MARIA-ELENA DIAZ, CPA

*** ************ ***, *********, ** 33021 954-***-****

admlzg@r.postjobfree.com www.linkedin.com/in/maria-elena-diaz027

SUMMARY AND SKILLS

Finance and Accounting Director

Company Innovation Collaborative Leadership Financial Stewardship

Dedicated financial controller with strong skills in budget management, finance transformation, risk assessment, P & L management, general accounting, and financial statement preparation. Extensive international experience in the LATAM region with large global companies ranging in size from $100 million to $30 billion. Adaptable to new cultures and geographies, and fluent in English and Spanish. Proficient in MS Office Suite, Hyperion/Oracle, MS Great Plains Dynamics, SAP, NetSuite, QuickBooks, BlackLine and Concur.

Process Improvement

US GAAP Compliance

International Finance

Cash Flow Management

Budgeting and Financial Forecasting

Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance

ERP System Implementation

Balance Sheet & P&L Management

Business Analytics\KPIs

Risk Management

Financial Analysis

Purchase Accounting

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

M.E.D. Business Solutions, Hollywood, FL

Accounting and Finance Consultant, Project Manager

2016 – Present

Providing business management and consulting services including CFO, Controller, regulatory compliance, financial management, and project management services. Clients have included WoundTech a $40 million dollar healthcare provider, Aetna a Fortune 500 provider of medical insurance services, Liberty Global Latin America a $3.7 billion provider of mobile, wireless, and cable services in Latin America, Care Cloud Corporation, a $30 million provider of SaaS services to healthcare professionals, and SBA Communications a $1.6 billion global developer and operator of wireless and broadband infrastructure. Services have included the following:

Established procedures and controls for month end closing and internal financial reporting for a SaaS provider of medical billing services. Reduced month end closing time from 20 to 8 business days. Supervised an accounting department of 4 accounting professionals. Directed the preparation of all audit schedules and managed the relationship with external auditors. Utilized NetSuite software.

Managed the preparation of purchase accounting entries for healthcare client’s acquisition of two companies. Set up the books for the new acquisition and established consolidated reporting procedures which reduced the time for financial statement preparation. Worked with remote team in India.

Reviewed SOX controls for a provider of mobile, wireless, and internet services in Latin America and the Caribbean. Teamed with Caribbean finance management in remote locations and internal audit to improve and enforce SOX compliance. Utilized BlackLine and Oracle software.

Collected forecast and budget information for management from cost center managers in numerous locations and developed the annual 2020 budget plan and 2019 monthly forecasts for a medical insurance company. Utilized Oracle and Hyperion software.

DEL MONTE FRESH FRUIT; Coral Gables, FL

Sarbanes-Oxley Lead

2014-2016

Reported to the company Operations Controller for the North America region of a $4B global distributor of fresh fruit.

Documented, tested, and remediated controls and processes in the North America region to ensure continued regulatory compliance with Sarbanes Oxley (SOX 404), internal testing resulted in a 10% reduction of fees for the annual SOX audit.

AIG; Miami, FL

Sub-Regional Controller, Latin America and the Caribbean Division (LATAM)

2009 – 2013

Reported to the CFO and Controller of the $1.5B Latin America division of a $35B global insurance provider.

Supervised the month end close and the preparation of GAAP based financial statements for six countries in the region. Created and implemented standard closing policies that reduced month end closing time by two business days.

AIG; Miami, FL

Regional Finance Program Manager, Latin America and the Caribbean Division (LATAM)

Spearheaded efforts to create and establish US GAAP protocols for reporting among 15 countries served by the LATAM region; partnered with management in remote countries and company headquarters in New York to implement US GAAP required changes.

Managed the release of a portfolio asset system for treasury management for 15 countries within the LATAM region that delivered US GAAP compliant capabilities and automated investment asset value calculations that resulted in a faster closing process and reduced time of closing by one day.

Collaborated with IT and implemented SAP in two countries in LATAM that generated month end financial statements in IFRS and US GAAP, reducing month-end closing cycle by 15%.

FIRST DATA CORPORATION; Coral Springs, FL

Senior Director of Accounting and Finance, Latin America Merchant Services (LATAM)

2004 – 2008

Reported to the CFO for the LATAM division of this credit card processing firm with $7B in global revenue. Oversaw the month end close process and the preparation of consolidated GAAP based financial statements complete with subsidiary schedules and variance analysis. Supervised five direct reports in the U.S and oversees.

Directed the preparation of the annual budget and forecast updates and had P&L management responsibility.

Collaborated with a cross-functional team of five personnel from operations and finance departments that developed a new process for reconciling and working charge backs within the Mexico region. New process achieved a significant reduction in chargeback expense from $1M to $150K in the 2005-2006 fiscal years.

Designed and implemented a new system of inventory controls and reconciliations for Mexico equipment inventory; new system yielded a 3% reduction in terminal write offs.

Managed 2004 and 2005 audits for Mexico auxiliary location upon departure of Ernst and Young from the field due to missing tax returns and incomplete audit schedules. Audit completion and subsequent tax returns earned the company a reduction in local fees and outstanding fines of 75%.

EDUCATION AND OTHER

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting

Certified Public Accountant, State of Florida

Bilingual in Spanish

Software Skills

Oracle, SAP, Hyperion (HFM), MS Dynamics, NetSuite, Microsoft Office Suite, Excel (Pivot Tables, VLookups), Concur, BlackLine, QuickBooks

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