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Santosh Bisht

@santoshbisht

Finance Director at Make a Difference who built the Finance & Accounts function across 22 cities and created a live financial dashboard.

India

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What I'm looking for

I’m open to senior finance leadership roles in the for-profit or social sector, where my multi-industry depth, multi-location operating experience and builder’s track record can make a difference.

At Make a Difference, I built the Finance & Accounts function from the ground up across 22 cities. As Director Finance, I’m accountable for financial strategy, reporting, compliance, risk and controls, and I report to the CEO and Governing Board.

I created financial reporting frameworks, audit-ready processes and 12+ SOPs, and rolled out donor fund tracking and utilization reporting. I also designed a financial model and live operating dashboard for FY 2026–27 to support budget visibility, variance analysis and scenario planning.

Before Make a Difference, I held finance and commercial roles at Kantar IMRB and TNS India, including pan-India finance accountability across 19 branches at TNS. My experience spans market research, construction equipment, telecom, consumer durables and manufacturing, with work in financial reporting, taxation, audits, procurement and revenue assurance.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Director Finance

Current

Make a Difference

Dec 2021 - Present (4 years 10 months)

Senior-most finance role with functional CFO scope, reporting directly to the CEO and Governing Board. Built the Finance & Accounts function ground-up across 22 cities.

Financial Strategy Statutory Compliance Financial Risk Internal Controls Board Reporting Donor Management Budgeting Forecasting ERP Finance Automation FCRA GST Income tax TDS Audit Management SOP Implementations Vendor Management Cash Flow Management

Regional Head – Commercial (North)

Kantar IMRB

Apr 2017 - Dec 2020 (3 years 8 months)

Hybrid mandate combining national ownership of procurement and revenue assurance with full commercial finance leadership for the North India region across multiple SBUs. Delivered record cost savings and improved business-number accuracy.

Procurement Revenue Assurance Commercial Finance Vendor Management Negotiation Billing Accounts Receivable Budgeting Forecasting P&L management MIS Audit Coordination Cost Control

Head Accounts & Finance (Operations)

TNS India Pvt. Ltd

Jun 2006 - Mar 2017 (10 years 9 months)

Led full-cycle corporate finance for a pan-India network of 19 branches, progressing from Delhi branch finance to national Head of Finance (Operations). Managed a team of 20+ and reported to the CFO.

Financial Reporting P&L management Balance Sheet MIS Taxation TDS Service Tax VAT Project Cost Control Accounts Payable Vendor Management Working Capital Management Audit Management SOP Development Internal Controls Team Management

Branch Accountant

Schwing Stetter (I) Pvt. Ltd

Sep 2004 - Jun 2006 (1 year 9 months)

Managed full-cycle branch finance for North India, including revenue recognition, receivables, tax compliance, and vendor payments.

Branch Accounting Revenue Recognition Receivables Management Sales Tax Service Tax Vendor Payments Commercial Management

Accounts Officer

Zip Telecom Ltd

Feb 2003 - Sep 2004 (1 year 7 months)

Handled monthly accounts closing, distributor and C&F management, stock reconciliation, debtors management, and MIS preparation for a telecom distribution business.

Account Closures Distributor Management Stock Reconciliation Debtors Management MIS