Product, Finance & Operations · Jakarta

Tech, product, finance
and operations —
rarely in one person.

15 years building products, owning P&Ls, writing specs, building financial models, running full-stack financial control, and sitting at the table with founders when the hard calls get made. In India and Indonesia.

15+
Years Experience
$500M+
P&L Managed
$450M+
AUM Overseen
View my experience → Get in touch
Rishi Bhansali
Rishi BhansaliProduct, Finance & Operations
Jakarta, Indonesia
01

Now

Right now
On a deliberate break - family time and learning time. After years of operating at pace across two countries, I wanted space to be present at home and intentional about what comes next. Both are getting equal attention.
Thinking about
Stepping into a product leadership role in fintech - working on B2B payments, expense management, lending, and credit products. After 15 years building the systems and the financial architecture behind scaling businesses, I'm moving closer to where the product decisions get made.
Reading & learning
Going deep on AI applications, product thinking, and fintech infrastructure - how LLMs are being embedded into real financial products, what separates good product management from great, and the applied side of AI in emerging market contexts.
Updated March 2026 · Jakarta
02

Things I believe

1
Most companies don't have a growth problem. They have a unit economics problem.
Revenue growth hides a lot. The real question is whether the underlying transaction makes money. I've watched businesses in retail, lending, and education scale a broken unit hundreds of times over. Fix it first. Then scale.
2
Cash flow is reality. Everything else is interpretation.
P&L can be managed. Valuations are stories. EBITDA adjustments are often fiction. The cash balance at the end of the month is the one number that doesn't lie. I build every financial system around that as the anchor.
3
The best products come from people who understand what breaks in the real world.
You can't design a good payment product without understanding reconciliation. You can't build a good lending product without understanding how defaults actually happen. Operators who've lived inside these systems make better product decisions than those who've only observed them.
03

Industries & Product Experience

Fifteen years across three industries and two markets. In each one I was building or rebuilding something - a system, a platform, an operating model. The finance and the product work were always connected.

🏪
Retail & Consumer
Scaled India's largest baby & kids retailer from 10 to 350+ stores. Deep expertise in store economics, franchise models, inventory, and omnichannel P&L management.
Store RolloutsFranchise FinanceOmnichannel
🏭
Fintech & Lending
Built multi-finance partnerships and managed $450M+ AUM at one of SE Asia's largest automotive financing platforms. Hands-on with lending economics, risk, and regulatory compliance.
Multi-FinanceAUM ManagementOJK Compliance
🏫
Education
Led acquisition and scale of a preschool network from 55 to 250+ centres and 18,000+ students. Understands unit economics, regulatory, and community dynamics of education businesses in India.
School M&ACentre RolloutEdTech Finance
Key Systems & Product Work
01
Launched a New Multi-Finance Company in Indonesia
Led end-to-end market entry at OTO.COM - from regulatory strategy and business model design through to operational execution under OJK frameworks.
OTO.COM · 2024
02
IPO Readiness & Public Market Transition at Firstcry
Led DRHP preparation, strengthened financial reporting quality, and built capital allocation frameworks aligned with public-market expectations ahead of Firstcry's 2024 IPO.
Firstcry · 2023
03
Built a School Management Platform from Scratch
Led product and systems build for the Intellitots ERP - fee collection, classroom management, student records, royalty management, and payment gateway integrations. Served 250+ schools.
Firstcry · 2021
04
Retail Expansion: 10 → 350+ Stores
Location selection, design, branding, technology decisions, and commercial negotiations - while building the financial architecture of capex models, ROI frameworks, and franchisee economics.
Firstcry · 2019–23
04

Experience

Work
Dec 2023 – Jul 2025
Country Finance Manager
OTO.COM - PT. Carbay Services Indonesia
SE Asia's largest automotive financing marketplace · CarDekho Group unicorn · Jakarta
  • Built multi-finance partnerships with leading institutions, accelerating loan disbursement volumes
  • Led the launch of a new multi-finance company in Indonesia - market entry, business model design, and execution from ground up
  • Managed USD 450M+ AUM with focus on capital allocation, liquidity, and returns
  • Directed M&A, restructuring, and post-merger integration in collaboration with Big 4 consultants
  • Drove restructuring initiatives that enhanced gross margins and unit-level profitability
Jun 2019 – Dec 2023
Assistant Vice President, Finance
Firstcry.com (Brainbees Solutions Ltd)
Unicorn 2020 · IPO 2024 · India's #1 baby & kids retailer · Pune
  • Partnered with Founders and C-suite across a consolidated P&L exceeding USD 500M
  • Scaled retail from 10 to 350+ company-owned stores, 600+ franchisees, and preschool from 55 to 250+ centres with 18,000+ students
  • Led IPO-readiness including DRHP preparation and capital allocation planning
  • Supported secondary fundraising and investor liquidity events; prepared financial models and investor data packs
  • Led acquisition of Intellitots - full integration, ERP, MIS, and scale to 18,000+ enrolled students
  • Delivered USD 1M+ annual savings, reducing costs by over 1% of business-unit revenue
Jan 2016 – Mar 2019
Head of Finance
PT. Ameya Livingstyle Indonesia & PT. Anggun Kreasi Garmen
4,000+ operator garment manufacturing group · Yogyakarta
  • Led commercial and financial turnaround alongside CEO
  • Built budgeting, forecasting, and cost-control frameworks across multiple plants
  • Led 30+ member cross-functional teams across finance, procurement, and production
  • Navigated complex regulatory, tax, and bonded-zone requirements for export operations
Dec 2013 – Dec 2015
Head of Finance
PT Bidaya & PT. Melatie RetailIndo
Garment trading & retail group · Bogor, Indonesia
  • Partnered with founders to stabilise and scale trading & retail operations
  • Built in-house retail & inventory management system, digitising stock tracking and replenishment
  • Standardised multi-department SOPs and governance frameworks
2004 – 2013
Manager - Various Functions
Modern Radiators Pvt. Ltd & Unique Art Exports
Family-owned businesses · Jodhpur, India
  • Grew furniture, art, and silver jewellery exports to Italy, UK, and USA
  • Built brand identity, catalogs, and import/export teams from scratch
Education & Qualifications
2023
ACCA
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK)
2019
Bahasa Indonesia Certification
Puri Bahasa Indonesia
2013
Chartered Accountancy Final - Group 1
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI)
Article training in Mumbai & Jodhpur (2008–2011)
2006
Bachelor in Computer Applications
Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur
Core Skills
Financial ModellingBusiness PlanningFull-Stack Financial ControlProduct Requirements (PRD & BRD)ERP ImplementationP&L OwnershipFundraising & Due DiligenceM&A AdvisoryIPO ReadinessUnit EconomicsBudgeting & ForecastingCapex & Store ROIWorking CapitalInvestor & Board ReportingPricing StrategyPayment Gateway IntegrationsFintech & Lending ProductsBahasa IndonesiaIndia & Southeast Asia Markets