From October 2015 to September 2017
Group Finance Manager (CFO) at Al Jassim Group, Qatar
The group is into a.F&B Retail – franchise for International brands such as Burger King, Applebee’s, Café Verganano, b. Real Estate & Property Management, c. Hotel Development (Accor Hotels) and d. Trading of FMCG products.
The Role:
? CFO Role spanning across all business divisions including Hotel Project, F & B , Real Estate and Trading,reporting to the Group CEO
? Heading a finance & accounts team of 14 people consisting of 3 Chartered Accountants, 2 Semi-qualified accountants ,3 senior accountants and 6 junior accountants
Key Achievements:
Cost Reduction & Cost Savings :
? Reduced new store fit out cost by 30%.- this was possible by implementing a robust tendering process, empaneled more contractors and worked closely with the project team to reduce costs.
? Reduced hotel project cost by 10% overall – mainly by carrying out a Value Engineering process for the Interior Contracts and strong commercial negotiations
Funding:
? Raised Funds for New Projects – Large projects – QAR 500 Mn, Mid-size Real Estate projects – QAR 40 – 100 Mn and for Retail F & B Expansion – QAR 100 Mn and also addressed Working Capital requirements
Process Management:
? Implemented SOP s for all departments and a RACI ( Responsibility,Accountabilty, Consult, Inform) Matrix to strengthen inter- dept. process and dependencies
Other Responsibilities:
? Anchored the ERP system – continuous improvement process and updates
? Financial closure and Audit completion
? Management Reporting – monthly reports and performance reviews
? Reporting to External Investors and periodic review meetings
? Business Plans / Budgets for all Business Divisions
? Active involvement in Group strategy – worked closely with the CEO and Business Heads
? New Projects – Feasibility Studies and recommendation
? Coordinate Internal Audits with the Group Internal Audit team