RESUME
Susan L. Walls
Concord, CA
Executive Summary
Strategy Development – Business Process Improvement –
Solution Implementation
Systems and Finance Executive with a passion for strategy
development, process and system optimization, and solution implementation.
Proven leader with a focus on relationship development, collaboration, and team
development. Adept at assessing situations quickly, thinking strategically and
implementing tactically. Demonstrated success in conceptualization, design and
leadership of innovative pragmatic solutions. Proven experience in large-scale
business transformation and process improvement with proficiency in identifying
and resolving organizational inefficiencies and implementing best practice
solutions.
SIGNATURE SKILLS
• Program / Project Management • Strategic Thinking • Process Improvement
• Finance and Accounting • Collaborative Style • Team Development
• Relationship Management • Critical Thinking • Consultative Style
• Business Transformation • Systems Thinking • Continuous Improvement
CAREER SYNOPSIS
FRANKLIN TEMPLETON INVESTMENTS, Inc., San Mateo, CA 2012 – 2013
Leading investment management company
providing global investment management solutions; $7.1 billion revenue
Vice President, Global Financial Business Processes and
Systems
• Developed
strategy and delivered transformational change in multiple areas including
system selection, configuration and implementation, program and project
management, business unit support, financial reporting, analytical databases
and reports, financial planning, and budgeting while ensuring business
continuity and compliance with regulatory and internal governance requirements
•
Led
team global team of 43; provided level one and two support services, system
selection, implementation and integration, and consultation for all areas and organizational
levels in finance
• Ensured
effective collaboration between IT and Finance and led charge to improve efficiency
and effectiveness of Finance systems, functions and related processes
•
Negotiated
early adopter agreement with Oracle, gained buy-in from senior executives
including CFO and CIO, and initiated upgrade to PeopleSoft Financials and
Supply Chain applications from version 8.9 to 9.2
•
Decreased
10Q and 10K filing time by an average of 3 days by automating data collection
and collaborating with senior finance leaders to streamline processes
•
Collaborated
with senior leadership to rapidly integrate acquired company into all finance
systems and advised on process
adaptation and improvement
•
Developed
systems roadmap and implemented best practices for solution assessment and
selection, consulting services, support model, program and project management,
and efficiency and effectiveness improvements; developed metrics to measure
progress
•
Improved
team performance by developing competency matrix, assessing talent, providing
training, and recruiting new talent to complement existing skill sets
BLACKHAWK NETWORK, Pleasanton, CA 2011
Majority owned subsidiary of Safeway
Corporation; an international prepaid and payments network, market leader in
card-based financial solutions and high-volume transaction processing, and
largest provider of third-party prepaid cards
Senior Director, Corporate Program Management
• Led
multiple complex cross-organizational programs and projects to support
development of new products and services, enhance business operations and
growth, and identify and implement efficiency improvements
•
Integrated
acquired company in less than 6 weeks; led team of cross-functional resources
to ensure successful integration and expansion of business in multiple
locations; collaborated with multiple departments and all organizational levels
including CFO and CAO; conducted bi-weekly status and review sessions
communicating key issues and resolutions thereof; developed and implemented
processes and related documentation
• Directed
multiple complex initiatives to improve systems and processes for transactional
and financial settlement with hundreds of alliance and card partners while
collaborating cross-functionally and cross-organizationally with executives and
key personnel at all levels
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN
FRANCISCO 2009
– 2011
One of Ten University of California Campuses; $3.3 billion budget
Senior Program Manager – Strategy and Special Projects
•
Key
member of Chancellor’s Operational Excellence Strategy Team; recruited to develop
and facilitate solutions to address budget and economic challenges
•
Identified
strategic, sustainable cross-organizational cost reduction and efficiency
improvement opportunities with a potential to save over $40 million in
administrative costs (Finance, Procurement and Strategic Sourcing, and HR) in
first year; developed business cases resulting in buy-in to move opportunities
forward; collaborated and partnered with key leaders and senior executives
• Led
development and implementation of Shared Services for Finance and Administrative
Services resulting in over 25% savings in operating costs; learning’s applied
to campus-wide Finance Shared Services
• Led
assessment of Information Technology infrastructure and services which
identified 4-year savings opportunity of more than $100 million
• Led
programs and advised other program leaders to ensure attainment of strategic
objectives; created monitoring and tracking mechanisms including dashboards
KAISER FOUNDATION HEALTH PLAN AND HOSPITALS, Oakland, CA 2003 - 2003
Largest not-for-profit HMO; eight Operating
Regions; over 43 companies; $50.6 billion revenue
Executive Director, National Financial Information Systems and Processes
• Provided
organizational leadership for strategic planning, selection, development, integration,
