Grace Nyambura Ndung'u MBA, CPA (K), BCOMBA

SMEs and Start Ups and Individuals

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct thorough audit analysis to evaluate the current business model, structures, and policies, providing insights for improvements in infrastructure, efficiency, and effectiveness.
• Offer strategic financial advice to support long-term growth, optimize operational processes, and align financial goals with cashflow cycles and business activities.
• Use ERP systems to enhance financial reporting accuracy, automate processes, and improve decision-making.
• Advise on refining budgeting, forecasting, marketing and investment strategies based on the company's financial health and market conditions.
• Assist in risk management by identifying potential threats, from market fluctuations, changing tax policies and labor laws to operational inefficiencies, and recommending mitigation strategies to align the business to the VUCA environment.
• Advise on securing funding through investors or other capital sources, helping startups prepare for funding rounds with clear financial projections and performance metrics.
• Offer guidance on investment opportunities and help startups assess their capital needs for scaling.
• Provide tailored personal finance investment advisory, helping clients build diversified investment portfolios that align with their financial goals and risk tolerance.
• Advise on tax-efficient strategies and wealth-building options, ensuring clients maximize their potential for growth while minimizing tax liabilities.
• Help clients optimize their savings and investment strategies, ensuring they are on track for major life goals, like home ownership, education, and retirement.

Key Achievements

• Built finance and accounting departments based on business models to ensure management of financial health.
• System migration to online ERP systems streamlining business processes, enhancing team cohesion and data driven decision making.
• Documented and implemented improved financial processes and operating procedures enhancing efficiency in business operations.
• Training of staff on accounting and finance duties to ensure a stable accounting department.
  

Leading broadcaster in Kenya. Home to Capital FM, Koroga Festival, Capital Digital Media, Capital Interactive Agents.

Key Responsibilities

Corporate Strategy:

• Provided oversight and management of all financial functions, reporting directly to the Board of Directors.
• Collaborated with senior managers to implement and maintain fiscal plans for projects and departments.
• Spearheaded expansion strategies, introducing below-the-line marketing projected to contribute 30% of revenue.
• Developed revenue streams through strategic partnerships, generating over $60,000.
• Drove profit increases through cost management and maintained a 40% business margin.
• Improved resource utilization with data management systems, reducing variable costs by over $4 million annually.
  

Budgeting and Financial Management:

• Created and managed an annual consolidated budget of over $4 million in collaboration with senior leadership.
• Oversaw five-year and annual cash flow planning, totaling over $5 million.
• Monitored budget and revenue trends, compiling reports for leadership.
• Advised on business operations, sales, and marketing efforts, increasing revenue by 66%.
• Ensured accurate and timely financial reporting and bookkeeping.
• Approved operating and capital campaign activities, ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Prepared budget-to-actual financial reports and reviewed operational and project contracts.
• Produced daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports for management and the Board.
• Closed year-end reports and prepared financial statements for external audits.
  

Compliance and Internal Controls:

• Verified compliance of financial policies and procedures with regulatory requirements, maintaining 100% compliance.
• Supervised fiscal reporting, contract reviews, and agreement renewals.
• Enhanced internal control systems, reducing costs by over $300,000 over five years.
• Redesigned and upgraded accounting systems and fiscal policies.
  

Team Management:

• Recruited, interviewed, and hired new department employees.
• Set clear departmental objectives and developed strategies to achieve goals, increasing productivity by 70%.
• Supervised staff performing daily accounting functions and financial reporting.

Key Achievements

• Assumed full responsibility for the Managing Director's office during their annual leave and various holidays, ensuring seamless business operations and decision-making continuity.
• Provided strategic financial leadership that enabled businesses to maintain profitability, strong balance sheet, healthy cashflow with profit margins of > 50% positioning companies for sustained growth, even during market downturns.
• Provided strategic leadership in modeling, staffing of new revenue stream- below the line advertising- that contributed to 10% additional revenues.
• Partnered with senior leadership to develop and implement yearly fiscal strategies, resulting in operational efficiency by aligning each cost center to projected revenues.
• Development and preparation of budgets and 5 year cashflows worth over $40 Million for business growth and continuity plans. This led to increased investments and funding from external business partners and stake holders.
• Streamlined financial processes and reporting systems, reducing manual processing time by 20% and enhancing team productivity, leading to more agile decision-making.

Leading broadcaster in Kenya. Home to Capital FM, Koroga Festival, Capital Digital Media, Capital Interactive Agents.

