Monisha Khushalani
An Empowering Partner for a Startup CFO
Monisha Khushalani spent 20+ years as a finance professional and leader at several large Beauty and CPG companies, including Coty, Unilever, and Nestle. Although she gained invaluable experience from seeing a holistic view of successful businesses, Monisha was eager to have a more influential role in decision-making. In 2016, Sir Kensington’s (Sir K’s), a condiment company, brought her on as their first CFO. Within the first 48 hours, she had already made a decision to spend $1M dollars on a capital expenditure project expecting to recoup the entire $1M in the first year and yield ongoing cost reduction to benefit gross margin.
Propeller, which had supported Sir K’s CEO Mark Ramadan since 2013, was an invaluable resource. Over the next two years, Propeller helped her streamline month-end reporting, implement inventory management processes and prepare financials as the company closed a deal with Unilever.
“Propeller was incredible in terms of setting me up for success because they created a foundation and baseline with the work they had done prior to me joining. When I became CFO, I had a thought partner with invaluable experience that I could use to shape my plan.”
After the Sir K’s acquisition, Monisha stayed in the startup CPG world by moving to Good Culture, a gut-friendly cultured dairy company (and a fellow Propeller client). Together, they built a financial model that would extend their cash runway without sacrificing equity.
Monisha’s next big move happened when Mark Ramadan asked her to rejoin him as CFO at Hu, a chocolate and snacking company. As a more mature business, she again turned to Propeller, though in a new capacity. Together, they worked on reporting and accurate inventory accounting within Netsuite, and Propeller provided much-needed transactional accounting services in advance of Hu’s acquisition by Mondelez International, Inc. Propeller continues to be on speed-dial for Monisha as a trusted partner.
Successfully Onboarded Monisha
Provided Historic Perspective, Trusted Advice & Strategic Support
Created New Financial Model
Streamlined Accounting Processes
Reduced Month-End Close Reporting by 10 Days
Set Up Inventory Controls & Assisted with Financial Audits
During Acquisition, Helped Ensure Financial Statements’ Accuracy
Served as Acting CFO & Managed Transition
Initial Board Presentation Prep
Built Cash Model Focused on Extending Runway Without Giving Up Equity
Supported First-Year Audit
Provided Accounting Support and Report-Building within Netsuite
Est. Inventory Accounting Processes, Systems Transition and Training
Developed Dynamic Reporting Provided Transactional Accounting Services During Key Acquisition Period
Continues to Be a Trusted Advisor to Monisha Providing Day-to-Day Sales Order Processing, Invoicing, A/R and Deductions Management
“The biggest value Propeller brings is creating a strong sense of community. I always know I can access whoever I need based on their level of expertise. And I know they’re there to help me when I am super-stretched or if I need to solve problems.”
Are you a CFO looking for a trusted partner to amplify your line of sight and serve as your end-to-end support crew?
Let’s start a conversation today.
