Mary R. Cathell

Covington, KY 859-***-**** ad1bg1@r.postjobfree.com linkedin.com/in/maryrcathell/

Dynamic Transformation Leader

Seasoned IT / Business professional with 20+ years of experience in leading business transformation, leveraging strategic relationships to positively transform business and deliver high-quality products to end users. Expertise in implementing new systems, system migrations, and coordinating cross-functional teams to facilitate project completion. Strong analytical, technical, and soft skills: the ability to learn and adapt quickly to new situations, software platforms, and motivate people to do their best. Proven aptitude for innovative problem resolution, adept at devising straightforward and efficient solutions, while also possessing the agility to explore unconventional approaches when necessary. Polished public speaker able to communicate effectively with people at all business levels with direct experience in an international marketplace.

Key Skills

Financial Systems Project Management Strategic Leadership Negotiation Business Process Improvement

Change Management ERP Implementation Servant Leadership ERP Systems Business Analysis SDLC

Product Management Audit & Compliance Azure DevOps ServiceNowHP ITIL Team Leadership Alteryx Business Relationship Management (BRM) Automation Agile Waterfall Microsoft Suite SQL SharePoint

Professional Experience

American Modern Insurance Group, A MunichRe Company, Amelia, OH

Director Financial Systems January 2020 – September 2023

Led a dynamic IT-Finance hybrid team of 3 direct reports and 2 externals, driving agile solutions through strategic use of financial, data management, analysis, and visualization tools. Streamlined accounting and finance processes in line with the company's Strategic Workforce Plan (SWP), fostering efficiency and goal alignment.

Retained 100% of team through COVID-19 pandemic with constant communication, supportive coaching, and upskilling.

Engaged in various Employee Resource Groups (ERG), driving Diversity and Inclusion efforts through impactful contributions to Munich Re Women Inclusion Network (WIN), Green Team, and PRIDE initiatives.

Led comprehensive management of the finance application stack, orchestrating end-to-end system administration for pivotal systems, including a proprietary accounting rules engine (OVOT), SAP, and ReinsurancePro. Aligned technology seamlessly with business objectives, resulting in enhanced operational efficiency, improved data analytics, and the optimization of financial processes. Realized substantial cost savings of 18% and fostered a data-driven culture, facilitating more informed decision-making across the organization.

Led the successful implementation and product management of Alteryx achieving over 30% reduction in reporting timelines and a 25% increase in testing efficiency, enhancing overall workflow effectiveness.

Elevated technical leadership standards by mentoring and coaching fellow product owners across the organization, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.

Drastically reduced key close process runtime from 5 days to a mere 10 minutes and transitioned it from a quarterly to a monthly operation, driven by substantial efficiency enhancements.

Led a critical Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiative by managing the development of EU Taxonomy-aligned non-financial reporting standards, orchestrating seamless compliance, and driving impactful organizational transformation through strategic change management, user training, and adoption strategies.

Developed and continually refined comprehensive project plans, leveraging subject matter experts' strengths, skill sets, and experience levels for task delegation. Actively utilized and cultivated leadership skills to consistently drive successful project outcomes.

Partnered with IT and other stakeholders to troubleshoot operational issues such as data load errors which require research, documentation, solution design, and testing reducing error ratio by 75%.

Led Strategic Workforce projects to decrease accounting close processes by one day. This included efforts to reduce system processing time by over 33% by aggregating data required and an effort to bifurcate gross premiums and losses from ceded data that allowed the business to get quality data over 46 hours sooner.

Created strategic implementation and testing plans for concurrent global, regional, and local projects.

Led and actively contributed to the design, evaluation, rigorous testing, and successful implementation of new products, report development, system break fixes, and technology enhancements.

MunichRe, Amelia, OH - MRAS

IT Business Analyst April 2019 - January 2020

Dedicated business champion adept at seamlessly integrating cutting-edge IT solutions to address business challenges. Positioned as an integral, trusted advisor deeply embedded in the business, tirelessly driving ongoing enhancements and innovation.

Successfully prepared the business for the transition to IFRS17 reporting standards by facilitating collaborative efforts among finance professionals. Achievements included documenting comprehensive business process flows, user stories, and controls while eliciting both technical and business requirements. This preparation ensured a smooth transition to IFRS17 reporting standards with a 100% compliance rate and minimized disruptions during the implementation phase. As part of these efforts, represented accounting at the International Organization Conference for IFRS 17 in Munich Germany.

Led training of new hires safeguarding their retention through success planning and empowerment.

Transformed the accounting department by implementing best practices in the production and delivery of financial reporting data, resulting in a 25% reduction in reporting errors and a 30% improvement in delivery efficiency. Implemented robust controls leading to a 20% increase in data accuracy and compliance.

