Darshan Rana
North Billerica,MA
Summary
Dynamic finance executive with a proven track record at BH Shoe Holdings, excelling in profit optimization and strategic planning. Expert in financial modeling and reporting, leveraging tools like MS Power BI. Recognized for exceptional leadership and collaboration, driving significant revenue growth and enhancing operational efficiency.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Vice President/Division CFO
BH Shoe Holdings
07.2017 - Current
- Proficient in all areas of profit/loss analysis, planning, reporting, modeling, accounting, budgeting, long range planning, and rolling forecasts.
- Lead monthly closing process to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting.
- Prepare and present financial packages for senior executives & BOD, highlight key findings, and make recommendations.
- Strategic business partner to Sales & Product Organizations.
- Identify product/market trends and provide effective communication to business partners.
- Partnered with Sales Organization to optimize sales and profitability on key strategic accounts.
- Design, monitor and measure KPI’s.
- Provide timely business updates and communicate strategic financial changes across the organization.
- Provide financial support to remote offices and work effectively to consolidate results.
- Developed quarterly, seasonal, and annual sales plans by Sales Rep, Accounts/Door, Territories, and distribution channels.
- Demonstrated skills in effective team leadership and motivation.
Division Controller/Director of Finance (Jones & Bartlett Division)
Ascend Learning
Burlington, MA
06.2013 - 07.2017
- Manage all aspects of accounting and financial reporting for the business unit and assist in consolidated financial statements.
- Full ownership of monthly, quarterly, and annual closing cycles.
- Lead interim and annual financial audit partnering with external auditors (PwC).
- Prepare and present monthly variance analysis to senior management, identify key drivers impacting profitability, and make recommendations to meet annual financial targets.
- Collaborate with manufacturing to ensure inventory accuracy, own obsolescence process to minimize margin erosion, and lead annual physical inventory observation at the warehouse.
- Own cash application process and partner with corporate collections group to mitigate bad debt exposure.
- Own royalty accounting process and perform semi-annual payment process according to contractual obligations.
- Partner with Customer Service and Operations to implement best practices around order management and revenue recognition policies.
- Manage a team of 7 associates, and seasonal interns.
Director of Financial Planning & Analysis (Jones & Bartlett Division)
Ascend Learning
Burlington, MA
04.2011 - 06.2013
- Lead the Financial Planning & Analysis function of the JBL business unit, supporting GM/CEO and the business unit leadership team executes annual operating plan and strategic initiatives.
- Actively participate in organic and acquisition related initiatives within the business unit and across the organization as a whole.
- Partner with Sales & Product team to enhance revenue forecasting and create accurate dashboard reports to enable executives make sound business decisions.
- Play a key role in designing and implementing business intelligence tool working with internal and external IT resources.
- Effectively created a FP&A functionality from the scratch within the business unit to provide consistent reporting across the organization.
- Full P&L responsibility of the business unit.
- Lead the annual operating plan process and ensure complete understanding of the plan by each functional leader.
- Support all levels of sales organization with account planning and monitor progress against seasonal and annual sales goals.
- Design and monitor annual sales compensation plans collaborating with Senior Sales Leadership.
- Provide market segment and product analysis to senior sales and product management teams.
- Perform semi-annual price increase analysis and make recommendations for new and existing products.
- Own monthly rolling & interim forecasts.
- Partner with accounting to ensure costing accuracy and consistent reporting.
- Perform detail margin analysis and make recommendation to mitigate P&L risks.
- Provide financial advice on ROI, NPV, and other Key financial metrics for Business Case analysis.
- Designed and implemented a weekly QMI 'Quick Market Intelligence' report to highlight and address short term and long term pulse of the business.
- Designed and Implemented Monthly Operating Review to assist management gain full transparency into financial results.
- Partner with accounting team to enhanced monthly closing processes to adhere to GAAP and SOX compliances.
- Partner with accounting to complete quarterly and annual financial audits.
- Perform Adhoc analysis to support BOD needs, Banks reporting, and external stake holders.
- Actively research industry trends and align finding to identify positive and negative trends in the market place.
- Closely work with credit & collection team to monitor customer’s financial strength to mitigate risks.
Director of Wholesale Finance & Sales Operations, Tommy Hilfiger License
STRIDE RITE CORPORATION/COLLECTIVE BRANDS
01.2004 - 12.2010
- Led overall financial planning and analysis for division, serving on leadership team accountable for execution of overall brand strategy.
- Executed monthly, quarterly, and annual closing cycles, forecasts, and financial packages for senior management.
- Partnered with heads of Sales, Product, Customer Service, and Operations departments to mitigate profit losses through development of sales strategies and policies on returns, pricing, and sales promotions.
- Developed performance metrics to measure profitability and ROIs, identifying key business drivers for senior management.
- Increased operating income from $700K in 2007 to $5.5M in 2008 through realization of significant profit improvement, exceptional distribution planning, and tight expense control.
- Partner with Sales team to maximize sales & profit with effective account planning.
- Managed independent sales force, and lead the sales goals & incentive planning.
- Designed and implemented sales reporting tools for daily account, product and territory updates.
- Realized best inventory turn in company for past seven years.
- Developed and closely monitored inventory plans to ensure sales achievement and minimize inventory obsoleteness.
- Received Tommy Hilfiger President's Award for operations excellence for streamlining processes and significantly reducing time for order management process.
- Designed weekly forecasting tool to project sales and profitability and measure short- and long-term health of business.
Senior Financial Analyst
Ked Corporation
01.2000 - 12.2004
- Analyzed financial data to support strategic decision-making processes.
- Developed detailed financial forecasts and budget plans for various departments.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to enhance financial reporting accuracy.
- Conducted variance analysis to assess performance against budget projections.
- Presented financial insights to senior management for informed strategic planning.
Corporate Tax Accountant
Stride Rite
01.1999 - 12.2000
- Analyzed financial documents to ensure compliance with tax laws and regulations.
- Conducted audits to identify discrepancies in financial statements and tax filings.
- Collaborated with team members to streamline tax preparation processes and improve efficiency.
- Researched complex tax issues to provide accurate guidance and solutions to clients.
- Prepared final returns for filing with appropriate taxing authorities within deadlines.
Education
MBA - Finance
Bentley University
Waltham, MA05.2018
Bachelor of Science - Accounting
Bentley University
Waltham, MA05.1998
Skills
- MAS 90 and INFOR
- Cognos and Smarti
- MS Power BI and Microsoft Office
- Peoplesoft and Lawson
- CA General Ledger and Great Plains
- Quicken and TurboTax
Certification
Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certified
Languages
English
Full Professional
Hindi
Native/ Bilingual
Gujarati
Native/ Bilingual
Timeline
Vice President/Division CFO
BH Shoe Holdings
07.2017 - Current
Division Controller/Director of Finance (Jones & Bartlett Division)
Ascend Learning
06.2013 - 07.2017
Director of Financial Planning & Analysis (Jones & Bartlett Division)
Ascend Learning
04.2011 - 06.2013
Director of Wholesale Finance & Sales Operations, Tommy Hilfiger License
STRIDE RITE CORPORATION/COLLECTIVE BRANDS
01.2004 - 12.2010
Senior Financial Analyst
Ked Corporation
01.2000 - 12.2004
Corporate Tax Accountant
Stride Rite
01.1999 - 12.2000
MBA - Finance
Bentley University
Bachelor of Science - Accounting
Bentley University