Vice President Finance
Resume:
RICHARD G. LEHN, CPA, CA
***** ******* *****, ********, ********** 91354
********.****@*****.***
VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE
QUALIFICATIONS PROFILE
Highly accomplished professional with exceptionally broad financial experience in both the private and public sectors of the hospitality industry. Proactive and motivating partner with senior executives, ensuring that strategic objectives are achieved through collaborative efforts. Innovative leader in developing plans to exceed targets by maximizing growth opportunities while establishing efficient, matrix driven cost infrastructures. Armed with mergers and acquisitions (M&A) experience, including significant involvement from due diligence through integration. Equipped with articulate communication and interpersonal skills in building positive work relationships with professionals of all levels.
Areas of expertise include:
GAAP and SEC Compliance and Reporting
Mixed Use/HOA Property Finance
SOX Compliance and Auditing
International Operations Management
Budgeting and Forecasting
Financial Planning and Analysis
Revenue and Market Share Growth
Hotel Operations and Management
Cost Control and Optimization
Talent Development and Succession Planning
Management and Licensing Contract Negotiation
Corporate Restructuring and Alignment
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, West Hollywood, CA, USA
Vice President of Finance – Americas and Europe 2015–2017
Directed all month-, quarter-, and year-end financial and management reporting for corporate office and property consolidated analytics. Led the consolidation of five legal entities in the U.S., BVI, France and the Netherlands. Coordination with tax professionals on all required filings in the U.S. and applicable foreign jurisdictions. Analyzed and approved both corporate and property operating and capital budgets and forecasts. Provided financial supervision of capital markets (bankruptcies, foreclosure, and refinancing) through close collaboration with owners, banks, and appointed servicers. Guided mixed-use properties encompassing condo hotels, rental management contracts, full residence, retail components, and HOAs. Collaborated with corporate and property leadership as well as owners on conversion/new build hotel openings. Managed approval of pre-opening budgets by negotiating with owners on capital and hotel operating supplies and equipment contributions. Negotiated LOI’s, management, licensing, and design and project services agreements based on feasibility analysis.
Notable Highlights:
- Took charge of both legal and development functions while recruitment for open positions was on-going, achieving five hard letters of intent in addition to an HMA
- Served as a member of the Management Committee, responsible for the development, implementation, and proactive monitoring of corporate strategies
- Handled the recruitment, development, and promotion of best-in-class finance leaders in the America’s and Europe for corporate office and senior property based assignments resulting in high retention and limited open positions
- Developed strategic plans and executed initiatives focused on back-of-the-house finance system conversions to a global singular platform, as well as internal control tool enhancement, procurement effectiveness, and efficiency
- Partnered with senior executives to successfully restructure and relocate the corporate office from Dallas, Texas to West Hollywood, California; which included a ROI of the relocation, corporate resources realignment, lease negotiations, and finance-related systems upgrades, all of which resulted in projections of over $5M in corporate savings for 2016 to 2020
- Strengthened the corporate entity structure to better comply with the OECD and BEP’s initiatives by establishing two new entities in the Netherlands and South America that enhanced tax and legal advantages, as well as protection in and out of the United States
- Collaborated with operations, feasibility, and development on the analysis of management contract expansion, from owner due diligence, capital stack viability, proformas, return on investments (ROI), and net present values (NPV) of projects to key money and operating guarantees
Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Stamford, CT, USA
Regional Director of Finance – Southern United States and the Caribbean 2009–2014
Regional Director of Finance – Northeast U.S. and Eastern Canada 2005–2008
Regional Director of Finance – New England 2002–2004
Led and directed all accounting and finance requirements for over 45 hotels with combined revenue of $1.7B, as well as 36 owner groups, 31 directors of finance, and 4 area directors of finance. Managed SOX compliance and comprehensive internal and external compliance audits. Oversaw all quarterly and annual GAAP and SEC financial reporting in regions. Collaborated with senior regional team executives and head office to achieve key strategic objectives. Actively led the development and approval of operating and capital plan budgets and forecasts. Partnered with senior corporate and property leaders to achieve targets for revenue and market share growth, footprint growth, and cost infrastructure optimization for both one and multiple year plans. Directed the openings of new build/conversion hotels including complex mixed use projects with multiple HOAs. Coordinated with owners, banks, servicers, and appointed special servicers in conducting financial oversight of capital markets through several bankruptcies, foreclosures, and refinancing. Balanced external recruiting with internal development and promotions to ensure best-in-class candidates in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean. Actively involved with senior executives in the analysis of numerous proformas in addition to projections for owner financing
Notable Highlights:
- Led the operation’s finance project team in developing and successfully implementing a SAP automated property and HOA accounting system for a 750M project with three towers, fully owned residences, condos, hotel units, and restaurant/ retail components with six HOAs
- Directed several hotel openings, transitions, and closings/exits in all areas of the United States and the Caribbean inclusive of full condo hotels with rental management agreements, as well as mixed use hotels with condos, residences, retail /restaurant components, in both resort and urban locations
- Actively involved in the retention of hotel management contracts with new owners upon sale through proactive and positive owner relations
- Functioned as the regional task force leader in the multibillion-dollar asset sale by Starwood to Host Hotels
- Performed as the key leader and participant in the finance integration and system conversions due to the M&A by Starwood Hotels of ITT Sheraton
- Took on the role as the regional finance leader partnered with a Six Sigma Black Belt to perform property process reviews
Earlier Positions Held:
Sheraton Boston Hotel, Boston, MA, USA (Starwood Hotels and Resorts)
Property Controller & Area Director of Finance New England
ITT Sheraton Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Property Controller
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
ITT Defense and Electronics, Santa Ana, CA, USA
Internal Audit/Financial Operations Review Manager
ITT Canada Ltd, Toronto, ON, Canada
Internal Auditor
PEAT MARWICK/KPMG, Vancouver, BC, Canada
External Auditor
EDUCATION AND CREDENTIALS
Bachelor of Business Administration
Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant
Certified Six Sigma Green Belt, Starwood
Certified Interviewer Behavioral Interviewing, Starwood
TRAINING
Financial Analysis of Hotel Investments, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Condo Hotel Accounting, Hotel Accounting Institute, Online
Managing Inclusion (Diversity), Starwood, Stamford, CT
Leading Starwood, Starwood, Stamford, CT
AFFILIATIONS
Certified Professional Accountants Canada
Certified Professional Accountants British Columbia
ACTIVITIES
Finance Guest Lecturer, Boston University, Boston, MA
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