Six Sigma Project

Professional Experience

Innovation Ads - New York, New York 2008 - Present

Sr. Vice President-Finance and Metrics

A leading interactive marketing and enrollment management services company

specializing in online education. Identified by Entrepreneur magazine / PWC

"Hot 100" - '05, '06.

. Re-designed entire financial close and reporting processes increasing

accuracy, establishing accountability and reducing close cycles times

by 50%.

. Designed, developed and distributed daily gross profit flash reporting

with robust drill down capabilities.

. Developed and designed "one version of the truth" divisional financial

accountability measurements and instituted weekly performance

management reviews.

. Developed robust financial and operational support tools and models

used to drill down into current performance and project future

performance.

. Created covenant compliance reporting tool and process documentation,

increasing accuracy and reducing preparation time by 75%.

. Provided leadership role in re-designing key business process,

budgeting, reporting, and billing/invoicing.

. Key advisor to CFO and CEO providing input on various business

matters.

Warner Music Group - New York, New York 2005 - 2008

Vice President-Royalties, Compliance and New Media, 2006 - Present

Earned fast-tracked promotion by one of the world's premier music companies

operating celebrated labels including Atlantic Records, Warner Bros.

Records and Rhino Records with annual revenue exceeding $3 billion and over

4,000 employees to lead the Sarbanes Oxley and digital efforts for U.S.

Royalties.

. Designed and developed "definable and repeatable" Sarbanes Oxley

compliant processes to provide royalty finance with digital unapplied

royalty details resulting in faster and more accruate recording of

accruals (in excess of $50 million).

. Designed and developed unapplied royalty databases, metrics and

analytics for all labels, providing Sr. Management with critical

visibility into the behavior of digital unapplied royalties.

. Championed digital royalty system user group to share best practices

across labels, identifying functionality requirements and determining

consistent, efficient and effective methods of processing; resulting

in the reduction of digital unapplied royalties (over $12 million).

. Led the effort to re-use and upload existing ring-tone rate

information into the digital royalty system to prevent digital

unapplied royalty balance from growing ($10 million) and avoid cycle

time delays (manual re-keying of data).

. Championed process documentation, financial risk assessment, and

remediation efforts for all labels leading to the removal of a

Sarbanes Oxley material weakness.

. Drove cross-label communication effort to share best practices and

reduce aged unapplied copyright royalty payable (over $1 million).

Sr. Director-Royalties, Sarbanes Oxley Compliance, 2005 - 2006

. Designed and developed "definable and repeatable" processes to produce

key royalty performance metrics (unapplied royalties, applied

royalties) and analytics for all labels (artist and copyright), which

previously did not exist.

. Developed desktop automation tools and databases (Excel, Access) which

enabled royalty finance to reduce cycle times and provide enhanced

analyses.

. Developed Excel tools which allowed for more accurate royalty

processing of ring-tone sales (in excess of $10 million), and

significantly reduced cycle times (from greater than six months to

less than one week).

. Using existing technology, created a royalty "SharePoint" site,

enhancing the royalty / business affairs collaboration while reducing

statement approval cycle times and e-mail volumes.

. Solely drove and successfully completed Sarbanes Oxley "Access

Reasonableness Project" for all royalty systems, reducing system risk,

through a consistent and controlled approval process.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts - White Plains, New York 2000 - 2005

Sr. Director, Financial Planning - Technology Office, 2003 - 2005

Promoted to lead the financial team for Starwood's Technology office and

provide financial support to the Chief Technology Officer.

Responsibilities included providing financial measurements, forecasts,

planning/budgeting for the over 300 persons, $120 million organization.

. Defined, managed and implemented new processes to develop annual

expense budget, monthly forecasting and associated chargeback. As a

result, internal Technology office customers gained insight into their

actual support costs, bringing increased clarity to the decision

making process.

. Re-engineered general ledger to enable the ability to produce actual,

budget and forecastded technology support chargeback invoices to

internal Technology office customers ( $88 million).

. Led project to develop and implement consistent time tracking

disciplines and reporting, providing internal customers with the

support effort of KTDO (keep the doors open) and enhancement (expense)

services.

. Managed a remote staff of four professionals.

Six Sigma Black Belt - Hotel Centralized Services, 2002 - 2003

Selected as 1 of 12 people across all of Starwood's divisions as a member

of high profile, cross-functional project team to review and change the

fees charged to Starwood properties. Had overall project management

responsibility for the data effort and developed detailed fee models and

support databases.

. Developed and maintained a database of ALL Starwood fees charged to

properties for years '01 and '02, providing for the first time a

complete view of fees charged to ALL properties which was the basis

for ground breaking ownerhship and competitive set comparisons.

. Created a dynamic and robust financial model used to forecast Starwood

Reservation fees ($150 million) leading to recommendations which

resulted in a reduction in fees to the properties.

Six Sigma Black Belt - (Starwood Technology and Revenue Systems, 2001 -

2002

1 of 10 selected black belts for Starwood's pilot Six Sigma effort.

Successfully completed required Six Sigma training (leading teams/change

management, DMAIC, and advanced DMAIC tools), 3 DMAIC projects and numerous

quick hit projects.

. Managed "increase e-mail collection of SPG enrollment project"; this

quick hit project resulted in generating over $300k in revenue and

$100k in cost savings over the company's 150 properties.

Director, Financial Planning - (Starwood Technology and Revenue Systems),

2000 - 2001

Successfully re-engineered budget process, created forecasting processes

(Reservations $100 millions and Loyalty $100 million) and developed

management reporting disciplines.

. Re-engineered budget process through desktop automation, resulting in

shorter cycle times and eliminated reliance on back-office operations

(Phoenix, AZ).

. Created and maintained a forecasting process using desktop technology

and existing SAP functionality, a first for the headquarters division.

. Led a team of six professionals.

Siemens Business Services (Formerly Entex) - Rye Brook, New York

1998 - 2000

Director Financial Planning and Analysis

Managed total company budget process ($500 million) and corporate SG&A

expense reporting. Prepared management reports, analyzed business trends,

performed variance analyses and identified opportunities and risks.

. Created technically sound team of 4 financial professionals and

increased productivity, accuracy and timeliness of financial

information through motivation, design and development of efficient

desktop tools.

. Designed and maintained a mission critical financial reporting tool

which for the first time provided service division matrix reporting

measures (geography and line of business)

. Assumed management responsibilities and re-engineered budget and

forecasting processes resulting in enhanced visibility and analyses of

corporate SG&A.

. Led efforts to correctly align SG&A expense between product and

service divisions to gain insight into overhead spending and provide

total cost of ownership.

Gartner Group - Stamford, Connecticut 1995 - 1998

Financial Director - Global Distribution

Provided financial support, prepared business plans, created performance

metrics, analyzed contract value, revenue and expenditures for a $ 115

million organization.

Prior Positions

IBM Corporation - Various Financial positions, White Plains, New York

1990 - 1995

Ethan Allen, Inc. - Internal Auditor, Danbury, Connecticut 1988 -

1989

Nugent & Hauessler, LLC (C.P.A.'s), Staff Accountant - Newburgh, New York

1986 - 1988

Education and Skills

Master of Business Administration - Marist College Poughkeepsie, New

York

Bachelors of Business Administration - Pace University Pleasantville, New

York

Six Sigma Black Belt, Expert in MS Excel (including visual basic).

Proficient in MS Access (including ODBC), SharePoint, PowerPoint. Working

knowledge of SAP, Lawson, Hyperion enterprise and MAS-90.

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