The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Coimbatore organised the first edition of the Finance Conclave 2025 with the theme “Future-Ready Finance: Capital, Compliance & Digital Innovation” on 18 December 2025, in Coimbatore.
It brought together senior finance leaders, policymakers, bankers, tax authorities and industry professionals to deliberate on the evolving role of finance in nation-building and sustainable economic growth.
The conclave witnessed strong participation from industry and finance professionals across the region.
Arun Bharat, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Coimbatore, during his Inaugural Address, spoke on Viksit Bharat and Coimbatore’s pivotal role in nation-building.
He highlighted that Coimbatore stands out as a cornerstone of India’s development, driven not by kings or governments but by the enterprise, values and resilience of its people and industries.
He emphasised that the region’s contribution to the nation must go beyond industrial output, extending to ethical compliance, inclusive growth and responsible citizenship. He urged industry and finance leaders to view taxation and compliance not merely as statutory obligations, but as vital contributions to nation-building.
Noushad, Vice Chairman, CII Coimbatore Zone & Managing Director, Walkaroo International, in his Special Address on “How Finance Leadership is Evolving and What Priorities will Define the Next Decade”, elaborated on how finance leadership is shifting from transactional efficiency to strategic value creation.
He noted that finance leaders must increasingly focus on long-term capital allocation, risk management and digital enablement, while aligning closely with business strategy and stakeholder expectations.
Rajkumar, General Manager & Zonal Head, Union Bank of India, delivered a Special Address on “Banking for a Viksit Bharat” and spoke about the transformational journey of the Indian banking sector in supporting India’s development vision.
He highlighted that banks are moving away from a conventional product-pushing approach to a more holistic, promoter-centric and relationship-driven mindset.
Understanding the entrepreneur’s business, growth plans and challenges has become central to banking, enabling institutions to contribute more meaningfully to sustainable economic growth and the vision of a Viksit Bharat.
Manjunath, Co-Convenor, Finance & Economic Affairs Panel, CII Coimbatore & Director, Astral Business Consulting LLP, in his Welcome Remarks, highlighted the growing complexity of the finance function in today’s business environment.
He emphasized that finance leaders are no longer custodians of numbers alone, but strategic partners driving capital efficiency, compliance discipline and digital transformation across organisations.
Madhan Mohan, Co-Convenor, Finance & Economic Affairs Panel, CII Coimbatore & CFO, JS Auto Cast Foundry (I), in his Closing Remarks, thanked the speakers and participants for their insights and engagement.
He noted that the deliberations reinforced the importance of finance as a strategic enabler for India’s growth journey and reaffirmed CII Coimbatore’s commitment to creating platforms that foster informed dialogue and future-ready leadership.
The conference also covered topics including value creation journey through capital markets, cyber security and financial data protection, digital trade ecosystem and their impact on working capital efficiency, new tax code and new labour code.
Eminent speakers including Munish Aggarwal, Managing Director, Investment Banking, Equirus Capital; Kaustubh Srivastava, Senior Director, M1xchange; Venkataraghavan, Managing Director & Head, Equity Capital Markets, Equirus Capital; Gunasegharan, Director, eCaps Computers India, addressed at the conference.
The Finance Conclave saw active participation from over 120 delegates, comprising CFOs and finance heads from over 60 industries across Coimbatore.
