John Scott Email & Phone Number

New Zealand

Auckland, New Zealand

Appointed as Product Manager for Local Government Datascape Financials:• Datascape is a modern cloud-based software suite, purpose-built for local government in Australia and New Zealand. It is designed to empower Council’s with the tools they need to streamline their operations, drive efficiency and enhance service delivery.• The suite is comprised of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) modules and digital enablement tools that can be used together seamlessly or individually to adapt to the unique needs of a Council. • Datascape is built with the latest technology and has an ability to integrate seamlessly within a Council's digital ecosystem.• Using well developed audit knowledge and work experience was responsible for building standard charts of accounts for both New Zealand and Australia in compliance with accounting standards.• The standardisation involved setting up structures to monitor capital spend and have comprehensive activity-based costing of operational costs and revenues by activity or council as a whole. This was to ensure optimum use of the software functionality by customers.• This approach aided internal revenue growth and reduced costs to customers in staff time and project management.• Datascape’s ease of use enables a positive change management journey by users.• Involved in product development and strategies to increase market share.• Involved in developing and driving the business case for changes to the product offering or its delivery to market to maximise product growth. • Worked across teams and with customers to improve product design and delivery. • Managed key relationships with a variety of internal and external stakeholders in true partnership. • Produced product manuals and knowledge articles for use by customers and internal staff.• Involved in the development of strategic product roadmaps that are consistent with corporate objectives. • Completed product demonstrations in response to bid success.

Balclutha New Zealand

The Group Manager Corporate Services is responsible for the overall management of the Council’s corporate services functions ensuring quality, timely advice, service and outcomes are delivered to elected members, officers and the public.Key Achievements• Group Leadership and Management – maintained a departmental environment that fosters and develops effective working relationships and high performing teams.• Finance – lead all the activities of the accounting, revenue and finance functions for the Council including all rating, taxation, and audit and compliance requirements.• Treasury – lead all administration associated with raising of loans, rating and debt collection and managing cash and investments.• Financial Planning – lead the planning and delivery of the Annual Report and financial input into the Long Term Plan.• Information Systems – lead responsibility for the review of new technology and efficient provision of appropriate hardware and software systems throughout the organisation in consultation with the Executive Team. We have just completed a full ERP implementation (handling change management) including rates, consents, projects, invoicing, purchasing and reporting.• Governance Support – responsible for governance support processes for Council including agendas and minutes, elections and elected member remuneration.• Library and Service Centres – lead the Clutha District Libraries; service Centres, I-Site, Customer Service desks and After Hours service, to deliver an excellent customer service.

Auckland, New Zealand

Independent Director, Financial Consultant:Conducting strategic and independent assessments covering business fundamentals including strategy, culture, communication, products and services, customers and customer service, competitors, suppliers, operations, management and employee performance, financial performance, asset management, cash flow, financial and business process controls and finance facilities. Doing assessment of management’s forecasts to determine the likelihood of achievement, key sensitivities and impact on finance facilities and future cash flow.

Auckland

Professional services firm providing services in the health, education, scientific, energy and local and central government sectors. Key Achievements:• As part of the senior management team I was involved with the Director Project Group on organisation wide initiatives; the National Manager Development Group on manager performance assessment and development and coordinating Audit NZ’s business plan.• Interaction with the Special Audit Assurance Services team enhanced my knowledge of procurement, asset management risk management and project management practices in New Zealand.• Involved in the merger of seven Auckland local authorities into one Super Council and appointed as second director to the Super City Auckland Council audit.• From my audits and interactions with management and the boards of numerous entities I have gathered a wealth of knowledge in many, varied sectors including statutory responsibilities.• I have assisted entity staff in making improvements to their three year planning documents and provided inputs into internal audit plans.• I understand the strategic issues around increasing efficiencies under financial constraint.• I have worked closely with Audit Committee members in a collegiate way providing guidance where possible within the constraints of keeping my independence intact.• I have audited IFRS compliant financial and non-financial reporting, so understand disclosure requirements intimately.• Using effective project management, motivating my staff and monitoring their performance to ensure delivery, I was able to issue my opinions within statutory deadlines.• Having worked for the Office of the Auditor-General for 9 years which requires adhering to a strict set of rules, ethics and policies, I have cemented many high standards within the work environment. • I have audited a number of Maori organizations and two governments – Niue and Tokelau – so I know and understand how the varying cultural dynamics can impact.

Pretoria Area, South Africa

Professional services firm providing services in the public works and justice sectors of government in South Africa. Key Responsibilities:• Manage a team of 21 staff.• Manage a portfolio of ten clients at a Central Government level to achieve balance score card Key Performance Indicators on audit effectiveness and efficiency.• Stakeholder relationships at Board and management levels.• Manage a number of medium and large audit firms to coordinate delivery of the portfolio. • Manage contract negotiations for outsourced audit services.Key Achievements: • Expanded my team from 10 to 21 staff in order to shift down the percentage of contracted out work to increase internally generated income and profitability.• As part of the senior management team, I was involved with the Financial Management and Sustainable Development teams on organisation wide initiatives, including the Innovation Forum and Budget Committees to increase efficiencies and as a reference member for Training and Development to determine and evaluate new courses.• Seconded to and involved in the development of the Auditor General’s Financial Management Reporting Model at the United Nations in New York in 2003 which investigated the conduct of the UNDP’s internal audit department and audit committee against best practice. • Provided guidance to the Minister of Public Works on the transition to full GAAP accounting, by project managing a proof of concept on the valuation of the complete portfolio of the South African Government’s property. • Reconciled and improved relations with the Department of Public Works, where an exceptionally strained relationship existed due to a previous disclaimer of opinion situation.

