Akshan KumarFinance leadership & transformation
About

Akshan Kumar — Finance Transformation & Managed Services Leader

I have led the finance function—and changed how it works.

My career spans audit, controllership, P&L ownership, business finance, finance operations and managed services. Across each role, the work has been consistent: make the economics clear, strengthen control and turn finance insight into accountable action.

Areas of expertise

Finance transformation across the operating model.

  • Finance Transformation
  • Finance Managed Services
  • Controllership
  • FP&A & Performance Management
  • Record-to-Report
  • Order-to-Cash
  • Working Capital
  • Continuous Controls Monitoring
  • AI in Finance
  • Agentic AI for Finance

I am a Chartered Accountant with 15 years across controllership, FP&A, finance operations, governance, managed services and business partnering.

My early years at PwC built my foundation in reporting, evidence and control. At Siemens, I moved from cross-geography reviews into direct finance leadership. I owned P&L, working capital, forecasting, commercial finance and financial reporting. I also served as CFO of the Digital Business.

Today, I am a Director at PwC India. I lead finance managed-services delivery, governance and transformation across GCC and technology environments. I also lead the development of AI-enabled finance solutions, connecting reliable data, transparent rules, visible exceptions and accountable owners.

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Akshan Kumar
Chartered AccountantDirector, Finance Managed ServicesGurugram · Global outlook
Career

From audit to finance leadership.

Apr 2026 — Present
PwC India

Director, Finance Managed Services

Leading finance managed-services delivery, governance and transformation across GCC and technology environments.

Responsibilities and outcomes

Responsibilities

  • Lead finance managed-services engagements across controllership, R2R and P2P, with approximately 26 people across direct and indirect teams.
  • Own delivery governance, process consistency, risk oversight, transformation priorities and senior stakeholder management.

Selected outcomes

  • Led finance solutions spanning intercompany, P&L and balance-sheet reconciliation, audit workpaper analysis and variance analysis.
  • Connected finance specialists, technology teams and operations around common delivery and adoption routines.
Aug 2024 — Mar 2026
PwC India

Associate Director, Finance Managed Services

Led managed-services delivery, operating-model transformation and finance solution development.

Responsibilities and outcomes

Responsibilities

  • Led end-to-end delivery across R2R, P2P and Finance Controlling.
  • Connected finance specialists, technology teams and operations around common outcomes.

Selected outcomes

  • Directed solutions for variance analysis, policy interpretation, O2C workflow and reconciliation.
  • Strengthened delivery governance and the operating model across finance towers.
Sep 2022 — Jul 2024
Siemens Large Drives India

CFO, Digital Business · Manager, Accounting & Head of Financial Statements

Owned P&L, working capital, commercial finance, financial reporting and business transformation.

Responsibilities and outcomes

Responsibilities

  • Owned the Digital Business P&L and led accounting and financial-statement responsibilities.
  • Led working capital, forecasting, commercial finance, close governance and audit readiness.

Selected outcomes

  • Improved EBIT margin by 36 percentage points, from -4% to +32%, within 12 months.
  • Reduced overdue receivables by 15% and cash-application time from six days to three.
Apr 2018 — Aug 2022
Siemens

Finance Leadership Development Programme

Led project, investment and operational reviews across Asia, Australia and Europe.

Responsibilities and outcomes

Responsibilities

  • Reviewed major projects, investment cases and finance operations for regional leadership.
  • Assessed process, commercial and governance risks across multi-country environments.

Selected outcomes

  • Strengthened contract governance, claim management and milestone tracking to prevent revenue leakage.
  • Received the Siemens CEO Special Stock Allocation Award for exceptional client value creation.
Jul 2011 — Mar 2018
PwC India

Assistant Manager, Statutory Audit

Led statutory audits across energy and manufacturing, covering reporting, controls and evidence.

Responsibilities and outcomes

Responsibilities

  • Led statutory audits for listed and unlisted energy and manufacturing businesses.
  • Managed reporting, controls testing, audit evidence and engagement teams.

Selected outcomes

  • Identified process and control improvements beyond the statutory audit scope.
  • Received a Client Appreciation Award for the value delivered.
Operating principles

How I lead finance transformation.

Start with the finance problem

Technology earns its place by improving a decision, a control or an operating outcome — never the other way round.

Use clear rules

Use clear, repeatable logic for calculations, matching and control tests. Use AI only where interpretation, investigation or drafting adds value.

Keep judgment accountable

AI can assist prioritisation and explanation. Finance ownership stays human, and stays named.

Design for evidence

A strong process leaves a trace of what happened, who decided, and why they decided it.