About Teslim
Teslim is a Chartered Accountant (ACA) and Financial Data Analyst who believes numbers are not just figures on a page — they are systems of truth. When used well, they expose reality and guide better decisions. When used poorly, they can disguise risk, create illusions of profit, and quietly drain value.
My road to finance wasn't straight. I applied to study Accounting but was instead offered Human Resources. For many, that could have been the end of the story. For me, it was the beginning.
While completing my degree, I refused to be limited by circumstance. I pursued my real passion in parallel — working through AAT, advancing into ACA, and qualifying before graduation.
That decision taught me two lessons that continue to define my career:
- Careers aren't handed out neatly — they are built.
- Life is 10% of what happens and 90% of how we react to it.
These lessons shaped me into more than an accountant. I became someone who builds finance systems from the ground up — frameworks designed to test assumptions, expose reality, and give leaders clarity and confidence.
What I Do
Over more than a decade, I have worked at the crossroads of finance, accounting, and data analytics, helping organisations move from confusion to clarity:
As an Accountant and Finance Analyst, I built management reporting frameworks, implemented internal controls, and stabilised cash flows in businesses that were running blind.
As a Financial Data Analyst, I designed SQL ETL pipelines, developed Power BI dashboards, and applied statistical models that turned raw data into foresight and decision-ready insights.
As Treasurer of a UK-based charity, I introduced dashboards and controls that achieved 100% audit compliance, strengthening donor and trustee confidence.
I hold an MSc in Finance & Investment Banking (Distinction, Top 5%) from the University of Hertfordshire and have been recognised with the Harvard Business School Excellence Award (2024). My technical toolkit includes SQL, Python, Power BI, Xero, Sage, and financial modelling, bridging the gap between traditional accounting and modern data-driven finance.
In short: I don't just record numbers. I design systems that make them speak, guide, and shape the future.
The Stories Behind the Numbers
This blog is not about listing achievements. It's about telling the story of how I moved from recording transactions to transforming how businesses see, use, and trust their numbers.
Each chapter is a stage of that journey — building systems, restoring confidence, driving strategy, and ensuring governance.
These are not abstract ideas. They are lived experiences — moments where finance stopped being about reports and became the lens through which leaders saw the truth.
Ten Key Transformations
- 🏗️ Building Finance Systems from the Ground Up
- 📊 Forecasting That Leaders Could Trust
- 📆 Consistency in Month-End Reporting
- 🤝 Driving Non-Profit Transparency
- ⚡ Power BI That Managers Actually Use
- 📉 From Losses to Market Leadership
- 🗂️ From Spreadsheet Chaos to Trusted Insight
- 💼 Optimising Payroll and Forecasting
- 💰 Treasury as Strategic Function
- 💧 From Liquidity Panic to Confidence
Detailed Case Studies
Building Finance Systems from the Ground Up
The Challenge
When I first stepped into a fast-growing trading business, the numbers were telling two very different stories. The profit and loss reports looked promising, yet when I looked at the bank account, reality told a harsher truth: cash was consistently short.
The owner looked down at the figures, then up at me, clearly frustrated, and asked:
"If we're making a profit, why don't we have any cash?"
What I Did
- Designed a tailored chart of accounts, separating trade vs cash discounts
- Introduced bin cards and applied IAS 2 for correct inventory valuation
- Built a cash book and implemented approval processes
- Produced complete management accounts — P&L, balance sheet, cash flow
Impact
- Revealed receivables and obsolete inventory draining working capital
- Stabilised cash flow and aligned it with reported profits
- Shifted decisions from guesswork to fact-based strategy
From Losses to Market Leadership
The Challenge
Month after month, the reports came back in red. The survival strategy was cutting prices, but the irony was cruel — the more we sold, the more money we lost.
The COO leaned forward, frustration written on his face, and asked:
"If we're selling more, why are we losing more?"
What I Did
- Applied break-even analysis and introduced the margin of safety
- Identified unprofitable products and branches draining cash
- Partnered with marketing to redesign strategy with loyalty schemes and bundling
- Built branch dashboards for weekly break-even monitoring
Impact
- Profits rose 8% in one quarter, doubled by the second
- Branches once threatened with closure returned to profitability
- Positioned the company as a segment leader
From Liquidity Panic to Confidence
The Challenge
Staff were openly asking: "Are we shutting down?" Salaries felt insecure, loan renewals hung by a thread, and unpaid tax liabilities piled higher each month.
What I Did
- Built a receivables dashboard flagging chronic late payers
- Negotiated with overdue customers and incentivised early payments
- Staggered creditor payments to match inflow timing
- Presented transparent recovery plan to the bank
Impact
- Improved collections and stabilised liquidity
- Secured loan renewals and managed tax liabilities
- Restored staff confidence and trust in finance
Forecasting That Leaders Could Trust
The Challenge
Forecasting was little more than guesswork. One forecast predicted ₦500M; actual result was ₦420M. An executive challenged:
"If we keep missing this badly, why should we believe any forecast at all?"
