Group Director of Finance (Domestic & International Operations)
Al Zamil Steel Holding Group
Total years of experience :14 years, 6 Months
Accomplishments:
• Head-hunted for the coveted role of a next-generation leader taking the helm, enhancing the current business unit’s Working Capital and Cash Flow position through interactive engagement with Finance and Operation heads.
• Instigated Capital budgeting techniques to take informed strategic (Capital Expenditure / Investment) decisions.
• Established a robust and high-quality financial control framework covering policies, standards and procedures that are implemented and maintained across the group’s operations.
• Orchestrated process improvement and automation initiatives, and revamped the planning and reporting process to establish more efficient and robust reporting platforms.
• Known as a key player and change agent, driving innovation and thought leadership for the enterprise.
• Teamed up with the Executive Board to determine the values, mission and plan for short and long-term goals.
• Served as Strategic Advisor to the business unit's GMs to improve their market positioning and cease greater market share.
Responsibilities:
• Providing direction, leadership, and oversight required to deliver optimal results and achieve all organizational goals. Establishing and executing an inclusive financial strategy for the group including new investments, program expansion and operational improvements.
• Functioning as the analytical engine of the Group, offering data-driven insights to support optimal financial business decisions of the Executive Management through long-range plans, investment appraisals, budgets & forecasts.
• Superintending, mentoring and empowering a dynamic team of Analysts, Supervisors, Chief Accountants and Finance Managers, to be of high caliber, recognizing and utilizing throughout the business as value-added business partners.
Accomplishments:
• Brought on board to support in exciting transformation, expansion and modernization of the Group, which is the region's most recognizable, valued and market-leading business.
• Turnaround champion, offered game-changing insights for resolving challenges - negotiated and secured urgent debt restructurings by stressing solid financial projections alongside its EBITDA and projected free cash flows.
• Acted as a value-added business partner to the Board of Directors/ Group executives & leadership team in formulating the company's future direction and supporting tactical initiatives daily. As well as providing strategic recommendations on future years’ budgets and projected performance to settle all company’s liabilities.
• Successfully handled the whole gamut of complicated preparation for future IPO and listing.
• VAT expert - headed VAT implementation and compliance project for the entire Group.
Responsibilities:
• Entrusted with full control over all critical financial levers & metrics that impact Abni Group. Supported the development of Group strategy across all areas of the business, challenged assumptions and decision-making as appropriate and provided financial analysis/guidance on all activities, plans, targets and business drivers.
• Established the Group’s financial policies & procedures, ensured effective internal controls over operations and monitored executions and followed on and addressed non-adherence cases.
• Streamlined the preparation of financial reports/ consolidated financial statements that summarize and forecast the company's financial position.
• Operational budget holder with responsibility for ensuring corporate budgeting processes, reforecasts and financial projections are carried out timely & accurately and reported on variances.
• Improved cash flow cycle by stressing improved product profitability and efficient working capital mechanisms (Banks, Inventory Management, Receivables Management, etc.)
• Provided strategic direction and leadership to the Group and Portfolio Companies’ Finance Teams, motivating, coaching, mentoring, and training strong talent pools to drive growth, innovation & continuous improvement.
Accomplishments:
• Bought on board to support in exciting transformation, expansion and modernization.
• Turnaround champion, offered game-changing insights for resolving challenges and saving struggling companies of the group through - revenue maximization, cost restructuring/rationalizing, efficient capital fundraising and deployment.
• Endeavored to maximize net worth and future free cash flows to secure better business value to sell it to potential investors/partners.
• Played a key role in mitigating product wastage by a whopping 80% and thereby augmenting profitability by 30%.
Responsibilities:
• Provided financial, operational and organizational leadership, strategic vision and direction to accelerate growth. Restructured financial and operating processes and designed tactical initiatives with a focus on increasing the company’s value and maximizing partners’ net worth.
• Consistently delivered industry-leading returns and dramatically grew its assets by delivering real-time intelligence for making better-informed decisions.
• Partnered with the Company’s Managing Partner, Sales & Distribution Head and Purchasing Department to advise on best business strategies and the company’s road map.
• Enforced effective implementation of policies, controls, compliance requirements and regulatory reporting.
• Directed accounting functions - recording and maintenance of financial records, financial statement preparation and year-end audits. Teamed up with Big 4 firms to finalize the company’s audited financials.
Accomplishments:
• Key member of the firm’s Executive Leadership Team, administered financial planning and analysis, dexterously provided financial vision consistent with the strategic plan and direction of the Company.
• Proffered strategic recommendations on buy/don’t buy CAPEX investments supported by effective feasibility studies to the Board of Directors before taking any investing decisions.
• Delivered real-time intelligence for making better-informed decisions. Developed dashboards, daily broadcasters and other reports to provide visibility to the company's performance and profitability.
Responsibilities:
• Principal futurist of KDD, constantly scouting the horizon for nascent opportunities where KDD is uniquely positioned to lead and elevate these to senior leadership. Successfully innovated mechanisms to leverage the company’s bottom line.
• Led implementation of Business Intelligence systems (Hyperion Business Planning & Budgeting) and integrated them with existing ERP software to provide crucial ad-hoc management reports.
• Liaised with the GMs of Manufacturing, IT, Administration and Sales & Distributions for managing CAPEX, OPEX & Manpower budgeting to conclude next year’s annual budget to submit it for approval to the Board of Directors.
• Controlled budgets, forecasts and business plans in addition to monitoring performance to enable robust reporting of variances to the company’s executives and minimize deviations from the budget.
• Established KPIs and performance benchmarks after conducting rigorous financial analysis to optimize operating style.
Responsibilities:
• Assisted CEO & Board of Directors in identifying the potential financial impact of different business scenarios to undertake informed strategic and operating decisions.
• Under my leadership registered 5 times the factories’ historical profit figures and secured governmental contracts capping 5 Million Kuwaiti Dinars, attained this challenging task by streamlining the factory’s costing processes and providing realistic product selling prices to clients.
• Introduced/formulated Consolidated Budget & Projected Cash flow processes for the Group Company and Subsidiaries.
• Spearheaded the financial reporting team consisting of Finance Managers and External Auditors in the preparation of standalone and consolidated financial statements of the group and its subsidiaries for conclusion of audited reports for submission to Kuwait Stock Exchange.
• Hand-selected to administer Mergers & Acquisitions processes conducted by renowned financial advisory & audit firms (E&Y Big 4, Grant Thornton & RSM Al Bazie).
Previous Professional Experiences:
• June 2006 - November 2009: Chief Accountant, Al-Wazzan Holding Group, Kuwait (Construction - Investment - Real Estate - Production)
• January 2002 - June 2006: Accountant / HR Manager Assistant, Dar SSH International Engineering Consultants & Al Nouri Education Establishment, Kuwait
CPA - California Board of Accountancy, USA, 2009
B.Com - Bachelor of Commerce, Suez Canal University, 2000