Laxman Kakarla

Strategist, implementer with multi-cultural experience in spearheading entire project accounting function, project/cost controlling, financial planning & analysis, business process transition & improvement, ERP BAAN finance, MS Navision, Change Management and MIS reporting with consistent record of delivering results in cost reduction, revenue, operational performance & profitability.

• Impressive success in planning / scheduling, cost engineering, cost estimating & cost analysis/control activities for large projects
• Proven acumen in execution of project controls programs on an assigned project, steering project financial status reporting, cash flow / accounts receivables & payables monitoring and directing planning, schedule, change management, forecasting, Trends & Claims
• Capable of strengthening & streamlining the financial processes & controls, leading knowledge transfer of the project accounting functions, identifying business opportunities, identifying & mitigating financial risks on projects & setting-up improved work processes
• Seasoned analytics thought leader with a financial construct thought process, instrumental in devising strategy and managing the P&L
• Provided insight to the financial decision-making process through analysis, financial projections (planning, budgeting & forecasting) and reporting; ensured strong communication with financial stakeholders to build credibility
• Successfully spearheaded various initiatives & implementations aimed at critical business processes standardization, improvements & automations with key contributions in substantial cost control & enhanced value proposition
• Provided timely, relevant & accurate MIS reports and analysis of the organization’s performance to facilitate decision-making 
• Expertise in reviewing financial results; undertaking year-on-year and quarterly comparison of company performance
• Delivered business impacts by collaborating with the leadership team, investors, board of directors & external regulators through high-stakes decisions; drove performance management, training & development while defining KPIs in line with organizational goals

Role: Project Controls

• Leading a high-performing team and spearheading Project Controlling for large Projects executed in Denmark & USA while working in close coordination with Project Directors & Managers 
• Administering functions including work allocation, training & mentoring and reviewing & approving progress & accuracy of work
• Reviewing all Contracts, Sub-contracts for analyzing financial risk; set up Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) & Work Package Budgets
• Supporting Project Managers with Cost Breakups & Analysis; advising on changes in project estimate at completion (EAC) to take necessary steps to maintain the baseline profit level
• Attending progress status review meetings, technical meetings, risk analysis meetings & other periodic meetings with stakeholders 
• Supporting Proposal & Sales Team while bidding for new projects with financials and analyzing high risk projects for Denmark & India 
• Steering end-to-end functions including Revenue Recognition, T&M & Fixed Price Projects Backlog, Accounts Receivables / Payables Monitoring, Cash Flow Management, Project Portfolio Review, Project P&L Accounting, Process Improvements and KPIs Analysis
• Executing fortnightly meetings with Project Directors on project status (Revenue, Cost, Profit) along with contingency / risk
• Creating, reviewing & distributing various project reports to support financial projections, audits, HR reviews and compliance issues

• Budgeting, Forecasting, Variance Analysis & Balance Sheet Reconciliation
• Highlighting the major variances for the period along with the ways of cost optimization, allocation of support function cost to departments using multiple keys & principles, ensuring stabilization of expenses, support for annual budgets, quarterly forecasts, in-depth analysis of indirect cost to business lines, Cost-center P&L, Deep dive analytics of expenses.
• Designing month-end closing financial commentaries and producing monthly variance reports for budget comparisons 
• Preparing feasibility reports & financial modelling to support business expansion decisions 
• Directing MIS Reporting by preparing KPI reports primarily for Utilization, Bookings, Backlog, Pipeline and Project Profitability and corporate group reporting including preparation of Group & Country MMR for finance results on monthly basis