POORNENDHU R MURALY
Dubai
Summary
Accomplished Head of Finance known for driving financial strategy and operational efficiency with 12+ years of extensive experience. Led cross-functional teams to streamline processes, resulting in increased profitability and reduced costs. Adept in risk management and financial planning, delivering measurable improvements in bottom-line performance.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Head of Finance & Business Operations
Rouh Candles Trading LLC | Light of Sakina FZ LLC
Dubai, UAE
2023.11 - Current
- Spearheaded implementation of modern accounting systems, resulting in increased accuracy and reliability of financial reporting.
- Promoted transparency by producing clear and accurate financial reports.
- Coordinated annual financial planning exercises for strategic decision making.
- Ensured compliance with regulatory standards by implementing stringent control measures.
- Oversaw budgeting and forecasting activities to ensure business growth.
- Implemented cost-saving measures; significant reduction in unnecessary expenditure.
- Prepared quarterly VAT return using ERP, ensuring full compliance to internal and external rules and regulations.
- Conducted variance analysis to identify discrepancies and implement corrective actions.
- Maintain and update SKU-wise product costing including raw materials, packaging, logistics, manpower, commissions, and overhead allocation.
- Perform target costing for new product launches and bespoke/B2B projects.
- Approve pricing across collections, collaborations, and special projects ensuring minimum margin thresholds.
- Conduct channel-wise gross margin and product profitability analysis to support commercial decisions.
- Monitor inventory movements, consignment sales, wastage, and abnormal stock variances.
- Develop and evaluate financial models for partnerships, collaborations, pop-ups, and special projects.
- Review commercial agreements and contracts to safeguard financial viability and mitigate risks.
- Lead annual budgeting, financial planning, scenario analysis, and audit coordination.
- Monitor daily cash position, bank balances, and multi-channel sales inflows (retail, online, B2B, partners).
- Prepare and manage rolling cash flow forecasts; optimize working capital and supplier payment cycles.
- Review receivables aging and enforce collection strategies to minimize cash gaps and credit risks.
- Lead monthly financial closing including P&L, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow statements with variance analysis (Budget vs Actuals).
- Oversaw end-to-end business operations, ensuring seamless execution of B2B and B2C processes.
- Coordinated across sales, production, logistics, and finance teams to facilitate timely delivery of B2B orders.
- Implemented operational strategies to streamline processes, reduce lead times, and improve customer satisfaction.
- Streamlined interdepartmental communication and workflows, fostering collaboration and accountability.
- Managed vendor and partner relationships to optimize supply chain operations and cost-effectiveness.
- Led cross-functional projects to launch new products and services, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
- Developed and enforced standard operating procedures to maintain consistent quality and compliance.
Senior Accountant
Automat Electronic Services
Dubai
2022.02 - 2023.07
- Initiated and implemented in-house complete accounting system with ERP software, proper internal controls, accounting systems, policies, and procedures.
- Participate in recruitment of adequate junior accountants evaluating volume of work, business locations, and nature of business.
- Summarize petty cash expenses, reimbursements, claims, disbursement, etc. to ensure correct payment amounts and supporting documents.
- Implementing proper controls in petty cash management to ensure transparent and accurate reporting.
- Submission of cash and cheque collections in bank. Assist in improving collection strategies to drive continuous improvement in collection process.
- Verification and reconciliation of receipt vouchers in books allotted to all collection agents at every closing.
- Reconciliation and timely payment of supplier outstanding, ensuring payment is received for outstanding credit, generally responding to all vendor inquiries regarding finance, and allocating payments made in all finance systems.
- Keeping track and day-to-day management of all payment cycle activities in timely and efficient manner.
- Handling various online bank portals for company along with its branches and related parties, maintaining monthly statements, preparing weekly bank reconciliations, keeping track of postdated cheques issued and received, and handling cheque returns of customers.
- Serve as Corporate hub for intercompany accounting, managing intercompany transactions, policies and communication, and company-wide reconciliation of intercompany account activity.
- End-to-end bookkeeping, bringing books to trial balance stage by performing month-end procedures in accounting software, and performing complete checks of posting process.
- Leading month-end process including preparation of management reports, investigating any discrepancies in accounts, and providing commentary and variance analysis.
- Preparing annual financial statements and reports for company to comply with regulatory requirements.
