ELSA TRAN
Huntington
Summary
Finance and Accounting professional with 10+ years of diverse experience in accounting, financial management, reporting, and systems implementation. Skilled in financial modeling, process improvement, and cross-functional project leadership, with a proven track record of delivering measurable results and driving operational excellence. Experienced in working overseas in multicultural environments, and in not-for-profit and grant-funded institutions.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief Accountant Cum Project Finance Manager
Fulbright University Vietnam Corporation
07.2022 - 06.2024
- Oversee all accounting operations, banking, tax filing returns, and financial reporting systems.
- Establish financial policies and procedures to ensure compliance with regulatory standards, donor requirements and enhance operational efficiency.
- In charge of the preparation of financial statements in accordance with VAS, IFRS, and US-GAAP standards.
- Manage financial reporting, compliance, and internal controls for U.S. Gov-affiliated grants (DOS, USAID) and other donor-funded activities at a not-for-profit institution, ensuring compliance with the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and multiple donor requirements.
- Design customized management reports, Excel and BI dashboards to provide insights for management decision-making.
- Build a 20-year financial model, facilitating the successful acquisition of a $37M foreign loan from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) for the construction of the University's flagship campus.
- Engage in the Due Diligence process for the above financing structure, resulting in successfully signing the Loan Agreement.
- Manage Loan Covenants and payments to contractors, effectively monitored the Construction Project's Cashflow.
- Reconciled balance sheets and streamlined best practices for balance sheet processes.
System & Reporting Analyst
Fulbright University Vietnam Corporation
03.2018 - 06.2022
- Part of the founding team: Lead various projects of development of key financial systems: MS365 Dynamics (Accounting & Finance); Payment System; E-Invoice; Online Payment Gateway (API connections with the banks)
- Design the Chart of Accounts for the Accounting System and System Configuration to align with the University's specific requirements and donor requirements.
- Serve as the accounting system administrator, providing comprehensive training to team members on software utilization.
- Create the 1st Billing tool using VBA coding, automating the distribution of Debit Notes & Payment Confirmations to students.
- Coordinate with other departments on many projects to build multiple systems for the University: Travel Apps, Billing System, Donor Management System, HRM system ...
- Pioneer in Student Loan Product: Collaborate with Asian Commercial Bank to develop the 1st Student Loan Schema tailored specifically for Fulbright University’s students.
Process Lead (Shared Service Center)
BOSCH Vietnam
09.2017 - 01.2018
- Doing Accounting Processes for the Malaysia Market (Shared Service Center - SSC)
Analyst (Shared Service Center)
Mercedes-Benz Group Services Philippines
02.2015 - 01.2017
- Doing Accounting Processes (P2P, O2C) and promoting collaboration and mutual understanding between the Shared Service Center (Philippines) and Mercedes-Benz in Vietnam.
- Contribute numerous ideas for the Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) program. Some of these ideas were awarded and adopted by APAC teams across regions (Korea, Australia, South Africa, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and more).
- Excel Trainer: Design the Training Program and train other teams to improve Excel Skills and automate their tasks.
Payables Accountant
Mercedes-Benz Vietnam
04.2014 - 01.2015
- Process full accounts payable cycle including invoice handling, payment, accounts reconciliation.
- Participate in SSC Project (Shared Service Center): migration of accounting processes from Mercedes-Benz Viet Nam in Ho Chi Minh City to Mercedes-Benz Group Services Philippines (SSC) in the Philippines.
Financial Analyst
San Miguel Brewery Vietnam
10.2012 - 07.2013
- Prepare bank reconciliations and record journal entries.
- Assist in preparing Financial Statements and Consolidation Package Reports.
- Perform month-end and year-end closing procedures.
- Join the Market Research Project for launching new product: collect data, visualize and analyze related market information for management decision.
Education
MBA - US
North Park University
M.Sc. - Finance
University of Economics HCMC
B.Sc. - Finance
University of Economics HCMC
ACCA - UK
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
Certificate of Chief Accountant - Vietnam
Certificate of Healthcare Management - University of Michigan
Skills
- Accounting Software: MS 365 Dynamics, SAP, Exact Globe
- Strong Analytical Skills
- Financial Modelling (both Corporate and Project Finance), Budgeting and Forecasting
Accomplishments
- MBA, North Park University | Graduated with Distinction (GPA: 4.0/4.0)
- At Fulbright: Consistently rated “Exceed Expectation”; and earned promotions twice
- “Star Performer” Award at Mercedes-Benz GS Philippines (Cebu City)
- “ROOKIE OF THE YEAR” Award at Mercedes-Benz GS Philippines (Cebu City)
- Performance Ranked: “Excellent Employee” at Mercedes-Benz Vietnam
- Graduated Master’s Degree with 1st honor.
- “UEH Excellent Assignment” Award at University of Economics HCMC
- VALLET Scholarships for Outstanding Achievement (awarded exclusively to the top-performing students in the city)
Timeline
Chief Accountant Cum Project Finance Manager
Fulbright University Vietnam Corporation
07.2022 - 06.2024
System & Reporting Analyst
Fulbright University Vietnam Corporation
03.2018 - 06.2022
Process Lead (Shared Service Center)
BOSCH Vietnam
09.2017 - 01.2018
Analyst (Shared Service Center)
Mercedes-Benz Group Services Philippines
02.2015 - 01.2017
Payables Accountant
Mercedes-Benz Vietnam
04.2014 - 01.2015
Financial Analyst
San Miguel Brewery Vietnam
10.2012 - 07.2013
M.Sc. - Finance
University of Economics HCMC
B.Sc. - Finance
University of Economics HCMC
ACCA - UK
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
Certificate of Chief Accountant - Vietnam
MBA - US
North Park University