Senior Adviser
Middle East Group
Total years of experience :29 years, 9 Months
Middle East Group provides advisory services to firms seeking to access the markets of the GCC, with a focus on preparatory measures including documentation, cultural awareness, regulatory requirements, reporting and fund raising.
NBY is an indigenous organisation with a A$107m asset portfolio across real estate, hospitality, agriculture, waste management, land management and social services
Key Achievements:
• Rebuilt entire finance, governance, IT and reporting function; completed a comprehensive portfolio review and development of future investment strategy
• Identified, negotiated and completed due diligence for two acquisitions: real estate agency (A$10m) and construction services (A$12m) and a pipeline of Agtech targets
• Negotiated buyback of 20k head cattle station, held by the Indigenous Land Corporation (A$30m). Established new waste management JV with WA state government
YBAK is a major family conglomerate with operations across the Middle East, East and Southern Africa and the Subcontinent. It consists of 7 major divisions being Shipping, Logistics, Travel, Machinery, Oil & Gas Services, Power & Industrial Products, and Real Estate, plus an additional 60+ JV’s with blue chip local and international partners. Rev.
Reporting to the Group CFO and having direct responsibility for FP&A, project and change management, divisional investments and integration, all management and financial reporting, and with a broader role encompassing financial systems, tax and organisational transformation, treasury and insurance. The mandate was to transform the Group into a focused industrial and logistics services business with appropriate governance and leadership.
Key Achievements - Transformation & Change Management:
• Logistics division transformation. Inefficient operation with ageing systems and practices. Tasked with updating the strategy, processes, systems and reporting. Upgraded obsolete systems, consolidated investment, closures and sale of warehousing assets, modelled all staff restructuring. Cost reduction of A$4.1m across 3-year cycle
• Shipping division transformation. Underused global partnerships and a mature regional environment were restricting growth. Tasked with building global partner relations at board level, updating strategy, systems and reporting. Managed global finance ERP rollout, , director of S5 (world’s 4th largest ships agency), led divisional M&A - 2 firms (S Africa), 1 (Mozambique), 1 (Netherlands). Growth of A$5.8m over 2 years
• Group Shared Services department creation. Inefficient multi-site, over-staffed finance function. Tasked with creating efficiencies and improving reporting. Modelled the full cost and benefits cycle. Reduced 103 FTE (21% of regional accounting staff), 8-day improvement in transaction processing times, single point of entry for the ERP system
Key Achievements - Finance Business Partner:
• Established Finance/Operations relationship and improved credibility and understanding of with each of the divisional CEO’s and their management teams
• Built a business control team to deliver financial and operational data for each division
Key Achievements - Reporting:
• Board reporting, budgeting and forecasting. Extremely limited reporting existed. Built a reporting suite for Holding Board and Divisional Board finance and operational metrics
• Operational investment and due diligence. Extremely limited reporting existed. Created new system to evaluate all operational investments and identify targets
Key Achievements - Project Management:
• Finance ERP. Existing obsolete system needed replacement. Led the Business Finance team in project managing the selection, design and implementation of Epicor. Significantly improved accuracy, completeness and reporting speed. 9-day monthly improvement
• Logistics and Shipping systems. Old or non-existent systems needed replacement. Led the Business Finance team in project managing the selection, design and implementation of Cargowise (Logistics) and S5 Agency Now (Shipping). Headcount savings (~8% each) and client retention (~19% improvement in retention rates in Shipping, ~12% in Logistics)
• VAT project. GCC governments introduced a new tax. Created the VAT project team for the implementation of VAT across the Middle East including recruitment, Board communications and Finance integration
Thuraya is a global mobile satellite service provider with two geostationary satellites providing off grid coverage to 220, 000 users across 140 countries.
I was the CFO’s deputy engaged in all reporting and analysis, business case assessments, product and price modelling, and major asset programmes modelling (e.g. satellite fleet construction, launch and in-orbit insurance, new handset provider manufacturing contracts etc). I regularly engaged and reported directly to the CEO and the Board.
Key Achievements:
• Created next generation satellite constellation model. Negotiations with selected key stakeholders (SoftBank, Loral Skynet)
• Introduced comprehensive reporting suites including financial and operational dashboards, board reports, financial and management reporting
• Assessed all new products including design costs, pricing and remediation modelling
• Deputy negotiator for new satellite constellation with State and global banks, and sovereign wealth funds in the region
Co-founded a boutique advisory firm proving financial, corporate and capital raising services to mid-size companies.
Selected mandates:
• Audio Visual Services (A$50m SME) - finance function review and process optimisation
• Fintech (A$3m startup) - finance structure creation, built IM documentation
• Fintech (A$2m startup) - finance structure creation, built IM documentation
The premier Broadcast Satellite Media operator in Australia. A joint venture between Australian investors and France Telecom. Responsible for vast majority of incoming and outgoing sports transmissions. Rev. A$40m
I managed all CFO functions including the Finance, IT, Admin and Legal teams, the full finance cycle, audit and external relationships, contract modelling and asset management.
• Led strategy, planning and management of Finance, Legal, IT, HR and General Operations departments
• Managed truck fleet expansion financing; from four to seven specialist uplink / downlink trucks
• Priced new technologies with commercial team including Netcam for the Australian Open
• Managed JV relationships with SingTel and others including capacity negotiations
• Played a key role in driving revenue per head from A$700k to A$1000k. Halved staff churn, halved debtor days and tripled available cash. Satellite capacity negotiations, contract standardisation and business development activities increased EBITDA by 60%
Please see below for my full-time Finance roles in financial services and telecommunications firms including satellite and wholesale.
• Abbey National Bank / Royal Bank of Scotland - July 2003 to October 2005 - UK GAAP to IFRS conversion programme manager for two first tier UK banks
• Alpha Telecom - September 2001 to June 2003 - Budget & planning manager for a long-distance telecoms provider (Rev. A$80m in 2002, bought by Tele2)
• Europestar - September 1999 to August 2001 - Accounting manager for global fixed satellite owner and operator, 2 satellites constructed and launched (JV between Alcatel and Loral Skynet)
• Morrison Murray - Audit manager completing my chartered accountancy qualification. Morrison Murray are a Moore Stephens affiliate with national clients around South Africa
Chartered Accountant qualification