Tim Less
+966 55 341 2757  tim.less.154@gmail.com
CAREER PROFILE
A decisive, results driven Financial Accountant with over 20 years’ experience in a diverse range of business
environments including construction, media, hospitality and most recently oil & gas. Builds similarly committed,
effective, professional teams through a positive outlook and a collaborative leadership style. Analytical, with a keen
eye for detail and endurance for tedious and complex assignments. Consistently achieves deadlines, sacrificing nothing
in accuracy or quality, ensuring full accountability and transparency. Skilled with a wide range of software, ERP and
financial techniques, quickly assimilates new applications as business requirements demand. Reliable and flexible with
a strong work ethic and personal integrity.
CORE COMPETENCIES
• Annual Audits • AFS & Budgets • Management Accounting & Forecasting
• Fixed Assets • Cost Engineering • Project Accounting & Tendering
• Cash Flow Forecast • ERP Systems • Training & Development
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
SAUDI ARAMCO - Cost Engineer 2013 - date
• Working on monitoring and control on this mega $1bn project for the oil & gas industry in Saudi Arabia
• Determining project cash flow forecast, compiling and reviewing monthly financial progress
• Reviewing & validating contractor invoices and securing approvals as well as contract change orders
• Allocating expenditure within the cost structure, determining and updating commitments
• Ensuring compliance of Contract Administration and Company procedures and maintaining internal administration
procedures (IAP) for Project Division as a functional and proactive part of the business group
• Initiating funding for expenditure requests and validating adequacy of funding required
THALES SOUTH AFRICA SYSTEMS (FORMERLY THALES SA) - Head Project Accounting 2011 - 2013
• Managing a Project Accountant and Junior Project Accountant, reporting to the Financial Director on a turnover of
R500m for this global defence, security, space, aerospace and ground transportation company
• Handling project accounting, forecasting of sales/revenue & gross margin, program debtors & cash, WIP and cost
control, escalations and rate of exchange and providing detailed budget breakdown and finance reviews
• Vetting bids and tenders, validating pricing & profitability sheets and costing review, ensuring pricing and
profitability meet Thales Group contract terms and conditions
THALES ATM SA (FORMERLY FLIGHT CRAFT AVIATION) - Financial Manager 2008 - 2011
• Heading a team consisting of Management Accountant, Project Accountant, Financial Administrator and an Admin
Clerk handling all financial management on a turnover of R100m for air traffic control systems
• Reporting to the Managing Director and Financial Director of Thales International Africa
• Overseeing monthly management accounts and forecasting with income statements, balance sheets and cash flows
and group reporting, operational cash flow, working and operational capital requirements
• Delivering financial performance reviews for projects, forecasting order intake, backlog, sales and gross margins
• Plotting annual company budget and company targets to achieve profitability, sustainability and growth on a 5
year cycle incorporating financial risk management and internal controls and risk compliance
• Auditing and validating annual financial statements, responsible for all ISO 9001 standards in finance procedures
and compliance with company accounting policies and procedures, IFRS and GAAP
• Approving all payments and managing company banking and insurance requirements
• Managing performance and developing personnel capabilities, performing annual score card evaluation
Achievements
• Repeated promotions from Management Accountant to Acting Financial Manager in 2008, Financial Manager in
2009, on to Head of Project Accounting in 2011 - Awarded Managing Director’s “Employee of the year” 2008
• Reconciled long outstanding project accounting on WIP, advance customer receipts and provisions
• Brought stability to financial functions and improved reporting punctuality, validity and completeness
• Introduced shared services, saving R1m by analysing and challenging validity of charges
ENDEMOL SOUTH AFRICA - Financial Accountant 2006 - 2008

• Producing management accounts with income statements, balance sheets and cash flows for this Dutch TV
company with a turnover of around R200m, reporting directly to the Financial Director
• Supporting monthly working papers file and performing analytical review of income statement, sub ledgers
creditors, debtors, cashbook, journal processing and approvals
• Reconciling general ledger reporting on cash flow and cash pooling for TV productions, utilising Outlooksoft, the
group reporting tool and internal control framework and compiling audit schedules and reconciliations for
statutory audit
Achievements
• Improved reporting deadlines, automated Accpacc reporting and production costing reports into Accpacc
PROTEA HOTELS 1996 - 2005
Assistant Regional Financial Manager (Jul - Dec 2005)
• Reporting to the Regional Director and 2 Regional Managers, reviewing management accounts for 22 hotels
• Providing feedback and benchmarking reports, supporting hotel units on accounting issues and reviews
• Compiling revenue reports and calculating management fees for HQ from hotel management accounts
• Calculating quarterly hotel management performance incentives, reviewing hotel budgets and forecasting with
regional director. Coordinating annual audit with group owned hotels
• Testing new and updated accounts management pack and budget formats with internal auditor before distribution
Financial Manager - Melrose Arch Hotel (2003 - 2005)
• Leading a team consisting of Financial Accountant, Debtors and Creditors Clerks and a Stock Controller
• Managing financial performance on a turnover of R45m for the hotel and governing HR and payroll function
• Handling management accounts and forecast reporting, reviewing debtors, creditors and statutory returns
• Delivering annual budgets and an analytical performance report to HQ with recommendations
• Reviewing general ledger and reconciliations at month end and compiling and monitoring department budgets
• Preparing month end, audit files and tax packs for audit, managing annual audit and validating AFS with HQ
Achievements
• Successfully implemented all financial systems for Protea’s first five star hotel
Accountant Other Companies (1999 - 2005)
• Located at head office in Cape Town, writing up subsidiary company books for rental companies, ensuring
consistency of calculations with lease contracts and mortgage agreements
• Performing daily group cash reporting, cash pooling and validating interest earned, handling VAT returns and group
fixed assets accounting as well as providing foreign translation accounting for UK owned companies
• Delivering rental budgets and forecast from hotel unit management accounts and assisting with consolidation and
group management accounts
• Preparing year-end financial and tax packs for audit, liaising with auditors on final entries and audit findings
Achievements
• Increased level of responsibility and expanded scope of the job requirements
• Reconciled the group fixed assets register at head office and regional offices at Johannesburg and Durban
Accountant - FlexiPass (1996 - 1998)
• Working at head office in Cape Town handling all accounting for DOS based voucher management system(VMS),
verifying international travel agents collections and payments to hotels, reporting to Group Financial Manager
Achievements
• Improved collection from international Travel agents and payment times to Hotels (120/160 to 60/90 days)
• Successfully reconciled the VMS system to the General ledger
• Wrote back R800k to P&L in 1st year, average of R300k in next 3 years
RAATZ STEEL CONSTRUCTION - Bookkeeper 1992 - 1995
• Reporting to the Managing Director on turn key projects worth around R30m, recording all entries into books of
account, performing creditors, debtors, cashbook and monthly trial balances, completing quarterly income
statement and balance sheet and fortnightly and monthly payroll
EDUCATION
CIS Chartered Secretary - The South African Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Secretaries (ICSA SA)
BTech & N Dip Cost & Management Accounting - Peninsula Technikon

FURTHER SKILLS
IT: SAP, Qmuzik (ERP); MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint; D-bit Fixed Assets, Softline VIP/Pastel Payroll,
Accpacc Windows, Landmark Property Management, Fidelio Food & Bev., Win-Check Stock Control
Languages: English & Afrikaans