Multi-Faceted Global Executive: Chief Financial Officer with extensive financial, operational and strategic experience in public and privately held companies in the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Successfully migrated skills across multiple industries including: Manufacturing, Retail, Consumer Goods, Distribution, Professional Services, and Biotechnology.
Engaging Leader: who leads by example, energizing the organization to achieve the corporate goals through a blend of personal humility and commitment.
Business Catalyst: who charts strategic direction, communicates vision, identifies milestones and measures, and executes action plans, achieving sustainable revenue and profitability growth.
" Member of the team credited with growing sales from $200 million to $1 billion over a 5 year period. " Prioritized and expanded product and customer segments achieving a $1.1 million increase in gross margin. " Realized $12 million in acquisition synergies in a complex multi-country acquisition. " Developed strategies and operating plans across multiple industries resulting in double digit revenue growth, and sustainable profitability. " Awarded the annual Staples Partnership Award for working across departments, business units, and cultures.
Professional Experience
THE CONSILIUM PARTNERSHIP, LLC, Madison, Wisconsin 2007-2010 & Present CFO Services, Coaching, Strategy & Business Alignment.
Partner Working with organizations to help elevate their Business and Team to sustainable success through Planning, Leadership, and Execution.
" Coach clients through strategic planning processes; establishing clear implementable objectives - a client company achieved a 100% increase in EBITDA, and substantially improved cash flow. " Requested by client (The Douglas Stewart Company) to be their Chief Financial Officer to drive diversification and improve operating performance. " Provide divestiture support to privately held entities, with active involvement with potential buyers. " Assist companies in realigning business processes, management practices and behavior to support the goals of shareholders and exceed customer expectations. " Participate as an active Board member on client organizations. " Supported the rebuilding of a company that experienced a major fire and environmental issues in its manufacturing and distribution plant coordinated activities with insurance, environmental, and governmental agencies. Business successfully achieved fiscal operating and financial plans.
THE DOUGLAS STEWART COMPANY, INC., Madison, Wisconsin 2010-2012 Distributor of consumer electronics, computer hardware, software and supplies to educational resellers and retailers.
Chief Financial Officer and Retail Segment Leader Recruited to help drive diversification in customer and vendor base away from a heavy reliance on software, and develop strategies for long term sustainable profitability. Led the global finance, information technology, operations, risk management functions, and retail segment; supporting sales and distribution in the US, Canada, and Europe.
" Built the Retail Segment prioritizing the business on higher margin product, greater depth within product categories beyond software, and the expansion of the customer base, resulting in a 37% increase ($1.1M) in gross margin in FY12. " Initiated the focus of the company to connect with its customer base and end-users understanding and anticipating customer/end-user and product trends through defined customer segments and market research techniques. " Implemented daily sales and margin reporting focusing sales and product management teams on managing margin on a timely basis, achieving a 29% increase in total company gross margin on flat FY12 revenues. " Guided the company through the disciplines of strategic planning and long-range planning, and the prioritization of operating objectives establishing measurement criteria, and business decision support for analysis of short and long term initiatives. " Engaged the finance and information technology departments with the operations of the company through improved cross-functional communication, clear strategy, and having the teams reach-out to the business. " Worked with the Companys bank to re-align its borrowing base to meet business requirements, implemented quarterly detailed financial and operational reviews to ensure complete transparency, with no surprises.
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ABS GLOBAL, INC., Madison, Wisconsin 2004-2006 International leader in bovine genetics, bovine reproduction and biotechnology advances.
Chief Financial Officer Recruited to provide leadership and consistency to the Finance and Information Technology teams located in the Companys ten operating countries. Led global finance, information technology, legal and risk management functions; supporting sales and manufacturing operations in North and South America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.
" Achieved a company record of 22% increase in Operating Profit, and a 26% improvement in Working Capital in FY06 by developing and driving strategic and operational plans, and increasing the level of accountability and visibility to financial and operational metrics. " Implemented monthly Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow forecast process across the operating divisions. " Instigated improved rigor and controls for capital expenditure planning and commitment. " Developed and implemented global accounting policies and procedures, promoting consistency and compliance, aligning internal controls with the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley; and alignment with IFRS. " Restructured finance organization, increasing focus on internal control procedures and business decision support analysis; implemented improved financial reporting, including KPIs. " Led the successful acquisition efforts on 6 deals in multiple territories by performing due diligence reviews, preparation of acquisition proposal papers, negotiation of price, and the development and execution of integration plans.
