improvements of 5% to 15% across various sourcing hubs through insights into the product mix.
  • Led the financial planning and analysis function for various global procurement and destination markets (spanning South East Asia, Latin America, and Australia); managed a staff of ten across multiple locations worldwide.
  • Managed financial reporting, forecasting, and other queries on business performance with banks and finance companies encompassing trade finance lines of over $50 million.
  • Pioneered the reporting of value-added metrics, such as KPI dashboards and mark-to-market templates, that empowered C-level executives to identify business performance drivers and assess market and counterparty risks.
  • Oversaw the month-end and quarter-end closing processes of overseas offices and partnered with other teams to assess the impact on corporate financial performance.
  • Drove the incorporation of a new entity in the USA. Was involved, as a key team member, in discussions with structuring, tax, and legal advisors and led the controllership function.
  • Involved in strengthening internal controls for enterprise management systems and the development of standard operating procedures for operational users.
  • Pioneered the reporting of value-added metrics, such as KPI dashboard and mark-to-market templates, and drove the implementation of new finance systems that facilitated strategic inputs and empowered senior leaders to identify performance drivers.
Focus areas: Budgeting, Forecasting, Finance, Corporate Finance, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Accounting, Analysis, Cash Flow Modeling, Revenue & Expense Projections, Three-statement Modeling, Fundraising, Profit & Loss (P&L), Profitability Analysis, Data Analysis, Financial Analysis, Pitch Decks, Pitch Deck Consultant, Business Modeling, Capital Raising, Excel VBA, Excel Macros, Finance Strategy, Business Planning, Business Plan Consulting, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Business Models, Pricing Models, Investments, Investment Strategy, Internal Financial Reporting, Financial Reporting Dashboards, Revenue Projections, Controller, Cash Flow Management, Excel Expert, Investment Return Scenario Analysis, IRR, Budget Modeling, P&L Forecasting, Financial Forecasting, Excel 365, Export Shipment Handling, Trade, Trade Finance, Strategy, Import/Export, International Commerce, Cash Flow Analysis, Microsoft Excel, Dashboards, Management Reports, Reporting, Performance Analysis, Scenario Analysis, Data Reporting, ROI, CFO, Profitability Optimization

Freelancer

2021 - 2021
Freelance
  • Built a financial model with three statement projections for an entrepreneur looking to raise an initial investment round of $0.5 million for a new manufacturing venture, including advising on the business plan.
  • Developed a pitch deck for the investment and the company profile on various websites targeted for equity fundraising. Advised the entrepreneur on valuation options.
  • Formulated various non-GAAP performance metrics for business planning and growth, used for internal benchmarking and business projections.
Focus areas: Fundraising, Business Planning, Business Plan Consulting, Pitch Decks, Finance, Financial Modeling, Revenue & Expense Projections, Forecasting, Valuation, DCF Valuation, Valuation Modeling, Three-statement Modeling, Revenue Projections, Excel Expert, Investment Return Scenario Analysis, P&L Forecasting, Financial Forecasting

VP of Finance

2013 - 2016
Clear Channel Mumbai, Pvt. Ltd.
  • Prepared financial models for fundraising. Oversaw the development of investor packs and three-statement financial information for investors and lenders.
  • Created a unique database for measuring the efficiency of media assets worth over $1 million and for media campaigns over $10 million that provided decision support, KPI, and target setting for sales teams.
  • Analyzed revenue and cost projections, evaluated strategic plans, and liaised between sales, client servicing, and media buying in developing systems and processes to streamline the finance function while balancing business constraints.
Focus areas: Financial Modeling, Cash Flow, Budgeting, Fundraising, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Accounting, Pitch Decks, Business Planning, Business Plan Consulting, Startups, Analysis, Forecasting, Finance, Corporate Finance, Cash Flow Modeling, Revenue & Expense Projections, Profit & Loss (P&L), Profitability Analysis, Data Analysis, Financial Analysis, Pitch Deck Consultant, Business Modeling, Capital Raising, Key Performance Metrics, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Board Presentations, Excel VBA, Excel Macros, Finance Strategy, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Seed Fundraising, Startup Funding, Investor Reporting, Business Models, Valuation Modeling, Three-statement Modeling, Internal Financial Reporting, Financial Reporting Dashboards, Cash Flow Management, Excel Expert, Investment Return Scenario Analysis, IRR, Budget Modeling, P&L Forecasting, Financial Forecasting, Cash Flow Analysis, Microsoft Excel, Dashboards, Management Reports, Reporting, Performance Analysis, Scenario Analysis, Data Reporting, ROI