Key Responsibilities

Finance Director;

• Streamlined all financial processes by implementing efficient budgeting and forecasting systems.
• Forecasted 5 year business trends and recommended improvements based on financial risk analyses.
• Established and enforced controls on revenue and expenses to protect company assets worth over $4 million.
• Managed company $2 million cash flows by monitoring daily transactions and optimizing working capital.
• Improved financial performance through thorough analysis of company expenditures and revenues.
• Established strong relationships with financing partners to facilitate access to essential funding channels. Led successful negotiations on financing terms, resulting in lower interest rates and improved cash flow for the organization.
• Reduced financial risk with comprehensive credit management strategies, strengthening the company''s financial position.
• Implemented internal controls for enhanced compliance with regulatory requirements and reduced errors in reporting by 90%.
• Successfully managed multiple audits, ensuring accurate financial information was presented to external parties without discrepancies or delays.
• Enhanced stakeholder communication by producing clear, concise, and timely financial reports that supported informed decision-making.
• Monitored budget and revenue trends, compiling reports for company leadership to inform decision-making.
• Analyzed financial data regarding company performance developed reports for Management and the Board of Directors.
  

Human Resource Administrator;

• With management, successfully managed a team of 115 staff through the 2019 COVID pandemic ensuring zero staff layoffs.
• Oversaw hiring, staffing, and labor law compliance of 115 staff.
• Handled on-boarding process for over 30 newly hired employees, which included distribution of all paperwork.
• Ensured 80% of the on boarding process through hire letters, employee contracts, and corporate policies.
• Developed and implemented HR policies and procedures to promote clear and consistent approach to managing employees leading to improved staff welfare.
• Prepared, managed and approved payroll for 115 staff.
• Negotiated HR-related vendor contracts to maintain agreements with necessary vendors to support HR operations leading to cost reduction of over $500,000 and increased staff welfare.
• Monitored labor laws and regulations compliance to protect employer from litigations and employees from discrimination and harassment.
• Managed employee data and ensured 100% privacy to keep employee data confidential per organizational privacy policies.
• Addressed employee conflicts with appropriate urgency, following all corporate procedures.
• Automated generation of pay-slips that led to 100% employee satisfaction.
• Improved organizational filing systems for confidential employee records, resulting in improved accessibility and efficiency.
• Reduced staff costs by over $2 million by analyzing compensation policies and implementing competitive programs while ensuring adherence to legal requirements
• Collaborated with managers to identify and address employee relations issues.
  

Head of Administration;

• Successfully negotiated for office supplies from partner organization that saved the company monthly cleaning costs of $5000.
• Implemented strong internal controls on office logistics that led to reduced car accidents costing over $100,000 in repairs.
• Cultivated strong relationships with vendors and partners supporting administrative operations.
• Negotiated and executed contracts on behalf of the Company.

Key Achievements

• Led and implemented the strategic business planning and cost reduction actions during the COVID 19 pandemic by restructuring the company operations and aligning the budgets to the available cashflows. This ensured the business remained financially viable and operating at optimal during the period.
• Spearheaded financial planning initiatives for multi-million-dollar budgets, achieving a 15% increase in profitability by aligning financial strategies with business growth objectives and optimizing resource allocation.
• Developed and implemented financial standard operating procedures, aligning the business operations with streamlined documentation and budget approvals that led to detailed cost management and improved business margins by over 50%.
• Led cost-reduction initiatives that saved the business $4 million in cost reductions through process enhancements, supplier negotiations, and efficient resource management through process improvements, renegotiating vendor contracts, and optimizing operational expenses without compromising quality.
• Established a comprehensive financial reporting framework, ensuring stakeholders received real-time, accurate financial data for more informed decision-making.
• Provided team leadership maintaining zero layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing strategic cost-saving measures.
• Managed and developed a high-performing finance team, achieving 80% of departmental goals through mentorship, skill development, and performance optimization, fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability.
• Team management of over 100 staff as the Human Resource Administrator and Manager, overseeing staff recruitment, development and succession.
• Senior advisor to the Managing Director and Board on business operations.

A bespoke cloud software technology company based in Kenya and the largest Google product reseller in Sub-Saharan Africa. The business was the official product reseller for Google, Microsoft, Sage, IBM, Oracle and Amazon in Kenya.

