With competencies in Budgeting, Forecasting, Accounting, Financial Reporting and Risk Management at the core, I challenge the boundaries of traditional Finance to evolve into a more strategic role of a Key Business Driver.
Having served as CFO, Head of Budgeting & Planning, & Manager Accounts in a career spanning over 17 years, I specialize in helping organizations into setting challenging Profitability Targets and achieving those targets by adopting lean cost structures and sustainable business growth models.
Key Achievements:
Turning around a loss-making entity into a profitable business within 6 months through:
· Identification of loss-making deals and renegotiating them into being profitable.
· Application of stringent controls over costs.
· Inventing new and cost-efficient ways of doing things.
Key Responsibilities:
As Chief Financial Officer of the Company I report to the Managing Director of Ecolean Pakistan with dotted reporting to the Group CFO, Ecolean AB, Sweden. I am responsible for overall financial Management, Planning, Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Reporting of the Company. At Ecolean, finance not only serves as a data hub for all financial decisions, but actively takes part in all strategic decisions of the company including investments, customer & vendor management, and legal & statutory compliances. Following are the key stakeholders for the position of CFO:
· Managing Director & Management team at Ecolean Pakistan
· Management team including Group CFO & Group CEO at Ecolean AB
· Customers
· Vendors
Apart from the Finance Team, HR, Administration, Procurement and IT functions also report to me.
Key Achievements:
• Successfully undertook a business process remodeling exercise that resulted in cost efficiencies and ensured profitability post-pandemic.
• Successfully Managed cash crunch during COVID-19 lockdowns without any significant disruptions, through stringent monitoring and control measures.
• Designed and implemented a complete Budgeting & Reporting Process, which have improved organization’s forecasting ability, strengthened controls and has streamlined and fast-tracked Management Reporting.
• Worked with operations teams to identify inefficiencies and propose & implement efficiency measures, that have enabled cost savings of approximately 300 million rupees per annum.
• Designed & implemented a project evaluation process for a detailed feasibility analysis that has improved SSC’s ability to undertake expansion projects.
Key Responsibilities:
As Head of Budgeting, Planning and Reporting, I am a permanent member the Management team that formulates, evaluates and steers the company strategy. One of my major roles is to keep the Management team updated on the following:
• Revenue Target Achievement.
• Company’s profitability and its comparison against budgets and targets.
• Changes in macro-economic, legal and tax environment and their impact on business.
• Identification / evaluation of new investment opportunities.
• Progress updates on the existing and upcoming projects / initiatives. Apart from providing the Management Team with the above information, me and my team of four persons is responsible for the following key Functions:
• Design and implementation of appropriate company policies that ensure effective controls.
• Preparation of medium to long term business plans in line with the long-term business strategy.
• Preparation of annual budget in co-ordination with all key stakeholders.
• Preparation of Cash flow projections and keeping the Management informed regarding any expected fluctuations in cash flow forecasts.
• Preparation of rolling forecasts to keep the management well versed with the effects of changing conditions.
• Performing feasibility analysis prior to Store Launch.
• Performing Analysis on sales and cost trends to Identify potential opportunities for growth.
• Coordinating with all key stakeholders to control and implement the function level budgets.
• Preparation and proposal of business cases for strategic projects / initiatives and reviewing business cases for revenue generating and/or cost optimization opportunities proposed by different functions within the organization.
• Analysis of market / environmental data to look for possible expansion opportunities.
• Identification of cost saving opportunities to enhance operational efficiency and sustainability, preparing workable plans to tap those opportunities in partnership with operations team and gauging progress against those plans.
Reporting to General Manager, Budgeting, Planning, Reporting and ERM, and leading a team of 2 resources, major responsibilities included:
• Coordinating the organization-wide ERM Activity.
• Preparing and implementing Risk Policies and Framework.
• Identifying Key Risk, and devising Risk Mitigation Strategies, in line with the Company’s Risk Appetite.
• Maintaining Risk registers by engaging all concerned Risk Champions.
• Preparation and Maintenance of ERM Dashboards and following up with relevant Risk owners on key action items.
• Liaising with Etisalat Group ERM on all major ERM issues.
• Preparation of annual budget and business plan.
• Coordinating with all key stakeholders to control and implement the function level budget.
• Implementing transaction level monitoring controls for the budget period.
• Preparation of the business plan/cases for strategic projects/new initiatives and reviewing business cases for revenue generating and/or cost optimization opportunities.
• Data analysis/related comparison with the approved budget and reporting thereof.
• Internal and external reporting of actual results and Budget comparisons to Etisalat Group and Management.
Reporting to GM Financial Accounting and Operations and leading a team of 5 people responsible for the following processes:
• Preparation of Company’s Financial Statements, ensuring completeness and accuracy of the information reported.
• Coordination with External (for half yearly review and annual audit) and Internal Auditors (for quarterly internal audits).
• Preparation of Monthly IFRS reporting pack for group reporting purpose.
• Provision of advice and keeping a check on departments preparing PRs and POs and on Payables department for correct classification and booking of Expenses.
• Month end closing of accounts, booking of accruals and ensuring completeness and accuracy of Financial Statements Line Items.
• Preparation of reconciliations / Schedules for Revenue, Taxes, Expenses, Receivables/Payables and Loans etc. and periodic analysis of Assets, Liabilities, Expenses and Revenue.
• Preparation of Bank Reconciliation Statements.
• Preparation of Monthly Management Reports.
Reporting to Senior Manager AIMS and managing a team of 20 people spread Nationwide, my responsibilities of the team included:
• Capitalization of Fixed Assets
• Physical Verification & tagging of Assets and Maintenance of Fixed Assets Register
• Physical verification and reconciliations of Supplied BOQs of supplied Network Assets
• Maintenance of Nationwide Backup Inventory Warehouses
• Execution of Depreciation runs
• Disposals of Retired Fixed Assets
• Fixed Assets reporting for management