Patrick Hilal

Internal audit, risk and controls leader with 17+ years of experience spanning corporate internal audit, external audit and financial advisory. Nearly eight years of corporate internal audit leadership across automotive, medical, pharmaceutical, energy and service operations in Lebanon and the UAE. Proven record leading teams, delivering end-to-end risk-based audits, investigating irregularities, strengthening controls and advising senior management.

Combines deep operational-audit expertise with IFRS, ISA, donor compliance and change-management experience.

Audit Supervisor at HLB Fiducia P.C.C. (2026-02 – Present)

• Lead approximately 12 audit engagements across communications, real estate, FMCG, car rental and retail; supervise junior auditors and direct planning, task allocation, risk assessment, fieldwork review, financial-statement review, reporting and management letters.
• Evaluate accounting, taxation, reconciliations, receivables ageing and internal-control processes in line with ISA, IFRS and Lebanese regulatory requirements, communicating findings and practical recommendations to partners and client management.
• Design and implement a digital document-control and archiving system that converts paper files into coded, searchable records, reduces printing and physical storage, strengthens audit trails and improve file retrieval; drove adoption through hands-on change leadership.
• Contribute to business development by identifying prospective clients, preparing proposals and assessing engagement feasibility.

Audit Supervisor at Moore Lebanon & Iraq (2023-01 – 2026-01)

• Managed approximately 25 engagements annually across Lebanon and Syria, leading junior auditors and serving NGOs, UN-funded and other donor-funded programs, media and advertising, F&B, communications and industrial-manufacturing clients.
• Directed the full engagement lifecycle from planning and risk assessment through fieldwork, working-paper review, financial reporting and closeout; presented findings to partners and client management and issued management letters with actionable recommendations.
• Was part of a team that standardized audit working-paper formats and core procedures across engagement teams, strengthening consistency, reviewability and audit-quality control.
• Assessed financial reporting, internal controls, regulatory compliance and donor requirements, identifying control weaknesses and supporting management in strengthening corrective actions.

Independent Audit & Financial Consultant at ALAM Bureau for Accounting & Audit / Independent Practice (2020-09 – 2022-12)

• Advised approximately 30 clients across PVC and wood manufacturing, car rental, F&B, FMCG, travel and outsourcing, delivering financial audits, reporting, taxation and internal-control reviews.
• Partnered with owners and senior management to reduce financial and reporting risks using QuickBooks, Dolphin, Wizard, Profiles and client-specific ERP systems.

Senior Internal Auditor at F.A. Kettaneh S.A. (2015-12 – 2020-03)

• Led delivery of the annual risk-based audit plan across five divisions and 11 locations in Lebanon and the UAE, completing 100% of planned assignments and team KPIs on schedule.
• Supervised junior auditors through planning, fieldwork, evidence review, reporting and action-plan follow-up; presented findings to the Internal Audit Director and senior management and tracked implementation of corrective actions.
• Executed end-to-end automotive audits covering vehicle sales through pre-delivery inspection, spare parts, inventory and stock transfers, workshop billing, warranty claims, procurement, cash and treasury, credit and receivables, after sales commissions, fixed assets, manufacturer requirements and ERP access controls.
• Directed inventory verification across all divisions in Lebanon and the UAE; identified stock discrepancies, poor inventory rotation, obsolete items, warehouse-access weaknesses, parts mishandling and theft risks, and recommended stronger inventory and loss-prevention controls.
• Conducted whistleblower-triggered and management-requested investigations into suspected fraud and operational irregularities, supporting the recovery of monetary losses across multiple incidents.
• Redesigned cash collection-to-cashier controls, procurement and logistics workflows, overstock analysis & controls, quarterly credit and receivables monitoring, embedding red flags, ageing analysis, secure cash-handling requirements and documented risk assessments adopted by management.
• Strengthened fixed-asset accountability through barcoding and physical counts and supported regional stock-count and financial-audit assignments in the UAE.

Internal Auditor at F.A. Kettaneh S.A. (2012-07 – 2015-11)

Internal & External Auditor at Fares Saadeh Bureau (2009-01 – 2012-06)

• Built a strong foundation in external audit, accounting, taxation and internal-control reviews, completing full audit assignments efficiently across a diverse client portfolio.

Bachelor of Science in Finance – Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) (2007)