Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Trainings Attended
Personal Information
Target Role
Certification
Timeline
Hi, I’m

OLUGBENGA A. FALONA

Regional Business Controller
Lagos
OLUGBENGA A. FALONA

Summary

Finance and strategy professional experienced within a broad range of Finance discipline; with 18 years of providing financial stewardship in addition to developing corporate guidelines to facilitate financial analysis and control in an ethical environment; which includes over 10 years within senior management team.

Overview

19
years of professional experience
30
years of post-secondary education
2
Languages
2
Certificate
3

Volunteering

Work History

HMD Global Oy

Senior Business Controller | Finance Lead
08.2023 - Current

Job overview

Company Overview: HMD Global; a mobile phone and technology start-up with 7+ years in bringing back the Nokia nostalgia to over 120 countries. The company design, develop, manufacture, distribute, market and sells mobile devices and soft-lock software


Sub-Saharan Africa is a regional office within the Asia, Middle East & Africa market (AMEA), with about 30 key market core operations managed from Lagos, Nigeria, Nairobi, Kenya, Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa office


  • SSA senior leadership team member, with focus to drive Entrepreneurial culture, people development and multi-year business growth across key markets
  • Provide SSA General Managers and Functional Leads timely business insights in making business decisions
  • Responsible for financial leadership of HMD Global – SSA region: This includes overseeing financial and business performance (sales, revenue and people performance), Opex management, Internal controls and compliance
  • Focused on SSA region overall revenue reporting, planning cycles, P&L management and investment planning and execution
  • Engage with partner and distributor Finance leadership in ensuring win/win business partnership through investment management, credit and payment management
  • The Chief Control officer to maintain, update and communicate internal policies to support business operations

HMD Global Oy

Business Controller
05.2017 - 08.2023

Job overview

  • Recognized for driving month on month Smart Phone growth across West & East African markets within first 18 months of product launch through business partnerships and improved operational efficiencies via benchmarking, analyzing and effective partner negotiations
  • Execution – have demonstrated successful completion of projects and learning circle initiatives critical in a start-up environment; by applying Change Management competencies developed in consulting work environment to ensure seamless business operations
  • Transition more than four ERPs for Financial Reporting, Planning, Supply Chain and Logistics in a span of three years

Microsoft Nigeria

Revenue Controller
02.2016 - 05.2017

Job overview

  • Company Overview: Microsoft is a technology company, it develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells computer software, consumer electronics and personal computers and services
  • The Nigerian business thrives with the sales of up-to-date Enterprise Agreements, consulting and provides technical after sales supports to ensure market growth and relevance
  • Coordinate and lead the revenue analysis and story development for each monthly and quarterly review cycle – support the CFO, M&O lead and GM in their key deliverables including the preparation of insightful, concise commentaries and formal presentation of revenue results as required
  • Reports directly to the subsidiary CFO and regional Business Controller, taking ownership for the overall revenue planning, reporting and insights processes within the subsidiary
  • The oversight and coordination role of the revenue controller give it a unique left-to-right view of the business across all segments; with significant senior management exposure through close business partnership and executive support of the CFO, Marketing & Operations (M&O) lead and Country Managing Director
  • Rated as top performer consistently; and awarded Microsoft Nigeria Finance MVP for year 2016
  • Microsoft is a technology company, it develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells computer software, consumer electronics and personal computers and services
  • The Nigerian business thrives with the sales of up-to-date Enterprise Agreements, consulting and provides technical after sales supports to ensure market growth and relevance

Microsoft Nigeria

Finance Manager
05.2015 - 02.2016

Job overview

  • Responsible for end-to-end accounting, taxes and reporting of the subsidiary’s statutory financial statement in accordance with US GAAP and IFRS guidelines
  • Manage employee spend management and the implementation of credit card migration for the subsidiary in more than 6 locations across Africa without disrupting business flow; and, developing new card guidelines in sync with global best practice and company policy
  • Re-design Cash management reporting workflow, procedure, governance and structure; leading to significant drop in the occurrence of cash-out experiences at key moments

Accenture Nigeria

Finance Specialist
12.2010 - 05.2015

Job overview

  • Company Overview: The Company is a management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company helping clients in Nigeria become high-performance businesses to achieve sound and sustainable growth
  • In the team that bagged the rare all-green COSO (Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Tradeway Commission) rating for the company for two consecutive years
  • Managed renegotiation of vendor contracts in view of tax compliance
  • Collaborate with global rewards and compensation team on annual plan review process to determine charge out rates
  • Led the implementation of a procurement tool essential to manage over $4m spent for the local office annually
  • Led the team that implemented the Nigerian GAAP to IFRS conversion for Accenture Nigeria
  • Rated as top performer consistently
  • The Company is a management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company helping clients in Nigeria become high-performance businesses to achieve sound and sustainable growth

