عماد زهير

Regional Director of finance with 14 years of experience

Marriott financial system transformation project (ORYX) Middle east and Africa Hotels.

1. Define and manage the overall configuration approach and completion for GL, EPM and shared configuration across the Accounts Payable and Billing applications.
2. Work collaboratively and directly with the business and project team to understand business needs, translate to configuration requirements and analyze to develop appropriate solutions including testing of options as required to determine recommended approach.
3. Ensure complete documentation of all configuration requirements, considered options, chosen design solutions, valid values and approaches for load and validation.
4. Ensure complete and accurate configuration is maintained in sync across all production and test environments to include Accounts Payable and Billing applications
5. Help resolve issues arising from testing, especially issues related to PeopleSoft configuration such as allocations and combination edits.
6. Working closely with Financial Application Business Support (FABS) to enable Marriott’s standard suite of PeopleSoft reports for all in scope hotels, batch and ad hoc:
7. Work with Continent Financial Information & Operations Analysis team to ensure total continent reporting is enabled.
8. Support with Hotel Planning and work with FABS to complete required PeopleSoft Budget & Forecast configuration for all in scope hotels.
9. Work with Continent Financial Information & Operations Analysis team and HQ Business Process Governance (BPG) to enable Excel based Budget / Forecast Spread tool for Starwood properties recently joined People soft.
10. Develop and manage to a detailed configuration work plan with identified deliverables and dates.
11. Update progress on configuration tasks on the weekly status report and meeting.
12. Assist with business process analysis to help resolve issues and complete deliverables as required.
13. Support development and delivery of change management materials to enable end user adoption of new applications.
14. Work collaboratively with key stakeholders and subject matter experts to ensure alignment and consistency with broader project efforts.
15. Submits reports in a timely manner, ensuring delivery deadlines are met.
16. Provides input and assistance to other teams regarding projects.
17. Generate and provide accurate and timely results in the form of reports, presentations, etc.
18. Analyze information and evaluate results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
19. Facilitate Alignment sessions for properties before going live with PeopleSoft
20. Facilitate Trainings for live properties e.g. GL and reporting, Accounts payable, Budgeting and forecasting
21. Leading Support calls with properties on their first month with PeopleSoft
22. Monitor properties’ Dashboard and work closely with properties’ director of finance to highlight risk and asses in resolving

Stand Alone

January 2013 - May 2016:
Assistant Director of Finance
Marriott International Hotels, Courtyard & Marriott Executive apartment green community - Dubai

1. Implements a system of appropriate controls to manage business risks.
2. Provides analytical support during budget reviews to identify cost saving and productivity opportunities for property managers.
3. Creates the annual operating budget for the property.
4. Communicates financial concepts in a clear and persuasive manner that is easy to understand and drives desired behaviors.
5. Advises the GM and executive committee on existing and evolving operating/financial issues.
6. Leverages strong functional leadership and communication skills to influence the department heads team, the hotel's strategies and to lead own team.
7. Ensures a strong accounting and operational control environment to safeguard assets, improve operations and profitability.
8. Ensures compliance with management contract and reporting requirements.
9. Demonstrates an understanding of cash flow and owner priorities.
10. Manages communication with owners in an effective manner.
11. Analyzes financial data and market trends.
12. Ensures compliance with standard and local operating procedures (SOPs and LSOPs)
13. Oversees internal, external and regulatory audit processes.
14. Reviews audit issues to ensure accuracy.
15. Managing the Finance Department and overseeing accounting procedures, internal controls (implementing, monitoring, enhancing), and database management.
16. Maintaining effective and proper control in safeguarding the Hotel assets.
17. Preparing and reporting financial statements and general ledger reconciliations.
18. Responsible for the accounting procedures, Business plan/budget preparation, Forecasting, Preparing F.F & E projects, Preparing Local policy.
19. Substantiating and justifying expenditures and expense reports.
20. Responsible for Finance and Admin audits.
21. Training staff on internal control procedures and assisting Director of Finance as needed.
22. Reviewing monthly closing process and procedures.
23. Reviewing various general ledger/balance sheet accounts, credit card settlements, and bank statements.
24. Assuring internal control compliance.

25. Monitoring compliance with hotel and accounting policies and procedures.
26. Responsible for making recommendations and suggestions for financial control changes and reporting SOP violations.
27. MOD responsibilities.

