Meg Russell Email & Phone Number

Grand Rapids, Mi, Us

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Working as leader across Global Finance & Accounting on process improvement through Business Intelligence. Work cross functionally, liaising across stakeholder groups and between IT and Finance to effectively bridge the gap in understanding and business needs. Execute vision to gain process efficiencies, while providing significantly improved insights to stakeholders to drive decisions.• Project Implementation. Apply skill and experience in creating and executing a project plan. Effectively partner with groups across the organization, uniting in a common goal. As challenges and barriers arise, apply innovative ideas to work through and/or minimize any barriers to ensure maximum impact across enterprise. Track progress against project plan and, as needed, revise plan to deliver on evolving needs.• Data Structure and Accessibility. Design and work with IT and Finance users to build one source of truth for accurate and efficient reporting. In parallel, set up data connections in Tableau to deliver more quickly on stakeholder requests while one source of truth continues to progress.• Levarage BI Tools. Encourage use of Tableau (Prep, Desktop, Server), which provides significant lift for users and their audiences. Users across the globe have benefitted by improved efficiencies and stakeholders receive significantly improved insights to drive business decisions.• Training and Adoption. Maximize impact of initiative by focusing on user training and adoption. Meet varying needs through different types of training content to optimize impact.• Security and Sharing. Designed data governance process and security and sharing solution to ensure users can access only the data they need and nothing more.• Leadership. Successfully lead team with members based in different countries, working collaboratively and enthusiastically toward our objectives. • Promotion. Due to performance and results, promoted to Director in July 2022 from Senior Manager, Finance BI role.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Worked as strategic business partner to the SVP of Diversified Markets (DM) and business leaders across several U.S. verticals. Effectively liaised to bridge the gap between Finance and the businesses we supported to optimize cooperation and return to TransUnion.• Forecast. Extensive experience in and knowledge of TransUnion (TU) forecasting, including processes, inputs, and stakeholders. Adept in building forecast models, representative and complementary of business operations, aiding the business in understanding performance and making associated business decisions for optimal success and return. Skilled in looking at the business from various perspectives.• Analysis. Performed various ad-hoc analyses as needed by constituents. Applied ability to quickly pivot from analysis to analysis based on shifting priorities and varying audiences, with an eye on optimizing business operations. • Monthly Close. Tasks included variance analysis, reporting of actuals versus forecast, managing timelines, and communicating effectively to various constituents. Adept in translating numbers to business leaders, and honing in on important information and drivers to enhance future success.• Process Improvement. Led Finance-wide BI initiative to transition users from current, inefficient state of operations to more efficient means, gaining efficiencies and accuracy, and driving a return to TU via creation and implementation of BI tools. Project included build-out of aggregated data structure, security models, and training tools, among other tasks. Worked with numerous teams and stakeholders across TU.• Relationship Management. Highly skilled in working cross-functionally. As Finance representative, worked with stakeholders across functions, with a robust understanding of business needs and to effectively drive short- and long-term goals forward. Keen ability to bridge Finance with the business and adept in using numbers to help drive strategy.

