Kara Merrill

Kara Merrill Email and Phone Number

Director, Commercial Management Control at Lactalis US Yogurt (Stonyfield Organic, Siggi's & Commonwealth Dairy) @ Stonyfield
Marion, New York
Kara Merrill's Location
Boxford, Massachusetts, United States, United States
Kara Merrill's Contact Details

Kara Merrill personal email

Kara Merrill phone numbers

About Kara Merrill

With more than 20 years’ experience as a finance professional in business and corporate sectors, as well as consumer goods, my passion lies in helping companies maximize their profitability, make sound financial decisions, and achieve financial operational excellence.My work history demonstrates extensive leadership within the consumer goods sector, consistently as a senior-level team member and direct report to the CFO. This derives from my ability to perform comprehensive financial oversight, planning, and analysis, while procuring core reports for use in executive decision-making. I’ve also played a central role directing special projects, implementing new programs, enhancing reporting standards, and driving major initiatives and transitions. This includes handling and performing a range of tasks during numerous acquisitions.I look forward to connecting with and meeting other like-minded professionals here on LinkedIn. If you have any questions about my work or wish to introduce yourself, please send me a message.

Kara Merrill's Current Company Details
Stonyfield

Stonyfield

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Director, Commercial Management Control at Lactalis US Yogurt (Stonyfield Organic, Siggi's & Commonwealth Dairy)
Marion, New York
Website:
senecafoods.com
Kara Merrill Work Experience Details
  • Stonyfield
    Director, Commercial Management Control
    Stonyfield Jul 2021 - Present
    Londonderry, Nh, Us
  • Boxford Community Kitchen
    Co-Owner / Vice President, Treasurer
    Boxford Community Kitchen Jul 2020 - Present
    The Boxford Community Kitchen is a local restaurant that has been in our family for 75 years spanning 3 generations. It has evolved from a general store back in the 40s to 70s to a coffee shop & lunch spot from the 70s through pre-pandemic. During the pandemic, we transformed it to a destination restaurant for the local area and a staple in the community.• We have grown the top line by over 200% in the last year through menu expansion, marketing & social media efforts during a pandemic that has had material adverse effects on the restaurant industry.• Oversee all areas of daily treasury & financial operations.• Create financial reporting to continuously evaluate / improve profitability.• Manage all recruiting, hiring, onboarding & staff scheduling as well as payroll for a staff of 30+
  • Lifetime Brands
    Vice President, Business Analysis
    Lifetime Brands Jun 2014 - Dec 2020
    Garden City, Ny, Us
    • Senior-level team member and direct report to CFO, with management responsibility across multiple divisions, and provides leadership on all special projects, managing people and efforts multi-laterally for optimal results• Provides FP&A support for 7 product divisions and dotted line reporting to 6 divisional presidents across industries; conducts annual P&L bottom up budgeting, quarterly re-forecasts, and monthly analyses of sales, margins, expenses• Core member of the deal team for 4 of the last 9 major acquisitions since 2012, added post-acquisition integration support, and added these to existing portfolio of personally supported product divisions • Maximizes profitability per deep analysis on controllable expenses, inventory, demand, purchase planning, etc., and oversees budget and expense management for 3 locations (MA, RI, PA) via a proven purchasing approval process • Performs manufacturing reporting and analysis for company-owned manufacturing plant in Puerto Rico• Provides direct, comprehensive financial support to CFO:> Develops a 5-year outward looking financial model including P&L, BS, CF, EBITDA, and bank covenants, e.g. Fixed Charge Ratio and Credit Facility Borrowing Base> Estimates all possible changes in based on operating assumptions and close financial analysis, plus researches and identifies appropriate funding and credit sources for financial sustainability> Provides comprehensive analyses and reports for C-Suite and Executive leadership team to include daily orderflow analyses, borrowing calculations, monthly operational forecasts per 8 locations across the US and UK and Direct Import Business overseas, with post-mortem analysis for accuracy> Perfom ad hoc acquisition scenario planning and acts as post-acquisition integration finance and operations liaison for diverse acquisitions
  • Lifetime Brands
    Director Of Special Projects, Finance
    Lifetime Brands Dec 2007 - Jun 2014
    Garden City, Ny, Us
    • Senior-level team member and direct report to CFO, with extended management responsibilities• Directed inventory and control initiatives for key items, e.g. planner tools, exec-level summaries• Published summaries of 30-store closing initiative in Direct to Consumer Division for Exec. Team• Created industry-specific curriculum on Excel and trained 75+ intermediate and advanced staff• Member of Qlikview Development Team, standardizing a platform for company-wide reporting• Summarized earnings calls of customers and competitors for use by Executive Team
  • Lifetime Brands
    Director Of Financial Planning & Analysis
    Lifetime Brands Sep 2006 - Dec 2007
    Garden City, Ny, Us
    • Actively involved in SAP implementation and served as key internal support during post-launch• Executive team member, developing financial and management reporting best practices post-SAP• Developed long range (3 year) revenue forecasts for diverse divisions based on Product Category• Analyzed inventory levels and divisional performance, and procured comprehensive reports• Core member of the deal team for the asset sale of the Rochard business
  • Syratech Corporation
    Director Of Financial Planning & Analysis
    Syratech Corporation Feb 2005 - May 2006
    • Direct report to CFO and core member of acquisition processing and transition team• Interfaced with Investment Bankers and potential buyers• Guided company through acquisition to closing• Created and generated annual plan for sales, gross margins, SG&A, and EBITDAR• Executive Steering Committee member for SAP implementation; Business Owner post-launch• Conducted monthly reporting and advanced analyses for Board of Directors and Executive Team • Oversaw inventory planning across business units to sustain visibility, purchasing, & best practices• Identified opportunities to improve financial performance, e.g. gross margin and expense issues• Provided financial analyses and business model insights to external agency charged with financial restructuring during the pre-packaged bankruptcy process in 2005
  • Syratech Corporation
    Manager Of Sales Planning
    Syratech Corporation Sep 2003 - Jan 2005
    • Managed divisional Gen. Managers / Planners to develop Sales & Margin rolling monthly forecast• Instituted standardized monthly reporting for trade channels, customer, and item-driven reports• Implemented a daily sales and margin recap report, and a current backlog breakdown• Developed and implemented a quarterly inventory review process across all divisions to assess items based on time in warehouse and margin performance, aimed at inventory targets and aligning the reserve methodology
  • Elogic Corporation
    Director Of Finance
    Elogic Corporation Oct 2002 - Aug 2003
    • Member of Senior Management Team, driving major efforts to develop a brand new start-up• Performed extensive research and analysis in the start-up and development process• Closely interacted with a wide range of external partners, upper leadership, and personnel• Negotiated and maintained contracts with all vendors (office space, ISP providers, hardware, etc.)• Developed, coached, and supervised a core Finance and Administration team of 3 personnel• Responsible for all controller activities, P&L, balance sheet, budget, re-forecasting, risk mgmt.• Developed and communicated cost allocation structure for internal clients • Served as core financial advisor during the consolidation of two Los Angeles hosting facilities
  • Elogic Corporation
    Finance Manager
    Elogic Corporation May 2002 - Oct 2002
    • Continued to perform all previous responsibilities of Financial Analyst role with additional tasks to include diverse treasury functions, and managing all financial statements, client invoicing, and payment collection
  • Elogic Corporation
    Financial Analyst
    Elogic Corporation Apr 2000 - Apr 2002
    • Produced financial reports, coordinated mgmt. discussions on budget and quarterly re-forecasting• Helped develop product offering selections and pricing models• Presented products and pricing to Global President of Reed Business Information• Oversaw, reported, and monitored expense portion of monthly P&L, balance sheet reconciliations• Managed Finance, Administration and Facilities of East Coast office remotely post-acquisition• Coordinated core activities related to the acquisition by Reed Elsevier> Performed risk analysis during due diligence and participated in post-acquisition internal audits> Coordinated Microsoft licensing audits in compliance with partnership/subsequent agreements> Facilitated the closing and relocation of East Coast office> Coordinated with facilities, real estate groups, and performed asset management clean up> Developed/ implemented compliant monthly and quarterly re-forecasting & budgeting processes > Transitioned financial data from QuickBooks to company’s enterprise system/budgeting software
  • Syratech Corporation
    Financial Analyst
    Syratech Corporation Jun 1999 - Apr 2000
    • Procured comprehensive financial analysis packages for Executive Team and Board of Directors, including written Highlights, Income Statements, Sales & Gross Margins, SG&A Details, Inventory • Created a database to facilitate planning, reporting and analysis of 3,000+ SG&A accounts • Oversaw and maintained all licensing and usage of the trademarked name Farberware• Served various ad hoc projects, e.g. evaluation of an international distribution program, formula pricing of over 2,000 SKUs and indirect SG&A costs, analysis of Far East office’s operating expenses
  • Syratech Corporation
    Cost Accountant
    Syratech Corporation Jun 1998 - Jul 1999
    • Reduced processing time by 75% by redesigning, implementing, and automating daily sales reports in Excel, and automated all monthly Journal Entries through Access and/or Excel• Handled reporting for manufacturing facilities including monthly income statements and analysis of production metrics• Performed month-end entries for all Inventory and COGS related activity

