Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Voluntary work
Interests
Timeline
Hi, I’m

LIRA D'SOUZA SHINDE

Finance Operations Manager
Birmingham
LIRA D'SOUZA SHINDE

Summary

Highly accomplished Finance Operations Manager with 25 years of diverse experience overseeing financial operations. Specializing in accounts payables management, financial reporting, compliance, team management, financial process migrations, and financial systems implementations and integrations. Experienced in both public and private sectors, including prestigious organizations such as Birmingham City University, NHS – The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital Trust, VISY Industries (Australia), ECU Line, SERCO Global (India), General Mills (USA), NOVARTIS, BASF, and IL&FS AMC (India). Dedicated to driving operational excellence and financial integrity within an organization, with a focus on optimizing financial operations to drive efficiency and strategic growth. Known for strong analytical skills, strategic planning, and effective team leadership. Adept at managing dynamic environments and driving results through efficient operations and collaborative efforts. Proven ability to enhance financial performance and support organizational goals while delivering cost-efficient results to contribute to overall revenue growth.

Overview

24
years of professional experience
15
years of post-secondary education
3
Languages

Work History

Birmingham City University
Birmingham

Financial Operations Manager
04.2019 - Current

Job overview

  • Led and managed a team of 8 finance professionals, cultivating a culture of continuous improvement resulting in increased productivity over the past 5 years
  • Oversaw all payments within the University, including supplier invoices, staff claims, student claims, student stipends, grant payments, intercompany payments, etc
  • Administered and reviewed all University bank accounts, including bank reconciliations, payment approvals, administration of mandates, direct debits, payment limits, providing bank access, and preparing cash flow statements
  • Approved weekly AP BACS payment run files in Finastra and managed treasury payments for the University
  • Optimized accounts payable processes, reducing processing time and enhancing vendor relationships through improved communication and negotiation strategies, consistently meeting monthly KPIs for timely supplier payments
  • Managed ERP integrations, upgrades, system changes, UAT, and implementations for AP and Treasury modules within ERP
  • Successfully oversaw the transition and migration of ERP systems from COA to Oracle Fusion
  • Resolved significant backlogs of invoices resulting from system migrations
  • Efficiently managed the Accounts Payables team to enhance operational efficiency and outcomes
  • Initially hired as a Team Supervisor and later promoted to Financial Operations Manager after effectively assuming responsibilities for the cash management/Treasury team operations
  • Mentored and developed finance team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional growth.
  • Developed and transformed finance and operations team from transactional to analytical to provide enhanced business support.

NHS – The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital Trust
Birmingham, West Midlands

Team Supervisor-Finance Operations
11.2018 - 04.2019

Job overview

  • Oversaw and managed a team of 6 staff members in the Transaction team, responsible for AP and Credit Control processes
  • Ensured timely authorization, processing, and payment of suppliers' invoices and credit notes within the Public Sector Payment Policy
  • Coordinated, monitored, and reviewed financial transaction teams' work activities to optimize staff utilization and cost efficiency, ensuring activities were completed professionally and within agreed timescales
  • Prepared accurate BACS payment run files weekly in accordance with the Financial Services timetable, controlling payable order cheques and BACS payments to maintain operating cash flows
  • Conducted vendor reconciliations to reconcile balances and prepared monthly creditor reports for review by the Head of Financial Accounting, including performance statistics on aged debt and compliance with the Public Sector Payment Policy
  • Maintained and recorded new Suppliers and amendments to Suppliers' details following procedures and risk control measures for segregation of duties
  • Conducted annual appraisals for Transaction Team staff, facilitating skill and competency development through training and development program's

VISY Recycling Europe Ltd.
Birmingham, West Midlands

Payables Officer
05.2015 - 07.2018

Job overview

  • Managed invoice workflow, including General Ledger coding and processing invoices into SAP
  • Interacted with vendors to resolve invoice queries and conducted statement reconciliations
  • Collaborated with remote teams in Australia in a shared services environment for day-to-day operations
  • Ensured compliance with local statutory regulations and adherence to Accounts Payable policies and procedures
  • Demonstrated strong data input skills and maintained accurate supplier database information
  • Verified and processed employee expenses for reimbursements
  • Resolved invoice discrepancies and reconciled vendor statements to ensure timely payments
  • Provided supporting documentation for audits and assisted with other financial functions as needed
  • Prepared accurate and timely reports and analysis
  • Implemented continuous process improvement initiatives to enhance performance and reduce costs in Accounts Payable operations

