Ahmed Rafik Ibrahim Fathy
Dubai,UAE
Summary
Results-driven finance professional with expertise in financial planning and analysis, cost management, and strategic business planning. Demonstrates proficiency in liquidity and capital management, stress testing, forecasting analysis, and business finance transformation. Adept at regulatory reporting, risk management, and project execution while leveraging advanced tools such as SAP, TM1, JD Edwards, and MS Office applications. Skilled in performance analytics, budget development, team supervision, and stakeholder communication strategy to drive organisational success. Committed to delivering impactful financial solutions that align with long-term business objectives.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
2007
2007
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work history
Head of Business Insights & Analysis Commercial Banking, MENAT & Head of Planning & Stress Testing (Wholesale)
HSBC MIDDLE EAST
Dubai
05.2022 - 07.2025
- Lead Financial Planning, Budgeting and Reporting for Commercial and Global Banking including all necessary analysis and commentary.
- Provide multiple ad-hoc analysis to support CMB in achieving safe, sustainable, and profitable growth while ensuring efficient Capital deployment to meet shareholder returns and targets.
- Develop Business performance dashboards and variance reports using SAP and MI tools.
- Lead collaboration with functions, countries, and business stakeholders to enhance performance, focusing on cost management and returns, while delivering business decision support as needed.
- Create clear and insightful presentations on performance against plans, forecasts, and actuals, utilizing data and high-quality commentary
- Drive the Digital & MI agenda in partnership with business finance teams.
- Key Achievements:
- Successfully led the preparation of annual plans and quarterly rolling forecasts for CMB, resulting in increase in forecasting accuracy.
- Enhanced risk engagement and coordination with business teams to deliver optimal interlocked FRP within risk appetite.
- Led initiatives to identify, review, and evaluate opportunities for RoRWA improvements.
- Collaborated with GFO resources to support centralized processes in planning, forecasting, stress testing, and capital management.
- Partnered with Central Finance, Regional, and Global teams to ensure a unified reporting of plans and RWAs, driving consistency, transparency, and accuracy in financial reporting, planning, and analysis.
- Accomplished Projects:
- Streamlining Stress Tests: Streamlined the preparation processes for over six regional and global stress tests, resulting in reduced turnaround times for regulators and internal stakeholders, fewer governance meetings with businesses, and enhanced collaboration through combined discussions across different lines of business. In-addition to closing DFSA Audits.
- Model Risk Implementations: Championed the Control Risk activities for Wholesale Business Finance. Enhanced understanding of Model Risk activities, successfully addressing and closing gaps identified by the UAE central bank.
- New branch in Oman: Secured global funding for Technology spent to set up the new branch, helped with the overall business case, and ensured successful branch delivery.
- Global Cost Reporting Standardization: Led a global initiative for standardizing Cost Packs reporting across Commercial Banking, gathering information from all regions, which improved cost management and saved over 100 hours across the group.
Regional Head of Finance Digital Business Services, MENAT | Business Finance
HSBC MIDDLE EAST
Dubai
07.2017 - 04.2022
- Served as the Primary Finance Advisor to the Regional COO, enhancing understanding of DBS costs and revenue opportunities for a $400M cost base and 1,100 FTEs.
- Directed strategic planning, forecasting, target setting, and rolling forecasts at the Sub-function level.
- Enhanced DBS Financial performance by providing analytics, highlighting risks and opportunities, and supporting the MENAT COO EXCO team with Commercial Finance.
- Supported functions in achieving Global Targets while adhering to regional business commitments and regulations.
- Oversaw all accounting and financial activities for DBS, ensuring compliance with finance policies and alignment with Global and Regional Finance.
- Managed recharges and inter-company costs, ensuring minimal aged debt and appropriate charges for Global Businesses/Functions.
- Key Achievements:
- Successfully implemented regulatory and Group policy changes, while initiating and managing transformation projects that led to reductions in headcount and costs (both onshore and offshore) and established robust, consistent processes.
- Produced high-quality management cost reviews and trend analyses that provided insights into DBS performance and offered valuable forward-looking recommendations to achieve DBS strategic initiatives at both country and regional levels.
- Effectively managed costs and FTEs below plan over four years, with contributions recognized by the Regional COO and all DBS Heads, resulting in annual savings initiatives of $20-30M.
