SRINIVAS KANNAN
Strategic Business Leader | Corporate Development & Value-Driven Sales | M&A & Financial Advisory
Summary
Strategic Business Leader | Corporate Development & Value-Driven Sales | M&A & Financial Advisory
Dynamic and results-driven business leader with 24+ years of global experience across Sales & Business Development, Corporate Development, and Financial Strategy. Proven track record in value-driven technology sales, addressing capability gaps through targeted M&A transactions and strategic growth initiatives.
Recognized for building and scaling high-performing teams, leading complex deal negotiations, and orchestrating multi-million-dollar deals with large enterprises. Skilled at engaging C-level stakeholders and board members through compelling business cases, data-driven insights, and executive presentations.
Career highlights include leadership roles at Salesforce, Coupa Software, Oracle, and Telstra, where strategic thinking and financial expertise delivered consistent revenue growth, operational excellence, and shareholder value. Award-winning performer, thought leader, and trusted advisor known for transforming strategic visions into sustainable business outcomes.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Regional Vice President Strategic Accounts & BVS
SALESFORCE (Data & Analytics)
Singapore
07.2021 - Current
- Currently, leads the Strategic Accounts & Business Value Services practice for Salesforce Data & Analytics across APAC-Japan, focusing on big-deal pursuits and development of top accounts across the region. Srini is tasked with driving incremental ACV from an identified list of Top accounts in a pursuit capacity.
- Established and led a high-performing team of 7 directors, hiring 6 within the first year, scaling APAC-Japan Strategic Accounts and Business Value Services (BVS) practices.
- Spearheaded the “Top 30” strategic initiative across APAC-Japan, orchestrating cross-functional teams to drive $30M incremental ACV annually. Achieved attainment of 96.5% in FY23 and 97.2% in FY24 with at least 12 transactions across 2 years over $1 million in a highly commoditized market.
- Led commercial and deal structuring for APAC-Japan, crafting winning proposals for $300K+ ACV deals by integrating tailored advisory, licensing, support and services packages to maximize customer value.
- Delivered executive-level deal support by leveraging industry knowledge, business strategy and analytics capabilities to craft high-impact, technology-driven value propositions
- Cultivated trusted C-level partnerships through persuasive business cases, strategic commercial proposals, and custom Points of View (POVs), driving executive buy-in on critical deals.
- Orchestrated the value selling excellence among 250 Data & Analytics sales executives in the region through contributions to Customer Studies, Publications, POVs, evangelizing the business value of Data & Analytics as part of the Customer Provocation and Demand Generation part of the Sales Cycle
- Championed the presentation and approval for establishing a “COE” based out of India for scaling the BVS practice not only across APAC-Japan; but also in assisting the AMER and EMEA BVS teams. Execution is currently underway for the same.
Senior Director of Business Value Engineering – APAC Incl. Japan
COUPA SOFTWARE INC.
06.2018 - 07.2021
- Established and scaled the APAC-Japan Value Engineering function, driving new business and renewals for Coupa’s Business Spend Management Platform through tailored value-driven sales strategies
- Built and led a high-impact team of 5 value engineers, supporting 250+ opportunities and driving 100% growth in net new business across APAC-Japan within three years.
- Partnered with 3 regional VPs across 13 APJ countries to align revenue goals, shaping deal strategy, and enabling value-driven business outcomes.
- Delivered executive-level deal support by applying business strategy, industry insights, and value-based process improvements, securing key client wins and strengthening APAC-Japan market presence.
- Engaged with C-level executives to align technology adoption with business goals, presenting actionable value analyses and driving technology investment roadmaps for top-tier clients.
- Championed value-selling enablement for 30+ sales executives by leading Customer Studies, authoring impactful POVs, and evangelizing Coupa’s procurement transformation capabilities across APAC-Japan.
- Served as Global SME for Coupa Risk Assess and Contingent Workforce solutions, driving thought leadership, developing best practices, and enabling global teams through custom tools and templates.
- Revamped the Value Engineering Framework with the sales senior leadership team, including cadence mechanisms and the services catalog, which has now been adopted globally by the rest of the value engineering teams.
Director – Insight & Customer Strategy
ORACLE CORPORATION
07.2017 - 06.2018
- Built and led the ANZ Applications Business Enablement and Value Engineering team called Apps Insights, driving revenue growth and expanding market share across CX, ERP, EPM, SCM, and HCM portfolios.
- Recruited and developed a team of 3 within six months, scaling the Business Enablement function to support high-value, multi-product sales engagements.
- Managed 50+ sales opportunities within the first year, enhancing deal quality, boosting average contract values, and improving customer satisfaction through strategic engagement
- Directed cross-LOB engagements with key customers, enabling sales directors to close 10 high-value deals totaling $8.75M in ARR within ten months. Key opportunities won include Marketing Cloud & Service Cloud opportunity with a global leader in logistics worth $1.2 Million; multi LOB (ERP, CX, HCM) opportunities with 2 local governments worth $2.0 Million and a large statement government agency worth $1.5 Million
- Delivered deal support by applying business strategy and value analysis, driving process enhancements and SaaS adoption through compelling business cases
- Facilitated executive workshops integrating market trends, customer objectives, and process insights to design tailored SaaS solution strategies backed by actionable value propositions
- Authored Customer Studies, POVs, and executive pitches, establishing Oracle’s leadership in Cloud Transformation and driving customer demand generation in the ANZ market. Completed two POVs and one India GTM strategy within 1 year at Oracle
- Secured CXO-level buy-in by presenting final business cases, influencing critical deal decisions, and driving large-scale cloud adoption projects
Business Development Executive – Strategic Opportunities
TELSTRA CORPORATION
02.2014 - 07.2017
- Designed and executed new GTM initiatives, leading a team of 12 BDMs to drive incremental government sales through tailored business development strategies
- Achieved qualified incremental pipeline of ~$50m in FY16 and ~$100m in FY17 in areas of Digital Transformation, Big Data and IoT
- Surpassed VIC/TAS government sales targets for FY16 and FY17, earning recognition as top talent in Telstra’s Government Sales Division
- Collaborated with government CXOs to co-create technology solutions through internal development and partner ecosystems, driving large-scale sales initiatives.
