Education
MBA, (Logistics & Supply Chain Management)
Professional Qualifications Fellow of The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) United Kingdom.
Association of Computer Professionals (ACP)
Certificate in Computer Programming.
IT Skills Oracle 11i, MS Office Suite, QuickBooks, Navision, AccPac, MYOB, Great Plains, Crystal Reports.
Current Position Controller
Alcoa-Ma’aden JV-Mine & Refinery Project.
March 2011 – Current Alcoa
Controller-Ma’aden Aluminium Mine & Refinery Project
Alcoa is a world leader in the production and management of primary and fabricated aluminum and serves a range of industries; bringing design, engineering, production and other capabilities of its businesses to its customers.
Alcoa formed a joint venture with Ma’aden, the Saudi Arabian Mining Company, to develop a fully integrated, world-class aluminum industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a TIC of USD$ 10.8 bn. The joint venture will become the world’s pre-eminent and lowest-cost supplier of primary aluminum, alumina and aluminum products, with access to the growing markets of the Middle East and beyond.
Key Achievements:
• Project launch and close outs.
• Streamlined payments to contractors to within or earlier than their contractual terms.
• Streamlined preparations of EPCM’s payment certificates to capture all relevant costs in the month of occurrence.
• Reconciliations between EBS and project costs for all sub-projects- Mine & Refinery, Rolling Mill, Auto sheet and Integrated Infrastructure project (IIP).
• Input in implementing EBS, chart of accounts and reporting structures in Oracle.
• Streamlined tracking of Letters of Credit and Bank Guarantees.
• Train and manage joint venture accountants by creating an enabling, nurturing and trustworthy environment. Committee member of the Saudi Expat wellness group for Alcoa
As a member of the Project Management Team (PMT) and the HUB, my key responsibilities are highlighted below.
Major activities/Key Challenges:
• Experience in both Project Controls and Finance.
• Compilation of monthly report for the HUB.
• Creation, implementation and execution of internal controls for the sub-projects.
• US regulatory compliance (GAAP) and IFRS research and analysis on the resources sector in the Middle East.
• Creating and implementing new policies and procedures for the projects and continuous improvement of existing ones.
• Preparation of Project execution plans at the kick-off phase, establishing authority matrices, division of responsibilities and risk analysis.
• Due diligence on contracts and review their conformation to DZIT (Saudi Tax regulator) rules.
• Develop, analyze and interpret financial information for internal distribution. Appraise operating results in terms of profitability and performance against budget.
• Monthly statutory reporting with variance analysis to Joint Venture Owners and the project team. Liaise with External/Internal auditors and tax departments at mid and year end.
• Review and streamline accounts payable. Analyze forex.
• Maintain accurate and timely Cash Flow data, both current and forecasted.
• Project funding analysis with respect to Joint venture share and financing from banks. Tracking Letters of Credit and Bank guarantees.
• Total cost reporting for EPCM & Owner’s portion for the USD$3 Billion budget for the Mine & Refinery. Review EPCMs monthly progress invoice to the JV. Review and approve owner’s team expense reports. Review assignment conditions for EPCM’s.
• Administer all approved Change Orders to contracts. Monitor Trend notices.
• Coordinate and ensure parallel accuracy of financial information between sub-projects and program level reporting.
• Instill, encourage and implement a healthy and safe working environment across the finance function.
July 2007 – March 2011 Bechtel Corporation
Senior Project Accounting Supervisor
Bechtel Corporation is one the largest Engineering, Construction and Project Management companies in the world. Its signature projects have been the Hoover Dam in the US, the Hong Kong airport, High Speed rail in the UK, amongst others.
Senior Project Accounting Supervisor for both Guinea Alumina (BHP Billiton) and Crinum North (BHP-Mitsubishi Alliance) projects. Guinea Alumina involved developing a Greenfield mine site, Alumina refinery and related infrastructure in Guinea, West Africa for a TIC of USD$5.0 billion.
Crinum North (Coal Project) is part of the Gregory Crinum mines in Emerald, Queensland and owned by BHP Billiton/Mitsubishi Alliance. The Project was completed on time and under budget.
