Sarah Niehaus

• Lead the company’s investor relations strategy and capital markets engagement for a high-growth, publicly traded global brand, serving as a strategic advisor to the CEO and CFO and primary architect of the company’s external financial narrative.
• Earnings & External Messaging Strategy: Author quarterly earnings scripts, shareholder communications, and investor presentations synthesizing cross-functional strategy, financial performance, and long-term growth initiatives into a clear and compelling investment thesis.
• Strategic Narrative Development: Partner with executive leadership and business unit heads to gather enterprise-wide insights and translate operational priorities into consistent capital markets messaging aligned with long-term value creation.
• Analyst & Investor Engagement: Manage relationships with 27 covering sell-side analysts as well as institutional investors, addressing post-earnings follow-up calls, addressing modeling strategy questions, and proactively shaping market understanding of performance drivers.

Director of Finance Transformation (2024-2025)

Appointed to lead the enterprise-wide accounting, finance and supply chain systems transformation for a high-growth, publicly traded global brand, modernizing core infrastructure to support scale and operational complexity.

· Enterprise Technology Strategy: Developed a scalable, phased technology roadmap spanning ERP, EPM, SCM, and HCM, aligning systems architecture with growth strategy, automation priorities, and enhanced data visibility for executive decision-making. This roadmap became a foundational asset, providing clarity on current-state gaps, milestone sequencing, cross-system dependencies, and value realization for both delivery teams and executive stakeholders.

• Executive Governance & Vendor Selection: Led end-to-end RFP processes, vendor evaluation, contract negotiation, and Board-level communication, securing strategic technology partnerships to support long-term scalability.
• Cross-Functional Operating Model Design: Partnered with Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain, HR, and IT leadership to redesign processes and define the future-state organizational structure, introducing new capabilities and governance frameworks to sustain post-implementation success.
• Project Leadership and Delivery: Directed implementation of the Oracle suite (ERP, EPM, HCM, and Indirect Procurement), overseeing scope, solution design, risk management, testing strategy, and deployment. Established a formal procurement function as part of the transformation, institutionalizing controls and spend visibility.
• Change & Adoption Strategy: Championed enterprise change management, including executive stakeholder alignment, communications strategy, structured training programs, and user adoption metrics.
• Impact & Results: Delivered full program implementation within 12 months, on time and on budget, with no incremental Board funding requests. Significantly enhanced process standardization, control environment maturity, and real-time reporting capabilities.
• Hypercare & Stabilization Leadership: Directed post–go-live stabilization efforts, establishing governance to triage and prioritize system defects, manage risk, and accelerate resolution timelines. Partnered with functional leaders to translate operational feedback into system enhancements, while training and upskilling team members on new processes and controls to ensure sustained adoption and long-term scalability.

Assistance Controller (Director of Corporate Accounting) (2022-2024)

Results-oriented Assistant Controller with a proven track record of supporting strategic decision-making through accurate and insightful financial analysis. Achieved a significant milestone by leading initiatives to reduce the month-end close to 5 days. Oversaw a 20 person accounting team for a high-growth, publicly traded company. Responsible for the integrity of financial reporting and the efficient operation of the accounting department.

• Led the entire accounting organization (20 professionals across GL, AR, AP, Fixed Assets, lease accounting, and corporate systems, as well as the accounting for our advertising fund), with full responsibility for monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes and SEC reporting support.
• Reduced month-end close to 5 business days, redesigning workflows, clarifying ownership across functions, and strengthening cross-department coordination.
• Owned the integrity of financial reporting in accordance with US GAAP and SEC requirements for a publicly traded company.
• Conducted technical accounting research and provided guidance on complex accounting issues, ensuring accurate application of accounting standards. Directed preparation and review of technical accounting memoranda for complex matters, including impairment, third party delivery fee, software capitalization, vendor rebates, impairment, equity transactions, and other significant transactions.
• Partnered closely with FP&A, Investor Relations, Tax, Legal, and external auditors to ensure accurate, timely reporting and proactive issue resolution.
• Strengthened and formalized SOX internal controls, improving documentation, testing readiness, and audit efficiency.
• Conducted a comprehensive assessment of accounting processes, roles, and system capabilities to determine scalability for the company’s next phase of growth.
• Partnered with franchisees to interpret accounting and financial impacts of various fees and third-party delivery programs, enhancing clarity around margin structure and unit-level profitability after the rollout of new delivery platforms.
• Led and mentored a team of 20 accounting professionals, fostering a collaborative and high-performing work environment. Built and coached a high-performing team culture focused on accountability, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.

• Oversaw full client engagement, building relationships with clients’ senior management throughout the lifecycle for large, multinational public clients and private equity owned clients. Led a team of ~25 employees and reported to the Partner (Engagement Leader). Communicated with client executives on status and technical accounting matters and with PwC partners on complex accounting issues. Planned and administered a budget of $2.5M on recurring projects and $8M on non-recurring projects. Provided commentary on client SEC filings including S-1 Registration Statements, Form 10-Q, Form 8-K, and Proxy Statements. Reviewed discontinued operations and held-for-sale disclosures.
• Audit Director for a $3B multi-national cybersecurity company executing multiple important transactions over the year. Led a team of over 25 employees, with ownership of cross line of service coordination and foreign team oversight. Reported directly to engagement leader. Worked directly with partners in Tax, IT, Capital Markets and Accounting Advisory and SEC Services.
• Guided a cybersecurity company through a successful IPO and subsequent secondary offering. Reviewed Form S-1 filings and provided commentary to SEC committee letters. Provided insights and guidance to client senior management. Solicited and leveraged knowledge from PwC deal/IPO specialists to complete the required procedures and ensure success.
• Led a carve-out audit for a cybersecurity company selling a $4B business segment. Maintained agility and flexibility as the company took a more measured approach for settling on a clean sales strategy. Produced set of audited financial statements for the segment that was sold, leading to a successful transaction closing.
• Worked with a client’s internal audit department in implementing a compliance solution for Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley. Identified and defined activities for each control to determine the proper testing approach. Trained management on the level of documentation required to evidence their review of various control activities.
• Led the first year and subsequent years audits for a private PE backed media company spun-off from a multi-national telecommunications provider. Worked closely with senior management to understand company forecasts and debt agreements to corroborate the ongoing concern assertion. Led audit of ERP implementation.
• Facilitated relationships between client and the firm’s international team in India. Oversaw work performed by our international team through real-time coaching, review of work papers and deliverables, and leading weekly calls to discuss status of procedures.
• Conduct interviews and participate in the hiring of new employees for PricewaterhouseCoopers.