June 2011 - December 2012: Accounting Manager
Marriott International Hotels, Courtyard & Marriott Executive apartment green community - Dubai
1. Knowledgeable of all Accounting Practices, Procedures and Policies including Marriott SOP's, Hotel LSOP's and all related Marriott Corporate policies.
2. Ensuring P&L Accuracy and Timelines.
3. Costs are properly matched to Revenues.
4. Ensuring period end information is transmitted to Headquarters and Regional Offices on a timely and accurate basis.
5. Establishing an effective Internal Control System in the property to ensure cash controls, payroll controls, F&B cost control systems and Audit performance are in place.
6. Reconciling all A&L accounts on a monthly basis to adhere to Company standards.
7. Ensuring working capital Management standards are met, and are within the framework of Management Agreement.
8. Ensuring that the Credit Policy is being followed and implemented by departments concerned and Receivables are maintained within standard.
9. Ensuring that Capital funds are properly managed (excess funds are invested in a risk-free deposit account and expenditures do not precede available funds)
10. Ensuring that owners' profit is accurately calculated and booked in accordance with contract terms.
11. MOD responsibilities.

January 2011 - May 2011: Accountant
Marriott International Hotels, Shared Services - Kuwait.
(JW Marriott Hotel, Courtyard By Marriott, Arraya Ballroom); Main tasks includes: 1. Knowledgeable of all Accounting Practices, Procedures and Policies including Marriott SOP's, Hotel LSOP's and all related Marriott Corporate policies.
2. Supervising the Accounting team under shared services centralized office for all Marriott properties in Kuwait.
3. Costs are properly matched to Revenues.
4. Reconciling all A&L accounts on a monthly basis to adhere to Company standards.
5. Participate on Handling yearly business plan and budget planning process, monitoring cash flow to secure time deposits in an efficient and timely manner.
6. Bank reconciliation in a daily basis and submit report to the Director of Finance.
7. Responsible for processing Marriott fees and invoices, daily review of petty cash and accounts payable processes and vendors checks, and reviewing the accounts payable batches before posting into the system.
8. Ensuring that owners' profit is accurately calculated and booked in accordance with contract terms.
9. Ensuring that the Credit Policy is being followed and implemented by departments concerned and Receivables are maintained within standard.
10. Attending regular meetings such as monthly profit & loss critique meeting, Department heads morning briefings.
11. Holding the accounting staff meeting and training the team through daily departmental 15 minutes training.

January 2010 - Dec 2010: Accounts Payable
Marriott International Hotels, Shared Services - Kuwait.
(JW Marriott Hotel, Courtyard By Marriott, Arraya Ballroom); Main tasks includes: 1. Reviewing all the invoices and ensure that it is matching with the purchase order issued by purchasing department or the contract which signed by the management
2. Posting and reviewing all invoices which includes food and non food items into sun system (ledger account) and ensure all the expense went through the right expense account under the specific department.
3. Issuing the supplier's cheque based on their payment terms mentioned in their contract.
4. Reviewing all hotel expense report.
5. Reviewing all general cashier issued petty cash and reimbursing through issuing check.
6. Reconciling all the suppliers accounts and ensure that the statement matching with the ledger accounts balances.
7. Preparing accrual sheet for all invoices which not received.
8. Preparing the bank transfer for all the foreign invoices and post the transfer to the sun system once the bank advice payment received.

January 2008 - December 2009
Income Auditor
Marriott International Hotels, Shared Services - Kuwait.
(JW Marriott Hotel, Courtyard By Marriott, Arraya Ballroom); Main tasks includes:
1. Preparing the gross revenue report (GRR) which showing the revenue of the hotel.
2. Tracking all the outlets guest & complimentary cheque voucher and to ensure that the serial is in order.
3. Tracking the entire rebate voucher done by the cashier on a daily basis and to ensure that it is tallying what is posted in the Opera system.
4. Tracking the paid out & refund.
5. Reviewing all the cashiers sale posting with the actual cash they drop report any short & over to the Country Director of Finance.
6. Reviewing the room discrepancy done by the front office and housekeeping and report any discrepancy report to Country Director of Finance.
7. Cash audit in a monthly basis for all the cashiers and weekly for general cashiers and report any short and over to CDOF.

February 2007 - December 2007
Receiving Clerk
Marriott International Hotels, Shared Services - Kuwait.
(JW Marriott Hotel, Courtyard By Marriott, Arraya Ballroom); Main tasks includes:
Receiving the goods from the supplier food and non food Check the quality and quantity of the
Goods received including the expiry for the food items.
Matching the invoice with the purchase order issued from the purchasing department.
Posting all the invoices in FMC