Project Management Finance Transformation

Theodore A. Richards

GSM:+44-784*-***-*** or 420-***-***-*** Email: ********.********@*****.***

Objective

My goal is to obtain a position utilizing my experience in the following areas: Finance Master Data governance design implementation and or transformation, Order to Cash team management, process redesign and optimization, finance master data management high level organizational design and implementation. Additionally, project and transformations in operational finance, with extensive people management across multiple organizations with varying revenue streams and organizational culture dynamics.

Skills

Master Data Management Implementation and Org design SAP ECC / ECC GRC / Control Compliance MDM Workflow management implementation ERP Implementations (SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft) Data maintenance Process Mapping Finance Transformation SAP Cost object maintenance Leadership / Stakeholder Engagement Controls and compliance Management Leadership Committee Membership OTC Transformation and Operational Management Finance Transition Offshoring/Onshoring Process Mapping / Reengineering Project Management - Agile, Waterfall, GATE Methodology Team Management SOX Audit Preparation

General Accounting Change Management

Root Cause Analysis Requirements Gathering

Project Status Reporting Roadmap creation and analysis Data Lineage Mapping

Work Experience

6/2023 - Current Finance Data Governance Lead

Jaguar Land Rover United Kingdom

• Identification and prioritize and drive improvements across end to end processes and provide oversight of performance and improvement across processes

• Creation of Finance Master Data tower operating model and org design.

• Management of governance processes and performance reporting to provide the customer groups with the right information, in the right format at the right time

• Building and maintaining highly collaborative relationships with finance and digital teams to deliver key business outcomes through regular review

• Ensuring process metrics are easily understood and are an integral part of the day-to-day drum beat of service provision

• Product owner of Finance Master Data and OTC as part of the S/4 Finance design and implementation team.

• Developing and presenting robust business cases for improvement initiatives to senior leadership.

• Carrying out data lineage mapping of key finance data processes to identify gaps and opportunity gains.

• Implement reporting to track initiatives from idea to delivery, developing KPI’s to ensure benefits

• Provide leadership to the team, supporting with growth planning to maximize their performance and development

6/2022 - 6/2023 Finance Business Consultant / Freelance Prague, Czech Republic

High-impact Financial Consultant with a proven track record of managing projects and facilitating action-oriented plans to help companies achieve their finance operations goals.

• 18 years of experience in a wide range of Finance Operations O2C and Finance Master Data governance transformations

• Proven track record in team management of small and large teams ensuring both operational and team development goals are met.

• Extensive ERP implementation and transformation including SAP, Oracle and Peoplesoft.

• Ensuring accuracy of project roadmap timelines, budgets, risks, status, and schedule updates to senior executives

Significant experience in all key aspects of order to cash management with key focus on process improvements to eliminate deficiencies.

• Overseeing performed project variance analyses of schedule and cost on a formal and informal basis for presentation to senior management.

• Strong experience in ways of improving data quality through process redesign, automation / RPA, system changes, data remediation and data cleansing programs

• Strong experience with project methodologies including Agile, GATE, Waterfall in order to ensure successful project management approaches are utilized.

3/2022 - 6/2022 Head Digital Finance/SAP Product Owner Eurowag, Czech Republic

• Oversee Phase 2 implementation and Phase 3 implementation planning of SAP S4 Hana as a member of the finance leadership team.

• Working with internal IT, Implementation partners, and SAP primary partner to address deliverable challenges.

• Oversee, review and approve relevant IT change request related to SAP.

• Enhance project-wide efficiencies by ensuring inputs and dashboards in Jira to monitor the progress and enhancement tickets

• Oversee project plans to ensure on time budget delivery within desired project results

• Work closely with operational and business development teams to ensure the post SAP implementation deliverables are met and issues are remediated.

• Act as key point of contact to address operational SAP Finance issues related to Phase 1 implementation

• Member of the Product Owners Governance team tasked with ensuring Finance related product ownership are in line with Agile Product Owner governance requirements.

• Address issues raised and escalated by the SAP implementation Program Manager.