Collaborated with both internal and external IT teams to orchestrate a flawless IBM TM1 reporting upgrade across divisions, delivering a flawless transition with zero unplanned downtime.

Spearheaded a strategic partnership between compliance and business management to execute a data reconciliation initiative, delivering compelling evidence substantiating our strict adherence to MARSOX controls.

Curated solutions to ensure seamless business continuity during emergency WFH/home office transitions, resulting in a 20% reduction in downtime and a 15% increase in overall productivity.

FirstGroup America, Cincinnati, OH

Central IT Department Sr. Business Analyst August 2016 - April 2019

Project Manager for an Oracle Finance Product (JDE) upgrade, impacting users across the entire company. Successfully managed a comprehensive Finance Program with a budget exceeding 2 million USD, orchestrating a year's worth of interconnected projects to timely and cost-effective completion, surpassing expectations by saving 250k USD. Recognized for excellence with nominations for both group and individual FGA Awards.

Vetted and onboarded a new AP Automation vendor and software package, applying strategic budgeting practices and change management principles to align objectives with business goals. Fostered effective vendor management, established robust support structures, and ensured seamless integration into peripheral systems.

Managed the quality assurance (QA) process for all Central IT at First Group America (FGA), resulting in a 25% reduction in software defects.

Partnered closely alongside program manager and project sponsors to meticulously craft and articulate project roadmaps, vision, and scope focusing on company strategic direction.

Facilitated discussions with senior and executive management to identify and drive the execution of both strategic and tactical operational changes, maximizing savings opportunities and strengthening spend control.

Enhanced operational efficiency by 20% through strategic evaluation and optimization of business processes, ensuring maximum benefits from software and tools. Led the implementation of recommended changes, resulting in streamlined workflows and improved overall productivity.

Ensured financial software packages, new installs, and upgrades met or exceeded the requirements agreed to by the business and functionality of the software met those documented/provided by the software vendor.

Pomeroy IT Solutions, Hebron, KY

Business Technology Department Quality Assurance / Co-op Manager November 2012 - June 2016

Head of Quality Assurance leading and teaching all aspects of QA and software testing including but not limited to, coordinating cross-functional teams in test planning, writing test scripts, creating reusable test data, test case automation, and test execution to ensure the delivery of high-quality software applications and reporting.

Directed and executed comprehensive testing strategies while seamlessly steering the migration to steady state for the successful implementation of Oracle EBS encompassing Procurement, Logistics (receiving, stocking, picking, and shipping of inventory), and financial modules.

Successfully spearheaded a European Oracle ERP implementation onsite in the UK, demonstrating strategic negotiation skills to secure buy-in from an initially hesitant finance and HR user group. Achieved seamless adoption, enhancing operational efficiency by 30% and reducing system-related issues by 40%.

Developed supporting project documentation using tools such as MS Project, VISIO, spreadsheets, diagrams, and process maps to communicate project status regularly, ensuring transparency and clear communication with stakeholders.

Exclusively led an end-to-end vendor selection, conducted in-depth research, orchestrated interviews, and oversaw contract reviews that ultimately led to the successful implementation of Pomeroy’s automated testing tool (HP Quality Center).

Product owner and manager of various software packages, encompassing testing automation tools and Oracle User Productivity Kit (UPK), ensuring seamless integration and optimal utilization across the organization.

Key player in critical company initiatives, leading Oracle EBS patching, customization, enhancements, disaster recovery, various product upgrades, and new software acquisitions.

Created and delivered best practice software quality training to executive management, business process owners, solution developers, technical staff, and subject matter experts via group presentations, WebEx, and mentoring sessions.

Led the documentation of testing and software defects, serving as a liaison in problem resolution with technical staff, business subject matter experts, and third-party software developers. Achieved a 30% reduction in turnaround time for issue resolution, enhancing collaboration and ensuring efficient problem-solving across teams.

Facilitated daily scrum with business process owners, technical staff, and subject matter experts to nurture collaborative communication, iterative feedback loops, and cross-functional alignment.

Collected and analyzed data for software process evaluation and improvements and integrated them into business processes to address business needs.

Public speaking engagements included: HP Discover customer speaker in Barcelona Spain with TurnKey Solutions December 2013; Las Vegas 2014; Ohio Valley Oracle Application User Group (OVOAUG) speaker February 2015

Great American Insurance Company, Cincinnati, OH

Various Business and Technology Roles May 1997 - November 2012

Education and Certifications

A.A., Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY.

Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP).

Kaizen Leader Certification.

ITIL V3 Foundations certification.

ASPE, Inc. Training - Business Analyst Boot Camp - Full-Spectrum Business Analyst Training.

Sogeti Training - TMap – Test Management Approach.

New Horizons Training Services - Project Management Fundamentals.

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