Deborah Torres- Ellenbogen
White Plains,NY
Summary
Self-motivated professional with a strong work ethic and commitment to organizational objectives. An effective business partner with the ability to create and tailor reports that convey value to the end user and provide guidance in making strategic decisions. Strong relationship management skills and the ability to liaise and partner across departments and functions.
Overview
2027
2027
years of professional experience
Work History
Finance Manager- North America Licensing
Disney Consumer Products
White Plains, NY
- Acted as a financial advisor and key business partner for the North American Licensing team; portfolio includes, licensed books, magazines and direct sales segments
- Assisted in the development the annual operating plan, including the design of category templates, support for budget guidelines and submission of data to Disney Corporate
- Performed monthly and quarterly variance analysis of licensing group’s performance versus budget, prior forecast and prior year
- Prepared the quarterly business review materials and annual strategic plan with senior management
Senior Director- Trade Publishing
Scholastic Inc.
New York, NY
11.2025 - Current
- Lead a team of four overseeing $350M in annual revenue, providing strategic financial leadership across the trade publishing business.
- Partner with Trade Publisher, Editorial, and senior leadership team to deliver financial guidance supporting pricing, portfolio strategy, and overall business performance.
- Develop and consolidate the Annual Operating Plan (AOP), rolling forecasts, and five-year strategic plan in collaboration with leadership team.
- Deliver financial analysis and strategic recommendations across key business drivers, including inventory management, title acquisitions, royalty expense management, marketing investment, and overhead optimization.
- Monitor performance against budget, analyze variances, and communicate key insights to senior leadership to support decision-making.
- Drive initiatives to improve revenue growth, margin expansion, and operational efficiency.
- Ensure compliance with financial policies, internal controls, and regulatory requirements.
- Lead and contribute to cross-divisional strategic initiatives to support long-term growth objectives.
Senior Director- Education Solutions
Scholastic Inc.
01.2024 - 01.2025
- Served as the principal financial advisor and strategic business partner to leadership team supporting state-sponsored educational initiatives.
- Partnered with senior leadership on contract renewals, pricing strategies, and commercial terms to maximize revenue and profitability.
- Provided detailed financial reporting and analysis by state initiative, including oversight of advertising expenditures and collection activities to ensure audit compliance.
- Monitored deferred revenue balances and delivery obligations to ensure accurate accounting, revenue recognition, and compliance with financial policies.
- Oversaw pipeline reporting to assess pipeline health, identify risks, and support business planning.
- Prepared executive reports, analyses, and presentation materials for the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and quarterly forecast reviews.
- Collaborated with Accounting on revenue recognition, accounts receivable management, and related financial transactions to ensure reporting accuracy and strong internal control.
Finance Director- Book Clubs
Scholastic Inc.
01.2014 - 01.2024
- Managed day-to-day financial operations for the Book Club division, including annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, and month-end close processes.
- Analyzed P&L and balance sheet performance against operational plans, and presented financial results and key insights to Senior Management and Corporate Finance.
- Developed and enhanced promotional forecasting tools to identify trends and support data-driven decision-making for strategic initiatives.
- Partnered with Operations to manage monthly SKU planning and establish product cost targets aligned with margin objectives.
- Ensure accurate tracking and recognition of expenditures in accordance with accounting policies and revenue recognition principles.
- Managed and distribute weekly KPI reports to highlight financial risks, opportunities, and performance trends.
- Collaborate with Accounting on inventory management, royalty accruals, and payment processes to ensure financial accuracy and control.
- Work with Tax to ensure compliance with applicable tax collection requirements and internal policies.
- Partnered with IT and Accounting on the integration of division financials into a new enterprise financial reporting system.
Brand Finance Manager
Sun Products Corp.
Wilton, CT
01.2013 - 01.2014
- Act as principle financial advisor and key business partner to the Brand Marketing team, in managing a portfolio totaling $650M in Gross Sales. Support operational decisions, new business generation and profit improvement strategies through financial modeling and analysis.
- Develop annual brand financial plans, forecast and strategic plans in partnership with Brand Marketing team. Assess performance against plans at customer, brand and portfolio level
- Evaluate proposed changes to existing product offerings and support brand managers in the assessing new innovation projects with capital and financial NPV and ROI analysis
- Work with cross functional teams to identify business gaps and determine corrective course of action
- Develop segment templates for the consolidation of the annual operating and quarterly forecast projections
Senior Finance Manager- Global Licensed Publishing and Consolidations
Disney Consumer Products
White Plains, NY
01.2007 - 01.2013
- Oversaw the operations of the North American Licensing group, a $440M Retail Sales division
- Managed the quarterly forecasts, budget and strategic plans processes for the NA Licensing division and prepare quarterly actual results with reconciling variances to plan and prior years
- Developed a business plan template and implemented a financial approval process whereby licensed deals are analyzed to help ensure optimal terms are secured and corporate contractual standards are met
- Built financial models and participated in the strategic process that secured a $40MM deal with the division’s top licensee; this represented a 49% increase over the legacy deal
- Implemented a SOX compliance process for the division to help ensure accuracy of quarterly accrual projections. This resulted in true-up accuracy and helped facilitate submissions to corporate
- Managed the process of incorporating Marvel Publishing from a financial reporting standpoint, and liaised with various constituents in integrating the Marvel portfolio from an accounting, contract management and IT system perspective
- Tracked performance by franchise and line of business and provide gap analyses, which aid Senior Management in making strategic decisions
- Partnered with finance leaders in the preparation and review of the consolidated Global Publishing financials, for report to Senior Management and Disney Corporate
Education
MBA - Finance, Entertainment & Media, Leadership & Change Management
New York University, Stern School of Business
New York, NYBachelor of Arts - Economics, Spanish (Minor)
New York University, College of Arts And Science
New YorkSkills
- Proficient in Microsoft Office, Oracle, Hyperion Essbase, Power BI, Atscale, Cognos, SAP, Peoplesoft Enterprise One, Khalix, and TM1
- Budget forecasting
- Financial budgeting
- Internal controls
Languages
Spanish/Fluent
Timeline
Senior Director- Trade Publishing
Scholastic Inc.
11.2025 - Current
Senior Director- Education Solutions
Scholastic Inc.
01.2024 - 01.2025
Finance Director- Book Clubs
Scholastic Inc.
01.2014 - 01.2024
Brand Finance Manager
Sun Products Corp.
01.2013 - 01.2014
Senior Finance Manager- Global Licensed Publishing and Consolidations
Disney Consumer Products
01.2007 - 01.2013
Finance Manager- North America Licensing
Disney Consumer Products
MBA - Finance, Entertainment & Media, Leadership & Change Management
New York University, Stern School of Business
Bachelor of Arts - Economics, Spanish (Minor)
New York University, College of Arts And Science