Regional CFO

Job Description

JOB PURPOSE:

Responsible for the directing, planning, implementation, managing and running of all finance activities for First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) in Asia, including business planning, Budgeting, Forecasting and negotiations. Obtaining and maintaining investor relations and partnership compliance will also fall within the remit of the role.

The CFO is a member of the EXCO for Asia and will be required to be a strategic partner to the Asia Leadership team and to work closely with the most senior members of FAB – managing both Head Office and Asia stakeholders.

The role will be expected to be able to interact with, discuss and influence business outcomes with Senior business personnel such as the Global and Asia Heads of businesses. The role will form a core part of the Asia Leadership team. In order to achieve these outcomes, the role will need to understand in relative depth, the businesses, products and market contexts of our businesses to influence and manage the rollout of the Asia strategy. 

Where needed, the role will in partnership with local finance, business and technology partners drive the systems implementation and UAT of relevant Finance projects.

The Regional CFO Asia will also double as the Country CFO of Singapore.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

CIB and International Banking Strategy

In conjunction with CFO, CIB & International, Finance - CIB & International (HO) and CEO Asia, and working closely with CIB Strategy department to lead the formulation and implementation of FAB Asia strategic plan, balanced scorecards in line with CIB and WM’s short, medium, and long term objectives. Contribute and support in the development and expansion of the FAB International Strategy and ensure effective integration into the CIB and WM’s strategy.

Finance Risk control:

Owns its risk exposures and is required to maintain effective processes and systems to manage its risks including robust and comprehensive internal controls and documented procedures. Provide independent oversight of risks, including setting risk limits and protecting against non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Evaluates the overall effectiveness of risk management and control environment and continually improves the current processes and systems Assessing and ensuring transparency in the financial performance of the Group and business divisions, and for ensuring that disclosure of our financial performance meets regulatory requirements and corporate governance standards. Including managing Country CFOs and self to perform (not limited to) the following functions:

Financial Reporting

Oversee Accounting and Reporting functions Maintenance of General Ledger Manage external and internal audits Finance lead for new product implementation and booking Manage Finance operations function which include Nostro reconciliations and journal postings for payments

Regulatory Reporting

Provide advice and guidance on structuring, negotiation, documentation and execution of reports where impacting Finance Manage local Regulatory Reporting Manage change in organisation in tandem with regulatory changes and updates Manage vendor relationships

MIS, Planning and Budgeting

Oversee the formulation of the Regional, Country and Product budget Drive with HO Personnel Asia’s annual Budget setting, monitor financial performance versus Budget, monitor projects / initiatives, cost / revenue ratio, and update the CFO, CIB & International, Finance - CIB & International (HO) and CEO Asia on performance gaps with proposals on how to improve performance. Review the Budgets for key strategic projects and change management initiatives for Asia and to ensure budgets are effectively managedand monitored across teams in Asia. Plan and Implement FAB’s product / revenue strategy across CIB (Debt Markets, GTS, Islamic Finance, Corporate Finance) and Treasury & Global Markets (sales, derivatives, treasury, etc) to support the client franchise Actively monitor performance and use MIS to enhance performance and aid strategic decision making, manage areas of under-performance Drive planning for country/line of businesses Ensure accurate and timely reporting to assist business partners and management in decision making Liaison with Head Office International Finance Team to ensure accurate product/line of business for upstream data integrity

ALCO

Chair/Co-Chair Asia ALCO as required Present financial and regulatory information at ALCO Ensure branch regulatory ratios are compliant with internal and external requirements

Risk Management

Ensure strict compliance to regulations, policies, procedures and guidelines in daily conduct of business operations. Ensure that all internal processes and infrastructures are robust and effective taking into consideration effective risk management and controls. Ensure that all audit findings are successfully closed with recommendations implemented.

Project and Change Management

In line with CIB’s Strategy and working closely with CIB Strategy department, drive and deliver transformation programmes, bringing together all changes, projects, and work streams into a holistic approach to support the implementation of Asia strategy. Identify the business requirement for key project or change management initiatives which need to be implemented in Asia, through taking into account internal customers’ perspective, business needs, etc. and review the financial analysis conducted by the team on return on investments, cost / revenue ratios, etc. to build a business case together with senior management to take informed decisions Review project and change initiatives related documents such as project plan, progress reports, milestones, variances in performance and provide relevant inputs and support the teams in communicating the projects and change initiatives objectives across Asia in order to ensure smooth execution / transition, provide clear direction to employees and minimize any business disruption. Resolve any discrepancies / variances in the project plan and budgets or highlight them to CFO, CIB & International, Finance - CIB & International (HO) and CEO Asia in order to ensure all issues are resolved in a timely manner.

Continuous Improvement

Identify opportunities for improvement in the areas of customer experience, process efficiency, cost efficiency and risk mitigation. Embrace the culture of customer-centric and high performance culture within and across departments in Asia offices. Ensure that all new operating initiatives are properly documented, analysed and signed off by all stakeholders prior to implementation. Provide inputs to enhance Asia policy and procedures, and develop/ enhance and oversee the implementation of procedures and controls related to the CIB strategy to ensure adherence and effective implementation. Motivate teams and contribute to the identification of opportunities for continuous improvement of systems (automation of MIS reporting), processes, policies (policy gap closure) and practices while taking into account FAB CIB & WM’s practices, international leading best practices, improvement of business processes, cost reduction, and productivity improvement.

People Management

Actively engage and influence internal and external stakeholders to develop and maintain effective business relationships Cross-train and develop staff to achieve efficient resource utilization and deployment. Identify and retain key talents in the department. Lead, motivate, develop and mentor a high-performance team, with good succession planning. Leads the team by role modelling appropriate behaviors. Contribute to creation of a high-performance culture and engage team through effective collaboration. Motivate and coach staff to ensure high levels of discipline, accuracy, performance and technical ability

Specific Accountability

Proper management of operational risks and losses Support FAB Asia strategies and initiatives Successful delivery of KPIs Adherence to financial budgets

Qualifications

Knowledge & Experience:

A tertiary qualification with minimum of 15 years of relevant work experience in similar capacity. Qualified accountant or equivalent with demonstrable experience of managing a finance function in a substantial business Leadership experience preferably in Asia High in energy and drive Proven track record in leading and managing banking operations with leadership experience in general management, project management, communication and budgetary oversight. Direct experience in leading financial control and MIS strongly preferred. Familiar with banking industry practices, guidelines and code of conduct. Able to manage and communicate effectively with regulators and auditors. Able to engage at senior management level with peers and stakeholders. Proficient in all Finance rules and guidelines. Experience working in a matrix organisation structure

Skills:

Ability to deal with people from different cultures and nationalities Aligned with Corporate values (Knowledgeable, Adaptable, Collaborative, Enterprising, Responsible) Highly motivated self-starter with strong communication and interpersonal skills. Proven ability to plan, lead and manage change within a strong leadership team. Strong analytical, conflict resolution, project management and problem solving skills. Strong management skills and ability to lead, influence and engage stakeholders. Ability to multi-task, attentive to details, proactive and flexible. Result oriented and able to perform and deliver under pressure within tight timeline. Inspiring and impactful leader with good “people” skills Strong business orientation combined with optimization and cost focus Team player and open personality Robust and persistent Integrity and high ethical and professional standards

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