Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Accomplishments
Timeline
Generic

Benita Budhram

Dacula

Summary

Hard-working supervisor with exceptional experience leading teams, delivering results, and exceeding expectations. Creative and motivated leader, adept at utilizing exceptional design and planning strengths to accomplish complex projects. Skilled in teaching new concepts and best practice strategies. Motivational leader and organizational problem-solver with advanced supervisory, team building and customer service skills. Experience stepping into roles and quickly making positive changes to drive company success. Focused on using training, monitoring and morale-building techniques to maximize employee engagement and performance. Strategic leader in management field known for high productivity and efficient task completion. Possess specialized skills in operational strategy, team leadership, and conflict resolution. Excel in communication, adaptability, and problem-solving to achieve organizational goals.

Overview

20
20
years of professional experience

Work History

Associate AR Manager

Schindler Elevator USA
01.2020 - Current
  • Manage an Accounts Receivable team of 15 collectors, including national accounts, across multiple states.
  • Train and lead all new AR supervisors.
  • Manage the customer refund cycle from the customer to the payment.
  • Set KPIs, monitor, and measure performance versus targets for each direct report.
  • Conduct formal reviews of performance, actions, collector notes, metrics, measurements, and KPIs.
  • Review monthly results for direct reports, and take appropriate actions to improve poor performance.
  • Monitor, track, and evaluate staff productivity in conjunction with performance.
  • Engage and assist in audit requests.
  • Provide weekly cash collection forecasts, and utilize critical thinking to improve cash collection and reduce bad debt.
  • Train new employees on accounts receivable for service and new installations on SAP, Schindler products, and Schindler policies, and ensure internal control policies are followed.
  • Identifies billing errors and determines the root cause; implements preventative measures as needed.
  • Create, change, and amend training manuals for AR use.
  • Explain Schindler's contract verbiage to collectors and customers for service and new installation.
  • Manage the legal collection department, including bankruptcy claims and accounts handed over for third-party collection.
  • Work with collection agencies to negotiate collection rates.
  • Liens – Monitor construction lien deadlines, and ensure liens and suits are filed promptly on delinquent clients, in accordance with state law and lien expiration dates.
  • Communicate with customers, field offices, contractors, architects, management companies, elevator consultants, and building owners to ensure prompt payment within contractually defined terms.
  • Provide the team with a course of action on poor-paying customers.
  • Communicate with internal project managers and management teams to resolve customer disputes, and ensure payments stay ahead of job progress to create a favorable cash flow.
  • Lead conference calls with collectors, customers, and district offices to resolve customer disputes, promote customer satisfaction, reduce DSO, and bad debt, and maximize cash flow.
  • Attend periodic construction meetings to understand job and operational issues that could hinder payment.
  • Authorize the release of partial, conditional, unconditional, and final lien waivers.
  • Work directly with the lien company to file liens on delinquent clients.
  • Implement new strategies for an overall increase in cash and a reduction in bad debt.
  • Review past-due AR caused by billing errors, and take appropriate measures as needed.
  • Investigate root causes, and assist in implementing actions to resolve billing issues.
  • Lead and implement AR's new automation and robot developments, and manage existing automation.
  • Utilize information technology to improve recoveries and reduce accounts receivables.
  • Manage and maintain the credit hold system for the Schindler AR department.
  • Credit Vet for new and existing clients.
  • Strategize and develop projects, in conjunction with Cash Applications, to minimize unapplied cash, and improve efficiencies.
  • Implementation, maintenance, and compliance of the Credit Policy.
  • Creation and implementation of AR SOPs.
  • Key user for the ERP system migration.
  • Manage new AR projects in collaboration.
  • Created monthly reports for senior management summarizing operational performance metrics.
  • Established and monitored KPIs to evaluate performance and identify areas for improvement.