and implementation of transformational cost effective, efficient common business
systems and processes
• Developed
and implemented strategic solutions to provide timely, accurate financial
information and analytics to National Leadership Team and other senior
executives to facilitate informed decisions and related actions; reduced time
to produce financial and managerial reports by 33%
•
Developed
strategic plan for PeopleSoft ERP, Finance, Supply Chain and EPM implementation
resulting in buy-in and approval of project
• Collaborated
with leadership across eight highly autonomous regions, multiple lines of
business and multiple companies to reach consensus on replacement of disparate
finance and supply chain systems and processes with a single ERP solution; developed
and executed plan to eliminate redundancy, rework and waste
•
Key
advisor, change agent and Finance Business Director to constituents and teams
for PeopleSoft system design, development and deployment to enable efficient
streamlined processes and operational cost reduction; member of governance board
and program management leadership
• Designed,
developed, and deployed system for company-wide Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) in less
than six months; commended by CFO for exemplary results achieved
•
Key
contributor to multiple strategic initiatives including SOX, electronic health record
(EHR, HIS, HealthConnect, EMR), self-funding, HRIS, human resources
self-service, and PeopleSoft Finance and Supply Chain
CHARLES SCHWAB, San Francisco, CA 2000 - 2002
Securities Brokerage, Bank and Other Financial Services; $4.9 billion revenue
Vice President,Program and Project Portfolio Management
• Led
key components of $30 million strategic, high-impact, high-visibility project
portfolio for Schwab Institutional – Services to Investment Managers (SIM)
• Assisted
with planning and integration of U. S. Trust merger and CyBerCorp acquisition
• Enabled
increased revenue generation by partnering with key stakeholders to design and implement
web-based and desktop solutions for clients (independent financial advisors) and
internal teams; solutions included trading systems, web sites and portals, and
client reporting
• Company
Officer and member of leadership team; developed business strategy, and annual
and long-range plans
• Developed
business plans and presented strategic project investment proposals to
executive finance committee for approval; managed budget development and
forecasting
• Reduced
solution delivery time and decreased project costs an average of 20% by
designing, developing, and implementing SIM Project Management Methodology;
improved resource utilization, teamwork, and collaboration; increased productivity
and client satisfaction
• Created,
implemented and managed Project Management Office (PMO) function resulting in
greatly improved project control and unified communication between project
teams and senior leadership
• Developed
web-based tool structure for storage and retrieval of project artifacts for use
by cross-functional and cross-organizational teams resulting in significant reduction
in duplication of effort
DELOITTE CONSULTING, San Francisco, CA
1998 - 2000
Management Consulting Partnership
Manager
•
Led
and delivered management consulting services, including project management,
business process reengineering, change management, system and package
implementation and integration
• Facilitated
implementation of systems, business development, and cost, project, contract,
and client relationship management
• Created
and deployed rapid implementation methodology resulting in expansion of
practice to new client sectors
• Developed
multi-million dollar business proposals for financial services, manufacturing, technology,
consumer products, and retail clients
AG CONSULTING, San Francisco, CA 1996 - 1998
Wholly Owned Independent Consulting Subsidiary of Automatic Data Processing (ADP)
Principal Consultant
•
Delivered
management consulting services for clients in multiple industries including healthcare,
manufacturing, technology, higher education, and municipalities
• Managed
the full system development and implementation lifecycle (SDLC) for Enterprise
Resource Planning (ERP) systems, such as PeopleSoft and Oracle
•
Successfully
managed client relationships and led implementation of Finance, Supply Chain
and HRIS projects; recognized for results and expertise by rapid promotion to
Principal Consultant
•
Led
ISO 9001 audits in preparation for certification, resulting in increased
consultant productivity, improved project delivery, and increased client
satisfaction; efficiently executed preparation resulted in certification
• Applied expertise to support business development
resulting in multi-million dollar book of business
OTHER EXPERIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, San Francisco, CA
Project Manager - Financial Systems Implementation
ROBERT MONDAVI CORPORATION, Napa, CA
Manager, Accounting Services (Consultant)
TOSCO REFINING COMPANY, Concord, CA
#160#160
Manager, Disbursements
PINEHURST LAND AND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, Danville, CA
#160#160
Controller
PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY, San Francisco, CA
#160#160#160
Supervisor, Financial Information and Communication Services
Supervisor, Project Budget and Analysis
Supervisor, Special Analysis
Supervisor, Reporting
Control Analyst/ Internal Auditor
Accountant
EDUCATION
Masters of Business Administration (MBA) – Management, California State University, East Bay (Hayward), CA
Bachelor of Science (BS) – Accounting, California State University, Fresno, CA
Passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA)Examination