What I Did
- Built SQL ETL pipelines for automated data processing
- Applied z-score analysis to remove outliers
- Introduced regression models and seasonality adjustments
- Created Power BI dashboards with variance analysis
Impact
- Year-end revenue exceeded ₦600M vs ₦420M baseline
- Executives shifted from debating accuracy to focusing on strategy
- Leadership confidence in forecasting was restored
From Spreadsheet Chaos to Trusted Insight
The Challenge
I sat in a meeting where two managers argued over debtor days — one said 45, the other insisted 60. Finally one asked:
"So which of us is correct?"
The real problem was "spreadsheet gymnastics": raw data cleaned manually in different ways by each department.
What I Did
- Implemented automated ETL pipeline replacing manual consolidation
- Standardised accounts, IDs, and business logic across departments
- Built structured SQL tables with reconciliation checks
- Integrated with daily-refreshed Power BI dashboards
Impact
- Report preparation time reduced by 80%
- Error rates fell by 30%
- Meetings shifted to acting on one trusted dataset
- Finance became a source of truth, not a bottleneck
Power BI That Managers Actually Use
The Challenge
I inherited Power BI dashboards nobody used. Refreshes failed, drill-downs froze. A manager tried pulling branch data, only for the system to lock up. Frustrated, he said:
"If I can't get the report in time, I may as well stick to Excel."
What I Did
- Re-engineered data model into clean star schema
- Implemented composite model balancing speed with large datasets
- Indexed keys and optimised data types
- Automated reliable refresh processes
Impact
- Reports loaded in under 15 seconds
- Full adoption achieved across the organisation
- Strategy meetings shifted to collaborative action
Consistency in Month-End and Board Reporting
The Challenge
Month-end felt like a race against time. The tension peaked when a board member sighed:
"Why do these reports keep changing after we've already seen them?"
What I Did
- Built structured close checklist mapped to IFRS and UK GAAP
- Standardised reconciliations with cut-off rules
- Took full ownership of P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow
- Designed board-ready financial packs
Impact
- Five consecutive years of on-time, error-free reporting
- Eliminated restatements, restored board confidence
- Shifted focus from accuracy debates to strategy
Optimising Payroll and Forecasting Accuracy
The Challenge
Small, persistent errors eroded trust. Payroll mistakes left staff questioning salaries. A team member summed up the mood:
"If we can't even get payroll right, how can we trust the forecasts?"
What I Did
- Introduced validation rules and automated reconciliations
- Built exception reports flagging anomalies
- Refined forecasting with cleaner datasets
- Implemented rolling forecasts with continuous updates
Impact
- Payroll errors reduced by 25%
- Forecast accuracy improved by 15%
- Finance's reputation strengthened organisation-wide
Driving Transparency in the Non-Profit Sector
The Challenge
As charity Treasurer, a board member asked:
"Can we prove, right now, that every restricted fund has been used exactly as intended?"
What I Did
- Separated restricted/unrestricted funds with full audit trails
- Built board-level dashboards showing reserves and programme spending
- Aligned statements with audit standards
- Oversaw external reviews
Impact
- 100% audit compliance with no qualifications
- Strengthened donor and trustee confidence
- Provided real-time visibility of charity's financial health
Transforming Treasury into a Strategic Function
The Challenge
Treasury was reactive back-office work. The CEO asked:
"How much cash do we actually have available today?"
No one could give a confident answer.
What I Did
- Built daily cash visibility dashboard
- Introduced rolling 13-week cash flow forecasting
- Optimised liquidity matching inflows with outflows
- Deployed surplus cash into safe short-term instruments
Impact
- Reduced borrowing costs and improved cash alignment
- Treasury moved from reactive to strategic
- Restored leadership confidence in financial resilience
Education & Credentials
- MSc, Finance & Investment Banking — University of Hertfordshire | Distinction; Top 5% of cohort
- ACA Chartered Accountant
- Professional Certifications: SQL, Python, Power BI, Xero, Sage
- Awards: Harvard Business School Excellence Award (2024)
Professional Philosophy
Finance, to me, is not about ticking boxes. It is about building systems that reveal the truth behind numbers and empower decision-making.
Core Values:
- Clarity — ensuring leaders see reality, not illusions
- Credibility — producing forecasts that are trusted, not doubted
- Growth — enabling businesses to scale with confidence
Every system I design — from a chart of accounts to predictive dashboards — serves one purpose: To help decisions become faster, smarter, and grounded in truth.