CA Kannan Achariyam

Group Financial Controller | Integrated Logistics Holding (KPSC), Kuwait | May 2025 to Present
Listed Multi-Country Logistics, Transport & Fleet Group (USD 300M+ Revenue | 6 GCC Countries)
Executive Achievements
• EBITDA & Cash Flow: Increased EBITDA by 13% and expanded operating cash flow by USD 7M via an enterprise-wide cost optimization framework across 6 GCC countries.
• Treasury & Capital Structuring: Secured and structured USD 50M+ in bilateral and syndicated banking facilities, reducing overall finance costs by 15% while optimizing regional working capital.
• Asset Optimization: Spearheaded a fleet utilization strategy that boosted asset performance by 15%, resulting in a 10% increase in net profit for the heavy equipment rental and transport divisions.
• Digital Transformation: Directed cross-border implementations of Oracle ERP and Power BI, automating financial reporting cycles and providing real-time KPI dashboards for executive decision-making.
• Listed Company Governance: Governed a 45-person finance team; managed group consolidation, internal controls, and external audits in strict alignment with IFRS and Kuwait CMA listing requirements.
• Strategic Corporate Finance: Chaired group-wide long-term business planning, financial modeling, capital deployment, and investor relations initiatives that enhanced shareholder value.
Key Responsibilities
• Strategic Corporate Finance: Lead group-wide finance strategy, FP&A, capital allocation, and long-term business planning to maximize shareholder value.
• Listed Company Compliance: Oversee group consolidation, statutory reporting, external audits, IFRS compliance, and Kuwait CMA regulatory requirements across the GCC.
• Board & Investor Relations: Present consolidated financial performance, budget variances, and risk positions to the Board of Directors, Audit Committee, and institutional investors.
• Treasury & Risk Management: Manage all banking relationships, debt management, trade finance, and Foreign Exchange (FX) risk mitigation strategies to support intensive CAPEX and OPEX requirements.
• Investment Appraisal & M&A: Evaluate regional expansion initiatives, joint ventures, and fleet investments using rigorous due diligence, business valuations, and ROI, NPV, and IRR analysis.

Group Finance Manager | Ali & Sons Marine Engineering (Oil & Gas Division), UAE | 2023 - 2025
Diversified Oil & Gas, EPC, Marine, Fabrication, Shipbuilding & Repair Division
Executive Achievements
• Capital & Funding Optimization: Reduced group financing costs by 15% through aggressive banking facility renegotiations, structured trade finance, and modernized treasury liquidity management.
• Digital Finance Transformation: Championed a full-scale Oracle ERP rollout, compressing the cross-border month-end financial close cycle from 12 days to 5 days while strengthening automated internal controls.
• Data Analytics & BI: Led the implementation of Power BI executive dashboards, delivering real-time financial and operational KPIs that enhanced executive decision-making.
• Reporting & Control Governance: Improved financial reporting accuracy by 20% through rigorous process standardization, eliminating reporting latencies and mitigating enterprise risk.
• Leadership & Team Scaling: Steered and upskilled a high-performing finance organization of 25 professionals, embedding a culture of fiscal governance, accountability, and cross-functional synergy.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) | Parbat Siyani Construction Group | East Africa & UAE | 2014 - 2022
Multi-Country Construction, EPC, Infrastructure, Real Estate Development & Manufacturing Division
Executive Achievements
• Working Capital Reversal: Slashed Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) by 50% (from 120 days to 60 days), driving a USD 7M increase in operating cash flow and unlocking critical operational liquidity.
• EBITDA Expansion: Engineered a group-wide financial planning and cost optimization framework that accelerated EBITDA by 12% across diverse real estate and infrastructure business units.
• Capital Sourcing & Structuring: Secured USD 30M in new bilateral banking and trade finance facilities to fund aggressive cross-border business expansion, EPC project execution.
• Debt Optimization: Restructured legacy debt and negotiated aggressive refinancing terms, reducing overall group finance costs by 15% while optimizing cash liquidity.
• Cross-Border Governance: Deployed a unified financial framework across Kenya and the UAE, standardizing multi-currency reporting, tax strategies, and resource allocation.
• Project & Commercial Finance: Overhauled contract financial management, project budgeting, Earned Value Management (EVM), and project cost controls for large-scale industrial, commercial, and residential developments.
• Enterprise Risk Management (ERM): Re-engineered internal control systems, fraud prevention protocols, and audit governance, while driving finance transformation via SAP and Oracle ERP optimization.
Key Responsibilities
• Group Financial Strategy: Spearheaded enterprise-wide corporate finance, advanced financial modeling and business scenario analysis, and long-term resource allocation plans to align multi-country operations with high-yield shareholder value.
• Multi-Jurisdictional Consolidation: Governed group consolidation and financial disclosures, ensuring absolute compliance with IFRS, corporate governance mandates, and local statutory/tax frameworks in East Africa and the GCC.
• EPC & Infrastructure Project Finance: Overhauled contract financial management, project budgeting, and Earned Value Management (EVM) for large-scale industrial, commercial, and residential developments.
• Board Advisory & Stakeholder Management: Served as the primary financial advisor to the Board of Directors and CEO, delivering strategic insight via complex budget-variance analysis and risk profiles.

Finance Manager | AlMansoori Specialized Engineering (Oil & Gas Division), UAE | 2007 - 2013
Regional Oilfield Services, Drilling, Inspection, H2S Safety Operations and Trading
Executive Achievements
• Liquidity Generation: Drove a USD 10M increase in operating cash flow through disciplined treasury optimization frameworks and rolled out structural cash flow forecasting models.
• DSO Reduction: Slashed Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) by 33% (from 90 to 60 days), radically improving liquidity buffers and regional collections performance.
• OPEX Containment: Realized a 12% structural reduction in operating costs by driving process optimization, rigorous procurement efficiencies, and aggressive vendor contract renegotiations.
• EBITDA Enhancement: Expanded divisional EBITDA by 8% through targeted commercial performance initiatives, waste elimination, and operational efficiency strategies.
• Regulatory Governance: Standardized multi-entity consolidation and close, ensuring 100% statutory compliance with IFRS, UAE In-Country Value (ICV) metrics, and corporate HSE mandates.

Finance Manager | Hassani Food Manufacturing & Trading LLC (FMCG Division), UAE | 2002 - 2006
Regional FMCG, Trading, Manufacturing, Real Estate, Rental & Contracting

Key Responsibilities:
• Partner with regional commercial leaders to support business growth and profitability
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, and performance reporting across the region
• Deliver commercial insight through analysis of sales, margins, pricing, trade investment, and profitability
• Evaluate distributor performance and identify opportunities to improve commercial returns
• Support route to market initiatives, distributor transitions, and business case development
• Partner on the expansion of key channels including Modern Trade, and eCommerce
• Monitor financial risks and opportunities while ensuring strong governance and reporting standards
• Build trusted relationships with internal stakeholders and distributor partners across the region