Global Financial Controller – Services
Lenovo
Total years of experience :21 years, 1 Months
• Lead, manage, mentor global Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Team. This will involve setting the team's strategic direction and goals as well as providing ongoing support and guidance to help them grow and develop in their careers.
• Overseeing, managing, and leading the budget and forecast process and ensuring the same is aligned with Lenovo’s strategic goals.
• Responsible for setting, updating, and maintaining, and global financial policies and ensuring compliance with these policies. This will involve working closely with the internal audit team to identify and address any issues or risks, as well as developing and implementing effective policies and procedures.
• Responsible for implementing and maintaining effective financial and reporting systems, in collaboration with the global information technology team. This involve selecting and implementing appropriate technology solutions, as well as ensuring that data is accurate and accessible to all stakeholders.
• Overseeing the actual closing process, as well as the group financial reporting and consolidation process. This will involve ensuring that all financial transactions are recorded accurately and in compliance with financial regulations and policies.
• work closely with the business teams to provide financial insights and support decision-making. This will involve conducting variance analysis and suggesting actions to address any opportunities or risks identified, as well as providing guidance on financial strategies and plans.
• Conducting variance analysis and suggesting actions to address any opportunities or risks identified. This will involve analysing financial data to identify trends and patterns, and making recommendations to the leadership team on how to address any issues or risks
• Managing and leading global projects related to automation, RPA, Power BI, transformation, and change management. This involve identifying opportunities for improvement, developing, and implementing appropriate solutions.
• Member of the EMEA and AP Services Leadership Team and Finance consultant for all EMEA /AP Services teams.
• Providing guidance for projects from financial perspective and preparation of business cases
• Responsible of monthly closing, financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and deviation analysis
• Main contact for cross-functional procedures with EMEA/AP Finance, WW Services Finance, Accounting, Tax, Legal, and Global Expense Management.
• Reporting/presenting forecast and actual results to executives (GEO and WW CEO & CFO) on a monthly basis.
• Strong collaboration with Services Operations to analyze opportunities and drive business improvements and enhancement of internal processes and procedures.
• Leading, mentoring, and managing 12 team members across EMEA and Asia Pacific.
• Leading global project meant to increase efficiency, create one stop shop MIS for all level of management and executives.
• End to end responsible for Budgeting, Forecasting and Actual closing
• Developed Annual Plan and Budgets, participated in strategic planning, prepared and interpreted analysis that led to the setting of strategic objectives and implementation plans
• Performed Month-end closing/ Preparation of Consolidation Financial Statements
• Managed the Weekly and Monthly forecast process. Provided the Financial Reports to the Management along with detailed variance analysis. Attended weekly calls with EMEA Management and Follow up on actions for closures
• Coordinated with other finance team leaders and members to analyze and interpret monthly, quarterly and annual financial results compared against budgets, forecasts, and prior periods
• Coordinated with segment heads on quarter campaign plan finalization and performed weekly tracking on them
• Managed Opex Control function across regions and devised appropriate strategies for Opex optimization
• Managed Tactical Management tools and Tactical spend budget tracking and accruals
• Exercised control on receivables, reconciliation, collection and follow-up with the customers
• Periodic reporting to the EMEA HQ on various performance related matters including cost, headcount and region wise performance
• Adherence to group reporting timelines and BPC update to facilitate timely and quality reviews
• Published business results with variance analysis across Business Units/ Segment/ Territories
• Managing and supervising the continued preparation of Middle East and Africa budget, operational plans, financial forecasting, modeling tools.
• Liaising with the Headquarters to align MEA strategies with worldwide strategies.
• Coordinating with departmental heads and directors to ensure that all departments and territories are supporting MEA strategic goals and WW Strategic goals accordingly.
• Collaborating with Local Management and Territory General Managers in determining financial impacts resulting from product cost reductions, new product roll out, etc. and prepared periodic forecasts to update management on projected results.
• Reviewing and approving the quarterly business case, approving or rejecting promotional activities and marketing campaigns for the region.
• Monitoring the competitive dynamics of the company to make sure operations are on track to achieve the set targets.
• Proactively highlighting opportunities and risks and proposing ways to mitigate risks and benefit from opportunities.
• Preparing monthly analysis and reporting actual results to senior management in the headquarters and local management highlighting variances from the established budget, and the reasons for those variances.
• Undertaking research on pricing, competitors and factors affecting performance.
• Analyzing financial performance against key business metrics and document pertinent financial highlights that will enable the management to determine progress against budgets.
• Identifying, investigating, and analyzing potential operational improvements and to appropriately make proposals for operational changes (policy, procedures, processes, etc.) based on the findings.
• Assisting in the determination of product pricing in relation to features offered and competitor pricing.
• Developing comprehensive policies and procedures and supervising their implementation to ensure that the company operates smoothly and effectively.
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with distributors and business partners, and providing assistance for the problems the partners might have been encountering.
Key Achievements:
• Developed set of policies and processes (from scratch) for the finance department.
• Built the budget and forecast models that are currently in use for running monthly rolling forecast.
• Involved with leadership team to develop MEA long term strategic plan, aligned with HQ strategic plans.
• Driving yearly budget, deploying quarterly forecasts, coordinating with leaders of different business units to develop bottom-up budget, and coordinating with Geo Head Office of EMEA to develop top-down budget.
• Partner with management to understand the business, operations, cost drivers and monitor performance against established targets.
• Provide input through business and financial modeling and pro-forma analysis to support strategic decision-making e.g. introducing new product line, partnering with new distributor or expanding operation to new geographies.
• Collaborates across businesses, functions, and regions to align strategy and direction with Headquarter and Business Unit policies, systems, information reporting, and overall support.
