ZARA UDOCHI
Mississauga,ON
Summary
Results-driven finance and accounting professional with a proven track record in database development, compliance, financial analysis, cost optimization, and client relationship management. Proficient in overseeing all aspects of accounting operations, including financial analysis, budgeting, tax planning, and compliance. Excellent leadership and communication skills, with a proven ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and deliver strategic insights to senior management. Committed to accuracy, integrity, and driving organizational success through meticulous financial management.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Accountant (Contract)
Arbitration Place
Toronto, ON
11.2023 - 11.2024
- Led the preparation and review of complex financial statements, ensuring adherence to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and company policies.
- Managed and executed the full cycle of accounts receivable and payable processes, significantly enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of financial transactions.
- Directed the month-end close process, including preparing and posting journal entries, reconciling balance sheet accounts, and generating detailed financial reports for senior management.
- Conducted detailed variance analysis, identifying trends, potential risks, and opportunities for cost savings, which informed strategic decision-making by senior executives.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to streamline billing operations, reducing billing errors by 20% and improving cash flow through timely invoicing and collections.
- Provided financial oversight and support during the implementation of a new ERP system, ensuring accurate data migration, testing, and user training.
- Assisted in tax planning and compliance activities, including the preparation of tax returns and liaising with external auditors to ensure accurate and timely submissions.
- Developed and implemented new internal controls to enhance financial reporting accuracy, which led to a 15% reduction in audit adjustments.
- Accomplishment: Successfully reduced accounts receivable outstanding balance by 30% through proactive collection efforts and improved negotiation strategies with delinquent clients.
- Accomplishment: Spearheaded a project to optimize the month-end close process, reducing closing time by 25% and improving the accuracy of financial reporting.
Finance and Accounting Manager
Epsilon Solutions Ltd
, Canada
03.2021 - 10.2023
- Developed a complex finance & accounting database, reducing spreadsheet development time from 7 days to 2 days.
- Ensured adherence to legal & financial regulations & implemented robust internal controls, resulting in 100% compliance & mitigating financial risks.
- Supported report standardization and dashboard reporting using Power BI, and Finacle and efficiently decreased discrepancies in accounting entries by 50% by introducing a discrepancy management system.
- Analyzed clients’ portfolios to determine low-performing accounts, eventually improving account information and leading to a 6% increase in revenue in the first quarter of implementation.
- Led client meetings and presentations, delivering impactful financial insights and recommendations to senior executives and stakeholders leading to a 90% client acceptance rate of proposed strategies.
- Fostered long-term client relationships through proactive communication and personalized financial guidance, maintaining a high client satisfaction rate of 95%.
- Accomplishment- Collaborated with senior management to identify cost-saving opportunities and streamline operations, resulting in a 15% reduction in expenses, translating to $500,000 in annual savings.
- Accomplishment-Utilized advanced financial modelling techniques to evaluate investment opportunities and provide accurate forecasts, contributing to a 10% increase in ROI for clients and $2 million in additional revenue.
Operational Accountant
Cardtronics ATM Processing Company
Mississauga, ON
06.2019 - 03.2021
- Conducted day-to-day accounting operations, including accounts payable and receivable, general ledger entries, bank reconciliations, and financial statement preparation.
- Assisted in the preparation and submission of tax returns, optimizing tax efficiency and reducing tax liabilities by 15%.
- Managed the budgeting process, working closely with department heads to develop realistic financial plans and monitor expenditure against approved budgets.
- Performed month-end and year-end closing activities, including accruals, adjusting entries, and financial statement consolidation, ensuring adherence to deadlines.
- Collaborated with external auditors during the annual audit process, providing necessary documentation and explanations to facilitate the audit.
- Utilized advanced accounting software such as ACCPAC, SAP and Excel to streamline financial reporting and analysis, reducing the monthly closing process by 25%.
- Accomplishment: Implemented cost-saving measures resulting in annual savings of $100,000 by optimizing expense allocation and negotiating favourable vendor contracts.
- Accomplishment: Implemented a new expense tracking system, reducing errors by 25% and saving 15 hours per month in manual data entry.
- Accomplishment: Played a key role in the successful implementation of OracleNetSuite ERP system, resulting in increased automation, improved data accuracy, and enhanced operational efficiency.
Financial and Data Entry Analyst
Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp
Oakville, ON
09.2017 - 05.2019
- Conducted accurate and efficient data entry, ensuring timely and error-free input of large volumes of data into the company's database
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to gather and organize data from various sources, ensuring data consistency and integrity
- Developed and maintained standardized templates and procedures for data entry, improving efficiency and reducing data entry time by 20%
- Developed standardized templates and automated data entry processes, ensuring accurate and efficient input of over 500 entries per day.
- Actively sought opportunities for process improvement, suggesting and implementing automation or system enhancements, resulting in a 20% increase in data entry efficiency
- Accomplishment - Trained and mentored 88 newly hired data entry personnel, providing comprehensive guidance and support to ensure seamless deployment across company offices.
Education
Chartered Accountant (CA) Certification -
Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) Canada
01-2025
Master of Arts - Business Economics
McMaster University
Hamilton, ON06-2021
Bachelor of Arts - Economics
McMaster University
06.2017
Skills
- Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
- Account Reconciliations and Invoicing
- Business Intelligence and Insight
- Accounts Receivable (2 years)
- Accounts Payable (3 years)
- Auditing and Financial Compliance
- Budgeting and Forecasting
- Financial Risk Management
- Financial Modeling
- Financial Analysis and Reporting
- Syspro (1 year)
- AccPac (1 year)
- QuickBooks (2 years)
- Oracle (1 year)
- SAP (1 year)
- R-Studio
- Microsoft Excel (7 years)
- Microsoft Word (10 years)
- Microsoft Powerpoint (8 years)
- General Ledger Accounting (4 years)
- Microsoft Office (9 years)
Timeline
Senior Accountant (Contract)
Arbitration Place
11.2023 - 11.2024
Finance and Accounting Manager
Epsilon Solutions Ltd
03.2021 - 10.2023
Operational Accountant
Cardtronics ATM Processing Company
06.2019 - 03.2021
Financial and Data Entry Analyst
Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp
09.2017 - 05.2019
Chartered Accountant (CA) Certification -
Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) Canada
Master of Arts - Business Economics
McMaster University
Bachelor of Arts - Economics
McMaster University
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