CFO, Director of Finance

Mark Rome *********@*******.***

602-***-**** www.linkedin.com/in/markrome/

**** * ***** **, *******, AZ 85042

Aerospace & Defense

Manufacturing / Logistics / Professional Services / SaaS / Software

Private Equity / IPO / SMB // US GAAP / IFRS

CARERR HIGHLIGHTS

As a business partner to senior leadership, improved EBITDA by more than 20% utilizing enterprise lean management, process improvement, team development and training, and an ERP implementation.

As a business partner to senior leadership, led development & implementation of effective strategies, effective systems and an effective culture to rapidly scale operations from less than $5M to more than $35M USD annually.

Led successful Initial Public Offering (IPO), served as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, providing finance and strategy recommendations that resulted in a successful placement and raise of more than $30M USD.

Led the financial team in effort to secure $9M in private equity funding for a SaaS startup.

Contributed to the successful integration of two (2) acquisitions into the organization.

Led the successful implementations of three (3) separate ERP systems and a QMS.

COMPETENCIES

More than 20 years of leadership experience managing finance and accounting functional areas; leading significant process improvements; oversight of month-end close, reporting, cash management, auditing, treasury, forecasting, FP&A and compliance processes.

Knowledge of US GAAP, IFRS, FAR/DFAR, ERP system implementation experience includes Oracle Financials, Sage MAS500, and Deltek Costpoint/T&E/COGNOS

Budgeting and Forecasting: lead budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting; transform financial data into concise and accurate decision-making; prepare and manage annual budgets and regular forecasts of revenue and expenses, capital, and cash flows.

Analysis & Performance Management: work with executive team to evaluate business performance from strategic, operational and financial perspectives; prepare monthly variance analysis, operating statistics, and presentation material; perform trend analysis with respect to key metrics; provide both financial and non-financial reporting to ensure that managers have valid, current information to enable both strong financial ownership and appropriate inputs to decision-making.

Financial Operations: assess risk of new projects and potential impact on stakeholders’ value; provide finance support for the development of new tools and methods to support internal customers.

Leading and Directing Others: provide strategic direction and leadership for a team of financial analysts; implement processes, techniques and tools that optimize the effectiveness of the team and result in quality deliverables; implement talent hacking and culture-fit analytics to reduce turnover cost and improve long-term company performance

COMPETENCIES

Provide financial consulting and strategic support to the leadership team including financial presentations, capital expenditure analysis, industry/peer group comparisons, new business opportunities, and acquisition analysis.

Significant experience in and knowledge of forecasting financial performance, pricing products and services, strengthening operations, identifying new markets, improving margins, as well as assessing and monitoring risks.

Cultivate relationships with outside financing sources, banks, investors, and other organization necessary with maintaining the financial health of the company.

Provide guidance and approval of both Government and commercial proposals; work closely with the company’s outside constituents & auditors, as well as government agencies (DCAA & DCMA), others; provide rationale for and recommendation of indirect rates for Government contracts in a competitive environment.

Acts as analytical engine to provide insights and support ‘optimal’ business decision-making.

Excellent written and oral communication skills; demonstrated leadership ability, team management, and interpersonal skills; excellent analytical and abstract reasoning skills, plus excellent organization skills; and, motivated, self-directed independent and critical thinker.

Proven ability to efficiently design, maintain, and manage project based financial and accounting responsibilities.

Demonstrated Experience with tax planning/ strategy including entities and jurisdictions.

Experience working with IT staff to manage finance and accounting software packages.

Experience in risk recognition, assessment, mitigation and management.

Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.

Ability to interpret complex customer requirements and attitudes from verbal, non-verbal, and written communication.

Ability to deal with a variety of abstract ideas and translate them into concrete plans.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Director of Finance

Arcata Associates, Inc. December 2015 to January 2017

U.S. Government Contractor / Annual revenue is $100M Business partner to the President and executive leadership team, responsible for leading the organization’s finance, accounting, treasury and tax departments, as well as the company’s annual budget; short & long term financial projections; forward pricing rate agreements; incurred cost submissions; and strategic decision making. Proactively manage tax strategy, liquidity and tax risk while enhancing governance, visibility and control over operations.

Advise President on current/new business strategies; influential in promoting change throughout the organization and hold a significant advisor role to advance the organization.

Introduced budgeting for the first time in the organization’s 34 year history

Successfully integrated HRIS and Accounting systems to automate and streamline business practices

Led a number of process improvement initiatives with the finance and accounting functions to improve team performance and achieve operational excellence

CFO / COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

Good Earth Power, Mesa, AZ December 2014 to August 2015

PE Backed Alternative & Renewable Energy

Business partner to the CEO, providing finance & accounting leadership as well as strategy development and execution, financial reporting & advisory, liquidity management, business analysis and forecasting, capital raising, debt refinancing, asset sales, balance sheet restructuring, and general business.

Led finance team in efforts to secure up to $200M USD credit facility for construction of new manufacturing facility.

Led effort to design & implement strategy to rapidly scale operations to more than $20M

Prepare and publish timely monthly financial statements

Support the board of directors with the firm’s business plan and long term strategy

Manage the firm’s cash management, including cash balances, capital requirements, investment funding, etc.