Minneapolis, Mn, Us

Apply my vast financial, strategy, and process improvement knowledge and expertise to augment Salo’s hands-on approach of helping clients to improve their operating margins. Hired by client at the end of project due to expertise, approach, impact, and for continuity.• Project Delivery. Coordinate with internal client project team on tasks, deliverables, data gathering, and analysis. Work with team on developing and testing assumptions, and lead team in formulating conclusions and recommendations.• Project Management. Effectively plan and manage work and communication associated with the project, and ensure deliverables are met effectively and on time. • People Development. Manage small teams on projects. Effectively structure and delegate work, provide guidance, answer questions, and give constructive feedback.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Identified ways in which Redwood, as a company, could operate more strategically and transparently through increased visibility, productivity and through working proactively. After having such success at the brokerage with applying the same principles, promoted to Redwood Logistics to begin the transition to apply these tactics to the organization as a whole across all business units. Providing increased visibility into data, resulting in value-add reports and information, changing the ways in which Redwood did business.• Forecast. • Analysis. • Project Management.• Dashboarding. • Ad Hoc Requests/Needs. • Process improvement.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Played crucial role by gathering and providing accurate financial, operating and strategic data and analyses for the assistance and guidance of management and business decisions. For the first time for the company, compiled and analyzed data to implement strategic tools for members at all levels of organization, resulting in increased profits through increased visibility.• Reports. Prepared and distributed scheduled and on-demand reports at all levels of the company. Created myriad new reports and visibility into numbers, data and associated tracking, thus increasing transparency and strategic thinking by working with management to determine the most effective means to implement various tools and ideas.• Budget. From scratch, built an effective budget platform based on gathering historical data and using that for predictive analysis. This platform not only looks at high-level data, but drills down to provide the most accurate analysis possible. Throughout the year, expanded upon this platform to perform ongoing budget-to-actual analyses of performance. Introduced modal budgets and tracking. • Analysis. Analyzed various units within organization to aid in the development of best practices, including improving profitability and service to our customers. Presented to audiences across all levels.• Leadership. Liaised on projects between departments and across business units, including acting specifically as a liaison between the brokerage and IT, eliminating a bottleneck to progress that had previously been an issue. Promoted effective communication and tailored management style to maximize the efficiencies and success of staff and department as a whole.• Promotion. Hired as Director; promoted to Senior role based on performance and expanded responsibilities.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Chicago, Il, Us

Analyze, build and maintain the $1.24 billion annual budget for the Authority, advancing management’s goals by researching and implementing best practices. Budget. After producing the 2011 budget book, received approval to revamp entire process and redesign entire document to increase transparency and accountability. For 2012 budget: conducted research; performed budgetary and financial analysis; compiled data; and wrote document. Perform ongoing analysis of the operating and capital budgets with the goal of maximizing the bottom line to the Authority.Analysis. Analyses for decision support for senior management. Produce and integrate analyses into strategic planning process.Projects. Represent budget and finance as the liaison on various projects, forming recommendations and making decisions that impact millions of people each day and more than 500 million customers each year. Perform analysis on various scenarios to evaluate all options. Leadership. Liaise on various projects between budget staff and department management. Promote effective communication and tailor management style to maximize the efficiencies and success of staff and department as a whole.Presentation. Demonstrated skill in creating and conducting presentations to senior management. Present in various forms the CTA’s financial results and projections. Perform extensive analysis to support recommendations.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Strive to advance the strategic and financial initiatives of the Park Services Department and the Park District as a whole through a wide range of means, including cost containment, revenue and profitability planning, forecasting, financial and performance measurement, and service quality; driven to work proactively, not reactively.Budgeting. Build and maintain annual expense and revenue budgets. Practice effective money management and identify cost savings, when possible, for the District and privatized contracts. In 2009, identified cost-cutting measures reflecting an average savings of 15% across line items. Lead monthly meetings with executives and vendors to ensure projects are in line with goals and regulations.Financial Analysis. Conduct research and analyze trends, with a focus on cost containment and revenue generation. As a member of the Park Services Department, oversaw $3.5 million in permit revenues in 2009 as well as an additional $50 million in privatized contract revenues. These numbers represent an increase in revenue over 2008 of 25% and 61%, respectively.Contract Management. Manage privatized contracts which brought in over $50 million to the District in 2009. Work toward effective budget controls, and project implementation and management. Act as the point of contact, representing the Park District, forming partnerships and ensuring our clients receive quality service. Ensure all contractors comply with District accounting policies.Project Management. Oversee a range of projects and contracts. Responsible to analyze, prioritize, provide summaries to upper management, predict and prevent problems, and ensure project success. Proven ability to identify areas of concern, develop appropriate solutions and work toward positive results.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Budget & Policy Analyst. Managed budgets and projects to stay in line with the goals and needs of the Park District.Analysis. Worked with department heads to develop and maintain their annual budgets and studied the Park District's overall financial position. Secured Park District success through researching trends in similar organizations.Organization. Established guidelines, evaluated, suggested and made budget modifications. Worked extensively on the annual budget for twelve departments and two regions under my direct management.Budget Process. Knowledgeable of all aspects of the budget process and budgeting dynamics.Performance. Based on deliverables, vertically promoted to position with much broader responsibilities.

Master, Business Administration

Bachelor Of Arts, Management