Detail-oriented individual with exceptional communication and project management skills. Proven ability to handle multiple tasks effectively and efficiently in fast-paced environments. Recognized for taking proactive approach to identifying and addressing issues, with focus on optimizing processes and supporting team objectives.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
5
5
years of post-secondary education
2
2
Languages
Work History
Financial Planning & Grants Management Specialist
MBZUAI
10.2024 - Current
Oversee all post-award financial operations for a growing portfolio of externally funded research projects
Manage day-to-day budget tracking, cost allowability reviews, and financial adjustments to ensure compliance and optimal fund usage
Prepare and present regular financial reports, forecasts, and variance analyses to support informed decision-making
Collaborate with faculty, finance, and administrative teams to resolve grant-related issues, streamline processes, and maintain transparency
Continuously enhance internal controls, reporting frameworks, and audit readiness in a dynamic, startup university environment
Grants Administrator
New York University Abu Dhabi
08.2021 - 09.2024
Oversee allocation and management of grant budgets for Engineering and Research Institute (RI) Center grants, ensuring alignment with award terms and conditions
Conduct detailed tracking of expenditures, preparing financial reports, and ensuring timely submissions to external sponsors
Ensure that all financial activities related to Engineering and RI grants comply with university and sponsor regulations
Facilitate in the recruitment of researcher candidates, primarily ensuring alignment with grant budget constraints
Regularly reconcile grant accounts, working closely with Engineering and Ri faculty to verify accuracy and address any discrepancies
Facilitate in distribution of grant funds to various Engineering and RI faculty members
Provide assistance during internal financial audits of grant accounts, supplying necessary documentation and explanations
Identify and address financial risks related to grant management, implementing preventive measures as needed
Offer support to Engineering and Ri faculty on financial procedures, ensuring understanding and adherence to fiscal responsibilities
Manage multiple deadlines while remaining detail-oriented when submitting progress and financial reports to sponsors
Proactively identify potential problems or areas of concern within grant projects, working with relevant departments to develop appropriate solutions and mitigate risks
Tax Analyst
Federal Tax Authority
02.2019 - 07.2021
Conducted comprehensive audits of VAT refund requests to ensure accuracy and compliance with UAE tax legislation
Performed audit fieldwork, including on-site examinations of financial records, interviews, and document analysis to gather detailed evidence
Verified eligibility for VAT refunds by thoroughly analyzing taxpayers' positions, ensuring requirements are met to receive refunds
Enforced penalties and fines for non-compliance,
following tax legislation guidelines and working to ensure fair resolution
Investigated suspected cases of fraud or evasion, using various auditing tools and techniques
Prepared detailed audit reports and documented
findings
Identified inconsistencies with taxpayers' tax compliance and working with taxpayers to rectify errors
Communicated with taxpayers and tax professionals, providing clear explanations of audit findings and assistance with compliance
Attended continuing education and courses to increase professional expertise and obtain knowledge of updated tax laws and compliance criteria
Ruwwad Al Hilal Graduate Trainee
Al Hilal Bank
11.2018 - 02.2019
Gained exposure to risk assessment processes, including credit and market risk, in alignment with Islamic finance regulations
Assisted with Shariah-compliant foreign exchange
transactions, gaining exposure to Islamic currency
trading
Coordinated with directors in using treasury
management systems tailored to Islamic banking
Acquired deeper understanding of Islamic financial products, ethics, and legal frameworks
Collaborated effectively with various teams within
Treasury department, fostering positive working
environment
Earned "Star of the Month" award on January 2019
Intern
Finance Department
02.2018 - 04.2019
Processed invoices and managed accounts payable and receivable using accounting software, enhancing accuracy and timeliness
Assisted in reconciling bank statements, ensuring all transactions were recorded accurately
Learned how to present complex financial information clearly and concisely
Liaised with external parties to resolve any discrepancies in billing or payments
Gained deeper understanding of media industry, including key financial drivers specific to the field
Education
Bachelor of Science - Accounting
Zayed University
09.2013 - 05.2018
Skills
Financial Analysis
Budgeting & Cost Control Grants Management & Compliance Tax Compliance Financial Reporting Internal Controls & Risk Mitigation ERP Systems & Accounting Software Proficiency Process Improvement & Standardization Advanced Excel & Data Management
Effective Communication & Stakeholder Engagement Adaptability & Change Management Problem-Solving
Critical Thinking
Additional Information
Extracted consolidated billing reports
Worked on a big project that involved modifying the billing codes of
certain leases
Briefly dealt with freelancers via e‑mail and phone regarding unmade
payments
Formed AP summaries based on a set of given purchase orders for a film
production project
Filled in tax invoices
Verified accuracy of employee salary amounts with reference to
supporting documents
Indexed and organized some of the department’s archival supplier files
<ul><li>Company Overview: Group Company of PUIG, Spain</li><li>Team Leadership & Process Excellence: Organised the transformation of the Finance & Accounts function, establishing performance-driven goals, and embedding a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Drove operational efficiency through process redesigns, SOP implementation and optimal resource deployment, leading to measurable improvements in turnaround time and accuracy.</li><li>Strategic Partnering with CXOs: Acted as a key advisor to the CEO, CFO, and other CXOs on business planning, pricing strategies, and business model pivots to support scale-up and profitability. Contributed to investor communications with data-backed insights to enhance stakeholder confidence and secure strategic funding.</li><li>Cross-Functional & Global Stakeholder Management: Functioned as the strategic finance business partner to cross-functional heads and the PUIG global finance team, aligning local execution with global financial strategies and compliance requirements.</li><li>ERP Transformation & System Automation: Led end-to-end ERP reimplementation to address system gaps, enforce role-based controls, and automate core finance processes—resulting in enhanced data accuracy, faster reporting and improved internal controls.