Katherine Jara

• Reports to the Director of Operational Finance, APAC, providing cross-border financial and asset management support across Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.
• Processes and maintains rental asset-related transactions, ensuring data accuracy and compliance with company procedures and financial regulations.
• Collaborates closely with the Assets Team (Australia) on the system management of rental stock, including updates.
• Reviews and verifies rental asset requests from all regional branches, ensuring proper documentation, purchase orders, and cost allocations align with approved CAPEX budgets.
• Maintains and updates finance and asset databases for each country.
• Assists in the development and implementation of finance and asset-related policies and procedures across the APAC region to drive process standardisation.
• Supports the management accountant in executing accurate and timely month-end financial processes and reporting.
• Responsible for the monthly stocktake results and reconciliation of hire fleet reports, ensuring the integrity of asset and financial records.

• Worked closely with the National Shared Services Manager on training, process optimisation, and policy enhancements to strengthen credit controls.
• Managed customer ledgers for New South Wales, Wollongong & Orange (previously managed VIC, QLD and WA)
• Successfully reduced aged debt by 80–90% through proactive collection strategies, consistent follow-ups, customer engagement, and effective dispute resolution.
• Negotiated settlements with debtors to recover outstanding balances while preserving client relationships.
• Escalated and directed complex customer issues to relevant internal teams to enable faster dispute resolution.
• Monitored high-risk accounts, quantified bad and doubtful debts, and provided accurate reporting and recommendations to the Credit Manager and senior branch personnel.
• Handled high-volume inbound and outbound calls relating to overdue accounts, payment arrangements, and general customer queries.
• Implemented process improvements that increased collection efficiency and reduced overdue accounts.
• Processed banking, credit card payments, allocations, completed reconciliations, reviewed credit applications, set up new service accounts and maintained customer records.
• Coordinated with multiple branches regarding disputes, credit requests and investigation of overdue accounts.
• Trained and mentored team members on debt recovery techniques, systems use, and customer communication best practices.
• Created comprehensive training materials for new hires, enhancing overall team knowledge and productivity.

• Implemented & complied with project management sales & order coordination process maximising invoicing opportunities.
• Ensured projected invoicing and order backlog top line and gross profit is accurately represented in the AS400 system & order coordination spreadsheet
• Provided accurate and timely answers to all stakeholder enquiries in a timely and courteous manner ensuring customer expectations are met and exceeded.
• Ensured all procedures related to the management of the invoicing of capital equipment are adhered to such as trade in, manual cheques, & lease application.
• Maintained accurate information in the AS400 system as well as the Lease Order Database.
• Ensured that the Order Coordinator database is maintained and accurate at all times for the Victoria branch.
• Actively coordinated sales activities with the Victoria branch and customers before, during and after sales process.
• Participated in training, knowledge and skill checks for Order Coordinators.

• Provided excellent customer service to all Corporate Client employees relocating into and out of Australia through the provision of administrative support and temporary accommodation booking.
• Efficiently handled and liaised with accommodation providers on any tenancy issues and complaints, proactively updates Mobility Advisors on tenancy issues and ensured all tenancy related issues are dealt with quickly and efficiently and escalate to account manager where required.
• Coordinated and handled research, booking, invoicing, billing and report preparation for the temporary accommodation requirements of corporate clients.
• Provided support to Mobility Advisors in the research and booking of all temporary accommodation in Australia and overseas in accordance with corporate clients’ budgets and transferees individual needs.
• Supports Mobility Advisors & Account Managers in admin follow-up on all services performed including the payment of invoices from suppliers and drafting of invoices to clients.
• Builds and maintains relationships with existing suppliers, actively seeks out new businesses and evaluate their offering in line with corporate client’s needs.
• Negotiated agreements with preferred suppliers to include net and commissionable rates.
• Managed database of preferred suppliers to include those in Australia and overseas. Reviews and signs booking agreements.
• Booked flights, organised car hire and accommodation & raises purchase orders for staff travel.

• Managed room inventory and allocation to optimize guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.
• Efficiently assisted Assistant Rooms Director, Front Office Manager & Duty Managers with administration duties such as replying to emails, handling guest requests and complaints, phone enquiries from guests or other departments within the hotel.
• Closely worked with Front Office Manager and Finance in terms of cancellations, billing, folio corrections & closing outstanding accounts. Coordinates with travel bookers and agencies in terms of guest’s method of payment.
• Provided administration support and assistance to Hotel Manager regarding booking requests for VIPs.
• Thoroughly checked daily arrivals ensuring billing instructions are updated and requests are actioned for leisure, corporate, online travel agents and wholesale bookings.
• Responsible for daily room inventory, availability and occupancy, managing room allocations and ensures guest preferences are accommodated.
• Prepared the daily rooming list for Qantas crew bookings.
• Communicated with Housekeeping and Sales in terms of room status and site rooms.
• Responsible for training Guest Service Officers and Team Leaders on Rooms Controller tasks.

• Processed group reservation information including rooming lists, resumes and billing requirements.
• Communicated and verified information with Events& Catering and Front Office relating to group arrivals.
• Provided administration support and assistance management relating to booking requests.

• Actively involved in the successful transition and re-branding from Four Points by Sheraton to Hyatt Regency Sydney before, during and after redevelopment and re-opening in December 2016.
• Actively participated in the team that led the successful transitioning process of reservations from Starwood Galaxy System to Opera PMS System.
• Responsible for maximising sales opportunities within the hotel by actively contributing to the hotel’s loyalty and room upselling programs.
• Ensured that all enquiries and bookings are carried out in an accurate and time effective manner in compliance to the company values, objectives and service commitments.
• Accommodated requests, enquiries, handled complaints of hotel guests & coordinated them with all concerned departments of the hotel. Responsible for training newly-hired associates.

• Actioned daily front office activities which involves answering busy switchboard, guest arrival and departure and making bookings for walk in guests.
• Conducted cashiering activities including reimbursement of petty cash, opening and closing cashiering shift, posting charges, adjustments, preparing guest invoices.
• Handled guest complaints and requests professionally, in compliance to the Starwood company values and service commitment.

AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.