Mark N. Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Virtual

TCG Consulting is a global leader for strategic advisory and management services helping organizations transform, integrate and optimize global Travel, Meetings, Payment and Expense (TMPE). Global client focused delivery is managed through four key practices, Strategy, Expense & Invoice, Payment & Spend Optimization and Travel Management, with additional category service delivery across airline, lodging, car and meetings. Regional Headquarters offices are located in Charlotte, NC USA (NORAM), London (EMEA), Hong Kong (APAC) and Sao Paulo (LATAM) while Global Centers of Excellence are based in Houston, TX, Dubai, Costa Rica and Makati City, Philippines. TCG has successfully delivered over 1550 engagements across 163 countries on 6 continents during its 26-year history and has over $26B in client spend under management. 27 of the BTN Corporate Travel 100 largest corporate travel programs are TCG clients. TCG awards include placement on the 2017 & 2018 Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list and Consulting Magazine’s 2016, 2017 & 2018 Fastest Growing Firms.Main Activities of My Position:Implemented financial systems: Configured well-known global and medium-sized corporate clients to Concur and Chrome River T&E platforms, performed end-to-end functional analysis of expense forms, integration and user acceptance testing, built and tested both audit rules and email notifications, configured printed reports, credit card data feeds, and analyzed SAE extract data feed file integration with the back-end SAP database. Customized and built a wide variety of reports in Cognos by mining the data warehouse, which assisted clients in managing their Travel and Expense spending. Worked within multiple dynamic global virtual team environments on multiple projects.

Virtual

Special Projects/Accomplishments:● Built a specialized complex report involving an outer join with multiple tabs in Cognos. When resolving the individual tabs, the P-Card Manager could reconcile corporate card transactions all at one time rather than reconciling them over time, thereby eliminating monthly accruals. Report output could be loaded as middleware into accounting ERP system. Concur reportedly attempted but could not successfully build this report.● Presented an opportunity to the Leadership Team to educate our clients about their opportunity to recover a much larger VAT Reclaim amount. This result would be accomplished by us arranging for our clients to view a live online presentation provided by TaxBack. Our clients would significantly benefit by receiving the maximum possible recovery for the VAT Taxes derived from their international travel expenses with no risk. Recommendation evolved into a strategic partnership between TCG Consulting and Taxback. Lots of potential benefits for clients!!!● Successfully encouraged a large client (2018) with $4.4 Billion in Net Sales and a large corporate cosmetics client with $16.215 Billion (2020) in Net Sales ($4.4 Billion in Revenue) to sign up with TaxBack and to recover VAT Taxes. TCG moderated the arrangement.● For an internal project, provided a relational database into a remotely located SQL Server installation by utilizing MS SQL Server Express and a web editor to develop a database. Loaded data into the database and provided MS Excel macro to download the data into a format with one to two mouse clicks. Much more data would be updated with new information so the functionality would benefit the company.● Cross-Training with Travel: Configured Atriis travel system from FROSCH with provided inputs from CCAM/Sabre travel systems utilized throughout the travel industry.

Virtual

Special Projects/Accomplishments:● Assisted several clients in selecting a corporate card program with guidance by modeling potential corporate card programs by placing card program candidates into a matrix to compare different variables thereby aligning those variables on the same footing.● Assisted in developing a benchmarking and negotiation point template involving multiple interconnected tabs with formulas.● Programmed a macro with VBA that dynamically created a Stair Step slide for a PowerPoint presentation and clearly showcased the TCO-TMPE® concept that could be leveraged for any TCG client with a year of data in Concur in just a few minutes● Built a coalition of stakeholders for the integration of APIs with Concur to build a suite of Power BI reports for dynamic interactive dashboards to be leveraged for clients● Developed testing scripts and validated for Functional/User Acceptance Testing (UAT)/Systems Integration Testing (SIT)/End-to-End Testing/Regression Testing of client T&E sites● Provided a critical security recommendation to Concur that closed an open financial security hole. The issue involved the capability to improperly login to different employee accounts. A knowledgeable hacker could exploit that hole to acquire employee credit card numbers. Also, mentioned Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) as a means to "prevent" the problem from recurring in the future. All recommendations were implemented by Concur and resulted in increased security for all 30,000+ client sites. A positive result for my observations and recommendations. Great result involving critical thinking and Security+ certification, even if I do say so myself!!!

