Business · Management · SystemsIn-Depth Profile of Murtaza Saeed
Remote Business Advisor
In this profile
My career has combined finance, business operations, systems, manufacturing and general management.
Over more than 35 years, I have worked in roles where the central question was not simply whether the numbers were correct, but what they meant for the business, how decisions were being made, where systems or processes were failing and what management could do to improve performance.
Today, that experience is reflected in three principal areas:
Business Performance Reviews • Business Analysis & Strategy • Information Systems & Process Improvement
Business Performance Reviews
My approach to business reviews is to look beyond headline results and understand what is driving them.
At Pwani Oil Products, I developed management-information and exception-reporting systems for the Board, executive management and departmental heads. I introduced measures including Value Addition per Kg (VA/KG) to make profitability easier to understand and the Bulk-to-Consumer Ratio to track product mix, market penetration and brand development.
My work also involved reviewing controls, processes, management information and operating performance across different parts of the business.
Earlier, at E.A. Match, I progressed from Accountant to Chief Accountant, Operations Manager and General Manager. For more than five years I managed three manufacturing units, the trading operation and the workshop profit centre.
That experience reinforced the importance of reviewing performance in the context of how a business actually operates.
Business Analysis & Strategy
Much of my career has involved analysing important business decisions before management commits significant resources.
At Pwani Oil Products, I prepared feasibility studies for two major expansion projects, supporting successful syndicated bank financing and related VAT-exemption applications.
I also supported structured budgeting, cash-flow forecasting, capital-expenditure planning and the introduction of a more formal strategic-planning process with external consultants.
At E.A. Match, I was involved in operational and expansion initiatives including:
- a vertical-supply project approximately 800 km from the main operation;
- development of a new manufacturing facility;
- creation of a trading and distribution business; and
- commercialisation of the company workshop as a profit centre serving external customers.
My responsibilities also extended into broader commercial areas, including customer presentations, packaging and label redesign, advertising campaigns and administration of a company medical scheme.
The common thread has been the need to assess alternatives, understand risks, test assumptions and support management decisions with practical analysis.
Information Systems & Process Improvement
Business systems have been a significant part of my career, from early mechanised and computerised accounting through to integrated ERP.
At Pwani Oil Products, I led implementation of Pastel and developed customised applications with programming support.
Later, as Director – Value Chain Development, I led pre-ERP planning, evaluation, partner assessment, super-user development and change-management preparation. I then worked closely with Oracle specialists during the rollout of Oracle E-Business Suite 12.
At Comcraft Services, I took over a stalled IMPACT ENCORE implementation and successfully completed the project across five Aluminium Group companies.
My systems work has always been closely connected to business processes and management information. The objective was not technology for its own sake, but better information, stronger controls, less duplication and more effective decision-making.
That same principle applies to AI and other modern tools: start with the business problem or process, then determine where technology can genuinely improve it.
Operations & General Management
My career has not been confined to finance.
At E.A. Match, my progression into Operations Manager and then General Manager gave me responsibility for manufacturing, purchasing, trading activities, workshop operations and business development.
Managing operating units directly provided a practical understanding of how decisions made in finance, production, procurement and sales affect one another.
That broader operational experience continues to shape the way I look at businesses today.
Management Information & Reporting
Throughout my career, I have focused on turning accounting and operational data into information that management can use.
At Pwani Oil Products, I developed management-information and exception-reporting systems for different levels of management.
At Comcraft Services, I designed management reports and improved information flows supporting management accounts, quarterly Board reporting, year-end closing and external audit.
The underlying principle was always the same: management information should help people identify issues, ask better questions and make decisions—not simply produce more reports.
Planning, Budgeting & Performance Management
At E.A. Match, I introduced formal budgeting and budgetary control together with concepts including Management by Objectives and Zero-Based Budgeting.
At Pwani Oil Products, I was involved in budgeting, cash-flow forecasting, capital-expenditure planning and strategic planning.
These disciplines remain relevant to business analysis today, but I now see them as part of the wider management process rather than as standalone finance activities.
Digital Business Experience
From 2012 to 2021, through Next Step Consulting, I developed practical experience in business promotion and digital communications.
This included promotional material, presentations, social-media campaigns, targeted Facebook advertising, websites, SEO and Google business listings.
Assignments included work for Nyali Centre and Shanker Electronics.
I also undertook voluntary work for Nyali Golf & Country Club, including the Have Your Say project, which gathered and presented members’ priorities for the club’s development.
Next Step Consulting is now a completed chapter of my career, but the experience broadened my understanding of how businesses communicate, position themselves and use digital tools.
Current Focus
I am now retired from full-time corporate employment but remain professionally engaged.
I work selectively with business owners, executives and management teams who would benefit from an experienced, independent perspective on:
- Business Performance Reviews
- Business Analysis & Strategy
- Information Systems & Process Improvement
I work primarily remotely from Kenya and can support businesses in Kenya, the UK and other international markets.
On-site involvement can be considered where genuinely necessary and practical.
I also publish business, management and technology commentary through Murtaza Insights.
Professional Background
I qualified as a Chartered Accountant with ICAEW earlier in my career.
My subsequent experience extended well beyond accounting into financial management, management information, systems implementation, manufacturing, operations, business development and general management.
I have the legal right to work in both Kenya and the United Kingdom.
Career Timeline
- 2026–Present
- Remote Business Advisor
- 2021–2026
- Retirement Break
- 2012–2021
- Lead Consultant — Digital Marketing & Business Promotion, Next Step Consulting
- 2011–2012
- Director — Value Chain Development, Pwani Oil Products Ltd
- 2004–2011
- Chief Finance Manager, Pwani Oil Products Ltd
- 1995–2002
- MIS Manager, Comcraft Services Ltd
- 1977–1994
- Accountant → Chief Accountant → Operations Manager → General Manager, E.A. Match Co. (K) Ltd
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