• Work with Finance Department leads to address pain points and implement solutions.

• Seek opportunities for automation based on gap analysis related to manual processes in order to improve efficiency

4/2020 -3/2022 Head Global Finance Master Data NGSC Prague Novartis NGSC PRAGUE, Czech Republic

• Managed an EMEA team of 8 direct reports, 19 indirect reports, with additional global oversight of overall APAC and LATAM indirect reporting lines.

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across master data management activities and act as the main contact for the business on projects, issues, performance, tooling, etc.

• Execute high profile strategic projects that require support in areas such as data migration, document/ contract management and data quality

• Experience in elements of Data Quality, Data Lineage, Data Policies, Master Data Management, Data Migration, Data Modelling, Data Architecture & Data Tooling

• Devised project plans and engagement activities in relation to projects (annual finance controls, Finance Core, GFMD Everest activities)

• Support the planning IT technical requirements to secure tools and support services required to store, manage, present and dispose of data

• Oversaw the delivery of the data strategy via master data management operational activities: adherence to data processes, data quality, data standards and data governance frameworks

• Monitor and implement KPI’s for the data objects in scope, in line with the global GFMD data standards

• Championed data management and data initiatives and work in conjunction with data experts to improve data quality, e.g. process redesign, automation / RPA, system changes, data remediation and data cleansing programs

• Promote the successful application of all data standards, definitions, quality rules, processes, guidelines, etc. for all data within remit

• Drive close collaboration and customer centric engagement with internal and external partners, and with customers.

• Actively support and participate on data governance forums as required

• Assist with the development of annual and long-term budgets (spending and resourcing plans) for Prague master data operations

9/2017 - 4/2020 Finance Master Data Transition Lead Novartis NGSC PRAGUE, Czech Republic

• Ensured all project methodology developed for the various stakeholders in the transformation are following such transitions.

• Ensured regular communication is in place to update program/project teams stakeholders on project status.

• Ensured that the NGSC Finance master data Tower is growing in a timely manner and continues to operate with high level of excellence and customer orientation.

• Ensured business case and budget are tracked and planned savings driven; this includes accountability for timely and quality delivery within the financial commitments and managing the project financials.

• Ensured development and delivery of overall Transition progress reports, proposals, requirements documentation and presentations Project/Transition Phase

• Supported planning activities to ensure optimal project execution and use of organizational resources: Tracking of project milestones and deliverables.

• Monitor status, help develop mitigation and issue resolution strategies, maintenance of Risk log and RACI, adoption of consistent program methodology and tools across all work streams. 01/2015 - 2/2017 Finance Transition Lead

DXC Technologies PRAGUE, Czech Republic

• Successfully transitioned multiple sub processes (P2P, R2R, H2R, O2C) to the Prague shared service center.

• Development of Finance Transition Project Status report which tracks the performance and status of all EMEA projects through the life cycle, thus providing stakeholders with clear visibility of project challenges and highlights.

• Directed all phases of finance operations projects, from scope analysis to Go Live

• Performed full range project management cycle as it relates to initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing.

• Developed and executed comprehensive BCP, risk mitigation strategy, change management strategy and communication plan relevant to the Collections project scope and stakeholders.

• Managed project issue log and risk plan with increased focus on cost, schedule, scope, business and technical risk

• Orchestrated and led change management methodologies crucial to the project success.

• Chairing weekly meetings with all streams to understand their staffing needs, scope of work and migration challenges

08/2012 - 11/2014 Billing Manager EMEA

DHL Service Logistics, DIEGEM, Belgium

• Member of the DHL SPL Finance Management Team managing a team of 14 Billing analyst.

• Performing variance analysis on Billed vs Unbilled Revenue whereby ensuring root cause analysis

• Resolving Billing errors which result in Collections DSO issues and action plans to address variances are carried out.

• Coordinated month end close activities to ensure all relevant revenue accounts are reconciled and gaps between Revenue vs Cost are identified and remediated.

• Effectively managed team performance objectives to ensure deadlines are met and any issues impacting this are addressed and remediated.