Summer Intern

2012 - 2012
Morgan Stanley
  • Recommended investment strategies for Myanmar to the CEO and COO of Morgan Stanley Singapore via a detailed analysis of the country's macroeconomic, social, legal, and banking environment.
  • Co-wrote an economic research report on Myanmar that assessed feasibility and risks of investment options and developed insights on sector-specific growth areas in Myanmar through interviews with industry experts.
  • Assisted the equity research team in the development of research reports and financial models.
Focus areas: Board Presentations, Research, Bloomberg, Investments, Investment Strategy, Finance

Associate, Corporate Finance

2010 - 2011
Rustomjee
  • Collaborated with a team that secured a term loan of $40 million (backed by collateral) for project expansion.
  • Developed financial models and business plans to evaluate real estate projects and presented this data to private equity investors for asset performance reporting.
  • Created valuation models for standalone real estate projects used in evaluating funding sources and options.
Focus areas: Financial Modeling, Valuation, Management Information Systems (MIS), Board Presentations, Cash Flow, Cash Flow Modeling, Budgeting, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Fundraising, Pitch Decks, Business Planning, Forecasting, Finance, Corporate Finance, Key Performance Metrics, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Capital Raising, Profitability Analysis, Revenue & Expense Projections, Data Analysis, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Investor Reporting, Business Models, Valuation Modeling, Three-statement Modeling, Internal Financial Reporting, Financial Reporting Dashboards, Excel Expert, Budget Modeling, Financial Forecasting, Cash Flow Analysis, Microsoft Excel, Management Reports, Debt Analysis, Reporting, Scenario Analysis

Senior Analyst

2005 - 2010
Aristeia Capital, LLC.
  • Designed programmatic solutions for traders that provided a breakthrough in decision-making turn-around time from 10%-80% for situations such as new issue modeling, market risk exposure analysis, M&A events, and hedge modifications.
  • Analyzed financial statements, assessed credit spreads, liquidity and leverage metrics, and capital structure analysis of over 200 bond issuers for traders and portfolio managers running a $1.8 billion book (last AUM).
  • Evaluated credit quality via research of bond indentures and prospectuses (seniority, covenants, and others) and quantitative metrics using a proprietary credit spread engine; identified opportunities in the mispricing of securities.
  • Priced and tracked a universe of over 1,500 convertible bonds across global issuers, on average, for data inconsistencies; incorporated this into business analysis and data modeling projects.
Focus areas: Futures & Options, Credit Analysis, Bloomberg, Convertible Notes, Analysis, Research, Equity Research, Credit/Debt, Private Credit, Cash Flow, Free Cash Flow (FCF), Credit Risk, Risk, Hedge Funds, Fixed Income, Fixed Income Analysis, Excel VBA, Excel Macros, Investor Reporting, Financial Modeling, Forecasting, Business Modeling, Valuation Modeling, Investment Analysis, Investment Strategy, Investments, Finance, Excel Expert, Microsoft Excel, Dashboards, Management Reports, Debt Analysis, Investment Portfolio Management
2011 - 2013

Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance

National University of Singapore - Singapore

1998 - 2002

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

SEPTEMBER 2008 - PRESENT

CFA

CFA Institute

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