Key Responsibilities

• Developed sound financial strategies that improved cash retention by over $30,000.
• Improved cash flow position by reviewing the sales, reduction of credit policy from over 120 days to 60 days.
• Implemented of a cost reduction strategy that led to cost savings of over $100,000.
• Canceled monthly inactive licenses that would cost the company over 20% margin loss.
• Created executive analysis reports highlighting business issues such as cash flow and budget reviews, potential business risks and profit opportunities.
• Formulated $5,000,000 financial forecasts and cash flow projections for decision making.
• Responsible for management of all bank and cash transactions including negotiating of rates and alternative financing options as the sole bank agent and signatory, ensuring company finances are well appropriated as per available resources.
• Acted as intermediary of the company to all stakeholders-banks, suppliers, clients, regulatory bodies.
• Prepared annual financial statements for the yearly audit by external auditors. Managed proper books of accounts by IFRS and GAAPs.
• Reviewed and implemented of 100% statutory and regulatory requirements in the organization. Prepared and processed payroll and all payroll matters.
• Handled of human resource matters ensuring compliance to company, statutory and regulatory requirements. Led of staff recruitment training, and performance evaluation for staff development. Managed administrative duties including logistics and supplier management.
• Successfully generated reports using cloud systems such as Ms Office Suite, Aren, Zoho People (People Management Software), Sugar CRM (Customer Relationship Manager Software), Sage, QuickBooks (Accounting Software), ProjectManager.com (Project Management software) and Freshdesk (Customer Support System), Adili GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance System).

Key Achievements

• Performed revenue tracking initiatives that recovered 40% lost revenue and increased profitability.
• Scaled business costs to maintain a 20% business margin ensuring healthy cashflows.
• Streamlined financial processes and reporting systems, reducing manual processing time by 20% and enhancing team productivity, leading to more agile decision-making.

A bespoke cloud software technology company based in Kenya and the largest Google product reseller in Sub-Saharan Africa. The business was the official product reseller for Google, Microsoft, Sage, IBM, Oracle and Amazon in Kenya.

Key Responsibilities

• Documented process flows and developed requirements for functional improvements and enhancements. This improved service level agreement within the organization from 5 days to 48 hours, which also increased customer satisfaction.
• Took lead of ISO 9001:2008 Certification process as quality management representative together with external certification body
• Ensured that processes needed for quality management system are established, documented, implemented and maintained. Identified inefficiencies and made recommendations for process improvements through constant quality audits and process reviews. Project documentation on project management software and ensuring all project team members are updated on project progress.
• Conducted 100% in-depth analysis of company audited financial statements and made recommendations for purposes of risk management.
• Reported to top management on performance of the quality management system and any need for improvement.
• Enhanced customer satisfaction by streamlining processes deemed inefficient.
• Trained 12 team members as auditors of quality management system.

Key Achievements

• Led the implementation of ISO 9001 Quality Management System that enhanced the business internal processes for enhanced customer service and overall business profitability.
• Documented and implemented 100% business processes and structures. This fostered a culture of efficiency by streamlining business operations for quality checks, continuous checks and business succession.

Kenyan based financial services company offering audit and assurance, consulting, tax, risk advisory, IFRS, restructuring, transaction and business and financial advisory solutions.

Key Responsibilites

• Preparation of audited financial statements as Lead Auditor for companies having gross turnover of over $1,000,000; Companies with over 10 years' un-audited financial statements. Carried out audit for companies in vast industries- Manufacturing, Hospitality, Technology, Law Firms, Agribusiness, Educational institutions, NGOs.
• Prepared incomplete accounts from books of original entry such as bank statements, invoices and receipts using excel and QuickBooks to fully audited financial statements.
• Collaborated with accounting manager to comply with governing bodies and limit regulatory risks.
• Used accounting software to issue tax returns and prepare consolidated reports.
• Partnered with auditors to track errors and add contributions to maintain accuracy.
• Developed financial models to assess and analyze financial performance of clients.
• Compiled general ledger entries on short schedule with 100% accuracy.
• Identified legal tax savings and recommended ways to improve profits.
• Kept up-to-date with tax changes and industry trends by participating in professional organizations, opportunities, and networks.

Key Achievements

• Led and carried out extensive financial statements audit and accountancy to private organizations, NGOs in various industries, ensuring businesses gave a true and fair reflection of their business performance by meeting the accounting standards, GAAPS, IFRS.
• Reduced tax liabilities by 100% and business risks by 90% through effective risk management strategies and ensuring 100% compliance with local and international tax regulations, safeguarding the company from potential fines and penalties.
• Established risk management framework that reduced operational risks by $300,000 over five years and enhanced compliance protocols.