General Mills India | Head of Brand Finance

Primary duties / responsibilities

• The role is based in India and supports the GEMs regional business, with regular interaction across markets and functions.
• The position combines strategic leadership with hands-on analysis, planning, performance management and stakeholder engagement.
• Act as a key finance business partner to Marketing and Commercial teams across all Brands in GEMs markets.
• Lead Holistic Brand performance review covering Financial and Non Financial KPIs, identifying performance gaps and driving corrective actions.
• Provide financial leadership for portfolio innovation, Pre-Post New Product Development Tracking, brand investment and geographic expansion initiatives.
• Perform trend, mix, pricing, trade and margin analysis to support holistic margin management and profitable growth.
• Set up, track and challenge Marketing investments including spend effectiveness and return on investment.
• Develop 3 Year Strategic Plans in partnership with Global Brand Teams for Global Platforms.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize and improve finance and commercial processes while protecting data quality, governance and business value.
• Reports directly to the Finance Director, GEMs.
• Partners and interacts with Marketing, Sales, Consumer Insights, Global Brand Teams, GEMs Finance.

Qualifications and experience

• Approximately 10–15 years of relevant experience in finance business partnering, FP&A, Brand Finance with leading FMCG/Consumer companies.
• Strong experience working with large volumes of data and translating analysis into practical business recommendations.
• Excellent Excel and PowerPoint skills; SAP/BW and AI experience preferred.
• Effective communication skills in English, both verbal and written, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Experience operating across Indian market dynamics and multi-country regional businesses is preferred.
• Uses insight, consulting, influencing and persuading skills to build alignment, challenge constructively and move stakeholders from analysis to action.
• Technical Skills– Possesses and applies technical knowledge of FP&A, P&L management, brand finance, pricing, mix, margin management and Finance processes to positively impact business results.

General Mills, Inc.

General Mills was formed on 20 June 1928 in its present form when James Ford Bell merged Washburn-Crosby with a number of other regional flour mills, and its roots go back to the Minneapolis Milling Company, incorporated in 1856. Its shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in November 1928. The company is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, and sells branded foods through retail stores, including breakfast cereals, baking mixes, refrigerated dough, soup, snack foods and ice cream. It added the pet food maker Blue Buffalo in 2018. In India, General Mills runs the General Mills India Center in Mumbai, a global capability centre that supports the group in supply chain, digital technology, innovation, consumer insights and finance. A satellite office for digital and technology staff opened in Pune in 2025.

Finance hiring is concentrated in Mumbai and covers a wide range of work: corporate finance, supply chain accounting, financial consolidation on OneStream, US payroll tax, SAP finance, cost management, FP&A, brand finance, global internal audit and global finance operations. Roles run from executive and trainee level to associate director and head of function. Several postings ask for a Chartered Accountant or an MBA in Finance, and cost management trainee roles are open to candidates pursuing CMA Intermediate or Final. Internal audit roles prefer CPA, CIA or CISA, and other postings ask for a graduate or postgraduate degree.

• Industry: Branded packaged foods: cereals, baking mixes, refrigerated dough, soup, snacks, ice cream and pet food (Blue Buffalo)
• Headquarters: Golden Valley, Minnesota, United States (listed on the NYSE as GIS)
• In India: General Mills India Center in Mumbai, a global capability centre covering supply chain, digital and technology, innovation, consumer insights and finance, with a satellite office in Pune (Kalyani Nagar, opened 2025)