Finance Senior Analyst
03.2010 - 11.2010

Job overview

  • Managed the deployment of automated Procurement and treasury tool for four countries
  • Providing direction, and training of Business Process Outsourcing team to support local RTP process
  • Monthly Tax reviews, filing and reporting to regulatory authority Withholding Tax, Value Added Tax and Annual Income Tax filing
  • Co-ordinate Requisition to Pay, procure to pay and Record to Report process that includes – end to end vendor setup, online requisition management, approval threshold management, invoice review, approval and invoice payments
  • Review documented Internal Controls in line with Finance procedures so as to ensure operating effectiveness of controls

Finance Analyst
05.2007 - 03.2010

Job overview

  • Initiated and implemented company’s end-to-end procurement process in line with global standard and policy; and also put in place standard procedure for local office Travel Management
  • Review and approval of Vendor Invoices for payment in compliance with Organizational policies, best accounting practices and local regulations
  • Responsible for vendor/subcontractor contract setup, account registration in ERP and maintenance
  • Testing and Reporting of vendor payment process in compliance with designed Internal control
  • Design and managing internal procurement process for effective vendor payment; and resources expense reporting/analysis
  • Retained accurate data and prepared periodic financial statements and related schedules for fixed assets, initiated and monitored asset registration and numbering
  • Monthly Fixed Assets reconciliation using Peachtree and SAP as tools for assets registration and management
  • Analysis and reporting of Sub-Contractors and Vendor VAT/Withholding Tax Accounts
  • Computation and reporting of Employee Project based Allowances and Reimbursable
  • Monthly Employee vendor account reconciliation in line with Treasury statement
  • Liaise with Tax Auditor & FIRS in Withholding Tax Certificate recovery
  • Monthly review of Income and Expense Statements geared towards Accounting Year End reporting
  • Reporting of Internal Control policy in adherence to Sarbanes Oxley

Project Management Officer (Associate)
06.2006 - 05.2007

Job overview

  • Spearhead the reporting and billing of project expenses for a National Oil company of about $3.9 million for period of 10 months; with over 95% billed expense recovered
  • Performed Project Management officer’s role in ensuring cost management for over a large project with over 100 resources traveling around 10 states of Nigeria
  • Development of expense reporting and analysis tool consistent with client’s invoicing policy
  • Design work plan for vendor reconciliation; lead team for reconciliation of over 2 year’s outstanding vendor account reconciliation in Abuja and Lagos

Education

Federal Polytechnic, Offa
Offa, Kwara State Nigeria

from Accounting And Finance
04.2001

Walden University
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Master of Science from Accounting And Management
04.2001 - 12.2003

University Overview

Accountants as Strategic Managers program

Metropolitan School of Business & Management

Executive Master of Business Administration
09-2025

Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria

from Associate Chartered Accountant
04.2001 - 01.2011

INSEAD Executive Education

Microsoft-INSEAD Business Strategy and Financial Acumen

University Overview

Distinction

Skills

Trainings Attended

  • Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting - KPMG
  • Understanding US GAAP and Supporting Internal Controls - Accenture, Illinois USA
  • IFRS Conversion, Roadmap, and Implementation, Deferred Tax – KPMG
  • Stepping Up to Management: For Effective Performance – Lagos Business School
  • Understanding Anti-bribery Laws and Global Business
  • Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program - KPMG
  • Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace - Great Place to Work
  • Dealing with Conflict and Conflict Resolution – Lagos Business School
  • Accounting Planning: Budgeting and Variance Analysis for Service Industry
  • Tax Operations – Income Tax Accounting
  • Data Analytics, Business Planning & Power BI – Microsoft Training

Personal Information

  • Nationality: Nigerian
  • Visa Status: Citizen

Target Role

  • Business Controller
  • CFO
  • Finance Director

Certification

O Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria

Timeline

Senior Business Controller | Finance Lead

HMD Global Oy
08.2023 - Current

O Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria

10-2017

Business Controller

HMD Global Oy
05.2017 - 08.2023

Revenue Controller

Microsoft Nigeria
02.2016 - 05.2017

Finance Manager

Microsoft Nigeria
05.2015 - 02.2016

Finance Specialist

Accenture Nigeria
12.2010 - 05.2015

Finance Senior Analyst

03.2010 - 11.2010

Finance Analyst

05.2007 - 03.2010

Project Management Officer (Associate)

06.2006 - 05.2007

Federal Polytechnic, Offa

from Accounting And Finance
04.2001

Walden University

Master of Science from Accounting And Management
04.2001 - 12.2003

Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria

from Associate Chartered Accountant
04.2001 - 01.2011

INSEAD Executive Education

Microsoft-INSEAD Business Strategy and Financial Acumen
01.2017

Metropolitan School of Business & Management

Executive Master of Business Administration
06.2024
OLUGBENGA A. FALONARegional Business Controller