General Manager – Finance & Accounts (SESA Region)

Location: Singapore / Regional HQ

Industry: IT Hardware & Software Distribution

Reports To: Chief Financial Officer / Regional Managing Director

Department: Finance & Operations

Position Summary

The General Manager – Finance & Accounts will lead the financial operations, governance, compliance, and commercial finance strategy across the South East & South Asia (SESA) region. This role is responsible for overseeing multi-country financial strategy, optimizing working capital, managing credit risk in high-volume IT distribution, ensuring tax and regulatory compliance, and driving profitability across regional business units.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Leadership & Strategic Planning

• Formulate and execute regional financial strategies aligned with corporate objectives across all SESA markets.

• Lead annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, and long-range financial planning (LRFP) across distribution entities.

• Partner with the SESA CEO/Leadership team to evaluate commercial deals, margin structures, and vendor funding programs (rebates, MDF, backend margins).

Working Capital & Commercial Finance

• Oversee regional cash flow management, treasury operations, and currency risk/hedging strategies across volatile SESA FX markets.

• Manage high-volume working capital requirements, focusing on inventory holding costs, DSO (Days Sales Outstanding), and DPO optimization.

• Strengthen vendor/channel credit risk frameworks to minimize bad debt exposure while enabling aggressive revenue growth.

Financial Operations & Accounting

• Direct regional accounting teams in month-end and year-end financial closing processes under IFRS and local GAAPs.

• Standardize financial accounting workflows, ERP usage (e.g., SAP, Oracle, or Darwinbox integration), and internal controls across all SESA legal entities.

• Ensure accurate accounting for vendor claims, price protection, inventory devaluation, and volume rebates.

Governance, Audit & Regulatory Compliance

• Oversee statutory audits, internal controls, and tax compliance (Transfer Pricing, Corporate Tax, GST/VAT) across all SESA jurisdictions.

• Ensure full compliance with regional trade regulations, import/export duties, and customs compliance for IT hardware/software distribution.

• Maintain strong relationships with external auditors, tax authorities, financial institutions, and legal advisors.

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, mentor, and build a high-performing regional finance and accounts team across local SESA offices.

• Drive digital transformation within the finance function to automate reporting, invoicing, and reconciliation processes.
  

  Requirements

  Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Accounting; CPA, CA, ACCA, or MBA in Finance required.

  Experience: 12+ years of progressive finance leadership, with at least 5 years in a regional leadership role within IT Distribution

  Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of IT distribution economics (backend margins, vendor rebates, channel credit risk, inventory turns, FX exposure).

  Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency in tier-1 ERPs (SAP, Oracle) and regional tax/compliance frameworks across Southeast Asia and South Asia.

  Leadership: Proven track record of managing cross-border remote teams and driving cross-functional alignment with Commercial & Sales leads.