National Credit Manager

Schindler Elevator Corporation
Johannesburg
06.2013 - 01.2020
  • Managed the AR department for South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Kenya.
  • Wrote and implemented standard operating procedures for credit personnel to maximize cash flow and minimize bad debt.
  • Monitored accounts for signs of fraud and nonpayment issues.
  • Referred delinquent accounts to the collections department or outside resources.
  • Conducted bad debt reviews.
  • Investigated and evaluated customers for creditworthiness and potential risk factors.
  • Streamlined processes for early identification of potential credit system, and monitoring problems.
  • Used Experian to perform credit appraisals, document verification, and loan approvals.
  • Negotiated settlements and payment terms with customers through interface meetings, emails, and conference calls.
  • Reduced past-due balances and bad debt by coordinating collection efforts with customer service, sales, and billing departments.
  • Collected data and performed trend and variance analysis to mitigate risk arising from bad debt.
  • Collaborated with management to evaluate credit strategies and develop improvements.
  • Devised collection recovery strategies to resolve customer issues and delinquent cases.
  • Recognized across the organization for diligence, accuracy, and contributions toward maintaining a positive cash position through problem resolution.
  • Reported key performance indicators to department heads for the management of positive cash flow, and to adjust credit risk policies and procedures.
  • Performed annual account credit limit reviews and credit increase review requests.
  • Developed strategies to expedite payments and customer resolutions.
  • Interacted with customers to resolve disputes in a professional manner.
  • Negotiated terms of repayment plans with delinquent customers.
  • Evaluated existing credit lines for existing customers as needed.
  • Maintained regular performance appraisals for subordinates through verbal, written and on-going review programs.
  • Tracked customer payment trends over time to identify areas for improvement.
  • Leveraged technology to improve the efficiency and accuracy of credit management processes.
  • Implemented new initiatives, which resulted in quicker payments and better turnaround times to resolve customer issues.
  • Managed and monitored corporate credit policies to minimize risk and ensure compliance.
  • Maintained updated knowledge through continuing education and advanced training.
  • Demonstrated strong problem-solving skills, resolving issues efficiently and effectively.
  • Coordinated preparation of external audit materials and external financial reporting.
  • Led, trained, and supervised credit department staff, promoting a culture of high performance and accountability.
  • Monitored economic trends and industry developments to proactively adjust credit policies.
  • Coordinated with sales and customer service departments to align credit policies with business objectives.
  • Developed credit policies and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable laws.
  • Created standard operating procedures and delivered training to credit personnel to improve operational efficiency.
  • Monitored customer payments to ensure adherence to contractual agreements.
  • Applied deep understanding of industry best practices and legal requirements to prevent critical incidents.

Branch Administrator, Credit Controller

Carrier SA, Diary
08.2005 - 12.2009
  • Invoicing on Syspro, Creating Purchase orders for Suppliers.
  • Processing supplier invoices for payment, Telesales, Internal Sales.
  • Ordering of stock Ex-JHB, transferring stock in/out of warehouse.
  • Sales support, ensuring customer's goods are delivered timeously & backorders are processed on Syspro.
  • Daily cashing up of money received.
  • Banking, postage & purchasing of stationary.
  • Assisting customers with the completion of new credit applications.
  • Issuing customer with Sales return notes, Ensuring credit notes are passed timorously.
  • Basic Credit Control Control Registers.
  • Booking of flights.
  • Management, Reason for Leaving : Transferred to Carrier Jhb Branch.
  • Full Credit control Function for 5 branches.
  • Reconciling of accounts.
  • Processing of Debtors Receipts.
  • Assisting with provision for bad debtors.
  • Allocation of cash receipts.
  • Phoning for overdue money.
  • Daily scrutiny and following up on overdue debtors.
  • Ensuring customer accounts are maintained constantly.
  • Collection of money based on preset targets.
  • Timeous Investigation Resolution and settlement of customer claims/queries.
  • Preparation of monthly debtor's overdue reports.
  • Preparation of cheque requisitions.
  • Monitoring of credit limits.
  • Opening of accounts.
  • Passing of credit notes.
  • Assisting with warranty claims.
  • Reason for Leaving: I was offered a better opportunity.

Education

Bachelor of Credit - Regulation and Compliance to Banking, Business Law, Business Management, Micro Economic, Accounting 1A

Milpark Education
South Africa
01.2020

Credit Management Diploma -

Institute of Credit Management of South Africa
South Africa
06.2012

Bookkeeping -

Damelin Correspondence College
06.2001

Skills

  • Priority management
  • Business Development
  • Negotiation
  • Training and mentoring
  • SAP experience
  • Automated and integration testing
  • Time and priority management
  • Collaboration and conflict solution
  • Project Management
  • Business development and critical thinking
  • Fundamental leadership
  • RPA Bot Automation and Implementation
  • Process flow mapping with swim lanes
  • Credit policy development
  • Performance evaluation
  • Process optimization
  • Data analysis
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Process improvement
  • Interpersonal relations
  • Coaching and mentoring
  • Program development
  • Communication skills
  • Cross-functional team management

Accomplishments

  • Schindler Excellence award, 2014
  • Schindler Excellence award, 2015
  • Schindler Strategy Award, 2024
  • Schindler Best Leader of The Year, 2024
  • Creation and implementation of Credit Policy in Schindler South Africa and Schindler USA
  • Creation and implementation of AR SOPS
  • Worked on various projects to improve collection activities.
  • Key User in Implementation of new ERP System Schindler South Africa and USA
  • Improvement cash collection and DSO on Failing areas.

Timeline

Associate AR Manager

Schindler Elevator USA
01.2020 - Current

National Credit Manager

Schindler Elevator Corporation
06.2013 - 01.2020

Branch Administrator, Credit Controller

Carrier SA, Diary
08.2005 - 12.2009

Bachelor of Credit - Regulation and Compliance to Banking, Business Law, Business Management, Micro Economic, Accounting 1A

Milpark Education

Credit Management Diploma -

Institute of Credit Management of South Africa

Bookkeeping -

Damelin Correspondence College

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Benita Budhram