Finance Controller
British American Tobacco
Total years of experience :18 years, 0 Months
Plays a lead role in developing and delivering functional/business strategy and provide high
quality financial support through the management of the Corporate Finance function including
Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payables, Treasury, Taxation Management, Management
Reporting, Corporate Planning and Risk Management.
* Effectively manage working capital ensuring both the liquidity and profitability for the business.
* Leads business saving initiatives to improve operating profit.
* Oversee financial period’s monthly, quarterly and yearend closure.
* Ensure the statutory accounts preparation and completion process in line with governance and
reporting calendar.
* Manages treasury function including the noting for IC loans, potential loan write-offs, FX sourcing
and direct cash flow preparation.
* Manages tax engagements and highlights any potential risks
* Oversee the preparation of cash flow forecasts for BAT Egypt ensuring accuracy of information
and that forecasts are based on sound commercials assumptions.
* Ensure compliance with local laws and regulations (including tax, excise, and external regulatory
reporting)
* Ensure compliance with global procedures and policies and develops the necessary plans and
actions to meet compliance objectives, including sanctions related issues.
* Play a leading role in all aspects of risk framework and control environment, leading cross
functional teams dealing with control navigator initiatives and risk register.
Played a lead role in the acquisition of Sudan business ensuring that transition and integration is
done on time in full in line with the group's timelines /expectations and effective change
management processes are in place and in action.
* Successfully implemented organizational cultural change
* Managed the complexities of Sudan business internal and external environment post acquisition
including US sanction, relationship with tax authorities and implementation of new ways of
working
* Challenged the business processes in place in pre-acquisition and improvised them in a way that
benefits the short and long term sustainability of the business.
* Worked on the talent pipeline refreshment to have successors from local employees
* Reshaped the accounting treatments, cycles in a way that is aligned to BAT statutory and
management accounting.
* Implemented the custom made ERP system for Sudan (Microsoft Dynamics AX) and went live on
time in full as per planned timelines.
* Control and ensure delivery of accurate financial information (Budgets, Forecasts and Actual
results), in line with group accounting principles.
* Ensure the statutory accounts preparation and completion process in line with governance and
reporting calendar.
* Manage tax issues and report to area and regional teams as appropriate.
* Step-up to the role of acting as Head of Finance when the Head of Finance is not available or is
on leave.
Ensure an accurate and timely monthly, quarterly and year end closing/ reporting
* Ensure balanced intercompany figures at the end of each accounting period
* Manage intercompany dispute efficiently
* Provide a monthly balance sheet accounts reconciliation for finance director
* Ensure external and internal debtors and creditors aging are within the agreed time frames
* Manage communications with external auditors on external financial statements and accounting
issues to ensure auditor agreement with company decisions on accounting disclosures
* Ensure appropriate delegation of authority, policies and procedures are in place, regularly
reviewed and updated with latest organizational structure
* Ensure compliance with statutory, internal and external audit requirements
* Support financial controller managing ad-hoc projects whenever required
* Ensure daily cash collection is reconciled against cash sales and deposited in bank accounts on
daily basis.
Manage debtors aging; highlighting potential risks to head of trade and head of finance and
provide for qualified bad debts
* Engage with external auditors in the preparation of statutory financial statements
Coordinate with accounting staff, interact with senior management to prepare on time in full
Company Operational Plan and Quarterly Performance Reviews
* Provide monthly flash report highlighting sensitivities and changes to latest forecast
* Produce, analyze and explain all management reporting schedules
* Develop financial plans and perform comparative analysis for actual performance versus latest
estimate and same period last year
* Coordinate with business units and managers and make recommendations to enhance financial
support to all plans
* Ensure on time in full reporting of financial schedules to reporting and consolidation tool (HFM)
* Support month end and year end closing
* Participate in other projects as required
Manage Trade Marketing and Distribution Investment and ensure efficient resource allocation
* Manage and evaluate trade activities and projects to ensure feasibility and profitability (Brand
Launches, Expansions, distribution model, sub-warehouses ….etc.)
* Provide financial link to projects ensuring profitability is maximized.
* Provide financial viability studies from feasibility through to completion.
* Continuous monitoring and review of all Trade and Marketing activities & updating the
management on KPI to facilitate effective decision making
* Manage in close coordination with other cross functional teams the 10 years Strategic Plan
* Develop and implement practical procedures to ensure that a high level of internal control exists
both within the marketing organization and where appropriate with other external parties (e.g.:
Agencies & Suppliers)
* Participate in the definition of price and excise strategy providing financial insights to support
decision making
Develop management tools to measure and analyze financial and operational information (e.g.
overheads and P&L forecasting model, key performance indicators and management reports)
* Worked on the development and enhancement of CO-PA report (Controlling profitability analysis)
the powerful analysis engine within SAP and saved the company around £5K consultancy fees
* Automate processes to improve efficiency, SAP utilization and reduce non value adding work
* Monitor expenses to ensure compliance with budget by performing monthly variance analysis
* Generate detailed financial and operational reports (e.g. expenses by department and activity and
capital expenditures)
* Perform sensitivity analysis under various assumptions to assess the impact on the financials
from changing specific conditions
* Prepare monthly presentation on performance evaluation and key highlights of the
Perform CRT, WMS stock reconciliations.
* Monitor stock movements across storage locations of main warehouses as well as sales vehicles.
* Perform physical stock counts.
* Prepare waste stock report and perform cycle count adjustment.
AR accountant- British American Tobacco - Egypt
* Perform cash and sales reconciliations
* Prepare AR reports and analyses to support decision making ( Credit Aging and credit utilization)
* Monitor TMD system integration to ERP system ensuring no errors and mismatches are present
* Raise intercompany transactions.
* Raise fixed assets creation requests and perform physical assets verification