Sajeel is available for hire
Hire SajeelSajeel Zahid
Verified Expert in Finance
Finance Expert
Location
Fontainebleau, France
Toptal Member Since
May 30, 2020
An ACA and CPA, Sajeel has worked for over 11 years with PwC and Telenor on M&A, business planning, strategy, financial operations, accounting, and taxation. He saved Telenor $40 million by pioneering a tax risk assessment and planning framework, grew loan portfolios by 56%, mobile accounts by 200%, and reduced costs by 12%. He served as Head of Finance for a Telenor Group’s fintech company in Malaysia before leaving for an MBA from INSEAD.
Career Highlights
Head of Finance
Valyou Sdn Bhd (a service from Telenor Group)
Director Business Planning & Reporting
Telenor Microfinance Bank Limited
Education Highlights
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
INSEAD Business School (Under study)
CPA Exam
American Institute of CPA - Alaska State Board of Accountancy
Associate Chartered Accountant
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan
Certification Highlights
Associate Chartered Accountant
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan
Case Studies
Expertise
Work Experience
Head of Finance
2017 - 2019
Valyou Sdn Bhd (a service from Telenor Group)
- Managed the treasury function to improve the Forex margin on international remittance transactions while enhancing the risk management and controls on Forex funding.
- Reduced commission payout to cash-in-cash out merchants without compromising volume growth to enhance the profitability of mobile wallet international remittance transactions.
- Educated the board of directors and audit committee on the financial risks in the digital financial services business. Designed a control framework and led a team of 17 finance professionals to address these risks.
- Led the formulation and approval from the board of a two-year business strategy involving 100% annual growth of digital international remittance, turning operations into positive free cash flow.
- Strengthened financial operations, evaluated the implementation of ERP, and the reduced tax expense.
- Negotiated $15 million overdraft for funding payout partners; reduced interest costs by 15%.
- Collaborated with internal and external stakeholders for finalizing commercial arrangements and operational processes for the launch of a blockchain remittance with Alipay and a partnership with Western Union.
Focus areas: Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Operational Finance, Taxation, Strategy, Financial Accounting, Treasury, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), CFO
Director Business Planning & Reporting
2016 - 2017
Telenor Microfinance Bank Limited
- Collaborated with Citibank, the Telenor Group M&A, and financial services teams based in Hong Kong, Norway, and Singapore to obtain $184 million investment from Ant Financial Services (Alibaba Group).
- Developed digital payments and a digital lending strategy in collaboration with digital payments and digital lending experts to migrate cash retail and eCommerce consumers to a digital wallet.
- Led the post-acquisition integration of Telenor Bank and the Easypaisa workstream for finalizing the business model between Telenor Bank and Telenor Pakistan. Negotiated the service agreements for technology and sales/distribution.
- Collaborated to develop a four-year strategy to digitize the loan underwriting process and use telecom airtime incentives to grow loan portfolios by 56% and mobile accounts by 200% while reducing costs by 12%.
- Drove performance through performance analysis, financial evaluation of key business initiatives, and actionable performance reporting to senior management and Telenor group functions.
- Led the management reporting function; prepared the financial analysis for senior management, the board of directors, and Telenor Group. Participated in performance review meetings with Telenor Group.
- Drove quarterly forecasting through discussions with senior management. Presented it to Telenor Group.
Focus areas: Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Post-merger Integration, Business Transformation, Strategy, Management Reporting, Business Planning, Financial Modeling
Assistant Manager Financial Services
2014 - 2016
Telenor Pakistan Private Limited
- Evaluated the acquisition of Tameer Bank along with the financial advisor and M&A team; assisted in the development of the financial model and identification of synergies.
- Performed investment appraisals for new products, capital expenditure, and other business initiatives.
- Managed $10 million of capital expenditures for the deployment of the technology platform and the Easypaisa mobile application.
- Developed product and channel profitability to drive decision-making on pricing and cost optimization.
- Collaborated with the sales and marketing team to formulate the 5-year Easypaisa strategy and quarterly forecast.
- Analyzed business performance of Easypaisa services against targets and presented it to management.
- Coordinated with tax, accounting, financial operations and other finance functions to resolve finance related issues of the Easypaisa business. Assisted in the implementation of finance requirements for the Easypaisa core platform.
- Drove process for change in the ownership structure of Telenor Bank within the Telenor Group through coordination with external legal counsel and finance and legal teams of Telenor Pakistan and Telenor Bank.
Focus areas: Performance Analysis, Performance Management, Management Reporting, Forecasting, Strategy, Business Planning, Financial Modeling
Assistant Manager Tax
2012 - 2014
Telenor Pakistan Private Limited
- Pioneered a tax risk assessment and planning framework that led to a tax savings of $40 million.
- Managed tax audits and litigations of over $300 million through close coordination with legal and tax consultants.
- Managed current and deferred tax accounting requirements for local and Telenor Group’s accounting requirements.
- Developed financial models for optimizing the tax structure and capital structure of a real estate subsidiary.
Focus areas: Tax Audits, Risk Management, Tax Planning, Financial Modeling
Assistant Manager Assurance and Business Advisory Services`
2008 - 2012
PwC Pakistan
- Received four promotions, from Audit Assistant to Assistant Manager, to become the first Assistant Manager in my cohort.
- Led teams of up to nine persons on 20+ consulting, financial audits, due diligence, fraud, and management audits for the largest public listed tobacco company, leading telecom operators, government’s education department, banks, and non-profit organizations.
- Conducted training on the PwC audit methodology, professional ethics, and implementation of new auditing software.
Focus areas: Consulting, Business Advisory, External Audits
Education
2020 - 2020
Master of Business Administration (MBA) in General Management
INSEAD Business School (Under study) - France
2014 - 2014
CPA Exam in Accounting
American Institute of CPA - Alaska State Board of Accountancy - United States
2006 - 2011
Associate Chartered Accountant in Accounting
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan - Pakistan
Certifications
DECEMBER 2011 - PRESENT
Associate Chartered Accountant
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan
Collaboration That Works
How to Work with Toptal
Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.
1
Share your needs
Discuss your requirements and refine your scope in a call with a Toptal domain expert.
2
Choose your talent
Get a short list of expertly matched talent within 24 hours to review, interview, and choose from.
3
Start your risk-free talent trial
Work with your chosen talent on a trial basis for up to two weeks. Pay only if you decide to hire them.
Top talent is in high demand.
Start hiring