About me

A reliable, versatile and analytical Group Chief Financial Officer who excels in strategic planning, relationship management and partner negotiation. Possesses a reputation for clarity of thought and superior communication skills. Adept at introducing process improvement strategies and seeing projects through to conclusion.  Adaptable Group CFO for a $1bn turnover mini-conglomerate in Dubai covering the Gulf region  A qualified Chartered Accountant with 30 years in retail and FMCG including ecommerce platforms Keen to secure a role as Group CFO or Group COO either in retail or FMCG based in the UAE, GCC, Europe or the UK where 20 years in senior management positions can be used to full effect.

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Work history

CFO
Mar 2015 - Oct 2016Dubai, United Arab EmiratesFull Time
Group Chief Financial Officer / Group CFO who covered all aspects of finance and treasury functions across the group with additional responsibilities for IT, property and procurement. Introduced and implemented new processes and a reporting format for management accounts, budgeting, forecasting and 5 year strategic plans. Tasked as project and process owner for financials and the supply chain for a successful go-live ecommerce platform. Coached and trained up new heads of finance, treasury, property and procurement. • Successfully raised AED700m to fund the 5 year plan • Project owner for the successful SAP implementation go-live • Created and introduced the ‘open to buy’ system reducing inventory levels by 15% • Created and introduced new credit control procedures reducing receivables by AED 75M • Wrote and delivered a 1 day Finance for Non-Financial Managers course on the basics of finance to enable the completion of budgets and forecasts more accurately • Compiled and trained the IRR / ROIC model for increased investment assessment accuracy
CFO
May 2008 - Feb 2015Dubai, United Arab EmiratesFull Time
Group Chief Financial Officer | Group CFO with overall responsibility for finance, treasury, strategic planning and process controls including internal auditing. Developed the group treasury department, recruiting and mentoring the Group Treasurer and renegotiating bank facilities and extended terms. Established the group management accounting department and introduced a new format for management accounts and new budgeting / forecasting procedures. Oversaw the smooth running of the IT department and Oracle implementation as well as shipping / distribution and the supply chain. Recruited a new department head for the property management group and designed / introduced a new management reporting system. Responsible for Oracle retail systems upgrade in 2009 and the introduction of the Oracle data warehouse 2010, Oracle merchandise financial planning in 2011, Oracle POS roll out in 2012 and Oracle fusion appraisal system in 2013.

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Skills

• B2B Strategic
• Complex Projects
• IT
• Corporate Finance
• Executive
• Finance
• Human Resources

Education

Chartered Accountancy
Sep 1985 - Jul 1989London, United Kingdom
FCA
BSc
Sep 1982 - Jul 1985Southampton, United Kingdom
Accounting & Statistics