Azeem Nathalia

Profit & Loss Forecasting and Reporting:

• Produced accurate and timely weekly and monthly management accounts, including full P&L reports.
• Generated mid-week forecast P&Ls (Weds/Fri) and submitted weekly consolidated P&Ls to senior stakeholders.
• Reconciled actual sales against forecasts and analysed variances to budget.

Variance Analysis:

• Conducted daily and weekly material and labour variance analysis, focusing on labour efficiency, material usage, and purchase price variances (PPV).
• Partnered with Operations to identify cost discrepancies and drive performance improvements.
• Attended daily operations meetings to present and discuss labour/material performance.

Reporting and Controls:

• Maintained internal controls and met strict reporting deadlines for group submissions.
• Oversaw weekly reporting packs, labour records, distribution cost trackers, and PPV analysis.
• Posted journals to Microsoft Dynamics AX (AX) and ensured data accuracy.

Product Costing & Margin Analysis:

• Assisted in producing accurate costings for new and existing products across major retailers, including Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and Waitrose.
• Utilised Recipe Professor software for cost model analysis and pricing simulations.
• Monitored ingredient and material cost movements and updated financial models to reflect changes.
• Supported gross margin reporting and provided detailed variance analysis to inform pricing and profitability decisions.

Sales & Performance Analysis:

• Performed in-depth sales and promotional analysis, including post-launch financial reviews.
• Reconciled product performance against forecasts and supported commercial teams with actionable insights.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Partnered with the New Product Development (NPD) team to understand the full product lifecycle and inform commercial costing decisions.
• Collaborated with operations, production, and supply chain teams to support cost control and ensure accurate financial reporting.
• Gained valuable factory floor exposure to better understand operational cost structures and manufacturing processes.

Reporting & Systems Support:

• Contributed to the development and enhancement of Power BI dashboards for improved financial and operational reporting.

Financial Reporting & Accounting:

• Prepared and posted lease journals, P&L reconciliations, and balance sheet reconciliations for UK and EMEA entities. Supported monthly financial close under US GAAP, with compliance to IFRS 15 (Revenue), IFRS 16 (Leases), and ASC 842.
• Developed specialist knowledge in Lease Accounting and contributed to Accounts Payable processing.
• Participated in monthly SOX internal audits to ensure strong financial controls.
• Maintained communication with EMEA regional offices to ensure timely reconciliation and reporting.

Systems & Tools Used:

• Oracle, IBM TRIRIGA, BAAN, BlackLine, Xero, Visual Lease.

Change & Transformation:

• Led a nine-month EMEA intranet transformation project, coordinating with senior managers and US sponsors; delivered a centralised finance portal used by all European employees.
• Actively involved in the recruitment process by interviewing candidates for the incoming internship cohort.

Strategic Intern Project:

• Led cross-functional research project on the business impact of Brexit, collaborating with six team members across departments.
• Presented strategic findings to the EMEA leadership team, highlighting both risks and opportunities post-Brexit.