Head of Finance
McDonald's Oman
Total years of experience :18 years, 6 Months
Driving the Franchisee’s growth, profitability, liquidity, along with setting necessary controls for a stable & sustainable business
• Leading the McDonald’s finance team to work cross-functionally in order to drive growth synergies
• Strategizing the Company’s short term and long term operational budgets, and working towards meeting its targets
• Implementing operational policies & procedures along with McDonald’s Corporation on menu and product pricing
• Arranging debt financing & project plans for the expansion of McDonald’s restaurants in the Sultanate of Oman
• Smoothly closing monthly, quarterly, annual financials, along with audits and other statutory compliances
• Monitoring, evaluating, & reviewing team performance and providing feedback when necessary for individual and organization success
• Negotiating and evaluating food and non-food vendors in order to optimize cost without compromising on quality
• Implemented the Enterprise Resource Planning and Management Information System into McDonald’s Oman for control & analytical purposes
Managed, evaluated & recommended private investments to collaborate with government sponsored projects in order to create a win-win for both the investor and the Government of Sri Lanka
• Collaborated with the World Bank to set-up the PPP for the first time in Sri Lanka, and spearheaded the Investment & Analytical Unit
• Set policies and procedures on potential investment projects with relevant line-ministries for project success
• Constructed necessary financial, marketing, & regulatory due diligence and submitted necessary recommendations to the Finance Advisory Committee
• Coordinated with investors and matched projects to meet government priorities
• Developed procurement procedures and proper tender evaluation methods for sustainable best practices
Headed the overall finance operations and reporting in the life & general insurance of the Company
• Prepared & reviewed monthly financials of the Company, and ensured compliance with the Firm’s accounting policies & guidelines
• Developed and managed comprehensive financial controls through process improvements and independently managed reporting & audits
• Managed the Company’s payables and receivables to ensure timely and accurate service levels are maintained, along with an optimizing investments of cash collections
• Provided analytics and recommendations on key cost drivers such as Advisor Commissions & Branch operational expenses
• Coached & reviewed team performance when necessary for individual and organizational growth
• Played an essential role in a cross-functional team when driving the Company’s primary goal, objectives & strategies during inception & name change
(Promoted to Head of Revenue & Market Planning in Dec 2012; was Manager Revenue Planning from Mar 2010 to Dec 2012)
A mid-managerial position, where Finance & Marketing skills were paramount to deliver overall Company revenue targets
As Head of Revenue & Market Planning - (Dec 2012 to Mar 2016)
• Collaborated with the Network Planning Team do determine areas of expansion by building towers in geographies that provided the highest return on investment and recommended same to Management
• Developed procedures of planning Bharti Airtel’s revenue streams along with collaborating with the Network Planning and Sales Teams to standardize best practices in expanding Airtel’s network through tower expansion, and recommended same procedures to the Executive Management.
• Collaborated with all departments in forecasting & planning revenue and subsequently assisted towards the allocation of human, IT, & network resources in order to meet overall forecasts
• Tracked and reported marketing and media expense to ensure spend is in line with budget and appropriate channels
• Monitored, reviewed, & coached the team in order to meet revenue and network expansion targets that enabled to transform Bharti Airtel as a major competitor in the telecom landscape
As Manager Revenue Planning (Mar 2010 to Dec 2012)
• Collating planned vs. actual Voice, Data, & Roaming revenue from respective revenue verticals and presenting the overall Company’s Top Line status to the Executive Management
• Developed appropriate MS Excel modules to track and forecast revenues for ease of comprehension and standardization
• Analyzed overall competitor pricing & executed pricing strategies, to enhance Bharti Airtel’s competitiveness within the telecommunication industry
• Analyzed the Company’s sales and distribution module to make sure distributor commissions on mobile sim sales are competitive and effective
• Intermediated between the Marketing & Finance Divisions when executing promotional campaigns vs project spend
A specialized position in Group Corporate Financial Services that oversees the Business Planning, Management Accounting, & Group Funding for Dialog Axiata PLC
• Spearheaded the Business Planning (BP) process & developed valuation models & profitability scenarios in providing high level strategic support to management
• Developed & controlled the Group’s capital budgeting & operational cost component for proper management of physical and financial resources
• Actively participated in the preparation of the Group’s Management Accounts & provided necessary recommendations to management on financial & administrative matters
• Developed operational procedures & guidelines in managing liquidity & profitability by setting up criteria to meet its relevant objectives
• Managed treasury related functions & was a key member in a selected team to facilitate the first drawdown of a USD 300 Million CAPEX requirement from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) through analysis and covenant negotiation in order to benefit the Company.
• Developed necessary due diligence on a commercial & technical perspective to implement valuation scenarios for M&A purposes
An executive position of a Financial Analyst to provide useful financial information for management decision-making purposes
• Prepared quarterly & annual financial projections, analyzed budgetary variances, & advised on liquidity constraints
• Analyzed & provided recommendations on industry trends & pricing in the electronic merchandising market
• Assisted in formulating necessary strategies & targets during operational planning stages
• Researched & provided recommendations to management on investment projects & business opportunities such as foreclosures, electronic recycling, & stock purchasing for future investments
Masters of Science in Financial Analysis (MSFA) - Portland State University – Dec. 2005 (GPA 3.67 / 4.00)
Bachelors in Finance & Minor in Economics – Portland State University – Aug. 2004 (GPA 3.49 / 4.00)