Gary Riesenburger Email & Phone Number

Boca Raton, Florida, US

Strategic planning and operational leader with focus on driving profitable and sustainable growth.

Chicago, IL, US

• Chief Financial Officer for Ingredients division at Kraft Heinz with responsibilities for all aspects of finance. Key business partner to CEO and other members of the executive leadership team.
• Stabilized the business during the Covid-19 pandemic ensuring attainment of objectives.
• Simplified the pricing process by automating approvals while integrating commodity impacts.
• Drove efficiencies by integrating the division into a new business unit.

Chicago, IL, US

• Head of Business and Budget Planning (FP&A) for Foodservice Business Unit with revenue in excess of $2B. Ownership for financial rituals and routines ensuring quality, consistency and reliability of results and.
• Built relationship with operational teams to analyze risk and opportunities.
• Redesigned Zero Based Budgeting (ZBB) reporting to enhance controls and provide additional visibility.
• Drove business performance by providing added insights to Price, Volume and Mix (PVM) levers.
• Enhanced Monthly Performance Reviews (MPR) to C-Suite by automating reporting.

Hoboken, NJ, US

• Head of Finance (Divisional CFO) and member of Executive Leadership team for Wiley Education Services providing Online Degree Program Management (OPM) to University partners. Ownership of all aspects of finance.
• Influenced long term strategy with dotted line reporting to the President of the division.
• Enhanced reporting and forecast accuracy by improving the revenue recognition model.
• Advanced productivity and streamlined the business by transitioning Accounting, AP/AR and tax to a shared service corporate model.
• Transformed the Order to Cash (OTC) platform by implementing SAP while harmonizing the tool with a recently acquired company.

Blackfriars, London, GB

• Oversaw full P&L forecast of Unilever North American business with sales over $10B in categories to include Personal Care, Foods and Refreshments.
• Improved dialogue and achieved total company targets by running S&OP meetings, challenging assumptions, highlighting risks, and opportunities.
• Enriched gross margins 10% through delivering process improvements and new ways of working, including enhanced collaboration with Supply Chain colleagues.
• Enhanced forecast accuracy to be within 2% bias by providing support to Marketing, Sales, and other functions with insightful information, influencing senior leadership, including Chief Executive Officer and Chief.
• Recognized by Unilever global leadership for best in class development of annual operating plan, targets, and 5-year strategic plan for entire business.
• Simplified and improved planning and reporting capabilities for Unilever, drove customization, and exceeded company objectives by being the first country to implement Hyperion planning system, creating a streamlined.

Blackfriars, London, GB

• Participated in multiple year assignment with Unilever outside of North America to gain broader company view and exposure to many geographies, markets, and products. Acted as Chief Financial Officer for Puerto Rico.
• Enhanced reporting and control as Change Agent by delivering new SAP platform across Caribbean, aligning tool across geographies while providing key synergies.
• Delivered timely and accurate information on performance across different geographies by coordinating financial and management planning and reporting across Greater Caribbean, playing lead role in development of.
• Maximized ROI by providing leadership team financial insight as extended team member, including strategic influencing of targets for all lines of P&L.
• Guided strategic ambition as lead business partner to Brand Building function for Greater Caribbean by providing key information on financials, planning support, and ad hoc analyses.
• Improved innovation target achievement 20% by collaborating with team and challenging assumptions on Business Cases.

Blackfriars, London, GB

• Provided financial support to Marketing for categories delivering over $500M in sales. Categories include: Salad Dressings, Condiments, Mayonnaise, Tea, and Margarine. Supervised and developed other category finance.
• Created successful marketing strategies which enabled over delivery of volume targets by providing key strategic decision support to marketing colleagues, including being key finance liaison for Vice President of.
• Ensured innovation delivered on value creation platform and supported delivery of category objectives through accurate planning process.
• Improved meeting effectiveness and earned recognition from Chief Executive Officer with award by managing Executive Leadership Team meetings, creating agenda, running meetings, and developing new tools, and changing.

Blackfriars, London, GB

• Controlled all aspects of Sales Finance Support to 200+ Salesforce team. Oversaw pricing for National Accounts and Local Chains. Developed and executed trade programs and deduction management. Led and developed a team.
• Enhanced consumer understanding and ability to track direct selling sales force by launching new secondary sales tracking tool.
• Improved efficiency of trade spending 10% and impacted customer behavior by implementing new trade terms structure.
• Achieved gross margin improvements in excess of 5% through reshaping of portfolio, divesting of brands, including Lawry’s and exit of custom business.
• Drove customer behavior by developing new go to market distributor strategy, including pay for performance programming.

Chicago, IL, US

Acted as lead person for trade promotions on Sara Lee Deli line of business for entire US. Reported directly to Chief Executive Officer while key member of S&OP process. Guided sales of excess inventory of 2M pounds per year to drive over 20% increase in dollars per pound.

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Economics And Politics

Education record