Basem Waheed

Over a sixteen-year career, it’s safe to say GENCFO Exec Member Basem Waheed has added many strings to his bow: 

“Orchestrated Strategic finance, strategic planning, financial reporting, processing, and mastering FP&A you name it I’ve done it! I’m also a business partner in my current role as CFO, I enjoy commercial finance the most. 

We caught up with him to chat about the opportunities and obstacles he faced along the way, and why the future of finance inspires him to embrace digital change.

Leadership in the age of modern finance

From taking the helm at well-established corporations to nurturing fledgling businesses from scratch, Basem's career trajectory has led to a string of prestigious roles, starting out in healthcare and more currently working Poultry & FMCG:

“It definitely took working across a lot of different areas within finance and accounting to build up the skills needed to make it in the role of CFO.”

Wide-ranging experience is far from the only thing Basem brings to the table. Honing human connections in an increasingly tech-driven world has been essential to his success as a leader:

“I really champion an open-door management style - I’m very people centric. I love building a team.”

Putting people first has been at the heart of his approach to digital transformation in finance. In fact, it’s where his passion for transformation began, by seeing first-hand the potential it unlocked within his team members to add tangible value to the business:

“Digital finance transformation enables the team to go beyond the numbers, not get stuck behind them! It frees them up to focus on analysis and insights.”

Don’t be fooled by generic digital transformation jargon either: not every company has mastered the art of leveraging data for the digital finance function, but those who do stand to gain the best competitive edge, according to Basem:

“Nowadays every company claims they’re data driven. But the true winners are those who are able to have the data in real-time and make fast, accurate analysis for actionable insights. If there’s one thing I believe in when it comes to finance transformation, it’s that.”

Riding the waves of digital finance disruption

Basem has always taken to finance transformation like a duck to digital waters: 

“It’s second nature to me! I think that’s because I’m part of a generation that witnessed the transfer over to digital."

"I was there when digitalisation first happened - I saw first hand how this current era of technology came to be.”

A natural flair for adapting and adopting new finance technology has led to several successful finance transformations throughout his career, including in his current role:

“My focus now is on doing everything possible to leverage the technology, and eliminate repetitive tasks to save costs. It’s where I believe many businesses can make the biggest impact with finance transformation.” 

Basem’s tried-and-tested confidence in his digital finance capabilities has equipped him to weather the storms of finance transformation too: 

“It’s safe to say there’s challenges everywhere, especially in the current climate of inflation. In my opinion your greatest asset for overcoming them is always going to be your ability to mitigate risk. Finding the right initiatives in times of economic uncertainty is key.”

Looking ahead to the future of finance 

Waking up in the morning for work is that little bit easier when you believe in the future you’re building towards, according to Basem:

“I’m very futuristic! I’ve always loved thinking about the future, I’m very analytical in that way. I’m always thinking of potential exciting possibilities to grow the business in years to come.”

His appreciation for finance transformation extends beyond the realm of business to the wider world:

“Finance fascinates me not just because I think it’s at the heart of everything a company does, but it’s also at the heart of our day-to-day transactions in life.”

His advice for aspiring CFOs? Keep motivated and keep moving forward no matter the challenges in your way:

“Personally, I take the mindset that challenges are there to be maneuvered around, navigated, and even leveraged at times. Whatever the obstacles, remember there’s always a way around them to bring about a good result for the company.”

Basem is one of GENCFO's Exec Members. If you want to learn more about becoming a member, click here.