Virtual

Special Projects/Accomplishments:● Programmed a database utility entirely in VBA that compared historical cost objects stored in the data warehouse with the output from a special SQL statement submitted to Concur and provided new output containing the cost objects to be added/deleted in new data feed load files. Cost object resolution prevented workflow issues from occurring.● Loaded data into a remote SQL Server Database with a dual-authentication VPN tunnel, and secured the data with TDE encryption protocols, and then connected to the data with macros in MS Excel.● Developed Test Scripts to validate the functionality of Concur/Chrome River implementations, Functional/User Acceptance scripts, and End-To-End/Regression scripts of the data outputs to various ERP systems for different countries of large corporate clients.● Programmed and assisted in the development of a Project Cost Estimator Tool, utilized by different Team Captains to determine final project prices utilizing a Cost Accounting methodology● Leveraged network defense and countermeasures education to provide astute security recommendations to the Executive Leadership Team, which would increase the level of protection of highly sensitive and confidential financial information both at rest and during transfer via email and over the Internet. Provided laptop security recommendations for implementing group policies, intended to protect client sensitive data.● Programmed several MS Excel workbooks in VBA to connect to SQL Server database and to apply formulas that track Cost Savings metrics that could benefit all clients, end user only clicks mouse● Meeting software: Skype for Business, WebEx, GoToMeeting, RingCentral, Zoom, SharePoint, File Genius, OneNote, OneDrive, DataPipe (VPN), Cisco AnyConnect (Dual Authentication VPN), PeopleSoft, BearBuy● Developed step by step training videos for corporate clients regarding how to utilize the Concur implementation

Greater Chicago Area

Migrated 6000 employees from a recently acquired smaller energy company from I-Expense to Concur in a contract for Robert Half with a much larger "American Fortune 100 Energy Company", updated corporate card data feed file format to USBC1, developed audit rules and built reports in Concur Intelligence. Designated as a Subject Matter Expert.Special Projects/Accomplishments: ● Programmed an intricate automated database entirely in VBA that reconciled corporate card transactions with extractions from Concur. Database imported data files into new tables, programmatically processed the imported data in those tables, created and joined tables in queries, exported query results, and then deleted the created tables and queries to refresh the database application. The non-reconciled corporate card transactions consisting of hundreds of thousands of records remained in the table until the debits equaled the credits. This entire application resolved a convoluted and time-intensive process to a simple process end-to-end involving only mouse clicks. The accuracy of the data was the most important metric for this VBA application.● Developed actionable reports in Concur Intelligence that clearly proved that larger energy company should purchase and integrate the "Concur Travel" module with the "Concur Expense" module as a more cost effective approach to manage travel expenditures and presented the findings to upper management. Replacing the separate "Travel Solutions" system and the "Travel Destinations" system from the smaller energy company with "Concur Travel" would provide significant cost savings for the larger energy company.

Greater Chicago Area

Responsible for the Company’s Travel and Entertainment expense processing utilizing the Concur application system, which processes more than $35 million in annual expense for 1,500 profiles, 16,000 employees. Responsibilities include auditing expense reports with professional skepticism; account maintenance; resolution of system/employee issues as they arise; creating/posting journal entries; creating standard and ad-hoc management Cognos reports; allocating Concur invoice to sales cost centers on a monthly basis; enforcing internal controls; processing VAT receipts; and reconciliation of various accounts including the corporate card clearing account.Programmed various applications that streamlined business processes:● A Global Headcount application in VBA that maps associates to Hyperion Entities and Account Labels arising from an explicit request of the CFO and the VP of Finance.● An I/C Netting program (VBA) to process an SAP extract and to load output to BMG web site.● An IR/GR program matching Invoices Received/Goods Received and carry forward comments● A Gum Locker Inventory Management database providing email notices when below threshold.● An Auditing database that generated e-mails based on audit findings in VBA and tracked results● An Excel vacation schedule for all Shared Services utilizing multiple nested functions.● A custom Add-In utility in Excel for users to assign any date for 40 years into 13 financial periods.Special projects included:● Migrated all business travelers from the ExpenseLink Gelco platform to Concur and subsequently all business travelers from loading personal credit cards into the system to “Company-Billed/ Company Paid” corporate cards and p-cards.● Identified and promoted the opportunity to upper management to increase VAT reclamation from $20,000/yr to €323,000/yr for Wrigley, which could potentially be increased by an estimated €500,000/yr for a single Wrigley/Mars global contract by changing vendors to Taxback.com.

