Vikram Nair
Finance Director . CFO Advisory . Gulf and International Markets
22 years of financial leadership across UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, and the United Kingdom. Former Finance Director of a USD 2 billion Gulf conglomerate. Now available for CFO, Finance Director, and Board Advisory engagements.
Finance is not about numbers. It is about the decisions those numbers make possible.
I am Vikram Nair, a senior finance executive with 22 years of experience leading financial operations, strategy, and transformation across the Gulf region, India, and the United Kingdom. My career spans multinational conglomerates, family-owned groups, and private equity backed businesses across real estate, construction, manufacturing, and financial services.
At Al Futtaim Group I served as Finance Director overseeing a USD 2 billion revenue portfolio across 14 business units in 6 countries. During my tenure I led the group's first sukuk issuance raising AED 500 million, managed three major acquisitions in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and built a 45-person finance function from the ground up. I left to pursue independent CFO advisory work supporting Gulf businesses through IPO readiness, financial restructuring, and regional expansion.
I am a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and hold an MBA from London Business School. I am currently available for Finance Director, Group CFO, and Board Advisory roles across the Gulf, UK, and India. I bring particular expertise in IFRS compliance, treasury management, M&A execution, and building finance teams that scale with business growth.
A Track Record Measured in Results
22 Years. Four Countries. One Direction.
A career built on progressive responsibility, international exposure, and consistent delivery across the Gulf's most complex financial environments.
Built the technical foundation. Qualified as FCA. First Gulf posting.
Led treasury for USD 500M+ real estate portfolio. First senior leadership role.
USD 2B revenue portfolio. AED 500M sukuk. Three acquisitions. 45-person team.
Advising Gulf businesses on IPO readiness, M&A, and financial transformation.
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Where Finance Meets Strategy
Treasury and Capital Markets
End-to-end treasury management, sukuk and bond issuance, forex hedging strategy, liquidity management, and banking relationship management across Gulf and international capital markets. Executed AED 500M sukuk issuance and managed multi-currency treasury operations across 6 countries.
Mergers, Acquisitions, and IPO Readiness
Full-cycle M&A advisory covering financial due diligence, valuation, deal structuring, and post-merger financial integration. IPO readiness including financial reporting uplift, prospectus support, and investor relations framework. Executed USD 800M in buy and sell side transactions across the Gulf and Egypt.
Finance Function Transformation
Building and transforming finance teams from the ground up. ERP implementation, financial controls establishment, IFRS compliance, management reporting redesign, and shared services setup. Built a 45-person finance function at Al Futtaim from an 8-person team over 4 years, covering FP&A, treasury, tax, and audit.
Contributing Beyond the Executive Chair
In addition to executive roles Vikram serves in advisory and board capacities, bringing financial governance expertise to growth-stage businesses across the Gulf.
Trusted by Those Who Have Worked Alongside
Vikram is the finest finance leader I have worked with in 30 years in the Gulf. When he joined Al Futtaim our finance function was fragmented across 14 business units with no consolidated view. Within 18 months he had built a world-class shared services operation, implemented group-wide IFRS reporting, and delivered our first external sukuk. He is the reason our finance function is now considered a competitive advantage rather than a cost centre.
I engaged Vikram to advise on our IPO readiness process and he transformed how our board thinks about financial governance. In six months he rebuilt our reporting framework, identified three material accounting issues before they became audit findings, and prepared our CFO for investor roadshow conversations. We listed successfully on Tadawul and Vikram was a significant contributor to that outcome.
Open to the Right Opportunity
I am currently evaluating CFO, Finance Director, and Board Advisory opportunities across the Gulf, UK, and India. I am particularly interested in organisations navigating growth, transformation, or international expansion where senior financial leadership can create measurable impact.
Available for new engagements from June 2026. Interviewing now.