- Led four state and local government initiatives, creating a $200M revenue pipeline over five years through custom-designed technology programs. The first sale for one of these initiatives was closed in FY16 for an amount of $12 million
- Managed identified opportunities within each initiative end-to-end and includes the preparation of sales business cases with financial projections, management of the technical and pricing teams by assisting with sales strategy, customer & competition insight, commercial analysis, proposal preparation and presentation
- Owned the growth agenda for Telstra’s Government segment, spearheading sales initiatives worth $500M+ in incremental revenue
- Delivered strategic insights on emerging government trends, industry dynamics, and competitor activity, shaping Telstra’s sales and solution design strategies
- Defined GTM strategies, providing commercial expertise on deal structuring, financial modeling, migration roadmaps, and customized business cases for large-scale government projects
- Business strategy lead for the Government segment with the responsibility to develop the three-year strategic plan and underpinning strategic initiatives with a clear analysis of cash flows, NPV, ROI and payback for each initiative
- Program-managed cross-functional initiatives involving HR, marketing, product development, customer advocacy, and delivery teams, ensuring seamless project execution
General Manager – Mergers and Acquisitions
TELSTRA CORPORATION
05.2011 - 02.2014
- Led corporate development initiatives by collaborating with Telstra’s CEO, CFO, Enterprise & Government Group executives and Board to bridge capability gaps in Managed Security Services, Unified Communications, and Network Services through targeted acquisitions and divestments
- Spearheaded 5 acquisitions and 2 divestments through end-to-end transaction management, including commercial analysis, valuation modeling, business case preparation for the M&A sub-committee, vendor negotiations, due diligence, shareholder agreements, and post-merger reviews
- Developed valuation models for 50+ target companies, presenting 15 high-potential cases to the M&A sub-committee, senior management, and the Board, enabling data-driven investment decisions
- Became the first team member in Telstra’s M&A history without an investment banking background. Competed with seasoned investment banking professionals and was selected after a rigorous evaluation process based on strong strategic, financial, and leadership credentials
Senior Commercial Analyst
TELSTRA CORPORATION
03.2008 - 05.2011
- Led financial modeling for Telstra’s $11.1 billion NBN initiative, developing complex models that supported scenario analysis, board presentations, market guidance, and critical business negotiations
- Delivered high-impact briefings, presentations, and consolidated financial plans to Telstra’s Board and senior management, shaping executive decisions on NBN strategy
- Designed and maintained Telstra’s Integrated Corporate Financial Model for scenario analysis, driving continuous improvements that supported long-term strategic planning
- Consistently received ‘Outstanding’ performance ratings for three consecutive years and earned the CFO Award for Outstanding Contributions to NBN in 2009, recognizing strategic financial leadership
Manager, Senior Consultant and Consultant
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS, ERNST & YOUNG AND KPMG
07.2000 - 03.2008
- Delivered consulting services in business strategy, financial modeling, transaction advisory, due diligence, and financial assurance across diverse industries, including Financial Services, FMCG, Software, Logistics, and Insurance.
- Led cross-functional consulting engagements including Business Strategy consulting, Operating model/ process improvements, Acquisitions, ERP implementations, Financial and Management controls, Asset capitalization, Forensic audit, Financial Assurance and Transaction advisory for companies belonging to a wide range of industries.
Education
Master of Business Administration -
Hitotsubashi University, Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy (ICS)
Tokyo, Japan08.2013
Chartered Accountant -
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
Chennai, India05.2005
Bachelor of Mathematics -
University of Madras
Chennai, India05.2000
Skills
- Staff Leadership
- Strategic Decision-Making
- Sales Growth
- New Business Development
- Account Management
- Sales management
- Business Development
- Financial Management
- Business Consulting
- Mergers and Acquisitions (Corporate Development)
- Solution Innovation
- Stakeholder Management
Additional Skills
Fluent in English, Fluent in Hindi and Tamil, Basic Japanese, Expert knowledge of the whole MS Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project Professional, One Note)
Languages
English
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Tamil
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Hindi
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Timeline
Regional Vice President Strategic Accounts & BVS
SALESFORCE (Data & Analytics)
07.2021 - Current
Senior Director of Business Value Engineering – APAC Incl. Japan
COUPA SOFTWARE INC.
06.2018 - 07.2021
Director – Insight & Customer Strategy
ORACLE CORPORATION
07.2017 - 06.2018
Business Development Executive – Strategic Opportunities
TELSTRA CORPORATION
02.2014 - 07.2017
General Manager – Mergers and Acquisitions
TELSTRA CORPORATION
05.2011 - 02.2014
Senior Commercial Analyst
TELSTRA CORPORATION
03.2008 - 05.2011
Manager, Senior Consultant and Consultant
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS, ERNST & YOUNG AND KPMG
07.2000 - 03.2008
Master of Business Administration -
Hitotsubashi University, Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy (ICS)
Chartered Accountant -
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
Bachelor of Mathematics -
University of Madras
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