Aurelie Schmitt
Colorado Springs,CO
Summary
Financial leader with strong track record in strategic planning, risk management, and financial analysis. Adept at driving financial growth through effective team collaboration and adaptive strategies. Known for reliability, flexibility, and results-driven approach. Skilled in budgeting, forecasting, and regulatory compliance, ensuring fiscal health and organizational success.
Results-oriented achiever with proven ability to exceed targets and drive success in fast-paced environments. Combines strategic thinking with hands-on experience to deliver impactful solutions and enhance organizational performance.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Head of Finance
Philips
04.2021 - Current
- Reports to SVP Global finance, with dotted line to VP OPS
- Manage $1.2B P&L view
- Multi entities ownership
- OPS global financial views including our Distribution Centers and OEM suppliers
- Lead SAP ERP/MES industrial financial implementation for 3 locations (plants and DC)
- Co-leader OPS transformation projects margin growth and sustaining focus
- Drive all financial KPI such as budget, BOM productivity, IWD and OPS productivity for the entire BU
- Strategic partner to drive global inventory position down and increasing turns, reducing unhealthy
- Lead US, Costa Rica based finance teams and India GBS support team
- Drive Cash flow improvement via CAPEX critical spending timeline creation and inventory reduction
- Focus on operational finance, including cost accounting, inventory management, and the standard costing of products
- Prepare monthly business reviews and other senior management presentations
- Manage entire BU CAPEX financial processes (6 sites)
- Continuous forward looking applying six sigma techniques
- Turned manufacturing 2021 miss to a manufacturing exceeded goals against budget in 2022 by 10%
- Developed new report to challenge plants portfolio and improve margins increasing flexibility and reducing complexity
- Oversaw annual audit process, ensuring accurate representation of financial position in accordance with GAAP standards.
- Improved Budget accuracy and budget creation
- Reduced close process and manual process to automation
- Rebuilt the Finance team to develop world class team
- Improved audit performance and reduced production disruption by switching to a cycle count control
- Saving over $10M revenue loss
- Led implementation of new ERP system, increasing efficiency within the finance department while enhancing data visibility.
- Analyzed operational issues and implemented corrective action to maximize profits.
Controller
ABB
06.2019 - 04.2021
- Improved month-end close process efficiency being the first plant to close on my first close post hire
- Avoided $5M sales loss during full physical inventory shut down by strategically timed inventory and production shut down
- Improved P&L position to a no manufactory deviation results
- Drove effort to reduce inventory surplus by $6M by 2021 and improving turns from 5.3 to 7
- Educated and trained a new finance team
- Cultivating a six-sigma approach bridging finance and operational impact
- Built a cost structure by value stream from scratch
- Tackled on a fixed asset audit of over 2000 assets with a deadline of 6 weeks, due to lack of leadership
- Rebuilt the financial reporting improving transparency lost in previous years
- Improved all internal controls deficiencies
- Closed 90% of 2019 remediations
- Sustained audit improvement
- Mentored junior staff members, fostering a positive work environment conducive to professional growth and development.
Plant and Supply Chain Controller
Nutricia North America
01.2017 - 06.2019
- Report to CFO and VP of Ops
- Corrected the absorption miss of YoY of $500K to $100K in first year taking over
- Developed best practices and educate co-leaders for business continuity
- Created and implemented controller's handbook for financial reporting and operational visibility across teams
- Lead forecasting process of manufacturing and logistics cost productivity
- Maximized plant and resource utilization and cycle times, address lost or idle capacity
- Partnered with Production Manager to train and provide continuing guidance to Production Technician team on new processes ensuring sustainability
- Measured and report monthly KPI’s
- Managed all capex investments for manufacturing and all NNA
- Supported the planning and forecast processes led by the Planning and Analysis Manager
- Provide analysis and recommendations to create comprehensive business plans
- Managed all plant performance animation through KPIs monitoring and risks/opportunities management in co-operation with the Production Manager
Inventory accounting manager
Academy Sports + Outdoors
05.2015 - 12.2016
- Reviewed and approve monthly, quarterly, and yearly close entries assuring financial accuracy of COS to support Company’s budget and goals
- Discovered an $11M earning error, identified broken procedures, and set new controls
- Monthly, quarterly analysis to develop actions to identify operational issues such as LCM, OH capitalization
- Overcame 75% turnover due to oil and gas industry competition
- Built a nonexistent AR team and process to support the VA allowances to improve profit margins
- Improved the Shrink estimate by $6M
- Revamped the sales return reserves methodology as well as the in-transit valuation of inventory reducing the gap by $60M/yr
- Partnered with IT and created a true FIFO report to support LCM valuation
Controller
Nestle Waters
01.2013 - 03.2015
- Active leader of the Nestle Continuous Excellence (Six Sigma) creating measures and cascading analysis to drive improvement results driving lower costs across all departments over a 3 years horizon
- Leader of the operational master plan (OMP) a 3-year plan to improve operational and financial results supporting the NCE vision as well as targeted KPIs
- Partnered with leaders to support the annual planned budget conducting monthly department budget meetings with various department heads and executives
- Prepared monthly forecast with a 95% accuracy standard with the support of the leadership team
- Negotiated best pricing and service supporting competitive bidding policies for vendors, ensuring all buying complies with company policies and procedures
- Oversaw detailed financial models for all cost accounting
- Lead annual Physical Inventory Process and Execution
- Tracked and Reported Labor and Productivity Savings for the entire facility
- Responsible for month-end closing, prepare P&L accuracy and JE postings
- Responsible to maintain internal control for all inventories, raw, full goods, MRO and 3PL (over 500k sqft)
- Improved inventory accuracy from 90% to 98% on raw and full goods assuring order fill rate success
- Through a new Implemented, Maintained and Performed Cycle Counting
Senior Compliance Analyst
Louis Dreyfus
07.2011 - 12.2012
Internal Auditor
Conagra Foods
02.2009 - 07.2011
Supply Chain International Manager
Conagra Foods
04.2007 - 02.2009
Auditor
Mutual of Omaha
01.2006 - 04.2007
Education
B.S. - Business Administration & Accounting
University of Nebraska
Omaha, NEMBA - Finance
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SCSkills
- Strategic financial planning
- Financial reporting
- Financial management
- Performance metrics analysis
- Mergers and acquisitions experience
- Budget development
- ERP system implementation
- Business forecasting
- Strategic planning
- Cost reduction strategies
- Process improvements
- Cross-functional collaboration
IGTD Excellence Award 2023
Recognized for best exemplifying our cultural norms while delivering results and raising teammates around them to higher levels of performance.
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
French
Native or Bilingual
Timeline
Head of Finance
Philips
04.2021 - Current
Controller
ABB
06.2019 - 04.2021
Plant and Supply Chain Controller
Nutricia North America
01.2017 - 06.2019
Inventory accounting manager
Academy Sports + Outdoors
05.2015 - 12.2016
Controller
Nestle Waters
01.2013 - 03.2015
Senior Compliance Analyst
Louis Dreyfus
07.2011 - 12.2012
Internal Auditor
Conagra Foods
02.2009 - 07.2011
Supply Chain International Manager
Conagra Foods
04.2007 - 02.2009
Auditor
Mutual of Omaha
01.2006 - 04.2007
MBA - Finance
University of South Carolina
B.S. - Business Administration & Accounting
University of Nebraska
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