Director
KEO International Consultants - Qatar
Total years of experience :20 years, 2 Months
Responsible for day to day operations across GCC, including the UAE, KSA, Qatar and Oman offices with company signatory responsibilities, supporting 2, 500 employees. With a remit to streamline, standardise and author operational procedures and deliver new technology tools across the company. Working with 5 office managers and 25 staff in 6 countries with a remit to develop corporate best practises and roll-out administrative and FM policies in diverse environments. Managing real estate budgets in excess of USD $4mill.
• Project managed USD$ 0.5 million retrofit of a 4000m2 occupied building to bring it to NFPA safety codes, within budget and subsequent liaison with local agencies to achieve successful inspection and certification.
• Project-led the design and implementation of CAFM and asset management software, ensuring liaison between supplier, IT and Finance to dovetail with existing operating systems.
• Project managed the implementation of a corporate procurement practise for admin and FM. Resulting in standardised RFQ, tendering and contract processes and the monitoring of contracts and suppliers against SLA’s.
• Creation and rollout of fault reporting, travel request and admin request portal utilising SharePoint. Streamlining operational processes and saving circa 5% of administrative time after adoption.
• Restructured admin & FM teams across the GCC to save costs and align with corporate turnaround strategy in challenging trading circumstances.
• Saved over USD$300k in three years by researching and implementing improved travel booking procedures and policies whilst leveraging the amalgamated corporate travel spend to obtain more favourable pricing.
• Lead divisional focus groups to facilitate research and encourage new ideas and progressive practises.
Responsible for day to day operations in Qatar and Oman. Overseeing the expansion of local operations to add two office locations during a sustained period of corporate growth in both geographies. With a remit to strategise best practices and alternative solutions.
• Project managed, from a client perspective, multiple fit-outs of 1, 500m2+ from shell & core. Liaising with interior architects, designers and engineers, project managing construction process with multiple contractors, to snagging inspection, certification and O&M.
• Implementation of a divisional financial budgetary system across all offices resulting in improved checks and balances and year on year cost reduction of 10% in the first three years in real estate and operational costs.
• Introduction of SLA’s and KPI’s for the admin FM function, enabling the company to pro-actively manage resources and budgets within the division.
• Introduced divisional communications to inform employees in the use of new systems and to improve the visibility and perception of admin FM support functions.
• Created standard operating procedures (SOP’s) for the division to ensure continuity and rationalisation of services and standards across all campuses.
• Authored an executive report detailing the benefits of redeveloping the existing site of Doha offices, involving the temporary relocation, demolition and redevelopment of corporate land to maximise income for the company over the lifecycle of the new development.
• Saving over 8% in unplanned maintenance expenditure annually by the adoption and roll-out of PPM systems throughout the campuses.
Responsible for the back-office function of the Gulf offices (Dubai, Doha & Abu Dhabi), reporting directly to the group board. Posted in the Gulf to assist with the growth of the company within the region. Contributing to policy initiation and implementation with consensus from the leadership regarding local customs and practices. Carrying out the full cycle of financial management activities from financial planning, budgeting and monitoring of c100+ projects and revenue streams, through to cash and credit control and preparation of bank returns. Liaison with the corporate HR team to influence the development of procedures within local constraints whilst ensuring compliance with the Firm's codes of practice and ethos for all administrative matters.
• Successfully grew the GCC team in terms of mobilisations from 38 to over 150 within two years to support year on year double-digit growth.
• Monitoring financial indictors and production of management accounting reports including the supervision of all AP/AR-related activities to ensure cost-effectiveness and value is achieved and that financial KPI's can be related in real-time.
• Implementation of credit control policy to help mitigate the adverse effects of the financial crisis, resulting in the collection of more than GBP £1.5mill of aged debt.
• Implemented corporate guidelines to assume managerial responsibility for all administrative activities, policies, procedures and staff within the GCC.
• Liaison with group leadership concerning HR and staff requirements and manpower planning, collation of JD’s, managing the recruitment and induction process and PRO activity regarding local visa nuances and labour laws.
• Instigated the company CSR programme regionally to ensure compliance with the corporate ethos.
Responsibility for running and maintaining prestigious offices for 160 staff. Budgetary responsibility for the operations department and managerial responsibility for operations staff. Compilation of monthly budgetary and managerial reports for the cost centre and close liaison with the financial director regarding associated matters. Managing refurbishment programme which developed three floors from shell and core, requiring the chair of design workshops, liaison with architects, engineers and cost consultants whilst monitoring details of expenditure and other associated risks and issues throughout the life of the project.
• Managing on-going office maintenance and H&S compliance, liaison with the building manager and landlord
• Overseeing rent, rate and service charges for occupied office space outlining any anomalies
• Monthly departmental finance reporting, coding and authorisation of invoices, updating budgets
• Use of CAFM software to manage PPM schedules and other maintenance/fault reporting issues
• Budgetary control of three-floor office fit-out and creation of progress reports for finance/operations directors
• Maintenance of external supplier relationships ensuring that cost efficiency is always achieved
Acting as a focal point for three building engineering groups regarding operations, HR and finance, dealing with all aspects of business and office management. Overseeing project finances, tracking and adjusting budgets/forecasts as necessary. Creating various reports and analysing data to ascertain any anomalies against KPI's.
• Finance: raising invoices, credit control, budget/cost monitoring, completion of operating plans
• HR: Induction, maintenance of office manual and staff lists, appraisal monitoring and training
• IT: Authorising new users, granting access to project areas, regular security audits
• Liaising with external parties/clients regarding project issues and finances
• Space: Office moves, liaising with facilities management re. moves, H&S and maintenance issues
Responsible for the smooth day-to-day administration of the Telecoms department and helpdesk and supervision of helpdesk
staff. Overseeing staffing issues including vacation and absence monitoring. Liaison with facilities department regarding health
and safety matters and building issues. Liaising with other support departments for ad-hoc project work.
A levels