Greater Chicago Area

Special Projects/Accomplishments:● Inspired creation of the "Global Innovation Board" for Wrigley permitting associates to anonymously submit product ideas. Won recognition for two Altoids-related product development ideas for the “Most Creative” and “Most Cost Savings"● Innovated three new candy bars and sent directly to the Director of Innovation. These products were designed by changing the product main ingredients. No modifications required to machinery to implement.● Innovated two functional chewing gums and mint design to reduce tooth decay/improve health● Redesigned accounting workflow in the data feed file provided from Concur. Worked closely with ABAP programmers to revise bridge file to auto-clear all transactions in SAP, leaving only exceptions to resolve manually● Worked closely with Payroll to resolve underlying data integrity issues that risked erroneous Bonus payments based on GAF● Created dynamic InfoPath forms with multiple "Views" enabling Data Governance to create/maintain the data integrity of company codes, cost centers and G/L codes● Created a report for Data Governance that merged the Charts of Accounts for Wrigley/Mars by creating a report using nested formulas that matched and identified discrepancies● Worked closely with Fixed Asset in the reconciliation of the year’s capital budget with actual fixed asset spending using pivot tables and VLookups● Assisted with a Modified Linear Regression analysis formula macro for a manager, and developed complex queries for a PeopleSoft archive for HR Dept● Mined data warehouse using Cognos to develop reports enabling different departments to set budgets for groups of cost centers and to track the actual spending patterns with those budgets● Upgraded the technical acumen of the Shared Services staff by taking the initiative to deliver several three-hour sessions in Advanced Excel features including VLookup, Pivot Table, Macros and Functions and attended by more than 50 employees

Various Locations

Web programming and database skills developed (some gaps):● Office Team for Access Medical Group - Processed and analyzed data for two separate clinical research studies with human subjects regarding the use of Cardiac Pacemakers and Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators (ICD), which led to the development of the next generation of the technology. Both studies involved patients and hospitals spanning across the United States. Developed the data analysis methodology per an explicit request from the Protocol Manager to certify that hospitals were not "cherry picking" their patient data by not providing all 30 required ICD-9 codes accompanying the 428/429 codes.● Paige Personnel for Pharmacia - Developed an intranet application that managed the allocation of resources for human clinical trials of new pharmaceutical products and devices which required the creation of a SQL server database, and both the data modeling and integration of 35 tables. Clinical trials for testing on human beings were assigned to different countries globally based upon the availability of resources in those countries to conduct additional studies.● Americaneagle.com - Programmed and developed commercial and industrial web sites for a diverse array of clients using ASP/HTML/DHTML/CSS/JavaScript, and integrated the sites together with SQL Server databases. Implemented graphic-intensive designs constructed by professional graphic designers utilizing Photoshop and other graphic technologies. Subsequently studied many other computer languages from the new .NET framework.

Greater Chicago Area

Communication skills and programming skills developed:Responsibilities included assistance in the preparation and modification of structured technical documents including Heavy Maintenance Manuals, Operating Maintenance Manuals, Overhaul Process Manuals, Running Maintenance Manuals, Illustrated Parts Catalogs, and Training Manuals for rail transit door systems, train brakes, bus door systems, and industrial boilers all in one manufacturing facility. Provided hardware and software technical support for the Technical Writing Department. Started as a contractor at Accustaff and hired as a full time employee. Vapor Corporation was acquired twice during my tenure, and was eventually carved into multiple pieces and sold off to four different companies.Special Projects/Accomplishments: ● Designed two interconnected Access databases using Developer Tools that streamlined the management and retrieval of technical documents and AutoCAD drawings. These two databases substituted for a potential expensive document scanning project into DVD disks, enabling the computer to search for specific words.● Programmed a utility entirely in VBA that programmatically created a new folder, moved a copy of all AutoCad drawings for a specified technical document to the folder using the directory paths stored as database links, and zipped all of those AutoCad files from their respective directories and the specified technical document to a WinZip file, all accomplished end-to-end with mouse clicks.

Bachelor Of Business Administration (Bba), Finance, General, 3.1/4.0

Multiple Classes in Insurance, Investments, Real Estate, Banking, Economics, Accounting, Management, Marketing, Business Law, and both.

Associate'S Degree, Accounting, 3.68/4.0

Activities and Societies: President's List, Phi Theta Kappa

Associate'S Degree, Computer Programming, 3.68/4.0

Activities and Societies: Visual Studio, VBA, VB.NET, C#, ASP.NET, C++, HTML/DHTML, JScript/VBScript, XML/XSD; Certifications: i-Net+.

Associate'S Degree, Computer Information Systems, 3.68/4.0

Security+ Certification, Computer And Information Systems Security/Information Assurance, 4.0/4.0

Will be applying for taking the CompTIA Security+ examination when it is possible.

Individual Taxation Class, Income Tax

Attended the H&R Block class and completed program regarding Individual Taxation and the Block Works web application.