Karen Dillon

Strategic Leadership

• Promoted through three roles in under four years due to strong leadership, strategic thinking, and operational execution.
• Assisted Treasury team in managing cash flow and payments for CDS as part of executive financial operations.
• Key contributor to “Path2Eighty” cost-reduction initiative, targeting 10% annualized savings, identifying and implementing operational efficiencies without reducing service quality.

Process Transformation & Automation

• Restructured and centralized the AP function, relocating the team from GA to TX, hiring and training a new team, and establishing SOPs for all core AP activities.
• Transformed AP email response protocol, reducing response time from weeks to under 24 hours, improving vendor satisfaction and issue resolution time.
• Spearheaded transition from manual check payments to electronic disbursements, building out bank file feeds and Positive Pay files with third-party consultants.
• Designed and implemented a stale-dated check and unclaimed property process, previously unmanaged, ensuring regulatory compliance and internal reporting integrity.

Policy & Compliance Development

• Created and published comprehensive Purchase and Travel Policies, with acknowledgment tracking via ADP, ensuring enterprise-wide compliance and governance.
• Led administration and compliance of all Unclaimed Property for both AP and Payroll, including due diligence outreach and state remittance.
• Worked with legal and finance teams on Utility Management RFP and contract review; slated to lead implementation phase.

PCard & Expense Management

• Directed the RFP, selection, and implementation of a new Purchase Card Program, including:
• Department-level structuring with tailored limits.
• MCC restrictions to prevent misuse.
• Full cardholder and manager training across departments.
• Facilitated enterprise PCard and AP training during ASPIRE training sessions to groom school-level associates for future director roles.

Vendor & Payment Innovation

• Implemented numerous vendor transitions to monthly bulk import invoice processing, including facilities and dispensers, significantly reducing manual entry errors.
• Oversee vendor credit applications and administration of major accounts like Staples and Pitney Bowes, reducing costs across multiple locations.
• Currently implementing Amazon Business platform with a projected 3% YoY rebate to further streamline purchasing and increase savings.

Account Reconciliation & Collections

• Took ownership of inactive parent account credits, identifying and processing valid refunds or correcting erroneous entries.
• Developed and implemented internal collections process for delinquent parent accounts.
• Created reporting and dashboards to monitor parent account activity, reconciliation, and aging.

Cross-Functional & Operational Support

• Provided ongoing support to the Conference Team, managing vendor invoicing for sponsorships and partnership revenue.
• Revamped vendor classifications within ERP system, enabling commodity spend visibility and strategic sourcing analysis.

• Global Ownership of AP and PO Process. Led Gartner's global Accounts Payable and PO systems, including management of 10 direct and 5 indirect associates. Oversaw SOX Compliance, Unclaimed Property, 1099, T4, FATCA and crisis reporting.
• Partnered with IT, from the onset of COVID, immediately building robust reporting for the MVP, Controller and CFO to review. Identified critical commodities and aged payments for determination of payment. Reporting resulted in a $45M savings in first month as well safe guarded Gartner's cash flow for months after.
• Ensured most up to date support on global ERP system by partnering with Financial Systems and IT teams in all technical system upgrades. Most recent move was to Oracle R12 from Oracle 11i which included reviewing requests for changes, control upgrades, clearly documenting requirements for IT and guaranteeing end-to-end testing was performed.
• Increased efficiency streamlining or eliminating manual processing related to all areas of Accounts Payable.
• Ensured global consistency by:
• Performing reviews, approvals and communication of all changes to WW AP and PO processes, ensuring global consistency.
• Reviewing and updating policies and procedures for areas of oversight as well as for associates and team members, implementing changes.
• Reduced costs globally and drove efficiencies by building on global road-map, centralized 32 country payments, supplier creation and purchase order approvals into a shared service center for processing by subject matter experts.
• Decreased number of PO invoices manually processed 90% by guiding development, testing and implementation of third-party vendor optical character recognition software.
• Drove efficiencies by directing business development activity, including acquisition integration, while continually evaluating processes.
• Improved training processes of global Accounts Payable team by maintaining standard operating procedure manuals.
• Served as Process Owner for all ERP (Oracle R-12) new implementations and updates of the Oracle E-Business Suite modules globally.
• Managed Sarbanes Oxley 404 compliance documentation and on-going modifications to all existing and new Accounts Payable processes.
• Managed all AP tax related reporting tasks such as 1099, 1042 and T4 filings.

Senior Manager, Disbursement Services 2012 - 2015

• Managed and oversaw Gartner's Accounts Payable systems, corporate T&E / Purchasing Card programs, Oracle i-Expense program including management of 9 direct reports. Oversee SOX Compliance, Unclaimed Property, 1042 and 1099 reporting.
• Eliminated unnecessary process steps and improved overall processes relating to invoices, supplier and payments by 25%.
• Managed corporate credit cards for 34 countries and business travel expenses of 6K+ US Travel, Procurement and Meeting credit cards.
• Provided proactive oversight of shared mailboxes, ensuring adherence to operating procedures and service level agreements with volumes of 100K annually.
• Spearheaded AP, T&E and Purchasing Card system issues / projects, maintaining system enhancements and ensuring requirements were understood and implemented.
• Ensured associate adherence by preparing policies and procedures for posting on company’s intranet for all associates.
• Reduced costs globally and drove efficiencies by starting Gartner's global road-map:
• Centralized 15 EMEA country payments and purchase order approvals into a shared service center for processing by subject matter experts.
• Implemented paperless environment for NA travel and expense of approximately 50K reports.
• Drove efficiencies by coordinating and supporting business development activity, including acquisition integration.
• Improved training and cross training of the Accounts Payable team by creating standard operating procedures for all tasks.
• Served as Process Owner for all ERP (Oracle R-12) new implementations and updates of Oracle E-Business Suite modules globally.
• Administered Sarbanes Oxley 404 compliance and on-going modifications to all existing and new Accounts Payable processes.
• Partnered with management and tax for FATCA audit which resulted in a severely reduced penalty and implemented FATCA process and reporting procedures.
• Owned AP tax related tasks alongside internal tax teams and external tax firms to prepare and maintain a matrix for AP associates to determine use tax accessibility.
• Reviewed and signed off on 1099 tax filings.

• Directly managed and oversaw Gartner's Accounts Payable systems, corporate T&E / Purchasing Card programs, Oracle i-Expense program including management of 7-direct associates.
• Ensured timely supplier creation, invoice entry and payments for 9 North / Latin America / United Kingdom companies.
• Managed corporate credit cards for 34 countries and business travel expenses of 6K+ US Travel, Procurement and Meeting credit cards.
• Provided proactive oversight of shared mailboxes, ensuring adherence to operating procedures and service level agreements with volumes of 100K annually.
• Spearheaded AP, T&E and Purchasing Card system issues / projects, maintaining system enhancements and ensuring requirements were understood and implemented.

Assistant Manager 2002 - 2004

• Directly managed day-to-day Accounts Payable, including overseeing 5-direct associates.
• Ensured timely supplier creation, invoice entry and payments for 4 North / Latin America companies.
• Team Leader 2000 - 2002
• Directly responsible for day-to-day oversight of Accounts Payable.
• Oversaw timely supplier creation, invoice entry and payments for 4 North / Latin America companies.