• Involvement in the development and planning of the finance transition team activities within the Finance Transformation project ensuring clear handover between new vs. business-as-usual functions.

• Coordination of project plan activities to ensure redundancies are carried out effectively and aligned to ensure effective knowledge transfer of all billing processes

• Responsible for the hiring, coaching and training of staff whereby ensuring team motivation and performance are highly maintained through interpersonal management techniques

• Managed the dispute and escalation process ensuring resolution in an appropriate manner and that Collection errors are identified and tracked until completion within specified time period. 01/2012 - 8/2012 Head of Collections EMEA, a.i.

REGUS RSC, PRAGUE, Czech Republic

• Supervising the Collections Team of 23 persons including 1 Deputy Manager, 3 Collections Supervisors, and 19 Collectors

• Creation of Senior Management Reporting Pack highlighting EMEA wide AR results whereby allowing Senior Management full visibility of 51 country AR's.

• Creation and implementation of the new Corporate Collections strategy whereby ensuring EMEA is aligned with the Global Collections Strategy.

• Coordination of the planned migration of MEA countries to the Prague RSC Collections Strategy.

• Creation of new collections strategy aimed at improving Collector efficiency while minimizing the impact of none added value task.

• Utilizing my prior SOX background to improve traceability and visibility of Credit approval process.

• Overseeing weekly manager meetings to discuss the current status of all outstanding ARs and action plan to resolve

• Creation of a best practice policy and SLA requirements for all 3rd party Debt Collection Agencies.

• Ensuring proper and accurate development of the new collections system Moreton Smith and whereby all operating policies and procedures, structure and information flow are correctly aligned.

• Carrying out reviews of all Collections practices in conjunction with Internal and External Collections Industry standards and making recommendations for improvement where necessary. 06/2009 – 11/2011 Head of Cash Applications

Johnson Controls, Diegem, Belgium

• Supervising a team of 18 Credit Controllers (13 A/R Tem Members, 2 PA Coordinators and 3 A/R Team Coordinators) where by ensuring all A/R activities of the SSC Brussels are carried out according to agreed best practices and SLAs.

• Promoted to SSC A/R Team Head after 5 months as A/R Coordinator UK/IE, Iberia and Benelux.

• Increased Senior Management visibility of issues surrounding through creation of project plans highlighting risk and performance of A/R through Reporting Packs

• Management of the successful migration of all A/R activities to new Shared Service Centre in Bratislava, Slovakia.

• Attained the highest rating on SOX A/R Compliance for a Shared Services Center at Johnson Controls.

• Significantly reduced the time needed for Customer Account creation by implementation of an end to end interactive Customer Creation request for creation and modification of customer accounts until they have been created in the ERP systemool which trac.

• Reduced the number of outstanding reconciliation items related to unapplied cash, unallocated credits, clearing accounts, accrual, bad debt, and charge backs.

• Increased SSC A/R Team motivation by ensuring that each staff member understands and works towards the achievement of their role and responsibilities by providing clear job descriptions, goals and performance reviews. Reduced errors originating from the SSC to targeted levels by ensuring team members were encouraged, trained, appraised and evaluated on a regular basis.

• Oversaw and managed the Accounts Receivable month-end close processes, hard close and year-end close whereby ensuring all activities are fully supported and any raised issues are resolved promptly. Languages

English: mother tongue Dutch: spoken and reading, fluent – written, moderate PC/ERP Skills

PC/ERP Skills

MS Office (Access, Word, Excel, Power Point, MS Project) Proficient SAP ECC, Oracle, Dimensions, Geneva, Great Plains, JD Edwards/One World, JD Edwards/ AS 400,PeopleSoft, QuickBooks, Get Paid, Khalix, CODA, AXS1

Education

05/2004 Certificate of completion - ISO 9001:2000 QMS Standard, auditing techniques 9/2000 – 6/2003 University of Houston Downtown Area of Study: Accounting – Did not complete 09/1985 - 6/1989 Stratford Senior High, Houston, Texas References - Available upon request

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