محمد إلياس

SPEARHEADING FINANCE, ADMIN, HR, MARKETING & OPERATIONS FOR THE UAE OPERATIONS OF THE COMPANY

Spearheading Finance, Accounts, Commercial, Sales, Procurement & Risk Management Functions across the company

• Worked on reducing the Direct & Indirect Costs involved in the operations, reduced costs by 16% and made the group companies more cost competitive and improved the bottom lines

• Worked on a few new business projects, completed feasibility studies, developed Organization, Financial Models and required marketing strategies for the proposed new businesses and had started on transforming the same.
• Carried on Valuation Due-Diligence for a new business acquisition

* Re-structured the Internal Controls Systems and processes across the organization with Risk Based Approach that includes mapping and documenting of as is and recommended processes, Authority Matrix and documentation of Policies and Procedures Manuals

* Restructured Reporting Systems and making the same facilitating the decision process across the organization.

* Improved Cash Management, Working Capital Gaps and relationships with the banks.

* Supported Investment Decisions through Financial Modeling, Feasibility Studies and Due-Diligence

* Balanced out the Capital Structure

• Made comprehensive assessment of the operational Risks for 39 major companies of the group most of them engaged in Manufacturing activities, Trading (Electronics, Tires), HVAC projects and Contracting, recommended on how to improve the businesses and helped concerned SBU heads improving the bottom lines. Four of these companies were constantly making losses, have now been turned to be profit making ventures.
• Re-organized the estimation process, re-structured Project planning & monitoring process, introduced ‘Projects Risk Management’ and ‘Preventive Controls’ in the Contracting Division of the organization that despite of having a sizably big volume was making losses because of problems in the estimation process and the cost overruns caused by absolutely unorganized operations and lack of effective Internal Controls.
• So far Detected three (3) major Financial Frauds involving senior managers of the company mostly in the area of Procurement in Manufacturing companies & in the area Sub-Contracting for Contracting company.
• Improved Risk Management Process across the organization, cleared off misconception about Internal Audit to a few of SBU Heads, created needed confidence in the business managers to work together as a team for improving the overall risk management process. In a span of two years, conducted as many as 43 Risk Workshops and over 130 interviews so as to aim at making the group a ‘Risk Matured’ organization.
• Preferred ‘Preventive Controls’ over detection of shortcomings and in order to achieve this objective implemented Oracle GRC (Governance, Risk & Compliance) an Oracle fusion application.
• Building a team of Internal Auditors with a very high sense of integrity and professional loyalty to the company.

• Set up Internal Audit Department and structured enterprise risk management framework across all group companies, conducted Risk Assessments, improved Internal Control Systems and restructured a sizable number of business processes, accelerated growth, improved operating efficiencies and helped SBUs improving the Bottom lines.
• Conducted due diligence for acquiring one Indian and one Australian company
• Detected Nine (9) major Frauds involving senior managers of the company mostly in the areas of Procurement, Inventory & Customs in the manufacturing companies and in the areas of Power projects for the Power Transformers Trading Company.
• Successfully handled the funding of two projects from SIDF having a total debt capital outlay of USD 40 million.
• Effectively lobbied with the company’s bank for enhancing fund based and non fund based limits to shore up much needed capital by as much as 200 percent
• Improved Cash Management process across group companies
• Restructured MIS reports
• As Group Internal Audit Manager, reported to the Group President / Chairman and led a team of 7 Audit professionals. Also as a Group Financial Controller reported to the Group President / Chairman and led a team of 8 Finance Managers and 1 Corporate Treasury Manager

With Direct Functional Reporting to the Board of Directors achieved the following-
(a) Provided effcietive Financial Management &
Controls to the group companies.
(b) Spearheaded the Information System
(c) Devised & Implemented Financial Strategies
that satisfied the Group Objectives in a big
way.
(d) Key member of the team conducted
Business Process Re-structring (BPR) before
implementing ERP (Oracle Financials)
(e) Part of the team Implemented ERP
(f) Handled Project Financing for two major
projects
(g) Established sound relationship with Financial
Institutions, Banks and other external parties.
(h) Headed a team of 42 Finance & Accounts
Professionals

-Provided Effective Financial Management & Control
-Provided effective Management Information System
-Set up sound Policies and Procedures for various
operating departments including Food &
Beverage Control Procedures for Hotels and
Restaurants of the company that virtually helped
the company to be the first Indian Hotel company
to achieve the ISO 9002 certification.
- Analysis and Interpretation of Financial
Statements and other financial information

- Closely interacted and built up effective and
sound relations with the Banks and Financial
Institutions.