Senior Manager - M&A Transaction Services
PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)
Total years of experience :17 years, 7 Months
I have managed teams and delivered on the following assignments:
- Financial due diligence ("FDD") exercise in connection with the rights issues of a KSA bank (Spring 2015).
- FDD in connection the acquisition of the retail arm of a large Egyptian bank.
- FDD in connection with the IPO of one of the leading banks in KSA (2nd largest global IPO - 2014).
- FDD in connection with the acquisition of an Islamic Banking Group operating across the Middle East with 18 subsidiaries.
- FDD in connection with the merger of two Lebanese Banks.
- Valuation of a post office company in the Middle East, involving advanced financial modelling.
- FDD in connection with the acquisition of a F&B group operating in the coffee shop, ice cream & pasta manufacturing and franchising businesses in the UAE.
- Financial feasibility study for a pharmaceutical production plant in Kurdistan.
- Projections' review mandate involving the preparation of a financial model, in connection with a potential investment in a restaurant cluster development project in Lebanon.
- Managed a Virtual Data Room as part of the potential sale of a Bank in Lebanon.
- FDD in connection with the acquisition of a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in KSA and a food trading and distribution company in the UAE.
- FDD and fair market valuation in connection with the acquisition of a facility management company in KSA.
- Financial feasibility study and a business plan preparation for a vehicle finance leasing company in KSA.
- Fair market valuation exercise for two leading FMCG companies in the Levant region, in connection with a potential merger transaction.
- FDD for a top 10 bank in Lebanon in connection with its acquisition, following money laundering allegations.
- Several financial due diligence exercises, with specialisation in banking and financial institutions in both local and regional markets.
- Feasibility study and license application for a Lebanese bank, as part of its plan to establish its Iraqi branches.
- Business restructuring assignment for a listed construction company in KSA.
Detailed job responsibilities:
1. Developed the skills and potential of the teams that I have worked with from a technical and personal angle.
2. Managed several advisory teams (financial due diligence, valuation and financial feasibility study engagements) and was responsible for client and partner communication while ensuring adequate planning and delivery are achieved.
3. Advised several clients in connection with contemplated acquisitions while building relationships with clients and transaction stakeholders. Monitored budget, recovery and billing for all engagements managed.
4. Gathered a good understanding of the dynamics of deals within the context of the involvement of investment bankers and financial and legal advisors.
5. Identified and reported key deal issues and major deal makers / breakers on financial due diligence assignments.
6. Acquired advanced modeling skills, sensitized financial projections provided by Management by cross-checking them to industry norms and market practices, on valuation and financial feasibility study assignments.
7. Acted as a people manager / coach for a number of colleagues and was responsible for appraising them and defending their rating / promotion cases during internal moderation meetings.
Managed the audits of the following accounts, among others:
- Several Lebanese banks including: Jammal Trust Bank (JTB) SAL, Arab Finance House (Islamic Bank) SAL, North Africa Commercial Bank SAL, MEAB SAL and Lebanese Swiss Bank SAL
- Sohat / Nestle Pure Life Lebanon
- Radda Barnen Swedish Save the Children (NGO in Yemen & Lebanon)
Undertook the following special assignments:
- Financial reporting process assessment and Group accounting unit realignment for Byblos Bank SAL
- Internal Audit Assistance assignments for JTB SAL and MEAB SAL
- Preparation of IFRS 7 disclosures for MEAB SAL
Detailed job responsibilities:
1. Documented detailed understanding of cycles and processes of the key activities (customer deposits, loans, investments, purchasing, billing, etc.) and performed controls testing and identified control weaknesses and inefficiencies.
2. Managed the complete audit cycle from client acceptance to final reporting and clearance.
3. Led client communication and met with finance managers, CFOs, CEOs and shareholders to clear findings and attend to their questions and concerns. Managed the relationship with the above mentioned clients.
4. Was in charge of all regulatory reporting aspects on banking engagements I have worked on in Lebanon.
5. Identified management letter points for clients in addition to internal control weaknesses.
6. Presented several banking and methodology trainings (PwC internal).
7. Managed cross-functional teams of auditors and IT analysts, coached teams and monitored their progress.
8. Established a deep understanding of the dynamics of corporate and retail lending in banks, in addition to controls in place to mitigate potential risks.
9. Created audit programs and related testing for the Banking Corporate and Retail lending cycles, while monitoring testing and reporting on findings.
10. Performed and reviewed loan loss testing (loan review) on a significant number of loan files in several banks.
11. Gathered experience and knowledge with regards to Banque du Liban ("BDL") and the Lebanese Banking Commission reporting and requirements for Lebanese banks and financial institutions.
12. Drafted audit opinions and was responsible for internal (partner) and external (clients) clearance.
13. Acquired solid accounting knowledge and identified challenges faced by clients while applying IFRS.
14. Attended several IFRS and methodology trainings.
15. Acquired good knowledge of Islamic Banking and Shari'ah compliant products and gathered a good understanding of the differences between conventional and Islamic banking in terms of accounting and operating cycles / products.
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) (with distinction) Finance concentration - Dean's Honor List for all semesters