Mark Larson Email & Phone Number

Phoenix, Az, Us

Seattle, Wa, Us

CORE EXPERIENCE▪ Planned and executed risk-based contractual, legal, and regulatory compliance audits for Amazon’s 3rd party delivery service partners (DSPs) using Amazon’s Transportation, Risk, and Compliance’s (TRC’s) custom auditing software program. ▪ Delivered findings and recommendations to 3rd party DSPs.▪ Managed auditee recommended corrective actions to resolution or escalation to corporate management for breach of contract.▪ Quality control reviewed completed compliance audits and provided quantitative scoring, feedback, and coaching to auditors.▪ On-boarded and trained new auditors and supervised contracted auditors and interns.▪ Provided compliance training to and shared best practices with audit clients and Amazon's 3rd Party DSP business coaches.ACHIEVEMENTS▪ Recognized as sole Amazon auditor to maintain 100% quality scores and earned highest client superior service satisfaction ratings for four consecutive years.▪ Discovered critical errors in audit sampling and testing methodologies within TRC’s U.S. 3rd party DSP audit program, and partnered with software programming team to implement recommended fixes that reduced erroneous audit defects by 37% YoY. ▪ Selected by TRC leadership to design, build, and implement 3rd party DSPs’ U.S. OSHA compliance audit program that included developing control tests and software scripts, and conducting quality assurance and user acceptance testing, and quality control reviews. Results reported via BI dashboards, daily flashes, and executive summaries. Developed audit procedure SOPs and trained 5 auditors.▪ Earned the opportunity to quality assurance and user acceptance test Amazon’s compliance audit program, audit case management, and 3rd party partner document management systems prior to their implementation.▪ Improved 3rd party DSP meal period audit score 21% YoY by analyzing defect root-causes that led to identifying and correcting U.S. logistics and payroll systems programming issues.

West Hollywood, California, Us

CORE EXPERIENCE▪ Built, implemented, and directed global company’s internal audit function that included an ERM framework, audit charter, control self-assessments, audit workbook template, executive audit report, and audit KPM dashboard.▪ Created and maintained audit budget and schedule.▪ Planned and executed IIA standards compliant risk-based financial, payroll, human resources, operations, information technology systems, contractual, legal, and regulatory compliance audits for domestic & international wholly-owned, managed, and joint-venture hotels and resorts that included residences and vacation ownership rentals.▪ Ensured compliance to GAAP, IFRS, USALI, SOX, and CPRA and GDPR privacy standards, and U.S. regulatory requirements.▪ Presented and reported audit findings with recommendation to corporate and business unit leadership.▪ Verified recommended audit corrective actions were implemented by stated due dates or escalated to corporate leadership.▪ Conducted forensic fraud and theft investigations in collaboration with human resources and external legal counsel.▪ Tracked audit program KPMs and business unit audit KPIs to identify opportunities for audit process optimization and unit control risks.▪ Conducted quality assurance and user acceptance testing prior to system implementations.ACHIEVEMENTS▪ Uncovered $210K in business unit financial and inventory misstatements.▪ Discovered and reported $148K in business unit fraud and theft.▪ Spearheaded team of ops, marketing, and legal executives that created company’s global COVID pandemic response plan which was successfully launched in under two months.▪ Partnered with legal to create and implement California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance guidance.▪ Developed, maintained, and cultivated a master inventory of company-wide standardized finance and accounting policies, procedures, forms, and templates.

Denver, Co, Us

CORE EXPERIENCE▪ Developed, implemented, and directed internal audit function that included an ERM framework, audit charter, control self-assessments, audit workbook templates, fraud reporting hotline, executive reporting, and KPM BI dashboard. Created and maintained audit budget and schedule.▪ Planned and executed IIA standards compliant risk-based financial, payroll, human resources, operations, information technology systems, contractual, legal, and regulatory compliance audits for 75 domestic wholly-owned, managed, and joint-venture hotels and resorts that included vacation ownership rentals. Ensured compliance to GAAP, USALI, SOX, and U.S legal and regulatory requirements.▪ Trained and supervised auditors, and delivered scored quality control reviews with feedback and coaching to improve audit performance.▪ Presented and reported audit findings with recommendations to corporate and business unit leadership.▪ Verified recommended audit corrective actions were implemented by stated due dates or escalated to corporate leadership.▪ Tracked audit program KPMs and business unit audit KPIs to identify opportunities for audit process optimization and unit control risks.▪ Conducted forensic fraud and theft investigations in collaboration with loss prevention and law enforcement.▪ Performed control risk assessments, process mapping, gap analysis, and quality assurance and user acceptance testing prior to system implementations.ACHIEVEMENTS▪ Saved $2.4M annually in business insurance costs with a sustained 37% decrease in claims frequency.▪ Prevented $1M in USCIS regulatory fines by discovering a 77% system pre-conversion data loss.▪ Uncovered financial misstatements resulting in a $447K impact to business units’ financial statements. ▪ Discovered and reported $160K in business unit fraud and theft.▪ Saved $84K annually in audit expenses while increasing efficiency 60%, expanding scope by 37%, and reducing new auditor on-boarding time 40%.

