The best CFOs
don't just report on
the business.
They shape it.

विवेक · विश्वास · नेतृत्व DISCERNMENT · TRUST · LEADERSHIP

Fractional CFO and strategic finance advisory for growth-stage and mid-market companies across the GCC, Africa and Asia. Built from 18+ years inside USD 1B+ enterprises, Big-4 audit, and regulated fintech.

Book a Conversation → See Selected Engagements ↓ Insights ↓
LinkedIn ↗ WhatsApp
18+ YEARS
USD 1B+ ENTERPRISES LED
USD 300M+ CAPITAL
RESTRUCTURED
8 COUNTRIES
PRACTITIONER, NOT ADVISOR
Utkarsh Barasia

Utkarsh Barasia

उत्कर्ष बरासिया

FRACTIONAL CFO · EX-GROUP CFO

WHO WE ARE?

An operator at the
finance table.
Not a slide deck beside it.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Senior finance leader with 18+ years across Big-4 audit, group CFO mandates and regulated fintech operations — sitting between founders, boards, lenders and regulators across four continents.

  1. 01 Group CFO of USD 1B+ multi-country enterprises across the GCC and Africa.
  2. 02 Chief Financial & Product Officer of a regulated African fintech scaled to 1M+ users.
  3. 03 Big-4 trained · institutional lenders, regulators and PE investors at the table.
  4. 04 Owner-side operator — sat between founders, boards, and capital providers.
18+ YEARS

Finance, audit, consulting. CFO and business leadership.

USD 1B+ PLATFORM
EXPOSURE

Multi-country group finance and governance.

USD
300M+ FUNDING
ARCHITECTURE

Debt, equity, trade finance and structured facilities.

USD 60M MONTHLY
LIQUIDITY

Multi-currency liquidity and treasury exposure.

8+ COUNTRIES

UAE, India, GCC, Africa, US, UK and Europe.

Board LEVEL EXPERIENCE

CEO, owner, board and investor-facing finance.

WHERE WE HAVE SERVED

Five regions. One operating standard.

Africa Skyline
GCC

UAE · Saudi Arabia · Oman

Africa Skyline
AFRICA

Nigeria · Kenya · Guinea · Senegal · Côte d'Ivoire · Zambia

Asia Skyline
ASIA

India · Singapore

US & UK Skyline
US & UK

United States · United Kingdom

Europe Skyline
EUROPE

Germany · France · Spain · Bulgaria

INDUSTRIES WE HAVE LIVED

Ten verticals. Operating depth.

Fintech & Digital Wallets Automobile Distribution Commodities & Agri Trading FMCG / Retail Manufacturing Hospitality Infrastructure / Energy Family Office / Holding Cos. Africa-Focused Businesses Consulting

WHO · WHEN

The desk is open
when the table
gets harder.

Most clients arrive at one of two moments. Either the business has outgrown its finance function, or capital is now sitting on the other side of the table asking sharper questions.

The first conversation is a working session — not a sales pitch. We map the situation, the gap, and the next 90 days.

WHO WE WORK WITH

Eight client archetypes

01

Founder-led businesses

Preparing for institutional scale.

02

Family offices & business groups

Multi-entity, multi-country governance.

03

Growth-stage SMEs

Needing CFO-level financial control.

04

Companies raising capital

Debt, equity or structured facilities.

05

Minority-stake sellers

Preparing the business for diligence.

06

Investors reviewing targets

Buy-side red flags and quality of earnings.

07

Importers & trading houses

Working-capital pressure and FX exposure.

08

Fintechs maturing

Product to governance and regulator-grade.

WHEN CLIENTS CALL

Eight common triggers

  1. 01 Growth has outpaced the finance function.
  2. 02 Banks or investors are asking tougher questions.
  3. 03 Cash flow is tight despite profitable sales.
  4. 04 Receivables, inventory or working capital are stuck.
  5. 05 An owner wants to raise capital or sell a minority stake.
  6. 06 A CFO is needed, but not yet full-time.
  7. 07 Books need a clean-up before diligence.
  8. 08 Board packs and MIS are not decision-grade.

If two or more sound familiar — open a 30–60 min slot →

PRACTICE

Each pillar is a working anchor. Click a title to jump to detail or the M&A deep-dive below.

Six pillars.
One embedded finance partner.

Engagements are scoped narrowly and run deep, as a practitioner inside your business, not an outside advisor presenting at it.

