Chief Financial Officer

About dnata

dnata, part of the Emirates Group, is one of the world's largest and most trusted air services providers. With operations across 34 countries, dnata delivers world-class catering, ground handling, retail, and travel services.

dnata Catering Australia & Southeast Asia has undergone remarkable growth in recent years, expanding from $250M to $1B revenue in just three years and now employing more than 4,500 people across Australia and Singapore. The organisation provides catering and in-flight retail to the world's leading airlines and is a recognised leader in aviation services across the region.

With this rapid expansion, dnata is now focused on building a scalable, future-ready finance function to support ongoing growth. The CFO will be central to this journey, driving transformation, embedding governance, and shaping the regional finance strategy while balancing local delivery with global alignment.

About the role

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer, dnata Catering Australia & Southeast Asia, and will be a key member of the Executive Leadership Team. The CFO will also have a dotted reporting line to the Global Head of Finance in Dubai, reflecting the critical regional, global balance of this mandate.

This is not a steady-state finance role. The CFO will be responsible for transforming the finance function, modernising systems, embedding scalable processes and controls, and improving financial reporting to enable commercial insight and operational efficiency. They will oversee a team of 50 across Australia and Singapore (with additional shared services support in the Philippines) and will lead five direct reports, including the GM Finance, IT Manager, FP&A/Business Partnering Manager, and Payroll Manager.

In this role, the CFO will play a pivotal part in creating the "dnata way" of finance, standardising systems and processes across multiple geographies, enabling seamless integration of new businesses, and providing the strategic financial platform for dnata's continued regional growth.

As CFO, you will bring strong technical expertise, particularly in accounting, financial modelling, and financial reporting. You will be comfortable with change, able to work at pace, and capable of navigating and adapting to an evolving environment. Your strategic insight and commercial nous will enable you to effectively balance competing priorities while maintaining a focus on financial stability and growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a finance transformation agenda, including ERP integration and system modernisation.
• Build scalable processes, controls, and governance frameworks aligned to global standards.
• Provide timely, accurate, and commercially relevant financial reporting and analysis to support business decision-making.
• Partner with the Executive Leadership Team and Board to drive financial performance and sustainable growth.
• Support integration of new businesses and build a consistent "one finance" culture across the region.
• Oversee statutory reporting, compliance and audit in line with Dubai and local requirements.
• Lead, coach, and develop the regional finance team to build capability, accountability, and future-ready leadership.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and Executive Team, while building credibility and influence with Dubai's global finance leadership.

The Person

To succeed in this role, you will be an experienced, commercially astute finance leader with a proven track record of driving transformation in complex, multinational organisations. This is not a "steady state" CFO role, and it requires someone who thrives in environments of change, can set clear strategic direction, and is equally comfortable rolling up their sleeves to deliver hands-on solutions.

You will bring deep experience in finance transformation, including ERP systems, business integration, and building scalable processes. Ideally, you will have led finance teams across geographies and cultures, balancing global matrix reporting demands with regional priorities.

Equally important will be your ability to act as a change agent and cultural leader. You will need to be resilient, collaborative, and able to influence stakeholders at every level, from frontline operators through to the global finance leadership team in Dubai.

Your leadership style will be inclusive and empowering, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and performance excellence. You will have the capability to attract, retain, and develop high-performing finance talent while guiding existing teams through transformation.

Key attributes and experience include:

• Proven senior finance leadership in a complex, multinational, matrix environment.
• ERP-enabled transformation expertise — strong track record in leading finance technology, process automation, and system integration.
• M&A and integration experience, particularly embedding consistent financial processes across acquired or diverse businesses.
• Exposure to aviation, logistics, catering, or other high-volume, low-margin industries is highly desirable.
• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to partner with operations and commercial leaders to improve decision-making and profitability.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence and challenge constructively.
• Professional finance qualifications (CA, CPA, or equivalent) and tertiary qualifications in finance, commerce, or related disciplines.

The ideal candidate will be both a strategic thinker and a practical operator, able to manage ambiguity, balance competing demands, and deliver measurable results.

For a strictly confidential discussion, please contact Callan Raine at **. Alternatively, you can request a candidate pack by emailing 

To submit an application (CV and cover letter) please do so via the apply button.**