Education

August 2019 ACA at The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)

May 1993 to August 1999 FCA at The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP)

March 1993 to August 1999 FCMA at The Institute of Cost & Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMAP)

1993 to 1999 FPA at The Institute of Public Finance Accountants of Pakistan (PIPFA)

March 2007 M.Com at University of Karachi

1990 to 1992 B.Com at University of Karachi

March 2007 CISA at Information Systems and Control Association (ISACA)

May 2006 CIA at The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA)

Experience

January 2019 till now CFO & Company Secretary at Pakistan Aluminium Beverage Cans Limited

PABC is a subsidiary of Ashmore Group UK for manufacturing of aluminium beverage cans in Pakistan. It is the only beverage can manufacturing unit with latest and state of the art production facility

Responsibilities include:
– Organizing and managing Board and Shareholders’ meetings
– Submission of Business plans / quarterly rolling forecast
– Timely submission of financial statements to the Board
– Treasury and working capital management
– Meeting cost efficiency targets given by the management (financial or otherwise)
– Arrangement of long / short term financing facilities including ERF and LTFF
– Receivable and inventory management
– Managing Internal Audit Committee and Statutory Audit issues
– Reporting of DTRE under manufacturing bond
– Handling custom issues and notices
– Imposition of Anti-Dumping duty
– Bringing tax efficiencies (mainly income tax and sales tax)
– Handling all legal and corporate issues
– Group financial reporting to Ashmore Group
– Successfully deployed SAP B1
– Designing and implementing policies / procedures and SOPs
– Looking after administration and security matters at Plant’s site
– Supervising information technology department including safety and security of data

May 2019 till December 2019 CEO at Mintbrains (Private) Limited

Mintbrains is a Information Technology Company and an emerging full service Advertising Agency being operated by well-known and experienced technology and advertising professionals with proven track record.

Responsibilities include incorporation of these companies, strategy paper, approval of business model, creating various brands to provide technology services in Pakistan, UK and USA. Advisory services for financial feasibility, tax and legal compliance in UK and Pakistan.

October 2016 to April 2018 CEO at Z2C Pakistan (Private) Limited

Z2C Pakistan is a parent company of Brainchild Communications Group incorporated to consolidate media buying power of all group companies

Responsibilities include:
• Consolidation of media buying of all group companies to negotiate on single buying rates, bulk discounts and special deals including monitoring of industry and regulatory compliance
• Generating non-traditional (trading) revenues for all group companies
• Effective co-ordination and Liaison with Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) and All Pakistan Newspaper Society (APNS) to consolidate media buying of all group companies
• Drafting and signing of agreements and MOUs with media vendors to consolidate media buying
• Arranging financing facilities and handling all banking related matters of all Group companies
• Engaged in negotiations and finalization of major contracts with clients and vendors / acquisition and mergers

March 2016 to April 2018 Group CFO at Brainchild Communications Pakistan (Private) Limited

Brainchild Communications is a group of companies and affiliate of Starcom Mediavest Group in Pakistan. Other group companies include Blitz Advertising (Private) Limited, an affiliate of Spark Worldwide in Pakistan, Starcrest Communications (Private) Limited, Fourays Advertising (Private) Limited and The Content Company (Private) Limited having exclusive media airing rights of Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Responsibilities includes:
• Looking after financial, legal and tax affairs including designing & implementing financial strategy, internal control policies and operational procedures for all group companies
• Financial management and reporting of PSL to the Board of Directors
• Preparation of 5 years business plans / projections of all group companies and its approval from the Board of Directors
• Timely submission of individual companies as well as group’s consolidated management accounts to the Board on monthly, quarterly and annually
• Managing Board of Directors meeting of all Group Companies including preparation of agenda, notices and minutes of meeting
• Actively engaged with Chairman of the Board and CEOs’ of each Company in execution of strategic management decisions including achievement of budgets / targets
• Satisfactory completion of clients audits, internal audits and statutory audits and its reporting to the Board of Directors

November 2007 to February 2016 CFO at GroupM Pakistan (Private) Limited

GroupM is Pakistan’s largest media buying house and fully owned subsidiary of WPP Worldwide (World’s largest Advertising Company)