01Fractional CFO & Board Finance
02Fundraising & Capital Structuring
03Business Structuring, Tax & Governance
04Performance Improvement & Turnaround
05Finance × Product · Fintech Operating Layer
06M&A & Transaction Advisory
01
Fractional CFO & Board Finance
  • CFO office setup
  • Budgeting and forecasting
  • CEO / promoter finance support
  • MIS and board packs
  • Cash flow governance
02
Fundraising & Capital Structuring
  • Debt and equity fundraising support
  • Investor materials
  • Working capital optimisation
  • Bank facility structuring
  • Lender reporting
03
Business Structuring, Tax & Governance
  • Holdco and subsidiary structuring
  • Tax structuring coordination
  • Controls and delegation matrix
  • Onshore / offshore review across UAE, India and Africa
  • Governance framework
04
Performance Improvement & Turnaround
  • Margin improvement
  • Funding cost reduction
  • Business unit profitability
  • Receivables and inventory control
  • FX and treasury optimisation
05
Finance × Product · Fintech Operating Layer
  • Unit economics design
  • Agent-network financial models
  • Treasury and reconciliation systems
  • Pricing and rental-match tools
  • Regulatory reporting cycle
06
M&A & Transaction Advisory ↓
  • Buy-side and sell-side support
  • Due diligence coordination
  • Deal structuring & negotiation
  • Valuation readiness & EBITDA normalisation
  • Investor Q&A and data room

PILLAR 06 · DEEP DIVE

M&A.
A practice
of its own.

We support business owners, family groups and investors across buy-side, sell-side and minority stake transactions. Our work covers transaction readiness, valuation review, investor materials, data room preparation, financial due diligence coordination, commercial analysis, deal structuring, negotiation support and post-deal integration planning.

01

Sell-Side Advisory Support

  • Valuation readiness
  • Investor teaser / information memorandum
  • Financial clean-up before investor approach
  • EBITDA normalisation
  • Data room preparation
  • Investor Q&A support
  • Term sheet and commercial negotiation support
  • Coordination with lawyers, tax advisors and diligence teams
02

Buy-Side / Investment Review

  • Target screening
  • Financial model review
  • Financial due diligence red flags
  • Working capital analysis
  • Quality of earnings review
  • Synergy and integration assessment
  • Investment committee memo
03

Minority Stake / Growth Capital

  • Capital raise preparation
  • Strategic investor mapping
  • PE / family office readiness
  • Shareholder return model
  • Governance and reporting preparation
  • Founder dilution analysis

SELECTED ENGAGEMENTS

Real numbers.
Anonymised clients.

Engagements are confidential. Identifiers and figures have been anonymised or rounded. Full case studies are available on request.

LIVE PROTOTYPES

Built. Shipped. Walk-through here.

The prototypes below preview the working interface from two recent engagements. The main projects were delivered into production under client NDAs. Full architecture, commercial detail and outcomes are available on request.

Pricewise Prototype LIVE PROTOTYPE

SAAS · PRICING OPERATIONS

LivePROTOTYPE

Margin uplift via real-time pricing signal

Pricewise · Dynamic Pricing & Margin Intelligence

Decision-grade pricing layer that synchronises competitor signals, cost movement and margin guardrails into a single operating view.

PRODUCTION DELIVERED · DETAILS ON REQUEST Open prototype ↗
RentalMatch Prototype LIVE PROTOTYPE

MARKETPLACE · REAL ESTATE

LivePROTOTYPE

Demand-supply matching with unit economics built in

RentalMatch · Marketplace Match Engine

A two-sided rental marketplace prototype with embedded conversion-funnel reporting and underwriting hooks.

PRODUCTION DELIVERED · DETAILS ON REQUEST Open prototype ↗
विश्वास

CLIENT VOICES

On the record.
Anonymised in print.

Reflections from chairpersons, founders and managing directors the practice has supported. Client identifiers are protected by standing NDAs.

CLIENT IDENTIFIERS ANONYMISED UNDER STANDING NDAS.

TALK TO UTKARSH

30–60 minutes.
No deck. No pitch.

The first conversation is a working session, not a sales call. Two ways to reach me — pick whichever is faster.

DIRECT LINES

EMAIL

ubarasia@yahoo.in →

LINKEDIN

linkedin.com/in/utkarsh-barasia →

FASTEST CHANNEL

WhatsApp.

A reply within hours.

Best for a quick intro, a specific question, or to share a one-line situation before we meet.

+971588135452

WhatsApp Utkarsh

BOOK A WORKING SESSION

Calendly.

30–60 minutes. Held.

Pick a confirmed slot. You'll get a calendar hold, a video link, and a short prep prompt — no deck required.

Pick a time →

OR BOOK A SLOT DIRECTLY

Pick a time that works for you.

Utkarsh Barasia

Catchup with Utkarsh

⏱ 1 hr

Select a Date & Time

June 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Cookie settings Privacy Policy

REPLIES TYPICALLY WITHIN ONE BUSINESS DAY · CONVERSATIONS ARE TREATED CONFIDENTIALLY. NDA AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.

परिचय Operator at the finance table.
Utkarsh