Serco Global Services
Mumbai, India

Team Manager- Financial Migrations
12.2009 - 12.2013

Job overview

  • Managed team for accounts payable process for European clients
  • Successfully migrated offshore processes from the UK & Germany as well as domestic outsourcing from Indian companies
  • Reviewed operations for processing of invoices, monthly taxation and also filing of statutory returns
  • Weekly/Monthly reporting of SLAs & KPIs to various clients
  • Preparing accurate MIS reports and presentations to clients for review and feedback
  • Promoted from Team Leader to Team Manager position due to consistent performance and process improvements

Business Process Outsourcing (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Bengaluru, India

Team Leader – Finance Migrations
06.2007 - 11.2007

Job overview

  • Migrated end-to-end Accounts Payable operations from US-based client
  • Successfully set up and trained a team of 15 associates at an offshore location in Bengaluru, India
  • Prepared SOPs, flowcharts, and training material for the migrations and ‘Go-Live'
  • Ensured adherence to client SLAs and reporting of KPIs promptly

Serco Global Services
Mumbai, India

Senior Finance Officer - Accounting & Financial Services
12.2003 - 11.2006

Job overview

  • Assisted in migration of Accounts Payable process from General Mills USA to India
  • Travelled to the USA for a month to learn and document their AP process
  • Conducted training and transitioning of processes offshore to Mumbai and successfully set up the team in India
  • Successfully passed the ‘Strive towards Excellence Program' (STEP) and their ‘Assessment and Development Centre', management training programs conducted by the ‘Intelenet University' aimed at creating future leaders within the organization

IL&FS Asset Management Company Ltd.
Mumbai, India

Administrative Finance Assistant
01.2003 - 11.2003

Job overview

  • Worked on Cash payouts and completed cash and bank reconciliations
  • Employees' day-to-day reimbursements
  • Prepared several Management reports and assisted in the auditing process

B-MRP Communications Pvt. Ltd.
Mumbai, India

Accounts Officer
11.2001 - 11.2002

Job overview

  • Recording day-to-day accounting transactions, handling cash payouts along with Cash/Bank reconciliations
  • Managed deduction of tax at source on payments made to various parties & issued VAT Certificates

BASF India Limited
Mumbai, India

Accounts Assistant
11.2000 - 09.2001

Job overview

  • Recording their day-to-day transactions & assisted in the Company's payroll processing
  • Assisting in the finalization of their annual accounts and Balance Sheet

Education

CGMA Qualification

Currently Studying Towards The CGMA Qualification
04.2001 - Current

CIMA

Certificate Advanced Diploma in Management Account
04.2001

Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India
ICFAI

MBA - Finance
04.2001 - 04.2014

University of Mumbai

Masters in Commerce
04-2006

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
ICAI

Certified Technical Accountant
04.2001 - 11.1999

University of Mumbai

Bachelor of Commerce
04.1992 - 04.1997

Skills

Management of Accounts Payables processes and systems

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Voluntary work

Governor at St John & Monica Primary School - Birmingham

04/2018 – 07/2019

Interests

Travelling

Capturing Moments

Singing and Feeling the Music

Timeline

Financial Operations Manager

Birmingham City University
04.2019 - Current

Team Supervisor-Finance Operations

NHS – The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital Trust
11.2018 - 04.2019

Payables Officer

VISY Recycling Europe Ltd.
05.2015 - 07.2018

Team Manager- Financial Migrations

Serco Global Services
12.2009 - 12.2013

Team Leader – Finance Migrations

Business Process Outsourcing (India) Pvt. Ltd.
06.2007 - 11.2007

Senior Finance Officer - Accounting & Financial Services

Serco Global Services
12.2003 - 11.2006

Administrative Finance Assistant

IL&FS Asset Management Company Ltd.
01.2003 - 11.2003

Accounts Officer

B-MRP Communications Pvt. Ltd.
11.2001 - 11.2002

CGMA Qualification

Currently Studying Towards The CGMA Qualification
04.2001 - Current

CIMA

Certificate Advanced Diploma in Management Account
04.2001

Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India

MBA - Finance
04.2001 - 04.2014

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India

Certified Technical Accountant
04.2001 - 11.1999

Accounts Assistant

BASF India Limited
11.2000 - 09.2001

University of Mumbai

Bachelor of Commerce
04.1992 - 04.1997

University of Mumbai

Masters in Commerce
04.2006

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LIRA D'SOUZA SHINDEFinance Operations Manager