Key Achievements:
• Lead in setting up Oracle 11i (agency version) for the project and the entire BHP HUB and coordinating feed from the procurement and contracts generation tools. Oracle used as the primary tool for reporting in the HUB and data feed into SAP and EPC works.
• Changed the client billing system to meet the demands of the client.
• Six Sigma yellow belt trained.
Major activities:
• Preparation of Project execution plans for the finance department at the kick-off phase that were successfully rolled out across the BHP Billiton HUB projects.
• Preparation of earnings methodology for Gross margin determination during the life of the project and calculation GM earned at month end. Set up of Job accounting data base (JADB).
• Preparation of accounts payable and payment procedures.
• Monthly statutory and yearly reporting for Australia and USA, billing to the client per the contract and analysis of Gross Margin, revenue and costs.
• Completion of monthly accounting entries and performing reconciliations to maintain the integrity of the general ledger for the project and the joint venture.
• Assisting project controls with preparations of budgets, cash flows, accruals and staffing plans.
• Conducting periodic internal audit reviews.
• GST reconciliations.
• Inter Entity agreement set up in liaison with the Tax and Legal departments.
• Checking and certifying expense reports submitted by employees within contractual terms.
• Supervision and training of 5 project accountants for HUB sub projects (Caval Ridge-USD$3 Billion, Hay Point expansion-USD$2 Billion) reporting requirements.
• Providing input to contract and procurement teams for setting up relevant documentations. Due diligence on contractors carried out before bid document submission.
• Liaising globally with Bechtel staff with respect to costs and revenue affecting the project.
• Liaising with the client team for process improvement and financial data and maintaining an assets register.
• Monthly reporting for the HUB and all the coal projects within the HUB in accordance with BHP Billiton requirements.
Nov 2006 – June 2007 Brisbane Education Centre
Senior Financial Accountant (Contract)
Brisbane Education Centre is a learning community of 137 schools covering a geographical area that includes much of south-east Queensland, spanning metropolitan Brisbane, the Gold and Sunshine coasts, west through Ipswich and the Lockyer and Brisbane valleys and through the South Burnett district and north to Childers.
• Monthly reporting including commentary and analysis using Navision and Jet Reports.
• Completion of monthly accounting entries and performing reconciliations to maintain the integrity of the general ledger.
• Assisting with preparations of annual budgets, review and action budget variations.
• Processing fortnightly payroll journals including salary sacrifice journals.
• Conducting periodic internal audit reviews on BCEC operations.
• Recording and distributing Commonwealth and State Grants.
• GST reconciliations and BAS lodgments.
• Complete year end financial statements and liaise with external auditors.
Aug 2005 – Oct 2006 The Australian College of Natural Medicine
Senior Accountant
The Australian College of Natural Medicine has been the Centre of Excellence in Natural Medicine Education for over 30 years and has campuses in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Gold Coast and Box Hill. The head office is located in Brisbane.
• Preparation of monthly management accounts for the board including commentary and budgeting/forecasting.
• Processing fortnightly payroll for 100 Administration staff. Processing 285 Lecturer’s payments on a monthly basis.
• Weekly bank reconciliations including trust accounts, ensuring all fees/revenues received from campuses are accounted for using MYOB.
• Liaising with the IT department to maintain Finance Link, a database used to enter receipts of all fees, generation of purchase orders, and receipt of supplier invoices.
• Processing Quarterly Super payments. Registering and exiting employees.
• Liasing with External auditors for Interim and year-end audits.
• Supervision of 2 staff and providing support to all Campus Managers/staff.
• GST, BAS and FBT lodgements. Any other reports required by the CEO & CFO.
• Writing up procedures manual for the various sections of finance and cost centres.
Sep 2004 – July 2005 BP Retail Australia
National Financial Analyst (Contract Role)
BP Retail, a subsidiary of British Petroleum Australia, is responsible for overseeing the retail operations (connect stores) of BP throughout Australia.
