Strategic Planning Consultant
Strategy Development • Performance Evaluation, Scorecards & Routines
End-to-End Long-Term & Annual Planning
Decision Support • Development & Prioritization Process Design • Adaptive Problem Solving
Extensive background developing, implementing, and measuring strategic and business planning initiatives and processes for Fortune 100 companies and non-profit organizations. Proficient in building organization-wide planning capabilities and knowledge needed to implement strategic planning priorities. Respected by peers for commitment to excellence, long-term vision, systemic thinking, and ability to build organizational consensus. Strong facility to empathize and work across cultures and functions, translating what is valuable and important to diverse stakeholders.
Languages: English, Serbo-Croatian, French, and Russian
Education:
Master of Business Administration, Emory University (1996)
Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (1992)
SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Established performance management routine for $4B division of The Coca-Cola Company, setting precedent for future routines. Developed a comprehensive scorecard and method for cascading measurement inputs and outputs across functions. Formed a complementary management routine that enabled leadership decision-making for both in-year and out-year focused discussions. Created supporting agendas, communications, and stewardship reports to facilitate results. The routine enabled the division to: deliver its annual plan closing the gap between the plan and actual performance, establish the next year’s priorities, implement a new business model, and improve division credibility among employees and corporate leadership.
Developed and implemented a new development process to guide investment decisions. Created a stage-gate process and decision making framework through which new products and services were evaluated for a new innovation group at The Coca-Cola Company. Created effective techniques for Go / No-Go decision making related to programs at each stage of the process. Designed screening criteria for each gate and monthly management routine to facilitate investment decisions across the total portfolio. The new capability significantly reduced development time, enabled development of more products and services, and became the benchmark process for innovation within the North American division.
Designed and applied strategic framework that aligned priorities across division’s functions. Facilitated agreement on key elements of new framework based on collectively defined criteria across functions that previously had their own basis for establishing priorities. Designed templates and process to solicit inputs and facilitate consistent outputs. Implemented framework throughout the organization, aligning divisional priorities and annual plans.
CAREER SUMMARY
Self-employed 2005 - Present
Clients include multi billion dollar global corporations as well as global and local non-governmental organizations.
Private Sector:
• Created a field-level planning capability for a multi billion dollar company to translate and implement brand plans into field-level sales plans, enabling strategic and cohesive planning of customer programs across more than 200 organizational decision points.
• Developed Green Strategies and facilitated competitive analysis for a large consumer electronics company, resulting in an improved approach to “cradle-to-cradle” life-cycle management and more sustainable, unique and consumer-driven product development.
NGO’s and Philanthropic Organizations:
• Led the strategic planning process for organizations to establish a roadmap for investment decisions, marketing and fundraising plans, and stewardship of results with stakeholders, resulting in increased support and investment.
• Resulting strategic plans have been board-approved, used to inform fundraising and annual work plans, and provided a compelling basis for a Case for Support to further increase foundation and donor investments.
• Developed and delivered marketing training to women’s start-up businesses across western Serbia as part of a USAID program.
The Coca-Cola Company, Fountain Division 1997 - 2005
Director, Planning & Performance Management
Manager, Strategy, Planning & Innovation Development
• Led the development of team members and defined the new team’s vision, roles, and work processes.
• Facilitated development and evolution of major division’s strategic framework, providing direction for annual leadership meetings and aligning priorities across functions.
• Developed division’s first business model by integrating a picture of the value chain with the division’s financial statements, that enabled Executive Committee to make improved investment decisions
• Developed planning processes and planning direction, including strategic, marketing, and financial templates that created a consistent and effective basis for reviews across the organization.
• Produced division-level strategic plan and led the development of hundreds of high-level and operating plans annually.
• Developed and implemented division-level measurement scorecard and supporting management routine.
• Developed and implemented planning process and management routine for Marketing and Innovation.
• Prepared performance briefings for executive staff and related organization-wide communications.
• Developed division’s strategic planning, operating planning, and performance management routines that addressed a 15% in profit variance across business units.
• Built innovation capability for new Marketing & Innovation group that was replicated more broadly across the company, including:
o investment and development process for new products, services, and programs
o screening criteria for investments to consider and ensuring relevance at each stage of development
o user tools to build and evolve business cases for each idea or investment
o tools to enable the leadership team to evaluate the effectiveness of the whole portfolio and contribution of each program
o linkage to strategic and annual planning process
o monthly management routine to facilitate Go / No-Go and related investment decisions
Product Manager, Operations
• Led cross-functional team responsible for authorizing customer-specific products.
• Increased profits for the company, its suppliers and customers by measurably improving the quality of products and services received from global suppliers. Led and delivered projects that reduced equipment Life Cost by $3MM.
Lockheed-Martin Aeronautical Systems Company 1994 - 1996
Product Manager
• Engaged customers to understand economic and operational needs. Produced design alternatives and assisted customers in selection process.
• Developed a cross-functional Integrated Product Team and facilitated coordination to outcome through mutual critical path analysis and defining common vision of success for the design
• Developed preliminary design of WC-130J aircraft that addressed unique customer needs within budget. Enabled on-time delivery of aircraft to customers by working across functions and critical production schedules at the preliminary design stage.
McDonnell Douglas Aerospace Corporation 1992 - 1994
Project Manager
• Translated customer needs into supplier requirements for procurement. Formulated bid packages, evaluated proposals, and supported negotiations for $75M in supplier proposals.
• Received commendation as outstanding contributor to F-15S Saudi proposal for creating a method to align government, company and supplier requirements.
OTHER INFORMATION
• The Association for Strategic Planning
• Member of the Teaching Faculty (Strategy and Implementation) at the Georgia Center for Non-Profits
• Extensive international travel and cross-cultural competence |