Responsibilities include:
• Formulating, designing and implementing business strategy, internal control policies and operational procedures for GroupM Trading Unit in line with WPP Regional / Global guidelines
• Successfully launched and supported GroupM’s Trading Unit to grow its trading business by almost 40% on Year On Year basis
• Launched digital marketing agency (Connect) of GroupM in Pakistan by formulating, designing and implementing digital business strategy and operational procedures in line with WPP Regional / Global guidelines
• Successfully launched Xaxis (digital proprietary media platform) in Pakistan
• Helped business team in designing clients pitches and contributed in winning major clients business
• Handled all financial, corporate, legal affairs, information technology, taxation, human resource and administrative functions of the Company
• Reviewing and signing off monthly, quarterly and yearly financial reporting packs including rolling forecasts / budgets, cashflows, CAPEX, and other Governance and compliance related questionnaire and templates
• Core member of the Executive Management Committee (EXCO) and actively engaged with CEO in formulating future business plans and strategies in close consultation with the Regional office;
• Formulated, implemented and successfully deployed SOX controls, Corporate Governance requirements, regional internal control policies and procedures
• Satisfactory and timely completion of SOX audits (E&Y), internal audits (WPP), statutory audits (Deloitte) and clients audit (AFF & Co. / KPMG)
• Engaged in negotiations and finalization of acquisition and mergers

September 2003 to October 2007 Group Financial Controller & General Manager Finance & MIS at Herbion International Inc

Herbion Pakistan is a fully owned subsidiary of Herbion International Inc. and it is a dynamic global pharmaceutical business that focuses on healthcare development based on inventive research to produce natural therapeutic solutions

Responsibilities include:
• Managing financial, corporate and legal affairs of Herbion International Inc. and its 20 subsidiaries (limited liability companies in CIS states, USA and Canada) including Herbion Pakistan
• Effectively involved with Board of Directors in setting future strategies, goals and objectives including preparation of Group & individual subsidiaries’ budgets, projected consolidated financial statements, cashflows and other departmental budgets
• Reporting to the Board of Directors on monthly / quarterly and on yearly basis on variances between actual and projected cashflows, budgets, financial statements and consolidated financial statements;
• Timely submission of monthly / quarterly and yearly financial statements of Group and its individual subsidiaries to the Board of Directors
• Monthly monitoring of group’s pricing structure in all subsidiaries to overcome transfer pricing issues
• Preparation of feasibility reports for any major expansion and/or starting of a new project or operations in a new country
• Effectively implemented various internal control systems and financial reporting procedures in the finance, MIS and other departments
• Effective co-ordination and resolution of issues identified by Tax consultants and Auditors, Legal advisor and IT consultants for Herbion Pakistan and co-ordination with overseas subsidiaries in CIS, USA and Canada for their legal and corporate affairs

April 2001 to September 2003 Chief Accountant and Company Secretary at Singer Pakistan Limited

Singer Pakistan Limited is the leading electronic appliances company with status of a public listed Company and a subsidiary of Singer Worldwide

Responsibilities include:
• Acting Controller and Director Finance in his absence
• Responsible to look after all financial matters including factory / production related matters in the capacity of Factory Controller
• Looking after corporate affairs and secretarial matters of the Company
• Making adequate arrangement for Board of Directors’ meetings, Annual General Meetings, Audit Committee Meetings including preparing notices, agenda and minutes of these meetings;
• Monitoring effective compliance of Code of Corporate Governance
• Acted as Secretary of Audit Committee with responsibility to ensure compliance of terms of reference of the Audit Committee as required under Code of Corporate Governance
• Filing of annual income tax return along with various returns / statements required under Companies Ordinance, 1984, The Sales Tax Act, 1990 and The Income Tax Ordinance, 2001
• Being a listed Company, responsible to review and finalise quarterly, half yearly and annual financial statements of the Company
• Monthly, quarterly and annual financial reporting to parent company (Singer NV) in New York on financial results and corporate related matters
• Monitoring implementation of automation and related issues
• Co-ordination with external auditors in finalization of annual audit / internal audit and other reviews
• Dealing with banks for arranging financing facilities on a long term or short term basis including registration of mortgage charge with the Registrar
• Finalisation of accounts and audit of Provident, Gratuity, Pension and Workers’ Profit Participation Fund

February 1993 to April 2001 Audit Trainee to Assistant Manager Audit at Ernst & Young Pakistan

Completed four years of professional training from Sidat Hyder Qamar & Co. (now Ernst & Young) as declared mandatory by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) from May 1993 to May 1997. During training and employment with this firm, carried out statutory audits at various local and multinational organizations operating in varied economic sectors.