Business Partner, Finance Director
Smith & Nephew
Total years of experience :17 years, 2 Months
Reporting to EMEA CFO, partnering MEA VP (MENA, TURKEY, and AFRICA). Establishing healthy relationship with functional leads, GHO and external stakeholders ex: distributors, organizations, and banks etc.
Direct Reports: Saudi Finance Manager, Turkey Finance Director, and FP&A
Key contributions and responsibilities:
- Provides supervision and work direction for my subordinates ensuring fulfillment of respective job description requirements and support business needs.
- Develop the team through enhancing performance and utilizing development tools available
- Construct the financial reporting module and Structure for the MEA region, working closely with the commercial team and HR to allocate capital and human resources were needed while maximizing profitability.
- Engage in distributor management; contracts negotiation, working closely with the commercial and legal teams to ensure all terms and conditions are captured as well as reflecting targets and terms in the budgeting process.
- Lead the provision of timely and effective financial performance reporting & insights to support the business directors and their teams in managing the operating expenses, FTEs, and financial impact of commercial contracts.
- Responsible for the overall budgeting/Forecasting process in the region, Review divisional and regional budgets, ensuring timelines are met as per group deadlines.
- Review annually the price list by country/channel with the Marketing team, taking market dynamics into account, and reflect its impact in the budget/Forecast.
- Evaluate new product launches performance vs plan, correcting assumptions were required.
- Proactively highlight risks to legal, management, and necessary stakeholders on exposures.
- Ensure collections are received within the provisions in the TSA, coordinating with the commercial team and distributors on sales forecast and payments to have smooth flow of supplies, escalating when necessary, ultimately improving DSO by 78 days in 2 quarters.
- Secure credit limits with bank guarantees, successfully converting 65% of credits with guarantees.
- Ensures proper preparation, assistance and resolution for audits, and take appropriate actions to address audit findings and recommendations, achieving 2 consecutive Green Internal Audit reports.
- Lead the Sales & Operation committee, aligning sales forecast with demand planning.
Reporting to Asia Pacific and Emerging Markets CFO, responsible for overall operational development of the Saudi organization as well as financial structure setup.
Supported the business to over-achieve targets and grow in double digits by robust financial analysis and developing self-funded incentive schemes. Played a key role in reducing company debt by 62% during 2015 oil crisis in the region.
Key contributions and responsibilities:
- Spin off the Saudi entity financial reporting from Mena, developing its standalone financial results, budgets, forecasts, and 5 year strategic plan.
- Channel Inventory management, taking strategic initiatives and developing tools to maintain healthy stock levels at distributors for smooth flow of products to end customer.
- Lead Saudi Office Project by coordinating with local contractors and our Global facilities team ensuring timely completion of the project, keeping costs in line with the approved CAPEX budget.
Reporting to the CFO, responsible for the shared finance hub for FMS Saudi Arabia & Subsidiaries, leading a team of 20 accountants. Designed and organized a new finance structure, developing procedures & ERP to enhance efficiency, reporting, and controls within the organization, saving 22% of finance cost vs decentralized model and reducing monthly closing process by 9 working days. Working closely with external consultants in a company transformation program.
Responsibilities:
- Control & manage the financial budgeting & timely MIS submission across the group. Review of MIS reports, highlighting non-performance and cost overruns and advice management on key improvement areas.
- Prepare monthly financial packages that provide the CFO and business partners with insight into the business via various business metrics, profitability analysis and recognition of specific trends.
- Manage the statutory reporting requirements at Group level & consolidation of all businesses at group level.
- Contribute in developing financial policies, practices, financial management forms and templates that ensure adequate financial controls over all company operations thereby ensuring the cost advantage in all its resource utilization and financial activities.
- Perform project cost forecasts budgets, cost tracking, monitoring and controls.
- Execution of appropriate revenue recognition and ensuring compliance with accounting policies.
- Compile cash flows and monitor to ensure collections and payables are in balance and shortfalls are addressed. Work with GMs to ensure collections and payables are planned and concerns if any highlighted.
In charge of the hypermarket finance function, leading a team of 14 employees. Plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the operation of financial and accounting department, develop and implement the financial policies and systems of establishments and establish performance standards.
Notable achievements:
- Staffed and Managed the startup of two Hypermarkets in Riyadh with emphasize on recruiting and training, assets procurement, department setups, legal requirements and system implementation.
- Developed a systematic reporting scheme and weekly monitoring of Negative Margin, wastage and sleeping stock across various departments which lead to remarkable decline in loss 1% from Turnover
- Introduced new analysis tools in the country, (Promotion Forecast, Continues improvement boards, Sleeping stock Analysis, Sales trend analysis ), led to significant improvements by +1% in gross margin levels
Key contributions and responsibilities:
- Provides supervision, work direction, and training for financial staff ensuring fulfillment of respective job description requirements.
- Preparation of financial statements, summaries, and other cost-benefit analyses and financial management reports.
- Organize the financial planning and budget process, analyze and correct estimates.
- Positively contribute to the profitability growth of the division by working closely with General Managers and providing financial analysis and advice.
- Review monthly operating statements, investigating and explaining actual to budget variances, identifying the cause of variance and evaluating all associated key performance indicators.
- Develop and monitor all necessary controls to ensure that the company complies with statutory requirements
- Carry out any necessary internal audit reviews and monitor the financial effectiveness of systems and controls.
- Ensures proper preparation, assistance and resolution, if necessary, for audits, and takes appropriate actions to address audit findings and recommendations
- Overseas payroll, benefit, and deduction activities for all staff, ensuring timely and accurate remuneration, and the prompt resolution of problems/disputes as necessary.
CMA