Jorge Ayala

*** **** **, **********, ** *****

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorge-ayala mobile +1-732-***-**** ac7kwh@r.postjobfree.com

Executive turning opportunities into profits through vision and team building

Analytic and skilled CFO with progressive and very successful career, driving growth and develop high-performance for businesses in several countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Strong expertise in the food manufacturing industry, commodities, retail and financial services, worked in close collaboration with global food companies. Able to develop and execute organizational strategies aligned to business needs and objectives. Always committed to building high-performance teams to implement corporate plans and long-term strategic goals with a strong emphasis on bottom line performance. High focus on proactively directing towards company’s vision via effective negotiations, financial analytics based on relevant productivity oriented KPIs and forward-looking indicators, business intelligence, budget tracking, and risk mitigation, all in accordance with continuous improvement and best in class practices. Adept at implementing creative solutions to achieve desired results in deadline-driven environments. Excellent interpersonal skills to foster effective leadership and fortify partnerships with executives, stakeholders and cross-functional leaders at all levels of the organization. Strong project management talent capable of leading teams to complete projects within strict time and budget constraints. Value-added solutions approach, corporate restructuring, company’s turnaround, Private Equity, M&A and company’s start-ups. Strong technical proficiency with broad knowledge of accounting, ERP and management software.

Experience on Driving Organizational and Finance Excellence

- Financial Reporting - Business Strategy - Strategy - Cash Flow Management

- Mergers & Acquisitions - P&L Management - Leadership Management - Change Management

- Process Improvement - Budgets - Business Planning - Risk Management

- Business Development - Corporate Finance - Financial Modeling - Supply Chain

- Accounting and Finance - Internal Controls - Business Intelligence - Private Equity

- COGS Control and Analysis - Compliance - ERP & Analytics - Financial Services

Building Corporate Performance and Industry Leadership

Developing Personal Finances while searching for next professional challenge 7/2017– Present

Researching investment opportunities to developed personal fixed income businesses together with other small investors in the areas of transportation and real-state, while offering consulting services on projects regarding M&A opportunities among others.

AAK Group Global Vegetable fats and oils food manufacturer 6/2011–6/2017

AAK USA Inc., Edison, NJ (3.5 yrs.) $750 M Vegetable fats and oils international food manufacturer

C.F.O.

Promoted to spearhead growth and success of USA companies by directing cross-functional finance team across four manufacturing sites in the USA, driving the restructuring and leadership of internal controls, financial operations, sourcing, and trading-related activities. Provided strategic scaling of infrastructure to support changing business needs, instrumental in achieving success for North America’s strategic growth plans.

Transformed financial operations to create a unified financial function in coordination with other operational areas for the group of companies within the USA.

Enhanced profitability and maximized company efficiency as an influential executive leading directly supporting the achievement of additional revenues and internal efficiencies delivering 25% P&L growth over prior year.

Implemented strategic process improvements, exceeded 2015 Budget target by 7%, via developing a new approach to the budget process in order to positively impact growth plans and its execution.

Led the closing of M&A acquisition project in CA toward growth ambition for USA business.

AAK México, Morelia, México (2.5 yrs.) $400 M Vegetable fats and oils international food manufacturer

C.F.O.

Achieved sustainable growth by leading finance, IT, sourcing and trading departments in order to effectively restructure business functions. managed a team consisting of 30 people, leadership overseeing, motivating, and developing staff to effectively utilize skills and capabilities to deliver and exceed growth expectations, active sponsor of career development.

Increased overall financial and operational capabilities by leading and directing major system upgrade.

Guided and motivated a high-performance team of people to drive disciplined growth and strategies with a low-cost approach and efficiencies-oriented culture.

Boosted company’s profitability up 40% within two years by working directly with other areas and implement innovative solutions to increase competitiveness in the market, at the same time maximizing financial benefits out of operational efficiency strategies and changes on sales, raw material and currency hedging, procurement and production improvement.

