Syed Atif Gul Shah

As Head of Finance at Mondelēz Saudi, I lead the financial strategy and execution across the business to drive growth and profitability. I am responsible for end-to-end P&L management, budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning, along with spearheading strategic initiatives such as Revenue Growth Management (RGM) and route-to-market optimization I partner closely with cross-functional teams to influence decision-making, improve efficiencies, and maximize returns. Additionally, I ensure robust financial controls and compliance standards are in place to mitigate risk and maintain integrity across operations. My role also emphasizes people leadership, where I am dedicated to developing a high-performing teams, embedding a culture of continuous improvement. With a deep understanding of the Saudi market and consumer landscape, I am committed to aligning our financial strategies with market demands and evolving business goals.

As Commercial Controller, I provided critical financial oversight and strategic support to drive profitable growth and operational efficiency. My responsibilities focused on ensuring accurate financial reporting, effective budgeting, and stringent cost control across commercial operations. In this role, I partnered closely with the sales and marketing teams to develop financially viable promotional strategies, maintain effective control over trade spending, and conduct financial analyses that informed key business decisions. I also played a key role in pricing strategy, balancing competitive positioning with margin optimization to support category growth. Additionally, I led financial forecasting and performance tracking to ensure alignment with commercial objectives, providing actionable insights that helped the organization adapt to dynamic market conditions. My role was pivotal in establishing strong financial governance frameworks and in fostering collaboration between finance and commercial teams to achieve shared goals.

As Manager, Commercial Finance, I led the KSA Commercial/Business Finance team, driving strategic financial initiatives to support sales and category growth. My key responsibilities included developing and implementing pricing and promotion strategies tailored to market competition, and overseeing end-to-end trade investment planning, budgeting, controlling, and reporting. I managed advertising, trade, and consumer promotions, conducting thorough pre- and post-investment evaluations against ROI to ensure value creation. As a financial controller on execution, I handled customer trade contracts, proof-of-performance controls, and trade claim processing, including deduction handling and dispute management. I also conducted customer audits to verify execution compliance. In collaboration with the sales team, I supported sell-in strategies and helped design initiatives to boost numeric distribution, while working closely with the category marketing team to grow value and volume market share. Additionally, I played a critical role in demand planning (IBP) with Sales and CS&L, managing monthly rolling forecasts and enforcing waste management controls to minimize commercial waste.

As Manager of Financial Control for KSA, I provided financial leadership across all aspects of business processes, reporting directly to the regional controlling team in Dubai. My responsibilities included overseeing financial control, Advertisement & Promotion (A&P) spending, transactional accounting, payables, and managing all banking matters, financing, and loan arrangements. I also led budgeting and control for overheads, handled tax management and filings, and ensured financial reporting compliance with both Mondelēz and local statutory requirements. In addition to regulatory compliance, I managed submissions to shareholders, SAGIA, and the Chamber of Commerce. I took pride in people management, building a high-performing team from scratch, and focusing on coaching, training, and development. Project management and SOX compliance were integral to my role, where I maintained a robust internal control system with clear segregation of duties. My work extended into Commercial Finance, managing customer-level gross-to-net investment reporting and supporting data-driven decision-making for revenue growth.

As Assistant Financial Controller, I played a key role in strengthening financial processes and controls while driving efficiency through strategic projects. I actively lead the implementation of a new ERP system (SAP) within record time of 1 year, managing change and supporting seamless adoption across the organization. This involved coordinating cross-functional teams, ensuring data accuracy, and delivering training to enable smooth transitions. I also led and contributed to various project management initiatives, including operating model transformation, setting up new organization, outsourcing arrangements aimed at cost optimization and enhanced operational effectiveness. My responsibilities extended to financial control, where I ensured compliance with regulatory standards, maintained accurate financial reporting, and upheld rigorous audit and internal control processes. Through these experiences, I developed a robust understanding of financial governance, change management, and process improvement, positioning the finance function as a strategic enabler within the organization.

As a Manager in GTC Olayan, I oversaw all aspects of financial reporting, including budgeting, forecasting, and other financial management reports, ensuring accurate insights to support strategic decision-making. I led a team responsible for accounts payable, general ledger, inventory management, and supplier receivables related to trade incentives and promotions. I also managed supplier queries, payments, and collaborated with banks and the group treasury on fund management and FOREX deals. My role included partnering with IT to enhance report development and streamline ERP interfaces with 3PL logistics and warehousing systems, which optimized supply chain efficiency. Additionally, I served as Compliance Controller for the first six months, where I reviewed regional accounts and rigorously monitored adherence to the company’s internal controls, policies, and procedures to strengthen governance. This position enabled me to hone my skills in compliance and internal control, laying a solid foundation for effective financial stewardship.

As an Auditor with Deloitte, I gained comprehensive experience in Advisory & Assurance, conducting audits for a diverse portfolio of clients across sectors such as banking, construction, insurance, power generation, trading, manufacturing, and service industries. This role enabled me to develop a deep understanding of financial and operational processes across various industries and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. In addition to audit responsibilities, I provided tax consultancy services to private companies in Pakistan, assisting with tax return filings and refund claims, and navigating local tax regulations. Through Deloitte’s Global Development Program, I also served as a Senior Auditor on international assignments, expanding my expertise in internal audit practices and adapting to cross-border compliance standards. This experience equipped me with strong analytical skills and a global perspective on audit and compliance.