Johanesburg, South Africa

Professional services firm providing audit, accounting and taxation services to individuals and small to medium enterprises. Key Responsibilities:• Set up and marketing of the practice. • Management of the practice including fee forecasting, budgeting of expenses, cash flow and credit management, tracking of work in progress to invoicing and collection of revenue.• Human resource management of 10 staff members including selection, recruitment, training and development, annual reviews and salary increases, trainee contracts and training obligations, planning workflow against study and annual leave requests and building and managing a cohesive team.• All contractual negotiations.Key Achievements:• Marketed and promoted the practice to increase the number of clients from 20 to over 300, building up a substantial medium sized practice, which was eventually sold to a 2 partner public accounting practice. • Provided monthly business advisory services to a group of clients after processing their accounting transactions. This included budget setting and monitoring, tax planning and liaising with banks to arrange financing.• Gained experience in reviewing complex accounting systems in the production environment, to trust accounts (estate agency or solicitor accounting), airline accounting, retail outlets and numerous service industries. • Produced GAAP compliant accounts for Inland Revenue and banking purposes.

Benoni Area, South Africa

Whilst in practice above, I fulfilled the role of Group Financial Director on a 3 day a week basis. I was head hunted by the major shareholder and the Bank financing the venture, to manage and resolve financial difficulties the group was experiencing. Key responsibilities• First National Bank representative on the Holding Company’s Board of Directors and monitoring of finance arrangements. • To bring the group back to a breakeven position with a longer term focus on financial sustainability. • Preparation of group and subsidiary accounts in compliance with GAAP and tax returns for submission to the revenue authorities. • Liaison with external auditors. • Contract negotiations with customers, creditors and employees. Key achievements• Three-year budget model developed for each subsidiary feeding into a consolidated group for Board approval and monitoring. • Brought tight cash flow situation under control with comprehensive monitoring of expenditure, aggressive revenue growth and controlling the major shareholder’s ventures by bringing more discipline into business case assessment. • Financial statements prepared and audited timeously. • Implemented better financial controls with more formalised reporting to the Board. • Assisted in some tricky contract negotiations with Vodacom on long outstanding revenue due to growth in the mobile user base which was owed and not claimed. • Assisted in contract negotiations around employee pay increases including discussions with unions. • Built rapport with Officer Group in the Fire and Ambulance Service and senior management.

Isando South Africa

Responsible for controlling and reporting on the manufacture of beer at the Isando Brewery. SAB, a wholly owned subsidiary of SABMiller, is a brewing and bottling company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.Key Responsibilities:• Control and reporting on the manufacture of beer at the Isando (East of Johannesburg) Brewery. • Supervise 6 cost clerks and liaison with the distribution, production and engineering departments.• Report to the Financial Manager and connect to sales and distribution business units both locally and nationally to react to the demands of consumers.Key Achievements:• Developed expertise in setting complex annual budgets and 3-year plans and understanding extract variable costing.• Compiled monthly management packs.• Analysed monthly cost variances in the production environment.• Flagged major variances to production and finance staff in order to correct unbudgeted losses to achieve KPIs.• Involved in budget negotiations with production maintenance contract arrangements and fed into the national process for glass, can and raw material procurement.

Pietermaritzburg And Benoni

After university I signed up for my accounting apprenticeship moving to a supervisor and ending up as a manager. • Translated the theory into practice by gaining an understanding of the overall control environment, determining the impact on the effectiveness of internal controls and obtaining sufficient and appropriate audit evidence to support the audit opinion. • Obtained an understanding of the design and operation of various accounting and internal control systems and determined whether the activities are performed in accordance with the client’s documented policies and procedures. • Prepared financial records from source documents to published financial statements on cash, modified cash or accrual basis of accounting. • Improved on my supervision skills as I moved from a team member on an audit to the one responsible to the partner.

Essentials Of Product Management, Product Management, Passed

Leading In A Multi-Agency Response And Recovery Environment, Civil Defense, Passed

Response & Recovery Leadership Development Programme Tier 1 Part 2, Civil Defense, Passed

Situational Safety Workshop, Health And Safety, Passed

Response & Recovery Leadership Development Programme Tier 1 Part 1, Civil Defense, Passed

Certificate In Company Direction, Governance, Certificate Awarded

Director knowledge and governance standards in New Zealand - best practice corporate governance, strategy in the board room, finance.

Executive Masters In Public Administration (Empa)., Public Value, Decision Making Under Uncertainty, Economics, Merit

Designed to meet the needs of high potential employees within the Australian and New Zealand public services and government-related.

Leadership In Practice, Organizational Leadership, Passed

Public Expenditure Cycle, Passed

Senior level training programme on Improving the Public Expenditure Cycle from Budget Preparation to Monitoring and Evaluation.

Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services, Passed

Introduction to Audit Command Language version 8.

Introduction To Information Security, Information Technology, Passed

Hons B.Compt (Accounting Science), Accounting And Auditing Majors, Passed

Conversion Of B.Com To Accounts Major, Passed

B.Com, Business Administration And Economics Majors, Passed