José Gil, CPA
Hawthorn Woods,IL
Summary
Highly accomplished and results-driven finance leader with over two decades of progressive experience in finance, accounting, and internal controls. Demonstrated track record of enhancing profitability and driving value throughout the organization. Strong business acumen and proven ability to quantify the impact of non-financial data for proactive business decision-making. Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills to establish rapport with individuals at all levels of the organization. Highly effective in fostering employee engagement to achieve optimal financial results. Successful in building and developing high-performing finance functions focused on value-added activities while maintaining a robust control environment.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Litigation Support – Finance and Accounting Subject Matter Expert / Expert Witness
Independent Consultant
05.2021 - Current
- Provide support to legal counsel in analyzing financial, non-financial data and forensic analysis to gather evidence, conduct interviews and obtain witness testimonies and sworn statements
- Document findings in a clear, concise manner that is understandable to legal counsel, judges and government agencies
- Proven track record in obtaining favorable outcomes in complex legal disputes and litigation.
- Assisted in obtaining a Summary Judgement in a $6.7M fraud case
Interim CFO
Independent Consultant
05.2021 - Current
- Contracted by the Board of Directors of Atlantic University in Puerto Rico to provide stability to the finance organization while a full time CFO was identified
- Upgraded the talent in the finance organization and streamlined the financial reporting process and brought in house reports that had been outsourced resulting in $40K of annual savings
- Hired the first fulltime procurement specialist driving $165K in annual savings by renegotiating service contracts, establishing preferred vendors and obtaining sponsorships from suppliers
- Partnered with the stakeholders of the different departments to develop the first department level Annual Plan
- Developed a KPI dashboard that aligns with the drivers of revenue and productivity of the business enabling the execution of the Annual Plan
- Implemented performance and productivity-based compensation for the professors of the institution that resulted in higher employee engagement and student satisfaction
- Currently in process of implementing a new financial accounting system.
Controller Derivatives and Commodity Trading
ALCOA
10.2016 - 08.2019
- Managed the accounting and financial reporting of Alcoa’s hedging, financial derivatives and commodities trading activity
- Liaised with the trading desk and provided guidance on the development of new trading programs
- Determined and documented accounting treatment of new hedging programs
- Managed Sarbanes-Oxley 404 and Dodd Frank compliance and documentation for derivatives portfolio
- Managed the accounting policy framework and addressed the impact of upcoming significant changes in U.S
- GAAP technical accounting guidance related to derivatives
- Worked closely with both the company’s external audit firm, and internal audit on a quarterly and annual basis regarding the company’s commodity trading activity
- Prepared year-end and quarterly disclosures to be included in the company’s SEC filings
- Acted as the subject matter expert on derivatives accounting
- Managed, coached and mentored a team of 2 staff members
- Provided team members and customers with clear and consistent guidance and training.
Vice President of Finance Alcoa Building and Construction Systems
ALCOA
07.2013 - 09.2016
- Developed and lead execution of the four-year strategic plan that would deliver revenue growth of 18% and improve profitability by 32% on an EBITDA Margin basis over record year
- Delivered profitability improvement of 22% on an EBITDA Margin basis on the first year of the plan
- Developed a strategy to consolidate operations in North East Europe achieving annual cost savings of $4.1M while improving customer satisfaction
- Managed and optimized a capital budget of $28M
- Provided leadership, guidance and development opportunities to the BU’s FP&A, Compliance and Operational Finance teams.
Director of Finance North America Alcoa Building and Construction Systems
ALCOA
08.2010 - 06.2013
- Partnering with the Business Segment President, I had financial responsibility for 6 manufacturing locations and 12 distribution centers with revenues of over $597M and assets of over $248M
- Developed and led execution of the Strategic Plan
- Managed, coached and mentored a team of 5 direct and 8 indirect reports
- Implemented standardized processes and procedures across the enterprise providing visibility to daily profitability
- Responsible for the internal control environment and SOX compliance
- Key accomplishments: Improved EBITDA Margin by of 221% during my tenure, leading the business to record profitability
- Implemented a Daily Management Process that enhanced the visibility and tracking of Non-Financial Metrics, established a link to financial performance enabling the business to deliver record operational productivity
- Identified and realized $8M in net margin by analyzing customer/product profitability
- Managed the recovery of a flood loss claim in excess of $25M
- Optimized FCF by reducing WC to record levels while improving on time delivery to customers.
Controller Alcoa Architectural Products
ALCOA
07.2009 - 07.2010
- Dual role reporting to the AAP President and the BU VP of Finance
- I had financial responsibility for two manufacturing locations with revenues of $286M
- Acted as the Assistant Controller for the Business Unit VP of Finance
- Transitioned the BU Finance function from Geneva, Switzerland to Norcross, Ga
- Managed and developed a team of two direct reports and two indirect reports
- Key accomplishments: Led a team in the development and execution of a plan to generate $15M of FCF in the last six months of the year enabling the business to meet its financial plan
- Developed FCF forecasting and tracking tools to ensure achievement of Business Unit targets.