Manage relationships with external accounting firm

Prepare budgets by establishing schedules; collecting, analyzing, and consolidating financial data; recommending plans

Review performance against forecast, discussing gaps and agree on action plans to close them

Ensure that risk is effectively addressed in all aspects of the business

Manage and comply with local, state, and federal government reporting requirements and tax filings

Recruit, training and develop a talented team

Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.

Provide support to the Board of Directors in the fundraising process and investor relations.

CFO / VP FINANCE

SAIFE, Inc., Chandler, AZ Dec. 2011 to June 2014

Software/Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Secure communications on mobile devices

U.S. Government Contractor

Business partner to the CEO and responsible for finance & accounting leadership as well as strategy development and execution, forecasting, budgets, performance measures, cost reduction efforts, pricing models and growth initiatives.

Manage all finance and accounting operations

Contribute to business/operational due diligence prior to investments

Prepare and publish timely monthly financial statements

Support the board of directors with the firm’s business plan and long term strategy

Manage the firm’s cash management, including cash balances, capital requirements, investment funding, etc.

Responsible for corporate Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) strategy.

Raised first round of private equity capital and procured asset-based credit facility.

Participated in developing pricing strategies for our SaaS platforms and associated services

Participated in developing incentive programs for business development teams

Re-built finance and accounting department from the ground up, compliant with US GAAP/IFRS, FAR/DFAR, CAS.

CORPORATE CONTROLLER

Armor Designs, Inc. (ADID), Phoenix, AZ Jan. 2001 to July 2010

Successful Initial Public Offering (IPO), London AIM

Software / Composite Manufacturing, U.S. Government Contractor

Business partner to the CEO, providing finance & accounting leadership as well as strategic recommendations that resulted in a successful placement and raise of more than $30M USD on the London Alternative Investment Market (AIM).

Led financial team in successful IPO, and was instrumental in securing $9M in private equity funding.

Led integration of two (2) acquisition companies into the organization.

Responsible for sustaining military and growing the commercial revenue for composite medical hip stem and manufacturing operations.

Responsible for transition of manufacturing to composite armor systems for personnel and vehicles in government and law enforcement markets globally.

COST ACCOUNTING MANAGER

Motorola, Chandler, AZ Mar. 1999 to Nov. 2000

- Project cost management on construction of a $250M semiconductor plant expansion project.

- Key advisor to project leadership, including project planning, forecasting, budgets, performance measures, cost reduction efforts, and contract negotiations.

- Managed completion of accounting tasks to ensure accurate financial reporting of activities on construction projects and ensure timely completion of month end close tasks

- Managed cost and resource planning and reporting to senior management, including variance reporting, sensitivity analyses, and ad hoc requests

- Develop project cash flows and other financial models during project to aid in feasibility studies and contract negotiations

- Supported project managers with Earned Value Management System (EVMS) to better allocate scarce resource, and improve budget and schedule performance

- Efforts to focus on cost reductions and resource right-sizing led to cost savings of $9M USD.

- Negotiated with subcontractors and vendors to maintain cost and scope of project.

ACCOUNTING MANAGER / CONTROLLER

KTH Architects Bellevue, WA Oct. 1996 to Jan. 1999

Engineering & Construction

- Primarily responsible for re-building the finance & accounting functions from the ground up and improving bench strength.

- Responsible for developing cost proposal strategy to drive consistent costing and quoting to enable and support short-term and long-term growth plans.

- Turned the A&D operations with a significant Net Income Loss to Positive Net Income and then improved year over year Net Income by focusing on cost reduction and product margin improvement.

- Developed strategies to exit non-profitable, non-core businesses and to grow remaining core business at a multiple of the market growth rates.

- Focused cost reductions and resource right-sizing to meet ever-changing business requirements.

- Responsible for project cost management on construction projects for commercial, residential and mixed use projects.

AEROSPACE ENGINEER

Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, Renton WA Jan. 1994 to Aug. 1996

Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing

- Worked closely with several Vice Presidents within the Office of the President on a special program to merge flight data with maintenance data for analysis aimed at unscheduled maintenance and downtime, and to improve customer service.

- Led an Integrated Product Team (IPT) of more than 30 individuals to Engineering, Customer Service, Maintenance and Program Management to install a common DFDAU on the 737, 757 and 767 aircraft programs .

- Awarded Boeing Special Achievement Award for demonstrating leadership and superior technical performance.

CONTROLLER

Truax Engineering, Sunnyvale, CA Aug. 1989 to Jan. 1994

Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing, U.S. Government Contractor

- Introduced accounting, forecasting and cash management processes for a highly leveraged government contractor while balancing the need for cost effective GAAP reporting requirements.

- Improved asset/cash performance, reducing AR (accounts receivable) past dues by 50% with a 50% reduction of excess assets in aged WIP (work in progress).

- Coached a financial team to produce more meaningful financial planning & analysis in shorter time frames with 25% fewer resources.

- Built top of class Finance / Accounting and IT/MIS organizations.

- Lead the installation and migration of MRP II and Deltek job cost accounting systems.

- Improved the forecasting and cost proposal processes.

- Re-introduced basic financial discipline and reporting.

EDUCATION

MBA, Finance & Accounting, California State University, Dominguez Hills, CA

BS Engineering (Major), Accounting (Minor), Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

CPA, Certified Public Accountant, State of California (Inactive)

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