STAPLES, INC., Framingham, Massachusetts 1996-2003 Office Products Superstore: Retail, E-commerce, Catalog, Contract & Commercial. Chief Financial Officer & VP Finance - Europe, Belgium (1997-2003) Promoted and relocated to Europe to stabilize and build a foundation for growth outside North America. Led European finance, legal, risk management and strategy functions; supporting retail stores, catalog, and e-commerce operations.
" Contributed to the expansion of the European retail and catalog businesses increasing profitable sales from $200 million to $1 billion, and an improvement in EBIT in excess of $60 million. Established Staples as the largest office superstore concept in Europe. " Achieved overall business synergies in excess of $12 million through the successful integration of business acquisitions in Germany, The Netherlands, and Portugal. " Evaluated and implemented information system applications improving business processes and reporting in merchandising, supply-chain, financials, point-of-sale, and call-center front-end systems. " Reduced direct operating costs in the UK and Germany by $8 million through operations improvements in retail stores and catalog including: labor modeling, operations manual development and compliance, and shrink control activities. " Led the strategic and long-range process for Europe, defined operating plans, objectives and goals enabling both local and international management teams to achieve established targets. " Implemented a European tax structure (in conjunction with Ernst & Young) designed to provide significant tax savings on future European profits. " Integrated financial reporting and improved overall control environment across multiple countries and business units.
Vice President and General Auditor, Staples, Inc., Framingham, Massachusetts (1996-1997) Recruited to establish the internal audit department as a value-added business partner, and leader at identifying and implementing key business and operational controls throughout the company.
" Repositioned the department as a respected and valued contributor to the corporation. - Benchmarked world-class internal audit departments, identified and implemented audit guidelines and best practices. - Recruited and developed talented associates who could move into other functions when and if required. - Developed and implemented performance measurement criteria for audits and audit associates. " Conducted an internal control evaluation defining 4 mega processes and 24 major processes to which the business could evaluate and manage risk on a global basis.
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THE FORUM CORPORATION OF NORTH AMERICA, Boston, Massachusetts 1989-1996 International training and consulting firm with operations in the North America, Europe, and Hong Kong. Corporate Director - Finance and Operations Recruited to support the growth of the consulting division of the company, responsibilities grew to encompass both financial and operations management for domestic and international divisions.
" Re-engineered and improved business processes and practices. - Reduced customer order cancellations by 75% and improved revenue velocity by designing and implementing a new customer order and revenue management process. - Integrated new business performance metrics to more reliably manage future business activity. - Reviewed time utilization of professional staff resulting in clarified responsibilities and improved bill-out of time. " Reduced office lease expense by $2 million by renegotiating leases and relocating offices. " Worked closely with banks and shareholders to secure and reposition the Corporations funding requirements. " Established product and service distributor relationships in the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Korea, Finland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, and New Zealand. " Proposed and negotiated innovative pricing strategies and agreements for complex client engagements, and managed contract negotiations. " Project Leader and Consultant for complex, multimillion-dollar contracts delivered in the United States, Latin America, and Europe.
ERNST & YOUNG, Melbourne, Australia and London, England 1981-1988
Senior Manager - Audit and Corporate Services, Melbourne, Australia Manager - Corporate Advisory Services, London, England
" Managed a team of 25 audit and corporate professionals and a portfolio of over 50 clients. " Diverse client base including: Manufacturing, Retail, Travel, Financial Services, Health Care, Construction, Not-For-Profit Organizations, Government and Municipalities. " Selected as the Australian Representative (1986-1987) for the Ernst & Young International Exchange Program. " Developed and presented internal training programs across Australia. " Responsible for acquisition reviews, due diligence and litigation support services.
Education and Affiliations
Bachelor of Economics, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia Chartered Accountant (CPA equivalent), The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia
Board Participation
Columbus Chemical Industries, Inc. Financial Executives International Middleton and Yahara Soccer Club Skyline Soccer Club |