Senior Specialist – Supply Chain Planning | Inventory Optimization | Advanced Analytics
About Me
Analytical and solutions-driven Senior Planning Specialist with 18 years’ experience in the petrochemical industry across crude planning, integrated margin, demand planning, supply chain optimisation, and business analytics. Recognised for designing and improving advanced planning models, reducing working capital, and enabling strategic decision-making through high-quality insights. Combines deep supply chain expertise with strong technical capability in Power BI, Power Query, SQL, and Python. Adept at developing end-to-end planning tools, forecasting models, and optimisation frameworks that enhance operational efficiency and financial performance.
Skills
PythonSQLData AnalysisCross Functional CollaborationStakeholder ManagementStrategic PlanningForecastingPower BIOptimizationDashboard DevelopmentStatistical ModelingBusiness AnalyticsAdvanced ExcelFinancial ForecastingProcess MappingVBAdemand planningPower QueryS&OP
Education
BComm (Hons), Operations Research
BSc, Mathematical Sciences – Operations Research & Applied Mathematics
Diploma, Business Analysis
Experience
Lead crude planning, inventory optimisation, and financial forecasting processes to support refinery operations, working capital management, and strategic decision-making. Owned the 24-month rolling crude purchase and inventory plan, managed arrival scheduling and supply risk, designed planning tools using Excel and SQL, produced SOX audit reports, delivered margin forecasts, and created Power BI dashboards.
Supported enterprise profitability strategy by analysing product, customer, and channel margins across the value chain and proposing optimisation opportunities to senior management. Led customer and product profitability analysis including ROIC, built marketing channel optimisation and import/export models, and delivered integrated margin and pricing inputs for S&OP and Group Planning.
Led end-to-end monthly demand planning for the business, ensuring reliable forecasts and actionable insights. Conducted statistical forecasting, seasonality analysis, and demand-shaping strategies, assessed price impacts on sales volumes, designed a short-term demand shaping process, and provided end-user training on the demand planning system.
Managed raw material inventory and long lead-time purchasing for the Sasol Cobalt Catalyst Business. Balanced final product demand with production plans, oversaw metals supply and reconciliation, delivered S&OP processes and planning audits, and coordinated with counterparts in the Netherlands for precious metals transfers.
Produced supply chain management and EXCO reports, enforced supply chain governance and compliance, supported documentation of supply chain processes and standard operating procedures, ensured Procure-to-Pay compliance, and supported training and system implementations.
Conducted business optimisation projects across Sasol, developed SCOR-aligned process documentation, supported supply chain optimisation projects through process mapping, data gathering, analysis and documentation, and built a relational database for functional excellence reporting.