Mieko Cook

• Lead a complex global credit and collections organization across the U.S., Costa Rica, India, and Canada, overseeing Credit, Collections & Cash Application with 11 direct, 2 dotted-line, and 71 indirect reports.
• Manage $5B+ in annual North America A/R (U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico & Guam), ensuring strong portfolio risk governance and optimized working capital.
• Reduced unapplied cash by 83% (from $24M to $4M), improving cash application accuracy and accelerating speed-to-cash.
• Improved past due A/R by 9%, strengthening overall aging health and reducing revenue leakage.
• Delivered a 22-day reduction in dispute cycle time by driving cross-functional collaboration and enhancing root-cause resolution.
• Implemented proactive credit and collections strategies for high-risk accounts, reducing bad-debt exposure while supporting profitable revenue growth.
• Built and developed high-performing finance teams through targeted coaching, regional skill development, and succession planning.
• Directed multiple concurrent high-impact initiatives, aligning resources to strategic priorities and meeting all performance deadlines.
• Championed process transformation and technology adoption to streamline OTC workflows and increase operational efficiency.
• Strengthened alignment with Sales, Operations, and Billing teams, improving dispute resolution and customer experience across the OTC cycle.
• Presented KPI-driven insights to senior leadership to guide credit risk policies, cash-flow optimization, and portfolio strategy.
• Led regional Monthly Business Reviews, communicating results, risks, and strategic initiatives to executive stakeholders.
• Served as a key leader in post-acquisition integration and system migration efforts, ensuring alignment of credit policies and operational continuity.
• Credit Risk Strategy & Account Lifecycle Management (New + Existing Customers). Governance of Credit Risk Evaluation, Credit Reviews & Portfolio Monitoring
• Partner with Global HQ in Marseille, France to manage BPO relationships, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives and service-level expectations.
• Collaborate with Global Credit Management to develop and execute credit strategy, supporting enterprise-wide risk mitigation and growth initiatives.
• Oversee department budgets and bad debt reserve forecasting, ensuring financial planning aligns with organizational targets and maintains portfolio integrity.

• Lead a bi-national Credit & Collections organization of 84 team members across New York and San Luis Potosí, Mexico, including 7 direct and 77 indirect reports, supporting $3B+ annual A/R (avg. $400M–$450M monthly) across the U.S., Canada & Puerto Rico.
• Reduced past-due A/R from 17% to 12% in 18 months (1+ day metric) while maintaining bad debt under plan in 30 of 35 months.
• Conduct talent and structural assessments to design a future-state operating model that supports organic growth and acquisition integration for the next 3 fiscal years.
• Strengthen deduction management by identifying root causes and aligning Sales and Support to drive resolution and volume reduction.
• Develop Credit & Collections talent through mentorship, best-practice adoption, and succession planning, resulting in improved retention and stronger customer financial experience.
• Partner with HR and Total Rewards to ensure market-competitive compensation structures and internal equity within the department.
• Establish department SLAs, optimized workflows, and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance OTC cycle performance.
• Define and track monthly, quarterly, and annual KPIs aligned with corporate growth and working capital objectives—across all role levels including associates, leads, managers, and reporting teams.
• Lead acquisition integration efforts including system setup, legacy A/R oversight, and alignment of credit policies and organizational structures.
• Present A/R performance, risks, and labor capacity insights in Monthly and Quarterly Business Reviews with executive leadership.
• Executed a Go Green initiative converting 30,000+ customers to electronic billing, delivering $400K annual cost savings.
• Serve on core ERP implementation project team for 2024 go-live, ensuring credit and OTC functionality supports business needs.
• Maintain SOX compliance and support both internal and external audit requirements.
• Provide monthly cash forecasting and bad-debt reserve reporting to Finance leadership.
• Cultivate strong cross-functional partnerships with Sales, Marketing, Product Development, and Customer Service to drive dispute prevention and customer satisfaction.
• Oversee lien and waiver processes to mitigate project-based credit risk.
• Manage third-party collections vendors to maximize recovery while protecting customer relationships.

