Grace Roimen

As the Sub-Saharan Commercial Finance lead, I managed a $0.5 billion portfolio across >8 categories and >15 countries with a team of 9 analysts.

My responsibilities included financial planning, reporting, and business delivery. I provided strategic insights to the Board, Senior VP, and AMA President, and executed value creation projects to enhance profit margins.

Overseeing stewardship and governance, I managed budget and pricing. I designed business strategies to achieve short and long-term goals, recruited and developed high-performing teams, and directed cross-functional collaboration to meet project milestones.

As the Senior Finance Manager for Global Developing Markets spanning various countries, I oversaw >10 categories across >15 countries across EIMEA, focusing on governance and stewardship.

Notably, I managed AR, delivering >$5 million in cash productivity during COVID. I conducted distributor quality assessments, achieving brand growth of >10% in top-line and >20% in profit.

Leading the implementation of robust stewardship processes, I provided people management and coaching, earning the prestigious Global CEO award for exemplary business leadership and delivery. I swiftly acquired and applied new skills, enhancing daily task efficiency and productivity.

As the Finance Manager overseeing P&G's East Africa portfolio, which includes countries like Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and more, I successfully achieved a 50% profit target growth for the region. Serving as an effective finance partner, I supported the business delivery leadership team through adept management of forecast processes. I played a key role in transitioning the corporate culture from revenue to profit focus by analyzing and tracking performance, enabling strategic decision-making for improved bottom-line results. Despite the volatile region, I consistently delivered forecasts within +/-5% and budgets within +/-2%. Additionally, I conducted impactful hands-on training, achieving a 95% score, and received the prestigious CEO award, a recognition bestowed globally with only two recipients annually in the cluster.

As a Business Project Manager, I led a 12-month P&G Global finance-approved initiative for Legal Entity Model setup and SAP implementation in East, Central & Greater West Africa. Reporting to the EIMEA Board, the project achieved a successful and timely go-live for systems and business transactions, earning clear engagement from the Board. With a target NPV of $4MM, the project delivered savings of approximately $2.5 million through VAT and duty optimizations. I navigated complexities, including deferred invoicing for extended payment terms and adapting inter-Company billing currency to comply with local regulations, impacting forecasting, budget reporting, and taxation both internally and externally.

As the Distributor Finance Manager in East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Djibouti), I successfully managed receivables for South East Africa Expansion Distributors and led a project to standardize customer credit limit transactions. Introducing a new revenue accounting process, I significantly improved the claims management process, reducing overdue claims from $4MM to approximately $2MM in three months. I harmonized terms in Modern Trade and Sub-Distributor agreements, developed a Claims SOP & Proof Of Performance cheat sheet, and ensured compliance with warehouse health and safety measures to mitigate potential risks.

As the Finance Manager and Budget Controller for Kenya and East/West Africa, I excelled in delivering top and bottom-line results. Handling complex FX devaluation models and overseeing the launch of new categories like Ariel, Oral B, Duracell, I ensured accurate execution and closure of accruals, achieving a budget accuracy of 97%, a 15% improvement from previous years. I facilitated entity mergers, conducted cost centre tests for a smooth transition, and developed financial teams to support department targets. Training initiatives included creating job aids on Market Support Activities, basic SAP understanding, and Pre & Post analysis SOP

As the Brand Financial Analyst for Pampers and Always in P&G South Africa, I orchestrated successful initiatives leading to remarkable results. Sales grew by +23% (vs. regional 6%), volume increased by +27% (vs. regional +14%), and Baby Care RSA Volume share P4M rose by +3.6% (vs. regional P3M +2.6%). The team achieved the status of the fastest-growing tracked brand in the market with a robust value share of +2.3% (vs. regional 1.6%). These achievements were underpinned by an outstanding forecast accuracy of +/-1%.