In an exclusive interaction with Adlin Pertishya Jebaraj, Correspondent at Finance Outlook India, Dhaval Radia, CFO, ZEISS India, explained that purpose-driven growth from a finance leadership perspective refers to how organisations invest their capital strategically to provide sustained, long-range competitive advantages and substantial, measurable societal benefits. 

Dhaval Radia brings 20+ years of diverse financial and commercial management experience working for multinational companies and high-growth startups. His proven skill set includes strategic financial leadership, commercial operations, and governance across multiple industries – particularly in technology, healthcare, and renewable energy.  

How do you define “purpose-led growth” from a financial leadership perspective, and how would you explain its current definition? 

From a financial leadership lens, purpose-led growth means allocating capital in a way that creates sustainable value with a competitive edge that sticks for the foreseeable future. 

To me, purpose is not an equivalent agenda as growth; it is the prism by which growth decisions are viewed. Companies like ZEISS are motivated to develop research, healthcare (more specifically vision care), and precision manufacturing and this purpose directly influences how to make investments, its pricing strategy, its localization, and its scaling. 

In the modern world, purpose-led growth has moved beyond the intent statements. It is concerning quantifiable results, such as improving patient accessibility, enhancing domestic manufacturing, responsible innovation, and resiliency. Finance is important in ensuring that a purpose is incorporated into business economics, as opposed to being a cost center. 

How do you integrate real-time market intelligence into financial planning processes? 

Traditional annual planning cycles are no longer sufficient. Combine real-time market intelligence by rolling forecasts, scenario modelling and leading indicators in demand, supply chain, FX, regulatory changes and customer behaviour. This will enable finance to shift away from hindsight reporting to forward decision support. 

Proximity is also crucial - finance leaders have to be close to customers, operations, and policymakers. The financial planning at ZEISS India is constantly adjusted to the ground level insights of the manufacturing teams, healthcare enterprises, and GCC operations, which is allowing us to make the capital decisions faster and more confidently. 

How do CFOs ensure transparency, accuracy, and discipline in reporting purpose-related financial performance? 

Purpose without discipline quickly becomes narrative. As CFOs, our responsibility is to apply the same rigor to purpose metrics as we do to revenue or margins. That means clear definitions, auditable data, consistent governance, and linkage to business outcomes. 

Focusing on three principles: 

• Materiality – tracking what genuinely impacts long-term value 
• Traceability – ensuring numbers can be validated 
• Accountability – linking ownership to leadership teams 

Purpose-related reporting must be decision-useful, not symbolic. When done right, it strengthens credibility with boards, regulators, employees, and society. 

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What is your approach to cross-functional financial partnerships that align finance with purpose-oriented business units? 

Finance cannot sit as a reviewer at the end of the process. My approach is to position finance as a co-architect of strategy, working shoulder-to-shoulder with business, operations, sustainability, and technology teams from day one. 

This means translating purpose into commercial models, identifying new business opportunities, and monitoring execution milestones. Whether it is local manufacturing, healthcare access, or digital capability building, finance helps convert intent into scalable, sustainable business models. 

True alignment happens when purpose initiatives are evaluated not only on impact — but also on viability, scalability, and return over time. 

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How should CFOs prepare for future market disruptions (climate, tech, regulation) without losing focus on purpose? 

Disruptions are no longer exceptions - they are the operating environment. One of my mentors at GE used to advise me to “be comfortable, being uncomfortable – all the time”. That message stuck with me and has remained the cornerstone of how I operate and build teams around me.  

The role of the CFO is to build resilience without retreating from purpose. This requires strong balance sheets, diversified supply chains, scenario-based capital planning, and disciplined risk governance – all of this driven by technology and artificial intelligence in the future. 

Purpose becomes a stabilizer during disruption. When decisions are anchored in long-term relevance - healthcare outcomes, technological leadership, sustainability, then organizations avoid reactive short-termism. 

In uncertain times, finance must ensure we protect today’s performance without compromising tomorrow’s responsibility. That is where purpose-led financial leadership truly matters.