Head of Finance and Strategy
United Gulf Group of Companies - GCC and CIS
Total years of experience :15 years, 1 Months
United Gulf Group of Companies - GCC and CIS
Head of Finance and Strategy (Feb 2010 to Date)
UGE is a group of companies providing industrial equipment rental and sales to Oil & Gas, Petrochem, Energy, Marine, Civil, Residential and Commercial Construction sectors.
Manages all finance and accounts functions at group level, handling 4 companies in 4 GCC countries, leading a team of 10
Consults Group CEO and top management on financial, strategic and risk management issues through analysing variances, trends, opportunities and key business drivers for different business units.
Consistently reviews company policies and procedures to have appropriate controls to manage all sensitive areas of the business and ensure minimal risk or fraud, error or misstatement.
Develops robust reporting to drive deep business insight into performance, resource management and to ensure strict adherence to projected budgets and forecasts.
Analyses performance according to operating plans and standards; reporting and interpreting results of operations to all levels of management.
Undertakes reviews and accountabilities of multiple companies simultaneously, reporting to internal and external stakeholders as well as the Group Board of Directors.
Compliance with local GAAP and international IFRS requirements; enforcing adherence to requirements; filing financial reports; advising management on needed actions.
Coordinates with banks, liaises with authorities, external auditors to arrange senior asset based loan (ABL) facilities for fleet growth/maintenance CAPEX and long term assets.
Undertakes review of monthly Rolling Cash Flow Forecasts to gain up to date visibility into company’s cash position.
Leads, mentors and develops the organisation’s finance staff; establishes performance goals, allocates resources and ensures alignment with the vision and strategy of the company.
Achievements:
Successfully extended long term debt (5 years) maturities and obtained financing for AED80M company debt.
Led establishment of trading division with sales increasing from AED5m to AED49m over the span of 2 years.
Helped set up Kazakhstan operation by establishing key business contacts; performed strategic due diligence for annual revenue targets of AED20m.
Partnered with legal team of a leading UAE law firm to propose a new AED15m annual re-hire revenue sector.
Improved company working capital by AED5m after renegotiating terms with critical suppliers.
Successfully introduced the following industry leading P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and Operational KPIs (as published by American Rental Association): Rental Rev Growth, Key Account Growth, and SG&A as % of Revenue, Physical Utilisation, Dollar-Utilisation, ROCE & Yield, and EBITDA Fig. & Margin, EBITDA to OCF, EBITDA to Net Debt, EBIT Fig. & Margin, LTD as % of Fleet FMV, CAPEX as % of Depreciation.
Led implementation of a new ERP system in 4 GCC countries and developed SSRS based MIS reporting portal fully integrated with the ERP for real time KPI tracking.
Initiated a monthly financial review (called “Session R”) with all country and functional heads to monitor business performance against budgeted targets, guiding and developing their financial skills.
Partnered with GM to make revenue planning and annual sales forecasting a key priority across the business cycle to ensure sustainable growth.
Introduced cost saving initiatives, generated operational excellence and strategic cost management
- Tulosun Development, Cook County, Illinois - USA
Real Estate Finance and Development Manager (Dec 1998 - Nov 2004)
Tulosun Deve
TULOSUN is a medium size property development firm, specializing in residential and commercial construction. The firm managed a portfolio of real estate developments including residential rental properties valued at AED 375 Million and routinely acquired and sold real property
Key Role & Achievements
◖ Effectively worked with team of real estate agents to find potential development opportunities for build-to sell or strategically hold to generate rental income and capital gains through appreciation
◖ Conducted financial, operational and construction feasibility analysis. Developed detailed project cash flow forecasts
◖ Negotiated with the seller purchase price and arrange for closing with title company
◖ Arranged acquisition mortgage and construction financing with the bank
◖ Teamed up with construction manager, architect & sub-contractors to initiate project
◖ Applied for plan approvals and obtain construction permit from relevant authorities
◖ Monitored progress and routinely update management
◖ Arranged for occupancy permit and engage leasing/selling agent after completion
◖ Sold or leased the project as per the initial plan and conduct closing procedures
Preceding Assignments
- Enterprise Financial Consulting, Cook County, Illinois - USA
Financial Analyst (Jun 1994 -Dec 1998)
♎ Master in Business Analysis from American Academy of Fin. Mgmt. - Mar 2009
Certified Public Accountant
♎ B.Sc. in Finance from Northeastern University, USA - Dec 1997
