Senior Manager
Deloitte - United Arab Emirates
Total years of experience :18 years, 3 months
Over the course of my professional career, my forte has always been financial services, more specifically banking and insurance sectors, however, I have worked for various industries, i.e. manufacturing, services, hospitality, trading and health care.
During my career with Deloitte, I led the teams of large, complex and strategic FS clients in UAE, either in the capacity of engagement manager or specialized Quality Reviewer. I assisted the regional leadership (Partners & Directors) in the UAE clusters on strategic FS clients’ proposal and defense presentations preparations for the Audit Committees and Board of Directors.
My key areas of expertise are:
Member of Deloitte & Touche (M.E.) panel of certified trainers.
Expertise in audit of commercial banks, finance companies and insurance companies.
Expertise in IFRS with over 10 years of practical working exposure with IFRS reporting audit clients.
Expert knowledge of commercial banks’ operations, specially treasury and credit functions.
Expert knowledge of insurance operations, specially reserving process for technical provisions.
Expert knowledge of audit of IT processes and controls for financial reporting.
Good knowledge of Islamic banking operations and products.
Expertise in credit review and impairment testing.
Working knowledge of risk management framework under Basel II.
Audit of management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the internal controls over financial reporting, based on the criteria established in COSO Framework.
I was reporting directly to Senior Managers and Partner. I was managing 8-10 people in assurance team, handling clients of diversified industries, which included commercial banks, soverign wealth fund, investment companies, finance companies, brokerage houses, government entities, education, pension funds and hotels. Major clients include:
-Bank Sohar SAOG,
-Muscat Finance Company SAOG,
-FINCORP SAOG,
-Oman & Emirates SAOG,
-Oman Hotels SAOG,
-Dhofar Int'l Development SAOG.
Main responsibilities include:
-Establishing the overall audit strategy including job budgeting, staff allocation and audit planning.
-Imparting appropriate direction to the staff members, supervising the progress of audit engagements.
-Resolving audit issues, evaluating and researching technical reporting issues.
-Coordinating with various professionals such as other auditors, lawyers and actuaries to aid decision-making in respect of critical reportable audit matters and disclosures.
-Preparation/review of financial statements, covering and management letters and ensuring compliance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), International Standards on Auditing (ISA), The Commercial Companies Law, The Income Tax Laws, Central Bank’s regulations and other relevant regulations as applicable.
-Review of regulatory compliance of Basel II.
-Meeting the client’s audit committee to communicate matters of interest, issues, findings/recommendations.
-On-the-job training and professional development of audit assistants through coaching and provision of performance feed back.
My main achievements were:
-Got rating of ‘1’ in first performance appraisal
-Got rating of 'excellent' in upward and peer feedback
-Nominated as 'shining star' of the office
-Successfully finalized some of the biggest listed audit clients with assets of over USD 3 billion
-Passed annual Quality Reveiws with no exceptions
I was seconded to the company from PwC to provide coaching to the existing staff and develop a new progressive internal reporting model. In my current role.
My main responsibilities include:
-Incorporating a combination of management information / KPIs and non financial information to support the traditional financial information.
-Coaching the finance function to transform themselves from the traditional financial reporting model so to operate in the new paradigm.
-Provide analysis to management information / KPIs.
-Challenge and assess the relevance of the management information / KPIs being reported and recommend improvements in the management information / KPIs being reported.
-Assist in improving the management information reporting process and internal controls.
Grant Thornton is among the world's top 10 professional services firm. At the time of leaving, I was reporting directly to Partners. In my role, I was managing 20-25 people in assurance team, with maximum of 70 people at one job. Working as Assistant Manager in Business Assurance Services, I was handling clients of diversified industries, which includes commercial banks, investment companies and mutual funds. I was handling a multiple portfolios of both external and internal audit clients. Major clients included in my portfolio were:
-National Bank of Pakistan,
-First Dawood Investment Bank Limited,
-Standard Chartered Leasing Limited,
-Lakson AMC and Funds.
Main responsibilities included:
-review of financial statements in compliance with IFRS and local regulations,
-managing teams at field audit, budgeting, resource planning,
-review of internal control environment of entities,
-issuance of management letter,
-conducted audit of management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting, based on the criteria established in COSO Framework,
-review and finalization of Certificate of Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of various Commercial Banks under Basel I and II
-Special Review of 5 years Business Projections of a medium sized Commercial Bank.
My main achievements were:
-As Audit Manager served one of the largest commercial bank in Pakistan from a medium size audit firm and having a positive response from the management on the quality of audit
-Prepared a detail index and repository of banking laws, regulations and circulars issued by central bank to assist the audit team to ensure compliance of central bank laws
-Prepared a detailed banking industry analysis for onward submission to Board of Directors of the largest commercial bank of Pakistan
-Conducted trainings on firm level and motivate the team to perform in strict deadlines
I was reporting directly to Directors and Partners. In my role, I was managing 20-25 people in assurance team, with maximum of 15 people at one job. Working as Audit Supervisor in Audit & Assurance Services, I was handling clients of diversified industries, which includes commercial banks, investment companies and mutual funds. Major clients included in my portfolio were:
-Royal Bank of Scotland,
-NIB Bank Limited,
-The Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Limited,
-Silk Bank Limited.
-National Bank of Kuwait-Jeddah Branch
Main responsibilities included:
-review of financial statements in compliance with IFRS and local regulations,
-managing teams at field audit, budgeting, resource planning,
-review of internal control environment of entities,
-issuance of management letter,
-conducted audit of management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting, based on the criteria established in COSO Framework,
-review and finalization of Certificate of Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of various Commercial Banks under Basel I and II
My main achievements were:
-Represented Pakistan under the ‘Student Exchange Program’ between Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Srilanka (ICASL). Worked with Ernst & Young -Colombo Office for 3 months.
-From December 2006 to April 2007 worked at Deloitte - Jeddah, under Global Development Program, applying the latest audit practices and methodology in a fully computerized environment.
•Served multiple clients including Bank of Kuwait and Jeddah Inter-Continental Hotel.
•Reviewed the system of internal control of clients and drafted reports on weaknesses in Internal Control and compliance of management policies also with implications and recommendations.
•Performance of extensive analytical reviews using trend analysis, peer company analysis.
•Performed test of controls, substantive procedures (Test of detail and Analytical) on both Banking and Non-Banking clients.
•Performed detailed field work in all areas and Departments of Banks (Treasury, Forex, Loans and Advances, General banking, etc.).
•Drafted financial statements, audit reports and management letters independently
Represented Pakistan and visited Srilanka for a period of 3 months, under the ‘Student Exchange Program’ between Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Srilanka (ICASL). During the visit worked mainly in Plantation Companies.
Associate member of Institute of Chartered Accontants of Pakistan after passing the final examination in December 2008