• Manage Gross-to-Net process: Review/approve partners and distributers’ rebate; payout; price calls/actions; and MDF programs.
• Monitoring Weeks of Inventory, Sell Through and Orderload (Mix and volume) to ensure healthy channel.
• Monitor the business profitability through weekly ‘Profit Tracker’ to make sure business is on track to achieve its targets, highlight any risks and recommend actions to mitigate those risks, follow up to make sure the agreed correction actions got implemented and business is on track again.
• Preparing (accurate and on time) monthly/quarterly financial statements, financial reports, special analysis and information reports for local management and Headquarters.
• Proactively undertake in-depth analysis of business results, variances against budget, forecast and prior periods historical trend.
• Present the analysis and identify opportunities for improvement in monthly executive reviews, and suggest actionable opportunities to drive results.
• Support business units and segment leaders in short/long term business forecasting process as well as predictive and what if scenarios on all aspects of the business and other ad hoc financial reporting.
Key Achievements:
• Lenovo worldwide award for contributing to streamlining financial reporting and improving existing process, helping internal stakeholders keep track of the financial performance of the business and addressing risks and opportunities.
Key Responsibilities:
ˉ Entrusted with the responsibility of Planning, Forecasting and Projection of Dubai regional office meant for managing Middle East and Africa operations.
ˉ Ensuring efficient operations by conducting periodic and ad hoc analysis, highlight opportunities and risks & and submit recommendations to Management.
ˉ Responsible for directing, managing and approving the development and execution of strategies and projects.
ˉ Ensure provisioning of resources to meet organizational/team/individual goals and objectives.
ˉ Involved in providing reporting, analysis and decision support to internal and external clients.
ˉ Key person for analyzing processes, controls, procedures and outcomes to ensure continual improvement and compliance. Involved in providing support to External as well as internal clients
ˉ Planning and preparing forecasts for Cash flows, Margin, Sales, Operating / Project Expenses and preparing monthly, Quarterly, Annually Budgets and Strategic Long Term Budgets.
ˉ Monitoring operation by applying Actual vs. Budget vs. Forecast Variance analysis to ensure effective and efficient operations.
Key Achievements:
ˉ Successfully achieved forecast and projection accuracy to 95%+ by improving the processes.
ˉ Commended for achieving more than 25% cost saving in the areas like communication and travel by starting analysis campaigns.
ˉ Independently developed many management reports and report packs (from scratch) that was adopted worldwide by global offices for the use as the standard report tool. The reports reduced analysts’ time from several days to few hours for quick and appropriate decision taking by the management.
Key Responsibilities:
ˉ Assigned responsibility of preparing and updating feasibility studies and project models.
ˉ Involved in preparing monthly Projects Dashboard and monthly Management Report.
ˉ Tasked to prepare financial simulations, analysis and presentations and conduct Actual VS Budget VS Forecast Variance analysis
ˉ Involved in preparing forecasts (Cash flows, Capital commitments, Sales, Operating/ Project Expenses, Debt Equity ratios, ROE, IRR, Margins, NPV). Created consolidated visualized dashboard for all projects.
ˉ Coordinated with JV/ Group for drafting RFP for project funding tender including preparation of scenarios as basis for requesting funds. Authorized to review all external Invoices / claims and staff related claims.
ˉ Monitored receivables/ loans from all JV's/projects and reviewed Payments on behalf of overseas projects.
Key Achievements:
ˉ Applauded for successfully coordinating, compiling and consolidating 5/10 year strategic plans.
ˉ Instrumental in creating project dashboard to be updated monthly that gave a comprehensive overview of each live project.
Key Responsibilities:
ˉ Responsible for record transactions relating to transfer of funds, deposits, lending and borrowing on a daily basis in JD Edwards. Ensured compliance with commercial terms and conditions of contracts.
ˉ Prepared and dispatched debit/credit notes from company to other group members on a monthly basis.
ˉ Key person for automating, preparing and maintaining balance sheet schedules on a monthly basis, and reconciling General Ledger with sub ledgers on a periodic basis to ensure data integrity.
ˉ Processed and recommended payments for approval by Financial Controller.
ˉ Tasked to maintain records relating to transfer and disposals of fixed assets and run the monthly depreciation.
ˉ Coordinated with HR on matters relating to staff salaries and benefits and ensure compliance with Group policies and procedures.
ˉ Maintained the books of accounts for startup entities till the business units are staffed up and hand over accounting to the relevant Finance Manager as per agreed timetable.
Key Achievements:
ˉ Instrumental in starting up company's accounting books and improving monthly financial and management reporting pack.
ˉ Successfully produced periodic accounting reports on Operating Expenses & Capital Work-in-Progress in Excel and produced it on monthly basis as pack.
Key Responsibilities:
ˉ Assigned responsibility of preparing accounts from A-Z (Journal Entries and posting to Ledger), and Payroll and related benefits. Monitored Projects from Tender Application up to completion of projects.
ˉ Responsible for preparing completion certificates, Payment certificates and meeting all requirements.
ˉ Entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring the projected costs vs. the actual cost during project life, and managing banks, subcontractors, suppliers and clients’ accounts.
ˉ Involved in preparing cheques, Transfers, Payment Vouchers along with other supporting statements and documents. Evaluated new projects using capital budgeting techniques and conduct Cost-Benefit analysis
Key Achievements:
ˉ Successfully identified and uncovered many loss making areas in the projects by applying a lot of concepts like cost centers, Overhead cost allocation methodologies.
ˉ Nominated by the management for participating in Financial Statements Analysis.
Executive MBA, class of 2017
CMA - Certified Management Accountant.
Bachelor of Commerce