Kara Sims Email & Phone Number

Berlin, De

Berlin, De

Seattle, Washington, Us

Seattle, Washington, Us

- Led the team responsible for annual planning and forecasting a P&L with over $600M in revenue and multiple years of growth exceeding 50% - Key member of the IPO team; developed a three-statement analyst model, drafted sections of the S-1, defined external metrics and P&L structure, built a beat and raise model, and supported mock earnings preparation - Managed ongoing public company requirements including drafting sections of the MD&A, earnings preparation, and ensuring internal controls are operating effectively - Partnered with Treasurer to secure a $250M credit facility with greater operational flexibility - Implemented Adaptive Insights planning tool to build scalable forecasting, reporting, and analysis capabilities - Created a new department structure aligned with the organization to drive expense management

New York, Ny, Us

- Acted as the key finance partner for the Chief Operating Officer and the Supply and Operations leadership team- Recruited and reorganized a team of seven to align to business functions supporting a global transformation- Implemented process automation to drive scale forecasting twenty-two points of sale in fifteen currencies

Seattle, Wa, Us

Seattle, Wa, Us

Seattle, Wa, Us

Financial Planning and Analysis - P&L owner and primary finance partner for three of the largest points of sale, collectively over +$1 billion in EBITDA with multiple years of double-digit growth - Managed quarterly financial forecasts, quantified risks and opportunities, and made recommendations to the leadership team to advance business performance - Strong communication and technical skills to simplify complex issues and bridge gaps across a global matrix organization (marketing, supply and customer operations) - Continuously improved management reporting to provide strategic insights on financial performance Financial Operations - Overhauled complex analysis of product profitability to optimize marketing capital allocation - Drove investigation of refunds and other revenue adjustments resulting in +$10 million EBITDA growth - Monitored and investigated transactional anomalies throughout the customer funnel and partnered with the E-commerce teams to identify root causes and mitigate business risks - Facilitated routine transactional alignment meetings with customer operations team, mitigating the risk of a high customer abandonment rate or vendor over-spendLeadership and Teamwork - Led the finance integration of acquired brands (Orbitz and Travelocity) and Expedia Asia, cross-training team members on key deliverables, interpreting data, P&L analysis, and best practices - Led a team of six, provided ongoing coaching and development opportunities, supported career progression, and recruited high potential talent

Seattle, Wa, Us

- Implemented proper accounting procedures for complex third-party contracts - Facilitated monthly meetings with cross-departmental teams to review results and resolve outstanding issues - Partnered with a developer to create a database that streamlined the analysis of various revenue streams

- Led a cross-departmental team to manage a +$100 million newsprint budget; measured and reported on results, forecasted future expenses, and proposed recommendations resulting in $8M savings

Chicago, Il, Us

- Planned, performed, and supervised financial and internal control audits ensuring compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley, GAAP and industry rules - Key member of audit team assigned to year-long fraud investigation and remediation at subsidiary newspaper- Led the communication for the Sarbanes-Oxley implementation, tracking open issues and resolution

Worldwide, Oo

- Served clients of mid-size to large multinational manufacturers, financial services, and not-for-profit institutions - Planned, performed, and managed audit engagements including supervising and evaluating staff - Researched and analyzed technical issues to determine proper accounting and reporting requirements