Headline

★ Partner Alliance Executive MEA ★ Senior Business Operations Manager MEA ★ Finance Controller ★ 25+ years @Cisco

About

★ Result-driven, energetic team player with 25+ years of experience in international Channel Sales, Finance & Operations. ★ 2023 Cisco EMEA Top Performer: Sales Champion driving double-digit growth. ★ Responsible for strategy execution, growth identification, planning, and Sales Operations of $ 2bn MEA region. ★ Extensive knowledge of culture and business mentality in the Middle-East and Africa region. ★ Strong financial skills. Including analytical skills required to analyze performance achievement and forecast metrics. Strong skills in Microsoft office, especially Excel (pivot tables), as well as SFDC, Smartsheet etc. ★ Familiar with working under pressure and meeting deadlines. ★ Excellent cross functional partnering skills and ability to build relationships with other work groups and customers. ★ Very talented in connecting with other people and cultures across the Emerging markets. ★ Vast experience in dealing with senior Sales leadership teams (from GM to VP), Customer Service, Legal, Revenue Recognition, Business Operations and Deals Desk. Fluent in Dutch, English, German- and French business language.

Location

Dubai

AI stack

antigravity

codex

claudecode

Work experience

Partner Alliance Executive, IOT & Advisory Partners MEA at Cisco, Apr 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 5 mos, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Building and managing strategic relationships with Cisco's most important Industrial and Advisory Partners across Middle East and Africa.

Senior Business Operations Manager Middle East and Africa at Cisco, Apr 2016 - Apr 2022 · 6 yrs 1 mo, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Trusted advisor for Middle-East and Africa Sales VP and senior leadership team to help them maximize the effectiveness of their teams by utilizing common Sales process and best practices with consistent supporting tools and methodologies. Responsible for strategy execution, growth identification, planning, field enablement and Sales operations.

Finance Controller AFRICA and UNITED NATIONS at Cisco, Dec 2009 - Apr 2016 · 6 yrs 5 mos, Casablanca, Morocco, Held P&L accountability for a $500M Africa Sales region, covering 55+ countries and 150+ staff. Strengthened Fiduciary controls by confirming compliance with company policies/procedures and SOX. Effectively communicated financial information to upper management and able to build strong relationships within and outside of the organization. Supervised and ensured integrity of Sales number in the region, including bookings, discount, margin, and expense management. • Forecasting Responsibilities: Reinforce the forecasting process management. Support and foster weekly, monthly, quarterly forecast accuracy. Analyze forecast metrics. • Business Decision making Responsibilities: Analyze performance achievement, Ensure integrity of numbers and matrix used for business decisions and performance measurement by using area and corporate consistent reporting tools. • Expense and Headcount Management: Budget and analyze expenses and headcount, providing information on regularly basis to take actions, identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities and discuss it with the Sales management. • Deals Management: Early engage and participate in the deal structuring process, providing Finance/Business guidance, facilitate and assist in the approval process. Monitor revenue recognition requirements, working with Corporate Revenue team in order to take the appropriate actions, communicate clearly on this subject with the sales team. • Fiduciary Oversight Management: Strong Fiduciary Control in compliance to Cisco’s policies, procedures and business practices. Educating, review, presentation of Compliance Policies with sales teams. Support internal audits

Regional Finance Manager at Unisys, Jan 1998 - Jan 2001 · 3 yrs 1 mo, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Responsible for leading a team of 7 Disbursements analysts covering Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands and Unisys’ International Distribution Centre (IDC). Main contact person for Procurement and Finance Directors in the European subsidiaries. Involved in Oracle purchase order implementation. Problem solving of large accounts including regular visits to the Unisys Finance teams across Europe. • Responsible for the accounts payables activities of 7 western European entities. • Doing vendor payments and main contact person for business units in the subsidiaries. • Involved in Citibank implementation for all vendor payments. • One month assignment based in Bismarck (North-Dakota, USA). Involved in the transition of the Accounts Payables department from Amsterdam to Bismarck.

Education

Bachelor's degree, European Studies, Universiteit van Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

Proficiency Certificate, English, University of Cambridge