Kara Merrill Skills

Financial Analysis Forecasting Budgeting P&l Management Budget Accounting Corporate Finance Finance Business Intelligence Pricing Budgets Analysis Competitive Analysis Data Analysis Management Executive Leadership C Level Executive Support Executive Level Interaction Board Of Directors Reporting Project Management Cross Functional Team Leadership Startup Development

Kara Merrill Education Details

  • Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School Of Business
    Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School Of Business
    Corporate Finance
  • Villanova University
    Villanova University
    Accountancy
  • Masconomet Regional Hs
    Masconomet Regional Hs

Frequently Asked Questions about Kara Merrill

What company does Kara Merrill work for?

Kara Merrill works for Stonyfield

What is Kara Merrill's role at the current company?

Kara Merrill's current role is Director, Commercial Management Control at Lactalis US Yogurt (Stonyfield Organic, Siggi's & Commonwealth Dairy).

What is Kara Merrill's email address?

Kara Merrill's email address is ka****@****nds.com

What is Kara Merrill's direct phone number?

Kara Merrill's direct phone number is +197827*****

What schools did Kara Merrill attend?

Kara Merrill attended Babson F.w. Olin Graduate School Of Business, Villanova University, Masconomet Regional Hs.

What skills is Kara Merrill known for?

Kara Merrill has skills like Financial Analysis, Forecasting, Budgeting, P&l Management, Budget, Accounting, Corporate Finance, Finance, Business Intelligence, Pricing, Budgets, Analysis.

Who are Kara Merrill's colleagues?

Kara Merrill's colleagues are Elizabeth Soto-Reyes, Linda H., Krishna Mohan, John Woolever, Roy Orosz, Michelle Evener, Gennady Glabets.

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