• Lead a global Credit & Collections organization of 150+ onshore and offshore staff, managing $600–$700M monthly A/R, including oversight of 1st and 3rd-party collection agencies to drive cash recovery and reduce outstanding balances.
• Partner with Senior Management on risk analysis for existing customers, aligning credit strategy with corporate objectives.
• Manage BPO relationships, including contracts, SLAs, and KPI monitoring, to ensure high-quality service and operational alignment.
• Mentor and develop Analysts, Leads, and Supervisors to streamline collections processes, enhance analytical problem-solving, and improve team performance.
• Identify, document, and address performance issues within Collection Teams, providing actionable feedback and support for improvement.
• Oversee deduction management and resolution, including root cause analysis to minimize recurring disputes.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration with SSC, Sales, Cash Application, and Order Management to resolve A/R issues, mitigate risk, and capture revenue opportunities.
• Manage EDI billing and customer portals, ensuring accurate and timely invoicing and account updates.
• Establish goals, metrics, and KPIs for Analysts, Managers, Supervisors, and teams on monthly, quarterly, and annual cycles, aligned with corporate objectives.
• Drive aggressive collections strategies, including escalations and credit holds, to accelerate resolution of hard-to-collect accounts.
• Oversee daily Credit & Collections operations across the OTC cycle, balancing short- and long-term projects to maximize efficiency.
• Develop Power BI and Tableau dashboards to monitor, measure, and analyze key performance metrics.
• Resolve Cash Application challenges, including misapplications, COA, intercompany transfers, and refunds, to maintain accurate accounting and customer trust.
• Enhance the customer financial experience by improving dispute resolution, settlements of aged items, and providing a single point of contact for communication, resulting in faster cash collection and stronger customer relationships.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and reserves for the department, ensuring financial planning supports organizational objectives.

• Managed, trained, and mentored a high-performing team of 25 professionals, overseeing $500M+ annual A/R across U.S. and international markets, including major retail clients such as Walmart, Target, and Amazon; drove focus on risk management, issue resolution, and DSO improvement.
• Conducted comprehensive credit assessments for new accounts across the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Canada, evaluating financial statements, Creditsafe, Equifax, D&B, and country-specific political risks; approved credit limits up to $10M with terms ranging from CIA to 120 days based on projected business and orders.
• Oversaw billing for contracts, program fees, installation payments, and warranties, handling escalations and collections, including UCC filings, liens, and bond claims.
• Resolved $100M+ in open/aged debits, credits, and payment backlogs, correcting revenue recognition issues and improving cash flow and bottom-line performance.
• Directed month-end close activities, including performance and variance analysis, strategic planning with corporate leadership in Japan, and monthly forecasting for cash flow and bad debt reserves.
• Partnered with senior management on cross-functional reviews, providing actionable recommendations on new products, A/R, P&L, budgets, business risks, and revenue recognition.
• Led change management and project initiatives during business wind-downs and integrations, ensuring smooth A/R transitions and alignment with accounting standards; supported internal and external audits (SOX/J-SOX, Sales Tax, UCP).
• Owned the end-to-end Order-to-Cash process, collaborating with Sales on deal structuring, terms, order volumes, and shipments to maximize profitability while minimizing risk and ensuring a consistent customer experience.
• Strengthened Sales/Credit partnerships, resulting in cleaner accounts, faster payments, and enhanced service delivery.

• Evaluated personnel and processes to improve time management and collection call effectiveness.
  
• Identified problems in credit granting procedures, advising on how to make better credit decisions; examined interplay between Customer Service, Credit & Collections, and A/R groups to improve processes.
  
• Uncovered root cause issues of cash flow, revenue recognition, payment application, and collection problems; delivered high-impact recommendations to close gaps, reduce risk, boost accuracy, and save time.
  
• Analyzed previous year bad debt write-offs and grouped categories of “why”, helping address issues.

Oversaw A/R of $375M, reducing overdues to 4% of total A/R and dropping bad debt to 1%-2% annually; managed and trained team on risk management, credit, cash application, and billing best practices.

• Analyzed credit-worthiness of new accounts both in US and International Markets such as Europe, Latin America, Middle East & Canada. Approvals based on financial statements, Equifax & D & B and factors of any political challenges within the countries at the point of time of doing business. Credit limit approval of up to $1 Million with terms varying from CIA up to 90 days based on order(s) and/or projected business
• Directed change management initiative and focus on training and unity between departments to optimize account coverage and communication with customers; promoted strong customer relationships.
  
• Improved staff training on deductions/short-pays, unapplied cash/credits, and collection calls and engaged sales/distribution/service to resolve outstanding issues; sparked DSO drop of 7 days with fewer deductions.
  
• Partnered with SVP of Sales (domestic and international) to enhance business processes, meet customer needs, and structure deals; Executive Committee member, aligning A/R goals with corporate objectives.
  
• Ran monthly close reporting and ensured GL reconciliations complied with GAAP; executed monthly write-off reserves, cash forecasting, and department budgeting.
  
• Owned credit application and customer contracts, including special terms, pricing, and payment discounts, holding staff and customers accountable; utilized D&B, personal credit reports, financial statements, and NACM history to set credit lines up to $20M.
  
• Managed escalations including 3rd-party collection agencies and legal action to mitigate risk and stem losses; visited clients on-site and negotiated settlements on problem accounts to salvage profit.
  
• Maintained client database and led paperless credit file project; implemented new accounting software and customer website for placing orders, online payments, and inquiries, improving efficiency/accuracy.
  
• Engaged in additional management including negotiating rates with credit card merchants, reviewing Sales & Use tax/exemptions, liaising on audits, and restructuring department to optimize personnel and resources.