• Compiling, reviewing and reporting cash variances of 70 Company Owned Company Operated Connect Stores across all the states in Australia on a daily basis. It involved reporting to Operations Managers throughout Australia on a weekly basis. Month end reconciliations of credit cards, payroll clearing, bank clearing, GST etc, using Navision, in preparation for consolidation in the UK.
Sep 1998 – May 2004 Golf Course Estate Limited
Senior Accountant/Finance Manager
Golf Course Estate Ltd., the holding company of Mimosa Court Management, is one of the leading Real Estate companies in Kenya. It comprises of 39 exclusive, unique and tastefully furnished & serviced apartments, catering for a wide range of clientele such as foreign missions, leading Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) and Multinational Companies.
• Preparation of monthly management accounts and final statutory accounts for audit purposes; variance analysis, checking & implementation of internal control procedures.
• Financial planning including preparation of cash flows, budgets and inventory control. Responsible for Capital Expenditure Decisions. Involved in initiating new business projects for the company.
• Property management, rent collection and market surveys/analysis of other apartment complexes, in terms of facilities offered and rental comparisons to facilitate aggressive marketing campaigns for the company.
• Administration including Insurance, Payroll, VAT and Statutory returns etc
• Liasing with bankers, external auditors and the tax department.
• Marketing of the properties in terms of advertising and personal visits to organisations such as the United Nations, The World Bank, Multinational companies such as Coca Cola and Vodafone Kenya, Foreign missions such as the US embassy and British High Commission etc.
• Analysis of all investments undertaken by the company on the stock market and with the Central Bank of Kenya.
• Human Resource Management, supervising 4 Management and 50 junior staff. Responsible for recruitment, training, salary structures and Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for union staff.
Achievements
• Established proper operating and accounting systems, complete with internal control procedures. Embarked on cost cutting measures, which resulted in a cost saving for the company to the tune of Kshs. 4.7 Million in the first year of employment.
• Achieved & maintained, through aggressive marketing, with a dedicated and motivated team, full occupancy over a period of 4 consecutive years, in a depressed Kenyan economy.
• Achieved and maintained steady growth in profits every year.
• Successfully computerised the payroll and electricity billing system for the apartment complexes. Involved in computerising the entire financial reporting system with systems developers.
Jan 1997 – Aug 1998 Ameeco Holdings Ltd
Accountant
Ameeco Holdings consists of a group of 7 companies which trade in Motor Vehicle spares, Paper products/stationery, welding equipment, rice and sugar.
• Preparation of monthly Management and final statutory accounts for 7 companies.
• Preparation of cash flows, debtor and creditors listing.
• Debt collection, quarterly installment tax returns and monthly VAT returns.
• Supervision of 7 accounting staff
Achievements
• Guided and led the 7 companies in the group to prepare their Financial Statements for audit, which had not been done for 3 years.
• Rectified their Debtors and Creditors ledgers and their respective control accounts.
Jan 1995 – Dec 1996 Ernst & Young
Audit Senior
Ernst & Young is one of the big 4 audit and management consultancy firms in the world.
Headed Audits till finalization, including reviews of work done by audit trainees. Management Consultancy and Company Systems and Internal control review.
• Audits in charge of:
• African Safari Club
• A.T.B. Holdings Ltd.
• Southern Cross Safaris Ltd.
• Van Leer E.A. Ltd.
• Handling Clients Tax affairs:
• Installment Tax Returns/Final Tax Returns.
• Responding to queries initiated by the Income Tax department on behalf of clients.
• Advice to clients on their investment/stock portfolio and tax thereon.
Aug 1993 – Nov 1994 Khalid & Co
Audit Trainee
• External Audits and Analysis of Operating Systems
• Audits and Analysis of Operating Systems done:
• Panafric Hotel.
• Tamarind – Nairobi.
• African Expeditions Ltd.
Jan 1991 – Jun 1993 Alliance Steel Works Ltd. / Kenya Steel Fabricators Ltd
Accountant
• Preparation of management and statutory accounts.
• Preparation of the payroll.
• Purchase of raw material for soap and marketing of soap
• Recruitment of staff.
