I currently provide Business and Operations focused leadership and program management to ensure the successful execution of BMO Financial Group's Annual US Customer Tax Reporting needs and Operational integration efforts related to our recent acquisition (Bank of the West). In my role, I represent and champion the tax reporting needs of our US Product Lines and partner with our Corporate Tax and Operations leadership to deliver ~1 million customer and supplier tax forms, along with all associated IRS and state filings. Additionally, I am accountable for:- Collaborating with Technology (IT) and Supplier Management around the development, oversight and execution of project plans and budgets (~$2M annually)- Ensuring adherence to all related federal (IRS) and state rules/regulations- Establishing and managing program governance, including standardization of project timelines, roles and responsibilities, metrics and reporting, along with leadership of Steering Committees, Decision Forums and day-to-day Business Working Teams- Developing, leading and successfully executing all User Acceptance Testing efforts across the program- Identifying and driving ongoing quality improvement opportunities, simplification and maintenance of the Bank's tax reporting processes and workflows- Coordinating internal change management needs- Consulting on tax reporting related customer communications- Addressing and troubleshooting tax reporting related customer concerns or questions

As the Director of Administration & Operations, I provided management and leadership to an Operations-focused team of analysts with responsibility and accountability for:- Driving quality improvement, simplification and maintenance of department business processes and workflows- Collaborating with department leadership to develop annual operational plans and budgets- Oversight and development of operational metrics, financial reporting and budget forecasting support - Alignment between department and enterprise expense management strategies- Management of relationships and contracts with national and state insurance rating boards, bureaus and third-party data/information vendors, including budgeting, forecasting and reporting- Partnering with Legal and Procurement teams to facilitate negotiation and execution of contract terms, conditions and pricing- Strategic planning, prioritization and ongoing maintenance around the suite of department applications, systems and tools.- Maintenance of relationships between department and IT teams, relative to application and system development and enhancements- Oversight of internal change management, user acceptance, quality assurance and training associated with technology updates- Adherence to documentation standards and data management/retention processes

In this role, I held accountability for managing from a business change perspective, large-scale technology programs designed to deliver the capabilities required to increase underwriting efficiency, effectiveness and profitability across our North American Commercial Business Division. I led a team of eight analysts responsible for the elicitation and documentation of business requirements for base, release and project-related solutions. I played a key role in driving the successful alignment between IT and enterprise business strategy for 20+ product lines representing $2B+ in premium and managed a program with budget of $2.5M+ for a web-based Underwriting Workstation, providing a single point of access to applications embedding operational and underwriting best practices, workflows, data and metrics. I continuously developed and strengthened partnerships between IT, Business Units and Service Units, which led to improved cross-functional collaboration and end-user system satisfaction. Other responsibilities included: - Leading the IT relationship with Premium Audit and functioning as the Application Director for a customized, vendor-built audit processing system, supporting 150+ remote auditors, three operational service centers and the home office management team - Management of the IT engagement with a start-up business unit focused on writing ‘low-touch’ policies with premiums of $25K and less. I provided consultation around long-term technology needs, along with ensuring short-term resolution of technology issues negatively impacting the unit's ability to underwrite. - Development of the IT relationship with a Marketing-based Proposition Development team and implementation of a formal engagement model to facilitate increased speed to market of new and enhanced Specialty insurance products through the rapid employment of tactical technology solutions

My role included responsibility for the analysis, design, development, implementation and ongoing management of technical (Business audit) learning and performance enhancement solutions, created to upskill the global Andersen workforce of 30,000 plus. I employed large-scale, face-to-face and web-based learning solutions, job aids, and instructional manuals for internal audiences at all levels, new staff through Partner.

As Corporate Manager of Programming, I was accountable for the development and implementation of broadcast (radio) programming and marketing strategies, competitive marketplace and audience demographic analysis, talent development and personnel supervision, along with the development and maintenance of relationships with both external advertising clients and product vendors.