Atlanta, Ga, Us

CORE EXPERIENCE▪ Planned and executed IIA standards compliant risk-based financial, payroll, human resources, operations, information technology systems, contractual, legal, and regulatory compliance audits for 55 domestic wholly-owned and managed hotels and resorts. Ensured compliance to GAAP, USALI, and U.S legal and regulatory requirements.▪ Designated as the company’s liaison for external auditor SAS 70 audits, addressing their inquiries and ensuring process control recommendations were resolved.▪ Trained and supervised contracted auditors, and delivered scored quality control reviews with feedback and coaching to improve audit performance.▪ Presented and reported audit findings with recommendations to corporate and business unit leadership.▪ Verified recommended audit corrective actions were implemented by stated due dates or escalated to corporate leadership.ACHIEVEMENTS▪ Uncovered financial misstatements resulting in a $165K impact to business units’ financial statements.▪ Discovered and reported $168K in business unit fraud, theft, and abuse. Exposed corporate senior manager’s vendor sourcing scheme requiring corporate and business units to purchase exclusively from their relative at non-competitive pricing.▪ Saved $59K annually in audit expenses while increasing efficiency 32%, expanding scope by 25%.

San Clemente, California, Us

CORE EXPERIENCE▪ Directed budgeting and forecasting for corporate and 65 business units.▪ Developed GAAP and USALI compliant financial and ad-hoc analysis reports with KPI BI dashboards for corporate and 65 hotels and resorts.▪ Served as task force internal auditor, and on finance and accounting’s property acquisitions and disposals team.▪ Performed process mapping, gap analysis, and quality assurance and user acceptance testing prior to system implementations.▪ Completed external auditor’s Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) schedules and requests prior to REIT’s IPO and management company’s incorporation.ACHIEVEMENTS▪ Designed, built, implemented, and managed Hyperion EPM system with Essbase Analytics for financial planning, reporting, and analysis function that included user input templates and customized BI dashboards and reports. Supported 250 concurrent company-wide users.▪ Converted existing independent business units’ chart of accounts over to standardized USALI compliant chart of accounts used company-wide.▪ Developed a company-wide web sales, revenue, and cost income journal platform with graphic user interface templates and real-time financial and KPI BI dashboard reporting and analysis.▪ Created a USALI compliant, standardized chart of accounts utilized company-wide, and mapped existing accounts and financial balance to new ones within reporting systems.▪ Increased financial reporting and budgeting and forecasting process efficiency by 40%.

CORE EXPERIENCE▪ Directed 15 financial controllers at 12 hotels, 2 resorts, 2 convention centers, a performing arts theater, and an industrial laundry facility, and partnered with regional ops managers to drive strategic planning efforts. Hired and developed business unit financial controllers.▪ Reviewed and approved business units’ 5-year strategic plans featuring operating budgets, capital budgets, and rolling forecasts.▪ Conducted period-end closings that included approving and posting journal entries, reconciling account balances, verifying inventories, calculating 3rd party management or owner fees, incentives, or distributions.▪ Pre-approved business unit capital bids and purchases, bonus payouts, leases, and vendor contracts over threshold dollar limits requiring corporate pre-approval.▪ Reported or reviewed daily and period-ending financial statement results with KPI analyses, and conducted strategic planning reviews with business unit and department leaders.▪ Filed tax and regulatory reports and assisted in responding to owner’s and their external auditor’s requests and recommendations.ACHIEVEMENTS▪ Discovered $549K in business unit fraud, theft, and abuse.▪ Exposed $263K in business unit financial misstatements.▪ Recovered $229K in hotel management incentives and tax overpayments.▪ Saved $85K by improving accounting period-end closing time 46%.

Stamford, Ct, Us

CORE EXPERIENCE▪ Managed finance, accounting, information technology, and night audit functions for decentralized, managed, wholly-owned, and joint-venture hotels. ▪ Hired, developed, and supervised 6 accounting and night audit employees.▪ Built and managed 5-year strategic plans featuring operating budgets, capital budgets, and rolling forecasts.▪ Executed daily accounting operations that included income journal, purchasing, accounts payable, accounts receivable billing and collections, general cashiering, managing cash flows and fixed assets, and approving bids and expenditures, bonus payouts, leases, and vendor contracts. ▪ Performed period-end closings that included approving and posting journal entries, reconciling account balances, verifying inventories, and calculating management and owner fees, incentives, and distributions, delivering financial and KPI reports and analyses.▪ Drove achievement of financial performance and KPIs to strategic plans through innovative ideation during collaborative reviews with department leaders.▪ Managed internal and external audits, and served as taskforce director of finance.▪ Filed taxes and regulatory reports, and maintained operating licenses and permits.▪ Ensured IT equipment and software was secured, sustainable, and routinely updated.ACHIEVEMENTS ▪ Directed Six Sigma project teams for two hotels, generating sustained profits of $647K.▪ Exposed misstatements and errors in financials, taxes, and investments impacting financials by $405K.▪ Recovered $213K in owner reimbursements, distributions, management incentives, and business insurance, and hotel tax overpayments.▪ Saved $138K by improving accounting and night audit process efficiency 25% while increasing accuracy by 39% and cutting $58K in operating expenses.▪ Discovered $62K in business unit fraud and theft.▪ Implemented and managed SAP ERP, general ledger accounting, front office operating, fixed asset, and inventory systems.

Stamford, Ct, Us

▪ Planned and executed IIA standards compliant risk-based financial, payroll, human resources, operations, information technology systems, contractual, legal, and regulatory compliance audits for 55 domestic wholly-owned and managed hotels and resorts. Ensured compliance to GAAP, USALI, and U.S legal and regulatory requirements.▪ Represented company interests during hotel acquisitions and disposals by safeguarding assets and verifying legitimacy of financial account balances.▪ Assisted director of audit in conducting risk assessments, creating control self-assessments, control tests, and program templates and reports.▪ Discovered $115K in business unit fraud and theft.

Post Baccalaureate Certificate, Accounting

Bachelors Of Science, Business Management