Muhammad Fahad Riaz-
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/muhammad-fahad-riaz-43a29aa6/
Personal Profile
I am a chartered accountant gone rogue in pursuit of data science!
Working in various accounting and audit roles helped me to achieve the ACCA member status, as well as
aided in developing great interest towards the fast-approaching data-driven era. This instigated my next
challenge in the form of a master’s degree, specializing in business analytics. Since then, I have founded
Maglytic, a brand which takes companies from dirty data to hefty profits by leveraging various data science
techniques.
Education
MSc Business Analytics and Finance from University of Southampton, UK (2018/19)
1. Received the Dean’s list academic award
2. Winner of Karsun Analytics Hackaton
ACCA Member – courses taken from Phoenix Financial Training, Dubai (2012/15)
Cleared all papers in the first attempt
BSc in applied accounting from Oxford Brookes University, Dubai (2012/15)
Professional Experience Highlights
Maglytic – Data Science Simplified! {Dubai, UAE} / Founder & Managing Partner
September 2020 - Present
My responsibilities at Maglytic Include:
➢ Data governance & ensuring ethical practices
➢ Assuring team motivation & career development
Areas of expertise:
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AI & machine learning
Deep-dive analytics
Robotic process automation
Predictive analytics
Data Visualization
➢ Taking on the CTO role
➢ Defining vision & strategy
Industries Disrupted:
➢ Audit & accounting
➢ Retail
➢ Food and beverage
Entrepreneurial traction:
➢ Invited as a speaker by the University of Southampton (UK), IBA (Pakistan), and ACCA ME
➢ Invited by head of business insights (ACCA UK) for a discussion around AI & Ethics:
https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/professional-insights/technology/ai_ethics.html
➢ Reviewed the “machine learning for finance professionals” course for ACCA
➢ Interviewed by the Accounting and Business magazine:
https://abmagazine.accaglobal.com/global/articles/2021/jun/practice/the-view-from-muhammad-fahadriaz-acca.html
➢ Interviewed by the Gulf Today newspaper: https://www.gulftoday.ae/business/2021/07/23/expo-2020dubai-would-add-more--flavour-to-uaes-economic-growth
Ford Motor Company {Essex, UK} / Consultant – Data Analyst & Simulation Engineering
June 2019 - August 2019
I was brought in as an independent consultant to solve their machine maintenance problem through predictive
analytics. Successfully completed the project and in the process, a research gap was identified which was further
investigated in partnership with my university, as there is potential for a publication.
Project highlights:
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Investigated the data dump consisting 0.3 billion rows of data, to generate insights,
Conducted exploratory & diagnostic analytics,
Carried out exhaustive research & data preparation,
Combined neural networks with time series to predict machine failure in advance,
Developed a model in Alteryx that transformed the raw data & generated fault predictions.
Chalhoub Group {Dubai, UAE} / Associate Accountant – Reporting team
May 2017 - September 2018
My duties and responsibilities at Chalhoub Included:
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Monthly closing and reporting of 2 entities to the finance manager,
In-charge of control self-assessment (CSA) reporting to the group CSA team,
Handling the audit from start to finalization (provide data, prepare FS, attend meetings, etc.),
Handling prepaid rent for about 300 stores (monthly amortization, liaise with legal department, etc.),
Sajjad Haider & Co. {Dubai, UAE} / Audit Associate
November 2015 - April 2017
My duties and responsibilities at SHC Group Included:
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Carrying out complete audits, from the planning stage up to the final reporting,
Liaising with the client directly to resolve issues and successfully complete audits,
Prepare financial statements and analytical reviews,
Review work of others to identify misstatements and errors,
Assisting my audit team/juniors/managers with any tasks required,
KPMG {Dubai, UAE} / Audit Intern
January 2015 - April 2015
SKILLS
Technical
Professional
Social
-Python
-Prefer taking a lead
-Played for Sajjad Haider & Co.’s
-SAS
-High attention to detail
football and cricket team
-Alteryx
-Planning & organizing
-Tableau
-Enjoy fruitful conversations
-Google Data Studio
-Microsoft Office
-Microsoft Dynamics NAV
Languages – native level
-Simul8
-English
-Research & Reporting
-Urdu
-With the help of a few colleagues,
introduced weekly football for the
accounting team at Chalhoub Group