Claire Nicolas
Jersey City,NJ
Summary
Dynamic Senior Program Manager with over 10 years of experience at L'Oréal (France and the USA). Expert in leading global digital transformations and bridging the gap between IT and various métiers. Proven track record of moving complex projects from 'Excel to Cloud' using Agile and low-code/no-code technologies. A GenAI power user and 'early adopter,' who combines an entrepreneurial mindset with a deep understanding of the L'Oréal matrix. Passionate about building the next generation of AI-powered beauty experiences.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
IT Senior Transversal Project Manager
L'Oreal USA
Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
08.2023 - Current
- End-to-End Project Lifecycle: ServiceNow management, milestone tracking, risk mitigation, and project planning.
- Financial Governance: budget ownership ($3M+), spend plan optimization, PO/SOW management (Ironclad/MyMarket), and trend review.
- Stakeholder Management: BRM partnership, business/IT workshop facilitation, and communicating with top management through Operations Steering Committees.
- Leadership: Mentoring hybrid teams (internal/external) and streamlining team onboarding processes.
- Portfolio Management (F2S): Orchestrated a portfolio of eight high-impact projects, including the NEO Remediation for 3PLs and copackers across LUSA and SC.
- Process Optimization: Boosted team efficiency by creating and implementing standardized templates for project planning and budget spend tracking, and instituted bi-weekly management trend reviews.
IT Team Leader - Direct Sourcing
L'Oreal S.A.
Paris, France
12.2020 - 07.2023
- Demand Management: Captured, screened, and prioritized new business ideas and requests to prevent shadow IT initiatives through weekly reviews.
- Strategic Roadmap: Developed a multi-year technology plan, transforming legacy applications into a modern applicative landscape (from 15+ apps to 4 apps).
- Business Case Dev: Assisted business leaders in articulating project value to secure funding by researching the tech market and preparing DRC and CPP documents.
- People management: 3 direct reports, 4-10+ external. Led team operations, coaching, and capacity planning.
- Stakeholder Management: Maintaining strong relationships with the end-user community to ensure high levels of satisfaction with IT services.
- Budget and Sourcing: Managed CAPEX/OPEX budget cycles and governed IT procurement processes (RFPs, vendor onboarding, and contract management).
- Portfolio Oversight: Monitored the health of the project portfolio for Direct Sourcing, and ensured projects are on track and aligned with changing priorities.
- Support & Ops: Directed global L3 support for 15+ applications, utilizing ServiceNow and PowerBI to monitor KPIs and improve service quality across APAC, AMER, and EMEA.
Global Application Manager - Travel & Expense
L'Oreal S.A.
Paris, France
01.2019 - 12.2020
- Strategy & Lifecycle: Roadmap definition for the domain, in particular Concur application, and version control.
- Operational Excellence: Incident/Problem Management (ServiceNow), API monitoring, and BI reporting.
- Financial Oversight: Budget tracking, vendor negotiation (SAP, Egencia, CWT, LTI, etc.), and PO/invoice reconciliation.
- Security & Compliance: Cybersecurity audits, data privacy (GDPR), and access governance.
- Project Leadership: Led the Concur global rollout.
- Process Optimization: Automated weekly/monthly reporting for CEO, Sourcing, HR and Finance; optimized HR feeds for improved data mapping in 10+ countries.
- Stakeholder Management: Orchestrated a global network of external partners and internal métiers (Sourcing, HR, Finance).
- Innovation: Integrated digital solutions including the Uber-Concur link and myCWT app, enhancing the user experience for travelers.
Procure To Pay Consultant & Project Manager
Viseo/DXC/Freelance
Paris, France
02.2014 - 12.2018
- Consultant on electronic invoicing solutions, specializing in Readsoft modules including invoice, workflow, EDI, and collector.
- Senior consultant and Project Manager for travel and expense solutions, focusing on SAP Concur modules like Expense, Request, Travel, BI, Pay, and Audit Services.
- Executed evolutive maintenance and support on SAP FICO for Printemps (Paris) and Elior (Paris).
- Managed global clients and projects using waterfall methodology for companies such as L'Oréal and Air Liquide.
- Conducted business trips to USA, Canada, Poland, Germany, UK, and Spain.
Education
Bachelor in Business Administration - Accounting And Finance
HEC Montreal
Montreal, Canada12-2013
Skills
- Stakeholder engagement
- Effective communication
- Risk assessment and mitigation
- Strategic planning
- Project management
- Product lifecycle management
- Technical literacy
- Empathy
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Emotional intelligence
- Curious mindset
- Active listening
Languages
English
Full Professional
French
Native/ Bilingual
Affiliations
Running (NYC Marathon in 2026!), self-care, aromatherapy, meditation, books, true crime documentaries, and horror movies.
Timeline
IT Senior Transversal Project Manager
L'Oreal USA
08.2023 - Current
IT Team Leader - Direct Sourcing
L'Oreal S.A.
12.2020 - 07.2023
Global Application Manager - Travel & Expense
L'Oreal S.A.
01.2019 - 12.2020
Procure To Pay Consultant & Project Manager
Viseo/DXC/Freelance
02.2014 - 12.2018
Bachelor in Business Administration - Accounting And Finance
HEC Montreal