Lucile Thomas

 For almost a decade my passion has been about helping organizations to find sustainable solutions for our clients, and for my direct team - to take their lives to different heights. My career has been centered on my skills in Finance and working with Finance Managers.   

My expertise varies from Finance, Human Capital, Retail and Insights Reporting, to ensure sound decision-making by the business. 

So, what am I about? I am an independent, resilient and focused individual who brings a fresh and creative approach to any space that I occupy. I am hard working, adaptable and never give up an opportunity to take on a new challenge, wherever I am placed. I believe all these skills are of a high necessity when entering and becoming a part of any organization and believe I have effectively garnered all of them over the years. I am always eager to learn and am constantly searching for a new opportunity that will add to my ever-growing skills and knowledge. A definite team player, but I most certainly don’t shy away from taking a leadership role in any kind of situation

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Credit Control Manager | EOH

July 2018 – Date

• Assisting various business units with collections of outstanding monies.
• Ensuring accurate receipting of all incoming funds
• Bad debt file preparations- mid year and year end
• Cash flow for each Business unit withing EOH and IOCO
• Collections based on pre-set targeted figures
• Ensuring objectives are met and aligned to business.
• Reconciling allocated accounts and where necessary aggressively pursue collections. 
• Receipting and allocating incoming payments and credit notes.
• Intercompany recons and resolving payments and queries
• Ensuring the team best interest in priority and continually developed
• Establish a culture of leadership and inspiration
• Manage and motivate a team of 13 Credit Control Officers, 
• Ensure monthly credit management reports are completed
• Formulation of the company's credit policy to mitigate unnecessary risk
• Overseeing a book value of R1billion.
• Preparing journal entries, credit notes and assisting with month end
• Review and report on Aged Debtors
• Regularly meet and negotiate terms with third party debt collection agencies
• Manage write-offs, bad debt provisions and setting up of payment plans
• Assisting with Legal procedure – submitting paper to Lawyers.
• Regularly reviewing the process and procedures to reduce debtor days
• Creating procedures and policies that ensure timely payments while maintaining a high level of customer retention
• Reconciling complex accounts that have been escalated from the AR team
• Monitoring debtor balances to ensure a reduction in debtors DSO
• Liaising with customers, as well as internal personnel including the sales team

Credit Supervisor – ROA (Rest of Africa) | JCDecaux 

April 2017 – June 2018

• Debtors Days Control

Set targets for ROA credit control staff – Head office and African countries

Monitor credit control staff collections against daily reports.

Achieve DSO target and ensure a healthy debtor’s book.

• Cash Collections Control

Oversee credit control staff to ensure that receipts are processed timeously, and corrections are done in good time, ensure no uncleared amounts on 180days ageing

Monthly conference calls to follow up on cash collections with Countries

Ensure accurate invoices and statements are sent to debtors monthly.

Prepare reports for CFO and MANCO as required.

• General Ledger management and control

Clear contra entries of G/L accounts

Reconcile bank clearing accounts in conjunction with accountants

Ensure bad debts write offs are properly motivated and written off timeously

• Risk Management

Assist in appointing professional debt collectors in the countries

Investigate and establish credit vetting procedures in countries

• General HR

Preparing of commission reports for all credit control staff and discussing short falls

Mentoring, growing and delegating authority to Debtors staff – settled team

• Maintain Master Data on computer system

Maintain the integrity of master dad information on system

Overseeing of new accounts- ensuring accuracy and integrity of data and credit vetting if possible

Reason for wanting to leave:  Found a permanent role

ADMINISTRATION & DEBTORS MANAGER | SHOPRITE CHECKERS 

December 2015 – April 2017

• To enhance the debtor’s system and improve efficiencies
• Ensure all monies due to the organization are collected promptly
• Report and monitor any deviation from the outlined credit standards by customers
• Manage and establish all limits of customers, while conducting credit check on the customer
• Compile recommendations towards improving collection and invoicing qualities
• To maintain control and reconciliation of unallocated cash receipts on SAP
• Dealing With all Expense creditors ensuring that payment is made timeously
• Production of the Debtors age analysis and predicted receipts.
• Preparation of weekly/monthly accounts Receivables reports
• Building and maintain customer relations with key customers
• Ensure queries are resolved timeously
• Manage and control existing customer account base to minimize credit risk of the company
• Preparation and capturing of journals

         Improving processes within collections and bad debt reduction

• Weekly meetings with controllers to keep track of collections/updates
• Update monthly cash flow
• Monitor Customer performance against terms
• Daily sales vs Budget analysis report
• Implement operational processes and policies
• Ensure month end processing is planned, managed and all deadlines met. 
• Conduct credit checks on all customers, establish and manage limits
• Liaising with various banks to obtain bank codes for all new customers to opened.
• Opening of new customers on NAV system
• Ensuring that all new customers are loaded on E shop enabling online buying
• Ordering and activations of all Business cards on SAP
• Dealing with Petty cash for the company
• End to end execution of bad debt journals.
• Day to day Managements of 2 credit controllers
• Capturing of CAPEX, Budgeting
• Responsible for the supervision of the collections and cash applications staff.
• Handing over of accounts over to Shoprite Group Attorneys after 90 days of collection efforts, service having already been stopped 

Reason for wanting to leave:  Department moved to Cape Town