regional finance director (commercial).

Job Title: Regional Finance Director (SEA & South Asia)

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia / Singapore

Industry Sector Preference: FMCG / Consumer Health / Pharmaceuticals / Medical Devices

Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent

Reporting Lines:

• Primary / Solid Line: Regional Chief Financial Officer (CFO) / VP Finance APAC
• Commercial Matrix Lines: Regional Managing Director / General Managers & Commercial Leads across SEA & South Asia Supervisory Scope: Direct oversight of country finance managers, commercial controllers, and FP&A business partners across the region (10–15 direct/indirect reports, plus shared services teams).

POSITION PURPOSE & OVERVIEW

The Regional Finance Director (SEA & South Asia) serves as the lead strategic financial co-pilot and commercial catalyst driving profitable expansion, operational productivity, and robust financial governance across diverse, multi-tiered markets.

Covering Southeast Asia (e.g., Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines) and key markets in South Asia (e.g., India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka), this role requires managing complex go-to-market dynamics across direct sales organizations, third-party distributor networks, tender-driven public/private healthcare models, and logistics partnerships. The incumbent must balance executive stakeholder influence across multiple commercial heads with hands-on oversight of commercial finance, Gross-to-Net (GTN) architecture, working capital, and compliance frameworks.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Commercial Finance Strategy & Strategic Business Partnering (~40%)

• Act as the strategic co-pilot to Regional Commercial Directors, Business Unit Heads, and Country General Managers, translating commercial ambitions into executable, value-accretive financial plans.
• Steer commercial decision-making on pricing elasticity, Price Pack Architecture (PPA), New Product Introductions (NPI/NPD), and customer/channel profitability (Customer Contribution Statements).
• Drive Revenue Growth Management (RGM) and trade spend governance: oversee trade terms, distributor margin structures, commercial rebates, and marketing investment (A&P / ROMI) evaluations.
• Provide strategic direction on Route-to-Market (RTM) transformations, including partner transitions (direct vs. distributor vs. hybrid), hospital/government tenders, and specialized distributor agreements across emerging South Asian and SEA markets.
• Lead the financial design and governance of commercial incentive programs, distributor target letters, and sales incentive schemes to align commercial behaviors with bottom-line EBITDA expansion.

2. Regional FP&A, Forecasting & Performance Management (~25%)

• Direct the regional planning cadence, including the Annual Operating Plan (AOP), rolling M+3 forecasts, long-range strategic plans (LRP), and capital allocation proposals.
• Lead regional Monthly and Quarterly Business Reviews (MBR / QBR), delivering clear variance commentaries and diagnostic root-cause analyses on sales volumes, product mix, Gross Margin, and operating profit.
• Provide forward-looking scenario modeling and sensitivity analyses to advise commercial leaders on supply disruptions, commodity/FX volatilities, inflation pass-through, and regional regulatory pricing shifts.
• Deploy advanced business intelligence (Power BI, Tableau) and commercial forecasting platforms to eliminate manual reporting and expand SKU-level performance visibility.

3. Operational Supply Chain Finance & Working Capital Optimization (~15%)

• Partner with Regional Supply Chain Directors, Plant Controllers, and Demand Planners in monthly Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP / IBP) cycles to bridge commercial volume demand with manufacturing supply.
• Monitor standard costing models, cost-to-serve (CTS) metrics, import/customs duties, freight allocations, and inventory stock aging (Days Inventory On Hand - DIOH).
• Drive working capital optimization strategies across the region to minimize Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), evaluate distributor credit terms, and mitigate bad debt exposure.

4. Controllership, Internal Controls & Statutory Governance (~10%)

• Maintain total fiduciary oversight across multi-country entities, ensuring regional reporting integrity and full compliance with IFRS / US GAAP and local statutory accounting guidelines.
• Supervise the regional month-end close schedules, revenue recognition standards (MFRS 15 / IFRS 15), and balance sheet reconciliations in collaboration with regional Shared Service Centers (SSC/GBS).
• Serve as the primary point of contact for internal audits, external statutory audits, transfer pricing documentation, and corporate tax compliance across jurisdictions.
• Enforce strict compliance with internal codes of conduct, anti-bribery regulations (FCPA / UK Bribery Act), and healthcare compliance standards across public and private interactions.

5. Leadership & Organizational Capability Building (~10%)

• Attract, mentor, and build a high-performing, commercially astute regional finance team spread across multiple remote country locations.
• Upskill commercial finance capabilities, coaching sales and marketing teams on financial drivers, margins, and investment ROI.
• Champion digital transformation initiatives, including enterprise ERP deployments (SAP S/4HANA), e-invoicing rollouts, and robotic process automation (RPA).

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Professional Certifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, or related business discipline.
• Mandatory recognized professional accounting qualification (CPA, CA, ACCA, CIMA, ACA) or an MBA from a reputable business school.

Work Experience:

• 12 to 18+ years of progressive finance leadership experience within multinational corporations (MNCs).
• Proven track record within relevant industries: FMCG / Consumer Goods, Pharmaceuticals / Life Sciences, or Medical Devices / MedTech.
• Regional Exposure: Proven experience leading finance across Southeast Asia and South Asia, demonstrating an understanding of local commercial regulations, distributor management, and foreign exchange/repatriation dynamics.
• Extensive experience in Commercial Finance & Business Partnering, having supported senior commercial stakeholders (GMs, VPs, Commercial Directors) in a matrix organizational structure.
• Direct background managing diverse commercial models: Direct affiliate sales, third-party distribution networks, tender/institutional hospital business, and hybrid logistics partnerships.

CRITICAL COMPETENCIES & LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES

• Commercial & Business Acumen: Able to challenge commercial assumptions constructively, balance short-term quarterly targets with long-term brand equity, and navigate commercial trade-offs.
• Matrix Agility & Stakeholder Influence: Exceptional executive presence, diplomacy, and communication skills to influence diverse cross-functional leaders who do not report directly to finance.
• Hands-On Leadership in Ambiguity: Comfortable operating in lean setups where the leader must navigate ambiguity, set strategic direction, and personally dive into manual models, reconciliations, or commercial contracts when necessary.
• Systems & Data Fluency: Proficiency in Tier-1 ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards) and business intelligence applications (Power BI, Hyperion, Smartview, Anaplan).