Khalil Rehman
Oracle Financials Track
Khalil has over 18 year’s functional experience with Oracle Applications having started out in the late 1980’s with Oracle General Ledger and Accounts Payables. His in depth knowledge of the Oracle Applications makes him an expert in every sense. He has implemented over 18 different applications in over 54 projects across 14 different countries worldwide. Khalil has spearheaded some of the largest Shared Service Centre projects in the last 7 years.
He is an accomplished technical author and has written articles on accountancy and Oracle Applications since the early 1980’s. Khalil is a member of Oracle’s white paper panel and regularly reviews the latest trends on behalf of Oracle.
Khalil can be contacted by email at khalil.rehman@oraclecontractors.com
Khalil took time out to answer our “top ten” questions!
How many years of Oracle Apps experience do you have?
A: I started in 1988 so this will be my 19th year.
How did you come to work with Oracle Apps?
A: I got asked to work on a project team representing the finance community. I received all the training going and done such a great job for the year the project lasted that I no longer had a viable role to return to once we had implemented the modules. Soon after I got head hunted to do some work or Unisys in the Nordics. The rest is history, have suitcase will travel.
When did you become an Oracle Contractor?
A: I first became a contractor in 1990, when I worked for the British Arm of a Saudi Consultancy.
What is the most enjoyable part of your work?
A: I love meeting new people and seeing the joy in creating something tangible out of chaos. Having done over 54 projects you may think you’ve seen everything but I still get simple fun by continually learning (and sharing) something new each day. For the last few years I have enjoyed dealings at senior government levels (Cabinet Office UK), Ministerial level (Pakistan) and Royal Family (Saudi). These chaps have helped me to drop some of my preconceptions about the snobbery I may face and found them very open to best practice advice.
What is the least enjoyable part of your work?
A: The office politics, the big rumour is that as a contractor somehow all of this should by-pass you. In reality it doesn’t.
What has been the most satisfying project you have worked on and why?
A: I had a blast of a time with American Bureau of Shipping. I went on a mini European tour with Malcolm the FD implementing General Ledger, ADI, Accounts Payables, Accounts Receivables, iTime and Projects in 4 countries within 12 weeks. We often didn’t know where we were or who we were seeing.
The friendliness and openness I saw in Greece and France on that project was fairly rare. Everyone rolled up their sleeves and took a “Can-do” approach. All too often we find in the UK that people will spend months coming up with excuses on why they can’t do something, when the same effort could have been productively used to achieve project goals.
Which consultant / contractor have you learnt the most from / enjoyed working with the most and why?
A: Tariq Rehman has been my mentor from the start. He managed me at BP Oil and we have worked together at DTI, PWC and Vodafone. I am always amazed at how he managed such complex projects. He’s not an accountant but always understood concepts really quickly.
What do you see happening in Oracle Apps as we move towards “Fusion”?
A: I believe fusion will be used by governments worldwide to help create Shared Service Centres to drive down the costs of providing public services.
What are the hot topics in your area of expertise?
A: Shared Service Centres planned in the UK for the next 5 years and how they will affect all UK citizens. Why large projects fail. How to get the best out of contract staff. Outsourcing Latest Financials, Procurement and HRMS initiatives.
What do you do when you are not working?
A: My interests are teaching martial arts, watching Pakistan play cricket live around the world in between projects and spending time with my beautiful kids.
