Chief Auditor
Abu Dhabi Accountability Authority
Total years of experience :21 years, 11 Months
ADAA is an independent corporate body under the authority of and reporting directly to the Crown Prince Court. ADAA’s primary objectives is to provide independent, objective assurance, consulting services and enhances performance to entities owned in whole or partly by the Abu Dhabi Government. ADAA seeks to ensure efficient and effective management, collection and disbursement of public funds, also, ensures that financial reports are accurate in accordance to laws and regulations.
ADAA conducts its services in accordance with methodologies based on international standards and best practices of recognized professional bodies.
Key Executive and Technical Tasks:
• Evaluate entities governance including reviewing their law of establishment along with vision and mission, identify strategic mandates and strategic objectives with their major risks, review organizational structure, governance committees, job descriptions, main policies, procedures and charters, main laws and regulations they should comply with and review related key performance indicators.
• Developing risk management process through review of subject entities’ risk registers evaluate their risk assessment including identification of significant risk exposures, determination of appropriate approach to deal with them and evaluation of the internal controls effectiveness in place.
• Conducted audit assignments including understanding operational processes, sampling, testing, obtaining evidences, identifying issues in accordance with the Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing and the Code of Ethics developed by the Institute of Internal Auditors ‘IIA’.
• Review revenue process, analyze & consider margins on various transactions and benchmark with leaders in market niche.
• Consider authority matrix for approval of various expenses & purchases.
• Review subject entities’ compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
• Assess subject entities’ guidelines on Whistle Blowing system and Fraud Handling.
• Liaise with the Chief Risk Officer regarding the development of Enterprise Risk Management.
• Review subject entities’ Audit Committee & the Internal Audit Charters.
• Review subject entities’ Services and Outputs to assure their compliance with the Entity’s strategic goals, conformity with industry related international standards and current best practices in order to add value and improve operations.
• Finalizes and submits audit reports to the higher Authority for approval.
• Presents audit findings to ADAA’s higher management and presents ADAA at subject entities Audit Committees meetings.
• I was responsible for implementing COSO Internal Control Framework at Department of Economic Development ‘DED’ for the first time among Abu Dhabi Government entities on 2018. The process comprises:
o Develop a questionnaire based on COSO framework requirements.
o Evaluate DED’s emphasis on integrity and ethical values.
o Evaluate the effectiveness of their current governance in compliance with their mandates and strategic goals.
o Identify gaps between current practices and the framework requirements.
o Issue gap analysis report with various recommendation and agreed with DED’s managements on the action plans.
• Financial Management Assessment ‘FMA’: is a program with the objective of analysing, assessing and improving the effectiveness,
efficiency and economy of financial management functions at subject entities. FMA comprises a thorough assessment throw-out
subject entities in accordance to the Financial Management Model set by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy in
the UK (CIPFA), which contains 442 questions covering four dimensions (Leadership, People, Processes and Stakeholders) assessing
three work styles (Securing stewardship, Supporting performance and Enabling transformation). I conducted FMAs for entities spanning
different industries with action plans for improvements discussed with the CEOs, General Managers and adopted accordingly. Such
entities included: Abu Dhabi Distribution Co., ADWEA, TAQA, Abu Dhabi Airport Co., Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi
Municipality. Department of Health and Department of Transport.
• Financial Examination ‘FE’: is the process of examining external auditors’ audit files (mainly Ernst & Young, Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, BDO
and Grant Thornton) who are auditing ADAA’s subject entities, to ensure that financial audits conducted in accordance with
International Standers of Audit ‘ISA’. FEs comprise challenging subject entities and external audit firms in accounting treatments to
ensure adequate applying of international accounting standards (IFRS and IPSAS). I conducts FEs for around eight entities every year
spanning different industries of ADAA’s subject entities.
• Evaluate financial models, assets impairments assessments, capital budgeting and valuation reports.
• Conduct Financial Audit services in accordance with ADAA methodology which is based on the International Standards of Audit (ISAs)
issued by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).
• Conduct interviews with process owners, understand the business processes and prepare/review audit programs accordingly.
• Ensure obtaining relative audit evidences, applying proper accounting treatments and presenting appropriate disclosures in the
financial statements.
• Identifying audit differences and issues, and escalating as appropriate.
• Conduct Mid-year review of financial statements in accordance with the International Standards on Review Engagements (ISREs) issued
by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).
• Perform special fraud investigations on the government level as requested.
• Build and maintains excellent professional relationships with stakeholders at an appropriate managerial level.
• Communicate with Subject Entities and Statutory Auditors in order to coordinate and facilitate audit engagements.
• Participate in preparing ADAA’s annual plan taking in consideration the political and economic agenda of Abu Dhabi emirate and other
related criteria.
• Planning audit engagement in accordance with the scope and complexity of the area under review.
• Prepare engagements budget hours, costs and allocating available resources accordingly.
• Lead groups of professional auditors in different audit engagements simultaneously.
• Manage the workload of staff members.
• Coach and support professional development of UAE staff members through providing on job training, guidance in areas of subject
matter expertise.
• Review staff working papers.
• Ensures adherence to ADAA quality guidelines and code of conduct during all engagement phases.
• Perform independent Quality Assurance on ADAA deliverables.
•CPA (Certified Public Account) September 2017 •CMA (Certified Management Accountant) and a Member Of the IMA (Institute Of Management Accountants), USA- October 2001 •CFM (Certified In Financial Management)- April 2004 •COSO Internal Control Certificate form IIA-USA - March 2019