</li><li>Costing, Inventory & Profitability Optimization: Designed and implemented plant-level costing models to ensure accurate COGS determination. Improved inventory management across pricing, consumption tracking, and aging analysis—enabling better working capital control and cost efficiency.</li><li>Manufacturing Finance & Statutory Compliance: Supervised end-to-end accounting for manufacturing operations and ensured full statutory compliance.</li><li>Financial Reporting, MIS & Profitability Analytics: Delivered accurate and timely monthly MIS reports, including P&L, Balance Sheet and KPI dashboards with deep-dive variance analysis across stores, business verticals, and geographies. Supported board-level decision-making through insightful presentations on financial health and business performance.</li><li>Budgeting, Forecasting & Business Planning: Led the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and rolling forecasts, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and market dynamics. Monitored key financial metrics to enable business decisions and proactive cost management.</li><li>Statutory, Internal & Tax Audit Management: Finalized standalone and consolidated financials under Ind AS and IFRS, ensured timely group reporting and compliance with international standards. Delivered clean and timely closures of statutory, tax, and internal audits in coordination with Big 4 auditors. Strengthened audit readiness through pre-audit diagnostics and rectification of recurring control gaps.</li><li>Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management: Ensured end-to-end compliance which includes ROC, RBI, FEMA, Income Tax, GST, Transfer Pricing, DTAA, and Customs. Reviewed cross-border contracts and transactions to ensure arm’s length pricing, accurate TDS application, and proper documentation under Transfer Pricing regulations.</li><li>Commercial Negotiation & Contract Governance: Led commercial negotiations and structured deals with vendors and franchisees. Reviewed key business contracts to ensure financial viability, risk protection, and compliance with regulatory standards.</li><li>Treasury & External Commercial Borrowing (ECB): Managed fund planning and liquidity management including ECB drawdowns, bank negotiations, and interest optimization. Improved working capital cycles through proactive cash flow forecasting and receivables control.</li><li>Internal Controls & Governance Framework: Led organization-wide reviews of internal control systems, identified process gaps, and redesigned or implemented over 40 SOPs and IFCs. Established a governance structure for financial discipline, risk mitigation, and policy compliance across departments.</li></ul> at Kama Ayurveda Pvt. Ltd. & PUIG India Pvt. Ltd.<ul><li>Company Overview: Group Company of PUIG, Spain</li><li>Team Leadership & Process Excellence: Organised the transformation of the Finance & Accounts function, establishing performance-driven goals, and embedding a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Drove operational efficiency through process redesigns, SOP implementation and optimal resource deployment, leading to measurable improvements in turnaround time and accuracy.</li><li>Strategic Partnering with CXOs: Acted as a key advisor to the CEO, CFO, and other CXOs on business planning, pricing strategies, and business model pivots to support scale-up and profitability. Contributed to investor communications with data-backed insights to enhance stakeholder confidence and secure strategic funding.</li><li>Cross-Functional & Global Stakeholder Management: Functioned as the strategic finance business partner to cross-functional heads and the PUIG global finance team, aligning local execution with global financial strategies and compliance requirements.</li><li>ERP Transformation & System Automation: Led end-to-end ERP reimplementation to address system gaps, enforce role-based controls, and automate core finance processes—resulting in enhanced data accuracy, faster reporting and improved internal controls.</li><li>Costing, Inventory & Profitability Optimization: Designed and implemented plant-level costing models to ensure accurate COGS determination. Improved inventory management across pricing, consumption tracking, and aging analysis—enabling better working capital control and cost efficiency.</li><li>Manufacturing Finance & Statutory Compliance: Supervised end-to-end accounting for manufacturing operations and ensured full statutory compliance.</li><li>Financial Reporting, MIS & Profitability Analytics: Delivered accurate and timely monthly MIS reports, including P&L, Balance Sheet and KPI dashboards with deep-dive variance analysis across stores, business verticals, and geographies. Supported board-level decision-making through insightful presentations on financial health and business performance.</li><li>Budgeting, Forecasting & Business Planning: Led the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and rolling forecasts, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and market dynamics. Monitored key financial metrics to enable business decisions and proactive cost management.</li><li>Statutory, Internal & Tax Audit Management: Finalized standalone and consolidated financials under Ind AS and IFRS, ensured timely group reporting and compliance with international standards. Delivered clean and timely closures of statutory, tax, and internal audits in coordination with Big 4 auditors. Strengthened audit readiness through pre-audit diagnostics and rectification of recurring control gaps.</li><li>Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management: Ensured end-to-end compliance which includes ROC, RBI, FEMA, Income Tax, GST, Transfer Pricing, DTAA, and Customs. Reviewed cross-border contracts and transactions to ensure arm’s length pricing, accurate TDS application, and proper documentation under Transfer Pricing regulations.</li><li>Commercial Negotiation & Contract Governance: Led commercial negotiations and structured deals with vendors and franchisees. Reviewed key business contracts to ensure financial viability, risk protection, and compliance with regulatory standards.</li><li>Treasury & External Commercial Borrowing (ECB): Managed fund planning and liquidity management including ECB drawdowns, bank negotiations, and interest optimization. Improved working capital cycles through proactive cash flow forecasting and receivables control.</li><li>Internal Controls & Governance Framework: Led organization-wide reviews of internal control systems, identified process gaps, and redesigned or implemented over 40 SOPs and IFCs. Established a governance structure for financial discipline, risk mitigation, and policy compliance across departments.</li></ul> at Kama Ayurveda Pvt. Ltd. & PUIG India Pvt. Ltd.