ZIAD TABBARA, MBA

Ziad Tabbara is an Associate of UTC International (“UTCINTL”). His areas of expertise include Accounting, Taxation, Finance, and External Audit, in both public and private sectors.

Ziad is responsible for ensuring adequate administration of external audit assignments of commercial companies, and public sector agencies. His major responsibilities involve the reviewing of audit engagement files, liaising with clients, assuring quality control and compliance with professional standards, and verifying the accuracy and completeness of audit reports.

Ziad’s work experience covered the following principal activities:

• Assisting in the provision of comprehensive and practical programs for statutory audit activities including the monitoring of effectiveness of auditor independence requirements for each audit engagement;
• Identifying areas of audit risk and appraising their significance in relation to operational factors of cost, time schedules, and service product quality including the review of engagement working papers and identifying potential areas for operational improvement;
• Ensuring adherence to professional standards, regulatory and legal requirements in performing audits of financial statements including requirements under Basel Accord II for commercial banks;
• Assisting in the provision of formal plans for recruiting, selecting, training, evaluating, and supervising of audit staff, and the administration of UTCINTL's induction programme [skills assessment and team work, assigning priorities, organization of work tasks to meet tight deadlines, audit documentation, etc.] to ensure that each new audit staff member acquires the necessary competencies to perform the expected work;
• Assisting in developing and conducting training programs for internal auditors;
• Participating in the arrangements and coordination of the training and educational events for audit personnel on International Financial Reporting Standards [IFRS], International Auditing and Assurance Standards [IAAS], and Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants, to raise awareness, enhance understanding of, and facilitate compliance with, the highest professional standards;
• Ensuring compliance by audit personnel with the fundamental ethical principles of integrity, objectivity, commitment to professional competence, due care, and confidentiality, and with technical standards;
• Participating in strategic planning, project management, and the deployment of audit personnel;
• Assisting in the classification of audit projects on basis of degree of risk and significance, and as to frequency of internal audit coverage;
• Participating in the review of the client entity’s functional activities and evaluating the effectiveness of the internal control procedures;
• Assisting in the review of work papers and the editing of audit reports in consultation with the respective auditor[s] in charge for the assigned audit engagement, and participating in discussing the outstanding points with appropriate divisional management before finalization of audit report for due submission to Client;
• Participating in the supervision of the implementation and commissioning for beneficial use of computerized management information systems;

• AREAS OF EXPERTISE

  [a] Statutory audit; [b] Tax audit; [c] Tax Consultancy; [d] Information System audit; [e] Management audit; [f] Forensic audit; [g] Internal audit; [h] Fund/Trust audit; [i] Government audit; [j] Financial and Business advisory; [k] Mergers & Acquisitions; [l] Management Accounts.

• INDUSTRY SPECIALIZATIONS

  [a] Financial Institutions & Insurance; [b] Manufacturing; [c] Retail and Trading; [d] Textiles & Clothing; [e] Property Development & Real Estate; [f] Building and Construction; [g] Hospitals, Hotels, Travel & Leisure Sectors; [h] International Donor Agencies; [i] Public Utilities; [j] Holding investment and brokerage; [k] Family-owned Businesses.

• QUALIFICATIONS

  
  • Bachelor of Science (Business) degree from Lebanese American University, Lebanon.
  • Master’s degree in Business Administration from AUST, Lebanon.

• LANGUAGE FLUENCY

  Ziad speaks fluently Arabic [native] and English.

• CONTACT DETAILS

  Position in UTCINTL Team: Manager/Consultant.
  Email: ziad.tabbara@utcintl.com