Ashraf Taha

Highlights:
• Instrumental in formulating financial statements including finance strategies, budgets and presenting vital financial data while establishing a results-focused environment with precise financial objectives to enhance business performance.
• Orchestrated ERP system development and implementation from grass root level across various departments in the organization with the aim of easing the work flow and accelerating business processes.

Key Responsibilities:
Finance and Accounting:
• Spearheading a team of finance managers to formulate financial statements along with accompanying schedules and narratives in strict compliance to IFRS and GAAP for strategic analysis and interpretation by top management.
• Evaluating ageing receivables, raising requisite debit notes and establishing a rigorous follow-up mechanism for collections while facilitating timely payments to accounts payables after formal verifications and approvals.
• Documenting movements of fixed assets in the system analyzing and updating the detailed schedule of fixed assets and accumulated depreciation. Ensured the assets of the company are safeguarded at all times by assigning asset ID and asset tag.
• Administering routine accounting functions like moderating pay roll, maintaining a judicious petty cash register, optimizing inventory and streamlining business functions to minimize expenditures and enhance operating efficiency.

Cost Accounting:
• Supervised all factory functions together with their costing efforts and effectively recording the same in requisite books of accounts maintained.
• Synthesizing complex information to determine sales, purchases, stocks, expenses and KPI’s, analyzing trends and presenting comparison of actual results to targeted budget along with rectification measures.
• Evaluating costs of products for pricing finished goods. Analyzing trends, market dynamics, operating and sales margin and in order to maintain organizations profit interests.
• Keeping close tabs on capex, conducting cost/benefit analysis including reports of financial benchmarks for harvesting profitable returns on investments.

Management and Administration:
• Providing fundamental support to senior management and ensuring that the organization’s finance function is organized, efficient while producing accurate financial statements and management reports.
• Evaluating contracts and agreements and making strategic recommendations for effective implementation while advocating strict conformance to risk management and other organizational policies and directives.
• Building and managing high profile team - conducting timely performance appraisal, providing constructive feedback for performance enhancement for maximizing talent.
• Scrutinizing KPI’s and analyzing trends which involve implementing financial index of acceptable performance and presenting comparison of actual results to targeted budget along with rectification measures to management.
•Credit Controller:
Research and evaluate clients’ creditworthiness
Create credit scoring models to predict risks
Approve or reject credit requests, based on credibility and potential revenues and losses
Calculate and set interest rates
Negotiate loan terms with clients
Monitor payments
Maintain records of loan applications
Follow up with clients to manage debt settlements and loan renewals
Ensure all lending procedures comply with regulations
Develop, review and update our company’s credit policies

Key Responsibilities:
• Providing financial leadership and direction for improving the current and future fiscal performance of the company by managing cash-flow, accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets, inventory management and pay-roll.
• Administered overall control and responsibility for all financial aspects of the organization’s strategy, analyzed facts and figures and offered recommendations forming basis of strong research with most profitable outcomes.
• Ensured timely and effective execution of financial and management reporting of the year end results and conformed adherence to all regulatory/legal policies, company adopted procedures and guidelines.
• Offered strategic recommendations to the CEO and COO for additional controls to further improve effectiveness of business processes and other financial control functions.
• Instrumental in maintaining a positive cash flow by planning, organizing, coordinating and controlling all financial operations in sync with company policies and procedures.
• Identified various resources to raise funds and negotiated effectively with key stake holders like bankers, creditors/suppliers, designed contracts and devised a strategy that is in the best financial interest of the organization.
• Closely monitored financial growth/stability/group performance in line with the set targets, budgets and identified potential financial risk/variances, reporting the same to senior management, and creating back-up plans to avoid any fall-outs.
• Performed feasibility studies for strategic decision making and formulated financial objectives and governance strategies, budgeting, negotiating and forecasting, to enhance the operational efficiency of the organization.

Key Responsibilities:
• Computed an array of financial statements, reports, reconciled bank and cash flow statements, issued trial balance in addition to periodic reporting to management regarding the financial statues of the organization.
• Prepared financial statements, drew up financial reports reconciled and maintained balance sheet accounts, facilitated in tax computations and researched any tax saving opportunities by analyzing local tax laws.
• Generated various MIS reports, computed key financial indicative ratios for strategic analysis and interpretation by top management on regular basis.
• Instrumental in preparation of budgets and projecting forecasts analyzed revenue and expenditure trends and proposed requisite methods expenditure control.
• Managed day to day accounting functions, designed annual budget guidelines to optimize cash flows and managed long/short term working capital requirements.
• Advised management on finance related issues, drafted periodic analytical statements, financial statements and summary reports for top management review.

Key Responsibilities:
• Controlled and directed the design and implementation of the internal audit’s programs and controls, covering the areas of: business systems and processes, financial and accounting systems, IT and business risk assessments.
• Devised and renewed a comprehensive audit plan with an objective to identify and communicate best practices and governed implementation of appropriate control levels for all the departments, business processes and systems.
• Scrutinized the effectiveness of controls, managed significant risk exposures, insured the integrity/reliability of information and financial reporting, safeguarded company’s assets and confirmed compliance with existing laws and regulations.
• Reported the results of all audits to senior management, highlighted important issues related to all areas covered, offered strategic recommendations to mitigate risks identified and thus fostered a risk free environment for the company.
• Investigated in detail the implications of established audit recommendations to verify attainment of desired improvisations and facilitated external auditor in smooth execution of annual/quarterly audits for smooth accomplishment of set targets.
• Prepared and evaluated business models/process to fine tune the financial summary, aligned all the systems/procedures/practices, having an impact on financial soundness to ensure operational efficiency.

Key Responsibilities:
• Planned, organized and executed audit assignments to ensure that all the computed financial accounts, operational data and relevant issues of clients business are accurate and provide “true and fair view”.
• Closely monitored the progress of entire audit cycle, i.e. from formulation to completion, determined changes, provided technical advice/consultation, ensured compliance with all organizational policies accounting standards and procedures.
• Identified significant issues in the accounting records, systems and controls. Computed statistical analysis on the clarity and effectiveness of the accounting policies, business processes and controls put in place by the organization.
• Presented audit reports that are complete, accurate, well-written and in the standard format, with all findings attributed and substantive, recommended modifications and ensured that suggestions are endowed to mitigate the risk of fraud and error.