AMENA Finance Planning & Analysis Manager
PepsiCo International - United Arab Emirates
Total years of experience :31 years, 5 Months
Leading the value realization exercise for a business transformation project.
Key responsibilities are to:
- Design, build and execute project value realization tracking
- Keep key stakeholders informed of the progress made on the project
- Help establish governance, propose & execute action plans to close gaps to target
- Provide support on all design related decisions to help improve organizational effectiveness
- Present performance review to senior executives & senior functional owners
Key Achievements:
Led Zero Based Budgeting exercise in collaboration with Accenture across multiple entities and geographies.
Key responsibilities are:
- Lead AMENA sector wide Smart Spending (SS) agenda in close coordination with key stakeholders
- Be the go-to person for all SS issues, i.e. policy guidance, risk / change management etc.
- Present performance review to senior executives and category owners
- Highlight risks and help resolve challenges in meeting aligned goals
- Improve policies to manage expectations without negatively impacting work environment
- Develop and implement corrective actions in close collaboration with key stakeholder
Key Achievement: My most significant achievement has been to streamline and simplify the HQ financial processes resulting in significant enhancement to visibility and control for all key stakeholder.
Key responsibilities are to:
- Play key role in developing & delivering MEA Region’s Annual Operating Plan & Strategic Business Plan
- Prepare & present Regions monthly financial performance reviews to Region President
- Conduct thorough and insightful analysis for variance analysis; summarize to explain salient points for management's understanding and help draw working plans providing sustained results
- Manage and take ownership of MEA HQ financials
- Pull together multiple ad-hoc requirements (Investor Relations communication, benchmarking exercises across MEA, BSHS, etc.)
Key Achievement: Helped lead the Financial Planning agenda in a fast paced and complex operating entity, with an aptitude to consistently deliver high-quality work. Delivered several key capital expenditures, helped in SAP implementation, played a critical role in helping the business transition to sizable scale.
Key job responsibilities were to:
- Provide support to the top management on financial matters/decision support
- Present monthly financial results to the management
- Prepare of quarterly forecasts and annual operating plan
- Monitor year to date performance in light of the budgets and forecasts
- Suggest actions in light of the cause of change
Led the finance function of a struggling entity. Played a pivotal role in turning around Gulf Lubricants from a loss making entity to a sustained profit earner. The turnaround was achieved through continuous constructive support to higher management, cost controls and improvements in internal controls.
- Provide support to General Manager and Finance Manager.
- Prepare thorough monthly / yearly management accounts and annual budgets.
- Ensure implementation of financial policies and procedures.
- Incorporate changes in policies and procedures in light of the changes.
- Review of bank, stock, debtors, payroll and creditors reconciliations.
- Perform credit reviews, approvals and monitor credit limits.
- Help negotiate contract terms with major suppliers.
- Monitor working capital, bank positions, funding requirements, accruals etc.
- Manage multiple accountants based in various locations of Saudi Arabia.
- Facilitate performance of external and internal audits.
- Respond to the financial queries raised by corporate office and banks.
Key Accomplishments:
a. Instrumental in the reduction of the inventory number of days from 84 days to 47 days without affecting the customer deliveries.
b. Assisted in the reduction of the number of days recoverable from 102 days to 94 days in-spite of the increase in sales over the period by 25% by rigorous monitoring and follow up with sales staff.
c. Reduced the annual and monthly financial statements closing process to generate timely and effective management reports.
d. Continuous reduction in the annual insurance premiums by almost 5% annually by negotiating with the insurers and monitoring the level of claims.
Contributed to the overall success of the company which resulted in:
- The company earning the best company of the group award for the year 2002/03.
- Helping turnaround the operating results of the company from continued losses to a sustained profit making entity.
Job responsibilities were to:
- Plan an audit, culminating in the preparation of planning memorandums.
- Prepare audit programs responsive to the engagement.
- Supervise audit staff in execution of the audit.
- Appraise engagement executives of matters effecting the engagement.
- Suggest improvements to the accounting systems and control environments through management letter.
I have been involved with the audits of financial institution, services and trading, hospitality, manufacturing company and insurance clients thus giving an overview of diversified industries.
In addition to financial statement audits, I have also worked on the following:
- Internal Audit: Senior in-charge of internal audit assignment of Intercontinental and Holiday Inn. Hotels in the Middle East region.
- Due Diligence: Carried out due diligence audits of a major food trader and an electromechanical company.
- Financial Reviews: Carried out high-level financial reviews of the subsidiaries of an investment company.
- Training Courses: Conducted introductory level training courses for audit staff.
CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOUTANT
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT - USA
Graduated from the top university in my province with major in accounting and finance