Finance Director

Christine D’Ovidio, MBA

*********@*****.*** • 732-***-****

Allentown, NJ • linkedin.com/in/christine-d-ovidio

SummaryFinance Director

Collaborative leader with a proven track record of achieving sales and profit targets, leveraging financial systems to deliver cohesive and action-oriented analytical goals.

A versatile finance leader with over 15 years of proven experience in financial planning & analysis in the consumer products industry. Expert in driving business initiatives while ensuring the creation of value and growth. Adept at managing complex, dynamic projects, and cross-functional teams while building solution-oriented partnerships. Strong track record of strategy and leadership with corporate and commercial finance, working directly with C-suite.

Areas of Expertise

Financial planning & analysis

Retail strategy

Salesforce

Strategic forecasting

Corporate finance

SAP

Analytical skills

Accenture CAS

Excel financial modeling

Accomplishments

●Identified ~$5M reinvestment opportunities in advertising by evaluating financial system databases.

●Integrated management of Beauty Advisors for entire $200M Luxe Division improving efficiencies, offering resource reallocation to businesses.

●Increased spending managed through the system from $200M to $500M accounting for more than 80% of receivables activity.

Career Experience

AVP Financial Planning and Analysis, L’Oréal Luxe Division, South Brunswick, NJ 2019-2020

Led Retails Strategy and Operations group supporting over 150 users, working in partnership with Sales teams. Standardized financial planning process for all Luxe businesses. Implemented processes and best practices to enhance trade fund management tools, ensuring adherence to internal and external financial controls. Drive corporate strategy through enhanced design focused on digital spending.

●Improved customer contracts from 5% to 40% in alliance with credit and retail customers to support the process for resolving deductions.

●Identified ~$5M reinvestment opportunities in advertising by evaluating financial system databases.

●Attained 20% improvement in performance by creating scorecards to drive compliance with preapprovals and with accrual accuracy exceeding 90%.

●Decreased aging of provisions by 9 months by reevaluating accounting partnership.

Project Manager, Account Profit Planning, L'Oréal Luxe Division, South Brunswick, NJ 2016-2018

Directed cross-functional project team with internal and external subject matter expert participants to create and deliver trade fund management planning and control system for all division brands. Collaborated with steering committee of C-suite, in matrixed team environment.

●Delivered ~$5M capital investment project that included advertising expenses, demonstration expenses, returns, and joint outlay with department store partners, on time and budget.

●Expanded adoption of control system by businesses utilizing from 2 to 6 (Lancôme and Designer Fragrance, Kiehl’s, Clarisonic, IT Cosmetics, and Urban Decay).

●Increased spending managed through system from $200M to $500M accounting for more than 80% of receivables activity.

Luxe Headquarters Controller, L'Oréal Luxe Division, South Brunswick, NJ 2008-2015

Collaborated with businesses to plan Beauty Advisor expenses. Analyzed investment to assess redirecting resources and improving profit. Monitored Internal Control compliance and implementation of audit recommendations. Built customer P&Ls through knowledge of customer spending and internal systems.

●Integrated management of Beauty Advisors for entire $200M Luxe Division improving efficiencies, offering resource reallocation to businesses.

●Decreased time for resolving customer discrepancies from > 90 days to < 30 days.

●Monitored retail and net inventory to reduce excess inventory in the field.

Commercial Controller, Lancôme Division, L'Oréal, NY, NY 2005-2007

Managed P&L in co-operation with sales management and sales account teams. Integrated trade and promotional investment plans as part of broader cross functional team. Identified and communicated risks and opportunities to forecast and align priorities. Provided business insights on total customer investment and promotional effectiveness. Evaluated and validated forecasted volume, trade, and margin assumptions versus Sales and Marketing perspectives.

●Reduced the time in closing prior year provisions from 9 months to 3 months by changing management of demonstration expenses.

●Improved market share and overall sales by reducing one program which drew customers out of the market for too long after promo plan analysis.

Additional Experience

Finance Brand Controller, Maybelline Cosmetics, L'Oréal, NY

Internal Assurance Finance, L’Oréal Corporate, Clark, NJ

Finance Director, Brand and Commercial, Revlon, NY

Finance and Sales Analysis, Category Management, Frito Lay, Princeton, NJ

Education

MBA, Finance, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

BS, Natural Sciences, Messiah College, Grantham, PA

Awards & Affiliations

Beauty Shaker, L'Oréal USA Excellence Award, 2013

Volunteer of the Year, Junior League of Greater Princeton, 2014

Junior League of Greater Princeton, Board Member, 2018 – 2020

Allentown Village Initiative, Board Member, 2017-2020

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