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Business Strategist

MURALI
KRISHNA

Business Enabler · Global Change Agent

A visionary professional steering leadership roles with 40 years of experience across the globe — from boardrooms to brand strategy, family business to acquisition advisory.

Fintech · Corporate Treasury · FMCG · Health Care · Pharma
IT · Digital Media · Startups · Strategy Management & Consulting

Murali Krishna — Business Strategist
40Years of Global
Leadership
27+Countries of
Experience
45+Startups
Mentored
1–5CSR Engagements
& Growing
8Consulting
Streams
What I Do

Three Pillars of My Practice

The foundation of everything I bring to every engagement — built over 40 years of doing, not theorising.

Business Enabler

Developing frameworks for customer acquisition, customer retention, change management and price leadership. Turning strategy into measurable growth across every sector I've served.

Strategic Director

As an Independent Director on the board, driving growth and improving corporate governance standards — including risk management, stakeholder accountability, and long-term value creation.

🌱

Mentoring

Creating business pitches, mentoring budding entrepreneurs to set up and accelerate their business journey. From first-time founders to C-suite executives seeking a trusted sounding board.

Consulting Services

Eight Areas Where I Add the Most Value

Each service stream is grounded in 40 years of doing — not theorising. Strategy and execution, together.

01 Primary Service

Family Business Transition & Succession Planning

Guiding promoter families through succession, governance design & next-gen leadership — four pathways tailored to where each family stands.

02

Strategic Growth Planning

Business model innovation, go-to-market strategy & competitive differentiation across Fintech, FMCG, Healthcare, Pharma & IT.

03

Digital Media Strategy

Content architecture, audience development, platform strategy & monetisation — bridging brand narrative with digital reach across owned, earned, and paid media.

04

Fintech & Risk Advisory

Fintech solutions, risk frameworks & banking technology — traditional treasury expertise meets modern digital finance.

05

Mentoring & Leadership Development

45+ startups mentored through Wadhwani Foundation (NEN) — building founder resilience & coaching C-suite leaders.

06 New

CSR / ESG Advisory

Building CSR foundations — policy design, NGO partnerships, impact assessment & BRSR support. 1–5 active engagements and growing.

07 Growing Practice

Acquisition Advisory

Buy-side & sell-side M&A, due diligence, valuation & transaction support. Particular strength in Pharma, Healthcare & FMCG.

08

Independent Director

Board governance, risk management & strategic oversight — operator credibility on every board I serve.

Deep Dive

Acquisition Advisory

Navigating M&A transactions requires more than financial expertise — it demands deep sector knowledge, operational credibility, and the ability to manage complexity on both sides of a deal. I bring 40 years of BFSI, Pharma, and cross-sector experience to every acquisition mandate.

🎯

Buy-Side Advisory

Representing acquirers through target identification, financial due diligence, valuation modelling, and negotiation strategy. Ensuring investors deploy capital into the right asset at the right price — with full visibility of risk.

🏭

Sell-Side Representation

Preparing businesses for sale — from information memorandum and valuation positioning to investor outreach, management presentations, and deal closure. Maximising enterprise value for promoters and shareholders.

🔍

Due Diligence Management

Comprehensive operational, financial, and regulatory due diligence — coordinating legal, accounting, and domain expert teams. Identifying deal risks before they become deal-breakers, and deal opportunities before they are priced in.

⚖️

Valuation & Deal Structuring

Independent business valuation using DCF, comparables, and asset-based methodologies. Structuring transaction terms — earn-outs, deferred consideration, escrow arrangements — that protect both parties and enable deal completion.

🤝

Family Business Acquisitions

Specialist expertise in acquiring or transitioning promoter-led and family-owned businesses — managing the human dynamics, legacy concerns, and governance complexities that make these transactions uniquely challenging.

🌐

Cross-Border & Sector Advisory

Advisory for international investors acquiring Indian assets, and Indian companies pursuing overseas acquisitions. Deep domain expertise across Pharma, Healthcare, FMCG, BFSI, and IT sectors.

01
Mandate & Scope

Define objectives, sectors, deal size parameters, and timeline. Engagement begins with a signed advisory mandate.

02
Target & Due Diligence

Target identification or preparation, preliminary financials, site visits, and management meetings.

03
Valuation & Negotiation

Independent valuation, term sheet structuring, MOU signing, and commercial negotiation.

04
Closure & Transition

Definitive agreements, regulatory filings, closing conditions, and post-acquisition transition support.

India's M&A market is entering a decade of unprecedented activity — driven by family business successions, PE consolidation, and sector disruption. Transactions between ₹20–200 Cr are underserved by large investment banks. This is where independent advisory with deep sector expertise delivers the greatest value — and the most trusted outcomes.

My Primary Focus

Family Business Transition & Succession

79% of India's GDP is family-business-driven. 80%+ have no documented succession plan. A massive wave of promoters is at the optimal 55–70 age window. This is where I focus my deepest energy.

01

Family Succession

Founder → Chairman. Next-gen as MD/CEO with phased P&L. Family Charter. Independent board. 3–5 years.

02

Professional Management

Founder stays Chairman. Professional CEO/COO runs operations. Next-gen on development roadmap. 6–18 months.

03

Minority Investment

PE acquires 10–49%. Capital for growth. Family retains control. Board includes PE nominee. 5–7 year partnership.

04

Partial or Full Exit

Full sale, partial sale, merger, or PE roll-over. When founder retires or family wants liquidity. 6–12 months.

Transitioning from a founder-centric model to professional management typically increases valuation multiples from 7–9× EBITDA to 10–13× EBITDA — a 30–50% uplift in enterprise value.

Impact Delivered

Numbers That Matter

40 Yrs

P&L responsibility as COO, CFO, CEO & Board Director — operator credibility, not just advisory

27+

Countries of global business transformation and strategic advisory mandates

45+

Startups mentored through Wadhwani Foundation (NEN) and other platforms

1–5

CSR engagements and growing — building purpose-led strategy for corporates

Insights & Reflections

Perspectives from the Field

40 years at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and transformation — distilled into practical insight.

🏛
Family Business

The Conversation No Indian Promoter Wants to Have — But Must

Succession planning is not a legal formality — it is the most important strategic decision a family business will ever make.

8 min read
Read More →
🤝
Acquisition Advisory

Why India's Mid-Market M&A Needs Independent Advisors, Not Investment Banks

Transactions between ₹20–200 Cr are underserved by large institutions. Independent advisors with sector depth deliver better outcomes — and better alignment.

7 min read
Read More →
🌱
Mentoring & Startups

A Letter to Every First-Time Founder I've Ever Mentored

The questions I wish they had asked me sooner — and the answers I wish I had given more plainly.

6 min read
Read More →

Partner with me to co-create
transformation stories.

From acquisition advisory to family business transitions — I bring clarity, expertise, and momentum to every engagement.

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