- Acted as a key contributor in multiple Business Cases, including Turkiye Future Core Banking, HSBC Tower, HUB Modernisation, and the updated MENAT Strategy.
- Represented the region in Global DBS and Finance forums/committees, influencing outcomes through active participation and governance of DBS recharges in monthly discussions across all GB COO teams.
- Accomplished Projects:
- Turkiye Future Core Banking: Led the Financial Business case for a new General Ledger system, securing global funding, managing the intangible assets capitalization process, and tracking costs to realize benefits.
- HSBC Dubai Tower: Directed the Financial Business case with Corporate Real Estate to consolidate three buildings into one Headquarters, securing Global Funding and realizing cost benefits in the UAE.
- HUB Modernization: Managed the Financial Business case for upgrading GL infrastructure across six countries to a single GL system, resulting in faster project implementations and securing Global Funding.
- MENAT 5-Year Strategy: Collaborated with the Regional COO and operating function heads to set and update the financial strategy for MENAT, covering Financial Planning across five main functions in nine countries.
- DBS Finance Transformation: Successfully migrated three onshore resources to a service center in India, revamping activities, transferring knowledge to the GFO, and establishing SLAs for productivity tracking.
- Intangible and Fixed Assets: Developed a robust process for capitalizing Technology Tangible and Intangible Assets and Corporate Real Estate, streamlining implications for business allocations.
- Internal Recharges Processes: Revamped the recharges process for COO functions across six countries, implementing actual usage concepts, leading to cost reductions and enhanced cost transparency.
Manager Costs & Investments, Business Performance and MI
HSBC Egypt
06.2013 - 10.2014
MI Production Officer, Planning, Analysis, and Reporting
HSBC Egypt
11.2010 - 05.2013
Central Bank of Egypt Reporting Analyst, Planning, Analysis, and Reporting
HSBC Egypt
12.2009 - 10.2010
Financial Control Associate, Planning, Analysis and Reporting
HSBC Egypt
10.2008 - 11.2009
Cost Control Specialist, Budget & Cost Control
SEGAS, Spanish Egyptian Gas Company
08.2007 - 09.2008
- Company Overview: (Subsidiary of Union Fenosa Gas & Eni)
Education
Bachelor’s in Commerce and Business Administration - English, Accounting Major
Helwan University
Skills
- Financial Planning & Analysis
- Cost Management and Budgeting
- Financial Performance Management
- Strategic Business Planning
- Business Finance Transformation
- Liquidity & Capital Management
- Stress Testing and Forecasting Analysis
- Project Management & Execution
- Regulatory & Internal Reporting
- Risk Management
- MS Office Applications
- SAP
- Financial forecasting
- Strategic planning
- Performance analytics
- Cost management
- Budget development
- Team supervision
- Communication strategy
- Stakeholder communication strategy
Certification
- 2023 Personal Development Plan, Balance Sheet Reconciliation & Substantiation, Taking Responsibilities, Ways of Working
- 2023 Managing Conflict, Leaders as Teachers Training, Giving Feedback course
- 2023 Took part of monthly Coaching Circles Program
- 2024 Presenting with Confidence, Psychological Safety
LANGUAGE EXPERTISE
Native: Arabic
Fluent: English
Timeline
Head of Business Insights & Analysis Commercial Banking, MENAT & Head of Planning & Stress Testing (Wholesale)
HSBC MIDDLE EAST
05.2022 - 07.2025
Regional Head of Finance Digital Business Services, MENAT | Business Finance
HSBC MIDDLE EAST
07.2017 - 04.2022
Manager Costs & Investments, Business Performance and MI
HSBC Egypt
06.2013 - 10.2014
MI Production Officer, Planning, Analysis, and Reporting
HSBC Egypt
11.2010 - 05.2013
Central Bank of Egypt Reporting Analyst, Planning, Analysis, and Reporting
HSBC Egypt
12.2009 - 10.2010
Financial Control Associate, Planning, Analysis and Reporting
HSBC Egypt
10.2008 - 11.2009
Cost Control Specialist, Budget & Cost Control
SEGAS, Spanish Egyptian Gas Company
08.2007 - 09.2008
Bachelor’s in Commerce and Business Administration - English, Accounting Major
Helwan University
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