- Act as point of contact for auditors during external audit of company.
- Preparation, validation, and submission of quarterly VAT returns, recommend tax strategies that align with business goals, identify tax savings, and suggest ways to increase profits, forecast tax predictions to management.
- Give proper training and guidance to junior accounting staff and conduct frequent meetings with accounts team to improve systems, implement new internal controls, and ensure timely and accurate reporting.
- Calculating overtime and public holiday allowance based on time-in and time-out, investigating and resolving any discrepancies in payroll, and preparing and submitting reports with payroll information to supervisor.
- Coordinating with company PRO for visa processing of employees by acting as liaison between employee, management, and PRO by providing all necessary information and documents.
- Calculate monthly and yearly budgets by looking at past budgets and analyzing company's upcoming finances. Preparing comparison report of actual results with budgeted figures at every closing and presenting report to management.
- Preparing annual forecast of major streams of revenue and expense line items and updating from time to time based on relevant factors.
- Participate in ongoing development/establishment of accounting policies and procedures and operational strategies including review and implementation of process and system changes.
- Ensure compliance with internal control policies and interact at all levels with stakeholders to produce timely, efficient, and accurate month-end reports.
Audit Officer
Hallmark International Auditors & Accountants
Dubai
2020.03 - 2022.01
- Managed 160+ audit engagements across diverse industries, leading the full audit cycle including risk assessment, internal control evaluation, substantive testing, and IFRS-compliant financial statement review; identified material misstatements, strengthened governance frameworks, and presented audit findings with actionable recommendations to senior management and partners.
Accountant
Milk and Honey Gourmet
Dubai
2018.12 - 2020.02
- Managed end-to-end accounting operations including preparation of financial statements, month-end closing, payroll processing, inventory valuation and stock variance analysis, vendor reconciliation and payment cycles, while ensuring compliance with UAE VAT regulations and strengthening internal financial controls to support accurate reporting and operational efficiency.
Audit Assistant
Abraham and Kurian, Chartered Accountants
Ernakulam
2013.02 - 2018.10
- Executed statutory and tax audit assignments for diverse clients including Section 8 companies, charitable institutions, partnership firms, and banks; prepared financial statements, scrutinised ledgers, conducted variance analysis, filed TDS/VAT, and ensured compliance with accounting standards and regulatory frameworks while coordinating audit documentation to align with firm quality control policies.
Education
BACHELOR OF COMMERCE - Taxation
Mahatma Gandhi University
Kottayam, Kerala 2011.04 - 2014.05
CA Integrated Professional Competency Examination -
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
India 2011.04 - 2012.05
Skills
- Bookkeeping and finalization of accounts
- Influential communication
- Strategic decision-making capacity
- Results-Driven approach
- Financial analysis and due diligence
- Cross-functional leadership
- Payroll
- Bank reconciliation
- Reconciliation of supplier and customer statements of accounts
- Preparation of periodic management reports
- Strong Internal and External Audit experience
- Knowledge and experience in UAE VAT laws and requirements
- Solid understanding of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS), and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Effective decision-making skill and Excellent Communication Skill
Websites
Languages
English
Advanced
Hindi
Advanced
Malayalam
Proficient (C2)
Training
- 3 Years Chartered Accountant Articleship training
- 100 Hours IT training, ICAI
- 100 hours Advanced IT training, ICAI
Software
- Tally Prime Gold
- Tally ERP 9.0
- QuickBooks
- Job Management Software
- Resource Factors
- Cubes
- Sage Peachtree
- MS Office
- MS Excel
- Online portals of FTA, DMCC, MOF, Ajman Offshore, etc.
Timeline
Head of Finance & Business Operations
Rouh Candles Trading LLC | Light of Sakina FZ LLC
2023.11 - Current
Senior Accountant
Automat Electronic Services
2022.02 - 2023.07
Audit Officer
Hallmark International Auditors & Accountants
2020.03 - 2022.01
Accountant
Milk and Honey Gourmet
2018.12 - 2020.02
Audit Assistant
Abraham and Kurian, Chartered Accountants
2013.02 - 2018.10
BACHELOR OF COMMERCE - Taxation
Mahatma Gandhi University
2011.04 - 2014.05
CA Integrated Professional Competency Examination -
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
2011.04 - 2012.05