Stella Aghwana
Toronto,ON
Summary
Results-driven finance personnel experienced in financial statement review, auditing and reporting. Well-versed in producing reports, evaluating department operations and handling month- and year-end closings. Meticulous, conscientious and methodical in approach.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Finance Supervisor
Pick N Pay
06.2023 - 09.2023
- Complied with established internal controls and policies.
- Checked payroll, vendor payments, commissions and other accounting disbursements for accuracy and compliance.
- Performed banking, business administration and financial tasks to guarantee five-star service for clients.
- Prepared internal and regulatory financial reports, balance sheets and income statements.
- Developed strategic plans for day-to-day financial operations.
- Analyzed business processes to identify cost savings and operational efficiencies.
Finance officer
Pick N Pay (Pikwik Nigeria Limited)
01.2020 - 05.2023
- Created processes for the accounting department in the company as a start up in Nigeria
- Also, ensured the SAP software complies with Nigerian tax laws (Finance Act 2020)
- Prepared monthly management accounts by compiling data from multiple financial systems, reconciling, and highlighting variances
- Prepared and filed quarterly payroll tax returns and annual tax forms for a company with a 80-person staff, resulting in a 25% reduction in penalties owed, by using the company's software to generate and print the necessary forms
- Prepare financial reports daily for managing the company's cash flow, by contacting all department heads for the status of the cash flow and recording their responses on the cash flow report
- Assist management with decisions on processing of payments to vendors by completing a review of all transactions for accuracy, sorting through all invoices for the month, and by attending all finance meetings
- Reduced accounts payable by 23% and accounts receivable by 20% by using financial reconciliation and spreadsheets to monitor daily transactions.
- Generated financial and operational reports to assist management with business strategy.
- Prepared monthly reconciliation of bank accounts and took corrective actions on deviations.
Associate
Olushola Akerele & Co. Chartered Accountants and Management Consultants
09.2017 - 11.2020
- Developed an accounting manual and internal procedures for a client ensuring IFRS compliance, increasing the team's efficiency by 10%
- Prepared management accounting reports that increased the efficiency of the client's billing operations by 25% by redesigning the process to eliminate errors and improve accuracy
- Advised clients on business decisions, including the acquisition of three companies and the restructuring of one company, by analyzing business trends and financial data, resulting in a 20% increase in EBITDA
- Prepared regulatory filings including FIRS, LIRS and CAC registration, resulting in four clients renewed regulatory filings
- Liaised with regulatory authorities to ensure that clients comply with the law, by reviewing the practical aspects of regulatory compliance and suggesting solutions
- Reconciled bank accounts with 100% accuracy before the deadlines in the workflow, ensuring that the bank balances were accurate, and all bank transactions were posted to the general ledger.
- Worked varied hours to meet seasonal and business needs.
Account/ Admin Officer
EL-ABIM LIMITED
08.2013 - 08.2017
- Accurately reconcile the bank statement to the company's accounting records for a monthly average of $75,000, by reviewing and comparing the balance as per company's accounting records with the balance stated in the bank statement
- Effectively managed the daily cash assessment of market liquidity, cash flow, and investments for the organization by collecting, handling, and using cash
- Ensured monthly salary payment of 30 members of staff by utilizing an automated payroll system while anticipating and reducing potential payroll errors
- Coordinated office activities to ensure the office always run smoothly, by preparing monthly reports on account activities, receiving the daily reports from the sales team, and processing the expenses incurred for the month
- Managed the office supply inventory and ensured timely receipt, verification, and distribution of orders to the relevant departments
- Improved the company's profitability by reducing the operational costs by 25% through negotiation and reconciliation with vendors and partners.
- Updated reports, managed accounts, and generated reports for company database.
- Supervised and guided new employees and responded quickly to questions to improve understanding of job responsibilities.
Account Officer
Tikoship Limited
01.2013 - 06.2013
- Led a team of 10 workers to complete a project in 2 weeks that would have normally taken 6 weeks, resulting in a 25% increase in efficiency
- Negotiated vendor discounts with suppliers and re-organized the warehousing systems, leading to a 20% reduction in inventory costs
- Improved overall invoice processing by 20% by developing an individualized excel program to keep track of the daily invoice
- Implemented a robust cash flow system that reduced the firm's cash collection gap from 2 months to 1 month.
- Responded to requests for information and resolved issues quickly.
- Maintained tough quality standards to optimize delivery of procurement services.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Accounting
University of Benin, Benin Edo State
Edo State, Nigeria11.2008
Skills
- Bookkeeping
- Accounting
- Invoicing
- Cash Flow
- Reconciliation
- Petty Cash
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Problem Solver
- Trouble Shooting
- Team Player
- Collaborate
- Power BI
- Dashboard
- Tableau
- Excel
Accomplishments
- Supervised team of three staff members.
- Reduced accounts payable by 23% and accounts receivable by 20% by using financial reconciliation and spreadsheets to monitor daily transactions.
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
Certification
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN)
Timeline
Finance Supervisor
Pick N Pay
06.2023 - 09.2023
Finance officer
Pick N Pay (Pikwik Nigeria Limited)
01.2020 - 05.2023
Associate
Olushola Akerele & Co. Chartered Accountants and Management Consultants
09.2017 - 11.2020
Account/ Admin Officer
EL-ABIM LIMITED
08.2013 - 08.2017
Account Officer
Tikoship Limited
01.2013 - 06.2013
Bachelor of Science - Accounting
University of Benin, Benin Edo State
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