Plant Controller Alcoa Lafayette Operations
ALCOA
01.2007 - 06.2009
- Reporting to the Plant Manager, I had a P&L and balance sheet responsibility for two locations with annual revenues of approximately $324M and assets of approximately $160M
- Successfully partnered with the location’s Plant Manager, commercial organization and operations to increase profitability
- Responsible for maintaining the standard costs and internal control environment of the location
- Led a team of four analysts
- Key accomplishments: Developed and executed a financial plan that delivered a YoY improvement of 80% on net operating profit, 88% on return on capital and 10-day improvement on working capital
- Reviewed product profitability which triggered pricing actions and cost management, resulting on an average gross margin improvement of 6% increasing profitability by $14M during my first year
- Improved monthly forecasting accuracy to 98% enabling execution of the Strategic Plan
Manager FP&A Alcoa Global Engineered Products
ALCOA
04.2006 - 12.2006
- Reporting to the BU VP of Finance, led the FP&A group for a $2B business with 13 operating locations
- Managed the annual planning process for nine operating locations
- Established financial targets and developed key metrics
- Prepared monthly management reports focused on key financial metrics
- Analyzed variances identified key drivers and provided management with visibility to key business issues
- Responsible for the BU HQ monthly close
- Led and mentored a team of three analysts
- Developed tools to improve forecasting accuracy.
- Leveraged data and analytics to make informed decisions and drive business improvements.
Manager Financial Reporting & Accounting
Komatsu America Corporation
04.2004 - 03.2006
- Reporting to the Corporate Controller, I was responsible for the monthly close, consolidation of financial statements and financial reporting for 29 entities with annual revenues of $2B
- Key accomplishments: Developed tools and process improvements to automate the consolidation process achieving a reduction in the cycle time for the consolidation and reporting from 10 workdays to 6 workdays, while improving the accuracy
- Hired, trained, coached and developed a staff of three accountants
- Worked closely with IT group to optimize system performance
- Coordinated with the external auditors for the mid-year review and the year-end audit.
Senior Internal Auditor
Komatsu America Corporation
01.2001 - 03.2004
- Identified and recovered $2M in service work orders that were not processed due to system issues
- Partnered with the IT organization to test the functionality and data migration of an internally developed software for the distributor network
- Performed operational audits to improve the internal control structure and identify productivity improvements and opportunities to improve profitability
- Developed audit scope, approach, goals and objectives
- Supervised staff auditor, volunteer auditors and outside consultants.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Accounting and Finance
Georgetown University
Washington05.1995
Skills
- Financial Management and Accounting
- P&L Ownership and Management
- Financial Planning and Analysis
- Forecasting and Budgeting
- Capital Budget Management
- Cash Flow and Asset Management
- Financial Reporting
- Consolidations
- Cost Accounting
- Internal Controls
- Performance Management
- Oracle
- Oracle Discoverer
- SAP
- Hyperion Financial Management
- Hyperion Essbase
- Hyperion SmartView
- MS Office
- Strategic Thinking
- Training and mentoring
- Cross-functional team leadership
- Operational Efficiency
- Strategic Planning
- Key Performance Indicators
Certification
Certified Public Accountant, 904012, Washington, D.C., Inactive
Earlyexperience
- Fort James Corporation January 2000 - December 2000 Deerfield, IL
- Ernst & Young LLP December 1998 - December 1999 Atlanta, GA
- Chiquita Brands Intl June 1997 - November 1998 Cincinnati, OH
- Arthur Andersen LLP September 1995 - May 1997 Washington, DC
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
Spanish
Native or Bilingual
Timeline
Litigation Support – Finance and Accounting Subject Matter Expert / Expert Witness
Independent Consultant
05.2021 - Current
Interim CFO
Independent Consultant
05.2021 - Current
Controller Derivatives and Commodity Trading
ALCOA
10.2016 - 08.2019
Vice President of Finance Alcoa Building and Construction Systems
ALCOA
07.2013 - 09.2016
Director of Finance North America Alcoa Building and Construction Systems
ALCOA
08.2010 - 06.2013
Controller Alcoa Architectural Products
ALCOA
07.2009 - 07.2010
Plant Controller Alcoa Lafayette Operations
ALCOA
01.2007 - 06.2009
Manager FP&A Alcoa Global Engineered Products
ALCOA
04.2006 - 12.2006
Manager Financial Reporting & Accounting
Komatsu America Corporation
04.2004 - 03.2006
Senior Internal Auditor
Komatsu America Corporation
01.2001 - 03.2004
Certified Public Accountant, 904012, Washington, D.C., Inactive
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Accounting and Finance
Georgetown University
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