UAE private school

A private school in the UAE faced financial, operational, and academic challenges affecting its sustainability, enrolment growth, regulatory performance, and overall investment value. Yemnak established and operated a centralised Owner's Office, acting on behalf of ownership to oversee the school's financial performance, operational controls, budgeting, procurement, strategic projects, and management priorities, combining CFO-level financial oversight, operational management, governance, and advisory support under one centralised structure.

• Ownership lacked consolidated visibility over financial performance, declining revenue, rising costs, operational priorities, and departmental spending.
• Budgeting, procurement, accounting controls, and operational processes required stronger SOPs and clearer accountability across departments.
• A weak ADEK rating and stagnant enrolment were reducing investment value, with no centralised owner-side function coordinating improvement initiatives.
• Management was highly centralised at school level and reliant on outdated infrastructure, limiting accountability and operational efficiency.
• Capital expenditure and operational projects required stronger commercial review, prioritisation, and monitoring before funds were committed.
• The COVID-19 pandemic further disrupted enrolment, financial planning, staffing, and resource allocation, requiring active owner-side management throughout.

Yemnak determined the school required more than individual financial or operational improvements. Ownership needed a centralised function connecting financial performance, budgeting, procurement, operations, academic objectives, regulatory requirements, and strategic projects. Yemnak's role developed into an outsourced Owner's Office and CFO function, providing continuous oversight while establishing the discipline required for sustainable growth.

• Established a centralised Owner's Office to oversee financial performance, operations, major projects, procurement, budgeting, and key priorities on behalf of ownership.
• Introduced and strengthened SOPs across budgeting, accounting, procurement, spending approvals, operational controls, and management reporting.
• Implemented an ongoing CFO function: budgeting and forecasting, performance reviews, financial analysis, cash-flow oversight, cost control, and reporting to ownership.
• Introduced department-level budgets and spending controls, making department heads accountable for expenditure against approved budgets.
• Implemented a standardised Local Purchase Order (LPO) process with commercial review of pricing, specifications, and budget availability before major purchases.
• Regularly reviewed performance to identify cost-saving opportunities, budget variances, revenue trends, and areas requiring intervention.
• Introduced balanced scorecards aligned with ADEK quality indicators, integrating academic, financial, and operational KPIs.
• Oversaw capital projects to ensure investments were commercially justified, and rebuilt the school's digital presence to support enrolment recovery.

• Valuation tripled and revenue nearly doubled between the 2016-2017 and 2022-2023 academic years, despite COVID-19 disruption.
• ADEK rating improved from Band B to Band A, supported by improvements in results, stakeholder satisfaction, facilities, and management performance.
• Ownership gained a single centralised office overseeing financial, operational, procurement, and strategic priorities.
• Department-level budgeting, spending controls, and LPO discipline reduced cost leakage and established stronger accountability.
• Regular CFO reviews and standardised SOPs provided clearer performance insights, budget monitoring, forecasts, and decision support.
• Major capital expenditure decisions became subject to structured financial, commercial, and operational review before approval.
• Enhanced digital presence and stronger stakeholder engagement supported enrolment interest and experience for students, parents, teachers, and staff.