Ilyas Zhylkaidarov
@ilyaszhylkaidarov
Commercial Finance Manager driving cost optimization and data-driven finance transformation.
What I'm looking for
Commercial Finance and Financial Control Manager with 8+ years of experience across Big4 audit, FMCG and multi-market finance roles in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Expertise in budgeting, forecasting, commercial investment evaluation, distributor finance, financial governance, management reporting and process automation. Delivered measurable improvements including a 75% reduction in manual reconciliation effort, a 50% faster costing documentation process and a 20% shorter reporting cycle. Experienced in leading finance teams, partnering with commercial stakeholders and strengthening financial controls in complex business environments.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Commercial Finance Manager
JTI Kazakhstan
May 2024 - Oct 2025 (1 year 5 months)
Prepared comprehensive financial plans and budgets, introduced analytical metrics for cost structure optimization, and standardized costing for local/import/export SKUs, reducing processing time by 50% and improving cost approvals.
Commercial Finance Analyst
JTI Kazakhstan
Nov 2022 - Apr 2024 (1 year 5 months)
Automated monthly inventory reconciliation to cut manual work from 8h to 2h per cycle and contributed to financial plan preparation for the Kazakhstan market while introducing metrics to standardize expense tracking across markets.
Financial Manager
KazPetroDrilling
Nov 2021 - Jul 2022 (8 months)
Prepared financial and management reports for parent and subsidiaries, adjusted strategic and subsidiary plans to reduce cash burn by 15%, and led a team of 2 to improve process efficiency and reporting accuracy.
Senior Audit Specialist
Grant Thornton
Nov 2020 - Nov 2021 (1 year)
Led audit engagements for manufacturing and retail clients with turnover > USD 100M, ensured IFRS compliance, managed CFO-level communications, and mentored junior auditors to improve audit efficiency and quality.
Lead Audit Specialist
Grant Thornton
Nov 2019 - Nov 2020 (1 year)
Conducted audits of large corporate FMCG and manufacturing clients under IFRS, performed detailed variance analysis and reconciliations, and identified material misstatements prior to final reporting.
Audit Specialist
Grant Thornton
Nov 2018 - Nov 2019 (1 year)
Performed audits of large corporate clients in FMCG and manufacturing sectors under IFRS, preparing working papers and ensuring compliance with firm standards.
Audit Specialist
EY Kazakhstan
Sep 2017 - Apr 2018 (7 months)
Conducted IFRS audits for large corporate FMCG and manufacturing clients and prepared audit documentation in compliance with EY global standards.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
KIMEP University
Bachelor's degree, Corporate Finance
2013 - 2017
Bachelor's degree in Corporate Finance completed with coursework in finance, budgeting, and financial analysis.
Tech stack
Software and tools used professionally
Availability
Location
Authorized to work in
Job categories
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