Accomplished successful M&A acquisition project in South America inclusive of developing financial and business plans post-acquisition for new vegetable oils refinery in Colombia.

Ameracash Solutions Inc. Philadelphia, PA $75 M Financial Services and Electronic Bill Payment 4/2005 – 5/2011

C.F.O. / Compliance Officer,

As part of a Private Equity investment. Overseeing and directing all corporate BSA/AML compliance, finance activities, administration, tax, and regulatory to directly influence business growth and corporate change. Positively impacted bottom line profitability through researching, implementing, and executing the launch of new mobile service’s products in new markets, also incorporate differentiated pricing to current product portfolio to improve revenues at the same time delivering on specific efficiency oriented financial projects.

Led staff and sales teams in the accomplishment of established expansion goals required by the board of directors.

Developed and coordinated various departments to assess feasibility projects of other financial services to be offered to customers in addition to launch new products distributed via retail markets.

Created and implemented new administration, and financial structure as well as accounting team and systems aligned with company policies, procedures, and controls that led to company turn around and successful sale of business for Private Equity owners.

Moray Consulting. Mexico City Private Business Consulting 1/2004 – 3/2005

C.E.O.

Founding investor and accountable for all operational, administrative, regulatory, and financial aspects of the consulting business that serviced multiple companies among various industries in Mexico, also venture investor in automobile’s service segment.

ED&F Man Group Mexico/New York/London $500M Global Agricultural Commodities Trader 1/1992–12/2003

VP of Finance for Latin America and European Business Unit

Pioneered financial activities and made significant contributions to the strategic development of local management teams for operations in Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Transformed design of financial reporting and controls for entire Americas region to improve reporting to head office in London, UK.

Led financial, reporting and operational restructuring consequently achieving a 20% reduction of operational cost.

Provided leadership for budgeting process and business plan creation while managing local Finance Directors and partnering with regional CEO’s across seven countries.

Divisional niche business where led operational aspects of finance, administration, regulatory, audits, and taxes, within a subsidiary group of companies. Direct involvement and accountability on decisions impacting operations in UK, France, Kazakhstan, and the Caribbean. Implemented strategies for downsizing project of French operations, including renegotiation of outstanding debts. Successfully restructured debt for the UK business.

Restructured debt for Caribbean operations, recovering over $150M USD within two years timeframe for 60% of debt and obtaining successful repayment plan for remaining 40%.

Significantly improved Kazakhstan’s sugar mill’s finances and operations, reducing production costs by 30% and strategically positioning refining factory as the most efficient sugar production facility in the country for its successful sale.

Successfully delivered strategic financial controlling role for 6 countries in multiple locations throughout the Americas. Performed monthly group consolidation, financial and management reporting as well as support for local compliance.

Contributed to accomplish on highly profitable expansion plans for local operations in the Latin American region.

Achieved efficiencies in Latin American’s local operations across multiple countries and various business lines through the creation of new KPI’s, business analytics and internal controls for local and global management.

Implemented new software and networking interfaces to accomplishing regional standards for financial consolidation.

Performed controlling and provided reporting to Group CFO of all foreign exchange exposure and related risk positions for Latin American’s operations.

Accomplished effective performance in administrative, financial, regulatory, procurement and risk management functions, providing support to the successful execution of company initiatives. Led Mexican group of subsidiaries, generating positive synergies for reorganization, development of IT department, new software implementation, and ERP systems upgrade.

Served key role as liaison and negotiating party with banks producing a business plan to access funding of all financial credit facilities and legal requirements for the local entities as well as the Mexican holding company for about $50M USD.

Educational Background

Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (U.N.A.M.)

Bachelor of Science in Public Accounting (6 years finance program) Fluent Bi-lingual Spanish / English

Broad experience on several IT tools and relevant ERPs: VAI, SAP, MS Dynamics Nav, Ross, Quickbooks, MS Office etc.

MBA partially completed at Mexico’s premier business school – Tecnológico de Monterrey (had to delay due to relocation to New York and London as part of significant job promotion)

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