Ala Mezher, Financial Controller

Ala Mezher

Financial Controller

Education and Human Resources Council

Location
United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
Education
Bachelor's degree, Accounting
Experience
17 years, 1 Months

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Work Experience

Total years of experience :17 years, 1 Months

Financial Controller at Education and Human Resources Council
  • United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
  • My current job since May 2017

• Managing and overseeing the daily operations of the accounting department.
• Monitoring and analyzing accounting data and produce financial reports or statements.
• Setup the accounting department.
• Maintains accounting controls by establishing a chart of accounts, and enforcing proper accounting methods, policies and principles in accordance with the local governmental regulations and the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).
• Bank accounts reconciliation.
• Coordinate and complete annual audits (State Audit Institution SAI).
• Financial forecasting and planning.
• Meet financial accounting objectives.
• Maintains financial security by establishing internal controls.
• Responsible for the annual budget process.
• Suggest and implement a new ERP system in addition to the Bayanati system (بياناتي) for Federal Government.
• Involved in the strategic planning and developing.
• Establish and maintain fiscal files and records to document transactions.
• Protects organization's value by keeping information confidential.

Management Accountant at The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR)
  • United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
  • July 2014 to January 2017

• Prepare and monitor budgets and accounts.
• Bank accounts reconciliation.
• Control and administrate income and expenditures.
• Investigate any financial irregularities and recommend improvements to the system and procedures.
• Update receivables by totaling unpaid invoices.
• Reconcile the accounts receivable ledger to ensure that all payments are accounted for and properly posted.
• Calculate Cost of Goods Sold (COGS).
• Monitor and inspect all point of sales and distributors.
• Undertake financial administration and internal audits.
• Cash flow management and modeling.
• Develop financial management mechanisms that minimize financial risks.
• Comply with accounting procedures as per law and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
• Perform financial analysis.
• Conducting reviews and evaluations for cost-reduction opportunities.
• Verify maintaining all financial documents saved both electronically and hard copies.
• Conduct research and studies to simplify work procedures.
• Provide upper management and decision makers with all required financial analysis and related necessary recommendations.
• Accountable for the warehouse inventory and stock control.
• Maintain accounting ledgers by verifying and posting account transactions.
• Interviewing, hiring orienting and training employees.

Senior Accountant at Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU)
  • United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
  • May 2008 to June 2014

• Prepare and analyze financial statements.
• Collaborate with the internal and external auditors to ensure the completion of the audits of the company yearly.
• Bank accounts reconciliation.
• Prepare payrolls and salaries transfer (Wages Protection System - WPS).
• Maintain the fixed assets register at all aspects.
• Monitor reserve accounts and short-term fund investments.
• Assists in preparation of monthly management report and accompanying schedules, worksheets and narratives, including “Budget vs. Actual” variance reports.
• Prepare annual budgets along with the required analysis and necessary recommendations for upper management.
• Prepares asset, liability, and capital account entries by compiling and analyzing account information.
• Project Accounting - Coordinating project reviews, project setups and revenue recognition.
• Comply with accounting procedures as per law and IFRS standards.
• Calculation depreciation on monthly basis for all fixed assets items and submits the summery to finance on monthly basis.
• Describe, follow up and review the policies and procedures for employee monthly timesheet.
• Cash flow management.
• Arrange and monitor the expenses and prepare projections accordingly.
• Maintain and keep all supporting documents, invoices and reports both electronically and hard copies.
• Coordination with Cost Controller, Director Finance and other departments, and recommend ways of cutting costs.
• Observe currencies.
• Prepare weekly and monthly operational control charts and reports as well as monitor and present trends for capital employed, fixed assets, prepayments, accruals and accounts receivables.
• Reviews and recommend modifications to the accounting systems and procedures as needed.
• Coordinate and resolve various issues with bank such as cleared check differences, bank fee anomalies, targeted balance calculations and enhancements to online services.
• Follow up with procurement department.

General Accountant at EYE OF JORDAN
  • Jordan - Amman
  • January 2008 to May 2008

- Reconciles general and subsidiary bank accounts by gathering and balancing information.
- Provide financial status information by preparing special reports.
- Maintain general ledger accounts by reconciling accounts receivable detail and control accounts adjusting entries for amortizations prepaid.
- Analyze and reconcile accounts payable ledgers.
- Preparing fixed asset depreciation and accruals.
- Secure financial information by completing database backups and keeping information confidential.
- Maintain accounting controls by following policies and procedures; complying with federal and local financial legal requirements.

General Accountant at Beats Events
  • Jordan - Amman
  • February 2007 to January 2008

- Prepare profit and loss statements, cash flow budgets, and estimated costs reports.
- Compile and analyze financial information to prepare the general ledger.
- Establish, maintain, and coordinate the implementation of accounting and accounting control procedures.
- Analyze and review budgets and expenditures.
- Enter all transaction into the accounting system.
- Tax Preparation.
- Review and check all reports and budgets for accuracy and completeness.
- Prepare budget sheet, revenues and expenses reports, payroll entries and invoices.
- Analyze the revenues report and expenditure trends and recommend appropriate budget levels, and ensure expenditure control.
- Explain billing invoices and accounting policies to staff, vendors and clients.
- Recommend, develop and maintain financial data bases, accounting software and manual filing systems.
- Supervise the input and handling of financial data and reports for the company's automated financial systems.

Education

Bachelor's degree, Accounting
  • at Al-Ahliyya Amman University
  • March 2008

Accounting, Auditing and Tax Consultancy

Specialties & Skills

taxation
Budgeting
Payroll
Account Reconciliation
Auditing
Microsoft Office applications
Proficient in accounting software (Microsoft Dynamics GP, Peachtree, Sage 50, QuickBooks)
Research skills
Reporting skills
Deadline-Oriented

Languages

Arabic
Native Speaker
English
Expert
French
Beginner

Memberships

Institute of Management Accountants (IMA)
  • Member
  • March 2010
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
  • Member
  • December 2016

Training and Certifications

Internal Auditing: Audit Evidence and Documentation (Certificate)
Date Attended:
August 2017
Certificate in International Financial Reporting (IFRS) (Training)
Training Institute:
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants {ACCA}
Date Attended:
January 2017
Six Sigma Black Belt Certification (Certificate)
Mechanics of Deferred Taxation (Training)
Training Institute:
KPMG
Date Attended:
December 2016
Duration:
1 hour
Introduction to Personal and Corporate Taxes (Training)
Training Institute:
Advance Learning Interactive Systems Online (ALISON)
Date Attended:
December 2016
Value Added Tax (VAT) (Training)
Training Institute:
Lynchpin Training
Date Attended:
December 2016
Integrated Reporting (Training)
Training Institute:
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
Date Attended:
December 2016
Anti Money Laundering: Law, Regulations & Best Practices (Training)
Training Institute:
Emirates Institute For Banking and Financial Studies {EIBFS}
Date Attended:
October 2012
Certified Management Accountant (CMA) training course (Training)
Training Institute:
Morgan International (Al Mushrif Training Center)
Date Attended:
February 2010

Hobbies

  • Swimming
  • Filmmaking