Head of Finance / Financial Advisor
Qawafel.sa
Total years of experience :3 years, 2 Months
An e-marketplace platform based in Saudi Arabia, it provides a comprehensive solution for businesses to display, market, deliver, and collect payments, streamlining the entire process and enhancing efficiency in e-commerce operations. I am reporting to the CEO and leading a remote team of professionals to execute transformative financial strategies that have reshaped the trajectory of the organization.
My key responsibilities include:
- Developing and implementing financial strategies to support the company's growth objectives.
- Providing strategic financial advice and guidance to senior management and the board of directors.
- Participating in strategic decision-making processes, such as mergers and acquisitions, fundraising initiatives, and business expansion plans.
A marketplace in Egypt founded by one of the co-founders of a Unicorn company SWVL where micro, small and medium enterprises can order inventory, obtain delivery, and access buy-now-pay-later (SNPL) financing facilities, serving FMCG, Food and Beverage and Electronics sectors. During the phase of significant visibility, wherein the startup had stock control and high cash burn challenges, I was hired to help the CEO with following achievements:
- I established three teams and achieved the following results:
o Operations Finance - it helped reduce supply chain costs by more than 60% and saved monthly vehicle hours to the tone of 20K+.
o Controllers - it helped control stocks valued at 100 million EGP within the facilities and successfully reduced loading variances from 40% to an impressive 0.2%.
o Financial Analysts - it helped reduce resources being consumed on slow moving products and pushed cash flow to the top 10% of fastmoving products, resulting in a significant boost in revenue and margins.
- Established the largest number of BI resorts, instrumental in enhancing the organization's decision-making capabilities across the board.
- Additionally, I offered crucial support to the management team on building KPIs for the commercial team
Founded as a part of Government “Dubai 10X” initiative, it stands as the MENA region's leading and most extensive business-to-business marketplace, dedicated to streamlining the purchasing process for both buyers and sellers. I was appointed by a former CEO to contribute to the development of the B2B landscape in the region. I was reporting to the CEO with following responsibilities:
- Developing and maintaining financial models to support strategic planning, budgeting, and forecasting.
- Overseeing the preparation and presentation of accurate and timely financial reports, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.
- Managing the budgeting process, including setting budget targets, monitoring budget performance, and implementing cost control measures to optimize financial resources.
- Monitoring cash flow projections and managing liquidity to ensure the company's financial stability. Implementing cash management strategies to optimize cash flow and minimize financing costs.
- Supervising accounts payable and accounts receivable functions, including invoice processing, payment processing, and collections. Implementing efficient processes to streamline operations and improve cash flow.
- Ensuring compliance with local tax laws, financial regulations, and reporting requirements in the United Arab Emirates. Liaising with external auditors and regulatory authorities to facilitate audits and inspections.
- Identifying financial risks and implementing strategies to mitigate them. This could include managing currency risk, credit risk, and market risk, among others.
- Implementing and maintaining effective financial systems, controls, and procedures to safeguard company assets and ensure data accuracy and integrity.
- Providing financial analysis and insights to support decision-making processes across various departments. Evaluating investment opportunities, pricing strategies, and cost-saving initiatives.
Bachelor's in Commerce