Ben Afzal Email & Phone Number

Mountain View, Ca, Us

Mountain View, Ca, Us

Lead the financial, compliance, and HR functions for a SaaS company managing environmental data for Fortune 500 companies and government agencies, focusing on scalable growth, financial accuracy, and operational efficiency.FINANCE, ACCOUNTING, AND STRATEGIC PLANNINGBuilt SaaS-specific financial models, tracking metrics like MRR, ARR, CAC, and LTV to refine forecasts and support growth strategies.Managed accounting cycles, including revenue recognition (ASC 606), audits, customer costing, cash flow, and deferred revenue, ensuring alignment with GAAP and industry standards.Collaborated with department heads on forecasts, optimizing spending across R&D, sales, and operations.Implemented data dashboards for real-time insights on KPIs, enabling data-driven decision-making and cross-functional alignment.CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT AND REVENUE SCALINGDrove customer renewals and pricing negotiations, standardizing annual increases, and transitioning to annual up-front payments to enhance cash flow.Established a GSA contract to drive government sector pricingLed customer lifecycle analysis, identifying upsell and cross-sell opportunities to boost revenue retention and maximize LTV.HUMAN RESOURCES AND TALENT MANAGEMENTDirected HR operations, including recruiting, stock options, and performance reviews, to support headcount growth and team development.Managed employee benefits, payroll, and legal affairs, fostering a compliant and high-performing workforce.TECHNOLOGY AND INVESTOR RELATIONSIntegrated financial systems with ERP/CRM tools to support scalability and billing accuracy.Maintained investor relations by preparing financial reports and strategic updates, aligning stakeholders with company growth goals.ACHIEVEMENTSSuccessfully led customer renewals and pricing adjustments, securing upgrades and increased revenue from Fortune 500 clients.Facilitated headcount growth to support new product teams, enhancing operational capabilities.

Lead the financial operations of a real estate investment and financial advisory firm. Responsibilities included a wide range of financial and operations management. Generated a new revenue source by selling sales leadsBUDGETING, PLANNING, AND FORECASTING• Responsible for creating annual budgets• Approved the opening of satellite offices based on profitability projectionsOPERATIONS MANAGEMENT• Created loan processing infrastructure and setup full operations to take a loan from beginning to final funding• Screened and packaged loans for submission to lenders• Managed all online banking relationships, payroll, and payments to vendors• Analyzed and approved all sales commissions and sales manager overrides• Reviewed and approved all contracts with employees, contractors, and outside partiesSYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION• Implemented the use of Pointcast software in daily operations, as well as linking the software to the internet for direct customer use in data submission and trackingSelected Achievements• Negotiated and maintained relationships and deal flow through 10+ commercial banks• Opened 5 satellite offices and trained staff

Led the financial operations of the world’s preeminent venture capital database firm. Managed 3X increase in revenue and the successful sale of the firm to a private equity buyerBUDGETING, PLANNING, AND FORECASTING• Senior official responsible for the overall financial management of the world’s top media company in the venture capital information space• Create the annual financial budget for ten departments and over fifty productsSYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION• Implemented the Sage Enterprise Suite, a SQL-based sales and accounting software package• Designed financial system to track a product line P&L for over 50 productsBUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING• Designed and implemented new processes for invoice processing, sales order processing, credit card processing, fulfillment, collections, and advertising insertion ordersLEGAL & TAX PLANNING• Design and review new contracts for option plan and agreement, early exercise agreements, data feed license, database license, joint ventures, joint sales agreements, sponsorship agreements, advertising agreements, advertising insertion ordersOPTION PLAN MANAGEMENT• Structured an accelerated stock option pool for senior management, with vesting based on combinations of revenue and profit over timeSelected Achievements• Scaled 3x revenue growth over 2 years with a newly implemented accounting system• Negotiated a sale of the firm for nearly $40 million to a private equity buyer

Master Of Business Administration - Mba, Finance, General

Bs, Business Administration And Management, General